Narrating in the past

Analyzing stories and identifying structures we use in Portuguese to tell stories and narrate in the past.

Task Description:

Review books, short stories and consult some preexisting grammar materials on the Clica Brasil site.

Task Type:
scaffolding
Task Focus:
grammar
Task Time:
35-40 minutes
Task Extension:

How do we incorporate these structures into our own stories.

Potential Hurdles:

Not everyone likes grammar :(

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Show and Teletandem

Students Skype with Teletandem partners to find out about their favorite children's books and stories.

Task Description:

Students will Skype with their Teletandem partners who are university students at the Universidade Estadual de São Paulo- Araraquara and ask them about their favorite children's books and stories. This task is designed to get the students thinking about the topic of Children's literature and learn more about Children's books and stories in Brazil.

 

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to miss the day we scheduled to talk to our Teletandem partners about children's books in Brazil.  Here is a summary of what the students found out from their Skype sessions with their partners in Brazil.

Task Type:
need to know
Task Focus:
interaction
Task Time:
25-30 minutes
Task Extension:

 They will summarize the feedback from their partners and try to identify key engaging elements and themes.

Technology Tips:

Students will connect with their Brazilian teletandem partners through Skype.

Potential Hurdles:

 Connection problems

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What makes a good children's book?

Students will preview and review ebooks and paper books written in Portuguese. They will identify key elements that make a good story.

Task Description:

Students will preview and review ebooks and paper books written in Portuguese.  They will identify key elements that make a good story. After identifying key elements, students will begin to create the rubric for the final book.

Here is the rubric we used to evaluate the books.  Here are the guidelines/criteria for successful children's book that we came up with, we will use these to build our final project rubric.

Task Type:
need to know
Task Focus:
content
Task Time:
50-minutes
Technology Tips:

Google docs to construct the rubric

Potential Hurdles:

Disagreement in criteria

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A Critical examination of Children's books in Brazil

A Critical examination of existing children's books in Brazil.

Task Description:

Professor Sávio Siqueira from the Universidade Federal da Bahia will visit the class and encourage a critical examination of exisiting children's literature in Brazil.  He will also discuss demystifying stereotypes and how we can make a book that better reflects the realities of the children in our target audience communities.  We used the menino Gustavo video as a starting point for the discussion.

Task Type:
driving question
Task Focus:
content
Task Time:
50 minutes

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Interview with Communities

Skype meeting and interview with the target audience communities. Students will get to meet the school, NGO and community participants and some of the children (if possible). They will learn more about the communities and bring any questions about likes and dislikes of the students, looking for what engages them and makes them want to read.

Task Description:

Skype meeting and interview with the target audience communities.  Students will get to meet the school, NGO and community participants and some of the children (if possible).  They will learn more about the communities and bring any questions about likes and dislikes of the students, looking for what engages them and makes them want to read.

 

Skype interview with teachers from PRACATUM Social Project.  Unfortunately due to the time difference and technology infrastructure at the school, only I was able to talk to Kelly, the teacher.  I did report back to the class with information on the community and students.

Task Type:
driving question
Task Focus:
interaction
Task Time:
20-30 minutes
Task Extension:

We will use this to help us with our driving question on how to engage and inspire young readers from these communities.

Technology Tips:

Skype

Potential Hurdles:

Scheduling (time difference between Brazil and Hawaii), internet connection

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Project Group Work Reports

Students turn in project work reports weekly

Task Description:

Group Progress Report (Relatório de Progresso: Grupo) Since it was a small class and students became very invested in their books, they worked individually and not in groups.

Task Time:
10-15 minutes

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Individual Work Reports

Students will submit weekly individual work reports.

Task Description:

During each week of the project, students will submit individual work reports  (relatório de progresso: indivíduo) that track their progress, reflect on their work and plan the next steps.

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Video Campaign

Students make short youtube or instagram-type videos in Portuguese encouraging the children to read.

Task Description:

Students make short youtube or vine-type videos encouraging and inviting the children to read their books and encouraging them to read in general.

Task Time:
35-40 minutes

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Editing, Illustrations, Layout and Publishing

Students work in small groups on the editing, illustrations and final layout of the books.

Task Description:

Students work  on the editing, illustrations and final layout of the books. Books will be sent to be published. We used Storybird for creating, editing, and publishing the books.

Task Time:
50 minutes+

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Story Brainstorming!

Students (individually or in pairs) come up with story ideas and pitch them.

Task Description:

Students (individually or in pairs) come up with story ideas and pitch them. Class reviews ideas and votes on the best ideas.  The top two ideas will become the stories we work on. Here is a rubric to evaluate intial story pitches.

Task Type:
need to know
Task Focus:
content
Task Time:
20-30 minutes
Technology Tips:

Google docs and slides

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Project Calendar

This is not really a task, but it is the Project Calendar.

Task Description:

This is not really a task, but it is the Project Calendar, it outlines when tasks will be completed.  Note that it is tentative and some dates may change.  Also, the target audience will not receive the books until around May/June 2016.

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Writing, Feedback, and Revising

Students will work on writing and revising stories in groups.

Task Description:

Students will work on writing, giving and receiving peer feedback and revising stories in groups. Peer feedback in small groups & instructor feedback on Storybird.

Task Focus:
content
Technology Tips:

Storybird

Potential Hurdles:

Disagreement; unequal work among group members

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Audience reception and Feedback

When the books are given to the children they will give their feedback.

Task Description:

When the books are given to the children and the videos are watched.  The children will give their feedback via short videos or a happy face rating scale with the opportunity for comments.  This will most likely happen after the school year has ened, so the students involved in the project will receive this feedback via the teacher and reports from the group that delivered the books.While not a formal assessment, it is an assessment of the final product of sorts. 

             

Delivering the Books                             The children in the Pracatum Project

 

 

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Final Product Assessment

Final products will be assessed

Task Description:

The final version(s) of the book(s) will be assessed via the co-constructed rubric and agreed upon criteria.  The videos for the video campaign will also be assessed with this video assessment rubric.

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