Motivate to Read
- Simon Vibe Grevsen
- Vejle Midtby Skole, Vejle – Denmark
Introduction | What is it about:
The project is designed for a 6.th grade, and the aim is to create a more inspiring PLC (School library), and therethrough to motivate kids from 1st. to 5th. grade to read more. Who is it for (age group): From 5-6th grade and up. Short outline of what will happen during the course/project (teaser): The goal for the students is to learn to “read” a room and its functions, and come up with alternative ideas. To help discover and define a problem, and through a scaffold design process, to come up with their own version of an augmented solution. After a field study at the school library and an ideation phase, the students will create a new way to look at and to use the library. You can either make the products that we ended up doing, or you can take your students through the whole process and see what designs and ideas YOUR students will come up with. Link to other subjects: Craft and design, language. |
Pre-knowledge
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What knowledge do you expect form your students at the start of the project? (Soft skills, knowledge, attitude):
It would be recommended if the students have some knowledge about the technologies that they will be using. We ended up using laser cutter and vinyl cutter. But you could do the project with other – or without technologies. |
Learning goals
· Soft skills (21st century skills?) · Knowledge (theoretical skills) · Practical skills |
The goal for the students is to learn to “read” a room and it’s functions, and come up with alternative ideas. To help discover and define a problem, and through a scaffold design process, to come up with their own version of an augmented solution. |
Time | Amount of lessons + minutes per lesson (i.e. 7 lessons of 50 minutes):
We spend 18 lessons of 45 minutes – again it depends on the use and the pre-knowledge of the technologies. |
Assessment | How will the students be graded (what instrument will you use?):
The students will be implementing their work at the library and there through receive feedback from both students, teacher and the librarian. We had no other assessment for the course. |
Resources | Human (how many teachers/assistants are needed)
Facilities (what do you need in terms of rooms, equipment etc) For a whole class it would be nice to have an assistant with you. The assistant could be a student that knows the technologies well. |
Materials/machines | We used laser cutter and vinyl cutter. It could also be made without the use of technologies. |
Lesson 1-2
Introduction
Brief description of what the lesson is about |
The design brief – Class conversation. The students were told that they had to help solve a real problem. The national tests in reading, shows that our students don’t read as much as they should. We want to help other students to read more by creating a more inspiring atmosphere in the school library. We have also just worked with the UN’s 17 sustainable goals, so this would also be a way for them to contribute to the goal “Better education”.
The students were “forced” into the learning pit, to try to define the concept of reading. Through different activities they came up with the definition “understanding symbols and signs”. The time they spend in the learning pit, they talked about things like “reading a situation, reading body language, can you choose NOT to read?, can you read a symbol?, can you read a language you don’t understand?”.
They also had to do an experiment about finding a book that they would like to read. It had to be a book that they didn’t knew exist. They had to look for things that helped them find the book and also come up with things that could have helped/inspired them if the library were different.
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Time
Amount of lessen + minutes per lesson (i.e. 2 lessons of 50 minutes) |
2 lessons of 45 min. |
Phase of the DBL model | Design brief and Field study |
Lesson goals/design output
What will the students have achieved after this lesson? For instance: the student will have 12 new ideas |
To understand the design brief.
To have a wide understanding of the concept of reading. To have done some field studies at the library.
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Activity
Description of what the students will be doing |
See Google slide 1-8
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Materials
Overview of what materials needed (also think about powerpoints etc)
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Projector
PC Access to the library Mobile phones |
Learning goals
· Soft skills (21st century skills?) · Knowledge (theoretical skills) · Practical skills
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To understand a problem and break it down to smaller pieces.
To define a wide concept, like “reading” – what is it? What does it mean? To do a field study of a room and analyze its functions. To collect data. |
Extra
Challenges and help you can provide students with who are either faster or slower than average |
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Tips from an expert
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Spend all the time needed for the class-discussion about “what is reading”. It sounds simple but if you succeed in expanding their experience of the word and the concept of reading, you will see that in all of their work throughout the process. Challenge their definitions! |
Lesson 3-7
Introduction
Brief description of what the lesson is about |
In the field study, it became clear to several of the students that they were missing some visual help to find books at the library. They also thought it was easier and faster to read symbols rather than words.
These lessons are about moving from words to simple easy to read icon, and how to implement them in the library.
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Time
Amount of lessen + minutes per lesson (i.e. 2 lessons of 50 minutes) |
2-4 lessons |
Phase of the DBL model | Ideation |
Lesson goals/design output
What will the students have achieved after this lesson? For instance: the student will have 12 new ideas |
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Activity
Description of what the students will be doing |
See Google slide 9-17
Activity 1) To give their products some kind of content, that were linked to literature that they have read throughout their school time from 1st. to 6th. grade, we did a brainstorm. The idea was to give them content that they could put into a visual effect/product as a part of the solution. A common data bank where everyone could pick ideas from.
Activity 2) Pick either a book , an author or a character from our data bank, and draw something that could be a visual inspiration. You can think in book covers, silhouettes, quotes or something complete different. Share your drawing in a group and give each other feedback. In the feedback focus on:
Choose the best idea in the group and present it for the class in a short pitch.
In class – we choose the one idea we would like to go with – it can be a combination of several ideas. We will do ideation on the idea till we come up with a clear idea of a product.
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Materials
Overview of what materials needed (also think about powerpoints etc)
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Paper, pencils, PC’s to search for icons and inspiration, Projector for the Google Slide |
Learning goals
· Soft skills (21st century skills?) · Knowledge (theoretical skills) · Practical skills
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To come up with creative ideas and solutions.
Being able to give and receive feedback to/from other students. Creating icons that simplifies more or less complicated content. |
Extra
Challenges and help you can provide students with who are either faster or slower than average |
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Tips from an expert
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Make sure they take pictures of everything. Field studies, ideations and so on. It would also be nice if the students had a logbook – in that way they will have some reflections from their entire process, which is really nice in the last reflection phase. |
Lesson 8-18
Introduction
Brief description of what the lesson is about |
We will split up the fabrication into two different tasks and divided the students into groups of 2-3 persons. The groups worked on either the vinyl cutter or the laser cutter.
If you have come up with different ideas the rest of the lesson plan is only for inspiration.
The Vinylcutter project: The group on the vinylcutter will be working on dots for the floor that will lead visitors in the library in the right direction. The dots will create 3 lines on the floor, placed in the shape of a fan. 1.st line: Will lead the visitors to the left, finding nonfiction literature. Inside the dots there will be words like “Travel”, “Sports”, “History” ect. 2.nd line: Will lead the visitors straight ahead, finding small children’s books. Because the youngest students can’t read yet, the dots will show small pictures of characters from children’s books like “Winnie the Pooh”, “Peter Pan” ect. 3.rd line: Will lead the visitors to the right, finding fiction. The dots here will say things like “Harry potter”, “Lord of the rings”, “Robinson Crusoe” ect.
The laser cutter project: The groups working on the laser cutter, will create symbols and icon in acrylic and wood to place between the books on the shelves. The idea is that all these figures is sticking out of the books in the whole library, helping visitors to quickly navigate through themes and well known book series. The laser cut icons will be placed mainly in the nonfiction and the fiction section. In the nonfiction section there will be icons like “a globe” between the books about countries, “an elephant” between the animal books etc. In the fiction section there will be small silhouettes of book characters.
After the fabrication the students will be implementing their work in the library and receiving feedback from student users, teachers and the librarian and reflect upon their work and the process.
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Time
Amount of lessen + minutes per lesson (i.e. 2 lessons of 50 minutes) |
10 lessons |
Phase of the DBL model | Fabrication, Argumentation and Reflection |
Lesson goals/design output
What will the students have achieved after this lesson? For instance: the student will have 12 new ideas |
Moving from analog design through digitalization to physical products.
Finishing their products and placing them in the library.
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Activity
Description of what the students will be doing |
See Google slide 18-19 |
Materials
Overview of what materials needed (also think about powerpoints etc)
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Plywood, acrylic, vinyl, laser cutter, vinyl cutter, PC’s, Projector |
Learning goals
· Soft skills (21st century skills?) · Knowledge (theoretical skills) · Practical skills
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Moving from analog design through digitalization to physical products.
Drawing vector. Operating vinyl cutter and laser cutter. |
Extra
Challenges and help you can provide students with who are either faster or slower than average |
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Tips from an expert
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Make sure that everyone has a role in the fabrication phase. Don’t let only one student in the group do all the vector-drawing or managing the machines. Let them challenge them self and let the students teach each other – peer to peer. |