Artifact # 3
Artifact #3
Literature Circles Unit – This is a unit plan based on students reading books at an appropriate reading level and partaking in in-depth discussions involving the book.
Context:
I learned about literature circles through
my Reading and Language Arts Methods class during my Block experience at
ASU. The unit was created and put onto the World Wide Web using Netscape
Composer. This unit consists of three sections, each based on a different
reading level but each book has to do with the same topic or genre.
After reading the books in the designated section, students participate
in different jobs. These jobs are Discussion Director, Passage Picker,
Word Wizard, Character Sketcher and one other job of choice. I was
placed in a group with two other people and we each created a section,
while preparing a launch and closure activity as a group. I created
the section for below grade level readers and also the launch lesson plan.
Impact:
Literature circle units will eventually
be a big part of my teaching strategy in my classroom. These units
can be created to go along with almost any topic or subject. In this
particular case, the literature circle unit integrates social studies,
language arts, and reading. Once students learn and understand the
jobs and purposes of their reading, they will be eager to read and fulfill
their responsibilities in order to participate well with their small group.
Another bonus of using literature circles in the classroom is that every
student can participate. The groups are set up according to reading
level so each child will have a place and a purpose in the class.
Alignment:
This unit plan was created with both students
and teachers in mind. This unit has been placed on the World Wide
Web in order for teachers and students alike to be able to access the lessons
and information. The format is simple and easy to understand.
The sections are linked and easily to navigate (Tech.
Comp. 11.1). One of the main purposes of literature circle units
is to get students to read information and refer back to it in order to
analyze what they have read. A specific job that requires a lot of
investigating and analyzing is the Investigator job. In my section,
students are required to research the time period using the websites I
have provided, plus any others that they may find. After completing
this task, they must report back and communicate to the group the information
they have discovered (Tech. Comp. 12.1).
This unit provides a great opportunity to teach students cooperative group
work and how their jobs are directly related to the good of the group they
work in. Students will be grouped and organized according to previously
determined reading levels. These groups are a good way to encourage
students to stay on task and do their part because students take their
jobs very seriously and view them as a privilege (Tech.
Comp. 12.5). This unit proves that the Internet can be a wonderful
resource for both students and teachers. Teachers can access this
unit plan at any time and refer back to it as many times as needed.
It is easy to see that the unit meets certain curriculum goals and this
makes it easy for teachers to locate and determine exactly what students
will explore. Students may also access this web page, plus they will
learn the usefulness of the Internet through the investigator job and the
launch activity of this unit. Both of these activities use the Internet
to conduct research on the featured topic (Tech.
Comp. 12.7). While producing this unit plan, my group and I were
sure to cite any resources that we may have used. This is shown in
our references section and includes any websites that were used for research
or pictures takes from the World Wide Web (Tech.
Comp. 14.3). In this unit plan, I show my understanding of the
many different learning levels of students. This unit allows for
adaptation, integration, and flexibility through the tasks involved and
the books that are chosen to work with. By creating this unit, I
have shown my ability to adapt lessons to the special needs of my learners
(INTASC #3). I find that literature
circles lend themselves to the many levels and types of learning expressed
by students. Students must learn intellectual and critical thinking,
as well as social skills. In small groups, students work together
to read and understand the assigned readings, which promotes cooperation
and social skill development. Students also must dig deep into these
books and find meaning and comprehension within, which involves the development
of intellectual thinking (INTASC #2).