English Language Arts TRAVEL Learning Tasks

LEARNING TASK: STEREOTYPE POEMS Task 1: Using an Anticipation Guide, students will engage in a preliminary discussion about stereotypes. STEREOTYPE ANTICIPATION GUIDE: Statement Strongly Disagree Stereotypes can sometimes be true. Stereotypes are always bad. I dont subscribe to any stereotypes. Stereotypes are made up by racist people. Disagree Not Sure Agree Strongly Agree

Students will discuss their thoughts and ideas in partners or small groups as they each fill out their own anticipation guide. Task 2: Using a structured format, students will individually create a stereotype poem about something relating to their own identity. Students will use dictionaries and thesauruses to aid in the use of new vocabulary. Just because I am ____, I'm not ____, I'm not ____, I'm not ____. Just because I am ____, I do not ____, But it doesn't mean I ____. Just because I am ____, I am not ____, I'm still ____. Just because I'm ____, don't stereotype me. Task 3: Students will share their stereotype poems with each other, and discuss how the poems made them feel (to write their own, and to read their peers). *All three of these tasks are tied in with the SS study on culture shock/cultural differences/multiculturalism.

Learning Outcomes: 1.1 Discover and Explore Express ideas and develop understanding o Revise understanding and expression of ideas by connecting new and prior knowledge experiences. o Seek out and consider diverse ideas, opinions and experiences to develop and extend own ideas, opinions and experiences. 1.2 Clarify and Extend Consider the ideas of others o Acknowledge the value of the ideas and opinions of others in exploring and extending personal interpretations and perspectives 2.1 Use Strategies and Cues Use references o Use a thesaurus to extend vocabulary and locate appropriate words that express particular aspects of meaning 2.4 Create Original Text Generate ideas o Create oral, print and other media texts related to issues encountered in texts and in own life LEARNING TASK THE MASTER PUPETTER NOVEL STUDY Task 1: Pre-reading discussions using KWL chart about Japan, Puppetry, and any other topics students think of relating to the book (what do you know, and what do you want to know columns to be filled out). This task will be tied in to Social Studies lesson KWL about Historical aspects of Japan. Task 2: Book club. We will meet as a book club in each of the cities on our tour of Japan to discuss the novel. During our book club, we will get a chance to learn about the art of puppeteering from our drama/fine arts expert. We will also try some meditation techniques (just like the main character in our book!) with our physical education expert. After the meditation session, we will connect the process to drawing, with fine arts. During meetings, students will be encouraged to ask questions of each other, clarify their understandings of the novel, discuss the characters in the novel, identify and develop vocabulary through peer support, and discuss ideas and themes that the novel suggests. Students are encouraged to make connections between the book and their own travel/journey through Japan. Task 3: After students fill out the what I learned column of their KWL charts (with SS), they will choose a medium to represent their findings. Examples of mediums students may consider using are: mixbook, creating a website, essay, poster, etc. Learning Outcomes:

2.2 Respond to Texts Experience various texts o Experience oral, print and other media texts from a variety of cultural traditions and genres, such as magazine articles diaries, drama, poetry, Internet passages, fantasy, nonfiction, advertisements and photographs o Expect that there is more than one interpretation for oral, print and other media texts, and discuss other points of view o Explain connections between own interpretation and information in texts, and infer how texts will influence others Construct meaning from texts o Interpret the choices and motives of characters portrayed in oral, print and other media texts, and examine how they relate to self and others o Identify and describe characters attributes and motivations, using evidence from the text and personal experience o Discuss various ways characters are developed and the reasons for and plausibility of character change Appreciate the artistry of texts o Identify and discuss how word choice and order, figurative language, plot, setting and character work together to create mood and tone 3.3 Organize, Record and Evaluate Organize information o Organize ideas and information creatively, as well as logically, to develop a comparison or chronology, or to show a cause-effect relationship 3.4 Share and review Share ideas and information o Communicate ideas and information in a variety or oral, print and other media texts such as interviews, minilessons and documentaries 4.3 Present and Share Present information o Plan and facilitate small group and short, whole class presentations to share information Demonstrate attentive listening and viewing o Use appropriate verbal and nonverbal feedback to respond respectfully 5.1 Respect Others and Strengthen Community Relate texts to culture o Compare ways in which oral, print and other media texts reflect specific elements of cultures or periods of history LEARNING TASK: JOURNALS

Task 1: Throughout the trip, students will be responsible for keeping journals and logging at least one entry per day. Students will be given time each day to do this, but may take advantage of any free time to create entries. They may write about anything they wish, in response to any activities or studies we engage in during the trip. Students may use the journal like a diary, may write short essays, may include drawings and illustrations, and anything else they can think to include. This journal is for ALL disciplines. Task 2: At the end of the trip students will write a final reflection entry evaluating their experiences on the trip. Somewhere in the reflection, students will address the questions: what defines a journey? and what defined my journey. The final reflection will be graded, along with 4 other entries. Students will use selfassessment strategies to select their four best entries, and put stars beside them, indicating that they have selected those entries to be graded. Learning Outcomes: 1.1 Discover and Explore Express ideas and develop understanding o Revise understanding and expression of ideas by connecting new and prior knowledge and experiences 1.2 Clarify and Extend Extend understanding o Reconsider and revise initial understandings and responses in light of new ideas, information and feedback from others 2.1 Use Strategies and Cues Use comprehension strategies o Take notes, make outlines and use strategies such as read, recite, review to comprehend and remember ideas and information 2.4 Create Original Text Generate ideas o Create oral, print and other media texts related to issues encountered in texts and own life 3.1 Plan and Focus Focus attention o Experiment with several ways to focus a topic, and select a form appropriate to audience and purpose 3.2 Select and Process Access information o Record key ideas and information from oral, print and other media texts, avoiding overuse of direct quotations 3.3 Organize, Record and Evaluate Organize information o Organize ideas and information to establish an overall impression or point of view in oral, print and other media texts Record information

o Make notes in point form, summarizing major ideas and supporting details; reference sources Evaluate information o Incorporate new information with prior knowledge and experiences to develop new understanding 4.1 Enhance and Improve Enhance legibility o Vary handwriting style and pace, depending on the context, audience and purpose Enhance artistry o Experiment with figurative language, voice, sentence patterns, camera angle and music to create an impression or mood 4.2 Attend to Conventions Attend to grammar and usage Attend to spelling Attend to capitalization and punctuation