Procedure: At the beginning of the lesson, I will take a bit of time to go over what we already know thus far, since the lesson will take place in the middle of the book when central ideas and themes are (hopefully) starting to become more clear. Once I do that, I will read a short passage of the book where Charlie, Sam, and Patrick are going through the tunnel and Charlie states that he feels infinite. When I finish reading this passage, I will initiate a discussion with the students as to what they think feeling infinite is. If they are struggling to determine what they think it means, I will attempt to guide students in the direction I want them to go - how would you feel if you were Charlie? Do you think feeling infinite could be a bad thing? Why? After the students discuss what they feel like feeling infinite is like and once they have a better understanding that feeling infinite is actually a good thing is when I'll begin student work. Charlie feels infinite when he is with his friends and one song that he enjoys plays in the background, almost as a soundtrack to the scene. That being said, I will ask students to take a few minutes to think of a song that makes them feel infinite. It does not necessarily have to be their favorite song, just one that makes them feel so happy and content that they could burst, that nothing can go wrong when that song is playing. After they find a song, I probably will not ask them why that particular song makes them feel infinite unless they want to share, since it could be rather personal; feeling infinite could be incredibly hard to explain to someone else, because they may never feel as infinite as others. Once each student finds a song, I'll ask them to open a program and use pictures from the web, Facebook (or other social media sites), and even their phone to create a short movie of things that make them feel infinite, using their selected song as the soundtrack to their movie. At the conclusion of the lesson, I will reiterate and go over again the central idea of the part of the book we are at in the book and why it is such large event to focus on in the lesson.
Technology Implementation: Students will use the Internet to find a song that makes them feel infinite, so this utilizes the use of search engines - or more likely, YouTube. In addition, students will be using a program to create their movie which will be more than likely be iMovie.
Differentiated Instruction: Since there may be gaps between instruction and learning between students, I would look into other forms of technology that may be more useful to those who need differentiated instruction, such as students with cognitive delay. Instead of using a program such as iMovie, I may use something that sort of lays out the assignment instead, such a program like Pixie. As far as ELL students go, I may implement the usage of a photo-based program (again, like Pixie) in attempt to help the student make connections with pictures.
Reflection:
-Why are you using the instructional methods you have described?
I'm using the instructional methods I've described because I think that there's a good blend of in-class discussion as well as students working on their own. I think that students sometimes work best when it has to do with something they already know, rather than something that they are taught. That being said, I am hoping to use this lesson to make connections between the students and the lesson.
-How are you engaging students in creative and higher order thinking?
By creating something personal, I believe that the students have more creative freedom because there are hardly any expectations, just to share what makes them feel infinite. I feel that there could be multiple interpretations and students can either take it very seriously or rather light-hearted, so there's bound to be some variation in the assignments I see.
-How does your integration of technology support what you know about practices for technology integration in the classroom?
It seems as though a lot of technology can either aid students in a lesson or help them create something that relates to the lesson and I think that both situations are equally important. Implementing technology can really give the students the opportunity to tap into the creativity and expand on it and I think - I hope - that is exactly what my technology integration is doing.
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