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Hannah Zickgraf

Title of Lesson: Cultural Perspective: Illustrating the Culture and Setting of the Secret Life of Bees through Glogster

Four Part Performance Objective: Given the novel The Secret Life of Bees and the opportunity to use online research tools, students will create a Glogster that portrays the racial climate of the 1960s in the southern United States, and particularly the way that climate affects the novel.

Three Essential Questions:

What was the racial climate in the 1960s? What are the effects of historical and cultural elements in works of fiction? How can we use modern methods to explore historical elements?

Learning Targets:

I can create a Glogster to create an accurate visual representation of the social climate of the novel

I can use online resources to find and organize information about the Civil Rights Act that is relevant to the Secret Life of Bees.

Standards and Background Information

Common Core State Standards

Writing Grades 11-12, Key Ideas and Details 2a : Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting, graphics, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension

Writing Grades 11-12, Production and Distribution of Writing 6: Use technology, including the internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information`

Writing Grades 11-12, Research to Build and Present Knowledge 7 : Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation

Speaking and Listening Grades 11-12, Comprehension and Collaboration 2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the

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credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.

Speaking and Listening Grades 11-12, Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas 5 : Make strategic use of digital media in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest

Reading: Students will have read the first 2 chapters of The Secret Life of Bees. They will choose one quote from the novel to include in their Glogster. They will also read information from online resources to compile research.

Speaking: Students will be giving a brief (1-2 minute) oral presentation in which they share 1-2 elements of their Glogsters with the class.

Viewing: Students will view each other’s Glogsters as well as a sample from myself.

Primary Domain:

Cognitive: Students will be researching the cultural and historical setting of the novel. They will gain an understanding of these aspects and create a representation of them.

Skill Level:

Basic-

Understanding: Students will use images and quotes to summarize the historical context of the novel

Applying: Students will take their understanding the historical context and connect it to the novel.

Critical-

Analyzing: Students will research the Civil Rights Movement and Act and will organize their findings into a Glogster.

Creating: Students will design a Glogster that accurately represents the culture of the novel.

Multiple Intelligences:

Verbal/Linguistic: As with most lessons in Language Arts classes, these learners will benefit from working closely with the text and analyzing the story. For this lesson, the focus will be mostly on setting and culture.

Visual/Spatial: Students will be creating a visual representation of the culture/setting of the novel. They will be working with pictures and will have a lot of artistic and creative freedom.

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Differentiating Instruction: For this lesson, students have a lot of freedom to create their own representation of the setting of the novel. It is likely that students will work to their skill level; high-performing students will create a more detailed Glogster, while those who struggle will be able to work to their skill level as well. When appropriate, I will provide extended time for students with special needs, if they need to complete the assignment.

Technology Integration: Students will use online resources to research the Civil Rights Movement and Act. They will then use Glogster, which is also a technological resource, to compile quotes and images to create an illustration of their research.

Developmental Context: Students will need to have basic research skills, including an understanding of reliable and unreliable sources. By 11th grade, these skills should be fairly strong.

Timing: This lesson will occur after reading chapters 1 and 2 of The Secret Life of Bees. It is important to learn about culture and setting early in the novel so that the students can use this knowledge to supplement their understanding of the rest of the novel. However, I want them to have read the beginning of the novel so that they can make specific connections between the story and their research.

Resources and Materials:

Class set of The Secret Life of Bees Computer for each student Sample Glogster Projector hooked up to computer Instructions for Glogster (1 per student) Glogster Rubric (1 per student)

Research Base: This article is from a journal which is designed for Mathematics educators, but many of the principles still apply to Language Arts. The article discusses Glogster as a valuable educational tool and discusses how they can be used to develop students’ understanding in a wide variety of subjects.

Baker, Courtney, and Theresa Wills. "Have You Used a Glog Yet?" Teaching

Children Mathematics 19.5 (2013): 324-27. Print.

Instructional ProceduresAnticipatory Set: Ask students about past research projects and how they were expected to present information. The response will likely be explanations of papers and formal presentations. I will then show students my sample Glogster and explain that Glogsters will be used as a new way to present research findings. This will also include brief reminders about how to research properly.

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Key Concept: Gaining an understanding of the historical and cultural setting of the novel and being able to show that setting through a more creative medium, complete with textual connections.

Instructional Methods:

(Day 1)

Anticipatory Set: Explained above. A brief discussion of prior research and introduction to the sample Glogster. (5 minutes)

Explanation of my Glogster (modeling): I will explain each component of my own Glogster and how I feel it represents the racial climate and historical context of the novel. This will include pointing out my use of images as well as quotes from the text and historical quotes. I will also present my references and resources, which will be compiled on a separate works cited page. (8-10 minutes)

Instructions/Rubrics: Handing out the instructions for the Glogster and allowing for questions (3-4 minutes)

Research: This and the next section of the lesson will all take place in a computer lab/other place with computers for each student. In the first section, students will be compiling research about the Civil Rights movement, as well as images and quotes that they plan to use in their Glogster. Students will save all images and quotes, as well as proper citations, for use in day two. If students finish before the end of the period, they can begin to work on their Glogsters. (25-35 minutes- to the end of class)

Lesson Closure: At the end of day one, students will provide their list of resources for quotes and images as well as citations for information. This will allow me to see whether students will realistically be able to complete their Glogs the next day. (Last 2 minutes)

(Day 2)

Review/Anticipatory Set: Reminders about Glogsters- students should be done with compiling images and researching by the first 10 minutes of class. (2 minutes)

Making Glogsters: Students will work individually to complete their Glogsters according to the handout provided. Once Glogs are completed, students will choose 2 elements (images, quotes, videos, etc.) that they feel are particularly important. They will write a 1 page description of their Glogster, what they hoped to depict about the culture of the novel, and why these two aspects are particularly important. (40-45 minutes)

Closure: Students should have completed Glogsters. If not, they will be completed for homework (either at home, or after school in the computer lab/library/my classroom if students don’t have access to technology at home). To close the lesson, I will ask for student feedback about their experiences making Glogs, especially in comparison to other research-based projects. They will complete an exit slip in which they name one

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thing they enjoyed about the assignment and one thing they didn’t. Also, this lesson involves a rubric for the Glogster, so that students are aware of how they are being assessed.

(Day 3)

Sharing Glogsters: Each student will show their Glogster to the class and point out their two most significant components. (2 minutes per student)

Modeling: I will create a sample Glogster for students to use as a reference. I will also provide samples of how to properly cite the images used and the written explanations. When I show my Glogster, students will see what is expected of them during their brief presentations, except where I will explain my whole Glogster, they will only share 2 components. Finally, I will give a brief overview in which I model how to use Glogster.

Check for Understanding: In the anticipatory set, I will be able to gauge students’ backgrounds in research. When I present my Glogster, I will ask questions to check that students understand the expectations. At the end of day 1, I will get feedback from students about how their research went and how comfortable they felt gathering information.

Guided & Independent Practice: There will be very little opportunity for guided practice, because students will immediately begin working on their research and final Glogsters. However, the entire time working on computers will be a mix of guided and independent practice. I will be available to answer questions and guide students who need it, but if students are able to complete their Glogsters with little help, they can work independently.

Closure: At the end of day two, students will complete an exit slip in which they name one thing they enjoyed about the assignment and one thing they didn’t. To close the total lesson, students will share their Glogsters, and after this, we will have a discussion about what commonalities all Glogsters had.

Summative Assessment: It is unlikely that my summative assessment for a unit on The Secret Life of Bees will focus solely on culture and setting, although they will certainly play a part in it. For example, if I choose to use a final test on the novel as my assessment, I would include a question like, “What are two characteristics of the cultural and historical context of the novel.” If I choose to have students write an essay, a possible topic would be, “Choose 2 aspects of the setting of The Secret Life of Bees and examine how the setting interact with and affects the text. Include a description of the Civil Rights Act and how this plays into the novel.”

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Handouts, Models, and Instructions

Model of Glogster

http://hmzickgraf.edu.glogster.com/secret-life-of-bees

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Model of Glogster ExplanationIn my Glogster, I used images that I believe represent the racial climate of The Secret

Life of Bees. The two signs that say “We Serve White’s Only” and “Colored Waiting Room” how

just how separated the two races were in the time of the novel because they clearly label

businesses as only for people who are white or black. The other two images show another side

of this culture: the side that brought all people together, regardless of race. The bottom image

of the two clasped hands are representative of the relationship between Rosaleen and Lily,

which broke the racial barriers of the time. This is the first component of the Glogster that I will

share with the class, because the relationship between Lily and Rosaleen seems especially

important in the early stages of the novel. The other image shows people fighting for the Civil

Rights Act, which brought the races closer together and plays an important role in the first two

chapters of the novel.

The two quotes I chose are also both related to the Civil Rights Act. The quote from

Bobby Scott was included because I thought it was particularly relevant to Rosaleen’s feelings

about the Act, and it is the second component of the Glogster that I will point out to the class.

This is because without the Civil Rights Act, Rosaleen would not have been able to register to

vote, and the events from the novel would not have ovvured. It was clearly an important

moment in her life, which was shown by her repeating of the phrase “Hallelujah, Jesus” (pg.

21), but it was also incredibly important for the plot of the novel. The quote taken from page 20

of the novel is taken from the same scene, where the characters lean of the passing of the Act.

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Create a GlogsterIllustrating the Historical Culture of the Novel in a Creative Way

RESEARCH

Using reputable online sources, compile information about the culture of the setting of the novel. Specifically, focus on the racial climate of the Southern Unites States in the 1960s.

o Collect images and quotes that you find especially informative and RELEVANT TO THE NOVEL

o Save these images and quotes, along with proper MLA citation for each

CREATING YOUR GLOGSTER

Using your Glogster account (set up last week), create a Glog in which you display the images and quotes found during your research.

The Glog should portray the social and historical climate of the novel, and it must include a title, the book cover, and AT LEAST:

o 1 quote from the novelo 1 quote from an outside sourceo 1 image representing the settingo 1 image representing a character from the novel

When you have completed your Glog, write a 1 page explanation of the images and quotes you used. Additionally, choose the 2 most important components and explain why they are essential. You will be sharing these two components with the class.

Learning Targets:

I can use online resources to find and organize information about the Civil Rights Act that is relevant to the Secret Life of Bees.

I can use Glogster to create an accurate visual representation of the social climate of the novel

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Glogster Rubric

4 3 2 1Use of Quotes One quote from the

novel and one from an outside source are

included. Both quotes are logical for the

subject of the Glogster and fit with the

images.

One quote from the novel and one from an outside source are included. One

quotes is somewhat illogical for the subject of the Glogster or

doesn’t fit with the images.

One quote from the novel or one from an outside

source is included in a

logical manner

No quotes are included or are

logical

Character Representation

Image

Image chosen to represent the

character is clear and is obviously

representative of the novel. It is

incorporated into the glog in a logical

manner.

Image chosen to represent a

character is slightly unclear and/or is

somewhat representative of

the novelIt is incorporated into

the glog in a logical manner.

Image chosen to represent a character is

unclear and/or is only slightly

representative the novel

No Image is chosen to

represent a character or is very unclear

Culture Representation

Image

Image chosen to represent the time

period is clear and is obviously

representative of the time. It is

incorporated into the glog in a logical

manner.

Image chosen to represent the time period is slightly unclear and/or is

somewhat representative of

the time. It is incorporated into

the glog in a logical manner.

Image chosen to represent the time period is

unclear and/or is only slightly

representative of the time..

No Image is chosen to

represent the time period or is

very unclear

Organization Glog is visually appealing and neatly organized. A title and

the book cover are incorporated in a

logical and creative way.

Glog is visually appealing and

moslty organized. A title and the book

cover are incorporated.

Glog is somewhat disorganized. A title or the book

cover are incorporated.

Glog is disorganized

and/or a title and the book cover

are not included.

Explanation Every image and/or quote is explained in

the explanation. Explanation is

detailed and clearly states which 2

components will be shared with the class and why, with logical

reasoning. (8)

Most images and/or quote are explained. 1 or 2

are left out. Explanation is

detailed and states which 2

components will be shared with the class and why;

reasoning may be slightly unclear

Some images and/or quotes are explained. Explanation is

not detailed and only mentions

components will be shared with

the class. Reasoning is left

out or is very unclear.

Few images and/or quotes are explained. Explanation is

not detailed and/or doesn’t

mention which 2 components will be shared with

the class.