The Ugly Duckling by Rachel Isadora (traditional literature)

The ugly duckling was a "duck", that didn't look like any normal duck. He had was large, clumsy, and didn't like any of his brothers or sisters. He constantly was picked on and teased about how different he was until one day he felt he had no choice but to leave. The "duck" went on a journey trying to find out where he truly belonged. One day after a long winter and spring blossoming in, the "duck" had grown into this large bird that when he looked at his reflection, he didn't recognize himself, but something happened that changed his life forever. He had seen some beautiful birds near by that looked like him, and he realized that he was a beautiful swan.

I would use this book during a science lesson on life cycles. We would discuss the stages the "duck" went through before he became an adult. I would then bring in a live chick egg and have us watch him/her until it hatches.

To incorporate technology, I would have the students set up a camcorder every afternoon before the bell rang so they could record over night just in case the bird hatches at night. Once the bird hatches, we could edit the video to present a new video of the bird's process. Afterwards, the students will journal about the process using Wordle, expressing their ideas of what they've learned about the life cycles and their experience.

<a href="http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3263942/Life_Cycle_Experience" 
          title="Wordle: Life Cycle Experience"><img
          src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/3263942/Life_Cycle_Experience"
          alt="Wordle: Life Cycle Experience"
          style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd"></a>