Novel’s Background

1. Novel’s Background The story Freckle Juice centres on a grade two character, Andrew Marcus, who desperately wishes he had freckles like another boy in his class. He believes his mother would never know when he was dirty if he managed to get freckles. In his desperation he falls prey to several pranks. When his teacher offers a magic freckle remover to him he is surprised to learn that the boy he was so envious of also wants to use this remover. Freckle Juice: Lesson Plan

2. Grade 2/3 level One of numerous literature circle books In this group of 5-6 students they would each take turns reading, filling out their individual role sheets and then sharing it with the group Grade 6/7 level Appropriate book to use when I started teaching lower levelled ESL classes Elements of story, new vocabulary, and reading comprehension questions at a pace that was right for them. We would review the material from the previous class Take turns reading the novel aloud. Discuss vocabulary, and elements of the story At the end of the lesson the students would be given a set of reading comprehension questions that they were asked to answer. What Did the Lesson Look Like Prior to Technology?

3. What Technology did I Introduce to This Lesson? • Wikispaces • Great place to share ideas • User friendly web design • ESL students would feel comfortable using it

4. How Will the Lesson Change using Technology? • read the chapters aloud to students • students go onto the wikispace called mrsataylor • combine the ideas of using a literature circle format on a smaller ESL group setting without the pressure of having to contribute to a single role. • Once students get to the site they will be able to add to several pages that I have set up: passage master, scene setter, dialogue designer, have-in-common connector, wordsmith, recipe reader, and solutions suggester. (These would be discussed and explained prior to starting). • I would ask that the students contribute to at least one page. • I would then be able to log in and see who had made what changes to each page.

5. The Benefits to Using Technology • The process is a collaborative learning process: where an idea from one person inspires another student to contribute, and there is a deeper understanding of the book when viewed through the eyes of many. “In an informated environment, more people have timely access to the information” • ESL students who might not feel comfortable contributing in class yet would feel more comfortable as the publishers of their own work to a shared on-line media when they have editing tools at their fingertips • ESL students often do not have a lot that they can bring home and share with their parents that shows them the depth of learning that takes place in a classroom. Rather the teacher tries to demonstrate the depth of learning during the reporting period when the parents come in to conference with them. In this way students would be able to show and tell their learning at home more often to their parents and the parents would be able to access this information when they chose to see it. “With timely access to information comes the potential for a shift in responsibility”.