KevinGraham EPS541 3/22/13 PlanningPaper

KnowledgeoftheContentFocusandStandards Thefocusofmyunitistheme.ThisfocuscomesfromtheIllinoisAssessmentFramework standard2.7.01:Identifyelementsoffiction:character,theme,conflict,pointofview,plot,setting,and flashback.Thisfocuswaschosenfromthisstatestandardbecausethestudentsintheseventhgrade classesthatthisunitisdesignedforhavealreadymasteredcharacterization,setting,conflict,andplot. Beingabletoidentifythemeandwriteathemestatementdependsonmasteringcharacterization,setting, conflict,andplot.Thismeansthatthemeisthelogicalnextstepforthesestudents.Thefocusquestion forthisunitis:Whatdostudentsneedtobeabletoidentifyinordertowriteaneffectivetheme statement? Writinganeffectivethemestatementdependsonhavingamasteryofcharacters,setting, conflict,andplot.Forthisunit,Idevelopedaformula,the4Cs,forstudentstouseinordertobeable toidentifythethemeandwriteathemestatement.Theformulais:Whatthecharacterlearns+howthe characterchanges+theconflictandresolution+howcouldyou/wouldyouquestions=theme statement. Asfarasunderstandingofcontentknowledgeisconcerned,IbelievethatIhavemorethan enoughknowledgeandunderstandingofmiddleschoolliteracy,especiallywithliteraryelements.This knowledgeandunderstandingmakesiteasiertoseetherelationshipsbetweenthedifferentliterary elementsandotherliteracyskills.Understandingoftheserelationshipsiskeywhendesigningthe sequenceoflessonsandunits. Themeisadifficulttopictoteachtomiddleschoolstudents.Muchofthereasonisbecauseit

dependsonsomanyotherskills.Whenstudentsdonothavemasteryoftheseskills,itmakesteaching themeadifficulttask.Thisiswhytheplacementofathemeunitissoimportantitmustcomeafter teachingtheotherrequiredskills. OneproblemIanticipateduringthisunitisthatsomestudentswillnothavemasteryofthe requiredskills.Asaclass,bothclasseshavereachedaround80%masteryoftherequiredskills. However,therearestillstudentsthathavenotmasteredcertainskills.Thiswillmaketheteachingofthis unitmoredifficultandwillrequiresmallgroupreteachesforseveralstudentsontheprerequisiteskills.

KnowledgeofStudentsRelativetotheContent Asdiscussedintheprevioussection,thestudentsneedtohaveamasteryofcharacterization, setting,conflict,andplotinordertobesuccessfulwiththeme.Thestudentsinthisclassonaveragehave amasteryoftheprerequisiteskills.However,asstatedpreviously,therearestillstudentswhohavenot masteredtheseskillsandwillrequiresomesortofinterventionwiththeseskillsinordertobesuccessful withtheme. Inordertowriteathemestatement,studentshavetobeabletocombinetheprerequisiteskills. Thisalsorequiresstudentstobeabletounderstandrelationships.Masteryoftheprerequisiteskilldoes notensuremasteryofthemeunlessastudentisabletoseetherelationshipsbetweentheotherliterary elements.Teachingtherelationshipbetweentheseelementstostudentswillbecrucialforstudent success. Besidesmasteryoftheotherliteraryelements,studentsmustalsohaveadequatecomprehension skills.Identifyingthemedependsonunderstandingwhatishappeninginthestory.Ifastudentdoesnot

comprehendwhatishappening,heorshewillnotbeabletoidentifythelessonthatcanbelearnedfrom atext.Themajorityofstudentsintheseclassesreadaroundgradelevel.However,thereareseveral studentsintheclasseswhoarereadingseveralgradelevelsbelowandstrugglewithcomprehension. Thesestudentswillneedmorescaffoldingthanotherstudentsandmayalsoneeddifferentiatedtextsthat areattheirreadinglevelssothattheywillbemorelikelytobesuccessfulwithidentifyingthemeand writingthemestatements. Basedonthestudentsskillsandunderstanding,onemajorlearningtargetforthisunitisthat studentswillbeabletocombinetheprerequisiteskillsofcharacterization,setting,conflict,andplotand understandtherelationshipsbetweentheminordertoidentifythethemeofatextandcomposeatheme statement.

KnowledgeofInstructionandAssessmentRelativetotheContent Inordertohelpstudentswithidentifyingthethemeofatextandscaffoldtheprocessfor studentsstrugglingwithcomprehension,itisimportantmaketheprocessvisibletostudents.According toCoyne,Kameenui,andCarnine,Ateverystageinthelearningprocess,teachersexplainand demonstratestrategiesmultipletimesbeforeaskingstudentstoapplythemindependently.Modelsof proficientperformanceprovidestudentswithvisibleandovertillustrationsofhowcomprehension strategiesareusedsuccessfully(p.95).Itisextremelycrucialformetoincludeexplicitmodelingformy studentsaroundtheprocessofidentifyingthemesinliterature.Thereisnobetterwaytoteachstudents howtoidentifytherelationshipsbetweentheliteraryelementsinidentifyingthemeandsupporting comprehensionatthesametimethanthroughexplicitmodeling.Studentsneedtoseesomeone

accuratelyidentifythemebyusingthethemeformulaseveraltimesbeforetheycanbeexpectedto accuratelyidentifythemeusingtheformula.Explicitmodelingwillsetstudentsupforsuccesswith identifyingthemewhilesupportingreaderswithcomprehensiondifficultiesatthesametime. Inordertobuildstrongercomprehensionwithstudents,othercomprehensionstrategiescanbe includedwithintheexplicitmodeling.Forexample,Icanmodelsummarizingandthinkaloudswiththe textsthatarebeingusedtoidentifytheme.Bymodelingtheseadditionalstrategies,studentscanseehow theycanbeusedincombinationwiththethemestrategiesinordertoidentifythemeandnotbelimited bytheircomprehensiondifficulties. Asstatedintheprevioussections,somestudentswillalsoneedtobeincludedinreteachgroups focusingoncharacterization,setting,plot,andconflictinordertobesuccessfulwithidentifyingtheme andwritingthemestatements.Ifpossible,thesereteachgroupswilltakeplacebeforethethemeunit beginsratherthanduringtheunitsothatstudentswillhavetheopportunitytobemoresuccessfulinthe themeunit. Inordertomakesurethatstudentsareprogressingthroughthethemeunit,formative assessmentswillbeuseddaily.Theseassessmentswillrequirestudentstousethethemeformula translatedintoagraphicorganizertoidentifythethemeinashortstory.Thethemegraphicorganizer dividesthefourpartsoftheformulaintofourdifferentsections.Thiswillallowmetoassessstudentson thedifferentstepsinidentifyingthemeandallowmetoidentifywhichstepsstudentsaresuccessfulwith andwhichstepsneedmoresupport.Iwillbeabletousetheseformativeassessmentstofocusmy lessonsonexactlywherestudentsneedmoresupport.Icanalsousetheassessmentstodividestudents intogroupsbasedontheirneedspertainingtoidentifyingtheme.Throughthesegroups,studentswould

havelessonscateredtotheirexactneeds. Anotherformativeassessmentwillbegiventostudentsaskingthemtoidentifythethemeofa storyandwriteathemestatementwithoutusingagraphicorganizer.Thiswillprovideevidenceof whetherornotstudentsunderstandtheprocessofidentifyingthemewithouttheaidofagraphic organizer.Thisevidencewillbehighlyinformativeofwhetherornotstudentshavemasteredthegoalof beingabletowriteathemestatementforastory. Asafinalassessment,studentswillhaveathreepartassessment.Thefirstpartofthe assessmentwillhavestudentswriteathemestatementforastoryusingthegraphicorganizer.The secondpartwithhavestudentsidentifythethemeofastorythroughmultiplechoicequestions.Thethird partoftheassessmentwillhavestudentsidentifythethemewithoutagraphicorganizerormultiple choicequestions.Thiswillprovidemoretellingevidencethatstudentshaveinternalizedtherelationships oftheliteraryelementsindeterminingathemestatement.