Language Arts Lessons Coupled WithTechnology Training

Today's kids are wired. The "GenTech" generation with their IM's, iPhones, and iTunes have become increasingly impatient. Text messages, and emails are wonderful forms of communication that give us the opportunity to obtain information at the click of a button, but the content can suffer. The sentence structure, spelling, and punctuation found in these kinds of super-quick messages are enough to give any language arts teacher nightmares. We want to make sure students are aware of the difference between quick communication, and well thought out content. By combining projects that involve the internet, software, and technology with academic content, we can give students a chance to improve their multi-media skills, while simultaneously reinforcing their knowledge of other academic subjects.

As teachers we need to let our students know that the latest form of cutting edge technology is useless if a person can't read, write, spell, add, subtract, multiply, or divide. Use this analogy - If a hot, shiny, new car didn't have a working engine, what good would it be? Teachers can emphasize the importance of the content. When technology is combined with an in-depth knowledge of academic content, for example correct grammar, a cultural awareness, and language proficiency, the overall presentation of that technology becomes much more effective.

This is where the development of language arts mastery, coupled with technology, comes in handy. As students learn more about literature, they develop intellectually, culturally, and cognitively. They acquire both an aesthetic sensitivity, and an ethical sensitivity. The following lessons blend the practicality of technology with subject matter that will broaden the scope of students' academic knowledge, and enhance their cognitive proficiency.

Learn Hands-On With These Language Arts Lesson Plans:

A NOVEL IDEA: CREATING MULTI-MEDIA PRESENTATIONS: By combining lessons about living respectfully, developing self-esteem, and respecting diversity, students select a novel that features violence prevention. Students review the characterization, setting, and plot, and design their own multi-media presentation that reflects their newly acquired insights about the novel. I liked that this lesson incorporates an anti-violence theme. When choosing a novel that features violence prevention, I would discuss the biography of the author. When we learn about an author, we often simultaneously learn about certain eras, societal movements, and literary styles that are affiliated with the time the author lived in.

ENGLISH LITERATURE AN OVERVIEW: Students engage in a brief introduction to each of the literary eras, and the major figures of those historical eras. The evaluation of the political, ethical and social influences that impacted the character, plot, and setting of various works will be discussed. By using the internet, literature, and history-related web sites, students will gather the information needed to create their own unique Power Point presentations that will be shared with the class for assessment. I like that this lesson combines history with literature. I would only pick one literary era, one major figure, and one work to use as a model template, and would have the students create their own personal interpretations of that era, figure, and work.

DISCOVERING DYNAMIC DECADES: While they build a base of knowledge that revolves around the cultural, social and political aspects of the 1940's and1960's, students present a report by assembling a multi-media presentation emphasizing the major musicians, writers, and artists of these historical eras. I liked that the lesson asked students to learn about a variety of people, including musicians, writers and artists from these two decades. I would narrow the multi-media presentation down to focusing on just one specific musician, artist, or writer so that each student gets the opportunity to express his or her own unique style in the presentations.

ELIZABETHAN FEAST: By reading and doing research about Elizabethan literature, students learn about the music, food, drama, and clothing of the time. They produce presentations using KidPix, ImgExpress, and PowerPoint to present their findings. Projects will be accompanied by a live re-enactment of an Elizabethan feast. I love the real life enactment of the Elizabethan feast because it gives the students a chance to touch, taste, and feel the essence of that era. I would be sure to have students also include some kind of timeline in their presentations emphasizing where this era is in relation to other time periods.