LLED 7110 Digital Portfolio

Unit Focus: The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare

By: Abigail Letts

Fall 2018 Research Based Rationale

With the ever-increasing use of technology in the

workforce, Digital Literacy is a key component in
today’s reading and writing classroom. Hicks
(2013) points out that “The question is no longer
whether we should use technology to teach
writing; instead we must focus on the many ways
we must use technology to teach writing,” (p. 2).
Our students are digital natives, growing up
immersed in this virtual world. When we take
technology out of the picture, we are ultimately
doing them a disservice. Hobbs (2017) supports
this as well, pointing out that “the concept of
literacy is expanding as a result of changes in
the media, technology, and the nature of
knowledge…Everyone -from all walks of life-
needs to be able to create and share meaning
through language, images, sounds, and other
media forms,” (p. 5). Technology has redefined
the definition of literacy from the ground up. It
demands a shift in the literacy classroom, and in
turn, it redefines our approaches in instruction
and assessment in the classroom. I am excited to
share my own digital approach to the instruction
of The Sign of the Beaver, a novel study I am
currently teaching in my fourth grade classroom.
 Examples of Technology Integration

Activity:
Magnetic Assignment Description: Using a magnetic
Poetry poetry activity (teacher-created via google
GA Standards
slides), students will create a poem describing
Addressed: Matt’s experience living on his own in the first
ELAGSE4RL3 few chapters of the book. The words in the
ELAGSE4SL4 activity will relate to survival and pioneer
themes from the first few chapters of the text.
Students will have the opportunity to share their
poem with the class. This lesson was inspired by
a tutorial from Kasey Bell.

Rationale: Georgia Performance Standards

require that students “Describe in depth a
character, setting, or event in a story or drama,
drawing on specific details in the text
(ELAGSE4RL3).” The magnetic poetry activity
allows students to describe Matt’s experience in
the first few chapters in a creative, interactive
way. In addition to gaining a deeper analysis of
the text, students also have a chance to
practice their speaking and listening skills,
supporting ELAGSE4SL4, which states that
students should be able to “Report on a topic
or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in
an organized manner, using appropriate facts
and relevant, descriptive details to support
main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an
understandable pace.”
 Examples of Technology Integration

Activity:
Producing a Description: Students will record a Podcast,
Book Chat
Podcast
showcasing a book chat about The Sign of the
Beaver, specifically revolving around the
Georgia theme of friendship, and the progression of
Standards: Matt and Attean’s friendship. The podcast
ELAGSE4SL1
ELAGSE4RL1 should show an in depth understanding of the
ELAGSE4RL2: novel, as well as showcasing a well-produced
ELAGSE4RL3 podcast- the aspects of which will be
ELAGSE4RL7
discussed in detail in class.

Rationale: Podcasting provides students with

an opportunity to engage in text based
discussion, while also considering the value of
providing quality entertainment through
modern storytelling. Hobbs points out that this
form of “digital storytelling has a particularly
useful combination of intelligences…as well as
enhancing opportunities for creative
academic learning,” (p. 125). By producing a
book chat via podcast, students are exploring
deeper meaning from the text while
simultaneously considering valuable aspects
of radio-based entertainment. This also
supports collaboration within the classroom.
This supports Georgia Standards
ELAGSE4SL1regarding engaging in a
discussion, as well as ELAGSE4RL1, which
requires students to refer to details when
discussing a text.
 Examples of Technology Integration

Activity:
Infographic Description: If there is anything Attean and
Georgia
Matt don’t see eye to eye on, it is the tools
Standards: needed for survival in the wilderness. Students
ELAGSE4RL1 will make an infographic comparing the
ELAGSE4W9
character’s ”must haves” in their tool kit for
living in the wilderness. The purpose of this
infographic is to educate the viewer on the
tools used by pioneers in comparison to tools
used by Native Americans for survival, as well
as to compare and contrast the two
character’s different lifestyles.

Rationale: Hobbs supports that “infographics

are eye-catching, engaging, and informative.
[They] are powerful because images are
highly effective forms of communication and
expression,” (p. 157). When viewing an
infographic, people are able to readability
increases, allowing people to process more
information. The process of creating the
infographic also requires the students to take
an analytical, creative approach while
processing details from the text. In addition,
this activity supports ELAGSE4RL1 and
ELAGSE4W9 from the Georgia Performance
Standards.
 Examples of Technology Integration

Activity:
Twitter
Description: As a summative assessment,
Georgia students will create a twitter feed
Standards:
ELAGSE4RL3
encompassing one character’s journey(either
ELAGSE4W3 Matt or Attean) through the book. Tweets will
ELAGSE4SL1 include internal thoughts and reactions, and
will allude to important events from the text.
Students are encouraged to pair with a
partner and reply to tweets from another
character’s perspective, as well as develop
their character’s twitter profile to effectively
reflect and explore aspects of
characterization in the text.

Rationale: This Twitter assignment provides a

platform for students to create a microblog
from the perspective of another character,
supporting ELAGSE4RL3, which requires
students to “Describe in depth a character,
setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing
on specific details in the text (e.g., a
character’s thoughts, words, or actions).” In
addition, Microblogging, especially when
engaging in conversation with others “reflects
upon itself [it is metadiscursive] as authors
comment on previous posts in the thread,”
(Hicks, p. 141).
 Examples of Technology Integration

Activity:
Animation
Description: Throughout the novel, Matt and
Georgia Attean experience many “small moments” that
Standards: begin to define their friendship. Slowly but surely,
ELAGSE4RL6 the boys begin to develop a deeper
ELAGSE4RL3
ELAGSE4RL1 understanding of each other, and in turn,
compassion and understanding for the other
person. Students will select an event that was
impactful in the development of the friendship
and using Go Animate, Powtoon
(www.powtoon.com), or another animation
method they will recreate the event from one of
the character’s perspectives (rather than the
third person perspective of the novel).

Rationale: By recreating an event from a

character’s perspective, students are practicing
ELAGSE4RL6, which requires students to
“Compare and contrast the point of view from
which different stories are narrated, including
the difference between first- and third-person
narrations.” In addition, animation encourages
students to create believable characters who
“change with experience, that is, they learn
and grow over time,” (Hobbs, p. 206). By
working to create a believable character
through animation, students are engaging
deeply with the text and thinking critically about
the story.
 Resources
Go Animate. Retrieved November 14, 2018 from
www.goanimate4schools.com

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts

across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.

Hobbs, R. (2017). Create to learn: Introduction to digital

literacy. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell.

How to Create Magnetic Poetry with Google Slides and

Drawings. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://shakeuplearning.teachable.com/p/magnetic-

poetry

4th Grade ELA Georgia Standards of Excellence. Retrieved

November 14, 2018, from
https://www.georgiastandards.org/Georgia-
Standards/Frameworks/ELA-Grade-4-Standards.pdf

Powtoon. Retreived November 14, 2018 from

www.powtoon.com