Early Childhood Technology Literacy Grant Literacy Activity

Developed By: Teresita Metzbower, Beall Elementary School

Edited By: Bonny Chambers

Overview: Using First Connections: Golden Book Encyclopedia, or another children's multimedia encyclopedia, a small group of fluent readers will work independently to choose a topic of interest and share what they have learned.

Student Level: First or Second Grade- Fluent Readers

Time Frame: About one week

• Three 20-30 minute mini-lessons
• Three 20 -45 minute independent work sessions
• Time for sharing projects

Objectives: To demonstrate the ability to read, write, listen and speak for a variety of purposes and audiences in a variety of forms and situations, students will:

• Read expository articles of their choice from the encyclopedia.
• Write a pamphlet, poster or book to communicate the "gist" of the article.
• Listen to and discuss one another's work.

Materials:

• First Connections: Golden Book Encyclopedia CD Rom
• Computer access
• A web (graphic organizer)
• Construction paper
• Colored pencils or crayons
• Student Directions
• Rubric

Procedures:

1. Students should already be familiar with using First Connections: Golden Book Encyclopedia CD Rom. If not, make sure that you model how to use it before beginning this lesson.
   
2. Introduce the project to the fluent readers with a discussion about things that interest them and ways they learn about these things. Explain that they will have the opportunity to pick something they are interested in to learn more about, then teach each other about.
   
3. Conduct a review of different ways to find information on the First Connections: Golden Book Encyclopedia by having the small group gather around the computer as the you model. (If possible, connect the computer to the TV or use a projection device.) Be sure to talk about the benefits of using different methods of getting started for different purposes. For example, you might use the "World of Words" path if you had a general idea of something you wanted to learn about (zoo animals), but hadn't decided on a specific topic. On the other hand, if you were pretty sure you wanted to learn more about giraffes, it might be easier and faster to use the ABC's path to find your article. Or, if you were stuck and couldn't come up with an idea, you might use the Seek and Find path for ideas. Select a topic to use for modeling throughout the project.
   
4. Ask the students to Think-Pair-Share different possible topics they might like to investigate. Discuss some of their ideas and how they would check the CD to see if articles were available about these topics. Introduce the student direction sheet and arrange time for the students to explore some of the topics and articles available on the CD so they can choose a topic and complete Step 1. (This works well as a center activity for pairs of students. Each pair should only need about 10-15 minutes of exploration time.)
   
5. Once students have explored the First Connections: Golden Book Encyclopedia and have chosen a topic, discuss and model a mini-lesson how to find the main ideas in the articles and take notes. You may want to model using the Notes feature of the program for recording or copying and pasting important information from the article. Thinking aloud and having the students question your thoughts is a good way to help them develop the ability to pick out the main ideas.
   (If you have limited access to computers for student use, an alternative would be to have students locate their articles and print them for reading and reference.)
   
6. As you model locating the main ideas of a topic, complete a web or other graphic organizer with the students. Then, have the students make a web of the things they would like to include in their report. This should be done independently with the teacher providing individual support as needed.
   
7. When the students are ready to work independently, arrange a time with the Media Specialist for them to work at the Media Center Hub or schedule time at the computer center for each child to do their research and complete Step 2 on the student direction sheet. If possible, have an adult available for support.
   
   It is helpful to send a set of typed directions with each student outlining what you expect them to do. This clarifies for them what they are supposed to be doing and helps the adult know what they are to be working on. Make sure the students know that their objective is to share with the group what they learned about their topic.
   
8. After students complete their webs, meet with the group again to discuss the different ways that they can communicate that information to the others in the group. For example, they can make a book, a pamphlet, or a poster. To ensure students are ready to work independently and not waste time, be sure to have them create an action plan and have them share it with you and/or a peer. (Step 3)
   
   By this time, these fluent readers should be able to take their webs and work on their final report using the graphic organizer. However, you may find that some additional instruction or modeling is necessary. Have frequent check ins and progress reports from the group to help you keep a handle on this.
   
9. Model for the students, using a Think Aloud, how to revise and edit work using a rubric or checklist. The students should then revise and edit their work referring to the rubric or checklist.
   
10. Once all the children are ready to share their final products, let them take turns presenting their information. Encourage a discussion after each individual shares where the other students ask questions about the topic or how they decided what was important to share. Often the questions that other children ask lead to further research since they cannot be answered based on the information available. Discuss possible next steps they may want to take to learn more about these topics. Be sure to display completed work for others to read.
    
11. After the presentations, work with the group to create a list of helpful research strategies they used during their research using interactive or shared writing. (This list could be on going throughout this and future projects.)