T.O.C. by NCDPI & NCATE Standards
Artifact Five: Wordless Picture Books
| PowerPoint | whole class book | student assignment |
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| The Grey Lady and The Strawberry Snatcher | story map | rubric page 1 |
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Context: This unit was created as an outgrowth of a presentation on the effectiveness of using wordless picture books as a scaffold when writing creative narratives in RE 5130, Teaching the Language Arts, with Dr. Beth Frye. In an interactive PowerPoint presentation, Dr. Frye wowed me with the power of this method of teaching creative writing. The little kids in her video were thoroughly engaged in the creation of their own story in what I can only describe as the true writing process: brainstorming, debating, reading, revising, rereading, editing, and publishing. She used teachable moments to focus on needs specific to her learners: a vocabulary lesson here, a lesson on vivid words there. After reading, "Wordless Books: No Risk Tools for Inclusive Middle-Grade Classrooms," by Judith K. Cassady and "Story Development Using Wordless Picture Books," by Colleen Reese, and seeing this presentation, I knew that this unit was one I had to implement in my ELL classroom!
I began this unit by "reading" several wordless picture books. Then, we read a wordless picture book that a previous student of Dr. Frye's had used with her class to create a story. She pasted the story her students created into the book. I felt that this book was especially appropriate for my ELL students because it provided a concrete example of the finished product. In addition, this book, Zoom, by Istvan Banyai, was the prequel to the book that we narrated as a whole class, thus acclimating them further to his style of storytelling. After we wrote our book together, the students were then broken into three groups of three and given their choice of books to narrate and illustrate. Before beginning, students had to fill out a story map, planning out the plot points of their book. While they were working in small groups, I circulated and provided guidance as necessary, spelling words for the students, asking questions about the plot line, and making sure that the work done was indeed a collaborative effort. When they finished writing, students shared the finished products to their classmates via PowerPoint, and then we traveled to the beginning ELL class to share our books with them. These limited English speakers were amazed that their friends had "broken the code" and written a book that was entertaining and artfully illustrated.
Finally, their books were published on the Freedom High School website, which gave my ELL students a great deal of pride.
A. Instructional Expertise
The candidate demonstrates instructional expertise by applying the theoretical, philosophical, and research bases for educational practice in P-12 settings to improve student learning.
Rationale: I planned, implemented, and evaluated instruction for my students based on the research I had done on the use of wordless picture books in a language arts classroom to facilitate reading and writing literacy and to improve student learning. I designed and modified instruction based on assessment of student learning problems and successes with this activity. My ELL students struggle to write stories. So often, they spend so much time worrying about getting their grammar, syntax, and word choice right that they quickly grow tired after writing just a paragraph. This assignment freed them from those worries because during the whole class writing, I acted as their scribe. They simply provided ideas and sentences, and I knew that writing in this fashion (with pictures to supply the story structure) would provide them with an opportunity for success. By using PowerPoint to present their finished books, I used technology to support students' learning.
B. Knowledge of Learners
The candidate incorporates knowledge of the nature of the learner, learning processes, variations in learning abilities and learning styles, and strategies for evaluating learning into the planning, delivery, and evaluation of instruction.
Rationale: I "create and maintain a classroom environment conducive to learning in which all learners feel welcome and can be successful." When we wrote our book together as a class, I instituted a democratic process: if there were multiply ideas supplied or disagreements, we voted. I also wrote down all of the suggestions/sentences made by each student and this created an equitable and safe environment for my students. I also knew that my students would need the experience of doing this whole group before they could be successful writing in small groups. Finally, based on my knowledge of common errors ELL students make, verb tenses especially, I was able to plan several effective mini-lessons that we then went back and applied to our story by revising.
C. Research
The candidate uses research to examine and improve instructional effectiveness and student achievement.
Rationale: I " critically read and apply historical and contemporary educational literature, including theoretical, philosophical, and research materials." The Cassady article and the Reese article provided me with a strong researched proof that this approach to narrative writing was educationally sound and beneficial in a variety of ways. Through this process, my students were engaged in a variety of literacy activities including conversing about story structure and the writing process, and, of course, writing.
D. Content Knowledge
The candidate demonstrates advanced depth and breadth of knowledge and skills in the academic discipline and in education.
Rationale: This artifact demonstrates my knowledge of content in both ELL and language arts.
E. Professional Development and
Leadership
The candidate engages in continued professional development and provides leadership at the classroom, school, and community levels, and within the profession.
Rationale: At a county ELL meeting, I presented the procedure I used to implement this project in my classroom and also showcased student samples. Teachers from all grade levels expressed interest in adapting this project for their own classes. Therefore, I provided leadership in the classroom, school, and community. Furthermore, this artifact shows my continuing professional development because this is yet another new concept I've added to my repertoire and implemented in my classroom.