using the iPad to support critical literacy skills in first grade

"Literacy" is more than reading and writing print-based text.  "Literacy" is constructing and conveying meaning through reading, writing, speaking, listening, designing, manipulating, interacting with, producing, evaluating, and... printed (written), visual (still and moving), audio, digital, spoken, multi-modal, and... texts.  The iPad is a beneficial resource for providing learners with access to and opportunities to compose a variety of text-types and genres.

As 21st Century Learners, students need to be more than "literate"... students need to be "critically literate"!

"Critical literacy" is the knowledge, skills, strategies, and behaviors to actively read and interact with texts in a manner that promotes a conscious understanding of socially constructed concepts (for example- power, inequality, injustice,and...) and to critique, analyze, question, and consider the message(s) within any form of text.

Critical literacy encourages the understanding and questioning of attitudes, values, and beliefs of texts.  Critical literacy inspires students as Change Agents.

One example of how the iPads provided resources that supported the First Grade Butterflies' development and application of critical literacy skills and inspired the Butterflies as Agents of Change...
 "We are each a Butterfly, but with only one wing.  To fly, we just need to... embrace each other!"

The First Grade Butterflies worked cooperatively and collaboratively in partnerships to obtain, interpret, and understand information about respect, appreciation, kindness, empathy, and love and to use the information to create a multi-media text with purpose of inspiring others to "share their wing... and fly!"

The Butterfly learning partners accessed a variety of teacher selected multi-media and multi-modal texts on the iPad.  I selected and provided access to texts that...

• conveyed diverse messages and perspectives
• were relevant to popular culture and current issues
• facilitated reflection and discourse
• supported and/or challenged opinions, ideas, and/or solutions
• connected with topics and issues of respect, diversity, empathy, kindness, bullying, cooperation, love, and...
• incorporated a variety of organization, structure, elaboration, word choice, and craft strategies
• encompassed variety of text-types and genres

Referencing a printed copy of a class anchor chart with prompts, questions, and thinking stems for critically "consuming" and "constructing" meaning of texts, the learning partners...

• applied critical literacy skills as "critical consumers" of texts
• engaged in interactive discourse
• used the Field Day iPad app to record reactions, responses, interactions, and understandings of texts
• used the Field Day iPad app to record effective organization, structure, elaboration, word choice, and craft strategies used to convey, persuade, and promote feelings, beliefs, and actions

The Butterfly learning partners collaboratively determined an intended purpose, meaning, and audience for "critically producing" a multi-media text.

The learning partners referenced the information recorded in the Field Day iPad app and utilized the information to "critically produce" a multi-media text with the iMovie iPad app.  The Butterfly learning partners...

• selected an iMovie trailer "theme"
• determined the type, content, and word choice for printed digital text
• directed, (photographs using the iPad camera), created (illustrated images using the iMad Art iPad app and saved as a "photo" in the iPad camera roll), and/or selected (through internet images) visual text
• directed video
• created and/or selected audio

with intentional use of organization, structure, elaboration, word choice, and craft strategies collaboratively determined as effective in conveying, persuading, and promoting feelings, beliefs, and actions.

The multi-media texts were "published" to YouTube as the "Butterfly Wings Project" and a blog was created.

The "Butterfly Wings Project" was conceived from the Butterflies' dedication to creating a World of respect, appreciation, cooperation, empathy, and love and hope for inspiring others to "share their wing... and fly"!

      -visit the Butterfly Wings Project blog-

the BUTTERFLY WINGS PROJECT blog... be inspired and inspire others

first graders develop critical literacy skills
-using the YoouKids iPad app and the Field Day iPad app

first graders record effective strategies
used to inform and persuade in multi-media
-using the Field Day iPad app