Digital Reading Workshop

Using Digital Bins to Teach Text Evidence, Mood, Multiple Perspectives, Symbolism, and Theme

[Notes from a session with Sonja Cherry-Paul & Dana Johansen]

Authors of Take it to the Text and Talk Back

What are Digital Bins?

• A "bin" is a "living folder" filled with links and documents

Links connect to...

• YouTube.com
• photographs
• videos
• music
• primary source documents
• advertisements, etc.

When to Use Digital Bins?

• Reading Units:
• Historical Fiction
• Realistic Fiction
• Nonfiction
• Poetry, etc...
• Constructing Interpretations About:
• Figurative Language
• Mood, Tone, & Atmosphere
• Multiplie Perspectives
• Symbolism
• Theme, etc..

Sample Digital Bin: Mood

Folders: Pictures, Video Clips, Music

Files: Mood/Atmosphere Word List.doc, Guiding Questions.doc

Access:

Think about flash drives as a digital bin. Kids can come get the bin.

Think about Google Drive bins.

Think about just letting bins live on your classroom computers.

Interpreting the Mood 

Using a digital text:

• What do you see? Be detailed and descriptive.
• What do you think is happening?
• What are your initial reactions?
• Why do you feel this way?
• What questions do you have?
• What might be the purpose of this text?

What do you see?

I see a crowd of fans cheering, maybe after a win. They are all wearing red-possibly their team's color. They are coming together at a sporting event. 

What do you think is happening?

I think they are celebrating a win.

What are your initial reactions?

They seem very happy.

Why do you feel this way?

I can't really see their faces in detail, but their hands are raised in a way I've seen before at sporting events.

What questions do you have?

What are they doing with their hands?

What might be the purpose of this text?

To illustrate a report of a sporting event

How might you describe the mood of the text?

Jovial

Types of Text Evidence

Clues about the mood?

• facial expressions
• gestures/actions
• posture
• lighting colors
• setting description

Helpful to provide students with a Mood Word List (sorted by positive and negative)

Mood Bin: Video Clip (Mulan)

Text Evidence:
Characters' Actions
Weather
Setting
Lighting Time of Day
Characters' Emotions

Mood Bin: Song Lyrics

"Touch the Sky" by Julie Fowlis

When the cold wind is calling
And the sky is clear and bright
Misty mountains sing and beckon,
"Lead me out into the light"

I will ride, I will fly
Chase the wind and touch the sky
I will fly
Chase the wind and touch the sky

Where dark woods hide secrets
And mountains are fierce and bold
Deep waters hold reflections
Of times lost long ago

I will hear their every story
Take hold of my own dream
Be as strong as the seas are stormy
And proud as an eagle's scream

I will ride, I will fly
Chase the wind and touch the sky
I will fly
Chase the wind and touch the sky

And touch the sky
Chase the wind, chase the wind
Touch the sky

Text Evidence:

characters' actions

chocies/decisions

figurative language 

setting

weather

lighting/time of day

Mood Bin: Novel

Multiple Perspectives Sample Digital Bin

Guiding Questions:
-What/Who do you see?

-What do you think is happening?

-What are your initial reactions?
-Why do you feel this way?
-What questions do you have?
-What might be the purpose of this text?
-Describe the different perspectives in this text.

-Is there a perspective that is missing?

Multiple Perspectives Bin: Video

1.  

   Captive Killer Whale Debate

   • by 4theOrcas
   • 1 year ago
   • 478 views

   Educate yourselves. Make an opinion.

   • HD

Text Evidence:

Opinions

Feelings

Rationale (Examples, Facts, Research, Observations)

What people say and do (Dialogue and actions)

Multiple Perspectives: Another Video and Point of View

Multiple Perspectives: Website
PBS Fontline Website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/whales/debate/

Use a graphic organizer to collect evidence to later support their claims for a persuasive writing unit

Think through different lenses:

Symbolism Sample Digital Bin
Photographs, Advertisements, Logos
Videos such as Pixar's "La Luna"

1.  

   La Luna Pixar short film full disney

   • by Alberto Hernández
   • 3 weeks ago
   • 12,609 views

   pixar short film La Luna de disney.

   • HD

Song lyrics

Types of Symbols List

Theme Sample Digital Bin
Think about a birthday party. Often they have a theme.
*A thread that runs through a text and provokes an emotional response in the reader.

Photos by Louis Hine

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Lewis Hine

Photographer

Lewis Wickes Hine was an American sociologist and photographer. Hine used his camera as a tool for social reform. His photographs were instrumental in changing the child labor laws in the United States.Wikipedia

Born: September 26, 1874, Oshkosh, WI

Died: November 3, 1940, Dobbs Ferry, NY

Period: Social realism

Artwork: Power house mechanic working on steam pump, More

Education: New York University, Columbia University, University of Chicago

List of Themes

Push kids to increase the sophistication of identified theme. They can't ALL be about friendship.

Text Evidence:
Looking for patterns in...
Actions
Thoughts, Decisions, realizations
lessons learned
obstacles
turning points
changes from the beginning to the end
triumphs
symbolism
multiple perspectives