Lesson I
An Integrated Lesson for the ABE I Classroom
"The Newspaper as a Learning Tool"
Materials Needed:
Aesop's Fable "the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" (available on-line)
Newspaper-Horoscopes (available on-line)
5X7 Note Cards
FlipChart/Blackboard
Blank calendar (provided)
Internet Access (optional)
Engagement-pre-reading:
Predictions are an important part of this integrated lesson. The teacher will read Aesop's Fable: "the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" At the line: He completely deceived the shepherd....the reading will stop and the participants will be asked to predict what will happen next. After the class discusses the possibilities they offer the fable will be finished. Comparing the fable ending and their predictions becomes a bridge to the predictions of astrologers. * See "Technology Integration" for Aesop's Fables available on-line.
Whole Learning Activity:
The teacher will read her horoscope to the class. Since these reading passages are short each horoscope will be read twice. The teacher will ask the students to listen and read/follow silently along with her words. Any unfamiliar words will be added to the "day's word list." This will be a large group activity that encourages listening and speaking. Using the teacher's horoscope as the public example should alleviate possible embarrassment of using a student example. Horoscopes can be revealing to some and embarrassing to many. They can also be fun and that is an important component to our classrooms. * See "Technology Integration" for horoscopes available on-line.
Word Study:
Creating "horoscope" Logos. Each student will be provided a 5x7 blank note card at the beginning of the day for the introduction activity. On this card they will respond to: 1. First name 2. Their favorite season 3. Favorite color 4. Favorite sport or recreation. This will be the beginning of a cooperative learning activity that use the paired experience to begin small group work.
The students will exchange cards and introduce their partner at the beginning of the class. One or two minutes for their discussion should be provided. At the end of the activity each student will get their card back from their partner. These cards will then be used on the reverse side to create an original design or copy the symbols of their horoscope sign. The name of their sign should also be copied somewhere on the card as well.
Employability Skills:
"Comparison Shopping" Each student will be given a copy of two different astrologer's prediction for the day. It is suggested that this be a "paired activity" re-introducing the original introduction pairs. This could be an excellent place to use teaching assistants, volunteer tutors. Should this not be feasible the teacher could read each of the pairs of horoscopes that apply to students in the class. Based upon language, message, "good news/bad news" and tone the students will make a decision on the astrologer of their choice. Being able to make informed choice with reasoning is a vital skill in life and the workplace. The teacher should illustrate this point using personal experiences. Modeling through human experience will demonstrate the value of reasoning and choice making. It is of course important to speak to consequences of choice as well.
Math Activity:
After the "employability skills" activity the number of participants that chose Joyce Jillson will be compared to the number choosing Sydney Omar. The horoscope preference data will be explained as a fraction using manipulatives and a bar graph. The teacher will call for their votes and then guide the students as they view and touch their class information.
Note: A spreadsheet program can be used here to compare numbers and chart responses.
Individual Activity:
The students will chart their astrologer's prophecy compared to their actual day for one week. Each student will design their symbol for good and not so good that will be used in the chart. This week activity could be extended to a month should students have interest. A blank calendar is available in your packet to chart responses. * See "Technology Integration" for a blank calendar available on-line.
Note: A spreadsheet program can be used here to compare numbers and chart responses.
Technology Integration:
The Virtual Teaching and Learning Community Movable Feast page has a blank calendar (link) available to print and use.
On-line resources are as follows:
Aesop's Fables
http://www.pacificnet.net/~johnr/aesop/aesopsel.html
On-line collection of Aesop's Fables.
Easy Scopes
http://www.easyscopes.com/main.html
Fast and easy access to horoscopes and astrology information - all sorted by your zodiac sign. Click-through statistics.
Dancing Wind over Water Astrology
http://www.mhtc.net/~oakwind/dwwa/resources.html
This site offers a wide variety of resources from astrology online, charts, horoscopes, humorscopes, to astrology magazines.
Swoon.com
http://www.swoon.com
Swoon gives you astrology sign profiles,horoscopes, and even tells you what signs you're compatible with. It's fun,well-designed, and even has a horoscope subscription service.
Cosmic Critters
http://www.cosmiccritters.com
Check this site out - you won't believe it until you see it! Pet astrology is becoming a big (albeit odd) trend, so this site features pet horoscopes (choose "dog lovers" or "cat lovers") as well as the astro-profiles for every sign.
The Core Sign Astrology Website
http://www.visionol.net/~coresign
This site features an online astrology course for those interested in departing from "traditional" astrology. There are free basic courses, and more advanced courses will only set you back ten bucks.
Astrology: Planets, Signs, Houses, by Michael Star
http://home.istar.ca/~starman/teach-a2.shtml
"Teach Yourself Astrology" -The Language of Astrology: Symbols, Patterns, and Forms. Learn astrology: how astrologers interpret horoscopes using astrological symbolism.
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