- A brief description of literacy strategy used in your lesson (in red below)
- Specific details describing your lesson (in green below)
- A quick reflection (in blue below)
I used one of the the strategies described in the Content Area Literacy Guide to help me design my lesson. You may opt to base your posts on the strategies you described in your Self-Assessment Survey or from strategies uncovered during your book study.
Here is my sample post:
The objective of this task is to have my students demonstrate an understanding of the concept of critical literacy so any misconceptions could be seen. I used an Analytic Graphic Organizer to help them organize their thoughts AFTER reading.
First I modeled the process of completing a Frayer diagram for the whole group. During the class demonstration we discussed the concept of functional literacy. We completed the Frayer Model by listing essential characteristics and examples of functional literacy. As a class, we attempted to define functional literacy through the description of instances in which someone may demonstrate functional literacy on the job. After the whole group lesson, I asked my students to create another Frayer Model in small groups. For their graphic organizer, the students had to list essential characteristics, nonessential characteristics, examples, and nonexamples of critical literacy.
I was not surprised that my students had trouble identifying the nonexamples. I knew from the earlier lesson that the identification of nonexamples would require careful thought. Fortunately, I also discovered that several of my students are still unable to differentiate the essential characteristics of critical reading and critical literacy. I will use this information to plan for small group instruction.
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ReplyDelete“The Most Dangerous Game” is the first story I use with ninth graders in our study of short stories. There are vocabulary words in the story that aren’t typically used by high school students. In addition there are words that students can define but not in the context of the story (report, game, appointments). I used the Knowledge Rating Guide strategy from the Content Area Literacy Guide. My objectives were to introduce key terms to students, determine what they already know, help them connect the words to what they already know, and asses their learning of the words.
ReplyDeleteFirst I had students use the Knowledge Rating Guide to rate which of the vocabulary words from the story they (1) know and use, (2) know fairly well but don’t use, or (3) don’t know and don’t use. I then paired students attempting to give each pair two of the words that they knew well enough to use or knew fairly well. That was difficult since many of them knew very few of the words. Once placed with a partner, the students had to use the book glossary to come up with an easy definition to give their classmates. They also had to write two sentences using each word correctly, so they could give classmates examples of the words in context. Then they were to create a strategy to teach their two words to the class. They could be creative, but I gave them some suggestions such as drawing a picture to illustrate, making a mnemonic device, presenting a brief role play, or telling an anecdote about the word. I then modeled how I learned the word treacherous with an anecdote. After the work in pairs was completed, I had the two students teach their two words to their classmates.
The goal was for students to create a way for their classmates to remember and use the vocabulary correctly. Some students did a superb job. For example, one linked the word cosmopolite to the magazine Cosmopolitan. That led to a discussion of how the magazine probably used that name to make their readers think if they read the magazine they are well informed and knowledgeable about the world. Another example was a mask that a student drew to represent grotesque. A student taught sallow by telling classmates that it ended in –llow just as yellow does. However, some students put very little effort into thinking of a way to teach the word. In reflection, I realized that some students don’t do as well as others when they are required to stand before a classroom full of peers. I also recognized that students have different creative abilities when it comes to role playing, drawing, or creating; as a result, some of the less creative students were not as innovative with their teaching examples. Before they began the work, I explained that it was a participation grade; maybe I spent too much time trying to make the assignment seem nonthreatening and should have concentrated more on modeling other examples of what could be done. Overall, I think most of the class will benefit from the lesson by having a visual to connect to a word definition.
Using the short story the “The Most Dangerous Game” and the Question-Answer Relationship strategy from the Content Area Literacy Guide, I attempted to help students realize that answers to all questions are not found in the text. My objective was to refute a common misperception by students that the text tells all. I also wanted them to become more analytical and be able to make good inferences.
ReplyDeleteI actually modified the Question-Answer Relationship strategy. After students had read “The Most Dangerous Game,” we had a class discussion about the methods authors use to develop characters. I presented them with a mnemonic device (STEAL—speech, thoughts, effects on others, actions, looks) to analyze story characters. I then chose the characteristic of courage for the character Rainsford and modeled for students what I wanted them to do. For example, I explained that when Rainsford turned down Zaroff’s offer to hunt captured sailors, it took courage. I further explained by telling them I came up with that answer because I had read the text (author and me) and developed my answer based on knowledge and personal experience (on my own). With a partner they choose an inferred characteristic for Rainsford and an inferred characteristic for Zaroff and used STEAL to support their inference. They found as many examples from the story as they could to maintain that their inferences were correct. We then had a brief class discussion so each pair could give their examples, and as a class we decided if the examples were “author and me,” “think and search,” or “on my own” from the Question-Answer Relationship strategy.
To work more on the students’ skills in analyzing characters, I assigned an extend/refine activity. I clipped pictures of unknown people from magazines and gave one to each student. Students had to work with a partner to write a dialogue between the two characters. Writing conversation between two randomly assigned pictures is difficult, so students had to give thought to how they could link the two characters. This activity was also designed to help them analyze the characters from the next story with more depth and understanding.
As a result of the activities, I think I helped students realize all answers are not written in a text. Some of them connected the story to standardized testing where they are required to make inferences for many answers. Hopefully this activity will help these students comprehend better as they read. The magazine picture activity caused students to use appearances to analyze characters. Some dialogues were very creative, and many students were able to write a plausible dialogue between to seemingly unrelated characters. They also had to use higher order thinking to complete the activities.
To help students begin writing essays that reveal their interpretation of a literary selection, I used a graphic organizer to help them organize their thoughts and construct meaning from the text. My objective was to have students take notes in an organized way and synthesize information from different locations in the text.
ReplyDeleteI explained to students that using the graphic organizer would help them visualize how to link their ideas together in their writing. I gave each student a copy of the concept map with the word theme in the center circle. Each line leading into the center circle was for an idea which would support the theme. The horizontal lines drawn from each diagonal idea line were for examples/details from the story that would support their idea. After students read the story and filled in their graphic organizer, we had a brief class discussion of the story. I then gave each student the following writing prompt and had them use their completed graphic organizer as an outline for writing.
We have discussed theme as the point or reason for writing a story. In addition, we have defined theme as a lesson learned. As you read O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi,” you filled in a concept map to help you arrange ideas that can support what you believe the theme to be. Use ideas and supporting details from your organizer to write a well-developed paragraph stating the theme of the story. You are allowed to add examples from your personal experience to support your writing, and you may use the first person personal pronoun I. Proofread with a partner and check your paper by the rubric before submitting your work to me. If you choose, you may use the following sentence to begin your writing: “The Gift of the Magi” has several possible theme interpretations, the theme of ________ stands above all others.
Most students seemed to benefit from using the concept map as a guide for writing because their writing was organized. They were able to include enough details and examples to support what they chose as the theme of the story. Also their details were logically organized.