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| Overview |
 Using a poem (either from a collection or through a general class consensus) as the foundation for further investigation into a culture can be very rewarding and highly engaging, especially when students can compose in an electronic format and use a combination of print and electronic sources in their quest for information. This project provides the organizational support (the poem) to help students learn more about the nature of hypertext composing. And, when students are allowed to publish their work on the Internet, they are writing for an authentic audience beyond the confines of the classroom and the school.
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| From Theory to Practice |
Michael Joyce, in his 1995 book Of Two Minds: Hypertext Pedagogy and Politics, writes that hypertext technology specifically offers the possibility of adapting cognitive skills “that experts routinely, subtly, and self-consciously apply in accomplishing intellectual tasks" (40). He adds that hypertext tools “promise to unlock these skills for novice learners and to empower and enfranchise their learning” (40).
When we read, internalize, and re-create the utterances of others, we engage in a dialogue with the text, the subject, the reader, the author, and exterior, associated texts. When readers engage in a hypertext, they engage in just such a dialogue, navigating and exploring the text for connections, associations, and reflections—the sorts of "intellectual tasks" that Joyce refers to. This associational thinking takes place when a reader dances through a hypertext web and when a writer choreographs the dance a reader might perform when he or she sees the music of links, and frequently helps novice learners move beyond simply following the dance steps to creating their own dance in reaction.
In this hypertext writing project, students annotate a poem, creating hyperlinks that connect keywords and ideas in the poem to related Web pages. The process of writing and creating links helps middle school students think not only of alternative textual forms but of more traditional organizational principals, only with more options. It also brings together the textual elements of color, font, image, as well as the more traditional conventions of print text. Further, students become more conscious of textual cues. Combined, these elements help students begin to "unlock" the "novice" skills Joyce refers to, as they write in an authentic environment (that of hypertext), and experience, in concrete form, associational and reflective intellectual tasks.
Further Reading
Eyman, Douglas. "Hypertext in the Computer-Facilitated Writing Class." Kairos 1.2 (Summer 1996)
Patterson, Nancy. "Making Connections: Hypertext and Research in a Middle School Classroom." English Journal 89.1 (September 1999): 69-73.
Patterson, Nancy. "Weaving Middle School Webs: Hypertext in the Language Arts Classroom." Kairos 5.1 (Spring 2000).
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| Student Objectives |
Students will
- investigate a poem in depth.
- use a combination of print and electronic sources in their inquiry for information.
- develop a greater sense of awareness regarding textual cues such as color, the hypertext link, and images in the role of meaning-making.
- create a Web site based on a Native American poem.
- write for an authentic audience.
- learn to cite the references they use when conducting their research.
- go into depth about a single poem and culture.
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| Instructional Plan |
Resources
- Collection of poems written by modern Native American writers.
- HTML Editor
- Webbing Tool Student Interactive
Preparation
- The teacher needs to gather a collection of poems written by modern Native American writers such as Scott Momaday, Shirley Hill Witt, and Mary TallMountain. See Web Resources for suggestions.
- Test the Webbing Tool Student Interactive on your computers to familiarize
yourself with the tool and ensure that you have the Flash plug-in installed.
You can download the plug-in from the technical
support page.
Instruction and Activities
- Students read and discuss the various poems and finally select, as a class, one poem from the collection to further investigate. Or, a teacher can allow students to individually select a poem from the collection.
- Based on the words that students have identified, use the Webbing Tool Student Interactive to create a customized flowchart or outline of the connections among the pages.
- Students then identify key words and phrases in the poem and use those as jumping off places to do research.
- Students can use both print and electronic sources in order to learn more about specific topics in the poem.
- Each key word or phrase will become a hypertext link that will take the reader to specific information.
- Students will create a Web site that uses the poem as the opening screen. Each page in the Web site should link to several other places within the Web, and there should be a link back to the opening screen so that readers can choose their direction.
- See an example of a poetry annotation Web site created by an eighth grader.
- The poem "Punto Final" by Native American author Shirley Hill Witt, with key words and phrases placed between asterisks is provided as a model. Teachers should understand that students should choose keywords and phrases for themselves.
- Each word or phrase between the asterisks can become a link to a page that explains that word or phrase. Some of the links might take the reader to a definition. Other links, like "Acoma," can take the reader to a page that provides information about Acoma and the mystery that surrounds it.
- Students will need to learn how to cite their references, and they will need to attend to the conventions of written language.
- Students can also work on this project in teams, with each team taking a poem or working on a single word or phrase in a whole class project.
Web Resources
- Example Poetry Annotation Web Site
http://www.npatterson.net/sara/maryjoe.html
- An example of a poetry annotation Web site created by an eighth grader.
- Using Netscape Composer
http://www.bamaed.ua.edu/cse489/e-portfolio/composer.htm
- This site provides directions on how to compose using Netscape Composer, a free web editor that schools can download.
- National Museum of the American Indian
http://www.nmai.si.edu/
- This Smithsonian museum explores the rich heritage and historical contribution of America's many Native Americans.
- New Jersey Native Americans Web Site
http://users.tellurian.net/swaa/nativeampoetry.html
- Poems by New Jersey Native Americans.
- Native American Authors Project: Joy Harjo
http://www.ipl.org/div/natam/bin/browse.pl/A67
- This site provides information about Native American poet Joy Harjo as well as links to Internet resources related to her writing and her life.
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| Student Assessment/Reflections |
- Much of the assessment for this project will be in the form of observations and individual conferences with students.
Teachers may want to set up a minimum number of "pages" to be included in the Web sites. The number will depend on the amount of time and access to technology. Generally, students should be able to complete a "page" in two days. Teachers may want to set up a rubric of sorts that allows students to decide how many pages they want to include in their project:
15 pages=A
10 pages=B
7 pages=C
In addition to the number of pages included in the project, students should include at least one image per page, provide an average of three working links (one of which returns the reader to the poem) per page, write an average of one or more paragraphs per page (with the exception of definitions), have a minimum of surface errors, and cite all references.
- Students should use textual cues, such as images and color, and provide meaningful and interesting information.
- Teachers may want to include a regular reflective response from students that asks them to think about their composing processes, their successes and frustrations in searching for information as well as with the technology itself. Teachers can ask questions such as the following:
- "What frustrations and/or successes are you experiencing in your search for information?"
- "What frustrations/successes are you experiencing with the technology?"
- "What did you learn/discover today that you didn't know before?"
- "If you could start your project again, what would you do differently?"
- "What advice would you give to someone who was just starting a project like this?"
- "What did you accomplish today, and what plans do you have for the next few days?"
Questions like these help students set short-term goals, reflect on their experiences as writers and researchers, and give the teacher meaningful assessment information.
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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.
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).
4 - Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
5 - Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
6 - Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
7 - Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
8 - Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
9 - Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
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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