This article contains a lesson overview of how to teach a literature unit using Visual-spatial Intelligence. This is a great activity to challenge students who are not strong in that area or to allow students who flourish to do an activity they feel comfortable with. While this activity is geared to a specific book, it can be easily transferred to another book or another grade level. Other intelligences will be covered in related articles using this same book as an example.
The first part of this article is dedicated to the outline of what the activity is. The second section talks about what a scrapbook looks like and provides a sample. Lastly, there is an explanation of what Visual-spatial Intelligence is, what it means for the student, and what possible career paths it includes.
Activity:
Harry’s Mad Scrapbook
This will be the culminating activity for the story. The students will create a scrapbook. Each child will create a scrapbook that will include at least ten pictures that have something to do with the book. The pictures can be hand-drawn or found in magazines, etc. Along with each picture, the students will need to write a few sentences describing why this picture has some importance in the story. This scrapbook would also serve as a mini portfolio of their work from their Literature Study of Harry’s Mad. Added to the scrapbook would be any other activities that they have completed to go along with the story. This would include the character study, character interview, book recommendation, and story map.
Assessment:
As an assessment for this area, the students will complete a reflection sheet on Harry’s Mad Literature Study unit. The student will need to reflect on his/her progress while reading the book, his/her most or least favorite part of the unit/book and how he/she felt about the scrapbook that has been created.
Name: _______________________ #: ______ Date: ________________
Directions: Use this self-reflection to help you think about what you will create in your scrapbook. Make sure to take careful notes with page numbers so that you can refer to it later. After completing the scrapbook, please reflect on the process in the last two questions.
1. What is your favorite part of the book and why? Page #: ________
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2. What was an important scene and why is it important? Page #: ________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________
3. Give a summary of the book without giving away its ending. ______________
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4. What was a part of the book you didn’t like? Page #: ________
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AFTER COMPLETING THE SCRAPBOOK
5. If you could do the scrapbook over again what would you do again and what would you do differently and why?
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Information about the intelligences comes from: http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm
Visual-Spatial Intelligence
Ability to perceive the visual. These learners tend to think in pictures and need to create vivid mental images to retain information. They enjoy looking at maps, charts, pictures, videos, and movies.
Their skills include:
puzzle building, reading, writing, understanding charts and graphs, a good sense of direction, sketching, painting, creating visual metaphors and analogies (perhaps through the visual arts), manipulating images, constructing, fixing, designing practical objects, interpreting visual images.
Possible career interests:
navigators, sculptors, visual artists, inventors, architects, interior designers, mechanics, engineers
