Let the Genre Games Begin!
Mrs. Jean Hellwege jhellma@lps.org
Scott Middle School Librarian
Mrs. Kim Ridder kridder@lps.org
Scott Middle School 6th Grade Teacher
Lincoln Public Schools
In addition to learning about genre
• Empower students to use unfamiliar
information and technology tools to learn.
• Encourage students to take charge of their
learning and have fun.
• Engage students in games to learn about
genre and to include critical thinking.
Who, What, When, Why & How
• Sixth grade language
arts classes.
• Learn about genre, how
to use technology tools
and digital content
resources (databases) at
middle school.
• Eight days.
• Prepare students for
research.
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Quia
Google Docs
Inspiration
Online databases
Wordle
NetTrekker
Wallwisher/Stixy
Online catalog
Library website
AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner:
• Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.
– Skill 1.1.4 Find, evaluate and select appropriate sources to
answer questions.
– Disposition 1.2.6 Display emotional resilience by persisting in
information searching despite challenges.
– Responsibilities1.3.3 Follow Ethical and legal guidelines in
gathering and using information.
• Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply
knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge.
– Skill 2.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to analyze
and organize information.
– Self-assessment 2.4.1 Determine how to act on information
(accept, reject, modify).
Day 1: Science Fiction
• Groups: Categorize the candy on the table and
be ready to explain how and why you chose
this way to group it.
• Learn about science fiction by independently
playing the Science Fiction challenge board on
Quia. Use World Book Encyclopedia online to
find the answers.
• Cool Down: List at least one characteristic of
science fiction.
Quia
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$49 individual teacher per year
Rates decrease for groups of 10
Site license is $1500
30-day trial available
Shared activities, quizzes, surveys, grade book
Data collection features
Queen of Quia
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Lesa Christiancy
Scott Middle School
402-436-1218
christl@lps.org
Day 2: Science Fiction
• Warm up: Share with your table partner one
thing you learned about science fiction
yesterday.
• Independent: Finish playing the science fiction
challenge board, using World Book to find the
answers.
• Divide into 3 teams to play the challenge
board game as a team.
Day 2: Science Fiction
• Cool Down: Create a presentation in Google
Docs, called Mind Stretches.
• Add a two-column slide.
– My definition
– Characteristics
Day 2: Mystery Fiction
• You have 2 minutes to collaborate with your table partners
to come up with a definition of science fiction. Share.
• In World Book, do a search for mystery fiction. From the
results on the first page, choose the article that explains
one type of mystery. Read the article to complete the first
paragraph of this Cloze activity on Quia.
• Do a search for "mysteries" on Gale's Kids InfoBits and read
the magazine article called "The Whodounit: How to Do It"
by Catherine Gourley. Then answer the last 3 paragraphs of
this Cloze activity.
• Once you've completed all 4 paragraphs, read through
them 2-3 times to make sure you understand the
information.
What have you learned?
• Google “wordle”
• Create a Wordle (word cloud)
– 4 elements of a mystery
– Important mystery fiction vocabulary
– Authors of mystery books
– Titles of great mystery books you’ve read.
• Gallery Walk
Day 2: Mystery Wordle
Day 3: Warm Up
• If you were to check out a book today, which
genre would you pick—science fiction or
mystery—and why.
• Open Mind Stretches and write your answer in
Google Docs-use 48 point font.
• Gallery walk.
Day 3: Goals
• Use NetTrekker to locate a biography about Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Define biography, autobiography and
collective biography.
• Explain where to find biographies,
autobiographies and collective biographies in
a library.
Day 3: Biography
• Question and answer session about biography,
autobiography and collective biography how
they are shelved.
• Learn about NetTrekker.
• Search for Martin Luther King, Jr. to complete
the cloze activity, “Stop the Presses.”
Day 3 Cool Down
On a sticky note:
• What is the call number for
a biography about Jackie
Robinson?
• If Mrs. Hellwege wrote an
autobiography, what would
its call number be?
• What is one reason why we
want you to use NetTrekker
instead of Google?
• What is your first and last
name?
Plan of Attack-Day 4
• Students log onto their library accounts, create one list for each genre
studied so far, and add two books per genre they might want to read.
• Do Internet search for definition of “gist”. Discuss.
• Do Internet search for gist template (pdf). Download.
• Search World Book for “newspaper”. Students read the article through
the types of newspapers and use the Gist Template to write 1-2 sentences
to summarize. The sentence should answer: Why are newspapers
important? What do they do? When do they come out? In what formats
do we find newspapers? What is the scope (location) of newspapers?
• Share.
• Repeat for magazines and journals.
Important concepts-Day 4
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Periodicals
– Newspapers
• Purpose to inform, shape public opinion
– Current events, opinion pages, society, sports, politics, travel, consumer issues
• Daily, weekly (print), minute (online)
• City, state, national, world news
– Magazines
• General public
• Many interests
• Weekly, monthy, bi-monthly
• Online or print
– Journals
• Professional or scholarly audience
• Education, technology, architect, medical, legal, etc.
• Research
• Online or print
GIST
Day 4 Cool Down
• On Wall Wisher (wallwisher.com) or Stixy
(stixy.com) share one example of a periodical
and whether it is a newspaper, a magazine or
a journal.
• Remember that you can play any of the Quia
genre games after school to review!
Day 5: Warm Up
• Play the Periodical Hangman Game in Quia.
Day 5: Plan of Attack
• Students use World Book and Gale to search
Realistic Fiction to find the answers to play the
Quia Hangman realistic fiction game.
Day 6: Warm Up
• Play one more round of realistic fiction
Hangman on Quia.
Day 6: Plan of Attack
• Students search for Historical Fiction in the online
catalog and create a list in their account.
• Students choose 2 or more historical fiction
books to add to their Historical Fiction list by
reading the summaries of the books.
• With a partner, students define Historical Fiction
based on their search.
• Cool Down: Each pair records their definition on
Wall Wisher.
Day 7: Warm Up
• Students come to consensus as a class on the
definition of Historical Fiction after reviewing
the Wall Wisher.
Day 7: Warm Up #2
Q: What 3
things do these
have in
common?
Define: Realistic
fiction
What is
Contemporary
Realistic
Fiction?
What is
Historical
realistic
fiction?
A:
1.
2.
3.
Day 7: Warm Up Answers
Q: What do
these three have
in common?
Define: Realistic
fiction
What is
Contemporary
Realistic
Fiction?
What is
Historical
realistic
fiction?
A:
1.Made
up
stories
2. about
everyda
y life
3. that
could
really
happen
Day 7 Plan of attack:
• Use World Book and Gale databases to define
and list the characteristics of folklore (myths,
legends, ballads, folk tales, fables, trickster
stories, and fairy tales) and give an example of
each.
• Learn to use the highlighter and definition
features in World Book online.
• Divide into 7 teams to research the different
types of folklore. Each takes notes on a graphic
organizer.
• Use Inspiration to take notes on all 7 types.
Day 7: Inspiration
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Open Inspiration.
Create a bubble with main topic of FOLKLORE.
Create 7 “arms” with 4 bubbles each.
Add the types of folklore in the bubbles closest to the
FOLKLORE bubble.
• Each small group reads their definition, traits and
examples and everyone enters this into their
Inspiration document.
• Students individualize their Inspiration documents by
changing shapes, colors, fonts, etc.
• Gallery walk to share their documents.
Day 8-Review
• Play the Genre Review Challenge Board Game
independently and then in teams.
The Dating Game
• Students watched Michael Jackson clip
• Students brainstormed questions (Diff)
• Students selected one genre and wrote the
answers to the questions (Diff)
• Students were given a script to read (non-Diff)
• Contestant guessed the genre of the three
possible “dates”
The Dating Game
• Students watched Michael Jackson clip
• Students brainstormed questions (Diff)
• Students selected one genre and wrote the
answers to the questions (Diff)
• Played The Dating Game- the bachelor or
bachelorette was assigned a genre and they
tried to choose the contestant with the same
genre.
kridder@lps.org
Kim Ridder
jhellma@lps.org
Jean Hellwege