mdavisc | Content Area Literacy

Mini Unit: Moon Globe App

Moon Globe is an iPad application by Midnight Martian that allows students to explore the moon in a three dimensional, interactive way that incorporates both text and visuals. Student’s can choose to view the moon from either a globe or telescope perspective and have the ability to zoom in and closely observe the surface of the moon. This app also includes the option to label spacecraft landing sites or craters for further extension.

Moon Globe would serve as an excellent text to introduce the moon, specifically it’s physical appearance, to second grade students. The application addresses TEKS 112.13.8D, which state “Earth and Space. The student knows that there are recognizable patterns in the natural world and among objects in the sky. The student is expected to: Observe, describe and record patterns of objects in the sky, including the appearance of the moon.”

I would use a KWL chart to support learning through this application. A KWL chart would allow students to reflect on what they already know about the moon and what they would like to learn about the moon before using the app. Students would then explore the app with a partner for a set time limit and write down what they learned afterwards. The chart as a whole would help me to asses student knowledge before moving into the rest of the unit, while the “What I Learned” section of the chart will help me to better understand whether Moon Globe is an effective teaching tool.

One Great Text: Eat Your Math Homework

Eat Your Math Homework is filled with delicious recipes created especially to teach math concepts to children of all ages and levels of cooking experience through real world application. This special cookbook does an exceptional job of introducing new math vocabulary and give students a chance to practice measurement skills. It also includes fun math facts and follow up activities! If you don’t have access to a sink, oven, or microwave the recipes available for use in your classroom may be limited, but either way this is a great text.

I first saw this book in the homeschool library of a family I frequently babysit for but after talking to the kids I realized they had either never used it or hadn’t in a very long time. We flipped through the pages and decided to make probability trail mix. I liked that the recipe could be altered to fit what they had in the pantry and realized that both kids could benefit from learning about probability, despite their differing prior knowledge. We mixed the trail mix together and created charts to estimate the likelihood of pulling out each ingredient. Both of the kids wrote down their estimations and after reaching into the mix ten times (and eating along the way!) we compared the numbers. The kids had fun and didn’t seem to realize that math was involved despite my emphasis on the vocabulary.

I would definitely consider using this text while babysitting, tutoring, or in a traditional classroom. If you’re interested in learning more check out free teacher guides and other related resources at www.eatyourmathhomework.com

Shel Silverstein

I remember discovering Shel Silverstein’s A Light in the Attic as an Elementary student and realizing poetry did not have to be boring or sad or hard to understand. Instead, his work made me laugh out loud and sparked my interest in humorous poetry. As an educator one of my primary goals is to help my students learn to enjoy reading and I feel Silverstein is a great author to introduce as a part of this initiative.

Silverstein on Prezi

Snippet from Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda is a story of an independent and brilliant young heroine who uses brain power to stand up to the villainous adults in her life. I chose to feature this book because it reminds readers of the power they gain through knowledge but doesn’t fail to make them laugh along the way. Roald Dahl is an author I hope to introduce to my future students as his books helped me realize how much I love to read.

Just to give you a taste of what Matilda is all about, here’s a snippet from the first chapter :

“It’s a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful.Some parents go further. They become so blinded by adoration they manage to convince themselves their child has qualities of genius.Well, there is nothing very wrong with all this. It’s the way of the world. It is only when the parents begin tellingus about the brilliance of their own revolting offspring, that we start shouting, ‘Bring us a basin! We’re going to be sick!’ Occasionally one comes across parents who take the opposite line, who show no interest at all in their children, and these of course are far worse than the doting ones. Mr and Mrs Wormwood were two such parents. They had a son called Michael and a daughter called Matilda, and the parents looked upon Matilda as nothing more than a scab. A scab is something you have to put up with until the time comes when you can pick it off and flick it away. Mr and Mrs Wormwood looked forward enormously to the time when they could pick their daughter off and flick her away, preferably into the next county or even further than that. It is bad enough when parents treat ordinary children as though they were scabs and bunions, but it becomes somehow a lot worse when the child in question is extraordinary, and by that I mean sensitive and brilliant. Matilda was both of these things, but above all she was brilliant.”