Overview
Introduction Overview Narratives Exhibits Reflections Purpose of the Unit: For the entire year, the students have worked on story maps when finishing a book. This was done from time to time depending on the text. When I entered the classroom I found that the students had become extremely bored of these story maps. This boredom was my inspiration for creating this unit. I wanted to create a unit that would provide the students with the same instruction with a new twist. I decided to use technology to drive the content in this unit. I used the same ideas and concepts used in the classroom on the dry erase board, and transferred them to the computer screen using Inspiration 6.0. At a first grade level, we are trying to emphasize the concept of retellings. Making story maps and character webs help the students look beyond their favorite part of the story. Usually when I ask a student to tell me what happened in the story they tell me the character names and their favorite part. They struggle at telling me the beginning, middle, and end. My hope is that this unit will help the students strengthen these skills in a new and interesting way. To help strengthen these skills, I used the book The Mouse and the Motorcycle as a base. We looked at the book's two main characters Ralph and Keith quite often. We made character webs for them, as well as for ourselves. We then compared the two characters as a class, and made a story map together. This was all done on the Inspiration 6.0 program.
Lesson # 1: Introducing Character Webs
My first lesson was an introduction to using character webs. The students learned what a character web is and what they tell us. This lesson involved no technology, but it was a necessary step to build the students' knowledge.Lesson # 2: Introducing Inspiration 6.0
This lesson took the students to the computer lab for the first time. At the lab we explored the Inspiration program and learned all the functions to make the program work. The students then had time at the end of the lesson to explore the program for themselves.Lesson # 3: Creating a Personal Character Web
Before jumping into the book, I wanted the students to practice using Inspiration 6.0 to create a character web. They used the program to recreate the same webs they made in the room a week earlier.Lesson # 4: Creating a Character Web for Ralph
This is the first lesson that digs into the book. The students were to take the knowledge they had been building on character webs and create a web for the main character in the book.Lesson # 5: Same and Different
This is not a technology enhanced lesson, but it is necessary to continue in the unit. I wanted to assess how much the students understood the concept of comparing and contrasting. We started the lesson by comparing two pieces of fruit. We then made a list describing what is the same about two students in the class. Finally we finished by comparing the characters in the book.Lesson # 6: Making a Comparison Chart
The lesson starts off with the students making two character webs for Ralph and Keith (two characters in the book). They then needed to place the sheets in front of them and help me create a comparison chart using the Inspiration program. The students were then invited to create their own comparison webs describing Ralph and Keith.Lesson # 7: Making a Story Map
This is the final lesson in my unit. The students helped me create a story map for The Mouse and the Motorcycle using Inspiration 6.0. We have been working in the room on developing the concept of the beginning, middle, and end of the story. We took this knowledge and applied it to the book we just finished.
