English

= = =Content Area: English/Language Arts =

Curriculum Standard:
Benchmark: Writing Processes ** Indicators: Prewriting 1. Generate writing ideas through discussions with others and from printed material, and keep a list of writing ideas. 2. Conduct background reading, interviews or surveys when appropriate. 4. Determine a purpose and audience. 5. Use organizational strategies (e.g., rough outlines, diagrams, maps, webs and Venn diagrams) to plan writing.
 * Sixth Grade Language Arts

Drafting, Revising and Editing 6. Organize writing, beginning with an introduction, body and a resolution of plot, followed by closing statement or a summary of important ideas and details. 7. Vary simple, compound and complex sentence structures. 8. Group related ideas into paragraphs, including topic sentences following paragraph form, and maintain a consistent focus across paragraphs. 9. Vary language and style as appropriate to audience and purpose. 10. Use available technology to compose text. 11. Reread and analyze clarity of writing. 12. Add and delete information and details to better elaborate on a stated central idea and to more effectively accomplish purpose. 13. Rearrange words, sentences and paragraphs, and add transitional words and phrases to clarify meaning. 14. Use resources and reference materials (e.g., dictionaries and thesauruses) to select more effective vocabulary. 15. Proofread writing, edit to improve conventions (e.g., grammar, spelling, punctuation and capitalization) and identify and correct fragments and run-ons. 16. Apply tools (e.g., rubric, checklist and feedback) to judge the quality of writing. 17. Prepare for publication (e.g., for display or for sharing with others) writing that follows a format appropriate to the purpose, using such techniques as electronic resources, principles of design (e.g., margins, tabs, spacing and columns) and graphics (e.g., drawings, charts and graphs) to enhance the final product.

Indicators: 1. Write narratives that maintain a clear focus and point of view and use sensory details and dialogue to develop plot, characters, and a specific setting.
 * Benchmark: Writing Applications **

**Benchmark: Writing Conventions ** Indicators:  1. Spell frequently misspelled and high-frequency words correctly. 2. Use commas, end marks, apostrophes and quotation marks correctly. 4. Use correct capitalization.

Technology:
Students will use wikis, created on wikispaces.com, to create an adventure story. A sample of the wiki page is located at http://makeyourownadventurestory.wikispaces.com/.

Description:[[image:adventurepic.jpg width="240" height="320" align="right"]]
Students will read //The Golden Path Volume I: Into the Hollow Earth// by Anson Montgomery. This book is an updated version of the popular Choose Your Own Adventure books and was written for children ages 10 and up. The class will discuss how the reader becomes an active participant in the story and the various techniques that the author used to create suspense and action.

Students will then work in groups of four to write their own adventure story. The stories will follow the principles of the Choose Your Own Adventure books and will offer multiple plot lines and endings. The stories will be created on a wiki and group members will work collaboratively to create the story and edit each other’s work.

In the article entitled //A Call for Collaboration//, the author discusses the benefits of wikis and other Web 2.0 tools. The article, published in the May 2009 edition of District Administration, makes a strong case for using Web 2.0 technology to promote collaboration and enhance student learning. In addition, the author discusses how these technologies promote 21st Century Skills in the classroom.

APA citation: Vogel, C. (2009). A Call for Collaboration. //District Administration//, //45//(5), 22-25. Retrieved October > 27, 2009 from @http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ839589&site=ehost-live. 

Tried and True or New and Innovative:
Using wikis for a collaborative writing project is new and innovative. Although wikis have been around for many years, educators are just now discovering the educational uses of the technology.

Credits: This lesson is a modified version of a lesson plan found on the ReadWriteThink Website (http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=128).

//The Golden Path: Into the Hollow Earth// image retrieved from @http://www.cyoa.com/templates/webStore_1column_noHeader.php?pageid=22.