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Downriver! Podcast

Big6 #1 Task Definition

Big6 #2 Information
Seeking Strategies

Big6 #3 Location &
Access

Big6 #4 Use of
Information

Big6 #5 Synthesis/
Creation

Big6 #6 Evaluation

Big6 #1 Task Definition

Essential Question: How can we provide listeners with a response to literature as outlined in our standards?

ELA8W2. The student demonstrates competence in a variety of genres.

The student produces a response to literature that:

a. Engages the reader by establishing a context, creating a speaker’s voice, or otherwise

developing reader interest.

b. Demonstrates an understanding of the literary work.

c. Supports a judgment through references to the text and personal knowledge.

d. Justifies interpretations through sustained use of examples and textual evidence

from the literary work.

e. Supports a judgment through references to the text, references to other works,

authors, or non-print media, or references to personal knowledge.

f. Produces a judgment that is interpretive, analytic, evaluative, or reflective

(orally, graphically, in writing).

g. Anticipates and answers a reader’s questions.

h. Provides a sense of closure to the writing.

Partner and Class Discussion Questions (handouts): Turn the above elements into questions. Example: "How can we engage the reader by establishing a context, creating a speaker's voice, or otherwise developing reader interest?"

Big6 #2 Information Seeking Strategies

What resources will you need to create a complete response to Downriver for podcast listeners (see above questions)? Here are a few suggestions:

Downriver - by Will Hobbs (official website)
Grand Canyon National Park Website
Novelist Book Reviews on GALILEO - Downriver
Novelist Book Talk - Downriver (GALILEO)
Literary Reference Center: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zblr
Teachers at Random (a teacher guide to DownRiver)
River Thunder - Hobbs (sequel - Ms. Pals will provide in class)
Audacity 1.2.6 download - free (please ask parent permission)
www.flashkit.com - royalty free sound loops
What additional resources/information will my podcast team need? Think ahead!

- Need password at home

Big6 #3 Location & Access

Locate sources and access the information within them.

Keyword advice: when searching GALILEO/Google, put "Will Hobbs" in quotation marks to keep his name together and reduce hits!
Remember to be careful of your sources. Your podcast subscribers will expect for you to include quality information and sources from experts.

Big6 #4 Use of Information

How will my team record and organize the information we need for our podcast? Can we create a graphic organizer?

How will we give credit to our sources in our podcast?

Big6 #5 Synthesis/Creating

Collect information from all of your sources and CREATE!

How can we creatively share our information with our listening audience?
How will we share the presentation responsibilities equally?
How will we organize our information to be exciting, moving, and meaningful (but stay on topic)?
What creative strategies could my team use to "illustrate" the answers to our questions? (How can we make our information come alive?)

Big6 #6 Evaluation

SELF-CHECK! Before giving your presentation, please have your team review the podcasting rubric below:

Rubric

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Ideas	Podcast excellently covers a complete oral response to literature as outlined in the standards.	Podcast covers a complete oral response to literature as outlined in the standards.	Podcast provides a basic oral response to literature as outlined in the standards.	Podcast lacks a basic oral response to literature as outlined in the standards.
Organization	Podcast has an introduction and a clearly structured body of content followed by a brief summary. Extremely well planned to flow smoothly.	Podcast has an introduction, a body of content and a summary. Lacks flow from beginning to end.	Podcast is missing an element, making understanding difficult.	Podcast is not organized and is hard to follow.
Style/Voice	The speaker reads in a calm and appealing voice, enunciation is clear, and the flow of narration is uninterrupted.	The speaker reads in a calm voice, enunciation is mostly clear, and the narration may have pauses or slight interruption.	The speaker reads in a rushed or broken-up style. Some words are difficult to understand; the narration has distracting elements.	The speaker does not clearly enunciate; words are rushed or interrupted with coughing or laughter.
Presentation	The presentation is professional sounding, exciting, and appealing. Technical effects and production devices enhance the content and do not detract from the presentation.	The presentation is professional sounding and appealing. Most technical effects and production devices enhance the content and do not detract from the presentation.	The presentation is somewhat unprofessional. Technical effects and production devices sometimes distract the listener from the content.	The presentation is not professional. Technical effects and production devices distract the listener from the content.

Tech troubleshooting tips:

To save a sound loop on FlashKit at school, remember to click directly on the mp3 download link (we can't right-click/save at school). Open the sound loop in Windows Media Player, hover your mouse over the top of the menu, select File/Save As, and download mp3 to your H:drive folder.
To save your project as a "Project File," save to desktop and copy/paste both the podcast file folder AND the project file (2 items). Remember to use the CTRL key at the bottom left of your keyboard to select more than one item to copy!
Before logging off, we recommend that you try to pull your project up on Audacity from your H:drive. If you get an error message, you have saved incorrectly - see Ms. Pals!!!

MODIFIED by Jennifer Bray and Lindy Pals, Jefferson Middle School