Technology and Standards

Technology has been woven into this project, since a lot of my research has been web-based, and so is my final product. Here is a summary of what I am using:

1. I created a concept map on bubbl.us, which I posted in one of my earlier blog entries.
2. I am using social bookmarks to collect and tag useful sites for my project, ones that may prove to be helpful should others want to read more about the stories I am sharing.
3. Several of my bookmarked sites have been highlighted with Awesome Highlighter, such as this one, so that I can point out what I felt to be important information.
4. My final product is a webpage, created on Weebly.

Standards are funny things, you tend to be able to make them work with what you want to teach. In reviewing the Indiana Academic Standards, I've found a few that seem to correlate well with this project.

The fourth grade English and Language Arts standards are relevant because many of the books I have used are (approximately) at the typical fourth grade reading level, so I will focus on these, even though some other grade-level standards are also relevant. Standard 3, Reading: Literary Response and Analysis states that "at Grade 4, students read a wide variety of fiction, such as classic and contemporary literature, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology, poetry, songs, plays, and other genres." The books I have chosen are both fantasy and mythology, as well as possibly science fiction. Here are some specific standards:

4.3.1: Describe the differences of various imaginative forms of literature, including fantasies, fables, myths, legends, and other tales. (Example: After reading some of the Greek or Norse myths found in such books as Book of Greek Myths or Book of Norse Myths, both by Ingri and Edgar D’Aulaire, discuss how myths were sometimes used to explain physical phenomena like movement of the sun across the sky or the sound of thunder.)

• I have explored the classic myths and compared them with modern-day interpretations of the stories, finding both similarities and differences between the versions.
• I have used the classic myths to help explain how or why characters acted in the ways they did.

4.3.3: Use knowledge of the situation, setting, and a character’s traits, motivations, and feelings to determine the causes for that character’s actions.

• By looking up the myths behind the stories, I gained knowledge about the situation and setting of the story, which help me understand the character's actions.
• Researching the Norse myths helped me understand the attitudes of the gods in Odd and the Frost Giants; for example Loki as a trickster or mischievous character.

Because I used the information I gained to create a webpage to share my new knowledge, I also covered a variety of the writing standards. Here are some examples:

4.4.4: Use logical organizational structures for providing information in writing, such as chronological order, cause and effect, similarity and difference, and posing and answering a question.

• My information was organized according to the book it was about, and then I used headers to organize that information by the mythological trait I was discussing.
• I organized information so that it built upon itself, creating a background before adding additional information.

4.4.6: Locate information in reference texts by using organizational features, such as prefaces and appendixes.

• I used collections of Norse mythology to help identify the stories referenced in Odd, often using the table of contents or index to locate the information I needed.

4.4.7: Use multiple reference materials and online information (the Internet) as aids to writing.

• I had a variety of books, listed in my references, as well as multiple websites linked on my Delicious account, that helped me find information to write my descriptions of the mythological traits.

4.4.9: Use a computer to draft, revise, and publish writing, demonstrating basic keyboarding skills and familiarity with common computer terminology.

• My final product was a webpage, which shows I used keyboarding skills and am familiar with computer usage.

Of course there are a variety of other standards that could be interpreted in ways that apply to this project, but these are some of the biggest and clearest connections between my inquiry project and the 4th Grade ELA Standards.

Cited: 
"Print Library - Indiana Standards & Resources." Indiana Standards & Resources. Indiana Department of Education. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. <http://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/AcademicStandards/PrintLibrary/english.shtml>.