Final Project: Esperanza Rising Unit

To view my final project, click here. 

Overview
For my final project, I created a series of assignments and activities related to the novel Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan.  I chose this novel because it is taught in the sixth grade at the charter schools I support.  My plan is to share these ideas with my supervisor and, hopefully, promote more discussion about bringing technology into our classroom.  As discussed in previous posts and during class, I do not anticipate that major changes will be made immediately, but I hope to position myself as a person who can help when the company is ready to invest in our students' 21st century literacy skills.


Inclusion of Technology
Given the reluctance of some to bring technology into the classroom, I tried to design activities that blend traditional print literacy with digital literacy.  For example, the Character Journals assignment could be done in a notebook or on a blog.  I was also cognizant of the fact that sometimes technology is hard to access in schools.  There seems to always be more teachers and students wanting access to computer labs than time available.  So, I tried to build some flexibility into the activities if the technology was unavailable.  For example, the Image Slideshow could be narrated live for students in front of the classroom or recorded with a microphone on VoiceThread.


Additionally, I limited the inclusion of technologies to VoiceThread.  Digital literacy skills addressed are limited to image selection and description as well as audio recordings (Image Slideshow, Character Interviews, Digital Book Talk).  Blogging is suggested but left as optional (Character Journals).  I also focused on point-of-view and role play (Character Journals, Character Interviews).



Sequencing
Activities are designed to build on one another.  The Establishing Historical and Cultural Context assignment prepares students to complete the Image Slideshow.  Likewise, Character Journals serve as preparation for Character Interviews.

Each activity description includes:

• Preparation or collaboration needed in advance
• Assignment description with step-by-step guidelines for implementation
• Customized rubric created for the assignment
• Rationale of how the skills build digital literacy and why this matters
• References to outside sources (when applicable)

Design
I decided to create a wiki since it seemed like the most logical way to organize the information.  I created a sidebar to help viewers navigate from page to page.