East Detroit Public Schools
Lesson Design

Author: David A. Jackowicz
Subject: English Language Arts
Grade: Later Elementary (can be used with Middle or High School)
Course: Language Arts / Literature / English
Title: "Charlotte's Web" - Transfer of Learning Across the Curriculum: From Literature to Science

Length of Unit: Two to three class sessions
Materials Needed:
Power Macintosh G3 computers
printers
Reference CDs:
Grolier; Encarta; Compton's
Software:
ClarisWorks (paint and/or draw programs)

Standards-Based Outcomes (MDE):

English Language Arts:

VI. Genre and Craft of Language

Content Standard VI, 8: All students will explore and use the characteristics of different types of texts, aesthetic elements, and mechanics - including text structure, figurative and descriptive language, spelling, punctuation, and grammar - to construct and convey meaning.

3. Identify and use characteristics of various informational genre (e.g., periodicals, public television programs, textbooks, and encyclopedias) and elements of expository text structure (e.g., organizational patterns, supporting details, and major ideas) to convey ideas.

IX. Inquiry and Research

Content Standard IX, 11: All students will define and investigate important issues and problems using a variety of resources, including technology, to explore and create texts.

2. Identify and use the kinds of resources that are most useful and most readily available for the particular questions or topics they wish to investigate. Examples include knowledgeable people, field trips, tables of contents, indexes, glossaries, icons/headings, hypertext, storage addresses, CD- ROM/laser disks, electronic mail, and library catalogue databases.

3. Organize and analyze information to draw conclusions and implications based on their investigation of an issue or problem.

4. Using multiple media, develop and present a short presentation to communicate conclusions based on investigation of an issue or problem. Examples include charts, posters, transparencies, audio tapes, videos, and diagrams.

Prior Knowledge:

• Students find the ability to use ClarisWorks paint and draw programs helpful.
• Students find the ability to use reference software helpful.

Cue Set:

• The teacher asks students to describe their experiences catching bugs, either earlier in life or at the present time.
• The teacher allows students the opportunity to describe the different types of spiders with which they are familiar, and then explain what they know about each type.

Best Shot Instruction:

• Students read Chapter IX of Charlotte's Web.
• Working either individually or in pairs, students use reference software to find illustrations and explanations of the seven parts of a spider's leg (coxa, trochanter, femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, and tarsus).
• Students continue to use the reference software to find illustrations and explanations of other parts of a spider's body.
• Students then use the draw/paint program to do the following:
  • Copy one of the illustrations of a spider from the reference software into the paint program.
  • Use the tools of the paint program to label the various parts of the spider's legs and body.
  • Use creativity to enhance the illustration.

Reteaching and Enrichment:

• Students circulate their projects for peer-editing as well as personal interest.
• Students are encouraged to explore nature by hunting for insects, frogs, etc. in their own backyards and community. Then they ask and research their own questions.

Review and Closure:

• The teacher guides the students to make connections between learning from this unit and other science lessons or units which they have already completed.
• Students discuss how learning from this unit assists their understanding of the character Charlotte as described by the author. For example, does this learning help in understanding what Charlotte does or why she does it? Does it help in understanding anything she says?
• Students explain how technology enhances the written text material.

Assessment:

The completed projects are assessed according to a predetermined rubric. The completed projects are correctly done and include written findings and explanations for each of the leg and body parts which are identified.

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