Adaptation3


 * ||  || Post your adaptation idea here. ||
 * Allen || Remily || In the imagination unit, Jennifer Englert in group one did a project where her 5th graders searched for pictures from magazines/newspapers to create a photo album and tie it into a creative writing project. I thought I could adapt this project and have students search for pictures to describe the stories behind the songs we are singing in chorus. Kids could search for pictures to describe what they think a song is trying to convey. Getting students to understand and express what songs mean in a musical way can be a challenge, and by having the kids use their imagination to find pictures that represent songs would force them to thoughtfully consider the words of a song and what they mean to them. A lot of songs mean different things to different students, and a project like this would showcase those differences. ||
 * Kurt || Ronning ||  ||
 * Leanne || Schlekeway || I tutor a wide range of students in all subject areas in the high school setting and so there are a plethora of ideas that I could utilize in my classroom. One idea that was in particular interest to me was the Spanish practice site that Shannon mentioned using in her class: [] . I think the best way to practice Spanish is to try utizing it in a different sort of setting and writing cartoons that utlize them conjugating verbs and the language makes great practice. Plus, the students are much more interested in the activities when it involves computer and technology. ||
 * Carlene || Schlup || I took the idea from Kerri Severson and the Chris VanAllsburg book called __The Mysteries of Harris__ __Burdick.__ I do a unit on Chris Van Allsburg with my fourth graders and we read many of his books that I collect from the school library. We don't have this one, so I found the book at another library and it is amazing! I will use this book along with the others for my unit study and we will focus on the pictures in the book for the writing piece of this unit. ||
 * Mary || Schneider || I agree with Georgia... I really liked Lori's idea of the how and why stories for animals, but I would go bigger and expand it to everything. I teach HS American Lit and my students have a difficult time connecting the history of America to the literature of America. I need to do something to stretch their mindset to question those connections. ||
 * Carol || Schwarzenberg || I liked the book that Kerry Severson Stover talked about with the odd illustrations. I think I could use that at almost any level with my students for writing exercises. It would be great to use fo Creative Writing class when students have to come up with a short story. It would also be good to use with students that have trouble writing; it would give them something concrete to look at and build an essay around. ||
 * Kerri || Severson Stover || So many of the ideas mentioned have had value to me in my classroom -- the game Mind Trap, discussing books vs. movies, the True Story of the Three Little Pigs, etc. I'm having a hard time thinking of what I can use as a counselor, though. I often have to ask kids to adapt if they fail classes and get behind their cohort. To catch up they may need to increase their courseload or attend an alternative campus or take something online. All these things are a little out of the ordinary for most high school students. I've also had to help kids and families get used to the idea that not earning a diploma might be an appropriate choice for some students (for example, to pursue a GED instead); or, graduating later than their class is OK...as long as they still finish. ||
 * Scott || Shephard ||  ||
 * Georgia || Simon || Looking through the Imagination ideas, I enjoyed Lori Wilkinson's idea of writing "how" and "why" stories for animals. I would adapt it by simply adding an introduction using Rudyard Kipling's //Just So Stories//. I would probably integrate it into a science lesson on adaptations so the students could explore the actual purpose of animal structures and behaviors. ||
 * Patricia || Sjurson || Under the Imagination assignment, Beth Spitzer posted that she uses the book //The True Story of the Three Little Pigs// by Jon Scieszka as a springboard for having her students rewrite other fairy tales. In second grade, I plan to use this same idea by reading traditional nursery rhymes to my students. Then I plan to share "twisted" nursery rhymes with them, found on [] under Silly Rhymes. From there, I will have my students write their own nursery rhymes. ||
 * Stephanie || Slostad ||  ||
 * Jill || Sommer || In the discussions for week one, kdossett shared an idea about having student "cast" their classmates as certain characters in books. I would use this idea, but I would have the students choose characters from other stories they've read. They could compare how the 2 characters are alike, and why they think their chosen character would fit as the original character. ||
 * Beth || Spitzer || Like Patricia, I also like Allen Remily's idea from the Imagination assignment when he has his students put themselves in a character's shoes so to speak and has them write a letter to another character in the musical. If I had an opportunity to teach first grade again, I think this would be such a fun idea to use in our fairy tale unit. For instance, I think the students would have fun choosing to be Baby Bear, Mama Bear or Papa Bear and write a letter to Goldilocks after she had been to their house. ||
 * Lynne || Steinley || I really liked Georgia Simons use of Sticky Notes when reading text (in the Questioning section). When looking at or "reading" paintings, my students could do the same thing....But they would be using the elements and principles of art instead. They could add their thoughts or questions about how the element or principle was used on a sticky note and stick it on the painting. This could be a great way to Analyze a work of art. ||
 * Jordan || Tuntland || I liked Alissa Hugelmans' idea with junkyard wars. i could do a similiar lessons except have it deal with bridge building with my IT class. Give them each envelopes with different materials inclosed. The students would have to build a bridge using the materials enclosed and when finished have a competition to see whose bridge held the most weight. Of course they would be stipulations on length, width and height of they bridge. ||
 * Patricia || Versteeg || In looking through the Imagination section, I liked Allen Remily's idea of imagining they are a character in a musical and then writing a letter to another character in that musical. I think I could adapt this to fit with my first graders by having them just be themselves and then write a letter to a character in a story we read in class asking that character a question about why they did something. Then we could read some of the questions as a class and discuss possible answers. I think the kids would really like this! ||
 * Stephanie || Voss || Along with a few others in this group I also love the idea about casting classmates as characters in a play or book. This is a great way for the students to make connections to what they are reading. I would also have the students compare and contrast the classmate with the character that classmate resembles by assigning a characterization element. I would ask the students find similarities between the classmate and the character in the way they speak, act, think, react, and by the ways others respond to them. ||
 * Lori || Wagner || I teach HS Math and as the Chemistry teacher had written, it is hard to break away from the many standards and curriculum necessities as we are trapped in them. I know that there are other ways to teach the concepts and I have tried a few, but it is hard to get the kids to reach beyond the "traditional" ways of learning that they are so accustomed to. I didn't find anything in the discussion that would apply much to my Math classes. However, I do teach a Lifetime Fitness class where I have students do projects to get the attention of students in our school emphasizing the importance of eating right, exercise and making good choices. This is a class that is for Seniors only and so I think the idea that Tia Jandreau, from group 2 had, about using photoshop to do a magazine cover would be a great project for my kids. To get them to be creative and organize and prioritize the important "articles" to catch the eye of health concsious people would be a wonderful activity for them. Thank you for the idea! ||
 * Kris || Warwick || I love the idea of taking a well known story or fairy tale and writing it from a different point of view. That is something that I would like to try having students take a favorite story or tale and rewrite it from a different point of view. In math I guess students could take on the point of view of a number or symbol. Wouldn't you hate to be the decimal point always squeezed inbetween the numbers? ||
 * Linda || White || Shannon Zimiga used this comic maker site [] to have students practice their Spanish. I could use the site for vocabulary development. My students would choose a word, use the characters and conversation to illustrate the definition, and then share it with the class. ||
 * Lori || Wilkinson || I like Georgia Simon's idea on using Squiggles. She draws a squiggle on a piece of paper and has the student write 5 things that line could be a part of. I would adapt this into making one different squiggle in black marker on each child's paper. Then I would have that child use that squiggle to become something in their picture, and add details around it. (Ex. a zigzag line could be turned into an escalator inside of a shopping mall.) When displaying their picture, we would be able to see the squiggle the student began with since it would be in black marker. ||
 * Shannon || Zimiga || Right away I found three great ideas on the imagination page. I liked Allen Remily's writing activity using a letter writing with the point of view of a character. I can use this to have students right letters in Spanish off of stories we read. I also thought the switcharoo zoo that Linda White mentioned would be a fun writing activity that would transfer into Spanish easily. I also loved Leanne Schelkeway's "If I had a million dollars" activity. This would be a great way for my Spanish students to practice the conditional. ||