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Author's Note: I was
very pleased to see Fran's indication that Mobius is appropriate for grades
1-12. Ideally the self-help the book promotes would be encountered at an
early age. However, if it isn't, it continues to be valuable in later years. Mobius may be enjoyed at many different levels; pictorially, a simple
child's story, self discovery, appreciation for our own unique abilities,
philosophy, science, and inter activity.
I have avoided magic, fantasy, religion, ethnicity, and color. It is my
belief Mobius can be of real value to many children. |
Integrating Writing,
Reading, Math, and Art
Grade
Level: Appropriate
for 1-12 grades with adaptations.
Purpose:
This activity emphasizes
writing skills while integrating reading, math, and art. An added benefit to
reading this book is the resounding theme of self-discovery and
self-acceptance. I found that my fourth- grade students wrote longer stories
for this activity. Moreover, they remained involved and enthusiastic until
the end of the project.
Materials: Copy of
the book, The Journey of Mobius and Sidh, by Mark Kashino, pencils,
crayons or colored pencils, paper strips of unlined paper measuring
approximately 2-1/2 inches x 30 inches (adding machine tape works), scotch
tape. Laminate the strips after the students have completed them. Wipe off
markers or wipe off crayons.
Meeting
the writing content standards:
5.0
Students write a variety of texts
that inform, persuade, describe, evaluate, or tell a story and are
appropriate to purpose and audience.
6.0
Students write with a clear focus
and logical development, evaluating, revising, and editing for organization,
style, tone, and word choice.
7.0
Students write using standard
English grammar, usage, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.
Procedure:
- Lead
a discussion appropriate to your grade level about journeys.
Primary students may have to define the word, journey. Prepare the
students to listen to a story about a journey.
- Read
the book, The Journey of Mobius and Sidh, to the students.
They will be able to identify with some of the same feelings as Mobius.
Discuss the story summarizing, making inferences regarding character's
traits, and identifying the author's purpose. Use any strategies necessary
for the students' comprehension.
-
Gather materials and prepare for the writing process.
You may want to wait until later or the next day to begin the writing
process. I waited another day and then had the students retell the story
using the Mobius strip and marker. I had the strip put together
beforehand. We used a corner of a desk to support the strip as we moved it
along. A student controlled the marker as we retold the story by pictures
on the strip. Retelling the story using the Mobius strip intrigued the
students. We then had a discussion about the mathematician, August
Ferdinand Mobius, his discovery, and how to make a Mobius strip. I
reassured the students that they would be making their own Mobius strips
for their stories upon completion.
-
Brainstorming ideas for their own writing is the next step.
We did this, but
the students were not limited to patterning their story after the book.
Some did, some did not. However, it seemed that the natural progression of
this story led them to write longer stories.
-
Continue the writing process.
Writing the first draft, revising, editing and proofreading, and
publishing took us a few weeks to complete.
- Make
Mobius strips to retell their stories.
I think this was an incentive to write a longer story, also. They wanted
to fill up that Mobius strip with illustrations! I cut butcher paper into
strips measuring 2-1/2 inches x 30 inches. We taped the ends together after
giving one end a half twist (180 degrees) before they started
illustrating. This helped them keep their place as they worked. We marked
off a small section near the tape that would not have any illustrations,
so that we could cut it apart for laminating.
- Share
the writing.
Some of the students read their stories to the principal, the class, or
other people at our school before taking them home. All, especially the
principal, were quite impressed. They were also invited to share them at
the Young Author's Conference.
Assessment:
The books could be scored
according to The Six Traits of Writing, or a teacher created rubric.
Thank You Fran
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