Blog Post #5

This semester I have been surprised by my student's literacy. They are able to spell words phonetically, read at various grade levels, and sometimes infer information. They have difficulty with the formation of complex sentences and have not yet formed the habit of proof-reading their work.
My future classroom will be literacy rich in the following ways:

Journal entry September 30, 2013

My students have been in school for a month now and are adjusting to their new schedule and their advanced curriculum. My classroom is literacy rich. It looks like a class of engaged self-possesssed learners who are eager to increase their literacy in English and History. The Students are engaged in hands on small group activities where they utilize Jigsaw reading strategies to educate each other and tackle long complex readings. They are reading primary sources, current events from credible news sources, and selections from their textbook.

Journal entry December 15, 2013

My literacy rich classroom looks like a classroom of students that are fluent in collaborative learning.
My students are engaged in research, carefully selecting their resources, and and forming their own research questions. They are still reading primary sources, current events, and textbook selections, but now they are utilizing the reading strategies they learned independently without reminders or need for guidance. They are writing short essays, outlines of research papers, and summaries of their readings. They are discussing what they have read, sharing analysis of the class topics, and what they would like to learn about the topic we are about to cover.

Journal entry May 30, 2014

My literacy rich classroom looks like a community of curious and collaborative learners.
My students are engaged in research, writing, and discussing the real world issues.
They are capable of independent learning in the following areas, they research using critical thinking to carefully select valid sources, they use reading strategies to use their research time efficiently, and they write concise coherent essays.

Unit Plan - Blog Post #4

History of China

 

Unit Context

Subject Content Area: World History

Course: 7^th Grade Social Studies

Length of Unit: The unit will last for 5 days for 45 minutes for 5 periods. This unit will take place in late October.

Facts about Learners

Information on Whole Classes

Number of Students in the Class: 31 students in the AM group and 28 students in the PM group.

Demographic Information:  

AM Group: 21 students are female and 10 are male. Most of the students are Latino, 1 is African-American, and 2 are Caucasian. 1 student has an IEP and reads at a fifth grade reading level (Alex). 17 Students are bilingual and 10 are English Language Learners. 1 of the English Language Learners has tested at an early intermediate level and Spanish is her first language (Elena).

PM Group: 17 students are female and 11 are male. Most of the students are Latino, 1 is African-American, and 1 is Caucasian. 17 students are bilingual and 11 are English Language Learners.

Developmental Needs

Readiness: Almost half of the students read at a lower grade level. Two thirds of students are writing at either a 5^th or 6^th grade level. One fifth of students are reading at a 9^th grade level and writing at a 7^th or 8^th grade level.

Interest: This is a social group of students who have shown interest in sharks and China activities in class this year.

Learning Profiles: The students like to work in pairs or small groups. The students need to see instructions on the board as well as hear them to understand.

Individual Student Information

     1.      Elena: She is a 12 year old female in the 7^th grade. She is from Mexico and has lived in the United States for 1.5 years. Her parents are professionals, and she has a large extended family. She is literate in Spanish and received high grades in school in Mexico. She works well in small groups, but can be shy. The CELDT scores indicate that she is at the Early Intermediate level, and is considered an English learner.

      2.     Javier: He is a 12 year old boy in the 7^th grade. He has a twin brother in a sheltered ELD class. He requested to be in my cooperating teacher’s class. He likes to share out in class. He is very social. He sometimes has trouble monitoring his own behavior. His CELT score from last fall indicates he is at the Early Intermediate level.

Developmental Needs

Readiness: Elena and Javier can read and write and the Early Intermediate level. They need to expand her vocabulary and improve her reading, writing, and speaking skills.

Interest: Family is very important to Elena, and she enjoys visiting her grandparents in Mexico. She also enjoys dancing and takes dance class.

Javier likes to plays soccer and football. He comes from a big family.

Learning Profile: Elena likes to work in small groups, and is shy in front of large groups. She is a kinesthetic learner who enjoys moving around when learning, and “learning by doing”.

Javier likes to work in small groups. He is not shy in class. He enjoys hands on activities.

Differentiation Strategies

Process/Readiness: Teacher group or pair up students to read material to support ELL.

Process/Readiness: Students discuss and share with small groups.

Product/Learning Profile: Hands on activities, such as graphic organizers to explain concepts.

Content/Readiness: Students use graphic organizers to understand content.

Process/Learning Profile: Think, write, pair, share to present and hear student work.

The strategies will be assessed for effectiveness through multiple formative assessments such as discussion, observation, journal entry including note-making. If needed, additional tutoring sessions will be provided to the student during lunch or after school. One of the teachers will sit by Javier’s group during independent practice to assist Javier and the group he sits with.

3. Alex: He is a 15 year old male in the 10^th grade. Alex is considered to have a learning disability. He had trouble developing literacy early on, and presently reads at a 7^th grade level. He struggles to decode words and has received special education support since the 2^nd grade. Alex takes daily medication for asthma and needs to use an inhaler on occasion. He tends to keep to himself, and does not participate in class discussions.

Developmental Needs

Readiness: Alex can read at the 5^th grade level. He needs help with decoding words and reading comprehension. He needs to build up his communication skills in order to contribute to class discussions.

Interest: Alex likes to be alone, and is lacking confidence to participate in group conversations. He does not communicate his interests and keeps to himself.

Learning Profile: Alex is very introverted and likes to be alone. He does not like to talk in front of the class, but will sometimes contribute to small groups. He prefers to stay quiet in class and is not social with his peers.

Differentiation Strategies

Process/Readiness: Students discuss and share with partner or small groups.

Process/Learning Profile: Teacher will ask students to read a portion of the text silently to familiarize themselves with the text. Then as a re-read, the teacher will read a portion of the text aloud to students while they read along silently.

Content/Readiness: Students use graphic organizers to understand content and increase reading comprehension.

The strategies will be assessed for effectiveness through multiple formative assessments such as discussion, observation, preview statement, and summary statement. If needed, additional tutoring sessions will be provided to the student during lunch or after school.

4.             Tyjze: Is a 12 year old 7^th grade student. He is reading at a 9^th grade level and writes at a 7^th grade level. He has an older sister and a baby brother. He works well in some small groups. He likes to contribute to class and is not shy. His teachers have only communicated with his father. It is unknown if his mother lives with them.

Developmental Needs

Readiness: He is reading at a 9th grade level and writes at a 7th grade level.

Interest: Tyjze is charismatic and popular. He is funny and enjoys being the class clown. He likes video games, Facebook, and skate boarding.

Learning Profile:  Tyjze works well in some small groups. He is easily bored or disinterested in work that does not challenge him. If he becomes bored he has a tendency to distract other students.

Differentiation Strategies

Process/Readiness: Create a mind map including text features and key words.

Process/Learning Profile: Students will have an opportunity to share out answers of what elements of exposition they found in the narrative at the beginning of the chapter.

Content/Readiness: The textbook is written and grade level and above. Each step of the reading strategy will be covered at the beginning of class, so if Tyjze completes his portion early he can independently move on to the next step.

Unit Rationale

This unit is important for student to learn so that they can apply their knowledge when we go further Chinese history and the expulsion of Barbarians out of China. The unit focuses on the fall of the Han Dynasty, the period of conflict that followed the reunification of China, and the Sui and Tang Dynasties. The students will need to know that the Sui and Tang Dynasties reunited China and brought a new sense of national identity. Students will be able to find main ideas in text using Power Literacy reading strategies. Everyone will be actively participating in the unit through conversation, graphic organizers, and group work.

Enduring Understanding: Chinese Dynasties rose and fell in a cyclical pattern.

Essential Questions:

1.     What caused the rise and fall of the dynasties? (Explanation)

2.     How can you use this knowledge to further your understanding China as a Nation? (Application)

Standards

CA Content Standards:

·         7.3.1 Describe the reunification of China under the Tang Dynasty and reasons for the spread of Buddhism in Tang China, Korea, and Japan.

·         7.3.3 Describe agricultural, technological, and commercial developments during the Tang and Song periods.

CA ELD Standards:

·         I1. Apply knowledge of common English morphemes in oral and silent reading to derive meaning from literature and texts in content areas.

·         I8. Use basic strategies of note taking, outlining, and the writing process to structure drafts of simple essays, with consistent use of standard grammatical forms (Some rules may not be followed.)

·         I3. Make oneself understood when speaking by using consistent standard English grammatical forms and sounds; however, some rules may not be followed (e.g., third-person singular, male and female pronouns).

Unit Objectives (according to the day)

1.     After students complete a KWL chart and think, write, pair, share what they remember about China from the 6^th grade (condition) students will be able to (SWBAT) complete their chart with background knowledge, what they would like to learn, and what they learned from the share activity (action), activate background knowledge (if any) of China and the Han Dynasty (criteria). (Cognitive)  Addresses recall facet of knowledge.

2.     After reading the short exposition to the narrative in the textbook page 210-211 (condition) SWBAT identify the information given in the exposition, write it in the “into” section of their journal, and share ideas with a partner (action). After holding a brief class discussion on what text features are in the textbook SWBAT review the text features independently (action) students will make a mind map including headings, sub headings, text features, and key words and students will write a preview statement from what they have learned about the chapter from previewing it (criteria). (Cognitive) Address the estimation facet of comprehension.

3.     After creating their own graphic organizer for vocabulary and scanning the text to find new words to list (condition), SWBAT work with a partner to find the definition of each word through context clues or the use of writing both the definition and evidence of the context clue on the graphic organizer (action). After students review their preview statements (condition) SWBAT share the statements with partners first and then the whole class (action) students will set up a note-making chart which will include sections for title, headings, subheadings, and main ideas (criteria). After reading Chapter 7, Lesson 1 in small groups (condition) SWBAT organizes main ideas onto the note-making chart (action) main ideas will be accurate and written in their own words (Cognitive, Social Studies 7.3.1 and 7.3.3). Addresses the solves facet of application.

4.     After organizing their main ideas onto their chart (condition) SWBAT summarize their notes into a summary statement (action) summary statement should be accurate and in students’ own words (criteria). (Cognitive, Social Studies 7.3.1 and 7.3.3) Addresses the Interpretation facet of understanding.

5.     After students reread the exposition and think about what they have learned about China while note-making (condition) SWBAT write a coherent paragraph or two that logically continue the story (criteria). (Cognitive, Social Studies 7.3.1 and 7.3.3) Addresses the Interpretation/Application facets of understanding.

Assessments (according to the day)

1.     Entry Level: Students will be assessed on their understanding of the Han Dynasty’s rule in China, which they learned about in the 6^th grade.

Formative: Teacher will observe students working in pairs on their KWL chart.

Summative: Students will be assessed by the how complete their KWL chart is.

2.     Entry Level: The teacher will assess students by asking the class to share their knowledge of the process what an exposition is and the process of note-making.

Formative: Students will be assessed on their understanding of the exposition read in class via the answers to the following questions in the into section of their journal: Setting, Characters, and Basic Situation.

Summative: Students will be assessed by how accurate their preview statements are.

3.     Entry Level: Students will be assessed for their existing knowledge by the number of vocabulary terms they have listed on their matrix.

Formative: Students will be assessed by how complete their evidence for context clues are and how many vocabulary words are defined.

Summative: Students will be assessed by how accurate the main ideas listed are.

4.     Summative: Students will be assessed on the summary statement they write.

5.     Summative: A coherent paragraph or two that logically continues the story.

Checklist for your overall assessment plan:

·         The assessments are inherent to the learning goals/objectives by measuring a student’s ability to perform the skills and comprehend the material. I have at least one formative or summative assessment for each day.

·         My assessments vary in formality, implementation method, and level of assessment.  

·         The use of multiple and varied assessments to monitor student progress produces valid and reliable results.

·         The student’s developmental needs readiness levels, interests, and learning profiles are integrated into the assessments by assessing all students at an i+1 level.

·         The criteria for the assessments are communicated as instructions to the entire class and reinforced as the teacher circulates the room and monitor’s students’ progress. The assessments are also part of a routine that has been repeated in many previous classes.

·         I will guide students to self-assess what they have written by asking them to read it aloud to me while I am monitoring the class. I have provided an assessment rubric that students will use as a formal assessment when they eventually write their essay on China.

·         I will utilize assessment data to inform my instruction by listening to answers from the class during the diagnostic assessment and if I observe many of the students not understanding the assignment I will take the time to ask some advanced students to share their answers or I will reteach the problematic topic.

·         Students will utilize the cognitive skill of interpretation to complete the narrative at the beginning of the chapter.

Unit Calendar

Lesson Components	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5
Standard (CA content & ELD)	CA: 7.3.1 Describe the reunification of China under the Tang Dynasty and reasons for the spread of Buddhism in Tang China, Korea, and Japan. ELD: I3. Make oneself understood when speaking by using consistent standard English grammatical forms and sounds; however, some rules may not be followed (e.g., third-person singular, male and female pronouns).	CA: 7.3.1 Describe the reunification of China under the Tang Dynasty and reasons for the spread of Buddhism in Tang China, Korea, and Japan. ELD: I1. Apply knowledge of common English morphemes in oral and silent reading to derive meaning from literature and texts in content areas.	CA: 7.3.1 Describe the reunification of China under the Tang Dynasty and reasons for the spread of Buddhism in Tang China, Korea, and Japan. ELD: I1. Apply knowledge of common English morphemes in oral and silent reading to derive meaning from literature and texts in content areas.	CA: 7.3.1 Describe the reunification of China under the Tang Dynasty and reasons for the spread of Buddhism in Tang China, Korea, and Japan. ELD: : I1. Apply knowledge of common English morphemes in oral and silent reading to derive meaning from literature and texts in content areas.	CA: 7.3.3 Describe agricultural, technological, and commercial developments during the Tang and Song periods. ELD: I8. Use basic strategies of note taking, outlining, and the writing process to structure drafts of simple essays, with consistent use of standard grammatical forms (Some rules may not be followed.)
Objective (Label Type & Standard)	After students complete a KWL chart and think, write, pair, share what they remember about China from the 6th grade (condition) students will be able to (SWBAT) complete their chart with background knowledge, what they would like to learn, and what they learned from the share activity (action), activate background knowledge (if any) of China and the Han Dynasty (criteria). (Cognitive)  Addresses recall facet of knowledge.	After reading the short exposition to the narrative in the textbook page 210-211 (condition) SWBAT identify the information given in the exposition, write it in the “into” section of their journal, and share ideas with a partner (action). After holding a brief class discussion on what text features are in the textbook SWBAT review the text features independently (action) students will make a mind map including headings, sub headings, text features, and key words and students will write a preview statement from what they have learned about the chapter from previewing it (criteria). (Cognitive) Address the estimation facet of comprehension.	After creating their own graphic organizer for vocabulary and scanning the text to find new words to list (condition), SWBAT work with a partner to find the definition of each word through context clues or through the use of a dictionary, writing both the definition and evidence of the context clue on the graphic organizer (action). After students review their preview statements (condition) SWBAT share the statements with partners first and then the whole class (action) students will set up a note-making chart which will include sections for title, headings, subheadings, and main ideas (criteria). After reading Chapter 7, Lesson 1 in small groups (condition) SWBAT organizes main ideas onto the note-making chart (action) main ideas will be accurate and written in their own words (Cognitive, Social Studies 7.3.1 and 7.3.3). Addresses the solves facet of application.	After organizing their main ideas onto their chart (condition) SWBAT summarize their notes into a summary statement (action) summary statement should be accurate and in students’ own words (criteria). (Cognitive, Social Studies 7.3.1 and 7.3.3) Addresses the Interpretation facet of understanding.	After students reread the exposition and think about what they have learned about China while note-making (condition) SWBAT write a coherent paragraph or two that logically continue the story (criteria). (Cognitive, Social Studies 7.3.1 and 7.3.3) Addresses the Interpretation/Application facets of understanding.
Assessment (Align Assessment Standard & Objective)	Entry Level: Students will be assessed on their understanding of the Han Dynasty’s rule in China, which they learned about in the 6th grade. Formative: Teacher will observe students working in pairs on their KWL chart. Summative: Students will be assessed by the how complete their KWL chart is.	Entry Level: The teacher will assess students by asking the class to share their knowledge of the process what an exposition is and the process of note-making. Formative: Students will be assessed on their understanding of the exposition read in class via the answers to the following questions in the into section of their journal: Setting, Characters, and Basic Situation. Summative: Students will be assessed by how accurate their preview statements are.	Entry Level: Students will be assessed for their existing knowledge by the number of vocabulary terms they have listed on their matrix. Formative: Students will be assessed by how complete their evidence for context clues are and how many vocabulary words are defined. Summative: Students will be assessed by accurate the main ideas listed are.	Formative: Students will be assessed on the summary statement they write.	Formative: Students will be assessed on the summary statement they write.
Student Activity	Into: Students set up KWL chart in their yellow journals. Teacher sets up KWL chart at the front of the room. Through: Use think, write, pair, share to encourage students to think of and share ideas.	Into: Review the term exposition, Identify the information given in the exposition. Write the information into the “Into” section of yellow journal. Share ideas with a partner. Through: Review the text features by asking students to call out some of the text features that they see. Students should share types of text features. Closure: Students draw a web of headings and text features.	Into: Instruct students to set up a vocabulary matrix Students will listing new words on their charts. Students will work with a partner to problem-solve each word. Through: Review the information that is written in a preview statement. Students write their statements, share them with partners, in small groups, and to the whole class. Closure: Students write their preview statements, share them with partners, in small groups, and to the whole class.	Into: Students will read Chapter 7, Lesson 1 in heterogeneous groups of three. Either taking turns reading or choral read. Through: Students will organize main ideas onto their note-making charts.	Into: Review notes taken the previous day. Through: Write summary statement, share them with partners, in groups, and with the whole class. Closure: Students will reread the short exposition. Students will think about what will happen next and predict what will happen by writing a paragraph or two to continue the story.

Closure/Beyond:

Closure: Students will write a summary statement of the Lesson they have read. Students will compare their summary statement with their preview statement.

Beyond: Students will think about what will happen next and predict what will happen by writing a paragraph or two to continue the story.

1. TITLE OF THE LESSON-  Previewing Chapter 7 Lesson 1	2. CURRICULUM AREA & GRADE LEVEL – 7th Grade World History
3A. STUDENT INFORMATION: English Language Learners         1.) Readiness Level- Elena has tested at a CELDT score of Early Intermediate Level.              2.) Learning Profile- Elena likes to work in small groups, and is shy in front of large groups. She is a kinesthetic learner who enjoys moving around when learning, and “learning by doing”.               3.) Interest- Family is very important to Elena, and she enjoys visiting her grandparents in Mexico. She also enjoys dancing and takes dance class.	3B. STUDENT INFORMATION: Students w/ Special Needs         1.) Readiness Level- Alex can read at the 5th grade level. He needs help with decoding words and reading comprehension. He needs to build up his communication skills in order to contribute to class discussions.         2.) Learning Profile- Alex is very introverted and likes to be alone. He does not like to talk in front of the class, but will sometimes contribute to small groups. He prefers to stay quiet in class and is not social with his peers.              3.) Interest- Alex likes to be alone, and is lacking confidence to participate in group conversations. He does not communicate his interests, and keeps to himself.
4. RATIONALE      A. Enduring Understanding- Chinese Dynasties rose and fell in a cyclical pattern.      B. Essential Questions- What caused the rise and fall of the dynasties? (Explanation) What Chinese innovations do we still use today? (Explanation) How can you use this knowledge to further your understanding China as a Nation? (Application)      C. Reason for Instructional Strategies and Student Activities-Students exercise Power Literacy skills necessary to build reading comprehension while learning from the textbook about Social Studies standards 7.3.1 and 7.3.3.
5. CONTENT STANDARD(S) 7.3.1 Describe the reunification of China under the Tang Dynasty and reasons for the spread of Buddhism in Tang China, Korea, and Japan. 7.3.3 Describe agricultural, technological, and commercial developments during the Tang and Song periods.		6. ELD STANDARD(S) I1. Apply knowledge of common English morphemes in oral and silent reading to derive meaning from literature and texts in content areas. I8. Use basic strategies of note taking, outlining, and the writing process to structure drafts of simple essays, with consistent use of standard grammatical forms (Some rules may not be followed.)
7. LEARNING GOAL(S) - OBJECTIVE(S)      A. Cognitive- Addresses the estimation facet of comprehension. Students will be able to explain the sequence of historical events that occurred between 220 and 620 A.D. in China. B. Language development- Students will be able to utilize text features to form a preview statement on the topic of the text.		8. ASSESSMENT(S)      A. Diagnostic/Entry Level-Class discussion on the term exposition.      B. Formative-Progress Monitoring- The note-making students have made in their journal including, mind map, preview statement, and description of exposition.      C. Summative- A summary and summary statement based on the chapter reading.
9A. EXPLANATION OF DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS 1.)    Content/Based on Readiness, Learning Profile or Interest- Teacher will read the exposition aloud to students as they follow along silently. Reading aloud will scaffold students reading comprehension.		9B. EXPLANATION OF DIFFERENTIATION FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS 1.)   Content/Based on Readiness, Learning Profile or Interest- Teacher has students read the exposition text silently to themselves before Teacher reads aloud to students. This allows for a reread to assist with reading comprehension.
10. INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES (Describe what the teacher does. Include differentiation strategies.) A.    Anticipatory Set/Into- Teacher briefly reviews KWL chart taught during the previous day’s lesson. Teacher instructs students to read the exposition to themselves silently. Teacher reads the exposition at the beginning of chapter 7 Lesson 1 aloud to students. Teacher reviews the term exposition with students. Teacher instructs students to work in pairs in order to complete the “Into” portion of their reading journal with information provided in the exposition. (15 minutes) B.    Instruction/Through- Teacher leads a class discussion on what text features are observable. Teacher instructs students to visually scan text features. Teacher will remind students to not scan running text. (15 minutes)                                           C. Guided Practice/Through- Teacher instructs students to make a web with title in the center. Instructs to add spokes to the web. The one heading per spoke principle is reviewed. Teacher instructs students to add key words and relevant text features from each section to their web. Teacher instructs students to write a one sentence preview statement. (15 minutes)		11. STUDENT ACTIVITIES (Describe what the students do. Include differentiation activities.)        A. Anticipatory Set/Into- Students read the exposition to themselves silently. Students read silently while listening to the teacher read. Student answers teacher’s inquiry about the term exposition. Students complete the Into portion of their reading journal (yellow journal) with information provided in the exposition.(15 minutes)                                      B. Instruction/Through- Students engage in class discussion on text features. Students visually scan text features. (15 minutes)                                        C. Guided Practice/Through- Students begin their web with a title in the center. Students answer questions prompted by the teacher about spokes and text features. Students complete their webs with subheadings, key words, and text features. Students write a one sentence preview statement. (15 minutes)
12. RESOURCES- textbook, yellow journal, white board, and makers

 

Reflection:

·         Drafting this unit plan forced me to look at the demographics of my classes in a way I had not before. I learned that there are only 10 boys in our AM group.

·         I will observe students memory of the reading strategies during the next reading lesson. I will observe students memory of the Tang and Sui Dynasties during the next lesson on China in order to measure actual student learning.

·          The limitations I see in my unit plan is that there is a large amount of reading and writing required of the students. I fear that students may lose interest which could cause a loss of the whole class. The strength of my plan is that the reading strategies students are practicing are valuable in all content areas.

·         I have differentiated the way I introduce the chapter for those that have difficulty with reading. I have reviewed all the steps of reading to allow the high achievers to move on independently.