Artifact 1

Artifact: Literature Circle Unit: An interdisciplinary unit where students are grouped based upon their reading levels. The entire class will study the same topic, however, they will be reading from a variety of books. The books will be divided into sections so that the class will be working on the same timeline. Each member of the group will be given jobs so that they will be taking responsibility for their learning. After each section, the groups will meet and share their jobs. The groups are led by the students.

Context: This project was created during my Language and Literacy In the Elementary School course at Appalachian State University in Spring 2001. The unit was created on Netscape Composer and is located on the World Wide Web so that other teachers and myself can access the unit. My unit is based on the Salem Witch Trials and Pilgrims. The unit is created for a fifth grade class. My section was created for the above reading level group.

Impact: Literature Circles Units can be used in both the Language Arts and Social Studies Curriculum. Students are able to take ownership of their work while completing their jobs in this unit. Classroom teachers can use this as an example to create their own literature circle. The jobs are all outlined and have examples of work.

Alignment: Students need an environment where they are able to openly share their ideas and thoughts. The groups are able to have their own personal areas so that they feel comfortable sharing their work and ideas. (Tech competency 12.4) This assignment is located on the Web. It can be accessed by teachers and adapted into their classroom. (Tech 10.3) Technology is a good way to clearly communicate ideas to a wide range of people. By creating this unit, I am better able to use media and technology to communicate. (Tech 11.1) I chose to display my information on a Web site because it can be used by more people this way. Since everything is linked together, the information is very easy to read, understand and reproduce. (Tech 11.2) Not only teachers, but students can access this information off of the Internet. The lessons are very clear and include examples for the students. (Tech 12.1) I believe in a positive learning environment. Because this project is student lead, a strong discipline program must be already taking place in the class. This way the small groups can be more successful, and the teacher will not have to focus time on discipline. (INTACS #1) Literature Circles allow students to learn in a nontraditional setting. The students act as the teachers by preparing their jobs to share with the groups. This is just another teaching strategy which can be used in the classroom. (INTASC #4)