Linville,+Carrie+Inscore+Cool+Tools+Review

Lesson Plan 8th Grade Language Arts
 * The Cool Tools Carousel was a really great opportunity to get a "taste" of many new (or at least new-to-me) tools to use in our classroom. Below I have included a brief discussion of my favorites. ||
 * * SimilarSites.com This is a place where you can easily find similar websites, which could be helpful if your best resources become obsolete or require payment for service. ||
 * * Google Forms I was really excited to see the large variety of templates available for Google forms. I would consider using Google forms to collect data from parents or perhaps staff for professional development.
 * Google Docs--I have already made effective use of word and spreadsheet sharing with other members of my department, grade level, and IMPACT V team. My intentions are to encourage collaborative writing with my students this year and use Google docs for proof reading and editing student papers.
 * Tricider This was by far one of my favorite new tools. Although I will probably use Collaborize Classroom for more involved online discussions, I love the idea of having students vote and defend their position using Tricider. This is an important skill as the Common Core places a great deal of emphasis on argumentative writing.
 * Symbaloo If it were not for Symbaloo, I honestly don't know how I would keep up with all the web resources that I've learned about at NCTIES, ISTE, and NLI.
 * Livebinder is a site where educators can collect and organize resources. I honestly don't know what the advantage of a Livebinder is over a wiki, so I would want to know more about the difference in the two. ||
 * * Blabberize, Sock Puppets, and ToonDoo are fun options for student presentations. I could see using these sites for creating bio/autobiographical blurbs, advertisements, book reviews, and many other projects in my Language Arts classes. My primary concern is that students will be too wrapped up in the silly features of the sites and not place enough focus on the content on their presentations.
 * Edmodo and Twitter allow educators, parents, and students to stay in touch even after regular school hours. I can see some parents having reservations at first about Edmodo because it looks and functions so similarly to Facebook. While I am not a Twitter user, I can also see the value in sending quick updates to parents or staff.
 * Glogster, Prezi, and SlideRocket offer cool alternatives to the "old school" Power Point presentation. I have used Glogster to create a webquest/scavenger hunt for students to complete background research before reading a novel. I have also had a student to utilize Prezi for personal creative project. While I'm not as familiar with SlideRocket, I am anxious to explore all three of these tools further. ||


 * __Essential Question__**: What "power" does the written word possess?
 * __Preparation__**: Students will have completed (or nearly completed) the novel //The Book Thief// by Markus Zusak. During this unit, students will investigate the historical background (WWII and the Holocaust) of the novel and analyze characters and their development throughout the story.

I. Students will respond to the following question using Tricider: **Which was the most important book "stolen" or otherwise obtained by Liesel in the novel //The Book Thief//?** //In order to answer this question, students will have to assign their own value to the adjective "important" and consider the impact that each book had on characters and plot. Tricider will provide an excellent (and simple) platform for debating this topic.//
 * __Activities__**

II. Students will now adopt a pro-con stance and role related to the statement "Liesel was justified in taking the books" (Liesel, Max, her parents, local authorities, etc.) People with A – E first names, please adopt a pro stance, and people with F – Z first names, please adopt a con stance. Students will enter the Ning set up by the teacher and create an avatar for their persona. They will procede to argue whether Liesel was in fact a "criminal" based on her actions in the novel. They will be encouraged to challenge or agree with their peers.

III. As a culminating project, students will pair up to answer the essential question through a VoiceThread presentation. They should think about the disucssions posted on the Tricider and Ning and creatively express the novel's themes (relating to the power of words).

//Thanks to Richard Beach for inspiration on this lesson. I learned a lot from his Cool Tool for English Language Arts session.//

__**Assessment**__ Students will be assessed on thoughtful participation in the Tricider and Ning discussions and successful completion of the VoiceThread presentation.