Early Planning

Our first meeting went very well. We had a good deal of brainstorming on the activities and objectives we would like to implement for the unit. We will be doing a unit on Myths & Legends for a seventh grade Language Arts class.

The unit will incorporate the novel The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Recapping from my earlier posting, the novel is centered around Greek gods starting an apocalyptic war in modern times. Following are a few of the topics that will be discussed: Why do we tell stories? Different cultures and their literary influence. Cause and Effect, for example the myth surrounding the formation of seasons. Reading strategies (Connect, Predict, Summarize, Clarify, etc.) Foreshadowing, Character Analysis, determining the moral of the story, creative essay writing, research and documentation.

The lesson on Myths and Legends will cover a span of two months. We will have a series of small assignments in order to check for understanding. An example could include a 'Ticket Out the Door', which would allow for immediate feedback on important concepts and the necessity for clarification and reteaching. The major projects will include research on a specific Greek mythology character. The students will be responsible for inputing the research into a PowerPoint presentation. We have not determined fully the criteria for the research. The few thoughts we have are the god's special power, apperance, and any particular story relating to that character. We will also require the students to utilize both print and electronic resources. We will require the students to use a minimum number of sources, but we still have to determine this number. We will also teach APA documentation, and expect students to provide proper citation. Another project will have the students create their own myth, from the research they conducted on their character. We will then have the students utilize either Microsoft Word or Publisher to create a bookmark, flyer, brochure or sign highlighting their character or key parts of their story. We are considering a Blog for Amy's Language Arts class. We would like to start it off by having the students post comments to discussion questions from the novel.

We briefly discussed assessment and only determined that we will have three separate rubrics for all projects and assignments. We will have one for Special Needs, ESL and General Ed. students.

We will be using the design Model B: Cooperation and Partnership. Cooperation and partnership involve setting goals and reflect a philosophy of teamwork, cooperation, and networking (Himmelman 1997). Overall I think we have worked well together and I do not foresee anything that would contradict that feeling. I am very excited to work with Amy, she has a lot of great experience, phenomenal reputation and she brings a lot of enthusiasm to the project.

Amy will work in greater detail developing the criteria for research, reading strategies, writing techniques, cultural influence on literature and background information on myths and legends. I will be working in greater detail to help the students conduct proper research both print and electronic, good v. bad websites, APA documentation, PowerPoint, Microsoft Word v. Publisher, Blogging and emailing.

I'm excited. I'm learning a lot and I know I've only just begun the process.

Montiel-Overall, Patricia. (2005) Toward a Theory of Collaboration for Teachers and
Librarians. Retrieved: February 16, 2009, from, http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/slmrcontents/volume82005/theory.cfm#sectionb

Pre-Planning

Welcome! I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to my collaborative partner, myself, and share a few of the thoughts I have entering this project.

My collaborative partner is Amy M. She has been teaching Languge Arts for around ten years and currently is working with 7th graders. I asked Amy to work with me on this project because I have had the opportunity to work with Amy's students in the past . I have seen some of the great techniques Amy has used to implement the curriculum and would like to be a part of the process, from a technology standpoint. Amy is always going the extra mile to enhance her abilities at being a more proficient educator, and I feel the opportunity to collaborate with her will be extremely educational.

My name is Melissa M. I currently work as a School Library Media Specialist at an elementary school. Another reason I am very excited about collaborating with Amy, is that I will have an opportunity to work with a middle school curriculum. I feel this experience will allow me to be more well-rounded in my education.

Amy and I have considered working on a unit that will revolve around the novel The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. This is the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. The story documents the adventures of Percy Jackson as he tries to stop an apocalyptic war among the Greek gods. Percy is the son of a Greek god and a mortal woman. The story incorporates many of the characters from Greek mythology, but with a modern-day spin.

Our goal is to have an opportunity to implement some of the ideas/projects with the students before the semester is completed. Then we can see first-hand if our collaboration effort was a successful one.

I am a little apprehensive about the project because I have never collaborated with someone on a unit plan. I am very excited because I know I will learn a tremendous amount. I know we will have a great unit plan at the end because we are both extremely hardworking and creative.