Joshua Beal Dr. Child SCED 3720 11/15/13 Literacy Integration Strategies 1- Vocabulary Instruction: a.

Integrating vocabulary instruction will be a strategy I rely heavily on. Essentially, I plan to highlight two words for students on every day I have with them. Using PowerPoint, I will give them a basic or general understanding of each word with a definition and a picture they can associate the word with. I will then require them to use the words throughout the period in different ways. I will have my students use and circle both words once in their journal entries (Each day, I will have students write in their journals about a picture, quote, or something of that nature) and encourage the use of one of the two words in class discussions. Also, I will reinforce their understanding and exposure of new words through poems, short stories, articles, and other texts where the words appear (Boyd 18). Furthermore, formative assessments will be given every two or three weeks where they will define the definition of each word we go over in class. 2- Perspective Taking: a. I did my senior capstone project on perspective taking and I plan to use it in the classroom as a means for students to talk about the texts they will read. Perspective taking is a relatively contemporary teaching strategy, which, if used

correctly, can be a great way to expand a students understanding of the world while also increasing their opportunity to use academic language (Thein). The way I plan to use this strategy is to formulate questions, with appropriate academic language, based on texts we are reading in class and then break students up into groups of four or five where they will each be given the chance to answer the questions and thereby express and articulate their ideas to group members. It is important to note that before I open up time for group discussions, I will talk about the academic language that appears in the discussion questions so that students will be well equipped to understand and use the vocabulary. 3- Writing to Learn: a. Writing to learn will be another great method where I can get my students to write. This is a strategy where, the student thinks for a minute or so, then writes for about five minutes (Fisher 72). I plan to use this strategy at the end of each of my classes, so that students will start (journal writing) and end class writing. Ultimately, I will have students write what they learned in class or what they found interesting and why. This exercise will give students the opportunity to write about the two new words they learned. Additionally, as students write about what they learned in class, they will be getting the chance to articulate themselves and experiment with academic terms that were used in class. 4- Reciprocal Teaching: a. This will be a valuable exercise because students will be given the chance to internalize content and academic language through teaching. Essentially, Reciprocal teaching allows students to become the instructors of the content that

they are studying. Working in groups of four, the students read a text passage together, following a protocol for predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizingskills that teachers have modeled over a series of lessons until students are comfortable assuming these assigned roles (Fisher 73). I plan to utilize this teaching strategy once or twice a quarter in my classroom. Ill break students up into groups and I will assign each group member to lead his or her group in one of the following areas: Summarizing, predicting, clarifying, and generating questions. I plan to allot students a specific amount of time to focus on each area, and then hold a class discussion on what was discussed in each group. Of course, before having students embark on this activity, I will model how to effectively participate in this activity. 5- Selective Highlighting: a. Selective highlighting occurs when students are instructed to read over a selected text and then go back and reread it, highlighting the main ideas and supporting details. Students are encouraged to highlight facts and key vocabulary words instead of whole sentences. Finally, students then look over what they have highlighted and then summarize the meaning of what they have read in a paragraph. Ultimately, I plan to use this method when reading texts that may be difficult to read. For example, were I teaching the Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne, I would use this strategy because the text and language is complex and it would increase comprehension. Specifically, Id break up a chapter into portions and assign each student a portion. Id instruct them, using selective

highlighting, to go home and prepare to summarize their portion of the chapter to their group. 6- Think Aloud: a. The think aloud strategy is utilized when a teacher reads something out loud and then models what they are thinking by articulating their thoughts out loud. Thus, teachers model how good readers re-read a sentence and then pass the baton on to students. The strategy is helpful because, essentially, students are directed by a series of questions which they think about and answer aloud while reading (Classroom Strategies). I plan to use this strategy often in the classroom and believe that inculcating its employment will equip students with a more proficient reading ability. I plan to use it when I am highlighting key points of a text that we are reading in class. To help them better understand both the text and how to think effectively when reading over a passage, I will utilize the think aloud strategy. 7- Seed Discussions: a. This strategy is used when students identify key concepts or seeds in a selected reading which need to be explored and analyzed further to gain a full understanding. After this first part is done, students work in small groups to present their "seeds" to one another. Each "seed" should be thoroughly discussed before moving on to the next (Classroom Strategies). This strategy is valuable because it puts students in the position to have in depth discussions and they are able to employ and foster higher order thinking skills. I will use this strategy in my class in a similar way to how I use selective highlighting. When dealing with complex texts, I will instruct students to identify key concepts that they feel

should be more thoroughly explored and then put them in groups to present and cultivate their, seeds 8- Think-Pair-Share: a. The Think-Pair-Share strategy is employed when teachers allot time for students to think individually about a question or concept. Then, teachers put students into groups of two where they are instructed to share with one another what they came up with during the time they spent thinking alone. Sometimes, teachers then have each pair of students share what they talked about with the class. I like this strategy because it requires that students use critical thinking skills and it puts them in a collaborative setting where they have a chance to articulate themselves. I will use this strategy quite often in my classroom. I plan to highlight key concepts or ask them open-ended questions about a text (or even regarding grammar and punctuation) and then give students time to think about the concept or open-ended question. Then Ill break them up into pairs and have them share the notions they formulated during the thinking I gave them. If there is time in class, I will have each pair share what they talked about in their groups. 9- Paragraph Shrinking: a. In this strategy, teachers pair students up and have them read a paragraph. Students take turn being the coach in the group and they relay the meaning of the paragraph they have read. Feedback exchanged between students is a means to monitor comprehension. It is vital that the teacher walk around the room and support student pairs as is needed. Often times, teachers have the coach read for four to five minutes. After each paragraph the coach should stop and

summarize, the who or what of the paragraph, the most important thing about who or what, and the main point (Classroom Strategies). This will be another strategy I use with complex portions of a text we are reading as a class. I will break students up into pairs, and say something like, which ever student has the darker colored hair will start out as coach. The group member assuming the role of coach will read for five minutes, stopping at the end of each paragraph to summarize according the questions previously stated. Then, when the five minutes are up, the members of each pair will trade roles and the practice will be repeated. I plan to walk around the room and assist students as needed. 10- Anticipation Guide: a. Anticipation guides are used to build curiosity about a new topic or new concepts about to be explored. Its a great prefatory strategy. When using this strategy, teachers usually have students respond to several statements that challenge or support their preconceived ideas about key concepts in the text (Classroom Strategies). For example, before starting To Kill a Mockingbird, I could give students a worksheet with statements like, People are all good or all bad, girls should act like girls, or education is the great equalizer. I could then instruct students to answer true or false to each statement and then explain why. I could then hold a classroom discussion where students share their responses. I plan to use this strategy to help direct the thinking of my students toward themes and notions we will be exploring in upcoming texts. Before starting new books or sections, I will use this strategy with my students.

Works Cited Boyd, Fenice B., et al. "Vocabulary Instruction in the Disciplines." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 56.1 (2012): 18-20. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. Classroom Strategies. Adlit. Weta, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. Fisher, Douglas, Nancy Frey, and Douglas Williams. Seven Literacy Strategies That Work Educational Leadership. 60.3 (2002): 70-73. Web. 11 Nov. 2013 Thein, Amanda Haertling, and DeAnn Long Sloan. "Towards an Ethical Approach to Perspective-Taking and the Teaching of Multicultural Texts: Getting Beyond Persuasion, Politeness and Political Correctness." Changing English: Studies In Culture & Education 19.3 (2012): 313-324. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Nov. 2013.