Context:

I wrote this multi-text study as a requirement for my RE 4030 class.  It is written for fifth grade students.  The main novel is Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata.  To launch the unit I found the informational text, Japan, A True Book, by Ann Heinrichs  This text will help the students to understand the character's cultural background.  The study includes five activities that engage students in the literary elements of setting, plot, conflict, theme, and characterization.  There is also an activity to help the students learn vocabulary words included in the main novel.  To end the study the students would complete a Web Quest about Japan and the internment camps the Japanese were forced to live in. 

Impact:

This study would impact students in a variety of ways. They would gain practice writing, organizing, proof reading, editing and typing different assignments, meeting fifth grade language arts standards 4.05, 4.06, 4.09, 5.05, 5.06, 5.06, and 5.08.  This study would also help increase their reading and writing vocabulary because they would be reading, writing a looking up a variety of different things.  This meets fifth grade language arts standards 1.01, 1.03, and 1.04.  Students would also gain experience discussing and working with the literary elements of the novel through the five activities I have created, character sketch, create a post card, double entry diary, newspaper, and a poem for two voices.  These meet fifth grade language arts standards 2.02, 2.03, 2.04, 2.08, and 3.01.  Many of the five activities also meet fifth grade art standard 1.01 because I have them create something to represent the literary element using their imagination.  Students will also meet fifth grade technology standards 2.07, 2.08, and 2.10 because they will be typing many of the activities in the computer lab.

Writing the multi-text study has also impacted me greatly. I have learned many different ways to teach literary elements and by doing this I now understand them greatly.  I have also been able to see what kinds of things need to be included in a multi-text study.

 Alignment:

I have met standard 1 indicator 3 by using a novel that is historical fiction written by a Japanese women author.  This novel is geared toward young adults but I also used works written for children in the multi-text study.

I have met standard 1 indicator 5 by making sure that my activities build on what they would have learned/read from the novel or from what I would have taught them in class.

I have met standard 1 indicator 6 by creating an activity that asks students to compare the theme to their life or relate it to their feelings.

I have met standard 1 indicator 7 by creating a vocabulary activity from a recent novel.

I have met standard 1 indicator 8 by relaying the importance of grammar in every activity I created.

I have met standard 8 indicator 3 by creating activities that encourage students to think critically about what they write and read.

I have met standard 8 indicator 4 by creating activities that are enjoyable and related to a novel.

I have met standard 8 indicator 5 by providing students with opportunities to uses different genres of writing and speaking to a variety of audiences.  They will create a newspaper, poem, postcard, description, and a diary entry.  All of these are different genres of writing and speak to different types of audiences.

I have me standard 8 indicator 6 by writing all of my instructions to the activities in standard English.