Micah's+Storybook

photo from google images

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Lesson Activities by Micah Owens Concordia University Wisconsin Spring 2010

ANTICIPATION Activity 1 D.12.1 Develop their vocabulary and ability to use words, phrases, idioms, and various grammatical structures as a means of improving communication. A list of words from the story will be given to the students. As a class they will discuss which words ey are not familiar with. The teacher can prompt this discussion by asking questions like: what words haven't you seen before and what word is hard for you to define. Each student will pick a word from the list and define it using a voicethread. Students can refer back to this "electronic dictionary" when coming across a word that they do not know.

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Activity 2 F.8.1 Conduct research and inquiry on self-selected or assigned topics, issues, or problems and use an appropriate form to communicate their findings. Students will be asked to research the real murder case that takes place in this book. By using books, articles and websites students will summarize the case in a paragraph to share their findings with one another. This will allow the students to approach the story with soe background knowledge.

Activity 3 E.8.1 Use computers to acquire, organize, analyze, and communicate information. Students will research online the area in which this story took place. They will then create an informative travel brochure on the Adirondacks using Microsoft publisher. BUILDING KNOWLEDGE Activity 1 A.8.4 Read to acquire information. While students are reading this book many questions will come to mind about the setting of the book. Many students have never lived on a farm and some may have never been to one. As a class a KWL chart could be formed on the board. Students would then brainstorm together about what they know, want to know and at the end of the reading what they have learned about farm life.

Activity 2 A.8.4 Read to acquire information. As students read through each chapter a new set of questions will be posted by the teacher on the writeboard. Each student can then log into the writeboard and answer a question. This allows "discussions" to take place outside of the classroom. []

Activity 3: B.8.1 Create or produce writing to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. While reading the story students will create a timeline to fill in. This will be extremely helpful during the times the book flashes back in time. These timelines can be used communicate the order the events took place. Students can also refer back to this timeline when they write a summary of the story at the end of the unit.

COMPREHENSION Activity 1 A.8.2 Read, interpret, and critically analyze literature. After the students have read the story they will be able to write a summary of the story. Students will identify the setting, main characters, and major events that occur. Each students summary will be a little different but the overall message and events will be the same.

Activity 2 C.8.1 Orally communicate information, opinions, and ideas effectively to different audiences for a variety of purposes. When students have completed this book they will each design their own voki. Their voki should state which character in the story the can relate to the most and why. The teacher will make a model prompmting this question. This can be used in a class where wiki pages are being used as a form of communication.

media type="custom" key="6089605" Activity 3 A.8.3 Read and discuss literary and nonliterary texts in order to understand human experience. After reading the book. Students would reflect on Mattie's decision at the end of the book. The students would then discuss if they would have made the same decision as Mattie based on what they have learned about her in the book. The teacher could prompt the students using questions like: Is Mattie keeping her promise to her mother? Why do you think this is a good or bad choice?