Literacy
Information
Technology
Education
About Julie Coiro

New Literacies, Reading Comprehension and Higher Level Thinking
 Across the Middle School Curriculum

Facilitated by members of the
New Literacies Research Team from the University of Connecticut

Julie Coiro, Donald J. Leu, and Jill Castek

Home  |  Internet Workshop |  Internet Inquiry |  Internet Project & Webquests  |   Other Tips

Purpose and Overview

The purpose of this professional development day is to spark conversations about strategies for integrating effective instruction with new technologies while empowering you to begin where you are most comfortable.  We encourage you to network with other teachers at your grade level, in your subject area and across comfort levels with technology as you explore, critique and reflect on the resources provided throughout the day.  

These activities are designed to introduce four important instructional models for integrating the Internet into literacy and learning.  These include

Internet Workshop
 Internet Project
 Webquest
 Internet Inquiry

We will cover Internet Workshop and Internet Inquiry in more depth to encourage thinking about how these models can enhance student learning in each of your content areas.  Webquest and Internet Project resources will be outlined more broadly for you to explore at your leisure. 

It is our hope that you become familiar with these models as you...
  • share resources and develop ideas for classroom application relevant to each;
  • discuss logistical concerns about exploring these ideas in the classroom; and
  • develop a realistic action plan for exploring with your students at least one of the ideas gained from today's experiences.

Internet Workshop

Internet Workshop (Leu, 2002; Leu, Leu, & Coiro, 2004) is an instructional model for quickly integrating the Internet into the curriculum. Internet Workshop is especially useful to introduce students to sites for an upcoming unit and develop useful background knowledge. It is also useful to develop important understandings as you work through a unit. 

Internet Workshop has many variations.  Generally, though, it contains these steps: 
  1. Locate a site, or several sites, on the Internet with content related to a classroom unit of instruction and set a bookmark for the location(s).
  2. Develop an activity requiring students to use the site(s).
  3. Assign this activity to be completed during the week.
  4. Have students share their work, questions, and new insights at the end of the week during a workshop session.
Several topics are appropriate for workshop sessions. 
  • Navigation (e.g., What are the best strategies when using a search engine?)
  • Content (e.g., What did you learn about volcanoes?)
  • Critical evaluation (e.g., How can I determine how a site might be biased?)
  • Synthesis (e.g., How can I use an outline, graphic organizer, or software tool like Inspiration to organize the information I have discovered?)
The workshop session is a critical element of Internet Workshop. The purpose of this workshop session includes:
  • supporting students' ability to acquire information from the Internet;
  • learning content information about the topic that students are studying;
  • thinking critically about the information they, and others, obtain; and
  • developing new navigational strategies on the Internet.
Internet Workshop Examples

Students at the elementary level are participating in all types of Internet Workshops as they access content at their level on the Internet.

To begin a unit on the Civil War, you may try this idea as a powerful introduction to the human side of the war.
  • Set a bookmark for The Civil War Letters of Galutia York and invite students to read the letters of this Union soldier, taking notes in a journal about this soldier's view of himself and his country.
  • You may also set a bookmark for The Timeline of the Civil War in the Selected Civil War Photograph Collection.  From here, your students can read about and view the pictures, print out one picture and then do research about the battle to determine its significance. Post these photos and descriptions on a bulletin board in your classroom for everyone to see.  During Interret workshop, have students share their observations of this diary and photos.  Use your students' observations to draw conclusions about the Union soldiers of that era and how they felt about their country. 
Informational websites with higher level content provide exciting opportunities for exploring curriculum topics through simulation, photographs, and interactive tours. 
Try It Out
Explore at least one or two of the websites related to your content area.  For each site, develop two short activities that you would ask your students to answer as they engage in Internet Workshop back in your classroom.   This activity should open-ended enough to encourage students to bring back different information to share
during the workshop session.   

Click to choose the content links that correspond to the morning or afternoon session.




INTERNET WORKSHOP: MORNING SESSION
Language Arts

Reading/Thinking Strategies 
(e.g., summarizing, synthesizing, main idea)
Diary of Anne Frank
Witch of Blackbird Pond
Where the Red Fern Grows
The Cay
So Far From the Bamboo Grove
Literature Ladder Ideas for Holes
 Social Studies

American Revolution
 African History
Native Americans
TAP (Tech Ed, Consumer Ed, Graphics)
Guidance

Counselor Resources
Activity Ideas
Art

Mandalas
Cartoons and Animation
 Physical Education



INTERNET WORKSHOP: AFTERNOON SESSION
Math
 Science

Geologic Time and Fossils
Periodic Table
 Scientific Inquiry Process (what is involved)
Other Middle School Science Links
Special Education
Notetaking & Study Skills
Teaching Resources

Speech, Language, Social Work Support
 Library Media

Student Activities

Teacher and Student Resources

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Home  |  Internet Workshop |  Internet Inquiry |  Internet Project & Webquests  |   Other Tips

Designed by Julie Coiro, January, 2005