Artifact 2

This literature circle unit is based on Mexican immigrants in the United States. This literature circle unit is a plan for teaching children in groups based on their reading levels. This particular unit is designed to be used along with a unit that was written by Allyson West. These two units combined focus on fifth grade curriculum. The fifth grade curriculum will be covered by reading books on third, fifth, and sixth grade reading levels. Each student in the group is assigned a certain role that they must complete for each section of the book. The students' roles are changed with each section of the book.

Context

I created this Literature Circle Unit during my senior block experience in the fall of 2002, under the direction of Beth Frye. I used the Internet, Netscape Composer, Adobe Photoshop, a Scanner, and other technological tools.

Impact

A literature circle is a unit that is based on dividing a class of students into different groups depending on their instructional reading level and allowing them to learn and explore the same theme or author, while reading a book that is on their reading level. Students are divided into groups according to their reading levels. Each student within a group reads the same book. The teacher then assigns each student in the group a job to complete from the information in each section. This unit focuses on Mexican immigrants in the United States and was created to be used along with a unit that was written by Allyson West. Ms. West's unit is designed for the fifth grade level, which is on grade level for this particular project. The sections of the unit that I created are above grade level (sixth grade) and below grade level (third grade). This particular unit meets many standards for language arts, social studies, and Information Skills (See below) identified in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for the fifth grade level. I fully intend to use this unit in my class and develop more literature circle units as well. Literature circle units are a very effective way to differentiate instruction, while still meeting the instructional goals for the grade level.

North Carolina English Language Arts Curriculum for Grade Five
1.02 Select key vocabulary critical to the text and apply appropriate meanings as necessary for comprehension.
1.03 Increase reading and writing vocabulary through:
· wide reading.
· word study.
· word reference materials.
· content area study.
· writing process elements.
· writing as a tool.
· debate.
· discussions.
· seminars.
· examining the author's craft.
1.04 Use word reference materials (e.g., glossary, dictionary, thesaurus, on-line reference tools) to identify and comprehend unknown words.
2.02 Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, and viewing by:
· making predictions.
· formulating questions.
· supporting answers from textual information, previous experience, and/or other sources.
· drawing on personal, literary, and cultural understandings.
· seeking additional information.
2.03 Read a variety of texts, such as:
· fiction (tall tales, myths).
· nonfiction (books of true experience, newspaper and magazine articles, schedules).
· poetry (narrative, lyric, and cinquains).
· drama (plays and skits).
2.04 Identify elements of fiction and nonfiction and support by referencing the text to determine the:
· plot development.
· author's choice of words.
· effectiveness of figurative language (e.g., personification, flashback).
3.01 Respond to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes by:
· analyzing word choice and content.
· examining reasons for a character's actions, taking into account the situation and basic motivation of the character.
· creating and presenting a product that effectively demonstrates a personal response to a selection or experience.
· examining alternative perspectives.
3.02 Make connections between texts by recognizing similarities and differences based on a common lesson, theme, or message.
3.03 Justify evaluation of characters and events from different selections by citing supporting evidence in the text(s).
3.05 Integrate main idea and supporting details from multiple sources to expand understanding of texts.
3.06 Conduct research (with assistance) from a variety of sources for assigned or self-selected projects (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people, libraries, databases, computer networks).

North Carolina Social Studies Curriculum for Grade Five

1.1 Identify, locate, and describe major groups of people, past and present, in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
1.2 Describe similarities and differences among the people of the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
1.3 Assess the role and status of individuals and groups in the United States, Canada, and Latin America, past and present.
2.2 Evaluate the influence of beliefs, individuals, and practices associated with major religions in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
2.3 Analyze economic, social, and political situations which involve ethical and moral dilemmas.
3.1 Describe the absolute and relative location of major landforms, bodies of water, and natural resources in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
3.2 Analyze the impact of the absolute and relative location of places on ways of living in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
4.2 Compare the physical and cultural characteristics of regions within the Western Hemisphere and within the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
5.1 Explain how people of the Western Hemisphere adapt and have adapted to the physical environment.
6.1 Analyze the movement of people, goods, and ideas within and among the countries of the United States, Canada, and Latin America and between the Western Hemisphere and other places.
6.2 Compare ways in which people, goods, and ideas moved in the past in the United States, Canada, and Latin America with their movement today.
6.3 Judge how changes in the movement of people, goods, and ideas have affected ways of living in the Western Hemisphere.
9.5 Assess economic institutions in terms of how well they enable people to meet their needs.
10.1 Describe ways in which the economy of the United States, Canada, and Latin America are interdependent.
11.1 Identify and describe changes which have occurred in ways of living in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
11.2 Identify examples of cultural transmission and interaction within and among the regions of the Western Hemisphere.
11.3 Evaluate the effects of change on the lives of the people of the United States, Canada, and Latin America.

North Carolina Information Skills Curriculum for Grade Five

1.01 Participate in read-aloud, storytelling, booktalking, silent and voluntary reading experiences.
1.02 Demonstrate competence and self motivation as a reader.
1.03 Demonstrate appropriate care of resources.
1.04 Acknowledge ownership of ideas.
1.11 Explore primary secondary sources.
3.01 Describe personal cultural heritage and environment.
3.02 Collect and compare information about diverse cultures, environments, and peoples.
3.03 Identify bias and stereotypes.
3.04 Relate cultural similarities and differences to personal heritage and environments.
3.05 Describe how information and ideas are influenced by prior knowledge, personal experience, and social, cultural, political, economic and historical events.
4.05 Gather information.
4.07 Organize and use information.
5.01 Respond to reading, listening, viewing experiences orally, artistically, dramatically, through various formats (e.g., print, multimedia).

Alignment

This artifact aligns with INTASC Principle 1 because I needed basic background knowledge such as knowing that children read on stratified levels, before I could create this literature circle unit. Before I could implement this unit, I needed to find books that were appropriate for the student's varying ability levels. Literature Circles also allow the students to see literature from another person's point of view, such as a fellow group member's. They also guide children to ask appropriate questions when analyzing a story. The literature circle unit allows the students to be involved in the education process. Students explore each chapter to complete their assigned jobs. They make predictions, research information, and draw conclusions on their own based on the information that they find. Literature circle units allow students to find and create their own answer rather than relying solely on the teacher's opinions. The literature circle unit aligns with INTASC Principle 2 because many of the jobs assigned to students encourage them to reflect on past knowledge and to connect their past knowledge with new information. Students assume responsibility by accepting a job that contributes to their group's discussion. Literature circle units are based upon meeting students' needs on their instructional levels. INTASC Principle 5 is met because literature circles provide the opportunity for group and cooperative learning. The groups must work together to function effectively. Each person in the group has to contribute actively to the group. The group motivates individual members and individual members are also self-motivated to complete their roles thoroughly. This artifact aligns with INTASC Principle 6 because the teacher uses effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication to teach the students about literature circles and how to complete their roles. This project fosters supportive interaction and collaboration among group members. This literature circle unit provides support for the learner by allowing the learner to express their ideas in writing, speaking, drawing and other various forms. By using such forms of communication, this literature circle unit enriches learning opportunities. The literature circle unit clearly meets Technology Competency II A because it is specifically designed to meet the needs of students on varying instructional levels and with different learning styles. The different jobs allow opportunities for students to explore many different learning styles. The books assigned to the literature circle groups are selected based on their developmental appropriateness. Keeping a student on their reading level will insure more success than trying to instruct the entire class on one ability level. Technology competency IV A is met by this artifact because the literature circle unit provides a wide variety of techniques for assessing student learning. These assessment tools are embedded within the completion of individual roles, group interaction, self-assessment, and teacher observation.