Lesson+Plans



**__Curriculum Lesson Plan__**

The Jataka Tales
 * Lesson Title:**

How has religion influenced the literature of South Asia?
 * Lesson Essential Question:**

// Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity // - promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes
 * PA State Standards:**
 * 8.4.12 A** Evaluate the role groups and individuals played in social, political, cultural, and economic development throughout world history.
 * 8.4.12 B** Evaluate the importance of historical documents, artifacts, and sites which are critical to world history.
 * 8.4.12 C** Evaluate how continuity and change have impacted the world today: Belief Systems and Religions.
 * NETS Standards:**

// Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experience and Assessment // - design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity

// Communication and Collaboration // - interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. - communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.

Copies of Jataka Tales: //Prince Five-Weapons, Elephant King Goodness, Four on a Log, Curse of Mittavinda, King Goodness the Great,// and //The Shovel Wise Man// Laptops Glogster Logins Promethean Board
 * Materials:**

Jataka Tales: 550 lives of Siddhartha before he became the Buddha Four Noble Truths karma
 * Vocabulary:**

In this lesson, students will know that Buddhists follow the Four Noble Truths and believe in karma. They will also know that the 550 Jataka Tales are stories told about the lives of the Buddha before his enlightenment.
 * STUDENTS WILL KNOW:**

Students will understand the connection between suffering and desire in the Buddhist faith. They will understand that literature from any culture can teach us about the values and beliefs of that culture. They will understand that the moral of each Jataka Tale has a connection to the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism.
 * STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND:**

First, as a class we will review the idea of karma and the Four Noble Truths. Then students will break up into partners and read their assigned Jataka Tale. They will complete the Jataka Tale organizer, filling out the title, the main characters with 2 characteristics each, a 2-3 sentence plot summary, the moral of the story and a connection between the story and one or more of the Four Noble Truths.
 * STUDENTS WILL DO:**

After students have completed their organizer, as a class we will review how to use glogster on the promethean board. I will explain the wall, text and image functions, allowing students to explore the other tools as time permits.

Students will be designing these as partners, so one partner will receive a login for glogster while the other partner grabs a laptop and gets on the internet. Together they will create a glogster with all of the information from their Jataka Tale organizer, plus 2 images to go along with the story. One image has to be a representation of the Buddha in the story. The other illustration is students’ choice.

After the glogsters are completed, students will take turns projecting them on the Promethean Board and presenting their Tale.

Gifted: The Jataka Tales state the moral of the story at the end. I will challenge the gifted students by leaving out the moral in their stories, and having them come to a conclusion on their own. There are also shorter Jataka Tales, I might have them read two and compare.
 * Differentiation:**

Learning Support and ESL: All students will work with a partner; all students will use the Jataka Tales organizer; partners can have written directions on a handout; I can create a pdf file of tutorials for glogster.

For better or for worse Is society getting better or worse? Offer community and classroom-based learning experiences that develop students’ critical thinking skills and prepare them for lives of civic engagement. Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers … engage students in exploring real-world issues … using digital tools and resources. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experience and Assessment Students interact, collaborate and publish with peers, experts or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
 * __Cell Phone Tool Lesson Plan__**
 * Lesson Title: **
 * Lesson Essential Question: **
 * ASA Standards: **
 * NETS Standards: **

Cell Phones or Landlines Internet Connection Promethean Board Speakers Projector
 * Materials: **

Podcast
 * Vocabulary: **

In this lesson, students will know the theories of the Lehnskis, Marx, Weber and Durkheim.
 * STUDENTS WILL KNOW: **

Students will understand the subjective nature of the question, “Is society getting better or worse?” They will understand the methods of research the 4 theorists used to draw their conclusions about societies and progress. They will understand that each theorist used a specific paradigm to analyze their data, and they’ll understand which paradigm they personally support, and which paradigm their subject supports.
 * STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND: **

This lesson comes after two days of direct instruction and discussion regarding the 4 major societal paradigms and their respective theorists: the Lehnskis, Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim. First, in class, we will complete a four-square chart to outline the basic principles of each theorist. Using discussion and some think-pair-share, students will be confident in their understanding of each. The second step in this lesson will be creating an interview with questions to encourage discussion of the world today, and the progress (or lack of it) that we are making. Step three will be creating TalkShoe accounts and watching the tutorials, so every student can succeed in their podcast. We may create a practice podcast together so they see how it works. Step four will be their homework: Every student will interview a subject, 25 years or older, about the state of society today. They will use the prepared questions and the podcast tool on TalkShoe to accurately record their subjects responses. In the last step of this lesson, students will use the podcast recording of their subject to draw connections between normal, everyday citizens and the theories of some of the greatest minds of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Would the subject have agreed with the Lehnskis paradigm? Or are they more Marxist? Students will edit the podcast into a multimedia presentation, in which they will have to incorporate 3 of the 4 theorists, along with their own conclusions about the world today.
 * STUDENTS WILL DO: **

Gifted: Work Ahead, Trouble-shoot with partners, Host more than one subject on the podcast Learning Support and ESL: Written directions on a handout; pdf file of tutorials for TalkShoe
 * Differentiation: **


 * __Web Literacy Lesson Plan__**

Trackstar for China
 * Lesson Title: **

How can Trackstar record resources used in your China project?
 * Lesson Essential Question: **

Evaluate the interpretation of historical events and sources, considering the use of fact versus opinion, multiple perspectives and cause and effect relationships. PA 8.1.12.B Analyze, synthesize and integrate historical data, creating a product that supports and appropriately illustrates inferences and conclusions drawn from research. PA 8.1.12.C
 * PA Standards: **

Research and Information Fluency: Students locate, organize, analyze, evaluate synthesize and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experience and Assessment Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
 * NETS Standards: **

Laptops Internet Connection Promethean Board Speakers Projector REAL Prezi Trackstar Tutorial
 * Materials: **

track
 * Vocabulary: **

In this lesson, students will first learn the REAL acronym from Alan November’s book. As a class, we will go through the REAL Prezi, so that students know the questions they will answer in each track’s annotation. Students will also know how to set-up, log-in and create an annotated Track using Trackstar.
 * STUDENTS WILL KNOW: **

Through our discussion of the REAL steps, and the example websites included, students will understand the importance of verifying the legitimacy of a site. While setting up their own track, students will understand the value of giving credit to experts as they research.
 * STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND: **

Students will create their own tracks for the China project. After watching and discussing the REAL prezi, we will watch the Trackstar tutorial and then get started. Students will log-in, create a new track, and add wikipedia China as their first site. Next, they will answer some REAL questions in the annotation:
 * STUDENTS WILL DO: **


 * What is the extension in the domain name?
 * Does the site have more resources and links? Yes / No
 * Is the site up to date? Yes / No
 * Are the facts different from information I have found elsewhere? Yes / No
 * Who is the author or contact person? If none is listed, use easyWhois.com for the owner.

And finally, they will write a few short, descriptive sentences about the value of the site to their research project. How is this a relevant source for our study of China? Once students are done with wikipedia, they should continue on, finding 3 reliable sources and annotating each.

Gifted: Work Ahead, Trouble-shoot with partners Learning Support and ESL: Written directions on a handout
 * Differentiation: **