Clues to a Culture

After reading Pathway to the Common Core this summer, I became aware of a website that offered literacy units developed by one of the co-authors of the Common Core (www.commoncore.org).  The "Wheatley Portfolio, named after Phyllis Wheatley, includes six literacy units each for grades K through 12.  Dawn agreed to purchase a subscription to the website, and I decided to use one of the units called Clues to a Culture.  It includes a superb blend of historical fiction and non-fiction resources.  I'm using the UbD template to design this unit, and here is the work I've done thus far.  I'm writing sheltered lesson plans for this unit as part of my ELA Sheltering class.  Those will be posted once they are complete.

The historical fiction I'm using was recommended in the Wheatley Portfolio unit.  The novels include:
Julie of the Wolves
Island of the Blue Dolphins
The Birchbark House
The Sign of the Beaver
Little House on the Prairie

Clues to a Culture

Literature Unit

Stage 1 – Desired Outcome
Established Goals: ·         Compare fiction and nonfiction books about Native American nations and European settlers during the 19th and 20th centuries, quoting accurately from the texts. ·         Compare points of view of events in America from the perspective of different cultures (e.g. westward expansion). ·         Find similarities and differences in stories from various cultures (e.g. trickster tales). ·         Explain how the use of literary devices increases understanding of literature and use these devices in student writing.
Understandings: Overarching understanding: A person’s point of view of an event is influenced by his culture. Topical Understanding: The 19th  and 20th century’s westward expansion affected Native Americans differently than the European settlers. Topical Understanding: Authors use a variety of literary devices to enhance understanding. Topical Understanding: Multiple sources about a topic may contain conflicting views or biases.	Essential Questions: Overarching question: How does literature provide insight into a culture? Topical Question: In what ways were the perspectives of the Native American cultures different from each other and from the European settlers during the 19th and 20th centuries? Topical Question: In what ways do authors develop characters through the use of literary devices? Topical Question: In what ways do readers learn about a culture from historical fiction and non-fiction?
Key Knowledge and Skills: ·         Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. ·         Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources. ·         Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition or understanding. ·         Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and evidence. ·         Identify literary elements and devices.  Explain why the author used them (e.g. direct and indirect characterization, flashback, foreshadowing, imagery, figurative language).

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks: ·         After reading one of the six novels, students will use the thinking routine, Circle of Viewpoints, to identify different characters’ perspectives about specific events in the story.  Students will then write a paragraph explaining the character’s perspective, quoting accurately from the text to support their claim(s). Students will then use the Chalk Talk questions to analyze the perspective of the main character in one of the chosen novels by writing and performing a play, writing a picture book or comic strip, or creating a board game.  All three choices must include accurate depictions from the novel (citing evidence from the text). ·         After reading one of the novels and orally discussing it with other students who have read that book, using the Chalk Talk questions for guidance, students will then research one of the cultures in their story, compare facts they discovered with the fictional novel, and design a Google slideshow that answers the essential question: How does literature provide an insight into a culture? ·         After reading several Native American trickster tales, students will write their own trickster tale explaining something in nature.  They will use literary devices within their tales. Students will then create puppets and perform their trickster tales using our puppet theater.

Performance Tasks and Other Evidence: ·         As a pre-assessment and to activate students’ background knowledge about what a culture is, we will use the thinking routine Chalk Talk.  The four questions include:  1) How do different cultures use the Earth’s resources (plants, trees, water, oil, soil); 2) How do different cultures view animals? (pets, food, work); 3) In what ways does religion play a part in a culture’s beliefs and customs?; and 4) How are a culture’s customs and beliefs shown in their stories, art and music? ·         After reading one of the six novels, students will meet in a book club to orally discuss the text, identifying scenes where a conflict of cultures exists in the story, evaluating perspectives of main characters, and evaluating the Chalk Talk questions.  Students will then participate in another Chalk Talk, same questions, narrowed down to the novel  they have read.  ·         Using the mentor read aloud text Under the Blood Red Sun, students will identify literary elements such as characterization (direct and indirect) and setting along with how the authors use literary devices to enhance understanding. Students will then select one of the novels they have read and evaluate the author’s use of literary devices such as: o   Figurative language (alliteration, hyperbole, idiom, imagery, metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification, simile) o   Flashback o   Foreshadowing o   Symbolism Students will then create a picture book demonstrating examples of literary devices using evidence from the novel.  They may use their picture book to “teach” classmates.

Stage 3 – Lesson Planning

Sheltering Lesson Plan 1:  What is a Culture?

Chalk Talk, Read Aloud with a Purpose, Book Clubs

Preparation

Content Language Objectives: In small, heterogeneous groups, students will compare cultures  and write answers to questions regarding what they know about cultural beliefs during a chalk talk using content language such as culture, cultural, beliefs, customs, resources, religion, way of life  and function language has, both have, on the other hand, in contrast to, similar, different. Supports: ·         Examples of answers using pictures (Level 1-2) ·         Examples of answers using sentences (Level 3-4) ·         Examples of answers using sentences (Level 5) In small, heterogeneous groups where students have chosen a novel based on interest, students will evaluate a culture through reading one of the six novels and orally discuss answers to the Chalk Talk questions orally citing evidence from the text to support their responses using content language such as culture, cultural, beliefs, customs, resources, religion, way of life and function language has, both have, on the other hand, in contrast to, similar, different. Supports: ·         Accountable talk card using picture labels (Level 1-2) ·         Accountable talk card (Level 3-4) ·         Accountable talk card (Level 5) In a whole-class setting, students will listen to Under the Blood Red Sun and while teacher thinks aloud, students will orally discuss cultural implications as they pertain to the four Chalk Talk questions responses using content language such as culture, cultural, beliefs, customs, resources, religion, way of life and function language has, both have, on the other hand, in contrast to, similar, different. Supports: ·         All levels teacher think aloud and modeling

Explain how this lesson addresses the theory: The Chalk Talk preassessment (both the written and oral discussion components) affords students an opportunity to have “meaningful interaction” in English or natural communication where students are focused on communication, not grammar.  Additionally, within book clubs, students are able to orally discuss their findings and feelings about the book.  Regarding an individual’s monitoring during the written task of the Chalk Talk, students are asked only to write their thinking.  As we get into reading each others’ responses, students are asked to disregard spelling and grammar mistakes and look only at the content of the writing.  During the oral book discussions and Chalk Talk discussions, students need to feel safe that if they speak up, we are only listening to their thinking.  One of our class guidelines is to be polite and not correct each other.  However, sometimes an EL will self-correct, but the thinking is what is most important, and I communicate that to them. As far as the natural order hypothesis application in this lesson, I’ve included opportunities for listening during read aloud, with numerous pauses to think aloud and explain the story; audio support for students who need to listen as they read; speaking through oral discussions about the book; and finally minimal writing is required in this lesson.  The purpose for this lesson is to read and understand our novels and to share our thinking. Small groups and examples of answers allow students to share openly and feel supported, thereby lowering the affective filter.  I, like other teachers, instill a sense of respect for one another and the acceptance of mistakes right from the first day of school.  When students are given support by their peers, their affective filter lowers.  The accountable talk cards and organizers can also help to lower a student’s affective filter. All four language domains are engaged in Chalk Talk, read aloud with a purpose, and within students’ book clubs.

Building Background:

Explicitly link concepts to students’ background experiences: As a pre-assessment and to activate students’ background knowledge about what a culture is, we will use the thinking routine Chalk Talk from Making Thinking Visible.  Anticipatory set: After defining “culture” as a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, music, food, clothing, etc. by asking students, by table group, to define the culture of Bill Roberts E-8, listing attributes such as school beliefs, customs, art, music, food, and clothing.  Students will then share out as we chart how our school culture works. We will then move into a broader definition of “culture” relating to world cultures using Chalk Talk.  Four chart papers will have one question in the center, and students will visit each chart paper and write their thinking about the question.  They will also have the opportunity to read what other students have written. The four Chalk Talk questions include:  1) How do different cultures use the Earth’s resources (plants, trees, water, oil, soil); 2) How do different cultures view animals? (pets, food, work); 3) In what ways does religion play a part in a culture’s beliefs?; and 4) How are a culture’s customs and beliefs shown in their art and music? Once students have had an opportunity to visit each chart at least once, students will discuss what stood out for them on each question.

Make clear links between students’ past learning and new concepts: The connection here is to take our discussion about cultural beliefs and customs and link it to the novel they are currently reading.  Each of the novels includes a cultural conflict at the heart of the story.  The novels they are reading include: The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Emphasize key vocabulary: Key vocabulary includes tribe, tribute, nation, nationality, culture, cultural, believe, beliefs, perspective, point of view, similar, different, both have, on the other hand, in contrast to, compare. Key vocabulary will be introduced and discussed through the use of read aloud, using both picture books and  mentor text.  Examples of literary devices found during read aloud will be written on our bulletin board for quick reference at any time. Graphic organizers such a Venn diagram or t-chart will be used to evaluate character perspective based on Chalk Talk questions.

Comprehensible Input:

Throughout the reading of the novels, students may use audio support while reading.  I’ve downloaded the novels off CD audio from the library to my Google Drive.  I’ve then shared the audio files with students who can benefit from audio support to improve comprehension.  They simply need to log in to their Google Drive, plug in head phones, and listen to the story while reading. During read aloud of Under the Blood Red Sun, I purposely think aloud for two reasons:  1) to point out cultural conflict between the Japanese Americans, the Hawaiians, the Portuguese Americans, and the white Americans; and 2) to notice and ask questions about the point of view of the author. The Chalk Talk thinking routine embraces multimodal learning, with visual, oral, kinesthetic, and written modalities.  These four questions are the anchor for the entire unit. During book clubs, I model how to use guiding questions and support responses by quoting from the text.  Using the four Chalk Talk questions helps students maintain focus and allows for purposeful discussion.  Students use the Accountable Talk cards and the Literature Circle cards to frame their questions and responses.  Students may also use their reading journals to remind themselves of key findings and wonderings along with the page numbers in the book. As a matter of course (or habit), I do not use contractions often, and if I catch myself using an idiom, I quickly explain what I mean.  It’s a deliberate way of speaking that allows all of my students to understand exactly what is being said.  I encourage students to do the same by having a “no contraction” day each month and directly studying and breaking down common idioms and figures of speech.

Strategies

Using the Understanding By Design template adopted by our school incorporates understandings and essential questions.  I’ve taken the time up front to develop these, and I allow the understandings and questions to drive my planning.  From this backward planning, I’ve developed the four open-ended questions that cannot be answered without using all four language domains. Scaffolding includes think-alouds during read aloud and book clubs, audio support, vocabulary investigations, graphic organizers, and thinking routines. Close reading of our novels will be done throughout the unit, and students will have “read” the novel multiple times as they search for and discuss evidence from the text supporting their answers.  All students will have an opportunity to hear each other’s thinking along with my thinking in small groups, enabling students to join in on the accountable talk.

Interaction:

For the Chalk Talk, I used the deck of cards flexible grouping routine that was demonstrated at our face-to-face class.  Although my intent was to have groups be heterogeneous, I paid close attention to groupings related to language levels and intentionally gave certain cards to certain students.  The groups worked well during this thinking routine.   Students had an opportunity to write their thoughts on the chart paper, read others’ responses, and then orally discuss the questions, hearing what other people in their group thought. During read aloud, I am always stopping to think aloud, ask questions about a character’s thinking, and identifying the use of literary devices.  Within the book clubs, students are guided by the four Chalk Talk questions, which provide a focus for their discussion.  I made laminated sheets with the Accountable Talk Tips from the ELA class materials.  This enables the discussion to stay on track and provides sentence stems for students to use, along with a common language.

Practice/ Application:

Hands-on materials provided  within this lesson include: ·         playing cards used for flexible grouping ·         chart paper and markers for Chalk Talk thinking routine ·         Accountable Talk laminated cards ·         visible Chalk Talk charts on the wall with the four guiding questions ·         content and language vocabulary word bank visible on the wall ·         graphic organizers such as t-charts and Venn diagrams ·         posted CLOs where students can see at all times ·         posted essential questions All activities, Chalk Talk, book clubs, and read aloud provide students with numerous opportunities to use all four language domains:  listening, speaking, reading, and writing and apply content and language knowledge in the classroom.

Lesson Delivery:

Students will be actively reading their self-chosen novel  for 30 minutes per day during SIR (silent independent reading) along with audio support to support fluency and vocabulary building.  At the end of the 30-minute reading time, students will journal for 10 minutes about what they read after discussing briefly with a table buddy.  Those buddies may be reading different books, but the informal discussion allows students to think aloud before writing in their journals.  They are encouraged to quote from the text. During read aloud of Under the Blood Red Sun, I will model how to notice where the author uses a simile or metaphor, hyperbole, direct and indirect characterization, etc., based on the day’s mini-lesson for a specific literary device.  Also during read aloud using the same mentor text, we will stop and discuss events in the novel that depict cultural perspectives, charting our findings along the way and referring back to them frequently as we make new observations.

Review/ Assessment:

·         As a pre-assessment and to activate students’ background knowledge about what a culture is, we will use the thinking routine Chalk Talk.  The four questions include:  1) How do different cultures use the Earth’s resources (plants, trees, water, oil, soil); 2) How do different cultures view animals? (pets, food, work); 3) In what ways does religion play a part in a culture’s beliefs and customs?; and 4) How are a culture’s customs and beliefs shown in their stories, art and music?  These Chalk Talk charts will be posted on the classroom wall for easy reference throughout the unit and too use as guiding questions during read aloud and while reading their novels. ·         After reading one of the six novels, students will meet in a book club to orally discuss the text, identifying scenes where a conflict of cultures exists in the story, evaluating perspectives of main characters, and evaluating the Chalk Talk questions.  Students will then participate in another Chalk Talk, same questions, narrowed down to the novel  they have read.  ·         Throughout the lesson, students will be working in groups, and I will monitor their progress by meeting with each book club group to gauge understanding.  Where a student may need assistance, I will meet 1:1 with him to clarify any misunderstanding, reteach, and provide guidance through additional tools.

Clues to a Culture

Sheltering Lesson Plan 2:  How’s the View?

Cultural Perspective and Fiction/Nonfiction Point of View

Preparation

Content Language Objectives: In small, heterogeneous groups of students who have read the same novel, students will identify  and orally discuss characters’ perspectives using Circle of Viewpoints and write a one-paragraph summary of their findings citing evidence from the text to support their answers using content language such as culture, cultural, beliefs, customs, resources, religion, way of life  and function language point of view, perspective, has, both have, on the other hand, in contrast to, similar, different. Supports: ·         Cloze summary and exemplar (Level 1-2) ·         Sentence stems and exemplar (Level 3-4) ·         Exemplar (Level 5) In small, heterogeneous groups of students who have read the same novel, students will analyze the perspective of the main character using the summary from Circle of Viewpoints and  write a play, picture book, comic strip, or board game using content language such as culture, cultural, beliefs, customs, resources, religion, way of life and function language point of view, perspective, has, both have, on the other hand, in contrast to, similar, different. Supports: ·         Cloze summary (Level 1-2) ·         Written summary (Level 3-4) ·         Written summary (Level 5) With a partner who read the same novel,  using the guiding Chalk Talk questions, students will read and research one of the cultures in the novel using two-column note format, and compare and contrast the fictional novel with the non-fiction facts; then design a Google slideshow to summarize how a reader can gain insight into a culture from literature using content language such as culture, cultural, beliefs, customs, resources, religion, way of life and function language slideshow, two-column notes, fiction, non-fiction, has, both have, on the other hand, in contrast to, similar, different. Supports: ·         Exemplar and slideshow template – All levels ·         Two-column note organizer for Levels 1-2 ·         Two-column note organizer for Levels 3-4

Explain how this lesson addresses the theory: The small group book club evaluation of non-fiction research paired with the novel provides students with many opportunities to compare their facts about the Native American people with their peers.  The oral discussion consists of meaningful interaction in English through natural communication.  They are focused on sharing ideas, not English grammar.  During the planning stage of Circle of Viewpoints, students will group with two or three others to select a character from their novel to portray.  They will then present their viewpoint orally to the class after having already practiced with their group. Regarding an individual’s monitoring during the written task of creating a Google slideshow comparing fact to fiction, students will be working on this collaboratively, which is the beauty of Google apps.  In groups of three, students will take their two-column notes from their book club meetings and incorporate the fact vs. fiction notes into the presentation.  The entire group is responsible for presenting clear, correct writing, so they may help correct grammar or spelling.  Additionally, monitoring is aided via spellcheck and grammar check within the app. As far as the natural order hypothesis application in this lesson, students have multiple opportunities to listen to each other during their book club groups, slideshow creation, and Circle of Viewpoints.  They’ve accessed the text by both reading and listening, and every task involves speaking in small groups.  Finally, students will be writing trickster tales after having orally brainstormed and listened to read aloud stories, Small groups and examples of answers allow students to share openly and feel supported, thereby lowering the affective filter.  I, like other teachers, instill a sense of respect for one another and the acceptance of mistakes right from the first day of school.  When students are given support by their peers, their affective filter lowers.  The accountable talk cards and organizers can also help to lower a student’s affective filter during book clubs and partnering for note taking and research.  Additionally, students working collaboratively on a Google presentation provides safe opportunities for taking risks in their writing. All four language domains are consistently engaged in Circle of Viewpoints, summarization of character perspectives, portrayal of character perspectives, and digital representation of findings.

Building Background:

Explicitly link concepts to students’ background experiences: Build on the four Chalk Talk questions about students’ specific novels for guidance:  1) How do different cultures use the Earth’s resources (plants, trees, water, oil, soil); 2) How do different cultures view animals? (pets, food, work); 3) In what ways does religion play a part in a culture’s beliefs?; and 4) How are a culture’s customs and beliefs shown in their art and music? These Chalk Talk questions and answers from the novel will provide an anchor for Lesson 2, where students now will be comparing perspectives of characters within the novel . Students will also be using the background information learned about the culture from the novel in their research of a specific culture.  For example, a student who read Julie of the Wolves will have explored Julie/Miyax’s Inuit culture in the novel and then investigate the Inuit during research with a partner.  They then can use the background knowledge from the novel to compare facts they learn about the Inuit culture. Students have already created a Google presentation slideshow using their Google accounts on a previous literacy unit, Survivor!  They have significant background knowledge as to how a slideshow works, the importance of layout, and how to write “presentation” text vs. narrative text.

Make clear links between students’ past learning and new concepts: The connection here is to take students’ learning about cultural beliefs and customs in a fictional novel and subsequently link it to facts about that culture.  Each of the novels includes a cultural conflict at the heart of the story.  The novels they are reading include: The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich – The Ojibwa Indians and the French voyageurs The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare – The Penobscot Indians and English settlers Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell – Nicoleno Indians and Aleut explorers Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George – The Inuit old ways versus modern ways Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder – The Osage Indians and the white settlers Students will also explore the perspectives of different characters to understand that a person’s perspective is formed by their cultural beliefs and customs.

Emphasize key vocabulary: Key vocabulary includes tribe, tribute, nation, nationality, culture, cultural, believe, beliefs, perspective, point of view, settler, pioneer, similar, different, both have, on the other hand, in contrast to, compare. Key vocabulary will be introduced and discussed throughout book club discussions, during thinking routines, and while researching.  Vocabulary word banks will be visible on classroom walls for quick reference and use during oral discussions. Graphic organizers such a Venn diagram or t-chart (two-column notes) will be used to evaluate character perspective based on Chalk Talk questions.  Students will use these to summarize and create their picture book, play, or board game.

Comprehensible Input:

The Chalk Talk and Circle of Viewpoints thinking routines embrace multimodal learning, with visual, oral, kinesthetic, and written modalities.  These four questions are the anchor for the entire unit. This unit incorporates choice for students all along the way, from the choice of novel to the assessment products. Various modalities may be used to demonstrate understanding such as plays, the use of puppets, written summaries, and oral discourse.  Small groups and partners are helpful here, and partners will be assigned in a meaningful way so students needing extra support or assistance will be paired with willing students at a higher language level. As a matter of course (or habit), I do not use contractions often, and if I catch myself using an idiom, I quickly explain what I mean.  It’s a deliberate way of speaking that allows all of my students to understand exactly what is being said.  I encourage students to do the same by having a “no contraction” day each month and directly studying and breaking down common idioms and figures of speech.

Strategies

Using the Understanding By Design template adopted by our school incorporates understandings and essential questions.  I’ve taken the time up front to develop these, and I allow the understandings and questions to drive my planning.  From this backward planning, I’ve developed the four open-ended questions that cannot be answered without using all four language domains (along with our brains). Scaffolding includes vocabulary investigations, graphic organizers, digital templates, and thinking routines.

Interaction:

For the second Chalk Talk focused on the individual novels, students were obviously grouped by the novel they had read.  The same protocol was used where students answered the four guiding questions by silently writing their thoughts on chart paper, then meeting to orally discuss by comparing what they and other students wrote.  This second Chalk Talk was then the basis for the Circle of Viewpoints, taking the question of cultural impact on perspective a step further. The Circle of Viewpoints was also grouped by novel.  This thinking routine allows students to express their thinking about the four questions through the lens of one of the characters.  Oral discourse and listening by other group members builds on the second Chalk Talk and provides a foundation for their summary of one character’s viewpoint.  The novel groups allow students to express their findings in unique ways such as co-authoring and performing a play or writing and illustrating a picture book or comic strip. Pairing students who have read the same novel for their research provides 1:1 interaction for students to stay on course and question each other on facts they find about their culture.  It allows for language support to students who may need it.

Practice/ Application:

Hands-on materials provided  within this lesson include: ·         Craft materials for making puppets or picture book illustrations ·         chart paper and markers for Chalk Talk and Circle of Viewpoints thinking routines ·         Templates for two-column notes ·         visible Chalk Talk charts on the wall ·         content and language vocabulary word bank visible on the wall ·         graphic organizers such as t-charts and Venn diagrams ·         posted CLO where students can see at all times ·         scheduled computer lab All activities, Chalk Talk, Circle of Viewpoints, summarization, writing picture books, plays and puppet shows, and designing a slideshow provide students with numerous opportunities to use all four language domains:  listening, speaking, reading, and writing and apply content and language knowledge in the classroom.

Lesson Delivery:

After meeting in their book clubs during Lesson 1, students will then use Chalk Talk and Circle of Viewpoints thinking routines to explore the perspective of major characters in their novel as it relates to the four guiding questions from the original Chalk Talk. From the Circle of Viewpoints, where students discuss the four guiding questions through the lens of a major character, students may then write a one-paragraph summary about a chosen character’s perspective. From the Chalk Talk about a specific novel, the book club groups may then demonstrate the perspective of the main character through a play, picture book, or board game. Once we are finished exploring the perspective of the major and main characters in a novel, students will pair up to research one of the cultures in their novel using the Chalk Talk questions to guide their research.  They will compare and contrast the novel’s depiction of a culture with factual information about that culture to see how accurately the culture was depicted in the novel.  We will return to our essential question throughout this research about how we can glean knowledge about a culture through literature.

Review/ Assessment:

·         After reading one of the six novels, students will use the thinking routine, Circle of Viewpoints, to identify different characters’ perspectives about specific events in the story.  Students will then write a paragraph summarizing the character’s perspective, quoting accurately from the text to support their claim(s). Students will then use the Chalk Talk questions to analyze the perspective of the main character in one of the chosen novels by writing and performing a play, writing a picture book or comic strip, or creating a board game.  All three choices must include accurate depictions from the novel (citing evidence from the text). ·         After reading one of the novels and orally discussing it with other students who have read that book, using the Chalk Talk questions for guidance, students will then research one of the cultures in their story, compare facts they discovered with the fictional novel, and design a Google slideshow that answers the essential question:  How does literature provide an insight into a culture? ·         Students will share their Google slideshow with me, allowing me to make real-time comments on their progress.  These comments will guide their work.  During Circle of Viewpoints, writing conferences 1:1 and small group will provide insight into student progress prior to the culmination of their presentation.

Clues to a Culture

Sheltering Lesson Plan 3 - Trickster Tales

Exploring and Using Literary Devices

Preparation

Content Language Objectives: As a whole class, students will identify literary elements and devices from mentor text Under the Blood Red Sun and evaluate how these devices increase understanding and create imagery using content language such as purpose, element, characters, setting, plot, conflict, sequence of events, direct characterization, indirect characterization, figurative language, alliteration, hyperbole, idiom, imagery, metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification, simile, flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism and function language effect, increase, has, both have, on the other hand, in contrast to, similar, different, first, next, then, finally, after that. Supports: ·         Examples of elements and devices from mentor text displayed on class bulletin board – all language levels In book club small groups, students will identify literary elements and devices and evaluate how these devices increase understanding and create imagery in their novels and write and illustrate a picture book of examples using content language such as purpose, element, characters, setting, plot, conflict, sequence of events, direct characterization, indirect characterization, figurative language, alliteration, hyperbole, idiom, imagery, metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification, simile, flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism and function language effect, increase, has, both have, on the other hand, in contrast to, similar, different, first, next, then, finally, after that. Supports: ·         Examples of elements and devices from mentor text displayed on class bulletin board – all language levels After read aloud of several Native American trickster tales, in small, heterogeneous groups, students will create and write a trickster tale explaining something found in nature using content language such as purpose, element, characters, setting, plot, conflict, sequence of events, direct characterization, indirect characterization, figurative language, alliteration, hyperbole, idiom, imagery, metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification, simile, flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism and function language effect, increase, has, both have, on the other hand, in contrast to, similar, different, first, next, then, finally, after that. Supports: ·         Mentor texts and teacher modeling – all language levels ·         Story map, tree diagram, bubble map (Level 1-2) ·         Story map, tree diagram, bubble map (Level 3-4) ·         Story map (Level 5)

Explain how this lesson addresses the theory: During read aloud of Under the Blood Red Sun and mentor trickster tales students have an opportunity for “meaningful interaction” in English or natural communication where students are focused on communication, not grammar.  Additionally, while writing their trickster tales, students may have multiple peer critiques where they get feedback on the content of their tale. Regarding an individual’s monitoring during the written task of drafting their trickster tale, students will need to revise and edit their writing.  Through the use of writing conferences, I can assist students with grammatical techniques and spelling.  Also, peer critiques are done with “no shame, no blame” in our classroom, and we follow a practiced protocol where these interactions are not to correct everyone’s mistakes, but to provide suggestions using accountable talk techniques.  For example, instead of saying, “Your subject and verb don’t match,” a peer could say, “That doesn’t sound quite right to my ear.  Maybe you could say . . . “  Giving an EL the opportunity to peer critique a classmate’s writing provides opportunities for monitoring since kids are great at finding someone else’s mistakes. As far as the natural order hypothesis application in this lesson, I’ve included opportunities for listening during read aloud, with numerous pauses to think aloud and explain the story; brainstorming with peers; peer critiques; writing conferences for revising and editing encouragement. Small groups and examples of answers allow students to share openly and feel supported, thereby lowering the affective filter.  I, like other teachers, instill a sense of respect for one another and the acceptance of mistakes right from the first day of school.  When students are given support by their peers, their affective filter lowers.  The accountable talk cards and organizers can also help to lower a student’s affective filter.  Our peer critique protocol can also help students lower their affective filter. All four language domains are engaged in planning and drafting a trickster tale, read aloud with a purpose, and writing conferences with teacher and peers.

Building Background:

Explicitly link concepts to students’ background experiences: Background knowledge is provided through the reading aloud of multiple mentor picture books of trickster tales.  These tales each are a story explaining something in nature:  why the sun comes up and sets each day; how the moon hangs in the sky; why there are millions of stars; how the mountains came to be; how the bear lost its tail. Also during read aloud of our mentor text Under the Blood Red Sun, I do think aloud whenever I encounter the effective use of a literary device.  We talk about the difference between direct and indirect characterization, figurative language, sensory imagery, and symbolism.  Students have heard these terms before and have been shown examples in this mentor text. Direct instruction on each of these terms has been done along with a glossary provided.  I have a classroom bulletin board with examples and kid-friendly definitions of each term as well.

Make clear links between students’ past learning and new concepts: Students are able to make clear connections between Under the Blood Red Sun, their book club novels, and trickster tales regarding the use of literary devices and the increased level of understanding that come with an author using these devices.  All of the literature used in this unit is connected through a cultural understanding and an author understanding.

Emphasize key vocabulary: Key vocabulary includes purpose, element, characters, setting, plot, conflict, sequence of events, direct characterization, indirect characterization, figurative language, alliteration, hyperbole, idiom, imagery, metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification, simile, flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism and function language effect, increase, has, both have, on the other hand, in contrast to, similar, different. Key vocabulary will be introduced and discussed through the use of read aloud, using both picture books and  mentor text.  Examples of literary devices found during read aloud will be written on our bulletin board for quick reference at any time. Sentence stems will be provided to students for comparative literary devices such as similes and metaphors (e.g. _______________ is like ________________ , ____________ as a _______________)

Comprehensible Input:

Throughout the reading of the novels, students may use audio support while reading.  I’ve downloaded the novels off CD audio from the library to my Google Drive.  I’ve then shared the audio files with students who can benefit from audio support to improve comprehension.  They simply need to log in to their Google Drive, plug in head phones, and listen to the story while reading. During read aloud of Under the Blood Red Sun, I purposely think aloud for two reasons:  1) to point out cultural conflict between the Japanese Americans, the Hawaiians, the Portuguese Americans, and the white Americans; and 2) to point out examples of the use of literary devices such as imagery, figurative language, hyperbole, etc.  Stop and talk about these devices allows students to hear and understand in context of the literature being read rather than out of context on a worksheet. The think aloud, oral discussions, and written examples provide students with a variety of methods to engage and increase understanding.  As a matter of course (or habit), I do not use contractions often, and if I catch myself using an idiom, I quickly explain what I mean.  It’s a deliberate way of speaking that allows all of my students to understand exactly what is being said.  I encourage students to do the same by having a “no contraction” day each month and directly studying and breaking down common idioms and figures of speech.

Strategies

Using the Understanding By Design template adopted by our school incorporates understandings and essential questions.  I’ve taken the time up front to develop these, and I allow the understandings and questions to drive my planning.  From this backward planning, I’ve developed the four open-ended questions that cannot be answered without using all four language domains (along with our brains). Scaffolding includes think-alouds during read aloud and book clubs, audio support, vocabulary investigations, graphic organizers, and thinking routines.  The top of the scaffold includes students’ ability to incorporate their learning in written form.

Interaction:

Students have multiple opportunities for interaction with the teacher and with their peers through think aloud, small book club discussions of author’s purpose and literary devices, and paired writing of trickster tales.

Practice/ Application:

Hands-on materials provided  within this lesson include: ·         Mentor picture books of trickster tales ·         Visible definitions and examples of literary devices on classroom bulletin board ·         Craft supplies for writing and illustrating picture books ·         visible Chalk Talk charts on the wall ·         content and language vocabulary word bank visible on the wall ·         graphic organizers such as t-charts and sentence stems ·         posted CLO where students can see at all times All activities, paired writing, book club groupings, and read/think aloud provide students with numerous opportunities to use all four language domains:  listening, speaking, reading, and writing and apply content and language knowledge in the classroom.

Lesson Delivery:

Our daily read aloud of Under the Blood Red Sun has continued throughout this unit, adding to the novels students selected and read.  During read aloud, examples of the author’s use of literary devices are explicitly shown, discussed, and documented up on the classroom bulletin board reserved for this purpose.  As students listen to the story, I stop often to ask questions about how the author describes the characters through direct and indirect characterization.  This text was purposefully selected for its depth of cultural insight and use of descriptive language. Multiple short trickster tales will be read aloud, explicitly pointing out the use of descriptive language along with a culture’s explanation of the natural world around them.   Incorporated into this part of the lesson includes story writing, genre-specific instruction on mapping a story into its elements: characters, setting, plot, sequencing of events.  As a whole class, we will brainstorm topics for trickster tales.  Then pairs of students may select a topic, map out their story in a story map, and write their story in a picture book format.  Students will then illustrate their stories and read them aloud to the class or perform their stories with puppets, depending on time. Students are expected to incorporate at least two figurative language devices in their trickster tales (simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, alliteration).

Review/ Assessment:

·         Using the mentor read aloud text Under the Blood Red Sun, students will identify literary elements such as characterization (direct and indirect) and setting along with how the authors use literary devices to enhance understanding. Students will then select one of the novels they have read and evaluate the author’s use of literary devices such as: o   Figurative language (alliteration, hyperbole, idiom, imagery, metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification, simile) o   Flashback o   Foreshadowing o   Symbolism Students will then create a picture book demonstrating examples of literary devices using evidence from the novel.  They may use their picture book to “teach” classmates. ·         After reading several Native American trickster tales, students will write their own trickster tale explaining something in nature.  They will use literary devices within their tales. Students will then create puppets and perform their trickster tales using our puppet theater. ·         Progress will be continuously monitored throughout the lesson through the use of anecdotal notes specifying reteach and clarification opportunities.  Daily writing conferences will also provide insight into the progress on the trickster tales and summarizing characters’ perspectives.  The use of multi-modal assessment allows students to demonstrate understanding via a mode that is a strength for them.

Claims - Support - Question

Claim - Support - Question  (CSQ)

At the beginning of our science unit, "Human Body" we had an opportunity to share our ideas about products and services that claim to promote fitness. Students were asked to be skeptical of products and services that claim to promote fitness with or without exercise. To be skeptical students would need to critically analyze advertisements that promote fitness and changes to the body. Students worked in small groups to identify assertions made by selected advertisements. Each student could develop their own claim about what the advertisement represented, but the claims presented should be focused on specific evidence (support). The purpose of presenting the support was to be sure that students were not making a claim based on opinions, reactions or feelings.

Focus Question: Would you believe this ad if you read it in a magazine?
 What makes you say that?

 Students had a number of magazine ads to practice their CSQ activity. As the I observed the activity I realized that my focus question was not going to give me the results I was hoping for. I worked on generating what I thought were topical questions.  My hope was that students would make claims based on the evidence rather than opinions.

Topical questions:

What generalizations do these ads make?

What evidence supports your claim?

What would make someone question your claim?

Introducing these new questions allowed my students to begin asking questions and determining importance while discussing these advertisements. Making me feel like we were going in the right direction, but we need more practice analyzing direct and indirect evidence.I believe this thinking strategy is a great way to see if students can process information analytically.

UbD, Thinking Strategies, and MLK

This project began w/ a team coaching conversation with Michelle.  We were all struggling to fit Thinking Routines lessons and activities within our Literacy block while really trying to focus on teaching kids to read.  Turns out, our “mini” lessons were anything but ... we were really teaching content lessons, and not mini lessons focusing on a reading strategy.  

Michelle suggested we use our end of day skills block as our Thinking Routines block, and try to integrate skills such as handwriting and phonics practice into our Reading block.  I decided to make one change, and began to integrate Big Ideas with our learning around Dr. MLK and make that their handwriting practice which they did during independent reading time.  Throughout the unit their handwriting practice has included:

“Martin Luther King, Jr. believed in non-violent protest.”

“Segregation means ‘separate but equal’.”

“Not everyone believed in Dr. King’s dream.”

“Rosa Parks helped to change unfair bus laws.”

“African Americans in Alabama boycotted the bus - they walked everywhere.”

I took these Big Ideas and wrote them on sentence strips.  I told the kids they were going to work in groups to illustrate their learning of these Big Ideas.  I have always felt that I’ve struggled to get good artwork from my kids, and yet I’ve never done an Art Rubric before ...  I took the time to (literally) illustrate with pictures and words what a “1,” “2,” “3,” and “4” piece of artwork looked like, and the kids helped with the language.  What a huge difference it made in the end product! 

The kids chose which Big Idea they wanted to work with, and then we set the foundation for working in groups:  they had to first activate their schema and have a discussion to determine importance as to how they wanted to illustrate their learning.  This involved asking questions of each other to have healthy discussions to clarify their thinking and to determine what should or should not be included.  Their illustrations had to show relevant sensory images, and they had to defend, to me, what their vision was before they were allowed to put pencil to paper.  They were encouraged to use all the books and resources in the room to find ideas.  

I learned several things:  1) I had to re-think my Lit and Skills block (mostly Lit) from a planning view, focusing on a 5-10 min. mini lesson on a reading or thinking strategy so the big content lesson would come at the end of the day.  2) Integrating Big Ideas from content into their handwriting has had a two-fold effect:  yet another exposure to the big idea and essential understandings around Dr. King and civil rights, and a marked increase in neater handwriting.  3) The next big thing I learned is nothing new, yet always seems to be a surprise:  go slow to go fast.  I have never taken the time to show the kids an Art Rubric, yet when I took the time, I got work that is far better than any I’ve seen yet this year.  4) An important side effect:  one of my African American boys, who struggles and has shown no evidence of "visible" critical thinking all year, latched ON to this content.  He was inferring, determining importance, synthesizing, and memorized Dr. King's speech.  It was a huge lesson to me that we have to be consciously teaching content in a way that will engage this group of students.

By modeling for them the difference between a really incomplete piece of art v. a fully complete piece of art, the kids took more ownership and made sure their ideas were relevant, important, and had details.  I took my time ... they are taking their time.  It has taken a week to complete these projects, and the time and effort (I believe) is revealed in their artwork.

"Dr. King believed in change through non-violence."  (He's preaching on one side, standing next to Gandhi on the other.)

"Not everyone believed in Dr. King's dream."

In the future, I will revisit the Art Rubric when asking for sensory images, and will remember that if I take the time to fully show them what I’m looking for (go slow), then I will more than likely get more appropriate work next time (go fast).  We are beginning inquiry circles in a few weeks and those always culminate in a project similar to these.  I am expecting the kids to be more focused and provide more details with their end of unit learning because of their experience with their Dr. King artwork.

Also, I will continue to integrate Big Ideas from content into their handwriting practice.  I am consistently hearing (during this group work) active use of relevant vocabulary.  Almost everyone can name the key players in the civil rights movement and define “segregation” and “boycott” and “non-violent protest.”  AND, I’m getting neater handwriting as yet another benefit!

Explanation Game

One of the essential questions for the ECE tree study is "What creatures live in trees and why."  In order to answer this question, the class looked at a variety of pictures of creatures in trees, including birds, squirrels, bees, and monkeys.  We used the pictures as a basis for discussion about animals in trees and tried to develop theories about why an animal would live in trees.  After the discussion, we also read a book called "Who Lives in Trees."   This book provided some information supporting and/or disputing the theories.

At the end of the study, the children created a book and used their thinking from our Explanation Game discussion on their page about animals that live in trees.

A raccoon lives in a tree because it needs a home and wants to meet squirrels

A bee lives in a tree because it needs to hide from its predators

Bees live in a tree because they need to hid from animals that want to eat them

A squirrel lives in a tree because it likes nuts that grow on trees

A monkey lives in a tree because it is eating bananas

I hope to include the explanation game as part of every study (and possibly a few times within a study) in order to help the students construct their own knowledge.  The ECE team is using the Backward design template at the beginning of each study so that we are more intentional in our planning and focusing on our essential  questions. 

The C: Color of CSI: Color, Symbol, Image

Both my third and fourth grade classes begins each day with our weekly poem. We spend at least one week on a poem, each day discussing our thinking and noticings or completing different routines to push our thinking. There are many purposes for implementing morning poem: First of all, it is one time during the day when oral fluency is emphasized. Secondly, this is one way I can address many different standards while exploring poetry. The new common core standards do not focus on writing poetry, but being able to make meaning of poetry is incredibly important. Also, many literary techniques and skills lessons are reinforced in our discussions.

This particular week we were working on Winter Eyes. 

Each week when planning poem, I think about what skills and standards we need to cover. I have a list of skills I plan to discuss. (This could be considered a very informal version of backward planning.)  In looking at this poem, I wanted students to clarify unknown vocabulary (colbalt, birch, velvet, sleet), notice sensory details, notice the organization, use their background and/or inferences to infer what is meant by the last two lines, and of course make meaning of the poem.

On Mondays students start by tracking their thinking. Then, the remainder of the days are spent discussing student's thinking and noticings. They lead our discussions, but I have an agenda of my own. If by Thursday they haven't addressed a point I wanted to discuss I will ask questions to spark their thinking. 

This happened to be a week where the students worked through these expectations quickly. We still had one day to work with the poem and deepen our understanding, so I decided to use a the Color, Symbol, Image thinking routine to guide us. Although, since it was our first attempt at using the routine, I just started with the color. (We only spend roughly ten minutes on poem each day.) I asked them to determine what color they thought represents the poem and explain what made them think that. The color that they chose was not extremely important, although it was a good measure of comprehension. It was more important to me that they explain their thinking, hopefully using evidence from the text. 

Overall, CSI was an intriguing routine to use because it allowed students to share their thinking in a different way than usual. I feel like I need to use it more consistently in order to get deeper results, but I was pleased with their thinking being it was our first attempt. Below are a few students responses.

The explanation for why this student chose white.

See-Think-Wonder

Background
As part of the non-fiction/essay unit for fifth-grade literacy, I chose to use the November Scope magazine which included non-fiction narrative, essay, and infographic all on the topic of homelessness in America.  The essential question was: "What challenges do the homeless face?" To get an idea of what students already knew or thought they knew about homelessness, I used the thinking routine See-Think-Wonder.  I displayed the cover photo of the article I Was Homeless, a photo of Kevin Liu who entered a homeless shelter with his family when he was in sixth grade after an illegal eviction.

Process
In order to provide an opportunity to hear all students' voices, all three parts (seeing, thinking, wondering) were done among cooperative table groups. During each step, students recorded their thoughts on the chart in front of the classroom.

Students viewed the cover photo, discussed with their table group, and described what they saw:  a teenager wearing a funny shirt, an Asian teenager, a healthy, normal-looking teenager.

Next, students discussed what they thought about this person given the headline "I Was Homeless."  They thought this person was Kevin Liu, that Kevin had been homeless, and that Kevin was no longer homeless because he looked happy, clean, and healthy.

Finally, students discussed and captured their wonderings.  They wondered how old Kevin is, where Kevin lives, if he was still homeless, how he became homeless, if he ran away from his home, if he used drugs, if he lived on the street, if he was hurt when he was homeless, how long he was homeless, and what he ate while he was homeless.

This thinking routine put a face on homelessness for our students and directly led into the development of the essential question: "What challenges do the homeless face?"


Connections
Throughout the unit, students referred back to the STW chart as they learned more about Kevin Liu.  This activity provided an anchor as we read the narrative, and we highlighted in the text answers to our wonderings.  Students commented often on whether their initial thinking was correct or if their thinking was "off track" because they didn't have enough information when they first saw the photo and headline.


Reflection
Using this routine allowed students to begin thinking about the social issue of homelessness and the impacts not only to people who are homeless, but to themselves and society.  The STW enabled me to understand where to begin instruction.  This thinking routine, like so many others, is a useful preassessment for planning.
After a close reading of the narrative, essay, and infographic, students were able to use the real-life example of Kevin Liu to synthesize the data and statistics provided in the essay and infographic.  We were also able to use our STW chart as a post-assessment, adding another column about what we learned.

Performance Task
As their final project, students wrote an informational essay responding to the essential question, "What challenges do the homeless face?

Oh Deer!

The third and fourth graders are learning about ecosystems.  We are coming to the end of the unit, so the students have a lot of schema mainly around producers, consumers, decomposers and all the living and non-living things an animal will use as resources to get food, water, shelter, space and air. On Friday, we played a game of Oh Deer! where students line up across from each other, half of them are deer and the other half are resources (food, water etc.).  They turn around and the deer attempt to find a resource, if they do, the resource becomes a deer and life is good.  If they don't, they die (and if the game is true to real life, they die in VERY dramatic fashion!)  We played 10 rounds, each round representing one year of life.

Before we every went outside to play the game, student scientists made a data table and had graph paper so that they can graph their data for deer population over 10 years.  My essential questions were:

1. What is the relationship between the size of the deer herd and the number of resources available to the deer? and 
2. Why is balance important in an ecosystem? 

I projected these questions and we discussed them before we played.  The first question is a topical question the second is more overarching and much more general, and one that will hopefully lead to more discussion.
After playing the game, we discussed possible answers to these questions, but didn't document any of them yet.  My plan is to put together their data, and then have them use a thinking routine to capture their thinking.  (Chalk Talk? Step Inside?)  My intent is for them to synthesize their thinking at this late point in the unit.  Our next topic is to look at the interactions that trees have in order to survive and I am planning on using the same questions for that study: What is the relationship between the size of a tree, or health of a tree and the number of resources available?  and Why is balance (for trees) important in an ecosystem?

Honestly, I am really struggling to effectively put the UbD into practice.  I am overwhelmed by the scope of the book and am realizing that I also don't always put enough effort into the "big picture" planning that is necessary to really implement the different components.  So, I am working in small steps to implement Essential Questions to smaller pieces of my plan.  This is why I am just looking at the next two weeks of science.  I am also thinking that I will use and/or revise these Essential Questions for our final, culminating project in the Ecosystems unit where student have to create an ecosystem for a fictional "homeless" creature.

Tuesday, January 28th - After playing Oh Deer! on Friday, we came back on Monday, reviewed our data, then the kids recorded their answers to the essential questions.  This was obviously just a first shot at this.  I used the routine Claim, Support, Question.  We talked at length about the meaning of balance in an ecosystem, what could throw and ecosystem off balance, what are some factors (disease, predators) that could alter the health of a deer herd.  Students were then challenged to write a Claim, Support and Question that addressed either one or both questions.  Some attempted to answer very literally, others put together claims that were based more on real life. Here are a few samples:

• I claim that if the population goes down really low, it will nearly double in the next few years.  I claim that because in Oh Deer, when we had 100, it went up to 180.  What would happen if the deer population went down to 0? 
• I claim that the deer go down because of some wildfire or something horrible.  I claim that because I watch videos of wildfires killing poor animals.  What else makes deer population go down?
• I claim that, when the deer population drops down all the deer will have a lot of food so the next year deer will have babies then the population will go up again.  I claim that because nature comes and goes but population can go and come back and I also predicted that.  I wonder if deer have a litter of babies or one each time.
• I claim that balance is important in an ecosystem.  Also because deer need water.  All animals need waater and if they had no water then they would die.  How is water not affected in a forest fire?

Backward Lesson Design

At the beginning of our unit planning, the 3rd and 4th grade literacy teachers came up with the essential question, "How do writers purposefully create and design a meaningful plot that invites their readers to envision and infer?"  It seemed out of my grasp at the beginning of the unit because it required so many steps to get to that understanding. I began to use, "What makes a story worth reading?"  We continue to answer that as readers and writers in a revised "Chalk Talk" routine from Making Thinking Visible.  Students continue to add their growing understandings to our chart.

Some of their thoughts about what makes a story worth reading...
"Description - because it puts a sensory image in your head."- Trevor
"It pulls the reader into the story." Tishyla
"To be worth reading, you have to feel what the character is feeling." Harper
"What makes a story worth reading is a great problem and resolution." Caden
"To make a story worth reading it has to have adventure or you have to care about the character." Rowan
"The more you read, the more morals you know, the more morals you know, the more you understand life." Kaia

For me, the challenge of Backward Lesson Design is that I don't know where students will lead me and as I come to know them my goals of understanding change.  This is what I have now...
Overarching:
Why do people write and share their stories?
How do writers create stories that people want to read?
Topical:
How do readers get to know characters deeply?
How do conflicting characteristics help us infer/predict/monitor for meaning?

·        

Now that I am learning about Enduring Understandings, I am planning to use the Making Thinking Visible Routine of Headlines to help assess what students are taking away. Do students understand that...

Authors share a message or a theme that is universal.

Authors develop characters that connect with readers.

Authors follow a predictable structure. 
Empathy helps us understand others feelings, motivations, and traits in life.
Stories communicate life and connect us to one another.
Stories are how we pass along meaning.

We'll see what happens!  :)

Headlines

As with most units in science, I try to have students make connections to their own lives. These often make excellent essential questions that aligned nicely with the Understanding by Design process.  During our current unit in 8th grade science on wave energy, students were learning about wave characteristics, such as frequency and amplitude, but I think we lost sight of why wave energy is important to us.  Enter the headline routine from Making Thinking Visible, which is great at allowing students to determine importance.  I assigned students a random partner to collaborate with and to answer the prompt, "How do waves benefit humans?"  Additionally, I have them write a brief paragraph to give supporting details to clarify their headline. The example below was exactly what I was hoping for.

They nicely explained that visible light waves from the sun allow photosynthesis to occur produce oxygen for us to breathe, as well as to be able to see.