Reflections from a Third-Grade Classroom

I currently do not have my own classroom as I am doing my student teaching internship next year. However, in thinking about the things I might encounter, I have decided to use this TechQuest to investigate the ways in which technology can be used to broaden my students world view and augment their social, cultural, and digital literacies.

I am placed in a third-grade classroom next year in a low-income school. My classroom has virtually no technology. (I recently discovered that my CT does not use email.) These students have little access to things outside their community. Although this is purely speculation, I would venture a guess that they are most likely not taking advantage of the opportunities within their community.

I have also heard (from talking to the current intern in the classroom) that there is not a lot of integration between subjects. It is important for these students to have exposure to integrated units, as there are few endeavors in life that rely on just one discipline. Being able to transfer knowledge between subject areas will help develop critical thinking skills and higher-level cognition.

Finally, I as an adherent to critical pedagogy, I would like to incorporate this approach to my project. This critical approach to teaching insists on three criteria in order to have a high pedagogical impact: children must be active constructors of their own knowledge, rather than merely regurgitating facts obtained by others; inquiry must be grounded in a field of knowledge with specific facts, vocabulary, and theories; finally, lessons must contain value beyond the classroom.

I would like to blend social studies and language arts to work on building social, cultural, and linguistic capital. This is especially important for my demographic, as they will need this capital to foster economic/academic opportunities in future endeavors.

My tentative plan includes the following:

• Students need practice problem-solving and working in groups. This is one aspect of social literacy: the knowledge of how to interact with others. I would like students to complete this project in groups.
• Since the 3rd grade social studies curriculum was recently changed to focus on the study of Michigan, I’d like to keep this project limited to this region. Groups will choose one region of the state (I’m not sure how yet) and complete research on it in the five areas of inquiry: history, geography, civics/government, economics, and public issues. I’d like to have 5 members in each group so that each person becomes an “expert”: historian, geographer, political analyst, economist, and activist.
• I’d like students to use the internet to research this. I will need to guide this research somehow, perhaps using a social bookmarking site.
• In order to give the project authenticity, I want students to feel that this is not merely a research paper, but rather an authentic text that will be useful for others. I’m thinking a travel guide, a real estate publication encouraging others to move to the area, or a digital story may be good ways to do this. Perhaps each group could choose their own means of relaying this information.
• The students will create a text that meets the needs of the assignment, and then create a digital story using either Microsoft PhotoStory3 or Apple’s iMovie. The students can find pictures using FlickrCC or use their own.
• I would like to upload these to our class website as a means of publishing them for family and friends to see. It may be fun to use GoogleMaps to “organize” these different pages. Thumbtacks can mark the location that each story discusses. Clicking on the thumbtack will take you to the digital movie. This will provide a means of incorporating spatial awareness to the project.
• Finally, I would like groups to view others projects, focusing on one in particular, and decide whether it was effective. I would like them to respond to the project, detailing what was effective and any suggestions for improvement.
• I would like to take advantage of the school’s computer lab to complete this project. I have heard that the computer “instructor” does little actual instruction, and just has students play games during computer time. It may be possible to work with this person to allow students to do work on this project during computer class. Also, I can look into reserving the lab for additional work time during Social Studies class time.

In addition to the social studies component, this project meets the following Language Arts GLCEs for 3rd Grade:

• W.GN.03.03 write an informational piece including a report that demonstrates the understanding of central ideas and supporting details using an effective organizational pattern (e.g., compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution) with a title, heading, subheading, and a table of contents.
• W.GN.03.04 use the writing process to produce and present a research project; initiate research questions from content area text from a teacher-selected topic; and use a variety of resources to gather and organize information.
• W.PR.03.01 set a purpose, consider audience, and replicate authors’ styles and patterns when writing a narrative or informational piece.
• S.CN.03.02 adjust their use of language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes including gathering information, making requests, discussing, classroom presentations, and playground interactions.
• S.CN.03.03 speak effectively emphasizing key words and varied pace for effect in narrative and informational presentations.
• S.DS.03.04 plan and deliver presentations using an effective informational organizational pattern (e.g., descriptive, problem/solution, cause/effect); supportive facts and details reflecting a variety of resources; and varying the pace for effect.
• L.RP.03.03 respond to multiple text types listened to or viewed knowledgeably, by discussing, illustrating, and/or writing in order to reflect, make connections, take a position, and/or show understanding.
• L.RP.03.05 respond to and retell what a speaker said, paraphrasing and explaining the main idea, and then extend their response by connecting and relating it to personal experiences.