Welcome to the Constructivist Exploration

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Welcome to the ConstructivistExploration

• By
• Mary Verba Fina Espinal

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Why is this lesson constructivist?

• Making an accordion book of poems is a good
  example of constructivism because students will
  work in collaborative groups on a project. They
  will be put into groups of four and will research
  poem structures and types together. They will
  then work individually pick one of the tasks that
  interest them, and develop their own books. After
  picking the task that interest them and they will
  compile a book, as outlined by their specific
  task. While developing their books they will rely
  on group members for help. After developing their
  books they will translate two of those poems into
  Spanish. The class will then meet as a whole to
  share their favorite poems. The task is authentic
  because students have shown an interest in
  developing poems and publishing their own books.
  The class is also a bilingual class. Therefore,
  the English and Spanish are based on their
  present interest and skills. According to Jean
  Piaget the students are in the concrete logical
  stage, where they are able to complete logical
  tasks with concrete referents. The students will
  be asked to look for poem structures and poems in
  textbooks, and at the library, and on the
  Internet.

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Subject Matter and Grade -Language Arts and
Spanish Literature for fourth graders

• Materials?????-Textbooks - Paper-The
  Internet -Ribbon
• Pencils -Literature
• Markers -Books
• Magazines -Pictures
• Poster board

Overview The fourth graders will be engaged in
a five-day cooperative learning project where
they will learn haiku and cinquain forms of
poetry. The students will also learn how to
translate poems in to a foreign language.
Students will apply what they learn by making a
book of poems using the forms of poetry and
re-writing two of the poems into Spanish. This
lesson uses reading, research, writing and
collaborative and partnership learning.
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Fourth grade New Jersey Core Curriculum
ContentStandards for Language Arts Literacy

• Comprehension Skills and Response to Text
• Follow simple multiple-steps in written
  instructions.
• Identify the structures in poetry
• Inquiry and Research
• Use library classification systems, print or
  electronic, to locate information.
• Read independently and research topics using a
  variety of materials to satisfy personal,
  academic, and social needs, and produce evidence
  of reading

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Fourth grade New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards
for Foreign Languages

• -Understanding and interpretation of spoken or
  written communication
• -Recognize common gestures, intonation, and
  other visual or auditory cues of the
  target-culture.
• -Identify people, places, objects, and
  activities in daily life based on oral or written
  descriptions.
• Comprehend short conversations and brief written
  messages on familiar topics.
• -Connect the learning of the target language to
  information studied in other core content areas.
• -Create and present orally or in writing brief
  messages, poems, rhymes, songs, short plays, or
  role-plays using familiar vocabulary in a guided
  format.

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Objective

• Students will be able to understand two
  different forms of poetry and show knowledge of a
  foreign language by compiling a book of poems and
  translating two of the poems into Spanish

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Engage,The students will be given a handout that
reads

• You are a poet. A book publisher has
  approached you and asked you to publish a book of
  your poems. You must include an introduction
  describing the different structures found inside
  a poem, include three poems you have written,
  either haiku or cinquain, labeled with the type
  of poem it is, and then translate two of your
  poems into Spanish. You will construct the book,
  including any illustrations you would like to
  add, and then bind the book.

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Or

• You are a poet. A book publisher has
  approached you and asked you to compile a book of
  three poems written by other poets, either
  cinquain or haiku. Your book must include an
  introduction describing all the different
  structures of a poem, an explanation of why you
  chose those poems, and then a translation of two
  of those poems into Spanish. After the students
  have constructed their books, the students will
  be asked to share some of their poems, or poems
  they have selected with the class.

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Day One The students will be given the handouts
that contain the description and examples of the
forms of acinquain and haiku poem.

• CINQUAIN
  POEM
• Line 1 Write a noun.
• Line 2 Write two adjectives describing the noun
  on Line 1
• Line 3 Write 3 words ending with -ing (action
  words) that describe what the
• noun on Line one might do
• Line 4 Write a phrase describing the noun on
  Line 1 and
• Line 5 Write a synonym of the word on Line 1
• Example "My Wonderful
  Valentine"
  Mother
  kind, helpful
  caring, loving, sharing
  a special person in my life
• 
  friend
• Cinquain Poetry Sites www.pressmanacademy.org/st
  udents/sciencecinquain.htm www.mrsdingman.homeste
  ad.com/Cinquains.htmlwww.manassas.k12.va.us/round
  /classweb/Slough/Poetry/cinquain.htmwww.heritagep
  reservation.org/programs/SOS/4KIDS/cinquain.htm

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HAIKU POEMS

• Each complete poem has only three
  lines, totaling 17 syllables.
• Line 1 must be five syllables
• Line 2 must be seven syllables
• Line 3 must be five syllables
  Example Happy like the sun
  Giving us light and
  warmth That
  brighten our day.
• Haiku Poetry Sites
• http//members.shaw.ca/kcic1/haiku.htmlhttp
  //www.worddance.com/magazine/worksheet.htmlhttp/
  /www.tyc.state.tx.us/programs/youth_haiku.htmlhtt
  p//www.schoolworld.asn.au/poetry/haiku1.html

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Day two Three

• Day Two
• The groups will be exploring the library,
  they will be asked to bring back any books that
  they found useful. They will then come back into
  the classroom to explore different books in three
  different stations that have been brought in from
  outside libraries. The first station will be room
  computers, the second station will be books from
  outside libraries, and the third station will be
  books the students have brought back from the
  library.
• Day Three
• The students will sit with their groups and
  further develop their poems. The research
  stations will also be available for their use.

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Day four five

• Day FourThe students will continue working on
  their poems, and then translate their selected
  poems into Spanish. They will be given
  translation textbooks, as well as translation
  sites
• http//www.altavista.com/http//www.freetransl
  ation.com/
• http//www.worldlingo.com
• Day FiveThe students will finish with any
  writing and translating. They will construct
  their accordion books. They will be asked to make
  as many pages as they need to have one poem on
  one section.

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The students will be given a handout that reads

• Place the paper in front of you horizontally.
• 2. Fold it in half.
• Fold the top page in half by folding it back to
  meet the fold.
• Turn the paper over.
• Fold the top page in half by bringing it back to
  meet the fold.
  The accordion is made.
• 6. Open the first page of the accordion and slip
  a piece of scrap paper inside.
• 7. Cover the entire surface with a thin coat of
  glue. I start in the middle and then go in
  stripes up and then down the page. Go over the
  edges and onto the scrap paper.
• Remove the scrap paper and fold it in half with
  the glue on the inside.
• Hold the pages in your hands and center them on
  one of the cover pieces. Smooth to help the glue
  adhere.
• 10. Insert the scrap paper under the top page and
  cover it with glue. Remove the scrap paper and
  fold it in half.
• 11. Lay the ribbon across the back of the book.
  Adjust the ends so that they are even.
• 12. Wrap the ribbon around the front of the book
  and tie it in a bow.
• The ribbon is glued into the back
  cover. When you write in your book, place
  the ribbon side on the table and stretch the
  pages out to the left.
  http//www.makingbooks.com/accordion.html