English+Language+Arts

=** Subject: English Language Arts **=

**Ohio Academic Content Standard: English Language Arts**
Students develop and learn to apply strategies, such as predicting and recalling, that help them to comprehend and interpret informational and literary texts. Reading and learning to read are problem solving processes that require strategies for the reader to make sense of written language and remain engaged with texts. Beginners develop basic concepts about print (e.g., that print holds meaning) and how books work (e.g., text organization). As strategic readers, students learn to analyze and evaluate texts to demonstrate their understanding of text. Additionally, students learn to self-monitor their own comprehension by asking and answering questions about the text, self-correcting errors and assessing their own understanding. They apply these strategies effectively to assigned and self-selected texts read in and out of the classroom.
 * Reading Processes: Concepts of Print, Comprehension Strategies and Self-Monitoring Strategies**

Grade 4:** 4. Summarize important information in text to demonstrate comprehension
 * Benchmark: Comprehension Strategies

**Technologies Incorporated in this Lesson:**

 * Computer with Sound available at WalMart
 * SCRATCH Program available at the SCRATCH website

Classroom and Activity Description:
This lesson takes place in a regular fourth grade classroom with students on various academic levels including below, at, and above grade level.

Teachers will download the SCRATCH program onto all computers. The teachers will then read a novel to students. Upon completing the novel, the teacher will teach students how to utilize the SCRATCH program by using the drag and drop commands. Once students have become comfortable with this program and the story has been read, students will then create an interactive summary including at least ten main events. The students project will include either student-created backgrounds and characters, or those selected from one of the many provided within this program. Students will also select/create motions, sounds and text.



**Tried and True or New and Innovative?**
This activity is considered "new and innovative". The program incorporated is a fairly new program which is found at their website as a free download. This program can be integrated in any content area and the final results are endless based on the students creativity and problem-solving skills.

==Supporting Research: == School media centers and libraries are beginning to integrate programming software within their resources. One of these programs is known as //Scratch//, a free online programming software described in the above lesson. This program allows its users to develop projects with digital and print media through integrating pictures, backgrounds, sounds and text. //Scratch// also allows its users to integrate math and computer programming while creating interactive presentations which are perfect for introducing innovative technology programming to youth. //Scratch// enables its users to engage in creations for any content area and helps them to understand how video games work through the use of student-friendly programming. Using //Scratch//, students can enjoy being in control of all the necessary elements to create countless problem-solving and critical thinking projects in a safe learning environment.

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