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| Overview |
This five-day lesson is used for whole-class discussion of a short story (or part of a novel). Working in groups of about four, and using doodles, symbols, drawings, shapes, and colors, students construct a graphic of their story or chapter on a sheet of newsprint with crayons or markers. When all groups have completed their graphics, they will present them to the class, explaining why they chose the elements they used. Finished graphics can be displayed on a class bulletin board, on walls, or scanned in to a Web page.
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| From Theory to Practice |
Claggett (1992) states that “the use of graphics will help students make meaning as they read, write, and act, [which] is firmly rooted in current thinking about how the mind works.” She adapts “Jung’s concepts of the four primary ways that we make sense out of the world" (paraphrased as "observing, analyzing, imagining, and feeling") to describe aspects of a balanced approach to learning. Claggett further states that “through the use of graphics, students have opportunities to experience all four functions as they interact with the books they are reading and the essays, stories, and poems they are writing.”
Teaching students to visualize what they are reading and create graphic symbols helps them develop as readers. Furthermore, sharing their individual responses in cooperative group activities deepens their understanding and skill as readers and writers.
Claggett, Fran, and Joan Brown. 1992. Drawing Your Own Conclusions. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Further Reading
Beers, Kylene. 2003. When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Dale, Helen. 1997. Co-Authoring in the Classroom: Creating an Environment for
Effective Collaboration. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
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| Student Objectives |
Students will
- indicate personal preferences by self-selecting a short story from a teacher-provided list of stories by a common author.
- demonstrate understanding of the elements of the short story.
- work in cooperative groups to create a graphic display of their story.
- present their group graphic to the whole class to demonstrate knowledge of the elements of fiction.
- participate in whole-class discussion of the themes developed in the various stories.
- [for the extension] write cooperative group essays analyzing the themes developed by the author studied.
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| Instructional Plan |
Resources
Preparation
Instruction and Activities
Sessions 1–2: Reading and Journaling
- Introduce students to short stories by a common author. Have three to four copies of each story available.
- Allow students to self-select stories.
- Put students in groups of three to four according to the story they have selected.
- Hand out the Doodle Splash handout and give them an overview of the final project.
- Review the elements of fiction with students.
- Introduce the Doodle Splash Student Interactive either through an LCD projector or at each of their computer stations if available.
- Have students practice doodling online, individually and in groups, for a short time before beginning reading.
- Give students the rest of the class and another class period to read their story and complete their online doodles or doodle journals.
Sessions 3–4: Constructing Group Graphics
- When students have completed reading and doodling, have them meet in groups to construct their Doodle Splash.
- Students compare doodles and decide which doodles will best tell their story. Each student must be represented on the Doodle Splash. Each element of the short story must be covered on the Doodle Splash as well.
- Using butcher paper or newsprint and crayons or markers, groups create their Doodle Splash graphic.
Session 5: Publication and Summation
- After all groups have finished their graphics, have them take turns presenting their Doodle Splash to their classmates, emphasizing how the visual representation connects with the elements of fiction, particularly theme.
- Display students Doodle Splashes on a bulletin board or a wall, or photograph them with a digital camera and publish on the class or school Web site.
- End the lesson with whole-class discussion of the themes that the author developed in the short stories.
Extension
Have students write group essays analyzing the themes the author developed in the short story they chose.
Web Resources
- Short Stories Online
http://www.short-stories.co.uk/
- A collection of published, online, and hypertext short stories. Many authors, including children’s authors. All stories are "rated" for age appropriateness, but the teacher should preview the site to see how it suits the needs of the class.
- Victorian Ghost Stories Web Site
http://www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/ghost-stories.html
- A collection of classic horror tales containing multiple stories by various authors including Charles Dickens, Bram Stoker, and Arthur Conan Doyle.
- Bibliomania: Short Stories
http://www.bibliomania.com/0/5/frameset.html
- A collection of classic short stories by authors including Poe, Twain, Saki, and others.
- The Edith Wharton Society Web Site
http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/faculty/campbell/wharton/shortstories.htm
- The short stories of Edith Wharton.
- Contemporary Native American Short Stories
http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/newnativenowc.htm
- Collected by young adult author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this site includes references for published short story collections that feature the work of Native American authors.
- Classic Reader.com
http://www.classicreader.com/toc.php/sid.6/
- An excellent site containing over 1,000 short stories by a variety of authors.
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| Student Assessment/Reflections |
Students should self-assess using the Student Reflective Assessment. Each student should do this individually.
Groups can self-assess using the Student Group Assessment.
Teachers can choose whether or not to assess this activity, but they could evaluate the process and the final Doodle Splash by keeping anecdotal records of students' participation. They may also wish to use the Participation Checklist.
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1 - Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
2 - Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
3 - Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
11 - Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
12 - Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
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