Artifact # 4
This is a literature circles unit plan on early colonization with an emphasis on the Salem witch trials. It was designed for grade 5.
Context
I created this unit plan with three other students during my block
experience as a part of my Children’s Literature course. Each group
member was responsible for the reading material for one instructional level.
I planned lessons for the on grade level group based on the book The Witch
of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. The group members linked
the lessons together and collaboratively created launch and closing activities,
as well as designed the web pages.
Impact
I will use literature circle units in my classroom to meet the instructional
needs of all my students, to develop social interaction and collaborative
work, and to integrate social studies and other curricular areas with language
arts. These units encourage investigation and making connections.
All students can participate in literature circles and have their instructional
needs be met.
Alignment
This activity is organized in such a way that facilitates active, cooperative
work. Students have specific jobs that require them to share their ideas
and research related to the readings and engage in positive discussion.
The groups are homogenous with respect to reading level in order to promote
equal participation (Tech.
Competency 12.5). At the fifth grade level, I would expect to have
a variety of reading levels in my classroom and would want to address each
of their needs fully. The literature circles unit enables me as a teacher
to involve all students in reading activities that are closely related
thematically (INTASC
#3). The delegation of different tasks demonstrates my ability to use
a variety of instructional strategies. Among them are discussion, research,
art, and the use of technology. Each of these strategies reinforces
the curricular goals of the unit (INTASC
#4). In the launch activity, we have included a video dealing
with early colonization to help students get a visual image to support
their reading (Tech.
Competency 10.2). The students will use classroom computers as
a tool for completing their jobs. For example, they may use an online
reference tool such as www.m-w.com for the word wizard job (see NCSCS competency
goal 1.04 for 5th grade), or seek additional information on a topic for
the connector or investigator job to share with the group and discuss (Tech.
Competencies 12.7 and 12.1). Because they may be using Internet
sources, I would use this opportunity to make the students familiar with
the proper citations and insist that they be used when appropriate (Tech.
Competency 14.1 ).