Multi-Text

Final Planning Sheet

Blackbeard I Poem, Draft 2

I am cold and callous
I wonder who will dare to cross my path
I hear the innocent cries of my victims
I feel no remorse, just greed
I am cold and callous

I believe I am unstoppable
I have already received pardon
I continue to sail the Atlantic ruling my ship,
Queen Anne’s Revenge
My crew of 700 live in deathly fear of my vengeance

I feel the rumble of Captain Maynard’s ship
I fear nothing, no one
I put down my beloved rum
I touch the tip of my cutlass- sharpened, pistol- loaded
I am always ready for battle

I look like a demon, beard lit by fire
I fought viciously against Maynard’s men
I endured five gunshots that November of 1718,
I only fell when my throat was torn by that sword’s sharp edge,
I felt the warm blood roll down my body

I stared in the eyes of my conqueror
I faced death unafraid
I am Blackbeard
cold and callous

DED

Pirate Diary DED

(Effect) “Smuggling seems hardly a crime to me.  It just means avoiding the customs taxes that ships pay to unload their cargo.  Abe says, “Each the king’s men who search the ship ignore contraband as long as we give’em a share!”…”Why should we Americans pay taxes to an English king who cares nothing about us and gives us no say in the way our affairs are run?” So we avoid ports in England and Jamaica where we must pay the custom fees.  Instead we unload cargoes in Spanish, Dutch, and French ports in the West Indies and pay nothing.” Page 13, Paragraph 2	(Cause) Colonists left England for American soil because they were unable to worship freely.  However, King George of England still had control over colonists’ lives through trade regulations and business affairs.  King George also had money in fees for docking ships at port, as well as custom fees- which had to do with shipping goods.  Therefore, the pirates chose to go to ports that were not associated with English laws-therefore avoiding people who worked for the King.
“Will’s tormentors then bundled him into the skiff, the smallest of our three boats—I heard the splash as it was lowered.  By the time I was untied, my uncle was hardly more than a dot far astern.” Page 19, Paragraph 7	I wonder how he must have felt to watch his Uncle take the punishment for something he did.  For a 10 year old boy to see this…is heartbreaking. I also wonder what “astern” means- www.dictionary.com says- “in a position behind a vessel”
“Our captain grudgingly agreed to give them a barrel, for we had plenty, and we shortened sail, slowing the Greyhound so that their men could come aboard.” Page 21, Paragraph 6	Would pirates actually allow another crew to come aboard their ship?  I know from my readings that they were not as violent as the movies show, but still, would they trust another captain and crew on their ship in order to exchange goods?

 

What If You Met a Pirate? DED

“Gold earrings had a purpose:  If a sailor fell overboard, (most couldn’t swim), then washed ashore, the gold ring paid the cost of burying his body with a church service and a headstone.” Page 5	If a church service was important a pirate, and a headstone, does that mean most pirates were religious?  I wonder what kind of religion most pirates were affiliated with.
“Pirates often sailed schooners or sloops, which could sail almost three times the distance the schooner sails to reach the same place!” Page 12, Under heading: What Was So Special	Pirates had to escape the Royal Navy’s larger ships, which could not move as quickly as their smaller boats.  These large ships were called “frigates” and had to travel at larger angles to get somewhere.  Page 13
Were pirates only after precious jewels and gold pieces?	Page 22 and 22 Plunder-The things that pirates stole-included gold and jewelry, but really consisted of anything that they could sell.  This included sugar, food, spices, and cloth.  These were items that the colonists would buy from them, tax free.

Pirate Diary and What If You Met A Pirate

Both of these books were a lot of fun to read.  What I like about reading them together is the fact that you can read one true account of pirate history, and compare and contrast that with the other fiction book.  I was constantly saying, “Well that wouldn’t have happened based on what I just read.”  I also took into account the information I researched through our internet workshop about pirates.  That information did not go hand in hand with the stories told in Pirate Diary. 

One area that really stuck out to me from reading this book what I read about pirate violence.  Every movie ever made about pirates shows evil captains making his own crew and innocent victims walk the plank.  The pirates are always drunk, and every drinking more as the movie progresses.  There is certainly no honesty between crew members, their greed overrides every human emotion.  Based on What If You Met a Pirate- none of that “Hollywood” dress up is accurate.  Pirates actually had no “class system” aboard a boat.  It was a true democracy, meaning the crew members could easily vote the captain off if they chose too.  There was also not much violence between pirates on the same ship.  Even more shocking, the book said that there had never been one account recorded of anyone ever walking the plank.  That is what pirates are known for if you ask any elementary aged student.  I was really shocked that the books I have read, and the movies that I have watched my entire life were so untrue. 

This leads into our teaching for the last two semesters.  Professors can’t stress it enough that as teachers we much find children’s literature that is historically accurate.  Unless we want a great  historical fiction book, letting students know that what they read in certain books may or may not be 100% true is important.  In another class we are taking, we have learned the term altermate conception.  This means that people have an idea about something, because they have heard it or seen it- or be taught it, that may or may not be a true account of the information.  Teachers must confront this problem, and fix childrens’ understandings.  Using a fiction and non-fiction book together like this, allows students to read books that are fun (although the non-fiction book is wonderful and laid out in an way that flows) while also learning about the reality of pirates.

Blackbeard Poem

I am cold and callous
I wonder who will dare to cross my path
I hear the innocent cries of my victims
I feel no remorse, just greed
I am cold and callous

I believe I am unstoppable
I have already received pardon
I continue to sail the sea aboard Queen Anne’s Revenge
My crew of 700 live in deathly fear of my vengeance

I feel the rumble of Captain Maynard’s ship
I fear nothing, no one
I put down my beloved rum
I touch the tip of my cutlass- sharpened, pistol- loaded
I am always ready for battle

I look like a demon, beard lit by fire
I put up a hard fight against Maynard
I was shot five times, throat torn with his sword’s edge
I faced death unafraid

I am Blackbeard
cold and callous

The Not-So-Jolly-Roger and I Poems

This book is an exciting story about 3 youn time-travelers who end up on an island with the cruel pirate known as Blackbeard!  Although the boys try to hide from Blackbeard, that wouldn’t make much of a story- and they are caught and taken aboard his ship.  This story is enticing and makes you want to continue reading to find out what happens next. 

When  introducing students to a new unit, you want something that will hook their interests.  Not all units are as exciting as one about pirates- there are lots of different avenues to take to get students excited about pirates-but this is a great book to use as an introduction to the student of pirates.  It could go even farther and discuss the pirates use of transportation, the origin of pirates, etc. 

Like we discussed in class, as students read their historical fiction or non-fiction books, they can compare the information in the book to what they find during their internet workshop.  This could then lead into a discussion about the references of the information they now know.  Being critical about the content they read is a healthy way to start their education.  Not everything you read is true, in books or online.

I enjoyed this book, and am excited about the rest of the pirate unit.

 -I Poems-

Using an “I Poem” is an effective way to integrate language arts into any other subject that may be being taught.  Math could be questionable…but I suppose an I Poem could be written about a multiplication problem, and the rules it must abide by.

Looking over the power point, I am thrilled to see just how many different areas of research were incorporated during the drafting of these I Poems.  Students had to really dig down deep in order to successfully write a factual poem.  An important part of this process to ensure that students get to see adequate examples of I Poems before they are expect to produce ones themselves.  Introducing them to the different children’s literature books, that are written through the I Poem perspective really allows students to know what kind of structure theirs’ should be resemble. 

Although The Not-So-Jolly-Roger is not completely factual, there are still areas that could be used as a part of an I Poem about Blackbeard the pirate.  This book tells Blackbeard‘s real name, what ship he captained, dates that he was pardoned, as well as the date of his death.  All of that information can be validated through outside research.  

This would be a fun, research-oriented activity to do with students.  Whether integrating science or social studies, it takes creativity and knowledge to write this kind of poem.  

The last slide in the power point said, “Students understand and remember ideas better when they have to transform those ideas from one form to another.  Apparently it is in this transforming process that author’s ideas become reader’s ideas, rendering them more memorable” (Pearson & Fielding, 1991, p. 847)- This is key in this entire process.  I am excited to do it!

Shared Readings: Modeling Comprehension, Vocabulary, Text Structures, and Text Features for Older Students

This article left me somewhat confused.  In other language arts instructional lessons, I have been left with the impression that during a shared reading time- questioning students, going over vocabulary, and  ensuring comprehension way key.  However, the focus on those lessons were to younger elementary school students, so perhaps that explains the change.

Modeling comprehension by thinking through the text out loud it great.  Often my brain wonders while reading and I have to stop to “decode” what I am reading.  It is my brain doing a double-take on if I actually understood what I just read.  Sometimes it is very easy to lose yourself during reading; you are reading the words but actually thinking about something totally different.  Like the expert teachers that were interviewed, showing students that activating that prior knowledge, and making real connections to the text is a useful strategy for comprehending information in texts.

To indentify unknown vocabulary words I have always been a huge user of context clues.  However, in readings that I have to do today, those are not always effective.  I am often not able to find clues that clarify the meaning of words in a research article.  When context clues do not work, I jump straight into the resources available to me the find definitions of words.  Instead of going to grap a big dictionary though, I typically utilize www.dictionary.com.  Like noted in the article, these strategies would be “inside and outside” ways to find the meanings of words.  I also think it is important to know the word parts.  The authors of this article touched on that a bit as well.  If you can segment out of word and identify the various parts, often you can also comprehend the meaning of that word.

Lastly, the way a text is laid out is very important in order to guide students through what they are reading in the most effective way possible.  Reading a textbook is certainly not like reading a novel, and a novel cannot be read the same way a poem needs to be read.  How confusing for our students!  Reading is a much more in depth, strategic tool.  Along with this, text features can be covered.  It is important as teachers to stop, and show students how to move along through reading.  Give them examples of why and how you knew to navigate through the page the way you did.  How else with students know?  Notice indentations, bold headings, and graphs- they are all important to the reading process.

Overall, this article shed light on shared reading in upper elementary school grades.  It cotains valuable information from the authors and the expert teachers that participated in the study about how to do this exercise in the way most beneficial for students. 

Completing the internet workshop….

Completing the internet workshop was a fun way to learn about the history of pirates.  Throughout my school years I had to use a textbook for everything, so incorportaing the internet into research was a more interesting (and quick) way to retrieve the information needed. 

The most interesting part about researching through the internet, is the wide-range of information I read about the same topic.  For example, the name “buccaneer” and how it was derived based on the different websites’ information.  I wonder how they got their information?  How did they come up with their information that they then posted on their webpage?  I wondered too if any of the people who created those webpages had used any of the same sources originally.  That would have explained why different ones contained the same information ,while others did not share that same info. 

Using internet-based research methods is an effective way to get students using technology in everyday life.  Of course, most students I will teach will already be using it, but this is a new avenue to show students.  Moreoever, this internet workshop activity paves the way to teaching students how to test the validity of information contained on webpages.  How do students know that it is even true?  This activity would be a great gateway into lessons on the correct way to research using the internet.

Pirates in Historical Fiction and Nonfiction: A Twin Text Unit of Study & Swashbuckling Adventures on the High Seas

I love the introduction to this unit.  Having the centers set up and engaging students in the different “artifacts” of piarte life seems like a great way to “hook” them. 

We discussed KWL charts in Dr. Trathen’s class last semester.  They are used so often- and I dislike them so much!  My thoughts are this, they have to be revisited in order to be effective.  During my own schooling we used them often, and teachers never actually filled in the “learned” section.  Students didn’t either, of course.  Therefore, they were left with empty columns.  However, the charts fits perfectly.  I could learn to like it- I will have too.

This is the first time I have ever been introduced to the use of nonfiction and fiction books in a unit.  Typically it is one or the other.  It seems like a great way to not bore kids to death with facts, and keep them interesting in the story.  I don’t know how anyone could get bored with facts about pirates- they lived pretty adventurous lives in real life.  Who needs a made-up story? 

The DED handout would be a great tool for several other lessons, not just this unit.  People can miss so much in what they reading by not knowing the vocabulary terms.  This is a great way to ensure that students do know those terms, without the old-fashioned “write your definitions.”  The word bank is a great way to keep students on track.  That way, if they know the term then they don’t need to write it down.  However, if they don’t- perhaps they should jot down a note or two.

Lastly, the research aspect of this article is so cool!  I love the “WANTED” idea.  This ties back into the fact that teachers need to bookmark useful websites ahead of time in order to students to get the most out of what they are researching.  It also makes sense to store your bookmarked sites on www.delicious.com in order to reuse those resources year to year.

Internet Workshop and Blog Publishing: Meeting Student (and Teacher) Learning Needs to Achieve Best Practice in the 21st Century Social Studies Classroom

This article was very informative to teachers as to exactly how to being a unit, and incorporate a blog into it.  I have mentioned before in other responses, that I did not see the use of blogs until this semester.  Of course, during my school years “blogging” was not something teachers used in their classrooms, and I turned out fine!  However, the students I will teach are growing up in a much more technologically advanced and diverse world, and I must be on board. 

I appreciated the fact that in this article the goals met were carefully laid out, and the authors explained how they were going to meet those goals.  Sometimes teachers can get carried away with the simple “integration of technology” standpoint, and not make that technology useful.  It was encouraging to me to see the curriculum being effectively taught. 

Another aspect of this article that was very informational was the detailed walk through of HOW to start out a lesson using the internet.  Internet Workshop- not as easy as it seems.  The step-by-step walk through of, locating internet sites and bookmarking those for later use, as well as designing a research activity for students is something I will use in the future.  Due to my own lack of experience (experience that will be received this semester and through student teaching) it is easy for me to assume students are able to do things, that they may in fact not know how to do.  It is important for me to cover all of my bases ahead of time, so students will have the greatest success possible during this unit.