Technology Integration Plan

           For my matrix Spreadsheet I used a lesson plan that I had created for reading the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. The lesson plan focuses on the students reading the story and using a graphic organizer as an aid for their reading. It is essential for students to jot down ideas or takes notes while reading so that they can keep track of any questions or key information that they read. The graphic organizer is just a way in which the students can organize the information that they’ve found in the story. This information can later be used when writing an essay or studying for a unit test on the story.

            The first row is describing how the students will transfer the information they already know while using technology as a supplement. This part of the lesson involves direct teaching and modeling of how the graphic organizer should be filled out. Originally I was going to tell them how to fill it out. But for this I used the Smart Board as an aid to model. This way the students can visually follow my thought process of filling out the graphic organizer. Therefore, I chose the technology standard of transferring information already acquired and using them with new technologies. There is no ELA standard for this because the students will just be watching me model for them.

The second row explains how they will apply what they know about the structure of a text and order of events to read the short story. They will be reading the story on their own and will not need any technology to aid them during this process. Therefore, I have not provided a technology standard since there is no technology being used.

The third row explains how the students will use what they read to fill out the graphic organizer. This part of the lesson is analyzing the text. They are using the graphic organizer as an aid in helping them analyze the text they just read. The graphic organizer will be an aid in helping them neatly organize the details in the story that are important. They will use Google Docs on their computers to fill out the organizer on their own. This will make it easier for the students to type instead of handwriting their work. The technology standard I picked expresses how the students will produce their own work and then use it for a group expression, which will later involve group work.

On row four, the students will participate and come up with a master graphic organizer in a group setting. Once they have done their independent practice, I will group the students together and have them create a master graphic organizer on a Google Doc that will be shared with me and all of the group members. This activity will help them see how their classmates processed the story, if it is different or similar to what they thought. The purpose of this assignment is to have the student’s participate in a small discussion with their group members and come up with a graphic organizer that was a collaboration of each group member. This graphic organizer will combine all of the questions or important things that all group members noticed while reading the story. Their ideas need to be concise and effective for their learning. Each student must contribute, and their master graphic organizer must have a lingering question, quotes from the story, and figurative language. The standard used for ELA describes how students need to initiate and participate in a group discussion and build on each other’s ideas. The NETS-S standard is the same one on row three because the students are still creating their graphic organizers.

            The final activity, on row five will involve a whole class discussion each group’s organizer. I will project on the Smart Board a master graphic organizer, where I will include all of the findings of each group. Each group will need to present their findings to the class and explain why they picked those specific details from the story. The ELA standard fulfilled in this part of the lesson is the speaking and listening. This standard is the same as in row four, but this time the students are doing both in a class setting, unlike before where it was just a group setting. The technology standard involved is processing their data, that they have put into their graphic organizer, and report the results to the class.

Using Music in an English Classroom

           Despite the fact that songs are great instruments of entertainment, they can come very handy when teaching various forms of literature. I remember the first time I analyzed poetry in my sixth grade class using music lyrics. This made poetry fun and exciting to learn. What most students do not realize is that songs are a form of writing, and a form of poetry. Analyzing and scanning songs is a very similar process to doing so of a poem. It is just the form that is different.

            I would use songs in my classroom when teaching a unit of poetry. I would have the students listen to and read song lyrics as if they were doing so with a poem. In these lyrics they could identify literary elements such as similes, personification, etc. During this process, I would be achieving the standards that connect my content area to the real world. The students would be identifying content area based vocabulary in common day songs. Lyrics can also be a useful tool when teaching rhyme scheme. Most lyrics rhyme and therefore, are a useful tool in identifying the rhyme scheme. Also repetition occurs in every song, there is always a refrain, or chorus, that is repeated throughout the song.

            Another use of song in my classroom can be with student creation. Instead of having students write poetry they could write song lyrics. Those students who wish to perform them can also do so. This will give them a chance to give their creation a personal touch and perform it. Most students do not connect to poetry units because the poetry is either outdated or they are intimidated by its complexity. Approaching poetry in this way will give the students an opportunity to personalize their work in a form that many of them enjoy. Performing it will also allow those who are musicians to shine in this unit of study. 

Using Movies in an English Classroom

             Movies in my classroom can be a vital part of making connections with the text. Students can create movies to demonstrate comprehension in a specific topic, or they can watch a movie adaptation of a novel they read to compare and contrast both forms. This can be a great way of crossing both forms of art.

            Similar to writing essays, my students can create a movie, or video, of a topic we are discussing in class. For example, if we are working on argumentative writing, the students can create a video that demonstrates their take on the topic we are researching. Or students can create a movie of a play that we are reading. If we are reading Shakespeare, the students can create a movie of their own intake of the play. This way the students have the opportunity to expand their imagination and create their own modern twist of Shakespeare. This can also be a chance for me to assess their interpretation of the text.

            On the other hand, I can show movies of novel adaptations that have been made. If we are reading a novel I can show them the movie and have them compare and contrast the differences and similarities. For example, The Great Gatsby recently came out in a movie version and if you read the novel it takes on a different interpretation. The music in the movie is modern, while the novel is set in the Jazz Age. Or I can have the students read an Old English literary work and have them compare it to a modern movie. When I was a senior in high school my English teacher had us read Beowulf and then watch the movie “The Dark Knight” and write an essay comparing and contrasting the villain or hero in both works. This was a great way of getting the students interested in reading the literary work because they were comparing it to a modern movie. 

Using Pinterest in an English Classroom

           Social Medias are mediums that have caused a lot of controversy over the years in schools. Some teachers are scared of becoming friends with their students online because they see that as crossing the line. However, I believe that some Social Medias can be used if they are given to students with a limited access.

            Pinterest, for example, can be helpful for my students to write picture prompts. Instead of giving them outdated or boring pictures pulled out of a textbook, I can have them use Pinterest. However, I will give them boundaries and guidelines that they must follow. For example, if they have a Pinterest account they can use a picture that they pinned, but it must be appropriate to a topic and to their academic work. Then they can write a prompt about that specific picture, but first it must be approved by me. Giving the students the freedom for using a social media to find a picture for their prompt, might spark more interest in the assignment for many students.

            Another way I can use it for picture prompts can be for brainstorming. On my own Pinterest account I can create a board with preselected images and have my students select an image from the board. The way I would present them the images would be in a print screen shot of the board, where they cannot access my account directly and see personal information. Then I would project this screen shot on the smart board or print it out for their own use. Then they would select one of the images and brainstorm about what their prompt may be about. This might not be the most brilliant idea of using technology in a classroom, but I think that the students will feel inspired knowing that the pictures I selected were from a social media that they may even use on their own.

Using a Smart Board in an English Classroom

         The Smart Board may be an overused technology in many classrooms today. However, I do feel that it can be very useful in an English class. It is a great tool for modeling literary techniques. For example, if I were teaching a unit on poetry I could use the Smart Board to model how to read a poem. When reading a poem it is very important to annotate and write in the margins. I could use the board to model to my students how I would annotate a poem and how they should as well. I could use the markers to circle important words or even to identify different literary elements present in the poem. This way they can visually follow my train of thought in the annotating process.

            Another way that the board can be a helpful tool for my students is for essay revisions. Similar to the poetry example, I could use the board to model how the students should write their essays and revise them. I can show what good brainstorming looks like by projecting a sample on the board. I can also model for them how they should revise their essays during an essay revision. Essay revision is always a process that students have trouble with as it is tedious and an attentive process. Therefore, the board would be a great tool to model for my students exactly how they should revise.

            The board can also be used to teach close reading. Close reading is a complex way of dissecting a text and getting to the core of its meaning. Some students struggle with this at first because they do not understand how to approach it. Using the board will give me the opportunity to demonstrate to my students how they should approach a complex text. The board allows, in all of these occasions, to visually follow a complex process instead of just hearing how they should approach something. When students are learning these complex skills, such as dissecting a text in a close reading approach, they need to first see how it’s done to then successfully tackle it. The board allows for the opportunity to teach students the right way instead of losing them in the process.