AbrahamsenINSIDER(draft)

** Rationale **
==== To begin the online journal exchange I was assigned nine students to read a book with. Along with the list of students, their Lexile reading level was alongside their name. Initially, that being the only information I had, I figured out that as a group they were at an average reading level for their grade. Starting with that information I knew that I wanted to find a book that was going to challenge them instead of being an easy read. Before thinking about the books I wanted to propose to my group I wanted to look over their surveys to receive a better understanding of the students. Once those were available I began analyzing each student and also trying to find similar interests amongst them as a group. ==== ====  At first, I looked at the surveys individually trying to find unique characteristics of the student before looking at them as a whole. The first questionnaire I came to caught my attention right away. The students were required to write their grade level at the top of the paper and this particular student wrote his in a math equation. It looked a little like this: 14×2÷4+2. After calculating the math the answer came to nine which is precisely his grade level. I knew right away that math must be an interest to him. Most of the students don’t partake in much reading outside of school unless it included magazines. I do have one girl who is an aspiring author and is working on her second novel. This student gave me the ambition to hopefully get her classmates to become the least bit interested in reading. ====

====  When I decided to look at the surveys as a whole I went through each one and highlighted things that they have in common. For all students but one, sports are one of the highest interests to them. Many of them also noted that they enjoy reading action novels and fiction. Once I felt like I gathered enough information about the students I decided to start looking at books that I thought would interest them. I mainly focused on novels that involved action or science fiction. I thought these would be of the highest interest to the students based on their surveys. I also focused on the content of the novels and if the students will learn something from the storyline. ====

====  For the online journal exchange the students will be reading // Feed // by M.T. Anderson. I would like to get the students engaged with reading through offering them a novel that they can relate to in some way while also understanding the conflicts in the book. // Feed //, being a science fiction novel, allows readers to take a glimpse into the possible lifestyle of future generations. Even though the novel takes place in the future, issues that are raised are chillingly similar to some we deal with today. ====

====  A reason that I chose // Feed // is because the novel involves a great deal of technology and media. Young adults will easily relate to this with the vast amount of cell phones, laptops, music, and television that consume their lives. Based upon the technology and media aspect, the relevance of this novel’s content is closely related to that of many students which will make the reading more engaging. More importantly, // Feed //demonstrates that everyone’s sense of normal is developed through the culture and society that they live in. This novel will allow young adults to reflect upon their culture and understand that normal means something different to everyone. ====

** Lesson Plans **
==== // Big Question //: What does it mean to be “normal” and how is it defined? ====

// Goals //:
====1. Students will be able to understand different perceptions of being normal. ==== ====2. Students will be able to critically analyze societal norms influenced by media and advertisements within their culture. ==== ==== // Lesson 1 //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: Normalcy in // Feed //, normalcy in your feed   ==== ==== __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Objective: __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> After reading part 1: Moon, students will be able to analyze the societal norms in // Feed //and how media plays a role in these norms as well as portraying what would be included in their personal feed. ==== ==== __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Materials: __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> A copy of // Feed //, poster paper, markers, glue, scissors, magazines, handout, journals  ==== ==== __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Activities: __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The students will be split into groups of 3-4 and will make a poster including what the norms are in // Feed //using examples of how characters act, think, and speak. Each group will consider how the media affects these characters attributes. ==== ==== <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After group work is completed students will individually complete a handout depicting what would be included in their feed. The worksheet will include an empty head and the students will be supplied with magazines, glue, and scissors to complete the assignment. They will also be required to write a journal response as to why they chose the items they included in their feed and how they believe the media affects their attempts at being normal. ==== ==== __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Assessment: __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Students will be assessed on their poster and presentation to the class. They will also be assessed on the handout being graded through including three-five pictures and their journal entries will be graded based on completion of eight or more sentences and grammar. ====

==== // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Lesson 2 //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: Normal is what you know   ==== ==== __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Objective: __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Students will be able to critique that what is normal to Violet is different than what it normal to Titus. ==== ==== __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Materials: __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> A copy of // Feed //, handout ==== ==== __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Activity: __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> With a partner, students will complete a drawing of the differences in Violets and Titus’s lives to display the contrasting elements of the two. Once the drawing is complete one student in the group will write about Violet and how she rejects the media feed and the other student will write about Titus and how he depends on the media feed. The students will then share their responses with their original partner ==== ==== __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Assessment: __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Students will be graded on the completion of their drawing of Violet and Titus’s lives by including four elements for each. They will also be graded on completion of their journal entry containing at least eight sentences with proper grammar. ====