Language Arts Assignments Explanation
List of Assignments with points and scoring guides
Online resources are linked in this column |
Activity Assignments are described generally in this column |
Numbered for quick reference |
| Educational Philosophy - It is important to review our educational philosophy periodically and also important for me to share mine give you an understanding what guides my pedagogical decisions. |
1 | |
> |
Book readings |
2 |
Intrest surveys |
3 | |
> Notes |
Chapter 1 - What is a good book (Quality literature?) Chapter 2 in Children's Literature, Briefly - Tunnell & Jacobs |
4 |
> |
Chapter 2 - Teaching the reading and writing process |
5 |
Language arts directory look here till I have more time to integrate individual pages |
6 | |
Describe how developmental theory can be used to better understand and anticipate different students' responses to literature so that you might help children have more positive literary transactions. Select one developmental theory, write how you will use it to help students have significant positive transactions with literature. Include in your description specific examples of different pieces of literature and how they relate to a development theory and what possible positive affect they might have on children at various ages. Become familiar with the different kinds of responses that students can have to literature. Write a response to the following questions: What is the difference between what children's responses suggest they understand and can do and the actual physical artifact/activity/response that can be observed? |
7 | |
|
> Quality characteristics of genre |
Read aloud to a learner and interview - FIND a person or group of people age 7-13. Read aloud to them a story for at least 20 minutes. Ask them what they thought was interesting, and use questioning or other strategies to probe their understanding and extend it by facilitating deeper understanding of quality literature elements or quality characteristics of genre. Identify the story you read, what you believe the learner gained new understanding about, why you believe he or she did, and what you did that facilitated it. | 8 |
> Characteristics quality multicultural literature and References for the use of multicultural literature |
Muticultural and International Books in Children's Literature, Briefly - Tunnell & Jacobs. Discussion questions and ideas - Select a book with a multicultural theme. Describe what response you would hope your students or a reader would have while reading it and doing related class activities. The description of that response should include themes or ideas from the book you selected. Then use ideas from the characteristics of quality multicultural literature or from any of the other references listed to convince others that your claim for the impact of the book and discussion, or other task you might have them do with respect to the book, (class discussion, skit or acting of a particular event, illustrating an event, or ...) might create or reinforce them to make positive human interactions in their life related to the theme(s). Supprt for this claim should use ideas from the references or list of quality multicultural literature to support a conclusion that students' responses from their transaction with the book and class experiences could be powerful enough to reinforce or change their behavior in a positive manner. Example - Read Hold Fast to Dreams by Andrea Davis Pinkney (104 pages). Themes - Be true to yourself and stick with your convictions and dreams. I can make a difference in the way that I interact with other people. I would read it aloud to students and let them discuss ideas of their choice. I would interject an occasional question in a low key manner. Such as what would you feel like if you were in this situation? How hard do you think it would be to do ... (what the character did in the book)? I wouldn't do additional activities, unless students suggested some and asked to do them. The arguement I would use to support my claim that this book and class discussion could have a positive affect on students could be created in one of the following ways. I might describe how the book has the quality characteristics included in the list of multicultural literature (only need to give examples for three or four for this assignment). Or I could describe how the guiding principles were met or could be met (reference - Guiding principles for teaching multicultural literature). Or how the ideas from any one of the other references would apply to better assure students' responses would be powerful. I am not including specific examples, because I hope someone might choose this book. It would be a great choice and great to use from third grade through middle school. Discussion post outline -
|
9 |
> Instructional Suggestions and Guidlines for Reading/Viewing/Listening > Children and Adolescent Developmental Responses to Literature index > Response to use in a Literature Response Journal > Sample Discussions Questions > Sample Questions for Book Conferences > Sample Questions for Fiction
|
Literature Studies and Interpretation of Literature - The text for the class supports the idea that enthusiasm for literature is created by the types of transactions and responses they have to different pieces of literature over their life time. It is the goal of outstanding teachers to provide encouragement and ideas before, during, and after their students involvement with a piece of literature to make the transaction as aesthetic as possible. One purpose of the BLOG is to provide a place for you to try out different ideas and see if others will respond to your postings and how they respond to them. Create your own strategy that you can post that you believe will cause people to think about a book more aesthetically that they would without your comments or questions. You may choose to use ideas from the links on the left or create your own ideas to incorporated into a “Book Tease” for the Blog or as comments for a book tease or “Comment”. | 10 |
> genre |
Organizing Children's Literature by Genre Totally understand, identify, and critically use genre, elements of fiction and nonfiction, critical analysis, and creativity to identify and explain a variety of interpretations and evaluations of different pieces of literature. Groups create or identify a procedure that you believe will facilititate students to communicate a critical interpretation of a piece of literature. Include along with your procedure an example of the critical interpretation of the selected book. Focus could be on story elements or quality characteristics of a specific genre in literature.The example will support the explanation of the procedure and the selection as quality literature.
|
11 |
> Radically Redefining Literacy Instruction - Kappan March 2007 > Rethinking Whole Language - from Rethinking Schools > Curriculum bits and pieces - definitions, beliefs/ assumptions, goals, outcomes, activities, and assessment ideas. > RETHINKING LITERACY STUDIES: FROM THE PAST TO THE PRESENT > THE ARTS AND THE MISSION OF EDUCATION > Effective Literacy Instruction for Adolescents |
Curriculum Parts and Pieces (year plan) - Can be completed by individuals or as a group - Step 1, 2, 3, - Create an outline of a literature curriculum to include: Cover Page, table of contents (optional), Definition of literature (step 1) (one purpose for the definition is to identify what literature will be included in the curriculum or year plan), belief statements or assumptions (optional) , goals (step 2) for a year or total K-8 literature program/ curriculum, specific outcomes (step 3) for a grade level (include general outcomes, outcomes for literary elements, genre elements, and skills for that grade level, Final curriculum piece for class - Select an assortment of at least five activities (could be the class activities for the different genre) that could be used by students to develop skill to understand, analyze, interpret, extend, and evaluate literary elements and characteristics of quality genre. List observable outcomes for what you expect would be students' response that would convince you of their level of understanding. |
12 |
|
> |
Controversial Books How are books selected in schools? How do I know what books I can and can't use? What do I do if a parent complains about a book their child is reading? I don't want to censor what students read, but how do I decide if there are boundaries that shouldn't be crossed? Are there different standards in different schools? How do I know what is considered acceptable in a particular school? |
13 |
> Art and picture book directory > |
How to Recognize a Well-Illustrated Book |
14 |
> Elements of folktales (folktales, myths, legends), > See 3 activities at bottom of page -> Folktale comparison chart, culture chart, and same folktale different author information sheet > |
Traditional Fantasy - Folktales Literature |
15 |
| Poetry Literature | 16 |
|
Modern Fantasy Literature |
17 |
|
|
> Elements of contemporary realisitic fiction > |
Contemporary Realistic Fiction (See realistic fiction activity sample suggestions for more specific directions). |
18 |
Historical Fiction Literature |
19 |
|
|
> elements of nonfiction or biography > |
Nonfiction Literature |
20 |
Dr. Robert Sweetland's Notes ©