Ana Rivera-Delgado

Grade 4
Unit: Homeless Bird: The Ganges and the Quilts
Lesson 2: My Quilt is a Story about My Home
A. Personalization / Individualization / Differentiation

Learning Goals
The goal of this lesson is for students to explore one of the deeper themes of
Homeless Bird. This lesson will encourage students to define what a home is. They will
compare their definition of a home to what the main character, Koly, would define a
home to be. Koly quilted many stories and experiences throughout the book. The
students will also be able to make their own paper quilts using symbols that represent
experiences and objects unique to their homes. The students will also write short stories
or poems to accompany their quilts that use concrete words and sensory details to
convey what their homes mean to them.

Technology Selection
This lesson includes a PowToon video which introduces the students to the
lesson by giving them an overview of what this literature project entails. There is also a
ThingLink image of a quilt which can be used as an exemplar for the paper quilts the
students will be creating. This lesson also includes a Rubistar rubric that the students can
use as a means of self-assessment when creating their paper quilts.
B. Agency / Control / Ownership / Choice / Interest / Passion

Talk Time.
During the lesson, the students will be doing most of the talking. The students will
have the opportunity to first work independently then work in groups in order to discuss the
definition of a home from their perspectives and from the perspective of the main character,
Koly. The groups will then share their ideas with the class. At the end of the lesson the
students will also be able to share their paper quilts, poems, and/or stories to their peers.

Interest-Based
The student-work is definitely reflective of their passions and interests. The
students will be able to choose their definitions of a home, the experiences they would like
to share, the symbols that would best represent their thoughts, and even how they would
like to describe their quilt in written form.

Technology Usage
After showing the students the PowToon video, the students will be responsible
for researching any images they would like to be inspired by. The students will also be
able to evaluate themselves by using a digital rubric.
C. Communication

Audience.
The students in the classroom will be communicating with each other. This
lesson can also be modified for students who communicate with students from a sister
school. For example, the communication between the groups and whole classes can be
facilitated through Skype. The students can even email their written works to each other. It
would also be very interesting to see how the quilts are similar and different between
students in different states, countries, or continents.
D. Collaboration (co-working, co-creating; more than just communication)

Collaborative Technologies.
Since the students will be working on this literature project in class for the day,
there is no need for them to communicate digitally with each other. However, if this were an
extended project the children could work collaboratively in groups on Google Docs. The
students could also voice record their written work and upload them onto our class wiki.
E. Authenticity / Relevancy

Real or Fake
The student work is authentic and reflective of that done by real people outside of
school. Quilts are a means of artistic expression and even a means of earning an income in
many parts of the world. The students should understand this by the end of the story
because this is what Koly does in the book to support herself financially.

F. Discipline-Specific Inquiry
Domain Knowledge
The standards addressed in this lesson come from the Common Core State
Standards for fourth grade language arts. The overarching theme from the book is home.
The students will learn about content-specific concepts by exploring the meaning of home
from their perspective and from the perspective of the main character.
Common Core State Standards: Grade 4: Language Arts
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences
or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.D Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to
convey experiences and events precisely.
G. Critical Thinking (HOTS + metacognition) / Creativity / Initiative / Entrepreneurship

Deeper Thinking
The student learning activities and assessments go beyond facts, procedures,
and/or previously-provided ways of thinking because the activities incorporate creative art
and creative written expression. The assessment allows students to first evaluate
themselves which gives them a sense of accountability for their work.

Creativity
The students have the opportunity to design, create, and make a work of art and
a piece of writing that is unique to them. The students will make paper quilts and write short
stories or poems. The students can even write songs or any other written form of storytelling
that makes sense to them.

Metacognition
Students have the opportunity to reflect on their planning, thinking, work, and/or
progress by having fruitful discussions with their peers, writing about the product they
created, and finally evaluating their own creation. Students will be able to identify the theme
they are investigating from the book and the literary devices, such as descriptive words and
sensory details that should be incorporated into their writing.
H. Technology

Technology Adds Value.

The PowToon video helps students because they are always allowed to go back
to view the video if there is a question as to what needs to be done. The students will also
be able to view the rubric for the paper quilt at any time. This way they will be able to see
what is required for the project. For these reasons, the technology incorporated into the
lesson adds value, is utilized appropriately and meaningfully, and decreases the possibility
of confusion and miscommunication during class time.
I. Assessment

Authentic Assessment
The students are creating a real-world product and are even sharing their product
and accompanying piece of writing as a performance at the end of the lesson.

Assessment Technology
The digital rubric will be used to facilitate the assessment process. The students
will use the rubric throughout the lesson to stay focused on what needs to be present in their
quilt. The rubric will also be used as a self-assessment tool and a formal assessment tool by
the teacher.