Creating book reviews in Destiny OPAC

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CONTINUE READING
Published on AASL Learning4Life Lesson Plan Database

Creating book reviews in Destiny OPAC
Created by: Elizabeth Russell
Title/Role: School library media specialist
Organization/School Name: Bradley Elementary School
Location: South Carolina

Grade Level: 2, 3, 4
Type of Lesson: Stand-alone lesson
Type of Schedule: Combination
Collaboration Continuum: Limited
Content Area:
Language Arts
Content Topic: Book reviews.

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner
  Skills Indicator(s):
  3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding
  in ways that others can view, use, and assess.
  4.1.3 Respond to literature and creative expressions of ideas in various formats and genres.

Scenario: Posting book reviews in an OPAC takes the response to literature that students participate in
regularly within their classroom walls to the next level. OPACs may be visited by anyone in the world, so
this is authentic publishing of student opinion. Once students are adept at discussing assigned reading
material, the teacher and media specialist schedule a 45 min. to 1 hour block of time to introduce this
means of expressing their opinions of self-selected reading material. Done in one lesson/demonstration
using a book they are familiar with and using their in-put, students participate in the writing of a review. A
rubric for a good review is created from the discussion and printed for distribution before the class ends.
Students are given a brochure describing the mechanics of using Destiny for writing reviews (see
attachment). Follow-up comes individually as they post their own reviews, which must be approved by the
librarian before they appear in the OPAC. This lesson may be done in the classroom or media center. It
may also be conducted by either the teacher, the librarian or team taught.

Overview: Students will have the opportunity to participate in the greater community of readers by letting
others know whether they should read a certain title. That's the essential question all readers ask: Should I
try this book or not? Students will answer that question using the good grammar, correct spelling and the
writing skills they've been practicing in the classroom to the benefit of anyone who explores our OPAC.

Final Product: The final product will be a book review posted in the school's OPAC.

Library Lesson: The media specialist's goal is to get students excited about reading. Being able to see
their reviews as well as those of their peers published in the OPAC is exciting to students. Using the OPAC
to find reviews will painlessly increase their skill in using it in general. Their writing skills, especially
concision, should benefit.

Estimated Lesson Time: 60 minutes
Assessment
  Product: This lesson results in a summative assessment done by the media specialist. The product is
  book review posted in the OPAC.

  Process: In order to be posted, the review must be evaluated by the media specialist, who scans for
  correct spelling, grammar and basic writing skills as well as any additional criteria adopted by the
  students in the creation of their rubric. If all is well, the review is posted immediately. If not, the student is
  asked to edit or rewrite the review based on a consultation with the librarian and using the rubric.

  Student self-questioning: Students have both the rubric and the example of other posted reviews to
  which to refer when composing their own reviews. Both the teacher and media specialist are available
  for consultation as well.

Instructional Plan
  Resources students will use:
  Dataset (ie. lists, tables, databases)
  Text (books, letters, poems, newspapers, etc.)

  Resources instructor will use:
  Projector
  Smart board

Instruction/Activities
  Direct instruction: Students will be introduced to book reviews by reading a few that have been posted
  in years past. They will be asked if these reviews are helpful and why/why not. Make note of these ideas
  as they will be the font of a student-created rubric for writing reviews. The students will be told that they
  will help write a review of the book you are about to read aloud. They are welcome to take notes if they
  choose. Read an interesting picture book, preferably one from your state's book award program.

  Modeling and guided practice: Once the story is over, students are encouraged to give their opinions
  of the text. Write all responses on the board. When finished writing, ask the students which opinions
  express their feelings best. Be sure to mention the criteria they gave when looking at reviews earlier.
  Write down their reasons and explanations. You should end up with a rubric and a not-quite-ready-for-
  publication review. Explain to them that this is the process they will use when writing their reviews.
  Polish the review by describing the changes you are making and hit "save".

  Independent practice: Students will write their own reviews within the week using the rubric their class
  created. This may be done in the classroom or the media center. They have been given a pamphlet
  describing how to use Destiny to post reviews. Quality reviews will be published. Reviews in need of
  editing or rewriting will require librarian-student conferences.

  Sharing and reflecting: After 2-3 weeks of review writing, the class as a group will be asked to discuss
  their feelings about the reviews. Do they use them when selecting books?

Have you taught this lesson before: Yes

Strategies for differentiation: Conferences with individual students who need to edit or rewrite their
reviews prior to publication will allow the media specialist to differentiate according to student capabilities.

AASL/Common Core State Standards Crosswalk
  English Language Arts:

  CC.3.SL.5 » English Language Arts » Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas » 5. Create engaging audio
  recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual
  displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details. (3)

  CC.3.W.6 » English Language Arts » Production and Distribution of Writing » 6. With guidance and
  support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as
  to interact and collaborate with others. (3)

  CC.4.SL.5 » English Language Arts » Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas » 5. Add audio recordings
  and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or
  themes. (4)

  CC.4.W.6 » English Language Arts » Production and Distribution of Writing » 6. With some guidance
  and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as
  to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a
  minimum of one page in a single sitting. (4)

  CC.2.R.L.2 » English Language Arts » Key Ideas and Details » 2. Recount stories, including fables and
  folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral. (2)

  CC.2.R.L.3 » English Language Arts » Key Ideas and Details » 3. Describe how characters in a story
  respond to major events and challenges. (2)

  CC.2.R.L.4 » English Language Arts » Craft and Structure » 4. Describe how words and phrases (e.g.,
  regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
  (2)

  CC.2.R.L.5 » English Language Arts » Craft and Structure » 5. Describe the overall structure of a story,
  including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action. (2)

  CC.2.R.L.7 » English Language Arts » Integration of Knowledge and Ideas » 7. Use information gained
  from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters,
  setting, or plot. (2)

  CC.2.R.L.9 » English Language Arts » Integration of Knowledge and Ideas » 9. Compare and contrast
  two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different
  cultures. (2)
CC.2.R.L.10 » English Language Arts » Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity » 10. By the
end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2-3 text
complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. (2)

CC.2.W.1 » English Language Arts » Text Types and Purposes » 1. Write opinion pieces in which they
introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the
opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a
concluding statement or section. (2)

CC.3.R.L.2 » English Language Arts » Key Ideas and Details » 2. Recount stories, including fables,
folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain
how it is conveyed through key details in the text. (3)

CC.3.R.L.7 » English Language Arts » Integration of Knowledge and Ideas » 7. Explain how specific
aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood,
emphasize aspects of a character or setting). (3)

CC.4.R.L.9 » English Language Arts » Integration of Knowledge and Ideas » 9. Compare and contrast
the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events
(e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures. (4)

         This lesson plan is subject to copyright by the American Library Association and may be used for the noncommercial purpose of
         scientific or educational advancement granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address usage
         requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions.
Here’s a chance for
                                                                                          Bradley Media Center
you to tell everyone                                                                      Bradley Elementary School
  how much you like                                                                       3032 Pine Belt Rd.
                                                                                          Columbia, SC 29204
   what you’ve been                                                                       (803)738-7254

       reading!

                                                                                A Kid’s Guide to
                                                                                  Writing Book
                                                                                     Reviews
                                                                                   in Destiny

                                              Bradley
                                          Elementary School

 With over 8,000 books to choose from

in the Bradley library, how do you de-
                                                                               Get the buzz on
cide which books to check out?                                                 the books in the
                                          Bradley Media Center
                                                                               library!
                                          3032 Pine Belt Rd.
 Now you can take the advice other        Columbia, SC 29204

Bradley boys and girls by reading their

reviews of the books they’re reading.     Phone: (803)738-7254
                                          Fax: (803)738-7346
And, once you’ve finished reading a       E-mail: erussell@richlandone.org
                                          E-mail: tstrawther@richlandone.org
book, you can write your own review to    Website: http://bradley.rcsd1.org/

help other students decide.
Writing reviews is easy to do in Destiny.

                                                 Step 2                                            Step 4
                DESTINY
                                                   You must write your review on paper be-
                                                                                                     This last step doesn't re-
        Get familiar with this                   fore going to a computer . Make sure you          quire any action on your part.
       word. It is the name of                   have spelled everything correctly and that        Your review goes to Ms. Rus-
         the library’s on-line                   your argument makes sense. You need to            sell, who will critique it and
        public access catalog,                                                                     either accept or deny it.
                                                 be persuasive. WHY is it a good book?
       the list of all the books                 What was the best part (or maybe there was
                                                                                                     Look for your review to
        in the library and the                   more than one)? Have you read other books         show up within 2 school days.
        place where you read                     by the same author and liked them (or not)?       You do this by following the
          and write reviews.                     What would you want to know if you were           same steps as in step 3.
                                                 reading this review? Would you recommend
                                                                                                     If your review doesn’t show
                                                 this book to others?                              up, ask Ms. Russell to tell you
                                                                                                   why. You may want to bring
                                                 Step 3                                            your written copy with you to
                                                                                                   help you make your point.
     WHERE DO YOU START?                           You can do this at any computer at
                                                 Bradley that has the Destiny icon on it. That
                                                 means in your classroom, the computer lab
                             First you have to   or the library.

                                                   Once you’re in Destiny, look at the top
                             read a book.
                                                 right-hand part of the screen for the log in
                             Read it actively,   button. Click on it and type in the username      Write your username here:
                                                 you’ve been given. Type your password
                             asking yourself     next.

                             questions about        Type in the title of the book you’ve read,     ____________________________
                                                 omitting a, an, or the if they appear as the
                             the main idea,      first word. Click on the title button.            Write your password here:
                             characters, point     Next, find the exact title you want from
                                                 the list of choices and click on it. At the top
of view, plot, setting, and mood. What           of this screen you’ll see the word reviews on     ___________________________
                                                 one of the three tabs. Click on that tab.
genre is it in and is it a good example of
                                                   Next, click on the add reviews tab. Here
that genre? You may want to take notes           you will want to indicate just how good the
                                                 book is by giving it anywhere from 1 to 5
because the next step is to . . . . . .          stars. Then you copy the review you’ve
                                                 written and click on save.
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