To Kill a Mokingbird or Mockingjay?

6th Grader: "Mrs. Munoz, is it To Kill a Mokingbird or Mockingjay?"

As the tiny inquisitive 6th grader stood before me with his giant eyes and humongous backpack,  I couldn't help but smile as he referenced to  two great pieces of literature. He was genuinely asking if the title of the famous book by Harper Lee published in 1960 was "To Kill a Mockingbird" or "To Kill a Mokingjay". The later reference of mockingjay comes from the popular series "The Hunger Games" published in his lifetime. The notion was comical to me as we were not discussing either one of the books, but I found it quirky that he took the two genres and mashed them up. It shows that he was eliciting prior knowledge of literal classics with contempary or soon to be literal classics. This then led me to think about our upcoming project of digital storytelling.

Could I use an "OLD and CLASSIC" novel and have my students find similarities to the contempary pieces that they are reading?

What better way to show that my students are understanding the elements of literature than I am teaching than to have them find two books that seemingly have no relation,  and compare them to each other?

Now how do I implement technology into this? I am not 100% sure, but I do know that I will find a creative way of doing so. Here are some of my ideas, I just need to research the best way to implement the use of technology and still have the students demonstrate  full understanding of the two novels, their characters, themes, figurative language used, and how the elements of literature give meaning to the books.

Ideas:
Character Analysis-Have the students set up a FAKEBOOK accounts for the main characters of the books. Their fakebook posts will have to illustrate that the student understood the plot of the story by describing it with the characters posts. They could have an interactive conversation between the two characters, or have the characters give each other advise. Perhaps that can give input from the antagonists of the books, and add some negative and positive feedback to illustrate the conflict.

Alternate Ending- This idea is more of a creative writing lesson, but I could have the student write an alternate ending, where two characters from two different books meet. They would have to create a fictional setting and use what they know about the characters to develop a new story.  Then they can create a digital story and present them to the class.

What do you think ? Any Suggestions ?

Digital Storytelling Example

Game Based Learning.. Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Perhaps she took a trip on the Monopoly boardwalk and ended up in the Oregon Trail.

For many, the above statement will trigger fond memories of games played in an educational setting. For others who are closer to the digital generation, they will not understand the reference. Regardless of whether or not you understand the reference, there is a lot that can be said in regards to playing games in an educational setting.

Competition, Engagement, Immediate Rewards, Achievement, Motivation and Assessment are all elements that define an activity as a game.  All of these elements are evident in both traditional game based learning and electronic or digital game based learning.

In contrast to the traditional games such as board, card or trivia games, the digital gaming industry is ever growing and expanding.  Digital Game Based learning encompasses everything from virtual world game play, to apps that utilize the mobility of the digital generation. Programs such as Rosetta Stone have gained popularity because of their use of gaming elements. Being able to engage and captivate the audience is a task that every large corporation has to endure, the educational industry is no different. Teacher’s must create lesson plans that challenge, peak the curiosity of their students and  meet the standards of their lesson. Implementing  digital games into the classroom allows teachers to meet these objectives.

 

What better way to engage our students that by taping into their creative and competitive sides? Below I am sharing a list of the best educational apps that can be used to

engage our students. Enjoy!

30 of the best apps used in the classroom.

http://gettingsmart.com/2012/11/30-of-the-best-educational-ipad-games-kids-edition/