Artifact # 5
Context:
The Literature Circle was created in the Language and Literacy
in Elementary
School class combined with the Principals of Reading Instruction for
the Classroom Teacher during my pre-service during the fall of 2000 at
Appalachian State University.
Impact:
The Literature Circle unit plan will be used in a fifth grade
classroom during reading to address the different reading levels of the
students. In the Literature Circles, the class will be discussing
a specific topic. Each of the different level groups will have books
to read about that topic. In each group students will have different
jobs to do and with the jobs students will discuss the books that they
are reading. The Literature Circle meets the North Carolina Standard
Course of Study in Language Arts, Social Studies, and Computer/Technology
Skills.
Alignment:
In the Literature Circle unit the children will have specific
jobs in which they must look up information, record the information, and
present it to their group. Also, the students will draw pictures,
such as a character map, to explain to the group (Technology
Competence 12.1). One of the jobs in the Literature circle unit
is investigator. The investigator must use technology, such as the
web, to find information about an event of figure in their book and then
present the information to the class in a way that makes sense to them
(Technology Competence 12.7). All
of the students within the group will have to learn to find, record and
keep their information organized in order for everyone to present and discuss
their jobs (Technology Competence 12.5).
Also, the teacher will need to have a great knowledge of the subject matter
at hand so that s/he will be able to find books and resource material on
the topic as well as knowing where the student is at in their reading level
in order to place them into a specific group (INTASC
Standard 7). By understanding where the students are in their
learning, the teacher will be able to place them in a literature circle
group that supports their intellectual, social, and personal development
(INTASC Standard 2).