Lesson 2 -- ChiltonLibrary and Mango Languages

Basic Discovery Exercise:

The Chilton Library is easy to use. I put in my car a 2000 Toyota Echo. The following is what I got for the maintenance schedule:

·         Your 7500 mile service under Normal conditions includes:

·         Replace Engine oil & filter

·         Inspect/Service Tires

·         These recommendations also apply:

·         Inspect/Service Drive belt at 60,000 miles, then every 15,000 miles thereafter

·         Inspect/Service Engine valve clearance every 60,000 miles

·         Replace Spark plugs every 120,000 miles

Bulletin:

The last bulletin was in 2003 and it was about improving the oil changing process.

Repair:

The Repair feature was the best part of the library. On the left side is a list of the different systems in the car. Under the brake section was a listing for the three main brake components. Under the drum break section I got the following:

1.     Before servicing the vehicle, refer to the Precautions section.

2.     Remove the wheels.

3.     Remove the brake drum from the axle hub.

To install:

1.     Install the brake drum.

2.     Install the rear wheels, tighten the wheel lug nuts.

Beyond this list of directions were different detailed illustrations of the drum break. Each one of these illustrations can be zoomed into. I would have really loved this when I was in my 20’s and working on my own cars.  

Common Core Connections:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.

Chilton’s Library is not a tool I think I would use for elementary students. The information is very technical and most of the reading level is above what most of my students would be able to handle. I think this site would be most appropriate for high school students. Many of these students would have cars and have a real interest in using this site.

Mango Language:

Mango is easy to get into the application. I choose Spanish Latin America. On the page before starting the lesson it described the different parts of Latin America that Spanish is spoken.  329 million people speak Latin America Spanish. Latin American Spanish Is spoken in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and many other places.

Lesson:

The format of the lesson is very friendly. It starts with lessons goals in conversation and grammar. The lesson page through are simple and straight forward.  The lesson just took little chunks at a time. Each lesson built on to each other.

Common Core:

I think it is a stretch to see how I would get Mango and learning another language would fit the common core. The only angle I might see would be under the Language area of the core content standards.  Students could compare the different grammatical conventions of another language to English.

Challenge #1

Basic Discovery Exercise:

World Book Kids website is setup for younger students. It has an engaging front page which provides opportunity for kids to explore different areas. There is two different modes of selection. Each area has eight links. The top two rows of four are for upper elementary grades. The lower are areas for exploration by lower grade students. The search bar is at the top and clearly marked for all kids. World Book for Students is gear for upper elementary and middle school. The opening page is more businesslike. Much of the page is text based and requires more sophisticated navigation abilities to use.

I researched lion in both World Book for Kids and Students. The information in both pages was similar. The World book for Kids was the text is written at a lower lexical level and the articles are shorter in length. The pictures are bigger and easier to access.  In World Book for Students the article was longer and smaller font. The pictures were smaller. The lexical level is higher. Both version included pictures and videos. World Book Student also includes maps and sound clips.  

In World Book Advanced I looked up the country of Italy. The main page was setup similarly to World Book for Students.  The right and left bars provide addition related links to information about the country. The right sides links to additional world book related articles. The right side bar provides links to other outside information related to the topic. World Book Discover has the some information as the other World Books. All four of the world books provide the same support for low readers. At the beginning  of each article in all four versions is a panel that gives students common features. One of these features is the ability to turn on an electronic text reader. Once the text reader is turned on students have ability to read the whole article or selected sections.

Common Core Connections

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).

This month I have started a research project for my 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th grade students. This project is based on our District Information Media Specialist curriculum our district is developing. I have my students planning a PowerPoint presentation. Each student has put together a list of three to five topics. We are now working our way through the different online encyclopedia at the South Dakota State library website. Each student is using graphic organizer to survey the information they find on each of their topics. When we have finish our survey the students will then pick the best topic to build their PowerPoint presentation.