10 lesson using different technology for 7th grade language arts.

2. Do you think music is poetry? Why?Explain to the students that they will be listening to music and to have an open mind. Then the teacher plays each one minute snippet of music, pausing after each one allowing the students to write what they thought or felt after each one. The teacher should have about 7 or 8 snippets for the students to listen to on a portable CD player. When finished listening to all the snippets, ask the students to share what they have written down. Ask students to circle the one favorite snippet and explain why on the paper. The assessment of this lesson will be done by asking the student to come up with a verse for a song and turn it in the next day. Lesson 3 7th grade students will learn about free verse. Explain to the students that free verse is a form of poetry that is written without proper rules about form, rhyme, rhythm or meter. Explain that in free verse the writer decides how the poem should look, feel and sound. Then hand out some copies of some free verse poems as examples. Then ask the student to write a paragraph or paragraphs entitled “Who am I”. Then ask student to go back and break the paragraph into lines. Tell the student that as they go back over the paragraph, to revise it until they like the way it looks, sounds and feels. Then the students will type their paragraphs on the computer. Then complete a self portrait to show the “real” you. Then the student will use a scanner and scan the picture into the paper that they have written. When the students have finished this paper they will turn it in for a grade. Lesson 4 7th grade students will demonstrate application of literacy by applying ideas from a literary selection to a different context. The students will start off class with a journal entry titled “What is a hero?” When students finish ask for volunteers to tell what they wrote done. Write what the students say on the board. Have the students break up into four groups. Then pass out these four mythological stories: “Perseus”, “The Story of Moses”, “Sargon the Mighty”, and “The Sword and the Stone”, one per group. Have the students in the group read the story and summarize for the class and point out the themes. Then list the common themes on the board. Examples: Abandonment, Fate/destiny, Emergent Savior. Have the students recount the story of superman. Tell the students that they will be watching the movie “Superman” and to look for possible mythological themes. When the movie is finished, ask the students “Is Superman mythological?” Have the students write their answer in essay format and turn in for a grade. Lesson 5 7th grade students will learn about personification. The teacher will give the definition of personification to the students, which is giving human qualities, feelings, action, or characteristics to inanimate (non-living) objects. Then on an overhead projector, the teacher will have these sentences written on a transparency: 1. The wind sang her mournful song through the falling leaves. 2. The microwave timer told me it was time to turn my TV dinner. 3. The video camera observed the whole scene. 4. The strawberries seemed to sing,
Eat me first!
5. The rain kissed my cheeks as it fell. The teacher will ask the students to write on their own paper the objects being personified and the meaning of the personification. The students will turn the papers in at the end of the period for a participation grade. Lesson 6 7th grade students will practice writing creatively. The teacher will give the students a digital camera to use for the day. The student will be told to take six pictures with which to make a story. The next day the students will download their pictures onto the computer and start writing their story using Microsoft word. The students when finished will print out the story with the pictures embedded in them and turn in for a grade. Lesson 7 7th grade students will learn how to brainstorm an idea to write a paper. The teacher will have the students get onto the computer and use the program inspiration. The teacher will explain to the students to think of something they would like to write about. Then they will put that topic in the middle bubble in the inspiration program. Then they will be instructed to branch off of that bubble with as many things that they can think of to go along with that topic. The students will be instructed to have at least five bubbles extending from the main bubble. When finished the students will print out paper and turn in for a grade. Lesson 8 7th grade students will work on their oral book report skills. Students will be told ahead of time that they will have to read a book to do a book report on. On the day the book report is due, the students will be told to get into a circle. The students are then told that each of them will have 30 seconds to highlight the book that they have read. The teacher will use a digital timer to let the students know when to stop talking. This process continues until all students have had a chance to highlight their book. The students that are listening will be instructed to write down the title of the book being presented and whether they would like to read it. At the end of the class period the students will turn in the paper with all the titles for a participation grade. Lesson 9 7th grade students will learn about the author Chris Van Allsburg by doing a web quest. The students will be given this website http://www.chrisvanallsburg.com/timeline.html and told to fill in the worksheet that the teacher has given them. The teacher will explain that Chris Van Allsburg is the author and illustrator of the popular book Polar Express. Chris has illustrated or written and illustrated other books too. Can you name them? Scroll through the timeline at the Web site below to learn about more of Van Allsburg’s books. Then write the letter of the correct book title next to each story topic. Here is an example of the worksheet: ____ Great monumentsa. The Z Was Zapped____ Fourteen drawingsb. Just a Dream____ A 26-act playc. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick____ A game that comes to lifed. Jumanji____ A vision of the future manjie. Ben’s Dream Something to Think About: Which of Chris Van Allsburg’s books would you most like to read? Why? The students will turn in their worksheet when finished for a grade. Lesson 10 7th grade students will utilize photo story 3 to prepare a digital story. Over a week’s time period, the learner will learn how to design a digital story: utilizing personal photos or documented downloaded images adding appropriate narration and music for desired affect. Upon completion, the learner will present in class. The teacher will give the students this link to go to, to learn how to do a photo story. http://download.microsoft.com/documents/australia/education/photo_story_3.pdf Before uploading the presentation, the student will address the class informing them of his/her reasons for the choice of the topic. Assessment will done based on the following criteria: Oral presentation on the purpose of the story Choice of content Use of images Narrative pacing and volume Meaningful audio soundtrack Transitions Animation Source documentation of photos and music