Artifact # 11
Literature Circle Unit: Literature Circles are small groups of students who meed daily to read literature on their instructional reading level, write about what they have read by completing a "job", and then meet to discuss the literature.
Context:
I completed within a group an entire literature circle unit with thorough
directions and examples to follow in my Language and Literacy in Schools
class.
Impact:
This lesson plan will be very useful to me as a teacher because it
offers a very usable unit that will reach students of different reading
levels. By doing this Literature Circle Unit, I have become very
comfortable and competent in successfully implementing such a reading program
within my classroom. This unit has also been placed on the Internet
so other teachers can benefit from these examples.
Alignments:
The introductory
lesson to this unit includes use of a video on the Great Depression,
which shows my ability to use school television resources in a way that
supports the curriculum (Tech Comp 10.2).
Also, by using a remote control in my classroom to manipulate the television
and VCR, I have demonstrated my ability to use wireless resources (Tech
Comp 12.6). By listing sources for students to find historical
information about their books from the Internet, I have shown that I am
able to access resources for planning instruction available vie telecommunications
(Tech Comp. 10.3). In participating in
Literature Circles, students are able to utilize computers in gathering,
organizing, and presenting information through cooperative learning groups
(Tech Comp 11.4). Through the "investigator"
role within this unit, students are challenged to locate and analyze information,
as well as draw conclusions and use a variety of media to communicate results
clearly (Tech Comp 12.1).
By placing students in small groups and assigning individual jobs to each student, they are being held more accountable for their own work. This demonstrates my attention to the organizational and management issues in the classroom that help to facilitate active, collaborative work (Tech Comp 12.5). Also this unit shows that I am able to integrate technology in both my teachg in and in student expression to help meet curriculum goals (Tech Comp 12.7).
The social studies lesson on The Great Depression that is linked to this Literature Circle Unit is historically accurate and was constructed in a way that children will actively engage in the lesson and get the most out of it. Because this lesson includes letters that children wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt during the time of The Great Depression, the students being taught this lesson would easily be able to relate to how life was for people during this time period (INTASC 1). Also this lesson demonstrates my ability to plan instruction based on knowledge of subject matter, alignment with curriculum goals, and students needs (INTASC 7).
The Modifications
for Special Needs Learners in the Literature Circle show my ability
to create instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners
(INTASC 3).