Module 10: Differentiation

 

A learning disorder I chose is ADHD. ADHD is a disorder that makes it difficult for someone to pay attention and control impulsive behaviors. Some other traits include forgetfulness, short attention span, hyperactivity, and fidgeting (NIM). One strategy I would use is reducing distractions in the classroom. I would seat them in the front of the class which is the closest to instruction. The second strategy I would use would be giving movement breaks. This could entail a variety of things such as collecting papers, cleaning the board, or going for a drink at the water fountain. The third strategy I would use would be offering the student choices. The choices would revolve around the lesson but the student will decide which way they’d like to complete things; write the vocab words in sentences, write the vocab words into a story, or write the vocab words into flash cards as an example.

Module 10: Differentiation

The article, Embedded Supports to Differentiate Instruction for Struggling Students discusses ways to differentiate lessons in the classroom to support students who are struggling. Building students background knowledge is one way of doing so, by bringing in online referencing materials such as dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias, and tools in which students can hear the speech of the text. Other tools used that I would also incorporate into the classroom include spelling and grammar checkers, word prediction software, graphic organizer software, and voice recognition software. It is important to do whatever you can as a teacher because the students who are behind will only get further behind and have a difficult academic future if they are not supported consistently and early on.

Module 9: Assessment

How do we measure knowledge growth in the literacies classroom?

Measuring growth in students is something that is year long. However through benchmarks, formative and summative assessments, it makes it easier. An example of formative assessments include analyzing student work, which gives teachers an idea on students’ strengths and weaknesses, current knowledge, and further need of assistance. An example of summative assessments include end of unit or chapter tests, final projects, or standardized tests.

 

 

 

 

https://www.prodigygame.com.summative-assessment

Module 9: Assessment

The first article titled, Giving Feedback: Preparing Students for Peer Review and Self‐Evaluation, discusses many methods I would want to incorporate into the classroom as a future teacher. One example includes peer reviewing. Peer reviewing was done often in my classes as a student growing up and I thought it was helpful but had some limitations. Teachers didn’t quite set a guideline on what we should be focusing on when reviewing our partner’s work so the corrections weren’t that relevant to the content of the work. This article discusses however that it is crucial to “train” the students on the peer review process so they know what is expected of them. This could also help students with their own writing as well. “The effects of giving feedback on reviewers have been studied with college students and second‐language learners (Cho & MacArthur, 2011; Lundstrom & Baker, 2009); both studies found that giving feedback, even without receiving any, had positive effects on later writing by the reviewers” (Phillipakos).

 

(other links unavailable)

Module 8: Writing Instruction

Have you grown as a writer? Did blogging make you better or worse?

 

I think I am constantly growing as a writer because the more I do it the more I receive feedback from what I can improve on so I then use that feedback on my next writing task. If it’s a prompt I’m interested in, I can write a lot about it and give a lot of insight. Sometimes if I have too many ideas however, it might not make much sense on paper to the reader than how it did in my head. To fix this problem, I like to take my time with writing assignments and make sure to reread them before submitting. If it is an extra long assignment, normally I write the essay with a pen and paper before typing it into the computer.

I think blogging made me a better writer because it had me focus more on my perspective and my thoughts while also utilizing the readings and other sources from class. Some think that blogging can be too informal but for me it was the perfect medium to write my assignments in because even though it is a blog, I still use a pretty formal tone because I know it’s for class so I stray away from slang or text talk.

Module 7: Comprehension II

Grade: 6th

Students will be able to:

• Identify bias in news articles and stories
• Distinguish the point of view of writers and reporters by analyzing their word choice
• Distinguish the point of view of writers and reporters by analyzing their tone
• Separate the point of view of the author from the facts of the news story
• Be critical of the way they communicate information themselves

Essential Questions

• How does word choice suggest there is bias?
• How do we identify a writer’s bias through their word choice?
• Why is it important to read articles from a variety of sources?

Materials

• Two different articles on a current event or topic relevant to the students.
  • Sources for a more conservative slant: Fox News, The Drudge Report, The Wall Street Journal
  • Sources for a more liberal slant: Politico, Al Jazeera America, Slate, The Guardian
• Chart paper for class t-chart

Vocabulary

charged- filled with excitement, tension or emotion

tone- the general attitude communicated in a piece of writing

bias- prejudice; favoring one person or point of view more than others

point of view- a particular way of considering a matter; the position from which an event or topic is observed

implicit- suggested or assumed but not obvious or explicitly stated

 

Lesson Overview

This lesson addresses the importance of locating and verifying reliable sources when working with online information. Students will compare and contrast different sources on the same topic and think about what makes one source more reliable than another. They will then work collaboratively to develop a checklist of questions for source evaluation.

Students will also zero in on the significance of evaluating sources for bias. They will learn to identify the author’s or designer’s purpose in online information and use this skill to search out biased viewpoints. Students will react to sources presented online and identify common reasoning errors in reactions to digital information.

 

Lesson:

1. Give students one news story about an event. Put students into groups, and ask them to collect a list of facts from the article using the exact words the author used in the article.
2. Give students the second article about the same event, ensuring that this one has a different tone. Ask the same groups to make a list of facts from the article, again using the exact words the author used in the article.
3. For the whole class, model creating a t-chart with words from each article that depict the same fact or event. Ask students to complete their own t-charts independently.
4. Go over the vocabulary words and how each plays a role in finding reliable sources.
5. Ask the class; How do we figure out what really happened? And why is it important to be aware of both stories? Discuss as a group or have students write their responses to each question.
6. Tell students they will now practice writing their own “charged” article based on a given scenario that is relevant to current events.
7. Have students share their pieces with each other. Ask them to highlight the charged words and identify the bias in each other’s work and explain how the bias is expressed.

 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6

Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.4

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6

Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

 

Source:

“Analyzing How Words Communicate Bias.” Teaching Tolerance, http://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/analyzing-how-words-communicate-bias.

Module 7: Comprehension II

What is disciplinary literacies? Why do we say literacies instead of literacy? How do we support digital literacy?

Disciplinary literacies is defined as the connection of content knowledge, experiences, and skills merged with the ability to read, write, listen, speak, think critically, and perform in a way that is meaningful within the context of a given field (DPI). We say literacies instead of literacy because literacies is referring to knowledge of multiple skills and areas, which is why people use it in its plural form, rather than just referring it to literacy which is the implication that literacy is just reading and writing. We support digital literacy by incorporating it into the classroom to support students’ learning and giving them the tools and skills necessary. Students are more engaged while they are exploring, observing, and evaluating the content in a meaningful way that promotes their critical thinking skills, and digital literacy provides that.

 

 

http://newlearningonline.com/literacies

Module 7: Comprehension II

Supporting Young Readers: Developing Reading Club Conversation Skills

Fifth grade was the only time where a teacher of mine implemented a book club into our lessons and I wish I experienced it more throughout my school experience. It was fun, interesting, and made me feel more involved with the book as well as with my classmates. Our book club didn’t have much structure, we were assigned into a group based on our reading level and were told to read a certain number of pages and discuss what went on. As far as etiquette went, we weren’t really taught anything about it but my group did not face any issues when we collaborated.

This article talks about “book club etiquette” and how as a class, students brainstormed what rules were to be followed during book club before meeting in their groups. Students came up with one person speaking at a time, be an active listener, everyone participates, avoid “side bar” conversations, be kind, and don’t be a conversation “hog”. This is a helpful strategy that sets some ground rules for students so they can have a productive and successful meeting.

There were also different steps to each book club meeting which helped guide students to what they are supposed to be working on and what they should be prepared for during the next meeting. Students were interactive and learning from each other and due to my experience, and more knowledge through this article, this is something I would definitely incorporate into my classes in the future.

The Roles of Photography for Developing Literacy Across the Disciplines: 

Incorporating tools into the classroom to enhance children’s literacy skills is a strategy that is often not utilized enough in the classroom. This article discussed the use of photography in student’s learning and how it helped students understand new concepts. Researchers used the Visual Thinking Strategy integrated into the science curriculum which is a method for analyzing visual texts and was designed so students are able to think, contribute observations and ideas to listen, and to build understandings together (Housen & Yenawine, 2005, n.p.).

The cameras provided another use of language for them seeing as it brought them another perspective than what they are normally accustomed to. Students began taking more risks in their learning, which provided them with more information to think about which was in this case, different kinds of minerals/rocks.

The students’ photography made the science lesson more personal to them as well as reflective in their work. This a new strategy for me that I would definitely try out in my future classroom.

Module 6: Comprehension I Lesson Plan

Grade: 3rd

Duration: 1 week

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).

Objective: Students will use non-fiction books on Native Americans to find new key vocab words. Students will use maps/pictures to help comprehension skills and developing understanding of the text.

Students will work in groups of three and be given various books about Native Americans with different kinds of information in each. Students will take turns reading aloud and take notes on any new vocabulary words they may not know the meaning of. They will use the pictures provided in the text to aid them during this process. As they read, they will take part in “Read, Stop, Think, Ask, & Connect.” Rereading the text as needed but stopping to think and write down any questions they may have. Once this is completed, students will join one other group and both will share their information and together they will come up with a text to self connection, a text to text connection, or a text to world connection.

Assessment: Students effectively using visual aids/context clues for defining vocab. Students creating relatable connections to the text.

Module 6: Comprehension I

The article titled, Supporting Beginning Readers, discusses a classroom strategy that I myself was taught in school; Read, Stop, Think, Ask, Connect. This was helpful to me because given the density, at times, I would read something, finish, then not have any idea what the main idea was or what the author was trying to tell me. My teachers would constantly have us reread the text, think about it, ask ourselves questions, then make three connections of text to self, text to text, and text to world. At the time it seemed like an annoying and tedious process but now as an adult, I see how that helped me develop more reading comprehension skills and I will definitely incorporate that into the classroom as a future teacher.

Using visual aids such as photography is a great use for helping students develop their literacy skills. Without even any context, showing students a picture of something can prompt them to critical think and ask questions and make their own inferences. I think that the use of photography should be incorporated more into classrooms because it can be very beneficial. As the article mentioned, it can help students with their vocabulary and stated an example of a teacher displaying a photo of a sedimentary rock and a student identifying it. After that, the teacher asks what the student sees that makes them think that so then the student begins to list some characteristics they observed. It’s a simple yet thought provoking approach that should be utilized more in the classroom.