by Margie O'Brien
mobrien@paplv.esu3.org

Grade Level: 5-6

Content Area: Literature/Language Arts

• The students will review and summarize a book which they have read.
• The students will create a slide show depicting an action scene in their chosen book.
• The students will create a web describing three main characters from their chosen book.

Procedures

1. Students write a review of a fiction book they have read this year using a handheld and BooksLog.
2. Students share a book review with others by beaming it to at least 4 other people.
3. The second session of this lesson will have the students using both Sketchy and PicoMap to further illustrate the book they reviewed in the first session.
4. Four students will be trained as teachers prior to the lesson. Two of the teachers will learn to use Sketchy and two others will learn to use PicoMap.
5. Students will then split into 2 groups by drawing numbers. Group one will learn to use Sketchy, and group two will learn to use Pico Map. There will be two student teachers and ten students learning each program.
6. The students who learn Sketchy will make a slide show which illustrates a key action scene in the book they reviewed. It should have a title slide and at least six slides depicting the action scene of the book.
7. The students who learn PicoMap will make a web describing three main characters from their book. There should be at least three descriptors for each character.
8. When students have finished their projects, it is time to share. Each student in the Sketchy group will draw the name of someone in the other group. They will share their slide show with that student, and explain how to use the program.
9. Each student in the PicoMap group will then draw names and share their webs with their partners.