Chasing the Moth - A Picture Story

Being alone after school gave him time to think. He sat with his feet on the couch – wearing his shoes in a small act of rebellion. His mind turned to the list of items he would need when he went into the wooded park behind his house: net, jar with a holed lid, water, and peanut butter crackers. Sometimes he went without food, but today, he was determined to stay until he captured the unusual moth he had seen flying near the edge of his yard.

After he gathered the necessities, he headed out his back door toward the last place he had seen the moth. He walked and jogged until he arrived at a small clearing. Across the clearing he spotted something bobbing in the air and landing on the plants. With greater stealth than most eleven year olds possess, he crossed the clearing and spotted his prey. Net in hand, he swiped at his target and missed. He watched the moth fly deeper into the woods.

He stalked and swiped many times. Each attempt chased the moth only inches out of the net’s reach. His frustration turned to anger and sadness. His stalking became noisy and his swipes reckless. The sluggishness of the moth added to the taunting he felt each time he missed. After a final clumsy swipe, he sat down and dropped his net. He pulled a leaf from a plant and held it in his hand. He felt alone. He didn’t feel lucky today. He never felt lucky.

He stared at the leaf and until it became unfocused and blurred. He was very still and he sensed the cold path of a tear traveling along the side of his nose. After a long time, something gently interrupted his blurred field of vision. He allowed his eyes to focus and the center of the image sharpened. He watched the moth alight on his leaf. Sitting motionless, he waited until the tears were dry and his mind turned to his plans for the next day.

Futuring: Week 2

a. Assessment

In my classroom of sixth grade students, I use a form of assessment that is criteria based and modeled loosely after the model of our school district's Standards Based Assessment Report that is currently being designed and tested. Basically, for any given criteria, students can earn the following scores:

0-Missing, 1-Something, 2-Completed With Support, 3-Meets Expectations, 4-Exceeds Expectations

My response for assessment is just a list of what I might assign to elicit project based work modeled after the two samples below.

Student Products for Assessing Fox Becomes a Better Person

• Visual Portrait of a Story: Beginning, Call to Adventure, Problem, Solution, Closure, Character Transformation
• Peer Pitch
• Rough Draft of Story
• Peer Conferences
• Teacher Conferences
• Final Draft
• Illustrations: One for each point on the VPS
• Storytelling: Speaking clearly, facing audience, gesturing, having fun
  

Other Products - Required, Not Graded, Formative Assessement Only

• Scanning or Photographing Illustrations
• Creating chromakeyed video
• Recording audio and video

Student Products to Assess for a project like School Train

Partnering: select a partner to work with
Word Selection: select two words you will compare metaphorically
Comparison/Contrast Chart: brainstorm of literal and figurative attributes.
Comparison T-Chart: Create a T-Chart of word partners compare individual attributes
Audio Recording: Read words into Garage Band Podcast recording individual word partners
Music Track: Select music that reinforces your metaphor
Photos and Video: Create photos and video to add to your Podcast

b. Impact of Epic 2015

The developments portrayed in Epic 2015 will change society’s ability to leverage the power of synchronized idea development. Using technology such as podcasting from a hand held device, a person will have an idea, share it, and see who else has the idea in a matter of seconds. The shared information can then be put to use with individualized or collaborative purposes. The ability to utilize shared information will empower those who participate and leave behind those who don’t. Our classrooms and district budgeting will have to adapt and create equitable access for students to learn how to use and live with technology.

From Time Magazine:

One consequence might be that we finally recognize history's Great Innovators for what they were: the products of a culture of scarcity that taught us to regard them and their talents as rare. That they were (and are) specially talented is not in doubt here. But semi-intelligent information technology and the transition of a culture from one of information scarcity to one of abundance may for the first time allow all the rest of us into the invention game. Then technology will provide the nuts-and-bolts backup to give shape to whatever any imaginative brain can conceive. And there are more than 6 billion imaginative brains out there across the planet waiting for the opportunity. As this special report amply illustrates, it is already happening. (Burke, Dec. 2000)

My 21st Century Classroom Ideas

Student laptops and stylus pads
Smart Wall (larger smart board)
Sound booths for recording audio
Access to real time connections with other classrooms around the world
(List under construction – link of idea collection to follow)

c. How I would use Sabrina's Journey as a model for my students.

I would like to use Sabrina's Journey as a digital story model that illustrates the literary device of repetition and the structure of a circular plot. My students could create a story using the criteria I listed for assessing Fox Becomes a Better Person, and include the added elements. I think it would be an excellent model for fiction or non-fiction writing.

test blog post

This is a test of the email to blog feature.

Time is of the Essence!

Anchorage, Alaska is my hometown - born, raised, left, returned. I'm teaching 6th grade in the same elementary school I attended in 6th grade. It's a pleasure to see old friends every day and see both continuity and change.

This is my tenth year of teaching and making technology part of my students' classroom life is very important to me. The biggest hurdle over the years has been acquiring the technology equipment and support for myself and my students. Last year, I was awarded a grant and I now have a laptop loaded with the software I need for the Ed Tech program. I'd like to see technology education become more accessible and affordable for all teachers. I plan to continue applying for more grants as time allows.

When I'm not teaching or typing my blog, I stay busy with my family. I'm an arts person living the life of a hockey mom, but I enjoy being a fan of my favorite player.