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E-Notebook Jennifer Freeman Azusa Pacific University

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Table of Contents
Beauty of the Beasts *Lesson Plan *Synopsis of Learning Experience *Student Reactions *Webcaptured Beauty of the Beasts Habitat Pen Pals *Lesson Plan *Synopsis of Learning Experience *Webcaptured Habitat Pen Pals & student samples page 13 *Student Reactions Flat Stanley *Lesson Plan *Synopsis of Learning Experience *Student Reactions *Webcaptured Flat Stanley & student samples Conclusion page 22 page 9 page 7 page 10 page 5 page 3

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Beauty of the Beasts

Telecollaborative Structure Utilized: iEARN , electronic publishing with student gallery and forum for participating classes around the world. When and how Im going to use it: We joined in March and contributed to the gallery until May 1st, when the project ended. Beauty of the Beasts Lesson Plan Grade: 2 Curricular Area: Science Standard: Science 2.2 a-e Students will learn about animals (life cycles, traits, adaptations). Objective: Students will learn to summarize and use what they have learned about animals to write a haiku poem. Materials: pencil, paper, Internet access, computer, scanner or cell phone camera Anticipatory Set: View online introductory video provided on Beauty of the Beasts Website (password required) and artwork posted in their site gallery. Focus Learner: What makes your animal special (the animal they have chosen to research)? State Objective: Today we are going to create a haiku poem with some of the animal knowledge that you have gathered. Transfer Past Learning: We have been researching animals and learning lots of fascinating facts about them. Now lets share some of it with our friends around the world! Purpose for Learning: The purpose for learning is to summarize what students have learned in their research and to share their discoveries with students of other cultures Instruction: For the past week you have been reading and researching your animal and taking notes. Now lets use what we know about haiku poems, syllabication, and our animals to create animal haikus to share on the Beauty of the Beasts website.

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Direct Instruction: Give students multisyllabic words to divide into syllables on whiteboards (syllabication, haiku, animal, habitat, research, resources, Internet, etc.). Next, review the definition of a haiku and how to write one, using kidszone.com
I am first with five Then seven in the middle- Five again to end

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Haiku

Modeling: Write haiku together about an animal that no one has chosen, such as:
Long spotted legs jump Seek flies for munching swimming in murky water

Checking for understanding: Have students write a line of their choice with five syllables, then one with seven syllables, observing and sharing results (five minutes) Guided Practice: brainstorm words describing animal on whiteboard and chart paper (individuals or groups with the same animal). Use worksheet 1 (kidzone.com) for those students if there is a low level of understanding, use worksheet 2 for those who are ready to begin writing independently and lead groups through the steps of analyzing a Haiku and then creating their own by checking syllabication together. Closure/Assessment/Evaluation: Share haikus as they are finished from authors chair using our karaoke machine. Independent Practice: Complete haiku animal poem, add a title, and share with class and online (with teacher help). Advanced group that have completed their poems: complete Worksheet 3 (What Am I? haiku) Synopsis of Learning Experience: At first I was puzzled by some of the posts on Beauty of the Beasts and wondered why so many older students seemed to be posting, but later realized they were probably posted in another language and the translation wasnt clear. This is good preparation for reading and responding to translated posts on my own Global Learning Project. From this experience, I discovered that it might be better to divide GLP wikis and other postings by age group to protect younger students from some of the more mature topics that are discussed by older students. Its also obvious to me that our class needs to discuss the meaning of posts when topics of discussion are more difficult to comprehend. (see screen shot, page ) After looking closely at this project, I decided to have my students work collaboratively within our classroom on animal poetry and then to upload and share

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it with them as a whole class rather than giving them the url and allowing them to participate independently online. This way we can discuss postings and artwork as a classroom and it will help me better understand what type of support students will need as I build my own GLP.

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Student Reaction: My second graders absolutely loved writing Haikus for this project. Some of them wrote about twenty poems about their animal by the time we were done with the project, and their parents were very impressed! We uploaded poems and commented as a class on this project.

Habitat Pen Pals by Ashley McDowell

Telecollaborative Structure Utilized: Electronic Publishing on a Weebly website with a blog and three galleries. When and How Im going to use it: We began in March 2013, and contributed to the site until May 2013 (end of the school year). Habitat Pen Pals Lesson Plan Grade: 2 Curricular Area: Science Standard: Science 2.2 a-e Students will learn about animals (life cycles, traits, adaptations) Objective: Students will learn to summarize and use what they have learned about animals to create a presentation, letter, and Venn diagram. Materials: pencil, paper, Internet access, computer, Microsoft PowerPoint and Word, scanner, Venn diagram from readwritethink.org Anticipatory Set: View online resources and gallery on Habitat Pen Pals Website Focus Learner: Where does your animal live? Why is its habitat important? State Objective: Today we are going to take a closer look at our animal habitats and create PowerPoints, write letters, and fill out diagrams with some of the animal knowledge that you have gathered. Transfer Past Learning: We have been researching animals and learning lots of fascinating facts about them. Now lets share some of it with our friends around the world!

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Purpose for Learning: The purpose for learning is to summarize and connect to what students have learned in their research and to share their discoveries with students of other culture Instruction: For the past week you have been reading and researching your animal and taking notes. Now lets add to what we know and write about what we have learned to share with our Habitat Pen Pals. Direct Instruction: Show students how to navigate the Habitat Pen Pals website and read some resources as a class. Next, teach how to use Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, and Venn diagrams (small groups working on different project steps) Modeling (whole class, but each small group reviews the model when meeting with me): Small groups 1 and 2: Model by creating a PowerPoint together about the habitat example shown on Habitat Pen Pals. Small groups 3 and 4: Model writing a letter from an animal to the animal on Habitat Pen Pals, including habitat facts. Small groups 5 and 6: Model how to use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast. Checking for understanding: Have students create a practice page or slide showing what they have learned (five minutes) Guided Practice: Read Habitat Pen Pals resources in the library with teacher supervision, taking notes on paper. Brainstorm ideas within groups and as a whole class session, recording and organizing facts on chart paper with teacher. Groups will meet with teacher to add details to student plans for further guidance. Closure/Assessment/Evaluation: Share presentations, letters, and Venn diagrams, as they are finished and uploaded onto Habitat Pen Pals. Independent Practice: Complete presentations, letters, and Venn diagrams as small groups, with teacher help available as needed. Advanced groups may choose a second activity as they finish. Synopsis of Learning: This is a great idea for a GLP and many resources are listed. I had to scaffold the content for my students because was difficult for my second graders to navigate and comprehend on their own. I decided to have groups of my advanced students work on this GLP so that they can have the experience of researching, creating a presentation, and uploading it with as little guidance from me as possible. Im brainstorming how to design my own GLP so that it is simple enough for a primary student to navigate.

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Student Reactions: My second graders enjoyed this project even more than Beauty of the Beasts because they were ready to use Web 2.0 tools with my supervision. They worked in groups to brainstorm what they wanted to write, then used PowerPoint and the blog on the Habitat Pen pals site. When I submitted them the project leader uploaded one of our projects but didnt add the other two.

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Flat Stanley Projects (flatstanleyproject.com)

Telecollaborative Structure Utilized: electronic appearances/visits of Flat Stanley, electronic pen pals, dropbox and email to share photos, Epals email with a class in India. When and How Im going to use it: I began to send join requests and Emails to EPals projects in March, wanting to use EPals because of the safe email exchange they offer, but it must have been too late in the year to get a response. In April I decided to go ahead and join the original Flat Stanley Project so that we could find someone that was willing to start the project late in the year and we found a class from Malaysia. I planned to conclude this project at the end of the school year and to join EPals Flat Stanley projects in the fall, but what has happened is the class from Malaysia asked if we could use snail mail, dropbox, and email and their school year is very different than ours, so we are still doing that project! Then, during the summer a class from India asked to join my Flat Stanley project in Epals, which is completely online and just began. Flat Stanley Lesson Plan Grade: 2 Curricular Area: Technology (also Social Science and Writing) Standard: ISTE NETS: 2. Communication and Collaboration a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media Objective: Students will learn to collaborate online with other cultures by exchanging emails, letters, and Flat Stanleys Materials: pencil, paper, Flat Stanleys and Stellas, Internet access, computer, scanner or cell phone camera Anticipatory Set: View online flatstanley.com Website (password required) including emails and photographs. Read aloud Flat Stanley, by Jeff Brown.

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Focus Learner: Have you ever traveled outside of your city (show map and mark with cities or countries named)?

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State Objective: Today we are going to create Flat Stanleys and Stellas to exchange in the mail with new friends around the world so that we can learn about each other and the places we live. Transfer Past Learning: We have been reading stories that take place in other countries. Now lets discover them using the Internet and Flat Stanleys! Purpose for Learning: The purpose for learning is to help students understand, contact, and befriend children from other cultures and to gain a basic understanding of geography. Instruction: After we read the Flat Stanley series, by Jeff Brown, and explore flatstanley.com and flatstanleybooks.com, we will review how to write an email, blog, and comment in a forum. We will create our own flats and write a letter introducing them. As a class, we will take our Flat Stanleys on some pre-adventures and write about them to model how to begin. We will keep track of electronic letters in a journal as we interact with our friends, adding maps, photographs, and emails. Direct Instruction: To become familiar with the character and online resources, we will take turns visiting flatstanleybooks.com to play games and participate in activities. Modeling: I will model how to create a Flat Stanley or Stella, and then will model how to write an email to our friends, emailing another class at our school for practice. We will discuss digital citizenship and what should or should not be included in messages. Checking for understanding: I will have students work in groups to compose emails to their new friends (on paper the first time). Guided Practice: Students will email their letters to our new partners with teacher supervision. Closure/Assessment/Evaluation: Share and read messages from other classes and mark our Stanleys adventures on a classroom map, gathering communication in a journal. Assessment will be based on participation in the project. Students will be expected to write in the wiki, blog, email, or comment at least once a week.

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However, these expectations will be adjusted depending on how much access they have to a computer. Independent Practice: Take your flat on an adventure this summer and send me the photos to forward to your friends in Malaysia.

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Synopsis of Learning Experience So Far: After multiple attempts to join a Flat Stanley global learning project through EPals, and even posting a request to begin my own Flat Stanley Exchange on their site, I joined the original Flat Stanley Project and requested that a classroom join us in exchanging Flat Stanleys. When a class from India joined my Flat Stanley project on Epals, I couldnt turn them down, so now we are participating in two Flat Stanley projects. Its a little busy but the kids are already having a lot of fun! Student Reaction: The students absolutely love pretending with their flats and are extremely curious about maps in the context of this project. A few of them took their flats home for summer vacation and sent me pictures with a parents help. For our new Flat Stanley project with partners in India we will exchange letters and use the Epals wiki, blog, and Email.

Conclusion:
These projects have taught me that it is extremely important to keep the product of my own global learning project open-ended, inviting, and simple. GLPs need to be simple to navigate, especially if young children will be participating, and busy teachers need to be tempted to join by a clear focus on common core standards and obvious benefits of participation. Instructions need to be clearly stated, hopefully on the first page of the GLP website. I noticed that the use of color, video, a clear title and introduction that states focus standards and goals makes a GLP much more inviting and attractive. Participating in three GLPs was exciting for my student and worth the effort. We now have friends that are joining us for my own GLP, Zoo News, and are already learning about other cultures, building map skills, communication skills, and fostering a love for learning!

May 24, 2013 Dear Friends, Hello! I am a coyote from the Sonoran Desert! Welcome to my habitat. I feed on animals such as jackrabbits and bats. Even prickly pear fruit some times! I love my habitat. I come out and howl at the full moon all night. I love being a coyote! From, Ms. Freemans class

Hot Deserts
By Ms. Freemans Second Graders

What are deserts like?

Animals
Some of the animals that live there are wrens, tortoises, vultures, desert pack rats, and elf owls.

These animals find shelter in caves ,under ground ,in plants and lots of other places.

Plants
Plants such as cacti, a prickly pear blossom, and a cholla survive there.

Food and Water in the Desert

Some animals, like a tortoise, eat cacti and plants. The rainfall in the desert is 250 mm annually, but animals get their water mostly from plants.