Sara Final Literacy Plan

7/31/2019 Sara Final Literacy Plan

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Literacy Plan- High School ScienceED 452

Alverno College

! ! ! ! ! Sara Zavadsky! ! ! ! ! Fall 2011


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Sara Zavadsky4645 S. Forest Point BlvdNew Berlin, WI 53151

Interview TeamDistrict OfficeCity, State, Zip

Dear Interview Team:

I would like to take this time to thank you for the opportunity that you have granted me in meeting withyou and learning more about your school and the philosophy that you all practice under. After our timetogether I am confident that we were able to fully explore the potential for me to join your team ofeducators, specifically as a member of the high school science department teaching Biology andChemistry. I am even more excited about the potential to join your staff and become a member of yourcommunity.

I believe that I could be an asset to your school and help to create the community of educators andlearners that you strive to achieve. I am very passionate about a whole community approach, and Ibelieve that this philosophy parallels nicely with the schools philosophy that you have shared with metoday. My experience with adolescents thus far has allowed me to establish this whole communityphilosophy. In addition, I understand the importance of a school community where both students andeducators work synergistically in the efforts to continuously challenge themselves and one another tostrive for their very best each day and, ultimately, prepare the students for the world that surrounds eachone of them.

I am enclosing my self-created High School Literacy Plan, based around science curriculum, for yourconsideration. My learning coursework at Alverno College and the outside experience that I have sharedwith you today has built a strong foundation where learning is not only challenging but very rewarding. I

have developed strong classroom management skills, a sound understanding of what it means to educatethe whole student with various instructional practices, as well as the importance of collaboration anddifferentiation in establishing a classroom environment that meets the varying needs of all learners. Indeveloping this literacy plan I have strengthened my own understanding and appreciation of the gravity ofinstructional practices that are literacy and technology-rich based. I have practiced implementing andevaluating a number of literacy techniques and I am eager to continue to implement more into myteaching. I am confident in the skill set that I have developed and I am enthusiastic to continue to learnand grow as an educator.

Thank you again for your time and the opportunity to interview me today. Please contact me if you haveany further questions. I look forward to having the chance to talk with you again.

Best,

Sara Zavadsky

email: [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Task I: Written Plan

1. Philosophy Statement:

Students learn best when:

* Literacy based practices and techniques are continuously incorporated

* Technology is included in instructional practices

* They are challenged with opportunities that allow them to develop their Problem Solving and

Critical Thinking Skills

* Learning is student centered and highly motivating

* They feel safe in their environment and confident in their ability to learn and grow and use

their voice to enrich their classroom experiences

* Each differing learning style and student is honored and they are given multiple opportunitiesto demonstrate their learning and understanding

* Teachers value them as members of the classroom community and guide them to reach high

standards for themselves by serving as a facilitator of learning

* They become autonomous learners and they begin to drive their own learning through

discovery

* They are granted numerous opportunities to reflect on their learning experiences

* Students offer and receive feedback to/from peers as well as the teacher in a timely manner

Although my personal philosophy of education and educating in science is primarily

based on the notion of discovery based learning and one that is student-centered, it is a work in

progress that is ever evolving as I continuously challenge myself to reflect upon my teaching

practices. This encompasses my beliefs that learning and growth must happen synergistically in

both the student and the teacher. Both student and teacher need to feel that they are apart of a

community that exists in the classroom and where each member of that community is valued and

respected. The role of the educator is to facilitate the learning of his/her students and allow the

students to have multiple opportunities to practice, explore, and reflect on his/her learning. This

continued relationship between building, growing, and reflecting of knowledge will serve as the

catalyst to the discoveries and autonomous learning that will begin to take shape in the

classroom. An environment where the students and the teacher learn and discover together must


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be safe and the learning that takes place must be meaningful to all contributors involved. In

order to accomplish this, students must be continuously challenged with authentic learning

practices that are rich in literacy integration and technology. Furthermore, when students are

granted the chance to guide their own learning in science through tactile and discovery based

activities and reflect on this learning, their ability to problem solve and critically think begin to

develop. My philosophy also includes differentiating material for students at different levels.

Inevitably there will be a range of reading and writing behaviors present in my classroom and I

want each student to grow and feel engaged and challenged, regardless of where they are in their

literacy journey. I want my classroom to be a brain-compatible learning environment that is rich

and stimulating and non-threatening. This means that the classroom gives birth to active and

meaningful learning and students learn from me, their peers, and most importantly themselves.

My hopes are to create a classroom where learning is not only fun and rewarding but highly

motivating and stimulating. Students will feel free to ask questions and seek answers, take risks,

learn together alongside their peers and myself, and reflect on their learning. Finally, I believe in

integration of instructional strategies in the subject matter curriculum to deepen their learning

and understanding of the material and to encourage my students to examine social issues and

become agents of social change.

Theoretical Background:

There are three main educational theories that help to shape my overall philosophy of

education and drive my pedagogy of teaching. Mainly these theories are: Constructivism,

Cognitive/Information Processing Theory, and Sociolinguistic Theory. According to

Constructivists, learning occurs when students are active and engaged learners who create their

own knowledge through educational investigations and collaboration with their peers.

Constructivism also acknowledges the importance of students background knowledge inlearning new information (Thompkins, 5-6). This student-centered approach is the foundation of

constructivism and is mirrored in my teaching. I believe that students learn best when teachers

value them as members of the classroom community and guide them to reach high standards for

themselves by serving as a facilitator of learning and when they become autonomous learners


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and begin to drive their own learning through discovery. Dewey believed that students are

innately curious and actively create their own knowledge (Tompkins, 8). Both of these

philosophies align with the constructivist approach and Deweys ideas about the creation of

knowledge. As a science teacher I feel that teaching to these two theories parallels nicely with

the instructional strategies and classroom activities that are incorporated into my teaching.

While I teach I rely heavily on student participation and questions to drive my instruction.

Because of this, students begin to develop their ability to create their own knowledge that is

driven by their curiosity and interests. Students of science need to see and touch what is

happening and be the ones that are driving their investigations in order to fully understand what

it is that they are learning. This inherently gives rise to the curiosity that they feel towards

learning and helps to propel their ability to create their own knowledge as well as allowing them

to practice their Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Skills.

I state that I believe that students learn best when they are motivated. This is the

motivation construct of the Constructivism Theory. I feel that this occurs when the students feel

that what they are learning is meaningful and can be applied to their outside worlds. When

learning activities are engaging and authentic, students enjoy learning in different way and are

intrinsically motivated and do more reading and writing (Thompkins, 8). I want my students to

enjoy reading and writing because the knowledge that they gain doing these activities fuels themto want to keep learning. The world of science is full of ever-changing information and I want

my students to not only practice their abilities to read and write, but also to learn the language

of science. As a teacher of a certain discipline it is my job to teach my students how reading and

writing is different in science and to give them multiple opportunities to learn this language,

much like a foreign language teacher would. Because of this I must provide authentic learning

activities that incorporate literacy techniques. Ryder and Graves state, ...the purpose of content

area reading instruction is to improve students learning through the integration of instructionalstrategies in the subject matter curriculum, rather than the presentation of strategies in isolation

(Ryder & Graves,8). If I incorporate different techniques into my teaching on a daily basis

without teaching them in isolation then I am providing my students with the tools that are

necessary to begin to read and write the language on their own. When students have a set of


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skills and techniques that they can draw upon to better understand and learn the material that is

in front of them they will become more practiced and comfortable with the language. They will

begin to apply those concepts to their real world and make the learning more meaningful and

they will be engaged, To the teacher, content reading instruction provides a mechanism to

promote students understanding of subject matter and to engage students in activities and

strategies that promote independent learning and accomplish instructional objectives (Ryder &

Grave,7).

This section of my philosophy is also related to the Cognitive/Information Processing

Theory which outlines that true comprehension occurs when readers and writers use knowledge

and strategies to solve problems (Thompkins, 11). Cognitive/Information Processing theorists

view the process of reading and writing as a meaning making processes. They acknowledge that

readers reactions to what they read are influenced not only by the writing on the page, but also

by their background knowledge and previous experiences. It warns that teachers should

consider the purposes set for students, because when students continually read efferently rather

than aesthetically, they dont develop a love for reading and are less likely to become lifelong

readers (Thompkins, 12). As stated above, because science is an ever-growing field that is full

of new information, it is vital that I allow my students to read the things that keep them

interested to ensure that they will be life long readers and learners of science.In my philosophy I state, Students learn best when each differing learning style and

student is honored and they are given multiple opportunities to demonstrate their learning and

understanding. My desire to differentiate material for students at different levels is closely

related to Vygotskys Theory of Sociolinguistics. Sociolinguistic Theory is based on the

importance of both language and social interaction in learning (Thompkins, 8). According to

Vygotsky, students use language to organize their thoughts and communicate and share

experiences with others. Because each student does have a varying literacy level, it is my job toknow the diversity that exists in my classroom so I can provide meaningful language and social

interactions for all the learners in my classroom. This diversity in the classroom is directly

connected to the next section of my philosophy and is influenced in part by the cultural

responsiveness piece of the Sociolinguistic Theory, Students learn best when they feel safe in


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their environment and confident in their ability to learn and grow and use their voice to enrich

their classroom experiences.


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Classroom/Instructional Design:

Role of Teachers

Create a Community of Learners:

The role of the teacher is creating a community of learners within the classroom. To the

sociolinguistic theorists, this means providing culturally responsive teaching, celebrating

approximations and nurturing risk. One of the other key components to my community of

learners is creating a risk-free environment that nurtures risk. Students will feel safe in my

classroom to ask questions, seek knowledge, and explore their interests in science. It is

important that the students and I learn together. According to Ryder and Graves, ...teachers and

students jointly assume the responsibility for learning (p.6). We will work together to achieve

the learning goals, and because we all have diverse needs and ways of learning, curriculum will

be presented in an engaging fashion so that everyone, including me learns together. We will all

respect the ways in which one another learns and we will all understand that each learner needs

different things to learn.

The physical environment plays a large role in creating my community of learners. My

students will sit in small groups, work with many different partners in lab, collaborate on

projects with one another, and publish and share their works in a variety of ways. As in the

science community, my classroom with share knowledge and help one another to understand

what was being explored and taught. If scientists do not share their findings with the science

community, then science cannot propel itself forward. This is how my students will feel about

the work that they are doing and they will all be a contributing member of our classroom and

share their learning with one another and motivate each other.

Addressing Diverse Needs:

To address the diverse needs of any group of students, a successful teacher will have

strategies and instructional modes to support the needs of the students. Children learn in


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different ways, so it will be my challenge to engage each child through the lessons with a variety

of approaches to learning (auditory, visual, kinesthetic, etc.). My students will leave my

classroom confident that they can problem solve and critically think no matter how they learn or

what they struggle with, and my belief that every child can be taught supports that.

Assessment

Natural classroom assessments that offer an authentic learning experience and are created

to mirror what was taught and truly reach the objectives of the lesson or unit are an integral part

of what we as educators must provide to our students. Through various formal and informal

reading and writing assessments we can ensure that we are teaching within the zone of proximal

development. This will ultimately ensure that each student is be able to achieve high standards

and ensure that objectives were met no matter what their diverse needs may be.

Type of

Assessment

Description Why is it appropriate? How will it inform

instruction?

Literacy

portfolios

A literacy portfolio is a

selected sample of a

students reading and

writing work. Some

teachers involve students

in the creation of their

own portfolio.

Literacy portfolios

allow students to be

actively involved in the

assessment of their own

work. Students assess

their own work as they

reflect on why they

want to include or not

include a particular

piece in their portfolio.

A teacher can analyze the

documents within a students

literacy portfolio to

determine his or her growth

in reading and writing over a

period of time. Furthermore,

analysis of these portfolios

help students to recognize the

kinds of goals they need to

set for themselves in terms of

literacy development. With

knowledge of students

strengths, weaknesses, and

goals, teachers can plan and

implement the instruction

necessary to help students

progress as readers andwriters.


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Basic Reading

Inventory

The Basic Reading

Inventory is individually

administrated informal

reading assessment which

identifies students'

strengths and weaknessesin reading.

The BRI contains

graded word lists and

graded passages that

begin at the preschool

level and go the entire

way through twelfthgrade. The results label

the childs reading level

as independent,

instructional, or

frustration.

The results of this inventory

can help teachers to select

texts that are the appropriate

reading level of each student.

In turn, students will be

motivated to readthoughtfully and reflect on

their reading.

RSQC2 RSQC2 stands for recall,

summarize, question,

comment, and connect.

For this assessment,

students recall and list inrank order the most

important ideas from a

previous class. Then they

summarize those points

in a single sentence.

ext, students write one

major question that they

want answered. Then,

students identify a thread

or theme to connect thismaterial to the overall

course. Finally, as an

option, students may add

a comment regarding

their confidence in or

wariness of the specific

course content.

The RSQC2 is

appropriate because it

allows students to

provide valuable

feedback on theirlearning that can help

teachers to target

instruction more

effectively.

Student feedback through

RSQC2 can aid a teacher in

identifying which areas

students are struggling with

and might need additionalinstruction.


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Content Area

Reading

Inventory

The Content Area

Reading Inventory

(CARI) is a teacher

created assessment to

determine at what level

the students are able toread the class textbook.

The assessment uses a

250- to 500-word passage

directly from the

textbook or reading

material and asks ten

questions on a variety of

comprehension levels

from Bloom's Taxonomy.

The types of questions

asked on the CARI are

typical kinds of

questions asked on

standardized tests such

as the SAT and ACT.Familiarity and practice

with these types of

questions is essential

for students.

The teacher can use

information from the CARI

to determine what types of

questions the students

typically miss and also

evaluate how muchinstruction is going to be

needed in the classroom to

ensure that all students

understand the intended

message and comprehend the

concepts in the reading

material.

Writing

projects

Students first drafts,

subsequent drafts, and

final drafts of writing can

all be used for purposes

of assessment.

Students are constantly

engaged in pre-writing,

drafting, and revising,

and therefore should be

continually perfecting

their writing craft.

Assessment of these

authentic projects

provides students with

valuable insights into

how to improve in their

writing especially as it

pertains to writing in

science.

Final drafts can be assessed

for the quality of content and

conventions. Also, evolution

of writing from one draft to

another offers rich

assessment data. The teacher

can notice revision strategies

and look at self-edits to see

what students know about

spelling and other

conventions. This

information helps teachers to

target instruction.

Performance

assessments

Students are asked to

perform literacy tasks and

their performance is

compared to standards of

what students should

know and be able to do.

A rubric is used to

evaluate the quality of astudents performance.

Required tasks can be

close to real reading

and writing students

experience in the

classroom. Rubrics help

students recognize what

is expected of them

identify areas of self-improvement.

By comparing students

demonstrated competence

levels with accepted levels or

standards, performance

assessments guide teachers to

examine identify areas of

need within reading and

writing. However, becausethey do focus on product and

not process, additional

assessment is also necessary.

Concepts and Strategies


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Listening, Reading, and Viewing Intelligently, Speaking, Writing and Visually

Representing will be the main components to how students will learn through literacy.. In my

classroom we will not only be working to refine these skills, but we will be functioning under the

need to learn the language of science as well. My students will begin to read, write, speak, and

think like a scientist would.

Concept, Skill,

or Strategy

Description Significance: Why is it

developmentally appropriate in a

sixth grade classroom?

Reading

The reading

process (What

good readers do)

Discuss: How do people read? What

does that little voice in your head say

before, during, and after reading?

Before: Setting a purpose, observing,predicting

During: Questioning, visualizing,

determining whats important,

inferring, monitoring

After: Retelling, connecting, evaluating

Essentially, reading is making

meaning. These strategies assist

students in making meaning before,

during, and after their reading andultimately comprehending the text.

Reading Comprehension

Reciprocal

teaching

Reciprocal teaching refers to an

instructional activity in which students

become the teacher in small group

reading sessions. Teachers model, thenhelp students learn to guide group

discussions using four strategies:

summarizing, question generating,

clarifying, and predicting. Once

students have learned the strategies,

they take turns assuming the role of

teacher in leading a dialogue about

what has been read.

Reciprocal teaching encourages

students to think about their own

thought process during reading. It also

helps students learn to be activelyinvolved and monitor their

comprehension as they read and to ask

questions during reading to help make

the text more comprehensible.


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ReQuest The teacher leads the whole class in

reciprocal questioning. Students take

on the role of the teacher by

formulating their own list of questions

about a reading selection. The teacher

then answers the students' questions.

This exercise assists reading

comprehension at two levels. Students

deeply analyze the reading selection

to extract their "teacher" questions.

The teacher, in turn, reinforces

learning by answering the questionsand, if necessary, helping students to

refine their work into more focused

questions.

SMART (Self-

Monitoring

Approach to

Reading and

Thinking)

SMART has several steps. Students

read a section of a text and place a

checkmark next to each paragraph that

they understanding and a question

mark next to teach paragraph that they

feel confused about. At the end of the

section, they should stop and explain tothemselves what they have read in their

own words. Once they have finished

reading, students should return to teach

question mark and try to make sense of

the paragraphs. If not, they should use

fix-up strategies to clear up their

confusion or ask a teacher or classmate.

The SMART approach is designed to

facilitate remembering via

understanding. Its a strategy for

students to use as they read content

for classes. It encourages students to

think about the way they are thinking

as they read, analyzing theircomprehension, solving problems, and

asking for help when necessary.

Anticipation

guide

An anticipation guide is a

comprehension strategy that is used

before reading to activate students'prior knowledge and build curiosity

about a new topic. Before reading,

students listen to or read several

statements about key concepts

presented in the text; they're often

structured as a series of statements with

which the students can choose to agree

or disagree.

Anticipation guides stimulate students'

interest in a topic and set a purpose

for reading. They teach students tomake predictions, anticipate the text,

and verify their predictions. Students

also connect new information to prior

knowledge and build curiosity about a

topic.

Summarizing Summarizing teaches students how to

discern the most important ideas in a

text, how to ignore irrelevant

information, and how to integrate the

central ideas in a meaningful way.

Teaching students to summarize

improves their memory for what is

read. Summarization strategies can be

used in almost every content area.


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Making

connections

Students make personal connections

with the text by using their schema or

background knowledge. There are

three main types of connections we

make while reading text: text-to-self

connections, text-to-text connections,and text-to-world connections.

Making connections helps students to

relate more effectively to a text, and

therefore, improves overall

comprehension.

Concept map or

Tree organizers

A concept map is a visual organizer

that can enrich students' understanding

of a new concept. Using a graphic

organizer, students think about the

concept in several ways. Most concept

map organizers engage students in

answering questions such as: What is

it? What is it like? What are some

examples?

Concept maps deepen understanding

and comprehension. They help

students organize new information

and make meaningful connections

between the main idea and other

information. They can be used within

any content area.

Writing

The writing

process

Discuss: How do people write? What

does that little voice in your head say

before, during, and after writing?

Before (prewriting/brainstorming):

Purpose, audience, organization,

content, format

During(drafting): Sequence, word

choice, sentence fluency, transitions

After(revising content, drafting again,editing for conventions, publishing):

Grammar, spelling, punctuation, flow

Writing is a process and students must

understand what happens at various

stages of this process and why in

order to produce high-quality writing.

Cause and effect

chain

This strategy helps students recognize

cause and effect relationships. The

cause and effect chain may be used to

look at a series of events that are a

result of one another or are caused by

one another, like a chain reaction.

The cause and effect chain graphic

organizer reinforces the idea that each

cause brings about a related effect,

that in turn each effect becomes a

cause for the next effect, and that all

causes lead to the final effect.

Students can use these cause and

effect relationships in their ownwriting.


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I-Charts The Inquiry Chart (I-Chart) is a

strategy that enables students to

generate meaningful questions about a

topic and organize their writing.

Students integrate prior knowledge or

thoughts about the topic with additionalinformation found in several sources.

The I-Chart helps students to use

information that they know or have

found from various sources to

generate more questions about a given

topic. These questions foster critical

thinking and can guide studentswriting development.

Cartoon captions The teacher gathers cartoons and hides

or covers the original captions.

Students write their own captions for

the cartoons.

This writing strategy encourages

student creativity and fosters critical

thinking. Students must make

observations and inferences about the

cartoon drawing in order to design

their own captions.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

overview guide

For a vocabulary overview guide,

students select new and difficult wordsfrom a reading selection. The students

write clues which help them define the

word and then use these clues to

establish a definition.

A vocabulary overview guide helps

students develop an association with asignificant clue to a words meaning,

as well as determine its definition.

Concept

definition map

Concept definition maps consider

words in light of three properties or

attributes: What is it? What is it like?

What are some examples?

Oftentimes, definitions are one-

dimensional. Students need to

experience the shades of meaning of

words to help distinguish words more

precisely from one another. The best

way for students to comprehend a newvocabulary term is for them to

experience it, and concept definition

maps help broaden their experience of

new words.

Magnet

summaries

For magnet summaries, students

identify key terms or concepts, magnet

words, from the reading of a selection or

chapter. Students use the magnet words

to organize important information that

should be included in a summary.

This strategy helps students to identify

key terms in their reading, which aids

not only with the development of

vocabulary, but also with reading

comprehension.


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Marzanos six

steps

Students are introduced to a new

vocabulary term in six steps. First, the

teacher explains the term by providing

a student-friendly description,

explanation, or example of the new

term. Next, the students restate thedescription, explanation, or example in

their own words.

Third, the students construct a picture,

symbol, or graphic representation of

the term. Then, students periodically

engage in structured vocabulary

discussions that help them add to their

knowledge of the terms in their

vocabulary notebooks. Fifth, students

periodically return to their notebooks to

discuss and refine entries. Finally,students periodically participate in

games that allow them to play with

terms.

Research and theory point to

instructional activities that help

students understand new vocabulary

terms that are taught directly and also

remember what they have learned at a

later date. This six-step processenables classroom teachers to teach

and reinforce selected vocabulary

terms with success.

Analogy graphic

organizer

In an analogy graphic organizer,

students liken a new concept with a

familiar concepts by identifying

similarities, differences, and categories

of comparison.

Students will find it easier to

understand new ideas if they are

compared to concepts that they are

already familiar with.

Student VOC

strategy

This strategy targets specific content

vocabulary by having students work to

acquire a deeper meaning of a

vocabulary word. Students choose a

word, predict the meaning, and then

consult an expert for the actual

definition. Then, they write the word in

a sentence and choose a strategy to

help remember the words meaning.

Teachers can use this as a classroom

assessment for learning by observing

which words students select. This

strategy promotes differentiated

instruction because students identify

the words they need. A connection

between the reading content and

students' prior knowledge is made as

students devise a way to remember

the word.

Instructional Components

Teaching balanced literacy starts with explicit instruction through modeled reading and

writing. The next step in this process moves into shared reading and writing experiences, where

the teacher is doing the action and the student is making some contributions. In guided reading

and writing lessons, the students are doing the action and are supported by contributions from the


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teacher. The final phase in this process is independent reading and writing. In this last stage,

students are able to practice and apply strategies that were being taught in modeled, shared and

guided lessons.

Table 1

Balanced Literacy

Component

What is the purpose of this component?

Guided Reading In guided reading, students are grouped based on their

instructional reading level. In this small group instruction, the

teacher plans and implements reading lessons with focuses on

supporting and observing students use of early good reading

strategies.

Guided Writing In guided writing, the teacher gathers small groups of students

for coached practice on a writing procedure, strategy, or skill,based on formative assessment of student writing. Groups

consist of students who have similar needs at a particular time

and are flexible. This is very important in teaching students

how to write like a scientist.

Independent Reading During independent reading, students read texts that they have

selected with teacher guidance individually and silently. The

purpose of this component is for students to practice skills and

strategies they have learning during shared and guided reading.

While the students are reading, the teacher confers with them

one-on-one to assess their implementation of these skills andstrategies.

Independent Writing During independent writing, students work silently and

individually on their own writing. The purpose of this

component is for students to practice skills and strategies they

have learning during shared and guided writing. While the

students are writing, the teacher confers with them one-on-one

to assess their implementation of these skills and strategies.

Table 2

Balanced

Literacy

Component

Role of the Teacher Role of the Student Role of the Environment

(Genres and/or materials to

support instruction)


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Interactive

Read Aloud

The teacher reads aloud

with fluency and

expression,

communicating

enthusiasm for reading.

She pauses at significantpoints and invite brief

discussion. She shares her

thinking and demonstrates

how experienced readers

engage with text as they

read. She keeps the lesson

focused on the learning

objective.

The students are

engaged in active

listening. They

share their thinking

as they process the

text together withtheir teacher.

The teacher should be

located in front of the

students, so they can easily

see her reading. A

supportive community of

learners where it is safe totake risks is important.

Shared ReadingDuring a shared reading

mini-lesson, the teacherreads text out loud,

inviting students to join or

take over form time to

time. She makes

connections to larger

context (what we have

been learning about

experienced readers),

yesterdays learning, and

todays focus (theobjective of the lesson).

She demonstrates using

think aloud I language

including the what, when,

why, and how for the

focus of the lesson. She

sets expectations for the

use of learning today and

always and everywhere.

Students are

actively engaged,following as the

teacher reads the

text out loud. The

students join in or

take over from time

to time. Students

listen to the

teachers

demonstration, then

participate bysharing their

thinking and turning

and talking to

partners.

The teacher should read an

authentic text that thestudents can relate to.

Teacher and students

should have a copy of the

same text or the text should

be projected or copied for

students to see. The teacher

should be located in front

of the students, so they can

easily see her reading. A

supportive community oflearners where it is safe to

take risks is important for

sharing and discussion.


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Shared Writing During a shared writing

mini-lesson, the teacher

demonstrates one aspect o

writing. She makes

connections to larger

context and shedemonstrates using think

aloud I language

including the what, when,

why, and how for the

focus of the lesson. She

uses clear examples,

invites students to

participate, and sets

expectations for the use of

learning today and alwaysand everywhere. If the

class is composing a piece

of writing, the teacher acts

as a scribe.

The students are

actively engaged,

observing the

process or strategy

in action. Then,

they participate bysharing their

thinking and turning

and talking to

partners.

The teacher should be

located in front of the

students, so they can easily

see her writing. A


learners where it is safe totake risks is important for

sharing and discussion.

Guided Writing The teacher identifies

small groups of students

who need to work on a

particular aspect of

writing. She implements

structured activities andprovides feedback. She

works explicitly with

students until new

understandings become

part of writing.

Students may

request group help

with an aspect of

writing and

sometimes sign up

for a topic. Studentswork on the

activities designed

by the teacher and

write, read, and

revise their own

pieces of writing.

They evaluate their

own work and assist

their peers.

A kidney table is and

writing materials are

necessary. The teacher uses

a clipboard to take notes. A


learners where it is safe totake risks is important.

Students who are not in a

guided reading group at the

time are expected to be

reading or writing

independently or

responding to their reading.


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Independent

Writing

The teacher holds

conferences with

individual students. She

discusses their writing

with them and checks if

they are applying learningfrom shared writing mini-

lessons. She documents

behaviors for future mini-

lessons. At the end of

independent writing, she

invites students to share

insights gained from their

writing with their

classmates.

The students write,

read, and revise

their own pieces of

writing. They

evaluate their own

work and assisttheir peers. They

use the skills and

strategies they have

learned during

shared and guided

writing instruction.

The teacher needs resources

to take notes during

individual conferences. A


learners where it is safe to

take risks is important forsharing and discussion.

This will be vital in the

early stages of developing a

science voice.


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II: Classroom Design

Pictured above is the layout of my ideal classroom that promotes the best learning

environment and opportunities for my students. This layout speaks to the way in which I align

my philosophy of learning and my pedagogy for instruction. I feel that the layout that I have


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designed allows for my students to feel comfortable in their classroom and develop the sense of

autonomy in their individual learning as well as their learning along side their peers that I hope

to accomplish.

I chose to include desks in my classroom rather than tables for my students to sit at

during instruction. Although I fully believe in group interaction in my classroom, I feel that

desks allow me the option to make groups in any way I see fit more easily. Desks are much

more mobile and students can arrange them in any way that is needed for any given day.

Students can work independently, with a partner, or in a small group. This supports my

constructivist philosophy of education as well as the sociolinguistic ideal of collaboration. This

feature allows the students to work together to create their own knowledge when appropriate, but

the space permits giving students independent work areas based on the days activities. If there

are any behavioral issues that arise then I have an easy way to separate and manage my

classroom by moving individual desks. I interact with my students a lot while I teach and I tend

to move around a lot while I teach and desks make it easier for me to weave in and out and get

around the room. Having a SMART board, or other interactive white board, I will be able to

save notes from classes to allow for better communication between home and school, assisting

the needs of learners with diverse needs.

Although I continuously walk around the classroom as I am instructing, it is stillimportant to establish a space for myself away from my students so they can begin to learn

independently. Next to the board and the lab benches is the teacher desk and several storage and

shelving units. I did this to ensure that I was positioned in a place that allowed me to be in close

proximity to my students working both at their desks and at the lab benches. Here, I am in view

of the students working at the lab benches at all times to ensure that everyones safety is cared

for. It is important that I be in close proximity to working students so that they are able to seek

out assistance when they have exhausted their strategies, a component of cognitive/informationprocessing theories. This also promotes effective classroom management strategies.

Learning in science is best understood through multiple experiences with experimenting

and hands on activities. Instruction and practice often go hand in hand. Because of this students

need to have easy access to lab benches. You will notice that the flow of the desks to the lab


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Overall, my classroom design supports my philosophy of education in a number of ways.

This design allows for a safe environment where students are both challenged and supported by

one another and myself as the leader of the classroom and where they have many resources to

use as they begin to take risks and become autonomous learners and begin to problem solve and

critically think while making learning something of their own. The layout of the classroom

promotes student-centered learning and keeps students actively engaged and absorbed in learning

at all times while they learn to apply concepts in varying ways around the classroom. The many

resources available in the room foster an environment where authentic learning is permitted and

crucial for understanding of the material and development as a student. The layout of the

classroom allows for organized learning groups and differentiation of material.


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III: Self Reflection and Goal Setting

In writing this literacy plan, I have learned more than I ever knew about becoming an

effective teacher of literacy learning. I have had one class devoted to the idea of incorporating

literacy into my discipline teaching, and although the idea of reading and learning in content

areas is still something that I would like to continue to learn even more about, I feel that I have a

better understanding of that than about basic literacy in the classroom. This was a huge learning

experience for me and I am not done yet, I would actually like to revisit this literacy plan before

Portfolio and edit it a lot after I have done some more learning on my own. I feel that I struggled

a lot with the section about classroom/instructional design and what my role is in developing an

effective literacy learning environment and in planning optimal instructional experiences to

address the diverse need of the students, specifically how that looks in assessments, strategies,

and instructional components. I have developed three goals that will help me to become a better

literacy teacher. My first goal is to spend more time reading texts based around literacy in the

classroom. Additionally, I would like to spend more time in a classroom where literacy is

incorporated into the daily lessons. Finally, I would like to spend some downtime preparing

mock lessons where literacy techniques are incorporated into the instruction and not taught in

isolation.

Unfortunately I have not had much of my own experience with literacy classes because of

my heavy science courses that I have to take. I find this to be a little disappointing because I am

very interested in learning what my peers are learning and I feel that this would make me a better

educator. Because of that, I will have to do the extra work outside on my own time. I really

believe that it would be beneficial for me to read through some texts that are rich in theories that

incorporate the balanced literacy approach and offer multiple examples so I can model them in

my own teaching.


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As I reflect back on the field work that I have had I am disappointed to say that I cannot

say that I had a very rich experience with the science teachers incorporating literacy into their

teaching. I tried my best to incorporate what little I knew, and tried new things, and this really

seemed to help the students learn and get excited about learning and in turn become self-

motivated to learn. It was very rewarding to see, but I was left feeling disappointed that I was

not in a classroom that modeled a rich literacy based learning approach. Most of my learning has

come from what experiences my peers share with me about their teaching. I would like to really

spend a solid week or two at the end of the semester in a classroom where either I or the CT can

model this for me. I think that I will be in contact with a few teachers I know so I can give

myself this opportunity.

Much like we did this semester in class, I would like to write up lesson plans based on

various science topics that incorporate different literacy techniques. This was a great learning

experience and really challenged me to think outside of the box and come up with multiple ways

to teach the material. These exercises challenged me to research and learn new things that I had

never thought of before. It also helped me a lot in deepening my understanding with

differentiated learning for all of my students.

Documents

Sara Final Literacy Plan