Oakland Schools Digital Learning
Newsletter - February 2021
In this issue you will find
- Black History Month lessons and resources
- A link to dozens of virtual math manipulatives
- A link to a website with 400 free online books with narration available in over 40 languages
- The New York Times Choice Board for secondary students with opportunities to read, write, view and discuss
- Ready-to-use digital content from the Smithsonian Learning Lab
- Access to 22 Hyperdocs you can copy and use to guide your students as they read and study the novels
- Information about National Park guided, virtual tours
- Free, easy-to-copy interactive Google slide templates, activity templates, math manipulative templates and more
- A free professional learning opportunity from the Oakland Schools Digital Learning team
Please reach out if you have questions about any of the information in this newsletter.
~Laura and Vinos
Black History Month Lessons & Resources
Celebrate Black History Month with Read Alouds from Storyline Online
Watch Dulé Hill read As Fast As Words Could Fly.
Young Mason Steele takes pride in turning his father’s excited ramblings about the latest civil rights incidents into handwritten business letters. One day Pa comes home with a gift from his civil rights group: a typewriter. Thrilled with the present, Mason spends all his spare time teaching himself to type. When the civil rights group wins a school desegregation case, Mason learns that now he will be attending a formerly all-white high school. Despite his fears and injustice from the students and faculty, Mason perseveres. He does well in school—especially in his typing class. And when he competes in the county typing tournament, Mason decides to take a stand, using his skills to triumph over prejudice and break racial barriers.
Watch Kevin Costner and Jillian Estell read
Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream.
If there was anything in the world better than playing baseball, Marcenia Lyle didn't know what it was. As a young girl in the 1930s, she chased down fly balls and stole bases, and dreamed of one day playing professional ball. With spirit, spunk, and a great passion for the sport, Marcenia struggled to overcome the objections of family, friends, and coaches, who felt a girl had no place in the field. When she finally won a position in a baseball summer camp sponsored by the St. Louis Cardinals, Marcenia was on her way to catching her dream. Full of warmth and youthful energy, Catching the Moon is the story of the girl who grew up to become the first woman to play for an all-male professional baseball team. Readers everywhere will be inspired by her courage to dream and determination to succeed.
Additional stories with activity guides are available. Just go to Storyline Online and search for black history.
Teaching Nonviolent Direct Action to Elementary Students Through Children’s Literature
The philosophy of nonviolence is a central theme in the African American Freedom Struggle. The children’s literature referenced and the lesson plans provided on this site explore the philosophy of nonviolence in action. Each story illustrates historic examples of nonviolent direct action, for example, the Greensboro sit-ins and the Montgomery bus boycott. The corresponding classroom activities include recommendations for primary source documents and secondary resources. Note: You will need a copy of the book for each plan to get the most impact from these lessons.
Building King’s World House - Diversity and Inclusion Lesson for Secondary Students
~The World House, From: Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community, Martin Luther King, Jr., 1967
In this lesson unit, students and teachers will engage in discussions about our various social identities and their meanings. How do these identities determine how we fit into our social environment? Students are invited to think about how we are all different and how we are similar. This lesson plan will examine examples of bias and prejudice against minorities and marginalized groups. In various classroom activities, students will talk about ways in which they can be more tolerant, respectful, and inclusive.
Resources for Elementary
Toy Theater Virtual Manipulatives
Unite for Literacy Online Library
Resources for Secondary
A Choice Board for Teaching and Learning with the New York Times
The Learning Network Choice Board is a downloadable pdf file provided by the New York Times. it has a menu of 10 activities that link to different student sections for the online version of the New York Times. The choices include telling a story, analyzing a photo, watching a short film and more. The resource is designed for students 13 and up. Clicking on each box takes students to the information they need to complete the activity. Because it constantly links to the most current information for the resources, the document can be used over and over again.
Digital Content for Elementary and Secondary
Smithsonian Learning Lab
The Smithsonian Learning Lab is a must-add to your list of classroom bookmarks! It is a a free, interactive platform that gives you access to millions of Smithsonian digital resources via Learning Lab Collections that have already organized digital resources that include images, video, and documents into very engaging, "ready to teach," lessons. Use the filters to sort for lessons for Social Studies, ELA, Science, Math, Arts and more. In just a few minutes, I easily found the resources linked below.
Mission to Mars - Elementary Students - These resources supplement the Flights of Fancy Story Time about a "Mission to Mars" and provide additional activities and suggestions of learning opportunities to accompany the story. It includes a read-aloud of the book, an activity to create an astronaut helmet from a paper bag, prompts to discuss images of Mars and more.
Students will:
- Understand how axes of flight, controls surfaces, flight controls, and aircraft instruments are used to control a plane during approach and landing.
- Practice flying an aircraft using flight controls and instruments.
- Use math to determine the best approach to a runway for landing.
- Apply their knowledge of flying an aircraft to use a flight simulator to practice how to approach and land at an airfield.
An 11 Year Old's Letter and Lincoln's Beard - Elementary Students - This teaching collection includes videos, portraits and lesson plans from the National Portrait Gallery and the National Museum of American History. During Abraham Lincoln's campaign to become president, an 11-year-old girl named Grace Bedell wrote a letter suggesting he grow a beard to gain more votes. Of course, Lincoln's beard became iconic in imagery during his Presidency and throughout the Civil War.
The Blues and the Great Depression - Secondary Students - In this lesson, students learn about the structure and content of the blues using songs from the 1930s and the Great Depression. Students will brainstorm circumstances of the Great Depression and use those ideas to create an original blues song from the point of view of someone living during the Great Depression.
Essential questions:
- How does blues music reflect the challenges of poverty for the African-American experience during the Great Depression?
- How do images and songs reflect the emotions of the African-American experience during the Great Depression?
Learning Lab Collections for National Air & Space Museum
"Mission to Mars" Learning Lab Collection
Click on the images to enlarge them.
"Flight School Math" Learning Lab Collection
22 HyperDocs for Studying Novels to Use with Your Students
Below are some of the best novel HyperDocs shared through Twitter and Teacher Give Teachers and curated by Karly Moura.
1. Fenway and Hattie by Victoria J. Coe - Link to HyperDoc
Created for the 2017 Global Read Aloud Project for the book Fenway and Hattie, this hyperdoc includes vocabulary study, paired media, literary analysis and more. A teacher's guide is also included for extra help when using this resource with your class.
Novel HyperDoc created by Bobbi Hopkins
2. A Boy Called BAT by Elena K. Arnold - Link to HyperDoc
The A Boy Called BAT novel HyperDoc was created for the 2018 Global Read Aloud Project. It dives into the big concepts of empathy and perseverance. It includes vocabulary study, paired media, literary analysis, STEM challenges and a teacher's guide.
Novel HyperDoc created by Bobbi Hopkins
3. Stella Diaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez - Make a copy
Stella Diaz Has Something to Say novel HyperDoc was created for the 2019 Global Read Aloud Project. It addresses the big concepts of self-acceptance, friendship, and conquering fears or worries. It includes vocabulary study, paired media, literary analysis, STEM challenges and a teacher's guide.
Novel HyperDoc created by Bobbi Hopkins
4. The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catting - Link to HyperDoc
A student favorite, The Chocolate Touch, is a fun twist on The Midas Touch that kids enjoy reading. This novel HyperDoc focuses on determining the central message of the text, shades of meaning and asking and answering questions. It includes vocabulary study, extension activities and a teacher's guide.
Novel HyperDoc created by Olivia Ford & Michelle Waggoner
5. The BFG by Roald Dahl - Link to HyperDoc
This novel HyperDoc provides a unit of study around "Giant" concepts like context clues, retelling main events and identifying theme in The BFG. It includes vocabulary study, paired media, extension activities a teacher's guide and more.
Novel HyperDoc created by Sean Fahey & Michele Waggoner
6. The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies - Link to HyperDoc
The Lemonade War is packed with opportunities for integration of math concepts and financial literacy. This novel HyperDoc focuses on big concepts like summarizing and drawing inferences. There are lots of extension activities, vocabulary study and a teacher's guide included.
7. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume - Link to HyperDoc
This novel HyperDoc follows the fun adventures of Peter and Fudge with fun extension activities that integrate engineering challenges with paired media. Students will describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text. It includes a teacher's guide.
Novel HyperDoc created by Sean Fahey, Karly Moura & Michele Waggoner
8. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell - Link to HyperDoc
A classic novel like Island of the Blue Dolphins comes alive with activities that utilize technology like Google Maps and videos. Students will learn about figurative language (similes, metaphors, personification, etc.) in context and differentiating between internal and external conflicts. It includes a teacher's guide.
Novel HyperDoc created by Michele Waggoner and Laurie York
9. Wonder by R.J. Palacio - Link to HyperDoc
Wonder is a beautiful book about a boy with severely deformed facial features starting public school in 5th grade after being homeschooled. This novel HyperDoc focuses on the universal theme of relationships and asks students to answer the question "How are relationships affected by acts of kindness or a lack thereof?" It includes a teacher's guide and the option to teach the book through literature circles.
Novel HyperDoc created by Michelle Waggoner
10. Restart by Gordon Korman - Link to HyperDoc
This Restart novel HyperDoc dives into the big concepts of kindness and reflection. It includes vocabulary study, paired media, literary analysis, STEM challenges and a teacher's guide.
Novel HyperDoc created by Rayna Freeman
11. Pax by Sara Pennypacker - Link to HyperDoc
Pax is a novel HyperDoc created for the 2016 Global Read Aloud Project. The big idea is that fiction is an invented literary narrative based on real life, an author's imagination, or a combination of the two, which can express universal truths and insights into the human condition. It includes vocabulary study, paired media, literary analysis, and a teacher's guide.
Novel HyperDoc created by Heather Marshall, Nicole Beardsley, Kimberlie McDonald & Jennifer Diaz
12. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate - Link to HyperDoc
The One and Only Ivan novel HyperDoc centers activities and analysis around the questions
- "How are characters transformed through their relationships with others?"
- "What are the responsibilities of the individual / society in regard to animals and their environments? "
- "With wild habitats disappearing worldwide, what role (if any) should zoos have in the conservation of endangered species, research and education?"
- "What does it mean to live in an unnatural environment? Do humans live in unnatural environments?"
It includes vocabulary study, paired media, literary analysis, extension activities and teacher's guide.
Novel HyperDoc created by Heather Marshall
13. Bud, Not Buddy - Link to HyperDoc
A unit of study around big concepts like point of view and comparing and contrasting experiencing a story through different mediums. This Bud, Not Buddy novel HyperDoc includes vocabulary study, paired media, and extension activities.
Novel HyperDoc created by Kelley Brown
14. Front Desk by Kelly Yang - Link to HyperDoc
A novel HyperDoc created for the 2017 Global Read Aloud Project for the book Front Desk. Includes vocabulary study, paired media, literary analysis and and lots of cultural connections that help the reader engage with the story and its characters.
Novel HyperDoc created by Liz Stroud
15. A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park - Link to HyperDoc
This A Long Walk to Water novel HyperDoc was created for the 2017 Global Read Aloud Project. It looks at the big concepts of sustainability, individual impact on global issues and the impacts of war. It includes vocabulary study, paired media, literary analysis, and guided discussion questions.
Novel HyperDoc created by Laura Conroy, Maddy La Voe, Christina Levey & Jennifer Wagner
16. The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett - Link to HyperDoc
The original Diary of Anne Frank is a book most of us remember reading in school. The adaptation version that is written as a play, The Diary of Anne Frank, is the book this novel Hyperdoc supports. It includes vocabulary study, paired media, literary analysis, and activities that utilize technology like Google Maps, social media and videos.
Novel HyperDoc created by Kevin Feramisco
17. Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed - Link to HyperDoc
In this unit, Amal Unbound, students are asked the essential question, "What does it take to create change?" This novel HyperDoc includes vocabulary study, paired media, literary analysis, and lots of cultural connections that help the reader engage with the story and its characters.
Novel HyperDoc created by Samira Khan
18. The Giver by Lois Lowry - Link to HyperDoc
As students read, The Giver, they will explore using text evidence to support inferences, determining the theme, figurative language and character analysis.
Guiding questions include;
- What does it mean to be “perfect”?
- Does your identity come from your outward appearance or your inward person?
- What would life be like without free will?
- How important really is the freedom to choose?
Novel HyperDoc created by Kevin Feramisco
19. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinto - Link to HyperDoc
The Outsiders novel HyperDoc includes vocabulary study, paired media, and literary analysis as students journey through the book.
Guiding questions include;
- Are our judgements of others always accurate?
- Are you more than what society thinks of you?
- Does your identity come from your outward appearance or your inward person?
- Should your joy be dependent upon your circumstance?
- What does “family” mean to you?
Novel HyperDoc created by Kevin Feramisco
20. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - Link to HyperDoc
Fahrenheit 451 explores a world where books are illegal. As students read the story they will explore the guiding questions;
- What is the importance of literacy to a society?
- Do we really need to think and read critically?
- Who wins when a society’s people stop thinking and reading for itself?
- What is censorship, how does it affect our society, and why should this topic be important to ALL of us?
Novel HyperDoc created by Kevin Feramisco
21. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger - Link to HyperDoc
With lots of engaging activities like blogging, paired media and mini projects, this Catcher in the Rye novel HyperDoc will explore the topics of questioning authenticity, growing up and coming of age, belonging and isolation and teen mental health.
Novel HyperDoc created by Kevin Feramisco
22. Macbeth by William Shakespeare - Link to HyperDoc
Macbeth has been chosen literature for high school students for years. This engaging unit explores questions like;
- In what ways do we let others influence us?
- How much control do we have over our own lives, choices, and actions? Are we victims of Fate or do we have Free Will?
- What drives individuals to succeed?
- Can violence ever be justified?
Novel HyperDoc created by Kevin Feramisco
The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks
Students can follow National Park Rangers on a remarkable journey in the 360-degree videos that make up The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks. Guides take viewers into the most interesting, yet unknown, places in five different national parks found in Alaska, Hawaii, New Mexico, Utah, and Florida. Choose the park where you want your students to begin their journey, then after a short introduction, students can explore the park by dragging their mouse or cursor around to view these sites from every angle. As they explore, guides provide additional information on different areas within the park. This site can be used as a part of many different geography units to teach landforms found around the United States. It can also be used to inspire creative writing, learn about biomes, and more. ~Suggested grade levels 4th - 12th
Watch the video below to get a peek into what the experience will be like on the actual journey.
Google Workspace
Free Google Slides Templates
Professional Learning Opportunity
Learn to Use Wakelet in this FREE, 2-hour, Virtual Session
FREE Webinar - Ride the Wakelet Wave: An Easy to use Curation and Collaboration Tool
February 23, 2021 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM online in Zoom
Facilitated by Vinos Kassab and Laura Cummings
Wakelet is a free, online platform that was developed to help people organize and find the most relevant and compelling content from across the web. This platform allows users to save, organize and share a collection of links in a meaningful and visually engaging way, including bookmarks, videos, social media posts and much more. As an educator, you can capture, organize and share multimedia resources with students, other teachers, parents, and your learning communities. Everything you curate can be shared and used for collaboration. Attend this professional learning event to learn how to organize, share, and collaborate with the content you curate with your students and community.
Information for the virtual connection will be emailed to registered participants prior to the start of the session.
2 SCECHs available for $10 processing fee
Subscribe to Our News!
Oakland Schools Digital Learning Twitter posts can be found at os_edtech.
When you are posting to Twitter about things related to digital learning and educational technology, don't forget to use the hashtag #oakedtech.
Using the hashtag will help Oakland County educators, who are interested in the effective use of digital learning, to connect and better collaborate with each other.
Oakland Schools Digital Learning Consultants
Laura.Cummings@oakland.k12.mi.us
248-209-2283
Vinos Kassab
Vinos.Kassab@oakland.k12.mi.us
248-209-2229