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Cyberlesson for the 4th Grade by The Pleasant Street School CyberTeam 2010-2011 =__How Many Days To America? A Thanksgiving Story || || || How Many Days to America?: A Thanksgiving Story ||__=

Illustrated by Beth Peck
//Refugees from a Caribbean island embark on a dangerous boat trip to America where they have a special reason to celebrate Thanksgiving.//

== Part 1 =Introduction:= Often, when we think of pilgrims, this is the image that pops into our minds. These brave men, women and children crossed the Atlantic Ocean to find a land where they could have religious freedom. That land turned out to be America. You see, before that, they were forced by their government to all go to the same kind of church.

Did you know that there are governments in different countries that are forcing people to do things, or say things, or believe in things that they don't want to ~ even now!?!

Many people from all around the world want to come to America. It may have //begun// with the original Pilgrims but it has continued as long as our country has existed. It continues today! Take a virtual tour of Ellis Island, a famous stop for immigrants in the early 1900's by clicking on the following:

[]

Think about why people want to come to America. What does America offer that is so important that people would risk their lives to get here? =Materials:=
 * __How Many Days to America?__ by Eve Bunting
 * Laptop or iPad with Internet access
 * Reading response notebooks
 * Crayons, colored pencils and regular pencils
 * Assignment checklist (paste the list into your reading journal)

== Part 2 =Background Knowledge:=

Essential Question: What is a pilgrim?

There is a popular saying that is important to think about before reading __How Many Days to America__. That saying is:

"Freedom isn't Free."
When the first Pilgrims came to America they faced many hardships along the way. They had to leave the homeland they loved, they had to cross an ocean in a ship built to carry cargo, not people, and when they got to America, they had to start from scratch. This was a big "price" to pay! The Pilgrims were willing to "pay the price" because, even then, they knew, "Freedom isn't Free." In the story you are about to read, you will meet a family of pilgrims. They are the pilgrims of today on a journey from their homeland to America in search of freedom. Do you think they will also have to "pay a price"? Make a prediction.

== Part 3 =Before reading:= Put yourself in an immigrants shoes: Use your reading response journal to write down the things you would take with you if you had to leave your home right now. Everything must fit into a backpack. It cannot cost money or use electricity. It cannot make noise. Be prepared to share your list with a partner.

Please click here for vocabulary work.

== Part 4 =During reading:= Read pages 1-17 and then stop reading to think about the following: Think about a time that you were very scared. Try really hard to remember the details of that time. Do you think the boy in the story was as afraid, less afraid, or more afraid than you were?

Continue reading through page 23 then stop. Now, go back to your Prediction Page and next to each prediction you made, mark whether or not it has happened. You should do this by placing an X next to each prediction that did happen.

Complete the reading. == Part 5 =After reading:= Compare and contrast what you know of the first Thanksgiving with the Thanksgiving at the end of the story. Go to the Venn Diagram page and copy the diagram into your reading journal. Be sure to title each circle. Add information into all three spaces.

Let's go back and think about the Essential Question. What is a pilgrim? Now, let's chat! Go to the [|blog]page to contribute your thoughts about the questions you read there.

Follow the link to read community reviews about __How Many Days to America.__ After you've read some, write your own review in your reading journal.

[|http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/400309.How_Many_Days_to_America_]

**Part 6 ** =**Beyond reading:**=

Click on the link below and type Haiti into the search box. You will then be given a map of Haiti, an island in the Caribbean from which many immigrants come to the United States. Use the arrow box to "navigate" your way to the United States. Which state do you think most immigrants from islands in the Caribbean come to first? Have you seen any recent news stories that show immigrants coming to America? []

Click on the link below and watch the video on immigration.

Finally, write a paragraph in your reading journal about what you learned in this Cyberlesson. This will be passed in to your teacher for a grade. After passing in your paragraph, you will be asked to take a test on what you have learned.

Congratulations on completing your first Cyberlesson. I hope you had fun and learned a lot.

== Part 7 (Just for Teachers) =Credits:=

[|http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/400309.How_Many_Days_to_America_] [] [] (This link can be used as a guide to create your own cyberlessons and to access existing cyberlessons.) [|www.youtube.com] =**Just for teachers:**= NETS for Students: 1. Creativity and Innovation: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students: a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes 2. Communication and Collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students: d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems 3. Research and Information Fluency: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate and use information. Students: d. process data and report results 4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making: Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students: b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions 5. Digital Citizenship: Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students: a. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity d. exhibits leadership for digital technology 6. Technology Operations and Concepts: Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems and operations. Students: a. understand and use technology systems b. select and use applications effectively and productively d. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.

NETS for Teachers: 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS-S. Teachers: a.design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources d. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching

New Hampshire Curriculum Framework: Social Studies SS: HI:5: Social/Culture: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the interaction of various social groups, including their values, beliefs and practices, over time. Sub: SS: HI: 6: 5.4 Describe similarities and differences in the immigrant experience for various ethnic groups, eg. the English or Chinese.

** Students identify the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary by… ** ||
 * ** R–5–2 **

R—5—2.1 Using strategies to unlock meaning (e.g., knowledge of word structure, including prefixes/suffixes and base words; or context clues; or other resources, such as dictionaries, glossaries; or prior knowledge) (State)

** Shows breadth of vocabulary knowledge through demonstrating understanding of word meanings or relationships ** ** by … ** · R–5–3.1 Identifying synonyms, antonyms, homonyms/ homophones, or shades of meaning (State) ||
 * ** R–5–3 **

EXAMPLE (of shades of meaning): tired, exhausted


 * · R–5–3.2 Selecting appropriate words __or explaining the use of words in context__, including, content specific vocabulary, words with multiple meanings, or precise vocabulary (State) ||

EXAMPLE (multiple meanings): Students explain the intended meanings of words found in text – Based on the way “spring” is used in this passage, would having a “spring” be necessary for survival? Explain how you know.

R—5—4.3 Generating questions before, during, and after reading to enhance recall__,__ expand understanding and/or gain new informatio__n.__ (Local)

R–5–5.5 Identifying author’s message or theme (implied or stated, as in a fable) (State)

R—5—5.6 Identifying causes or effects, including possible motives of characters

** R—5--16 ** ** Generates a personal response to what is read through a variety of means … ** · R—5—16.1 Comparing stories or other texts to related personal experience, prior knowledge, or to other books (Local) help on how to format text About · Blog · [|Pricing] · Privacy · Terms · [|**Support**] · [|**Upgrade**] Contributions to http://psscyberlesson.wikispaces.com are licensed under a [|Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 License]. Portions not contributed by visitors are Copyright 2011 Tangient