Text Feature UnitLearning Activity Two: ETC 605Janet Angyelof, Wesley Emlet, Jeremy Slack

Index Page

Purpose……………………………………………………………………………………….........….Page 3

Lesson One…………………………………….............................................................Page 4

Lesson Two………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 7

Lesson Three……………………………………………………………………………………………Page 10

Web Resources………………………………………………………………………………………..Page 13

Assessment…………………………………………………………………………………………….Page 16

Technology Files……………………………………………………………………………………..Attached

Technology Checklist………………………………………………………………………………Attached

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Purpose

The purpose of this learning activity is to provide students in grades 2-3 knowledge in the area of nonfiction text features. With the use of technology the students will participate in engaging and thought provoking activities. The students will be assessed on their understanding of text features by creating a PowerPoint incorporating all three lessons as a final project.

Lesson One

Title: What are text features?

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Curriculum: Language Arts

Grade-Level Span: 2-3

PURPOSE:

TSW be able to answer the question, “What are Text Features”

ACTIVITIES CURRICULUM

STANDARDS

NETS PERFORMANCE

INDICATORS

Students will complete a KWL chart on Text Features using Google Docs (click for sample)

2. Identify and use text features to facilitate understanding of informational texts

a. Use print features such as large bold print, font size/type, italics, colored print, quotation marks, and underlining

Creativity and Innovation Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes

The teacher will use the document as an introduction to text features and discuss what students already know about text features.

The students will be going on an independent learning quest and work as a “detective” to discover information about text features. They will open their Top Secret d ocument in Microsoft Word

Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

The Top Secret document is linked to their assignment. They will independently search through three links, (two websites

Research and Information Fluency Students apply digital

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and a PowerPoint presentation) to figure out “what are text features?” They will record any information they learn into the Google Document KWL chart. As well as complete a text feature form using paper and pencil as they are searching.

tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.

At the conclusion of the independent learning quest the teacher will review the KWL chart as a whole group and discuss what was learned.

Students will be given an assessment to conclude the lesson on identifying text features. They must open Microsoft PowerPoint and create a title slide that says “What are Text Features?” and add their name. They must then create 3 slides with one text feature on each slide with an example of the text feature added.

(SAMPLE ASSESSMENT)

Communication and Collaboration Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.

Tomorrow, students will explore how text features make text easier to understand. Students will be asked to think about that question and be prepared to answer it tomorrow.

TOOLS AND RESOURCES:

Software: Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Google Documents

Hardware: Student Laptops or computers (enough for each student or enough so that two or three can share one computer)

Websites/PowerPoint’s:

Weebly Website – Jeremy Slack http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/o/textfeatures4l.cfm PowerPoint – Deborah Stone (See Credits)

ASSESSMENT:

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The students will create a PowerPoint with three slides. Each slide will have a text feature and an example of that text feature. The students will be graded using the following rubric.

Rubric

0 1 2 3

No Text Features Written

One Text Feature Written

Two Text Features Written

Three Text Features Written (one on each

slide)

No Examples of Text Features

One Example of Text Feature

Two Examples of Text Features

Three Examples of Text Features (one

on each slide)

Total = ___/ 6

(SAMPLE ASSESSMENT)

CREDITS (INCLUDING CONTACT INFORMATION):

JLBane@aacps.org (Janet Angyelof)

WEmlet@aacps.org (Wes Emlet)

JSlack@aacps.org (Jeremy Slack)

pdelia@oswego.org (Pat Delia) Study Zone Website

DStone@bcps.org (Deborah Stone) Text Feature PowerPoint

ISTE. "International Society for Technology in Education." International Society for Technology in Education. 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www.iste.org/template.cfm>.

Stone, Deborah, BCPS “Baltimore County Public Schools.” Office of Instructional Technology: Identifying Text Features. 13 Aug. 2007. <http://www.bcps.org/apps/cbtia/cbtia.aspx?id=4326>

COMMENTS:

I am very excited to try this lesson out. Thanks to this course, I now regularly create Google Docs to be used in the classroom!

Used with permission of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) Project (http://www.iste.org or http://cnets.iste.org) Contact: Lajeane Thomas, Louisiana Tech University, P.O. Box 3161, Ruston, LA 71272; Voice: 318 257-3923 Email: lthomas@latech.edu

Lesson Two

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Title: How do text features help you understand the text?

Curriculum: Language Arts

Grade-Level Span: 2-3

PURPOSE:

TSW identify various text features and explain how the text feature better helps the reader comprehend the text.

ACTIVITIES CURRICULUM STANDARDS

NETS PERFORMANCE

INDICATORS

Have students look at the “How to Brush Your Teeth” (without text features) directions for 15 seconds. After 15 seconds ask them what they remember about the article.

Next, discuss why they don’t remember anything about the article. Ask what would make this easier to understand. Illicit the response: text features.

Next, show them the same article that has text features. Create a list of text features using a tree map that are present in the article.

2. Identify and use text features to facilitate understanding of informational texts

a. Use print features such as large bold print, font size/type, italics, colored print, quotation marks, and underlining

Next, talk about each individual text feature. Talk about how each different text feature helps the reader to better understand the article.

2. Identify and use text features to facilitate understanding of informational texts

f. Identify and explain the contributions of text features to meaning

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Next, have students go on a Text Feature Scavenger Hunt using Wake-Up Time in the Wild | Scholastic News Online | Scholastic.com

Technology Operations and Concepts: Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations so they are able to select, transfer, understand and troubleshoot various systems and applications productively and effectively.

The students will look at the article online and also have Microsoft Office open with the Text Feature Scavenger Hunt document open. The students will enter the text features into the table, cut and paste an example of the text features, and give a short description of how that text feature helps the reader to better understand the article.

Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessment: Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context. They do this by adapting relevant learning experiences to incorporate digital tools, they customize and personalize learning activities to address different learning styles and they provide students with varied and multiple formative and summative assessments.

Students may either work individually or in teams. Request students to print out their word document for assessment purposes.

TOOLS AND RESOURCES:

Software: Microsoft word- How to Brush your teeth article (with and without text features); Text Feature Scavenger Hunt

Hardware: Student Laptops or computers (enough for each student or enough so that two or three can share one computer)

Websites: www.scholastic.com

ASESSMENT:

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Scavenger Hunt Rubric

CREDITS (INCLUDING CONTACT INFORMATION):

Janet Angyelof- jlbane@aacps.org

Wes Emlet- wemlet@aacps.org

Jeremy Slack- jslack@aacps.org

ISTE. "International Society for Technology in Education." International Society for Technology in Education. 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www.iste.org/template.cfm>.

COMMENTS:

I have taught this concept before, but have not had the students use the computer or internet to go on a Scavenger Hunt to find text features. I am excited to try this with my class next year!

Used with permission of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) Project (http://www.iste.org or http://cnets.iste.org) Contact: Lajeane Thomas, Louisiana Tech University, P.O. Box 3161, Ruston, LA 71272; Voice: 318 257-3923 Email: lthomas@latech.edu

Lesson Three

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Title: What text features would you add?

Curriculum: Language Arts

Grade-Level Span: 2-3

PURPOSE:

TSW identify what text features would be helpful to add to a passage that has none.

ACTIVITIES CURRICULUM STANDARDS

NETS PERFORMANCE

INDICATORS

As a warm up, put the students in partners and set a timer for 3 minutes. Have each group come up with as many text features as they can.

Post a list of all of these text features.

Next, show the students the article “Stopping a Toppling Tower” article with no text features.

Ask them what the problem is with this article. Illicit response: there are no text features so it is boring and hard to understand.

2. Identify and use text features to facilitate understanding of informational texts

f. Identify and explain the contributions of text features to meaning

Ask students what text features they would add to the article, and why. Create this list on a tree map.

Next show them the article “Stopping a Topping Tower” article with text features and discuss what text features the author used to make this article more interesting and easier to understand. Put these text features into an excel spreadsheet.

The students will think-pair-share. Have them think about which text features were the most helpful for the article. Then, allow them to share these ideas with a partner.

2. Identify and use text features to facilitate understanding of informational

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texts

f. Identify and explain the contributions of text features to meaning

Survey the class to see which text features were the most helpful and let each student vote twice. Record the votes on the spreadsheet and show students how to graph the responses. Be sure to inform students that these graphs are also text features. Show them how boring and difficult the results would be to understand without the graphs.

Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility: Teachers model and advocate safe teaching and understand the societal global issues of media literacy in an evolving digital world. They address diverse needs of the students, promote digital etiquette, and they exhibit legal and ethical responsibility and respect

Next, on student computers, have the students pull up the article, “How to Make an Oreo Milkshake.” This article has no text features. The students need to change this article by adding text features that would be appropriate; such as, illustrations, title, numbered steps, materials list.

2. Identify and use text features to facilitate understanding of informational texts

b. Use graphic aids such as illustrations and pictures, photographs, drawings, sketches, cartoons, maps (key, scale, legend), graphs, charts/tables, and diagrams

Technology Operations and Concepts: Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations so they are able to select, transfer, understand and troubleshoot various systems and applications productively and effectively.

Students should use the rubric to get the best possible score on this assessment.

Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessment: Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context. They do this by adapting relevant learning experiences to incorporate digital tools, they customize and personalize learning activities to address different learning styles and they provide students with varied and multiple formative and summative assessments.

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TOOLS AND RESOURCES:

Software: Microsoft Documents: “Stopping a Toppling Tower,” “How to Make an Oreo Milkshake,” Rubric

Hardware: Student Laptops or computers (enough for each student or enough so that two or three can share one computer)

ASESSMENT:

Rubric

CREDITS (INCLUDING CONTACT INFORMATION):

Janet Angyelof- jlbane@aacps.org

Wes Emlet- wemlet@aacps.org

Jeremy Slack- jslack@aapcs.org

ISTE. "International Society for Technology in Education." International Society for Technology in Education. 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www.iste.org/template.cfm>.

COMMENTS:

I have taught this concept but never using these resources. I am excited to try it this way with my students. I think they will be very engaged.

Used with permission of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) Project (http://www.iste.org or http://cnets.iste.org) Contact: Lajeane Thomas, Louisiana Tech University, P.O. Box 3161, Ruston, LA 71272; Voice: 318 257-3923 Email: lthomas@latech.edu

Web Resources

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www.timeforkids.com

This is a great site to find non-fiction text for your students. All of the articles are about current events happening throughout the world. There are lesson plans and quizzes for teachers that coincide with the various articles. To access many of the articles, you do not have to subscribe to anything.

www.weeklyreader.com

This is a great site to find non-fiction text for your students. All of the articles are about current events happening throughout the world. There are lesson plans and quizzes for teachers that coincide with the various articles. To access many of the articles, you do not have to subscribe to anything.

www.internet4classroom.com

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This is a site that has a variety of information on many subject areas. When you search the topic you would like, it will bring up links that relate to that topic. When clicking on the links, it will either take you to a printable you can use for your class, an interactive activity, or a lesson plan. There is a whole tab on the website that has helpful links.

www.scholastic.com

This is a great site to visit to find lesson plans, mini-books, student activities, online resources. The drawback is that you are limited to what you have access to if you are not a member. There were several activities that were free for non-members, and interactive whiteboard lessons that were also free.

http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/o/textfeatures4l.cfm

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Studyzone.org is educator submitted resources meant to be used to prepare students in New York State to prepare for their version of MSA. At Studyzone.org you can find resources ranging from lessons, to tests and quizzes as well as many practice activities that supplement each other well. This particular Studyzone.org site that we used was created to show what text features are. It is used during our first lesson of our learning activity where students are exploring text features during their modified webquest.

http://www.highlightskids.com/Stories/NonFiction/NF0699_fouracetrick.asp

Highlights online is a wonderful free resource for students to use. There are many fun activities and stories for students to read and explore. The story from Highlights that we used was called “The Four-Ace Trick” which is linked to our Weebly website. Students use the story to identify text features.

http://www.weebly.com/

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Weebly is website that allows you to create websites and blogs in a matter of minutes. It is free to use and does not require you to know any HTML source code. All you need to know is how to drag and drop and you can have your own webpage! We used Weebly to create our text feature website which is used during the first lesson during the text feature webquest.

http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Animals/Archives/2011/Crisis-for-Clean-Water.aspx

This website is a great resource for science teachers looking to extend certain lessons. Students can also utilize this website to supplement any project. I have always found this website to be a great resource. This is used during our first lesson during the web quest. It is linked to our Weebly website.

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http://www.johomaps.com/as/korea/seoul/seoulmetro.html

This is a website I was furnished when I first moved to South Korea. It has some great maps of the South Korean subway systems. If you navigate through this website you can get topographic maps of some of the major landmarks. This website gives students a good insight to what an amazing subway system looks like.

http://www.matisse.net/files/glossary.html#G

(No Picture Available Due to AACPS Restrictions)

This website is an online glossary of technology terms. If there is a term a student’s doesn't know they can visit this website to not only find it, but learn more about it and other resources associated with the term the students is looking up. This is used during our first lesson during the web quest. It is linked to our Weebly website.

Assessment17

The final project for this learning activity will be to create a PowerPoint Presentation on text features. Similar to the assessment for lesson one, where students created a PowerPoint with three slides and an example, this assessment will ask students to create a slide show with three slides and each slide must have an example of a text feature as well as describe how the text feature can help them understand text easier. The fourth and final slide will ask the students to add a text feature to a selection of text. (Teacher will import this slide to each students PowerPoint) They will add an appropriate text feature that makes the slide easier to understand. They should add a text box and explain how it adding the feature they choose makes it easier to understand.

Technology Operations and Concepts: Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations so they are able to select, transfer, understand and troubleshoot various systems and applications productively and effectively.

Each slide is worth a total of 6 points and will be graded using the following rubric

Name of Text Feature 0 1

Correct Example 0 1

ExplanationWhat is it?

0 1 2

How does it make it easier to understand? 0 1 2

Slide Four will be graded using this rubric – What text feature would you add?

Example of text feature added 0 1

ExplanationWhat text feature did you add?

0 1

How did it make the text easier to understand? 0 1 2 3

Each slide is worth 6 points for a total of 24 points

5 - 6 Points = Excellent

3 – 4 Points = Average

3 or Below = Reteach Necessary

Total ______________

An example of the assessment can be found here

Assessment Rubric for Teacher Use

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