Literacy Now

by Jen Donovan

ReadWriteThink.org recently introduced Cube Creator, an online interactive tool that provides students with a special type of graphic organizer. The interactive organizer is in the form of a six-sided cube with different information appearing on each side. Students must record an answer or observation to the prompts on each side. After the student records their information, the cube flips to a different side with a new prompt. The concept of the Cube Creator works by breaking the subject down into smaller elements that eventually come together to form a bigger picture or main idea. As the student records their answers the cube becomes complete, leaving them with fun-shaped, organized chart of information.

 

 

This interactive tool includes a planning sheet, which allows  students to think about their answers and simplify them for their final cube. Cube Creator also has a special save feature that allows students and teachers to save and edit their cubes at any time. (Visit ReadWriteThink.org for a video tutorial on saving interactives.)

 

 

The final result is a print-out pattern of the cube that can be cut out and assembled into a tangible representation of the topic. Students can actually hold the 3-D organizer in their hands and see how it visually represents what they’ve learned. 

 

 

Cube Creator presents its users with four different options for summarizing, organizing, and planning:

• Bio Cube was the original interactive cube organizer and the inspiration for Cube Creator. It allows students to create an outline of the subject of a biography or autobiography that they've read in class. It prompts them to record thoughts on the person’s significance, background, and personality. Students can also use this tool for organizing and writing their own autobiography. 
• Mystery Cube helps students organize clues to solve their favorite mystery stories. It also helps them with creating their own mystery by identifying the necessary mystery elements and vocabulary. Questions prompt students to describe the setting, clues, mystery, victim, detective, and solution to the mystery story.
• Story Cube introduces students to the key elements of a story. Students will be able to identify character, setting, conflict, resolution, and theme. This introduces students to the basic elements and vocabulary of literary analysis.
• Create-Your-Own Cube can be used for any subject. This tool allows teachers to create their own prompts and topics and save the file to be shared with students as a class exercise. Students can also use this cube to create their own interactive learning tool on any topic of their choosing. The Create-Your-Own Cube is a blank canvas for any subject, and it’s perfect for science, math, and social studies units.

 

Unlike traditional prewriting webs or charts, filling out the Cube Creator is more like completing a puzzle. It challenges students to organize information, creating a comprehensive summary of their topic by completing the cube. Cube Creator is a fun and visually engaging learning tool that students are excited to use. 

ReadWriteThink.org is a project of Verizon Thinkfinity, the International Reading Association, and the National Council for Teachers of English. Visit www.readwritethink.org for more interactives and lesson plans.

 

 

by Thomas DeVere Wolsey

Personal learning environments (abbreviated as PLEs), are a way of organizing, curating, and bringing coherence to the many digital interactions students have with other students, teachers, digital others on the Internet, and the content they find online and on paper. Personal learning environments provide entry points, organization, and a network that makes sense; these entry points serve as a table of contents to an individual user’s multiple digital interactions. As important, the class learning environments teachers create can become important components of the personal learning environments their students create.

A key aspect of the personal learning environment is that it is created by individual users. My personal learning environment will look quite different from yours, for example. Personal learning environments may also intersect in a network. For example, Sabrina is a 10th-grade student. Her science teacher shared a set of readings via links on Delicious. Her English-language arts teacher has assigned a reading from a digital library (for example, SunSITE), and her social studies teacher has asked her to examine several artifacts from the World Digital Library. In mathematics, she created an online presentation in SlideShare showing practical applications of triangulation. Keeping track of the assignments and emails from teachers and classmates can be difficult. In addition, she maintains her own digital presence on Facebook and collects links about her interest in the piano on Diigo, which she shares with friends.

Sabrina could be overwhelmed with all the digital content with which she is expected to interact; however, her homeroom teacher helped her design a personal learning environment using SymbalooEDU as one entry point. With Symbaloo, Sabrina can add links to web sources and her teachers’ assignments and schedules, code sources by color, and produce task lists to be sure she accomplishes her goals.  In addition, she can choose webmixes created by other users on topics such as writing tools or biology resources. As important, Sabrina can integrate her own interests via links and RSS feeds. She shares the elements of her personal learning environment that she chooses, while keeping other elements private. In this video, a student, JJGeorgy, describes how to get started using Symbaloo.

Because personal learning environments are, indeed, personal, they take many forms.  The graphic organizers linked on the Edtechpost http://edtechpost.wikispaces.com/PLE+Diagrams wiki illustrate the many variations of the PLE.  A PLE is an approach users take to aggregate content, organize it, and lend context to it. Owners can create their own content and gather it from teachers, peers, and other Internet sources. Sometimes, teachers provide a basic framework and share elements of their own personal or classroom learning environments to help further learning.

In the video below, a technology coordinator explains how teachers and students use Symbaloo in first through third grades in Memphis, Tennessee.

Thomas DeVere Wolsey is a literacy specialization coordinator in the Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University.

This article is part of a series from the Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG).

Technology Professional Development Sessions at the IRA Annual Convention

 

“Lumatere had always been a feast for Froi’s eyes. Even during the years of little rain, it was a contrast of lush green grass and thick rich silt carpeting the Flatlands and the river villages. But Charyn was a kingdom of rock and very little beauty. Here the terrain was a rough path of dirt, pocketed with caves and hills of stones.” —FROI OF THE EXILES

Landscape is just about everything in a fantasy novel, and when I decided that I was going to write one, I knew I had to travel to get the setting right. Most of my FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK research took place in the Dordogne area of France as well as Umbria, Italy. I wanted the kingdom of Lumatere to look lush, much the same as the French and English country side. But when I sensed there would be a sequel, I knew that the neighbouring kingdom would have to be the complete opposite.

My research for a setting usually begins with Google or a travel book. I picture a place in my head and then I go searching for it. I found the town of Matera in the editors’ picks of a Lonely Planet guide. I instantly fell in love with the idea of my characters living in caves, so in March 2009, when the first spark of Froi came to me, I went to Central Italy in search of Charyn, the enemy kingdom where most of the action of FROI OF THE EXILES takes place.

Two important words came to my attention while I was in Matera: one was the Citavita (in Italian the words mean “city and life”) and the other was the Italian word for ravine—gravina. My photos don’t do justice to how mighty the gravina that splits Matera into two is, but I knew that somehow that chasm had to feature in the geography of the enemy capital and act as a gulf between people, brothers, lovers, and dreams.



In the photo above, you can see a church made of rock. On one side it looks over the ravine and on the other side you can see people’s homes. Across the ravine is a winding road. For my novel, I made the gravina much more narrow. Across from it, where the road curves, I placed a castle where Froi lives for part of the story.

“Froi walked to the door that opened to the balconette. Across the narrow stretch of the gravina, the outer wall of the oracle’s godshouse tilted toward them.” —FROI OF THE EXILES

Despite my trip in March 2009, FROI proved to be a difficult novel to write and I plotted it in my head for a long while before I began physically writing it. In September 2010, I was ready to truly get started. The action between the palace and the godshouse in the Citavita only takes up part of the novel, and I had to work out the rest of Charyn’s physical landscape.

Years before, in a FINNIKIN scene, I wrote about a view in France having ten shades of green and it took my breath away. We were in the middle of a drought here in Australia and I hadn’t seen that type of lushness for a while. But in Turkey, especially in Cappadocia, I got to see 10 shades of grey and it was equally as breathtaking. I wanted to contrast the kingdoms of both novels, and especially use the description of Charyn as a way of describing the spirit of its people. When Froi’s revulsion towards the Princess of Charyn turns into something more, he describes her as being every shade of Charyn stone.



Cappadocia was also used to describe the beautifully decadent province of Paladozza. I remember being on one of the flat roofs trying to Skype my sister back home and holding up my lap top so she could see what I was looking out at. It was a bad connection, but she caught a glimpse and couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“In Paladozza a peculiar world of color existed on the roofs of people’s houses. Unlike Lumatere, with its lush greens and golds, here the strange landscape of stone cones and cave houses was coloured in shades of light pink and soft brown and white. Once upon a time stone had been stone to Froi.” —FROI OF THE EXILES

One of the major settings of FROI is a valley between Lumatere and Charyn. It was easy to visualise, but difficult to write and I was desperate to find the real thing. As usual, I found bits and pieces of it and created my own idea of the valley. Most of the detail comes from the Valley of Ihlara outside Cappadocia.

“...The valley between them had always fascinated him. Lucian caught sight of the gorge below. On the side where the mountain met the stream was woodland and a world that looked easily like Lumatere. But on the other side of the stream was a strange landscape of caves perched high.... He reached the stream and could see the Charynites up in their caves looking down at him suspiciously.... Farther along Phaedra of Alonso was bent over in what looked like a vegetable patch....” —FROI OF THE EXILES

This is how I imagine the stream seen from the Lumateran side.



This is where the Charyn refugees were camped in caves on the other side of the stream.



This photo shows the type of vegetable patches that still thrived in such terrain. As haphazard as they look, they still managed to feed people in hiding. I loved the true stories about how those who hid in the Ihlara Valley thousands of years ago had to find a way to fertilise the soil. So they carved little holes in the outer cave walls for pigeons and then each day they’d collect the droppings.



This final photo is a fun one. I was in Troy and they had this re-enactment photo of the invasion and apart from the fear of what the second man was forced to see looking up the first man’s skirt, it gave me an idea of how to get Froi into a room I was desperate for him to get into. And just to prove that not all research comes from the most profound of places.

“He climbed out to stand on the ledge with his face pressed to the outer walls, his fingers feeling for grooves, his toes gripping stone. Slowly he made his way up to the window above. Despite the short distance and Froi’s expertise...in climbing all things impossible—all things impossible took on new meaning when there was nothing beneath him but unending space and the promise of death.” —FROI OF THE EXILES

Melina Marchetta is the acclaimed and award-winning author of JELLICOE ROAD, which won the Michael L. Printz Award; SAVING FRANCESCA, and its companion novel, THE PIPER'S SON; and LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI. She lives in Australia, where FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK, her first fantasy novel, won an Aurealis Award. Her latest novel, FROI OF THE EXILES, was released in the U.S. earlier this month. You can visit Melina online at http://www.melinamarchetta.com.au/.



5 Questions With... Melina Marchetta (JELLICOE ROAD, FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK)

Flights of Fantasy Book Reviews

More and more teachers and parents are realizing that graphic novels are an easy way to hook reluctant readers as well as keep older readers engaged. While many readers are familiar with Jennifer and Matthew Holm’s Babymouse series, Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Jeff Smith’s Bone series, and even Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet series, there are more and more graphic novels on a wide variety of topics available for the readers of all ages. If you’re interested in dipping your toes into some graphic novels, check out the books reviewed this week by members of the International Reading Association's Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group, and be sure to visit the informative No Flying No Tights website at http://noflyingnotights.com. The site serves up graphic novel reviews and resources for those who want to be in the know. 

GRADES 1-2

Kroll, Steven. (2012). Chick and Chickie Play All Day! Ill. by Claude Ponti. Somerville, MA: Toon Books/Candlewick. 

As do most good friends, Chick and Chickie have fun playing together. First, they decide to make masks, and they take turns scaring one another. Next they decide to play school and have a good time with the letter A. They try different things with the first letter of the alphabet to see what sounds it will make. Beginning readers will enjoy a graphic novel such as this one that they can read independently.

- Terrell A. Young, Brigham Young University

GRADES 3-5

Aguirre, Jorge. (2012). Giants, beware! Illus. by Rafael Rosado. New York: First Second/Roaring Brook. 

Outspoken and ill-mannered, Claudette refuses to accept the palatable but simplified version of how her town was saved from a giant many years ago. When signs seem to indicate that the giant, who was allowed to return to his home, has reverted to his taste for babies’ toes, Claudette has had enough and takes matters into her own hands. While her friend Marie is interested only in becoming a princess, and her younger brother Gaston dreams of owning his own pastry shop, Claudette tricks the two into joining her quest. Relying on their wits and Claudette's physical prowess as a fighter, they make their way through various perils—including a hag guarding an apple crop while dreaming of the beauty she lost because of a spell and a water king in search of a consort for his son—only to meet a giant. But this giant only wants to play, and in order to trick the townspeople who want to rescue the children and kill the giant, they concoct a simple ruse to fool them into thinking the giant has been killed. The story is great fun to read since the characters have such vivid personalities—even Valiant, a pug who often leaves his signs everywhere they go. While there are some loose ends at the story's conclusion, it would be impossible not to like these loyal friends. While giants might want to beware, so should readers since this title is so addictive. 

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Holm, Jennifer & Holm, Matt. (2011). Squish No.2: Brave New Pond.  New York: Random House.

Following his oozy introduction in Squish No. 1: Super Amoeba, Squish prepares for the first day of school, which he vows will be different this time. He’s even made a to-do list that includes trying to be accepted by the “in” crowd led by the six super-cool Algae brothers. The book is reminiscent of a teen novel with intimidating high school bullies but with a twist: it’s filled with pond vocabulary. If Squish wants to hang out with the big Algae brothers, he must dump nacho cheese over his nerdy friend Pod. Squish reflects on what his comic book hero Super Amoeba might do in order to resolve this moral dilemma and makes the right decision. Green highlights throughout this graphic novel keep the idea of the pond culture ever present, even in the school administrator’s name—Principal Planaria. This is a great book to use at the start of the school year or even throughout the year since it tackles many issues faced by middle graders, such as fitting in, loyalty, and bullying. Teachers might like to use the book trailer on author Jennifer Holm’s website at www.jenniferholm.com to introduce Squish and create some predictions about the beginning of school. The fun doesn’t end when the book does since readers can create their own slime from a recipe in the “Fun Science with Pod” section at the book’s conclusion.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Reading and Library Consultant

GRADES 6-7

Ignatow, Amy. (2012). The Popularity Papers: The rocky road trip of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang. New York: Amulet Books.

As sixth grade finally ends, best friends Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang have great plans for the summer. But those plans are changed when Lydia’s mother must return to London for her job and her Goth sister Melody heads to Guatemala for a work project. The two friends end up on a road trip with Julie's two fathers. After a cross-country flight, they help Julie’s grandparents move and then drive across the United States, making stops along the way to see the sights and visit family members. A brief visit with Lydia's father ends disappointingly since he has no time to spend with her and her stepbrothers are just as bratty as Melody described them. While some of the sections featuring neat facts about the places they have visited have a decidedly informative element, the storyline allows all the characters, even Melody, to evolve. As they watch the adults in their lives navigate their own family dynamics, Julie and Lydia record their observations in their notebook and realize that growing up doesn’t mean escaping from parental expectations. The ink, colored pencil, colored marker, yarn, and digital illustrations fit the girls' personalities perfectly, adding immeasurably to the pleasures of reading this fourth title in the popular series.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Kibuishi, Kazu. (2012). Explorer: The mystery boxes: Seven graphic stories. New York: Amulet Books. 

Seven short graphic stories are connected by their authors’ various attempts to answer the question of “What exactly is in the box?” Each separate and unique story has the appearance of the mysterious box at the core of the plot, leaving the reader to figure out each box’s contents. In addition to the popular graphic novel artist Kibuishi, the other stories are illustrated by such distinguished artists as Raina Telgemeier, Rad Sechrist, Jason Caffoe, Stuart Livingston, Johane Matte, Dave Roman, and newcomer Emily Carroll. The stories cover a broad range of territory, including war, the Earth’s possible future, and all sorts of trickery, and each approach to the question is different. While some stories are filled with humor and suspense, others may be more suited for mature readers. The cover art is perfect for enticing kids to reach for a title where much mystery awaits.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Reading and Library Consultant

GRADES 9-12

Arni, Samhita. (2011). Sita’s Ramayana.  Art by Moyna Chitrakar. Toronto: Groundwood Books. 

Departing from the traditional way of telling this epic tale from India, the author has chosen to relate the story from a more feminist point of view through the voice of Sita, the wife of King Rama, as the storyteller. Although the story stays true to its traditional roots dating from 300 B.C.E. and the illustrator has used Indian Patua scrolls on which to base the newly designed graphic style, the artwork stays true to the original story of demons stealing the queen after Rama has foolishly and harshly insulted them. Now a prisoner kidnapped by the demons, Sita can rely only on hearsay and the friendship of animals to make her existence bearable. Battles are waged for her return, and eventually are successful although Sita’s experiences have marked her, and her newfound independence continues after she has been rescued. The illustrations are engaging, vibrant and bold to give the story new life. The title was selected as an ALA Notable. The author, who lives in India, can be heard in this television interview discussing the book and back story and her reasons for using Sita’s strong female voice at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5MisgSFP1Q&feature=youtu.be.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Reading and Library Consultant

Bertozzi, Nick. (2011). Lewis & Clark.  New York: First Second Books/ Macmillan.

Using a more oversized format than most graphic novels, Bertozzi describes a journey based on historical fact but with a hint of humor to the story of the explorers and their entourage. These historical characters are portrayed with awareness of their unique personalities and foibles as they face hardships in search of the passage to the West. Readers view a tableau of this epic historic journey through the stories of encounters with treacherous mountains and rivers and attempts to appease the sometimes difficult Lewis as well as watching Sacagawea, the only woman on the trek, act as translator. Then, too, there are scenes that make it clear just how exasperating it must have been to deal with the clumsy Charbonneau’s attempts to assist the group. Following the speech bubbles, the author/illustrator expresses the feelings and emotions of the characters in each new situation along the trail. This is the first in a planned series of graphic novels on explorers with the next title focusing on Ernest Shackleton’s expedition to Antarctica. 

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Reading and Library Consultant

Brosgol, Vera. (2011). Anya’s ghost. New York: First Second/Roaring Brook Press. 

As do so many teens, Anya finds it difficult to fit in at her high school. For one thing, there’s her name—the hard-to-pronounce Borzakovskaya, which hints at her Russian immigrant background. Plus, compared with her slender classmates, she considers herself too plump. Then, too, she is haunted by the ghost of Emily, a girl who died almost a century earlier. Anya feels sorry for Emily when she hears the story of how she died, and when she is rescued, Emily's ghost comes along with her. At first, things are great: Emily helps Anya cheat on her exams and gives her advice about how to attract the attentions of Sean, the basketball star on whom she has a crush. But eventually, Anya’s eyes are opened to the truth about both Sean and her ghost friend who seems, with each passing day, to be less a friend than someone trying to take over Anya’s life unless she puts Emily back where she belongs. Although this wonderful graphic novel about being an outsider is downright scary, it is also very, very funny. It’s hard to decide what aspect is most frightening—a ghost who doesn’t know her place or high school with its particular pecking order where knowing your place seems essential for survival.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University

Jablonski, Carla. (2011) Resistance Book 2: Defiance. Art by Leland Purvis. New York: First Second Books/Roaring Brook Press.

Book 2 in the planned trilogy Resistance, Defiance is historical fiction and graphic novel steeped in facts from WWII and the French Resistance. Set in a village in France, the story focuses on Paul, his mother and two sisters. Their father has been taken away by the Nazis. Paul’s hatred of the Germans and what is happening to his occupied country compels him to become the youngest member of the resistance group hiding in the forests nearby. Not only does Paul’s artwork provide maps for the resistance fighters, but his anti-Nazi posters get him into real trouble. His sisters demonstrate ways of resistance that are more subtle than their brother’s, such as refusing to sing the new government’s songs at schools. Sylvie, the older sister, dates a German soldier to gather information and learns the Nazis are planning to raid a suspected group, the Maquis, within the resistance. The story ends on a suspenseful note that will leave readers anxious for the third and final volume. The pictures and speech bubbles work well together to bring this period of history to life through engaging characters. The author has provided historical notes at the beginning and end of the book that was selected for the ALA Great Graphic Novels for Teens list.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Reading and Library Consultant

Kerns, Ann. (2012). I date dead people. Illus. by Janina Gorrissen. Minneapolis: Graphic Universe. 

The My Boyfriend Is a Monster graphic novel series is delightful, and this one, the fifth in the series, is sure to bring new fans to the series. Jane Austen-fan Nora Reilly despairs of finding a Mr. Darcy or even a Heathcliff in today's modern world, and even the eligible guys at school don’t pay any attention to her.  Nora’s friend Kirsty suggests that popular guy Nick Harris might fit the bill, but Nora is certain that he doesn’t even know who she is. Romance comes for Nora when her parents’ plan to get rid of the grandfather clock in the house prompts a ghostly visit from Thomas Barnes who died when he was eighteen. The two teens spend time together, falling in love, and fighting off the evil spirits in the house with the help of a psychic. Because of Nora's help, Tom is finally able to cross over into the spirit world, leaving her free to love someone who's been waiting for her all along. This is a cool story with a strong-minded heroine and a storyline with many possibilities.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

by Jen Donovan

The International Reading Association partners with the NCTE and Verizon Thinkfinity to produce ReadWriteThink.org, a website devoted to providing literacy instruction and interactive resources for grades K-12. ReadWriteThink presents teachers with effective lesson plans and strategies, a professional community, and engaging online interactive student tools. One of their most popular interactives that can be applied to almost any literacy lesson is the K-W-L Creator.

Just as modern technology has replaced blackboards with smart-boards, and turned written papers into online assignments, the traditional K-W-L chart has been transformed from its paper format to a new online interactive tool. The K-W-L method helps students prepare for what they are reading by organizing what they know (K), what they want (W) to learn, and reflecting on what they’ve learned (L). The K-W-L Creator provides teachers and students with an interactive way to learn through reading comprehension.

The interactive tool is easy to use and understand. Because it is accessible online, students can use the internet to further explore their topic. They can include links to images, videos, and other online resources in their own K-W-L charts, creating visual presentations of what they’ve learned. Teachers can also display the tool on their interactive whiteboards and use it for a class exercise. Each individual chart can be printed separately, so the teacher can focus on a certain area with the entire class. For example, the “L” section can be used to consider and summarize what the class has learned from the readings. 

The worksaver feature is what makes this interactive really unique. It allows users to save their work to either their computer or to their e-mail. Teachers are able to modify the K-W-L charts by asking their own questions and save these modifications for the next lesson. The worksaver functionality also enables students to save their progress and reflect on the overall process of completing the entire K-W-L exercise online. ReadWriteThink has an online video tutorial about saving work for those who need assistance. 

The K-W-L Creator is a highly customizable tool that can be as interactive as you want it to be. Printouts of the K-W-L chart as well as individual charts are available for download from the website. There are also several different versions of K-W-L graphic organizers which create print-out graphic organizers on any specific topic, creating an instant classroom exercise.

The K-W-L Creator, along with all the other interactive tools from the website, is an engaging way of teaching literacy and organization to students. It’s easy to use and the students have fun with the interactive, online-learning component of the tool. ReadWriteThink.org gives teachers the freedom and the resources to tailor their lesson plans, making learning literacy fun and exciting. Visit the K-W-L Creator webpage for more information. 

Jen Donovan is an intern in the Strategic Communications Department of the International Reading Association.