" and sorry I could not travel both. I chose the one last travelled by, and that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost
Technology Integration in the Classroom... Finally
Choosing the "road" of technology has not always been an easy choice for me. It often seems overwhelming and daunting in an already hectic schedule of teaching. The project I designed on Poetry Analysis takes lessons and ideas that I am already familiar and comfortable with and modifies them to enhance student learning. This was a comfortable place for me to start as I move down a new path in the classroom.
495 (The main road with many off-ramps):
According to the ELA standards 5th grade students must be able to determine a theme in a poem as well as identify how the speaker of a poem reflects upon a topic. They must also be able to identify figurative language; such as similes and metaphors. These two standards set up the basis for my essential question for the unit; of course though, many other standards are addressed throughout as well.
Essential Question: How do poets use figurative language
and other writing tools in their writing to reflect on an idea or message?
The unit will begin with several mini-lessons on poetry (Phase 3 of Ubd) including a haiku deck created by me to introduce types of figurative language. We will also venture to the computer lab to read well-known poems and explore the famous poet's biographies on a site called Rainy Day Poems. This site is very kid friendly and will be a good place for them to explore on their own later during the assessment phase of the unit.
The Phase 2 of the unit (Assessment) will include a quiz on figurative language, as well as several teacher conferences as the students complete the initial steps of their project and are required to get signatures along the way. The teacher signature enables the teacher to make observations and collect assessment data throughout the process, allowing them to make adjustments to instruction as necessary.
The unit will end with a final project which will include making a slideshow presentation using WeVideo. This slideshow will synthesize information learned throughout the unit and demonstrate the skills needed to answer the essential question.
Exit 32 (The final road to your destination) :
The unit will culminate in a final presentation using WeVideo. To prepare for the project students will apply information that they learned throughout the unit on figurative language and author's intent to create a visual poetry analysis of a well-know poem. Steps to this project can be found on this link to GoogleDocs.
Detours: (When a tree falls in your path):
Through designing this unit one thing I learned is that the best laid plans always come with many roadblocks to completion. It is important as an educator to be flexible in your thinking in the same way that we expect our students to be. This is very much true when learning to integrate technology. During my design for my final project I had many ideas and found that the best way to choose was to explore, fail, and try again. Many educators, myself included, have at times chosen to get off the technology highway for the country road of paper and pencil. Find a way to explore a middle ground, as I did with this project, start with content you love and know. This will make it easier to take risks and motivate you to plow through the road blocks. If you try an application and don't succeed, I started with TedEd, try another one. Your students will love hearing about the roads you took to get to the final project, and it will help you to become a better educator of your students when they inevitably hit road blocks as well. Below I have given a quick list of all the links included in the Post to make it easier to find them. Good luck on your Technology Road trip!
Quick Links:
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