Open Doors to Learning:
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OverviewWhere does the door of your classroom lead? Do your children and young adults enter an exciting world of learning? Or, a mind numbingly boring world of rows, lines, worksheets, and waiting?
For example, Clive Barker's The Thief of Always is a page-turning graphic novel that explores what happens to a boy that reaches beyond his boring, everyday life. For some children, graphic novels will open doors to reading, writing, and thinking! No longer are reading experiences restricted to paper, there are many online opportunities for reading popular comics. Explore links to graphic novel resources. Go to No Flying No Tights for reviews. Read the original Spiderman comic at Marvel. Check out the Little Lit website with information about three great books with graphic short stories. Learn more at about Comics, Graphic Novels, and Sequential Art in the Classroom. Learn more about Flat Stanley projects. Connect reading, writing, and technology. For example, start with a book like You Read to Me! I Read to You! by Mary Ann Hoberman. Write your own dialog in colors using Word. Then, record it as a pair! Activity - What are your experiences with graphic novels? How are you connecting books with technology? |
What Doesn't Work
Activity - Can you think of other ineffective strategies we need to eliminate to make room for "What works?" |
Open the Door:
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1 - Guide the WayFrom nature guides to character studies, reading and creating field guides is a great way to synthesize information. When people think of field guides, nature books often come to mind. For example, the Natural Audubon Society and Scholastic have teamed to create a wonderful set of field guides for young people on topics including Insects, Wildflowers, Trees, and more. Other field guides include Audubon Society Guides, Golden Guides, Peterson Guides, Stokes Nature Guides, and Falcon Guides. Check out Scholastic's Science Explorations. Many fantasy novels and series such as Harry Potter and Dragonology now have companion guides. For example, the Spiderwick Chronicles features a wide range of creatures from fantastical worlds.
Explore the following examples of online field guides.
You may not be able to go to the Field Museum in Chicago, but you can go on a virtual adventure. Check out the Underground Adventure project from the Field Museum in Chicago. They have activities on creating Field Journals and Field Guides. The Field Guides Project: Developing a global methodology and manual for biodiversity guides suitable for use in rural development by Anna Lawrence and William Hawthorne is a project intended to develop more user-friendly and useful field guides. Young people from 8 to 17 participated in the Audubon Adventure on 100 Years of Conservation. Students identified a bird species in their area and conducted research. They then submitted their work online. You could also integrate online field guides into your lesson:
Build It - Ask students to evaluate field guides. What are the characteristics of an effective field guide? Get out the digital camera, Alphamart and GPS. Create field guides!
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2 - Connect with PeopleThere are many sources of short biographies online. Why not explore "regular people" online that may not be famous, but would be interesting to examine? Ask students to read about the people at Field Guides Birding Tours and select the people they would like to lead their next field trip! What special skills do they have? Why do you think they would be a good leader? Read about the Ologists. Go to Meet the Ologists from Ology. What kind of ologist are you? Write about your experiences and plans. Build It - Use blogs as an easy way to build these connections.
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3 - Tell the Story
Think of storytelling projects as more than simply recording a story. These projects begin with thinking and developing effective interview questions. Use technology to record and edit stories. Then, go back to the standards. Ask students to identify the facts, fiction, perspectives, and arguments found in the stories. Then, use other resources such as books and websites to make comparisons and extend the experience. Finally, the project ends and/or the next cycle begins with reflection. Are there more questions to ask grandma and grandpa or am I ready to seek out other stories? The Peace Corps: Voices from the Field project focuses on Reading and Writing About the World, Ourselves, and Others. The website contains readings, lesson plans, and other materials.
One Room Schoolhouse Build It - Write questions in the word processor. You may want to email them to participants ahead of time. Use video cameras and laptops for video production and editing.
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4 - Shape Attitudes and ActionsWhether facing a bully or convincing others not to smoke, children and young adults can apply reading, writing, and technology to shape attitudes and actions. Many people suffer because of prejudice, negative stereotyping, and cruelty. Perhaps they look or act different from others. What can you do to promote tolerance and empathy? Use video technology as a tool for attitude change. Start with showing the HBO Documentary I Have Tourette's, But Tourette's Doesn't Have Me from Tourette Syndrome Association. Then, ask students to read books highlighting some aspects of an issue such as tolerance. Go to All About Bullying from Scholastic. Explore Stop Bulling Now! Create your own documentary on a topic of concern. Do people need to be more aware of ...? Have you ever considered what it would be like to be teased because of your asthma or bullied because of your freckles? Write a script for a three minute documentary on your topic. Consider posting it on your class blog such as one like the Counselor's Corner. Build It - Use the word processor for scriptwriting and a still digital camera for recording the short, three minute video.
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5 - Take a StandAsk students to explore various perspectives and take a stand. Consider focusing on nonfiction books at the high school level such as Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, Guns, Germs, and Steel or Collapse by Jared Diamond, Rising Tide or The Great Influenza by John Barry. Many fiction books provide a good start with this type of project. For example, consider environmental issues:
Pair fiction with nonfiction reading such as the resources below to connect with Flush:
Build It - Write an essay for the FLUSH essay contest sponsored by the Nature Conservancy. Submit a description of a wild place that inspires you. Go to Carl Hiaasen's site for more information.
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6 - Reach Around the WorldHelp children and young adults build global understandings. Read books with settings around the world. Consider novels with settings in the Middle East.
Use the Internet to connect students with authentic resources to bring the character, plot, and setting alive.
Related areas including folklore or customs around the world. Build It - Participate in online global projects that focus on global awareness and understanding such as e-pals and iEARN. Ask students to write their questions and participate in global discussions.
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7 - Report the NewsHow do news sources compare? You are in charge of the facts from one of the following articles. Compare your reporter's facts with other news reporters. Search for opinions.
This activity can be done with any news aggregators such as Google or Yahoo news.
Reading Program Ideas Consider the diverse learner in the classroom. Provide opportunities to access audio, video, photos, and other sources of information about the news. Also, consider varied reading levels and interests.
Build It! - Follow the directions for creating an effective news story with resources such as Writing Tips for News Stories from Scholastic.
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8 - Critique the CriticsCombine traditional activities with new approaches. It's easy for students to copy, why not ask them to critique instead?
Build It! - How accurate are the books? What about the critiques?
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9 - Dare to Disturb
Combine civics, government, literature, and reading by focusing on issues of intellectual freedom.
Build It! Use technology tools to discuss issues, conduct surveys, share results, and build displays that reflect intellectual freedom. Use the poll and survey tools at the Center for History and New Media.
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10 - Collaborate for CreationConsider ways to combine reading, writing, and technology to produce a collaborative product for others to enjoy. Read the book Only One by Marc Harsham. Team across grade levels to create books. Build It! Use whatever technology is available such as Kidpix.
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11 - Balance Critical and Creative Thinking
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12 - Different Doors for Diverse LearnersEach child is unique. Find a way to open the door for every child. If they can't find the door: Provide scaffolding to support access
If they don't see the door: Design relevant, authentic assignments
If they aren't interested in the door: Address gender differences
If they don't want to open the door: Face issues of motivation
If they can't open the door: Address differences in reading levels, learning styles
Open the Door
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ReferencesGuthrie, J. T., & Wigfield, A. (Eds.). (1997). Reading engagement: Motivating readers through integrated instruction. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Guthrie, J.T. (2001, March). Contexts for engagement and motivation in reading. Reading Online, 4(8). Available: Ivey, G. & Fisher, D. (October 2005). Learning from what doesn't work. Educational Leadership, 63(2), 8-15. Krashen, Stephen (2004). The Power of Reading: Insights from Research (2nd edition). Libraries Unlimted. Krashen, Stephen. 88 Generalizations about Free Voluntary Reading Marzano, R. (2004). Building background knowledge for academic achievement: Research on what works in schools. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. National Council of Teachers of English Commission on Reading. (2004). On Reading, Learning to Read, and Effective Reading Instruction [Online]. Available: http://www.ncte.org/about/over/positions/category/read/118620.htm |
| Developed by Annette Lamb, 11/05. Updated 2/06. |
Reading opens the door to learning across the curriculum. In this workshop you'll learn to integrate standards-based, technology-enhanced reading and writing experiences into your curriculum; incorporate authentic, online primary source materials; and connect reading with web-based resources and activities including literature circles, collaborative projects, and blogs. Explore practical strategies to address essential skills, differentiate instruction to meet individual needs, and promote a love of reading.
This session is intended to help each child discover the love of learning through engaging opportunities for reading, writing, and technology. 
There's a great article in the October 2005 issue of Educational Leadership (Volume 63, Number 2, Pages 8-15) titled 
Sometimes people can tell their own stories. At other times, you may need to speak for those that can't. Read the stories of others. What stories can you explore and share?
Connect news with reading.
Whether it's creating ill-structured problems for students to solve or addressing sticky questions, students need experiences that challenge their thinking.
Select a book. Identify connections to the characters, plot, and/or setting of the book. Tie these to critical and creative thinking activities. 