Where Is Flat Stanley?

Where IS Flat Stanley?

Author(s):


Tammy McMaster


Grade Level:

Second Grade

Timeframe:
Approximate Time Required: ongoing, the time will differ based on amount of time it takes for Flat Stanley to complete his travels.
Lesson Description or Explanation

Short Description:
The lesson will incorporate the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown to study maps and globes. The story is about a boy who is flattened by a bulletin board and eventually mailed to his cousin in California. The lesson will require a note to the parents explaining the unit of study and requesting them to send a name and address of a “willing participant” that will support Flat Stanley’s traveling. Once a name and address have been obtained, a friendly letter published on the computer will be addressed to the participants with a picture of Flat Stanley. The letter will also contain a self-addressed stamped envelope and a brief statement requesting that Flat Stanley be returned with a description and a souvenir of his travels while in their possession. When the letters are returned, the materials received will be displayed in a Flat Stanley Museum. Flat Stanley’s travels can also be tracked on a map and presented in a Hyperstudio presentation. Furthermore, the students will view an ongoing Internet project by a class in Canada that will give the unit of study an electronic, international connection.


Indiana Curricular Standards


Language Arts:
2.4.5- Use a computer to draft, revise, and publish writing.
· 2.5.3-Write a friendly letter complete with the date, salutation, body, closing, and signature.

Social Studies
2.3.2-The world in spatial term: Locate the equator and the poles on a globe and identify the local community, state, and the United States on maps.


ISTE Standards


Standard 2: Communication and Collaboration

Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:

a.
interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
c.
develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.


Assessments
Formative/Summative

Formative: The students will be evaluated on their computer skills through the formative assessment tools offered by the Portland-based Learning.com (www.learning.com). The assessment tool will evaluate the students ability to navigate through basic computer functions.

Summative: The students will use the computer at the end of a unit of study to summarize their knowledge and understanding of maps and globes. The students will use the computer to create a timeline that summarizes Flat Stanley’s travels.


Prior Knowledge

Curricular Knowledge or Skills:
The students will have prior knowledge of the components in a friendly letter and a working knowledge of globes and maps.

Technology Knowledge:
The students will be familiar with navigating through a computer program and a internet source.

Technology


Internet Resources: (please list URLs)

http://www.schools.pinellas.k12.fl.us/educators/tec/flatstan/flatstan.html
http://flatstanley.enoreo.on.ca/index.htm


Hardware:

· Computer with internet connection


Software:
· Hyperstudio or other presentation program
· AppleWorks® or other word processing program
Inspiration® or other planning tool
ClarisWorks® or other word processing program,
Materials:
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
Envelopes and other postage supplies
Materials to make Flat Stanleys
Area to display Flat Stanley’s souvenirs, maps and/or globes,


Procedure

Gain Attention: Read the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown.

Tasks:• Create a story map of the basic story elements and important events of the story. Use chart paper or program such as Inspiration on the computer to draw the story map. Have the children illustrate items from the story map or write about their favorite part and add it to the class map. • Brainstorm places that the students would like to go if they had been flattened by a bulletin board on chart paper or on the computer. After the brainstorming session, the children can use their imagination to write a story about an experience that they might have if they were flattened by a bulletin board. The stories will be published and put together into a classroom book to display in Flat Stanley’s museum.

•Students make and decorate 2 Flat Stanleys. Make certain that the school’s return address, your email address, the child’s FIRST name and teacher’s name are on the backs. (Since they will be traveling you may want to laminate them before their departure.) Journals can also be made and included in the package that is mailed out.•Brainstorm family members and friends that would participate in taking Flat Stanley in for a couple of days. A note is sent home to parents requesting their support by stamping and addressing and envelope for the project. When the addressed envelopes are returned, students can begin sending out the Flat Stanleys along with the letter of explanation.
• Each student should research the areas their Flat Stanley will visit. A page can be made in a Hyperstudio stack and the research can be added until Stanley returns.

• As the letters and Flat Stanleys return from their travels, set up a museum or memory album of his travels. Put these in an area where the children can visit and refer to them during lessons using maps and/or globes. Identify areas and regions where Flat Stanley has visited and keep track on a map. Add to the Hyperstudio stack. The children or the teacher can input the information from each trip (whichever is appropriate) to add to the research done earlier by the students. Review and enjoy the stack and museum as each new entry is made.

Differentiated Instruction

ESL
Provide an internet link that will translate a student’s native language into English
· http://translation.paralink.com/
· http://babelfish.altavista.com/
· www.worldlingo.com

Challenge/Extend

Students can also send letters to an “EPal”. There is a school in Canada with several active projects already established that connect schools that are interested in participating. A good active project can be accessed through http://flatstanley.enoreo.on.ca/index.htm.

Special Needs

The teacher will provide a template of a friendly letter on the computer that the students can download and use for their individualized learning ability. The student will also be able to modify and personalize it using a computer program.
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