The Unit Plan

Although we have dabbled in "lesson plans," we are on the frontier of the humungous "Unit Plan" (complete with capitalization). Although I initially wanted to explore the short story, I would like to broaden my focus to develop an entire unit on fame. For my previous two-day lesson plan, I talked about Emily Dickinson's "Fame is a bee" and Naomi Shihab Nye's "Famous." I could include those two lessons (and expand on them) within this plan in addition to the five required lessons that I will develop.

Fame is a relevant topic for students. My middle schoolers wear Justin Bieber shirts, admire NFL football players, and are addicted to television. They are bombarded by media messages about status, popularity, and talent. Some Big questions we will address are: What makes people famous? What is fame? Who is not famous? How does our society talk about fame? What do the characteristics of famous people tell us about what our society values? What is the relationship between fame and morals?

The unit will not only involve reading poetry and short stories, but also television commercials, magazines, sports stars, political figures, and celebrities. We will read poetry, such as "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost and possibly "To an Athlete Dying Young" by A.E. Housman (in addition to Dickinson and Nye). Any other poetry suggestions? I also want to read a short story or two, but need to search for some. A large part of this unit plan will involve media literacy, so I'm excited to explore how I will go about teaching it.

I still need to address: What standards will I address? What assessments will I include? How long is this unit going to be? I want students to craft their own poems about fame. It would be fun if they could create an advertisement or pamphlet or ad that deals with the opposite of fame... How will students' reading and writing progress?

Although my unit plan is in the beginning stages, I am excited to pursue this topic, and I am greatly interested in your feedback.

Molding Media Literates in the Workshop

While Nancie Atwell's reading/writing workshop truly makes readers and writers, does it make media literates? Because the new 2010 MN ELA standards require teachers to directly address media literacy in the Speaking, Viewing, Listening, & Media Literacy standard, where does media literacy fit in the workshop? The technology Atwell includes in the workshop is limited. She mentions that overhead projectors, photocopiers, and computers are used in class. She schedules students for computer times and encourages them to use the "word processor as a publication tool" (102). Although students are exposed to computers, technology is restricted to using Microsoft Word and clicking, "Print." While media literacy might not have been as crucial in 1998 when the second edition of In the Middle was published, it is essential to take into account today in our technology-packed environment. So, how can media literacy and a bit more technology be integrated into the reading/writing workshop? Or, does it belong there?

In the workshop, when students create their "writing territories," or "self-portraits as a writer," they could create it in the form of a Facebook profile page (Atwell 120). Instead of filling in categories, such as "Favorite Movies," "Location," and "Friends," students can write about their "Topics," "Genres," and "Audiences." Changing the format and creating writing territory profiles would help relate to students yet would still encourage them to generate their topics, genres, and audiences.

Another way of modernizing the workshop is to make writing more interactive through the use of Smartboards. While Atwell prizes the easel as an equalizer and permanent record (103), Smartboards allow students to be more interactive. Instead of using overhead projectors, the teacher could record notes for mini lessons on the Smartboard and invite students to add examples. Smartboards are great for cutting up poetry, editing work, and moving sentences all over.

In addition to using technology, students must be able to read various forms of technology. They need to be reading more than just novels. While one of the rules for Atwell's reading workshop is "You must read a book" (116), students need to develop critical literacy skills to read television, news, magazines, comics, websites, people, and life in general. They must be able to critically analyze the mass media in a plethora of its forms.

Technology today can also revolutionize how and what students publish. Students could publish their final workshop pieces on blogs in order to keep a running record of their progress. While they can still publish in print in local or school newspapers, they could potentially find online magazines, blogs, or other venues to publish creative or opinion material. Not only does current technology allow students to publish more, but it also introduces new genres. Students could add the Tweet, blog, and text message to genres that they are familiar with. While students could add the new "genres" to their territories, they could also adapt their fiction to include aspects of media. Twitter and text "language" is entirely different from regular speech. How would students' characters talk in texts or Tweets? By learning about different media "genres," students can distinguish between multiple forms of writing.

Some ways to integrate technology into the writing workshop include meshing today's technology (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, Smartboards, texts) with the philosophy of the workshop. Although I have been arguing for a modernization of the writing workshop, it may be more effective in a predominantly technology-free zone. Giving students time, providing a quiet atmosphere, and conferencing with students may trump all the bells and whistles of media. Still, technology cannot be ignored. If we add media literacy to the reading and writing workshop, students will not only become readers and writers, but will also transform into media literates.

The Free Encyclopedia

While "Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit," is a conglomeration of information, facts, and opinions that anyone writes, it can also provide a starting point for further investigation. Throughout my education, I was told never to cite Wikipedia because it is not reliable or credible. I have debated with my peers and professors over whether Wikipedia is a reliable, credible, and legitimate source to cite. Should students be able to cite it in their research papers?

Wikipedia provides links to other helpful sources. At the bottom of each entry is usually additional references, a "See Also," and/or a Bibliography list. Although NPR says that college students know not to cite Wikipedia in their academic writing, Wikipedia can jump start research.

Like other sources, though, Wikipedia has to be held up to credible source requirements. Using Wikipedia could be a valuable way of teaching students how to fact check and question the material they are reading. They can apply their media literacy and critical literacy to the articles. Wikipedia also notifies the reader about an article that may not be entirely reliable. In addition, the cite is valuable because it acknowledges that anyone can be an author and creator of published material. The Internet is a public place, where people have access to a plethora of information. We should not ban students from accessing basic information that can lead to extensive research and follow-up searches.

People are using Wikipedia. Universities are launching programs in order to become more involved with public policy. Teachers want students to use it in their searches. Just like any other cite, students should evaluate Wikipedia the free encyclopedia as a source and use it to further their research.