http://www.flickr.com/photos/55167828@N00/2901958796
Retrieved from: http://search.creativecommons.org/ on June 14, 2009.
Convergence Culture---Chapter 5
Reading about Heather Lawver and how reading Harry Potter Books prompted her to create a web-based newspaper based on the fictional Hogwarts was totally inspiring to me as a fourth grade writing teacher. Giving students a reason or audience to write for is so critical, yet highly disregarded, due to the constraints of our state standardized FCAT Writing Test. The collaborative aspect is exactly what I am hoping to accomplish with my thesis classroom wiki page. Since our gaming course, I have found role-playing to be a highly engaging writing activity to use with my fourth graders. They enjoyed creating a fictional character and interacting with others.
The closest experiences relating to a books that have inspired me to do something creative would have to be children’s novel I use in my classroom. Two of them stand out in my mind; Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski and Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. Strawberry Girl is a historical fiction book based in the early 20th century when pioneers were settling in Florida’s humid nonfertile land. Students did not seem to enjoy the book until it was brought to life through reader’s theater. Students pre-read chapters focusing on their assigned character and dress up in costumes and act out the scenes. Love That Dog is written in prose, so as students read this book together, they create their own poetry by using highly acclaimed poetry for models. http://www.archive.org/details/DebKitchenerLoveThatDog
Can never underestimate the power of "published" work for students.
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