SUBJECT: Language Arts AREAS: Reading, Writing
TOPICS: Creative Writing, Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension
LEVEL: Early Elementary or Pre-School
SPECIFIC GOALS: Students increase reading skills through word recognition, comprehension through sight-vocabulary, and vocabulary through words, sounds, animation, and pictures.
ABSTRACT: Imagine reading a book where the characters run, dance, and sing freely on the pages. Arthur's Teacher Trouble, an interactive book on CD-ROM, lets your students experience just this as they further improve both reading and vocabulary skills. Next, students create a school post office in which they write letters to students in other classrooms. Each class receives its own zip code. Through this activity, students learn practical skills, such as addressing envelopes, and experience, firsthand, the methods post offices use to coordinate national and worldwide mail.
PREREQUISITE SKILLS: Ability to use a mouse, first grade reading level
SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS: Cooperative Learning; activities off the computer are designed to meet the varying intelligence strengths of a wide range of students. Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory challenges the child's curiosity and intellectual strengths through seven approaches: 1. Visual (pictures and media) 2. Spatial (use of manipulatives) 3. Interpersonal (team learning) 4. Intrapersonal (individualized activities) 5. Mathematical/ Logic/Problem Solving 6. Linguistic (use of word pictures, reading, and writing) 7. Musical (use of rhythm and music) This lesson uses the Interpersonal and Linguistic approaches.
TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION: CD-ROM Arthur's Teacher Trouble (Macintosh and Windows) is an interactive, animated program for younger children that steps beyond ordinary electronic books. With sound effects, original music, humor, and lots of animation, it provides an exciting and colorful learning experience.
RATIONALE FOR USING THE TECHNOLOGY: This powerful interactive media that incorporates animation, humor, sound, and two languages into an exciting story, furnishes the elementary child with a dynamic reading environment.
OTHER MATERIALS: Paper, pencils, pens, envelopes, postage stamps (created by students), post office bags, date stamps
TIME REQUIRED: Set-up time is not required; the program starts when the CD-ROM is activated. Class time on the computer should entail one thirty minute session. Off the computer activities may necessitate several days, 3-5 hours per session. Consider using both languages on the computer, as an introduction to Spanish for English-speaking children.
ON THE COMPUTER: This program is composed of two modes: (1) Interactive "Let Me Play" allows students to personally experience the story. In this section, option buttons also allow students to move to any page. (2) Passive In "Read to Me", the story is literally read to students. Turning pages requires the use of the forward or backward arrows in the lower right and left corners of the screen; clicking on the ball in the left hand corner results in the whole sentence being read; clicking on any word results in it being pronounced. Different parts of the screen being clicked results in the appearance of animated characters. Introduce this program to the class as a whole group, and then allow students to explore the program in small groups. Provide every student with equal exploration time by rotating groups and group members.
OFF THE COMPUTER: Create a school post office, where students send pen-pal letters to other classes. The post office can include student-made postage stamps, cancellation stamps, and "mail carriers", who deliver letters to the appropriate classes, according to the class zip codes. Students take turns playing the roles of civilian letter-writers, postal workers, and mail carriers.
EVALUATION OR EXTENSION ACTIVITIES: Diagnose reading development by having students read the book before they use the software. Make a list of mispronounced words. You may assess reading comprehension by asking who, what, when, where, why, and how questions. Test inferential knowledge by asking students to predict what will happen on the next page. After students have completed the software package, re-test them orally. For extension activities, students may wish to invite neighboring classes to view their videos. For extension activities, students may wish to write to pen-pals worldwide. Announce a Postcard Contest in which each class tries to get a postcard from all 50 American states. (The first class to do this, wins) Hang a large map of the United States in your classroom (or have students draw one), and glue the postcards to their respected states. You can also extend this contest to include European countries.
MIN HARDWARE: Arthur's Teacher Trouble Macintosh Version; Macintosh LC or higher, System 6. 0. 7 or higher, 4MB RAM, CD-ROM drive
Arthur's Teacher Trouble MS-DOS Version; 386SX or faster processor, 4MB RAM, Windows 3. 1 or higher, DOS 3. 3 or higher, 256 color monitor, Hard Disk, CD-ROM drive
OPTIONAL HARDWARE: LCD panel and overhead projector for whole class presentation