July 19, 2011 “Paper Bag Princess” I believe this group introduced their presentation well. In the introduction they mentioned they would focus their lesson on cooperative learning and would incorporate multiple intelligences. The group also mentioned that there lesson would be cross-curricular as they included drama in their lesson. I thought it was great that they began the first half of their lesson with a hook. “What does the word ‘princess’ make you think of?” I think this was effective opening for the main activity. I thought the word wall was a good visual, and definitely a strategy I could use in a classroom someday. In the second part of the lesson, the students will each make their own paper bag puppet and use these in a play/skit they will create. Creating puppets is a good way to engage the students especially at the grade one level. I think an assignment such as this would be more memorable for a student than if they simply read the book and answered a few questions. The group also discussed strategies used in their lesson. They included scaffolding, the creation of an inclusive classroom, and extensions that they could possibly use. Overall, I think the group did a good job.
I thought that this lesson was very engaging and would be really fun for students. I particularly liked the way the lesson is structured so that students can see their perception of what a princess, dragon, and prince are change from before to after reading. In this way the word wall was very effectively used! I also really liked the way the art element of the unit was made to be very useful! Often art is just something teachers throw in to please the students and to say they did art which is not always very motivating for students but the way this group made the art useful by making puppets for an eventual play would make this art project very motivating. This kind of lesson is a great way to introduce fractured fairytales to students and social lessons on stereotypes and how “you can’t read a book by its cover”. Very well done!
Group three introduced us to an interactive lesson that focused on developing social and emotional learning through “envisioning words” and using puppets to act out a story. The lesson was based on Robert Munsch’s classic story, the Paper Bag Princess. Throughout the development of the lesson, the presenters worked on addressing the multiple intelligences by providing various opportunities for creative responses through visual art, drama, and discussion. By incorporating a variety of activities, I found this lesson to be a very effective cross-curricular approach to social and emotional learning. I was intrigued by the discussion about extending this lesson to explore gender role stereotypes. I think it would be interesting to compare and contrast the list of adjectives pertaining to the word “princess” that the students developed at the start of the lesson with a list that the students create after reading this story. I particularly liked this story because it moves away from the stereotypes portrayed in the traditional fairytales. One of the exceptional scenes that stood out to me occurs right after the slaying of the dragon. The princess stands over the defeated beast as the imprisoned prince, with flailing arms, calls out from an upper room in the dragon’s layer. Fantastic.
I really liked the lesson idea that this group used. First, I think that the group did a great job at explaining their use of the story that they chose. The story goes against the traditional fairytale, which allows for great extensions to class discussions or further projects that can take place. The story also teaches a great deal about acceptance which is important to foster in children. In addition, the group showed the class what word walls may look like. Many primary classrooms use word walls so I feel that this lesson was beneficial as this is something that I can use in my classroom one day. Lastly, I really enjoyed looking at the paper bag puppets so I can just imagine how excited children would be to be able to make them and play with them. One thing I would have liked to see during the presentation was having the group model what a discussion about a word from the story might look like. For example, I know that discussion about the word could take place afterwards, but could it also happen during the reading? Overall, I think that the great did a great job at presenting a useful lesson.
Your choice of the Paper Bag Princess was “spot” on for your activity. This book, with its push back against traditional stereotypes in literature, sets up the students well for coming up with their own imaginative ideas for the writing activity for this lesson. The use of the book as a starting point for the students to write their prequels and sequels is a fantastic idea. I think this will really gives the students a kick start with the creative process, and the book choice will encourage the kids to use some critical literacy in their own writing. I loved the inclusion of A/B partners in the first half of your lesson as I think they are a tremendous way to get students involved. With respect to A/B partners, the first time you called on a group, but then the next time you asked for volunteers. I think it can be effective if you don’t ask for volunteers but simply call on students. This can stop a few kids from dominating the conversation, as well as encouraging all students to be prepared as they may be called upon. Making the puppets would be a fun activity for the students, especially with the knowledge that they would be using them to act out their script, and I appreciated all the components of the language arts curriculum that you put into your lesson. Awesome job by all.
Kate, Rachel, Sharon and Brandi: Well done! I was so excited to see what you guys would do with this story (one of my favorites) and you didn't disappoint. I think the word wall was super useful and would help expand students' vocabulary. Introducing characterization like this will definately be advantagous to students in the later years of Language Arts and English. I was wondering what kind of extension activities you could see coming out of this lesson. Maybe writing a story from another character's point of view (what happens to Ronald after the Paper bag Princess dumps him? What does he do?) All in all, a solid presentation :) I love the fact that you incorporated other art forms (visual and dramatic into your lesson).
I really enjoyed the presentation and think there were a few areas that were really well done and explained. The idea of the word walls and the accompanying example was a well executed part of the lesson. I like the focus on adjectives and comparing characters. Word walls are an excellent teaching tool and I like how you incorporated it into the lesson. I liked how you asked the students to visualize the story, and how you highlighted the connection to aesthetic listening. This was a very connection to the textbook and what we learned in class. As discussed in class, this book would be great in a stereotype unit. The princess is not a stereotypical princess and also goes against the ‘norm’ of a fairy tale where the male usually rescues the female. This could spark a very interesting discussion. Overall, a job well done and a great choice of book!
The Paper Bag Princess is an all time favourite of mine so I loved this lesson! I really liked the activity where you have the students make the characters, a very nice tactile activity where students of all reading levels can demonstrate their understanding and vision of the characters. One of the aspects of this lesson that I really liked is the fact that the group touched upon the importance of social/emotional learning. We have talked about this a bit but I think it is extremely important to keep in mind when we are planning our lessons. I like the way the group also covered “pre-planning” of groups to ensure groups were diversified and could scaffold off of each other, but I was wondering what other adaptations could be made? Also, is there any prep that might benefit the teacher before going into the art lesson? (Ie: maybe previously set up stations where materials are readily available for students to go to? Just a thought!) Overall a great lesson, well done!
I thought the introduction of this lesson, of asking us to close our eyes and imagine a princess, was great, especially because The Paperbag Princess challenges out ideas of a princess and femininity. I think that reading this book is a great way to induce the idea of gender roles in the classroom, especially because primary students are so young, a story such as this is a great way to engage them in a discussion. The activity of making puppets was creative and I think that my students would love that activity. The group was very prepared for their lesson and their excitement about it made got my attention and hooked me into listening.
This group made a great choice in selecting the ‘Paper Bag Princess’ as their lesson’s resource. The PBP’s irreverent stance toward the fairy tale genre may stimulate the students’ imaginations as it offers characters closer to the realistic kids in their own worlds. The tale also allows for strong comparison activities like the one the group used well with their pre reading brainstorm for character description adjectives. Another effective decision made by this group was the inclusion of all 6 language arts. There was a balanced value placed on each of the arts as alternate means to explore the story’s world. Although the writing of the prequil or sequil script may be the most challenging part, the students could be motivated to accomplish this task by working toward the goal of bringing their ideas to life via the script enactment with their own newly created paper puppets. Including all LAs also means that each student will have competence in some aspect of the lesson and thus all will experience a sense of accomplishment and growth - the best source of motivation to continue learning. Well developed lesson.
My first impression was that the Paper Bag Princess Story would primarily be associated with younger grades, teaching them about gender stereotypes, etc. While this is a valid point, a thought had occurred to me a few days ago that using this story may be a useful tool to merge with a social studies unit, specifically when the topic of female subordination of the past arises. It is an excellent way to highlight how women were branded with having to fulfill certain expectations and were treated unfairly if they did not live according to the established norm. Similarly, this story could be used to ignite a brainstorming session that discussing what other “norms” do we apply to different groups and individuals? Stereotyping is definitely an important topic to be covered regardless of the age of the particular students and can lead to many significant discussions and life lessons. How do we expect members of a certain ethnicity to behave? Do we expect everyone to be of the same socio-economic status? The Paper Bag Princess is an excellent way to lead into this topic and the presenting group did a marvellous way of highlighting this.
Looking at the different words on the word wall showed the power of words to vividly describe, define and at times label. It was interesting to notice how many words describing the paperbag princess were also on the list of typical descriptors for “prince”. I think this was one of the extension activities – discussing stereotypes, such as gender stereotypes. I like the idea of putting on a puppet show with student-made puppets as a final stage to writing prequels or sequels because it gives more meaning and authenticity to all three assignments.
I really liked the focus of the lesson that your group chose on developing social and emotional learning. It is important for us, as teachers, to incorporate a variety of activities that not only promote academic learning but also, enhance different forms of learning including social, emotional, psychological, etc. I liked the idea of the word walls based on adjectives and the way you introduced word wall in your lesson to compare different characters (prince, princess, dragon) was great. The students making their own puppets and using them for a play was an interesting idea. It gives students a chance to celebrate and be proud of their own work. It was a great multi – level lesson incorporating multiple intelligences (visual, art, drama). Lastly, I specifically liked the story, because, it goes against the stereotypes described in traditional fairytale and moreover, encourages the class discussion or further lesson on stereotypes. Thanks for sharing the great ideas. Well done!
Group 3 This lesson incorporated various elements of the fine arts, as well as demonstrating how to move away from gender stereotyped vocabulary and adjectives. This lesson really caught my attention because of its focus on altering how we think of very gendered roles such as 'princess' or 'prince'. The Paper Bag Princess challenges gender roles by showing the princess as the rescuer and the prince as the person that needs to be rescued. This is an important lesson for children as they are very easily influenced to think of women as being helpless, and to see men as the dashing rescuers. I love the addition of the paper bag puppets and the play because they add a creative element to this lesson that will draw on the more artistically driven students. Great job to group three!
First of all, for this lesson I really appreciated the use of voice by the presenter reading the story. For all ages, especially smaller children, it is so important to use our voice effectively when reading. This means perhaps different voices for different characters, varied pacing, varied volume, and clear differentiation in our voice to imply what is going on. The individual who read the book did a good job of this and I don’t think it is something we should shrug off as a nice but not important skill; read-aloud is our children’s first exposure to reading and if we lose/bore them with monotone speech, then we are doing them and ELA a great disservice. Secondly, I really appreciated the group’s lesson plan incorporating many different types of opportunities for students to practice their own plays. This would be so helpful for nervous students, ELL’s, and for experience with the overall writing-editing process. Very well done.
Group 3: I thought that this lesson plan was very well done. Having students create their own paper bag puppets representing the characters as they could have looked before and after the story is such a great idea because it allows visual and hands on learners to predict events in a hands on, imaginative and fun way. I like the idea of having students predict before and after events of a story. I think this gives students just enough structure for their writing so that they have an idea of where they should start their story but it allows for a lot of creativity in the events that they decide will take place. Finally, having students write scripts and using drama in your lesson made this lesson extremely dynamic and interesting as well as making it accessible to all types of learners.
Group 3: I liked how your group talked about the five stages of the writing process and focused on using adjectives. Having a word wall with adjectives and using those words to make a script was a great idea. It reinforces understanding and comprehension when students are able to use words in context. Your group also found a great way to tie in visual arts and drama into the language arts lesson by having the students make puppets. I can totally see that the kids would have a lot of fun playing with the puppets, extending beyond the classroom. I think that putting on puppet shows would help develop their understanding of voice and perspective, along with being able to organize their thoughts to narrate a story. Additionally, using the book The Paper Bag Princess encourages students to think outside the realm of stereotypes' for example, to understand that not all princess need to be saved – extending that thinking to realizing that people can have different traits and roles, regardless of gender or race. Great selection of book! Thanks for providing this creative lesson!
Group 3: Brandi, Sharon, Kate and Rachel First off, I loved your choice to base your lesson on The Paper Bag Princess. This book is great because it challenges gender stereotypes, and allows children to see an unconventional princess. It is important for the teacher to offer a variety of books that have non-traditional characters, so that children can recognize that there is not just one way to be a boy or a girl. I thought that your question to activate the students’ prior knowledge about princess was a great starting point for the lesson. If the students can make a list of common princess traits, then it will be easier to see how they contrast with the Paper bag princess. Your group also provided good examples for how you would assess the students, as well as the rationale behind your lesson. I like that you pre-planned the groups because that takes all students’ needs into account. I also liked that you used puppets; they were creative, and a good cross-curricular activity. In a later activity, the students could use the puppets in a reader’s theatre activity and act out scenes from The Paper Bag Princess as well.
Brandi, Sharon, Kate and Rachel, Good job girls! You definitely created a very dynamic, creative and engaging lesson plan. There was a wide variety of activities throughout your lesson that focused on developing children’s critical literacy by reinforcing their aesthetic listening, writing and prediction skills. In addition to this, students have the opportunity to apply their comprehension skills both individually and cooperatively with other classmates while building community values. I liked that before you actually read the book aloud to the students you have encouraged them to think about the main words on the story and further expand their meaning by generating words that describe them, ultimately creating an extensive word wall. This is definitely a simple, yet very valuable way to introduce any book to the students. ESL and learning disabled students will greatly benefit from this method as it will potentially amplify their vocabulary knowledge and writing fluency. Another aspect that I loved from your lesson was the creation of a play using paper bag puppets designed and created by the students themselves. What a lovely idea! Having different visual examples for the students to see and explore will definitely engage them and encourage them to provide good quality work. Aside from incorporating great art work into your lesson, I liked that you have included collaborative work in the making of the play, where every student is assigned a different role through the use of the popsicle sticks. This just shows how imaginative and creative your lesson came to be. Well done
Group Three – The Paper Bag Princess I absolutely loved that this group based their lesson on another Robert Munch book! Every child loves Robert Munch, or so I would hope. I really like the idea of having the students create scripts/plays and then use paper bag puppets to perform! This seemed like so much fun to me and I would love to incorporate into a classroom someday. I thought it was very effective that the group took the time to make their own paper bag puppets – they were really well done. I also liked the initial brainstorming of adjectives related to the story such as princess and prince. As a student I thought a lot about how we immediately think of stereotypical adjectives. There are many different directions this lesson can go. I think introducing students to stereotypes in elementary school will definitely open their minds to thinking critically and a little more outside the box.
Sonja wrote: Group three- “Paper Bag Princess”- This is a wonderful book so I was very excited to see it being used in a lesson plan. I continued to enjoy the presentation as the group talked about character stereotypes. The word wall was an excellent addition to the vocabulary enhancement, and the group did a great job of keeping us engaged throughout. I appreciated their use of art in this lesson. There is no better way to generate excitement about a story and characters than to incorporate visual and dramatic arts into a lesson plan. Well done!
July 19, 2011
ReplyDelete“Paper Bag Princess”
I believe this group introduced their presentation well. In the introduction they mentioned they would focus their lesson on cooperative learning and would incorporate multiple intelligences. The group also mentioned that there lesson would be cross-curricular as they included drama in their lesson. I thought it was great that they began the first half of their lesson with a hook. “What does the word ‘princess’ make you think of?” I think this was effective opening for the main activity. I thought the word wall was a good visual, and definitely a strategy I could use in a classroom someday. In the second part of the lesson, the students will each make their own paper bag puppet and use these in a play/skit they will create. Creating puppets is a good way to engage the students especially at the grade one level. I think an assignment such as this would be more memorable for a student than if they simply read the book and answered a few questions. The group also discussed strategies used in their lesson. They included scaffolding, the creation of an inclusive classroom, and extensions that they could possibly use. Overall, I think the group did a good job.
I thought that this lesson was very engaging and would be really fun for students. I particularly liked the way the lesson is structured so that students can see their perception of what a princess, dragon, and prince are change from before to after reading. In this way the word wall was very effectively used! I also really liked the way the art element of the unit was made to be very useful! Often art is just something teachers throw in to please the students and to say they did art which is not always very motivating for students but the way this group made the art useful by making puppets for an eventual play would make this art project very motivating. This kind of lesson is a great way to introduce fractured fairytales to students and social lessons on stereotypes and how “you can’t read a book by its cover”. Very well done!
ReplyDeleteGroup three introduced us to an interactive lesson that focused on developing social and emotional learning through “envisioning words” and using puppets to act out a story. The lesson was based on Robert Munsch’s classic story, the Paper Bag Princess. Throughout the development of the lesson, the presenters worked on addressing the multiple intelligences by providing various opportunities for creative responses through visual art, drama, and discussion. By incorporating a variety of activities, I found this lesson to be a very effective cross-curricular approach to social and emotional learning. I was intrigued by the discussion about extending this lesson to explore gender role stereotypes. I think it would be interesting to compare and contrast the list of adjectives pertaining to the word “princess” that the students developed at the start of the lesson with a list that the students create after reading this story. I particularly liked this story because it moves away from the stereotypes portrayed in the traditional fairytales. One of the exceptional scenes that stood out to me occurs right after the slaying of the dragon. The princess stands over the defeated beast as the imprisoned prince, with flailing arms, calls out from an upper room in the dragon’s layer. Fantastic.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on this lesson!
I really liked the lesson idea that this group used. First, I think that the group did a great job at explaining their use of the story that they chose. The story goes against the traditional fairytale, which allows for great extensions to class discussions or further projects that can take place. The story also teaches a great deal about acceptance which is important to foster in children. In addition, the group showed the class what word walls may look like. Many primary classrooms use word walls so I feel that this lesson was beneficial as this is something that I can use in my classroom one day. Lastly, I really enjoyed looking at the paper bag puppets so I can just imagine how excited children would be to be able to make them and play with them. One thing I would have liked to see during the presentation was having the group model what a discussion about a word from the story might look like. For example, I know that discussion about the word could take place afterwards, but could it also happen during the reading? Overall, I think that the great did a great job at presenting a useful lesson.
ReplyDeleteGroup # 1
ReplyDeleteBrandi, Sharon, Kate, Rachel,
Your choice of the Paper Bag Princess was “spot” on for your activity. This book, with its push back against traditional stereotypes in literature, sets up the students well for coming up with their own imaginative ideas for the writing activity for this lesson. The use of the book as a starting point for the students to write their prequels and sequels is a fantastic idea. I think this will really gives the students a kick start with the creative process, and the book choice will encourage the kids to use some critical literacy in their own writing. I loved the inclusion of A/B partners in the first half of your lesson as I think they are a tremendous way to get students involved. With respect to A/B partners, the first time you called on a group, but then the next time you asked for volunteers. I think it can be effective if you don’t ask for volunteers but simply call on students. This can stop a few kids from dominating the conversation, as well as encouraging all students to be prepared as they may be called upon. Making the puppets would be a fun activity for the students, especially with the knowledge that they would be using them to act out their script, and I appreciated all the components of the language arts curriculum that you put into your lesson. Awesome job by all.
Kate, Rachel, Sharon and Brandi: Well done! I was so excited to see what you guys would do with this story (one of my favorites) and you didn't disappoint. I think the word wall was super useful and would help expand students' vocabulary. Introducing characterization like this will definately be advantagous to students in the later years of Language Arts and English. I was wondering what kind of extension activities you could see coming out of this lesson. Maybe writing a story from another character's point of view (what happens to Ronald after the Paper bag Princess dumps him? What does he do?) All in all, a solid presentation :) I love the fact that you incorporated other art forms (visual and dramatic into your lesson).
ReplyDeletePaper Bag Princess Group:
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the presentation and think there were a few areas that were really well done and explained. The idea of the word walls and the accompanying example was a well executed part of the lesson. I like the focus on adjectives and comparing characters. Word walls are an excellent teaching tool and I like how you incorporated it into the lesson. I liked how you asked the students to visualize the story, and how you highlighted the connection to aesthetic listening. This was a very connection to the textbook and what we learned in class. As discussed in class, this book would be great in a stereotype unit. The princess is not a stereotypical princess and also goes against the ‘norm’ of a fairy tale where the male usually rescues the female. This could spark a very interesting discussion. Overall, a job well done and a great choice of book!
The Paper Bag Princess is an all time favourite of mine so I loved this lesson! I really liked the activity where you have the students make the characters, a very nice tactile activity where students of all reading levels can demonstrate their understanding and vision of the characters. One of the aspects of this lesson that I really liked is the fact that the group touched upon the importance of social/emotional learning. We have talked about this a bit but I think it is extremely important to keep in mind when we are planning our lessons. I like the way the group also covered “pre-planning” of groups to ensure groups were diversified and could scaffold off of each other, but I was wondering what other adaptations could be made? Also, is there any prep that might benefit the teacher before going into the art lesson? (Ie: maybe previously set up stations where materials are readily available for students to go to? Just a thought!)
ReplyDeleteOverall a great lesson, well done!
I thought the introduction of this lesson, of asking us to close our eyes and imagine a princess, was great, especially because The Paperbag Princess challenges out ideas of a princess and femininity. I think that reading this book is a great way to induce the idea of gender roles in the classroom, especially because primary students are so young, a story such as this is a great way to engage them in a discussion. The activity of making puppets was creative and I think that my students would love that activity. The group was very prepared for their lesson and their excitement about it made got my attention and hooked me into listening.
ReplyDeleteThis group made a great choice in selecting the ‘Paper Bag Princess’ as their lesson’s resource. The PBP’s irreverent stance toward the fairy tale genre may stimulate the students’ imaginations as it offers characters closer to the realistic kids in their own worlds. The tale also allows for strong comparison activities like the one the group used well with their pre reading brainstorm for character description adjectives. Another effective decision made by this group was the inclusion of all 6 language arts. There was a balanced value placed on each of the arts as alternate means to explore the story’s world. Although the writing of the prequil or sequil script may be the most challenging part, the students could be motivated to accomplish this task by working toward the goal of bringing their ideas to life via the script enactment with their own newly created paper puppets. Including all LAs also means that each student will have competence in some aspect of the lesson and thus all will experience a sense of accomplishment and growth - the best source of motivation to continue learning. Well developed lesson.
ReplyDeleteMy first impression was that the Paper Bag Princess Story would primarily be associated with younger grades, teaching them about gender stereotypes, etc. While this is a valid point, a thought had occurred to me a few days ago that using this story may be a useful tool to merge with a social studies unit, specifically when the topic of female subordination of the past arises. It is an excellent way to highlight how women were branded with having to fulfill certain expectations and were treated unfairly if they did not live according to the established norm. Similarly, this story could be used to ignite a brainstorming session that discussing what other “norms” do we apply to different groups and individuals? Stereotyping is definitely an important topic to be covered regardless of the age of the particular students and can lead to many significant discussions and life lessons. How do we expect members of a certain ethnicity to behave? Do we expect everyone to be of the same socio-economic status? The Paper Bag Princess is an excellent way to lead into this topic and the presenting group did a marvellous way of highlighting this.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the different words on the word wall showed the power of words to vividly describe, define and at times label. It was interesting to notice how many words describing the paperbag princess were also on the list of typical descriptors for “prince”. I think this was one of the extension activities – discussing stereotypes, such as gender stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of putting on a puppet show with student-made puppets as a final stage to writing prequels or sequels because it gives more meaning and authenticity to all three assignments.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the focus of the lesson that your group chose on developing social and emotional learning. It is important for us, as teachers, to incorporate a variety of activities that not only promote academic learning but also, enhance different forms of learning including social, emotional, psychological, etc. I liked the idea of the word walls based on adjectives and the way you introduced word wall in your lesson to compare different characters (prince, princess, dragon) was great. The students making their own puppets and using them for a play was an interesting idea. It gives students a chance to celebrate and be proud of their own work. It was a great multi – level lesson incorporating multiple intelligences (visual, art, drama). Lastly, I specifically liked the story, because, it goes against the stereotypes described in traditional fairytale and moreover, encourages the class discussion or further lesson on stereotypes. Thanks for sharing the great ideas. Well done!
ReplyDeleteGroup 3
ReplyDeleteThis lesson incorporated various elements of the fine arts, as well as demonstrating how to move away from gender stereotyped vocabulary and adjectives. This lesson really caught my attention because of its focus on altering how we think of very gendered roles such as 'princess' or 'prince'. The Paper Bag Princess challenges gender roles by showing the princess as the rescuer and the prince as the person that needs to be rescued. This is an important lesson for children as they are very easily influenced to think of women as being helpless, and to see men as the dashing rescuers. I love the addition of the paper bag puppets and the play because they add a creative element to this lesson that will draw on the more artistically driven students. Great job to group three!
First of all, for this lesson I really appreciated the use of voice by the presenter reading the story. For all ages, especially smaller children, it is so important to use our voice effectively when reading. This means perhaps different voices for different characters, varied pacing, varied volume, and clear differentiation in our voice to imply what is going on. The individual who read the book did a good job of this and I don’t think it is something we should shrug off as a nice but not important skill; read-aloud is our children’s first exposure to reading and if we lose/bore them with monotone speech, then we are doing them and ELA a great disservice.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I really appreciated the group’s lesson plan incorporating many different types of opportunities for students to practice their own plays. This would be so helpful for nervous students, ELL’s, and for experience with the overall writing-editing process. Very well done.
Group 3:
ReplyDeleteI thought that this lesson plan was very well done. Having students create their own paper bag puppets representing the characters as they could have looked before and after the story is such a great idea because it allows visual and hands on learners to predict events in a hands on, imaginative and fun way. I like the idea of having students predict before and after events of a story. I think this gives students just enough structure for their writing so that they have an idea of where they should start their story but it allows for a lot of creativity in the events that they decide will take place. Finally, having students write scripts and using drama in your lesson made this lesson extremely dynamic and interesting as well as making it accessible to all types of learners.
Group 3: I liked how your group talked about the five stages of the writing process and focused on using adjectives. Having a word wall with adjectives and using those words to make a script was a great idea. It reinforces understanding and comprehension when students are able to use words in context. Your group also found a great way to tie in visual arts and drama into the language arts lesson by having the students make puppets. I can totally see that the kids would have a lot of fun playing with the puppets, extending beyond the classroom. I think that putting on puppet shows would help develop their understanding of voice and perspective, along with being able to organize their thoughts to narrate a story. Additionally, using the book The Paper Bag Princess encourages students to think outside the realm of stereotypes' for example, to understand that not all princess need to be saved – extending that thinking to realizing that people can have different traits and roles, regardless of gender or race. Great selection of book! Thanks for providing this creative lesson!
ReplyDeleteGroup 3: Brandi, Sharon, Kate and Rachel
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I loved your choice to base your lesson on The Paper Bag Princess. This book is great because it challenges gender stereotypes, and allows children to see an unconventional princess. It is important for the teacher to offer a variety of books that have non-traditional characters, so that children can recognize that there is not just one way to be a boy or a girl. I thought that your question to activate the students’ prior knowledge about princess was a great starting point for the lesson. If the students can make a list of common princess traits, then it will be easier to see how they contrast with the Paper bag princess. Your group also provided good examples for how you would assess the students, as well as the rationale behind your lesson. I like that you pre-planned the groups because that takes all students’ needs into account. I also liked that you used puppets; they were creative, and a good cross-curricular activity. In a later activity, the students could use the puppets in a reader’s theatre activity and act out scenes from The Paper Bag Princess as well.
Brandi, Sharon, Kate and Rachel,
ReplyDeleteGood job girls! You definitely created a very dynamic, creative and engaging lesson plan. There was a wide variety of activities throughout your lesson that focused on developing children’s critical literacy by reinforcing their aesthetic listening, writing and prediction skills. In addition to this, students have the opportunity to apply their comprehension skills both individually and cooperatively with other classmates while building community values. I liked that before you actually read the book aloud to the students you have encouraged them to think about the main words on the story and further expand their meaning by generating words that describe them, ultimately creating an extensive word wall. This is definitely a simple, yet very valuable way to introduce any book to the students. ESL and learning disabled students will greatly benefit from this method as it will potentially amplify their vocabulary knowledge and writing fluency. Another aspect that I loved from your lesson was the creation of a play using paper bag puppets designed and created by the students themselves. What a lovely idea! Having different visual examples for the students to see and explore will definitely engage them and encourage them to provide good quality work. Aside from incorporating great art work into your lesson, I liked that you have included collaborative work in the making of the play, where every student is assigned a different role through the use of the popsicle sticks. This just shows how imaginative and creative your lesson came to be. Well done
Group Three – The Paper Bag Princess
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved that this group based their lesson on another Robert Munch book! Every child loves Robert Munch, or so I would hope. I really like the idea of having the students create scripts/plays and then use paper bag puppets to perform! This seemed like so much fun to me and I would love to incorporate into a classroom someday. I thought it was very effective that the group took the time to make their own paper bag puppets – they were really well done. I also liked the initial brainstorming of adjectives related to the story such as princess and prince. As a student I thought a lot about how we immediately think of stereotypical adjectives. There are many different directions this lesson can go. I think introducing students to stereotypes in elementary school will definitely open their minds to thinking critically and a little more outside the box.
Sonja wrote:
ReplyDeleteGroup three-
“Paper Bag Princess”- This is a wonderful book so I was very excited to see it being used in a lesson plan. I continued to enjoy the presentation as the group talked about character stereotypes. The word wall was an excellent addition to the vocabulary enhancement, and the group did a great job of keeping us engaged throughout. I appreciated their use of art in this lesson. There is no better way to generate excitement about a story and characters than to incorporate visual and dramatic arts into a lesson plan. Well done!