Technology-Connected Lesson Plan

The Turtle                The Rabbit               

 

Title:  "The Turtle and the Rabbit Run a Race" :Folklife Lesson
Subject:  English/Language Arts
Grade Level:  2
Overview:
The students will compare and contrast two versions of a traditional fable. The students will also edit and transcribe a Native American story for grammar.
Approximate Duration:   2-3 class periods
Content Standards:
  • Standard 1
          Students read, comprehend, and respond to a range of materials, using a variety of strategies for different purposes.
  • Standard 2
          Students write competently for a variety of purposes and audiences.
  • Standard 5
          Students locate, select, and synthesize information from a variety of texts, media, references, and technological sources to acquire and communicate knowledge.
  • Standard 6
          Students read, analyze, and respond to literature as a record of life experiences.
  • Standard 7
          Students apply reasoning and problem solving skills to reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing.
Benchmarks:
  • ELA-1-E1
          gaining meaning from print and building vocabulary using a full range of strategies (e.g., self-monitoring and correcting, searching, cross-checking), evidenced by reading behaviors while using the cuing systems (e.g, phonics, sentence structure, meaning);
  • ELA-1-E2
          using the conventions of print (e.g., left-to-right directionality, top-to-bottom, one-to-one matching);
  • ELA-1-E4
          identifying story elements (e.g., setting, plot, character, theme) and literary devices (e.g., figurative language, dialogue) within a selection;
  • ELA-1-E5
          reading, comprehending, and responding to written, spoken, and visual texts in extended passages;
  • ELA-2-E3
          creating written texts using the writing process;
  • ELA-2-E4
          using narration, description, exposition, and persuasion to develop compositions (e.g., notes, stories, letters, poems, logs);
  • ELA-5-E1
          recognizing and using organizational features of printed text, other media, and electronic information (e.g., parts of a text, alphabetizing, captions, legends, pull-down menus, keyword searches, icons, passwords, entry menu features);
  • ELA-5-E3
          locating, gathering, and selecting information using graphic organizers, simple outlining, note taking, and summarizing to produce texts and graphics;
  • ELA-5-E4
          using available technology to produce, revise, and publish a variety of works;
  • ELA-6-E2
          recognizing and responding to a variety of classic and contemporary literature from many genres (e.g., folktales, legends, myths, biography, autobiography, poetry, fiction, nonfiction);
  • ELA-7-E1
          using comprehension strategies (e.g., sequencing, predicting, drawing conclusions, comparing and contrasting, making inferences, determining main ideas) in contexts;
Grade-Level Expectations (GLEs):
  • Reading and Responding
    Grade 2

    8. Identify story elements, including effects of setting on events and characters
    (ELA-1-E4)

    10. Retell a story in sequence including main idea and important supporting details
    (ELA-1-E5)

    15. Identify a variety of types of literature, including biography, autobiography, and the folktale, in oral and written responses
    (ELA-6-E2)

    17. Demonstrate understanding of information in texts using a variety of strategies, including:
    (ELA-7-E1)

  • Writing

    23. Develop compositions of one or more paragraphs using writing processes such as the following:
    (ELA-2-E3)

    24. Develop grade-appropriate compositions, for example:
    (ELA-2-E4)

  • Information Resources

    51. Gather and arrange information in a variety of organizational forms, including graphic organizers, simple outlines, notes, and summaries
    (ELA-5-E3)

    52. Use technology to publish a variety of works, including simple research reports and book summaries
    (ELA-5-E4)
     
Interdisciplinary Connections:  
  • Social Studies : Geography: Physical and Cultural Systems
          Students develop a spatial understanding of Earth's surface and the processes that shape it, the connections between people and places, and the relationship between man and his environment.
  • Social Studies : History: Time, Continuity, and Change
          Students develop a sense of historical time and historical perspective as they study the history of their community, state, nation, and world.
Educational Technology Standards:  
  • Identify, explain, and effectively use input, output and storage devices of computers and other technologies (e.g., keyboard, mouse, scanner, adaptive devices, monitor, printer floppy disk, hard drive).
  • Use technology resources to assist in problem-solving, self-directed learning, and extended learning activities.
  • Use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, writing tools, digital cameras, drawing tools, web tools) to gather information for problem solving, communication, collaborative writing and publishing to create products for various audiences.
Objectives:
1. The students will compare and contrast two versions of a traditional fable.

 
Lesson Materials and Resources:
 
  • Technology resources listed below
     
  • Scan converter for whole group instruction using TV
     
  • Venn diagram (without notes)
     
  • Swapping Stories, Folktales from Louisiana
     
    		•
    Technology Tools and Materials:
     

    Hardware:
     

  • Computer with Internet connection
     
    •
  • Scan converter for whole group instruction using TV

    Software:
     

  • Microsoft Word
     
  • The Tortoise and the Hare from Living Books CDs
     

    Websites:
    • Swapping Stories, Folktales from Louisiana
          www.lpb.org/programs/swappingstories/
     

    Other:
     

    • Background Information:
    Oral narratives are an essential part of human existence; in fact they preceded written literature. Stories are told to entertain, to maintain information related to cultural beliefs and practices of a cultural group, and to teach values and morals. All cultures have some form of oral narrative; young and old of all cultures recite narratives for various reasons.

    When students explore storytelling, they learn the importance of the stories in their lives, the influences the stories have on their cultural orientation, and the ways narratives can shape their beliefs, behavior and social values.

    Various vernacular forms of French and folk speech are prevalent in Louisiana. In this lesson the narrative is an example of Native American linguistic structure. The story is a fable: animals are the main characters, and there is a moral. The story is also a trickster tale in which one animal outwits other another animal that is stronger, larger, and faster.

    Teaching students to collect folklore is by far the best way for them to grasp the concept of what folklore is. A follow-up lesson would teach students to (1) collect an original story via interview and videotaping (after viewing an interview done correctly and practicing interviewing in the classroom) and (2) transcribe the interview. The lesson could continue as this one does, with a discussion of whether or not to edit the piece into a polished tale, and an analysis of edited and non-edited versions.

    Bel Abbey was a Koasati Native American storyteller from Elton, Louisiana; his repertoire of stories reflected his Koasati background. Many of his best were animal tales, both fictional and personal. His folktales included such characters as the rabbit, the turtle, and the bear. He also told of his own encounters with animals that outwitted him while he was hunting them. Before he passed away in 1992, Bel had passed on many of his stories to his nephew, Bertney Langley.
     
    Lesson Procedures:
    1. The teacher introduces the lesson with discussion of folklore and oral narratives. The teacher defines fable; later posts the definition on the Word Wall. She asks students to listen to find out who the trickster was and what lesson the story teaches.

    2. The teacher reads orally to the whole class, "The Turtle and the Rabbit Run a Race." Students discuss the moral and the cultural traditions revealed in the story.

    3. In small groups, students read the Living Book CD The Tortoise and the Hare.

    4. In small groups, students discuss ways the stories were alike and different.

    5. In the whole group, students open a Venn diagram template in Microsoft Word. They label the two circles and enter the likenesses and differences on the diagram.

    6. The whole group shares results.

    7. With a partner, students open the transcribed Native American story in Microsoft Word. Students edit the transcribed story for grammar and decorate it with clip art. The teacher asks which version students prefer and why.
     
    Assessment Procedures:
    Venn diagram (with notes)
    Accommodations/Modifications:
     
  • For students with hearing impairments, the teacher can use a sound system with microphone for amplification. The computers and/or speakers of the students can be fitted with FM receivers and headsets so that each student can personalize the mode and volume of sound according to his own needs.
     
  • Allow the students to use word processors or computers to complete their written work.
     
  • Implement a “partner” system for learning situations.
     
  • Use as many visual aids as possible (e.g., videos, slides, pictures, bulletin boards, etc.).
     
  • Use graphic aids such as charts, graphs, map illustrations, models, or other hands-on materials.
     
  • Provide a computer with word processing software with adaptive software including talking word processing application (Write OutLoud, Intellitalk 2), word prediction software (Co-Writer), and/or voice dictation software (Dragon Naturally Speaking).


     
    		•
    Reproducible Materials:
    Lesson Development Resources:
    Resources located in the InTech training materials.
    Louisiana INTECH, a Project of the Louisiana Center for Educational Technology
    http://www.doe.state.la.us