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Read, Write, Think

I first found this site through my sons English teacher. He had to do the plot diagram online. At first I wondered how this was possible. But as he linked up with the site, I saw how good it really was. When my son had any questions, as to the various parts of the plot diagram, the web site conveniently had pop up menus to explain each part.

Its easy for teachers to find other online tools to get a job done-such as the plot diagram. Sometimes children are more interested in completing a job at a computer rather than the standard pencil and paper. And here is one way they can do that. In addition:

• The Read, Write, Think site offers lessons and resources developed by the International Reading Association and The National Council of Teachers of English.

• The site makes good use of color, spacing, and graphics to make it attractive and user-friendly.

• The site is easily navigated with links to all the major areas clearly identified on the main page. Internal pages have a top menu bar and are fully searchable.

• The lessons make the connection between theory and classroom practice while providing assessments, correlations to national standards and interactive tools to assist students with a reading or writing activity.

• Each lesson is research based, and includes a detailed instructional plan and such student materials as worksheets, interactives, and Web resources.

• Lessons can be sorted by grade level (K-2, 3-5, 6-8) and by three areas of literacy practice: learning language, learning about language, learning through language.

Check out the Plot Diagram:

Students simply fill in the blanks, and drag the events over to the positionable plot diagram.
There is a Help button, and a Tips tap that gives instructions and definitions of the various elements that make up the plot.
When students are finished, they can print this up for credit.

They also have about 20 other resources just on plot diagram and structure. Here is some clips from a down-loadable Power Point Presentation.



This graphic organizer matches the way stories are constructed: The climax is the high point, and it's surrounded by rising and falling action,



They also have downloadable practice sheets.

This introduces the concept of text structure to elementary students. This tool can be used as a prewriting graphic organizer for students writing original stories with this circular plot structure, as well as a post reading organizer used to explore the text structures in a book. Students can use the interactive web version, or teacher can print this out to be filled in by students. When students insert main examples of a story's plot directly onto the diagram, the concepts of structure and plot are reinforce each time the tool is used.

They also have many learning tools available to enhance a students learning through fun games.
Abc match is a game that has students practice letter recognition fluency. Students match initial letters with pictures.

Eye on Idioms, teaches students what idioms are .

I especially like the persuasion map which is really a graphic organizer your students can use to write opinion paragraphs or essays. Students could fill it in right on the computer or you could print a blank one to be used in the more traditional way.

This site was originally launched in June 2007, by the International Reading Association, and the National Council of Teachers of English. The activites on the site provide a fun twist to literacy fundamental concepts.



http://www.reuters.com/article/pressrelease
ReadWriteThink.org Launches Enhanced Summer Literacy Site

http://www.readwritethink.org

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http://readwritethink.org/

I found this website through my sons teacher.
The Read, Write, Think site offers lessons and resources developed by the International Reading Association and The National Council of Teachers of English.

The site makes good use of color, spacing, and graphics to make it attractive and user-friendly.
The site is easily navigated with links to all the major areas clearly identified on the main page. Internal pages have a top menu bar and are fully searchable.

Literacy teachers will find a gold mine of information and a wide array of standards-based lesson plans that meaningfully integrate Internet content into the teaching and/or learning experience.
Each lesson is research based, and includes a detailed instructional plan and such student materials as worksheets, interactives, and Web resources. The lessons make the connection between theory and classroom practice while providing assessments, correlations to national standards and interactive tools to assist students with a reading or writing activity.

Lessons can be sorted by grade level (K-2, 3-5, 6-8) and by three areas of literacy practice: learning language, learning about language, learning through language. All recommended Web resources have been reviewed and selected by educators. The selection criteria are posted on the site.

more info on long blog later.....

CSILE blog blog

• "CSILE (Computer Supported Intentional Learning Environments) functions as a "collaborative learning environment" and database, with both text and graphics capabilities. This networked multimedia environment lets students generate "nodes," containing an idea or piece of information relevant to the topic under study."

The CSILE enviroment supports...

1. Multiple perspectives
2. Student-directed goals
3. Teachers as coaches
4. Metacognition
5. Learner conterol
6. Authentic activities and contex
7. Knowledge construction
8. Knowledge collaboration
9. Previous knowledge constructions
10. Problem solving
11. Consideration of errors
12. Exploration
13. Apprenticeship learning
14. Conceptual interrelatedness
15. Alternative viewpoints
16. Scaffolding
17. Primary sources of data

Teachers can create the scaffolds for the student database collaboratively for each of the content areas. The scaffolds include content specific information needed for authentic learning. Students use "Knowledge Forums" to discuss current lessons and assignments, share work, collaborate with others in order to complete assignments, and reflect on previously learned information.

Students can use the note, build-on, movie, and attachment features to share all of these things. Meanwhile, teachers can encourage substantive collaboration, and stress understanding of information.

Scardamalia, M. & Bereiter, C. (1994). Computer support for knowledge-building communities.
Journal of the Learning Sciences, 3, 265-283.
Scardamalia, M. & Bereiter, C. (1996). Student communities for the advancement of knowledge. Communication for the ACM,

CSILE

• "CSILE (Computer Supported Intentional Learning Environments) functions as a "collaborative learning environment" and a communal database, with both text and graphics capabilities. This networked multimedia environment lets students generate "nodes," containing an idea or piece of information relevant to the topic under study."

• CSILE is currently in use in a research program within the Toronto public school system.

CSILE appears to be a terrific way for students to familiarize themselves with technology, while allowing students create their mental representations of complex systems. It essentially allows students to have project based learning that is truly decentralized. The method links cognitive science and research into learning and knowledge data organization.

This software appears to have a graphics organizer, and creator tool built right in. A cornerstone of the CSILE approach is that students construct the contents of their database from scratch.

The principal idea is based on the philosophy that knowledge is a "human construction" that takes place as a "sociocultural" activity, and that it is through apprenticeship that young scientist's skills are acquired.

Their own testimonial

Reasons for bringing this technology into schools:

Support Thinking Processes

Stimulate Motivation and Self-Esteem

Promote Equity

Prepare Students for the Future

Support Changes in School Structure

Explore Technology Capabilities

CSILE check list:

The following list indicates the way in which the characteristics were accommodated or supported:

1. Multiple perspectives:
   Different perspectives are shared as students collaboratively build the database.

2. Student-directed goals:
   Students plan investigations and assign subtopics and tasks. (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1992b, p.231).

3. Teachers as coaches:
   "Through the student's search for answers, the teacher acts as an "independent study", helping students recognize connections between previous knowledge, facts, and questions. They discuss inconsistencies, and they suggest information sources that students may have overlooked. The teacher does not try to be the "expert" in the classroom, but more of a model of how to be an expert learner."

4. Metacognition:
   The interface features a set of "thinking type" icons which "are intended to encourage deliberate attention to knowledge processes" (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1992b, p.232).

5. Learner control:
   The students determine the problems they want to study and develop a plan and time line for exploring the problem.

6. Authentic activities & contexts:
   Through their knowledge building, students experience the complexities of scientific inquiry as it would be conducted by a scientist.

7. Knowledge construction:
   The prime focus of the project is to build up a knowledge database. Students actively focus on accumulating knowledge. Students focus on knowledge building rather than knowledge reproduction.

8. Knowledge collaboration:
   Central to CSILE is the practice of knowledge collaboration. Through a communal database, students respond to each others' work, share findings and make comments and suggestions.

9. Previous knowledge constructions:
   Students' questions are used to guide planning and research by teachers. Students must first record 'what I think I know' about a topic.

10. Problem solving:
    Problem-solving is fostered through students' participating in questioning and commenting on each others' work. Higher-order thinking skills are developed through the scientific process and deep understanding is developed through the inquiry cycle.

11. Consideration of errors:
    Students' work is commented and questioned by other students in the database thus allowing insight into their previous knowledge constructions as well as the opportunity to refine concepts.

12. Exploration:
    Students participate in a form of exploratory learning as they conduct research: "they learn the skills of finding, ordering, and using materials from a variety of sources. Students often make phone calls, write letters, and query experts in their pursuit of information."

13. Apprenticeship learning:
    The cycle of inquiry by which students plan and implement their inquiry involves an increasing complexity of skills, tasks and knowledge acquisition.

14. Conceptual interrelatedness:
    Students can see the interrelatedness of concepts through reading and commenting on each others' notes (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1992b, p.236). The principle of "cross fertilization" maximizes opportunities for knowledge integration. Notes are not organized according to subjects (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1992a, p.47).

15. Alternative viewpoints:
    Students are provided with the opportunity to view the varying viewpoints of other students as they build the knowledge database together.

16. Scaffolding:
    Through the 'cycle of inquiry' students have the opportunity to move beyond what they already know. Students move from what they already know about a topic, decide what they want to study, outline a theory of what they expect to find, and, write a statement called "I need to understand...'.



17. Primary sources of data:
    Students can question experts and conduct interviews in order to conduct their inquiry.

• Interestingly enough,This inner-city elementary school uses 176 computers in classroom project activities. Some Hawthorne classrooms use "Computer-Supported Intentional Learning Environments, which combines networking, hypertext databases, and support for cooperative learning. Hawthorne also has a Galaxy Classroom site for video-supported curriculum delivered through satellite dish.

Another CSILE project that I particularly appreciated was Boon Talk.

Boon Talk is an activity that focuses on involving students in multiple CSILE classrooms to share thoughts and ideas about past or recent books and projects. This is closely used and related to the

DIG Project.

Project Dig allows teachers and educators to organize and implement their standard based curriculum through a series of project-based actives that surround the curriculum's measurable objectives.




References
CSILE Program At Taft Middle School
http://198.247.136.12/TAFT/files1/csile.html Computer-Supported Intentional Learning Environments CSILE
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/csile.html

Scardamalia, Marlene. Journal for Applied Cognitive Science. Volume 3, Issue 3, July 1994.

Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (1996). Computer support for knowledge-building communities. In T. Koschmann (Ed.), CSCL: Theory and practice of an emerging paradigm. Mahwah, NJ:Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.