Artifact 6

Competency 10.3: "Access resources for planning instruction available via telecommunications (e.g., experts, lesson plans, authentic data, curriculum materials)."

Competency 12.5: "Organizational and management strategies that support active student involvement, inquiry, and collaboration."

Context

This artifact was created during my Elementary Education Block 436. In class I worked with a group o two other students to create a literature circle unit on time travel. First the three of us got together and decided on the theme, Time Travel, then we proceeded to pick out books that dealt with the topic of time travel that were on three different reading levels. Individually we each took a reading level and developed a complete literature circle unit on the books in our reading level. As a group we created a web site that included all the different books on the different reading levels and also included activities that would tie all of the books together.

Impact

The literature circle unit is an excellent way to motivate the students within the language arts curriculum. By created different jobs through out the literature circle unit, you can also integrate this assignment across the curriculum.

Alignment

The literature circle unit meets INTASC principle 1. The literature circle unit allows the students to be involved in the education process. Through the different jobs of a literature circle, the students can also build on prior learning or learning that is occurring across the curriculum.

The literature circle unit also meets INTASC principle 4. Allowing the students to guide themselves through a literature circle units, the teacher is able to vary their instructional strategies and allow for student development in critical thinking skills, problem solving, and performance skills.

The literature circle unit meets INTASC principle 6. USing the discussion strategies involved in a Literature Circle, the students begin to understand the concepts of different communication strategies.