Assignments



Content Area Literacy Assignments


 * Textbook Chapter Analysis **


 * In class activity ** – Choose a textbook chapter from any content area that you teach. If this is not available to you, find a chapter from any textbook that relates to content that is familiar to you. In your group choose one chapter and think about the readability of the text and discuss the preliminary analysis of the text. Try to answer the following questions. Present your findings.


 * How do (or would) you use the text in your instruction?
 * How readable is the text for your students/or students of a particular year or grade-level?
 * What important prior knowledge is required for the students to understand the text fully?
 * How does the structure of the text help them to understand their reading?
 * What vocabulary will be new to them?
 * How does the reading in this chapter impact ELL students or students with reading difficulties? How would you address this?
 * How culturally relevant/irrelevant is the text to your students?
 * What don’t you like about the text and why?
 * What do you like about the text and why?
 * What other readings can you think of that would be of better use and cover the same content?
 * What sorts of writing assignments might you align with this chapter?

// Write a brief (one page) reflection of this process in your journal. //


 * Literacy History – 20% **

Understanding an individual’s cultural background (ethnic, socioeconomic status, gender, etc.) and his/her literacy development in the larger context of the socio-cultural position of literacy is the primary objective of this assignment. You are asked to write a five page autobiography that describes and discusses the ways literacy was evident and practice in your home, community, workplace, etc. as it relates to you professional and socio-cultural background. Think about the important literacy events in your life that influenced you personally and professionally. Be sure to include how you define literacy and refer to literacy materials and practices in the home and your community (including but not limited to school) as well as people and places that were significant to these events.

Part I. – Plan, Draw a Road Map, Sketch a Timeline


 * Think about your earliest experience of becoming literate. This can even include things like holding a book correctly or scanning text left to right, etc.
 * Who helped you? Who inspired you? Who supported you? How?
 * Were you encouraged or discouraged?
 * What are your earliest experiences with literacy? Which of these experiences significantly impacted my development? What occurred inside/outside the school setting?
 * As you continue planning/mapping think about your earliest experiences as a learner.
 * When did you begin to feel literate?
 * What kind of writing, reading, speaking, listening, viewing activities did you tend to enjoy?
 * What frustrated you?
 * Who was a role model?
 * Think about how you feel as a literate person today.
 * How do you feel about literacy? Why?
 * In what ways do you continue to use literacy in your personal life?
 * What or who continues to sponsor/inspire your literacy development?
 * Consider the meaning of symbols (i.e. street signs, advertising, etc) and technology.
 * How can these be incorporated into your development?
 * What do they mean to you?
 * What does the evolution of technology mean for you as a developing literate person?

Part II. – Step back


 * Step away from your plan/timeline/roadmap and think about the themes that have emerged
 * What message might your autobiography send about your literacy development?
 * What are the significant stages of growth you might notice?
 * Reflect on how the past influenced your present – particularly with regard to your teaching philosophy and practice.
 * How have your experiences with literacy colored your practice?
 * What were the cultural influences in your upbringing that had/have a significant influence on your practice?

Part III – Write your Autobiography


 * 1) Write a full composition (no more than six pages). Just get your ideas down from your map and then go back and revise.
 * 2) Be sure to include (possibly as part of your conclusion) an emphasis on the link between your personal literacy development and your teaching practice.
 * 3) Include some sort of timeline or roadmap.
 * 4) Details – typed, 12-point font, double-spaced, you know the drill.

Part IV – Presentation


 * 1) Prepare a 10-minute presentation in which you share the main themes of your autobiography and the link between your own personal literacy development and what it means for your teaching practice. //You may even include how this process of reflection may change your practice!//
 * 2) Please try to be creative. Avoid a traditional Power Point presentation. Take a risk and use some of the incredible multimedia digital tools that are available online for free. For example, Animoto is an excellent and easy to use video-creating tool that can be very engaging. Or, create a photo story to go along with your reading of the your autobiography.

Presentation of a Strategy - 15%
With a partner, choose one strategy from the list and present it to the class in a short 10 minute presentation. Please be creative with your presentation and engage your audience. Discussion in your presentation points should include:
 * Consideration of how the strategy might be used in elementary, middle, or high school.
 * Possible strengths and weaknesses of the strategy.
 * An example of how the strategy could be incorporated into a lesson within a particular content area
 * Possible goals and objective the strategy might support.
 * Ideas to improve the strategy.

NOTE: Please bring a handout of the strategy for your classmates and include any additional thoughts in relation to the bullets above that you think may be helpful.


 * Reflection Journal – 25% **

At four points during this course, you will work in jigsaw discussions on specific topics related to content area literacy. The purpose of these discussions is to allow for more in-depth analysis of research and practice in a specific area. You will be responsible for reading, discussing, and presenting (informally) one article in each of the jigsaws. You will then write a reflection in which you use your readings and discussion to answer the essential question framing each jigsaw discussion.

Included in your journal will be a reflection on a lesson you present in class. In total, you will submit a minimum of five entries for this assignment (Jigsaws 1-4, Textbook Analysis Reflection, Class Activities). However, you are encouraged to include any other thoughts pertaining to content area literacy as you move through the course.

Essential Questions to be answered in your journal
 * 1) Jigsaw (1) What is the role of motivation in literacy development?
 * 2) Jigsaw (2) What does effective vocabulary instruction require and why is vocabulary instruction so important?
 * 3) Jigsaw (3) What is the role of technology in literacy instruction and learning?
 * 4) Jigsaw (4) What does effective writing instruction require and what is the role of writing in learning?

NOTE: You may be asked to reflect upon particular class activities in your journal as well.


 * Final Project – 30% – You have a choice in completing one of two final assignments. **

The first option is to write a unit of study that you could use in your teaching. The unit must include a minimum of five complete lessons as outlined below. You may work with a text that you currently use or you may create lessons that involve other sources of text (articles, nonfiction or fiction, song lyrics or poems, etc). However, in each lesson you must show evidence of the support of student learning of content through reading and writing by incorporating the various methods and strategies you have learned in this course. The following description of the unit plan is modeled after the expectations for unit plan development in Internship II.

**__ Title __** : State the title of the unit

**__ Overview and Visual Representation __** : Write a brief paragraph to describe the nature and scope of the unit and create a visual representation of the unit as a whole.

**__ Rationale __** : Explain why the content and skills in your unit are worth learning. Be sure to do so in terms of the needs of learners, the structure of the subject matter, and the needs of society. Describe your unit objectives in terms of the understandings, attitudes, and skills you wish the students to develop. Refer to relevant sections of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards. **__ Prior Knowledge __** : Assess the knowledge, attitudes, and skills that students possess in relation to the topic you wish to teach. Determine which misconceptions the students may have and consider how you will address them. Indicate both the methods you have used to assess prior knowledge as well as summarizing your findings. Be sure that the information you gather here guides you in your unit design.

**__ Unit Goals and Essential Questions __** : Identify two or three essential questions that define your unit goals. At least one of these should be a general question that goes beyond the immediate topic and connects to core concepts in the academic disciplines. **__ Content: __** Briefly summarize the essential content covered in the unit. You may include key vocabulary, core ideas in the relevant academic disciplines, etc. List the books, websites, and other media that you used in planning the unit. **__ Preparing and Sustaining the Learning Environment __** : Describe your unit’s “hook,” explaining how you will begin so as to engage students imaginatively and intellectually with its essential questions. The hook may be an intriguing question, visual or sensory cue, or simulation activity, but must involve every student in the class with the unit content. Also, describe on-going arrangements and activities that continue throughout the unit, e.g. bulletin boards, topic journals, etc. **__ Lesson Plans __** : Include **full** plans for all **//five//** lessons comprising the unit.

The Written Lesson Plan - include the following as this format is taken directly from the format expected for Internship II 10. ** Closure ** : How will you end the lesson so as to draw it to a close and provide you with information on what students have learned and need to learn in the future? This is an opportunity to assess your students’ learning. 11. ** Individualization ** : Explain how you are going to make this lesson work for the range of students you have in your class. Describe the different ways that you will provide input and differentiate instruction so as to give students access to the content. Set individual objectives where needed and describe accommodations and adaptations for specific students with special needs. Identify extra work that you will give to early finishers.
 * 1) A **title** that identifies the topic.
 * 2) Your name and the grade level.
 * 3) A brief description of the **topic** that identifies the concepts to be dealt with. List the references that you consulted for the content.
 * 4) A **rationale** that explains why children should learn this content and why they should learn it in the manner suggested. The rationale should look at the nature of the learners, the nature of the subject matter, and the social interest in having children learn this material or learn in this way. You should be able to justify every activity in the lesson with reference to this rationale.
 * 5) An analysis of the **prior knowledge** and experiences children bring to this lesson, both in terms of the course content and the manner in which the lesson is organized. Identify misconceptions that children may have. Also identify what aspects of the lesson will capture their **imaginations.**
 * 6) Identification of relevant **New Jersey Core Curriculum Content** **Standards** or standards used in your school.
 * 7) Define student **objectives** for the lesson. First, identify the big ideas and essential concepts they will learn. Then, be as specific as possible in defining desired outcomes. Be sure that your objective is measureable or observable. For example: Students will be able to use the Pythagorean Theorem to determine the missing dimension of a triangle
 * 8) The **hook**: Explain what you are going to do at the beginning of your lesson that is going to engage children in it. This should be an intriguing question, a visual cue, an auditory cue, an interesting way of activating prior knowledge, etc.
 * 9) Lesson **activities**: Give a detailed description of what you and the children are going to do over the course of the lesson. Describe how you are going to **group** children for instruction and consider how you are going to move the children from one activity to the next. Identify the **materials** you are going to need and how you will distribute them. There should be enough detail that a substitute teacher would be able to follow your plan. Include key questions you are going to ask and examples you are going to use.

**__ Family and Community Engagement __**** : ** We expect that your unit will involve the community and families in significant ways. Indicate here how it will do so. This is particularly important in the younger grades. Think about how you could get parents involved with the work students are doing. It could be as simple as asking students to interview their parents about an article you’ve read in class.

**__ Culminating Activity __** : Describe the final performance the students will demonstrate to which the unit lessons build. This is an activity in which the students apply and demonstrate what they have learned. Students are prepared both in the content that they need to master and in the literacy, presentation, and organization skills they need to demonstrate their knowledge. Students know about the culminating activity in advance and are motivated to perform at a high standard because of the public nature of this activity.

The second option is to write a paper that discusses new literacies and their impact on education, teaching, and learning. Also, please address how new literacies are present in your instructional setting and how these new literacies have influenced what and how you teach. The content of your paper should be between 6-8 pages but no more than 10 pages. Consider the following:


 * Select __five__ (5) peer-reviewed articles from various journals that explain what experts in the field to say about the new literacies. Please do not use Internet or magazine articles. Use EBSCO Host or something similar to find scholarly journal articles.
 * You may want to focus on a single aspect such as blogging or podcasts. Or, you may want to write something that is more general similar to a literature review.
 * Compare and synthesize what the experts say in the articles about new literacies to what you have observed in your classroom. (This is the first part of your paper.)
 * Respond to the five articles with your personal classroom experiences using new literacies. (This is the middle of your paper).
 * A summation that ties sections of paper together
 * Use APA format for citations and references. See Perdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) for help []
 * Consider the following format for your paper: an introduction, the synthesized review of literature, your personal response to the review in regards to your current and future practice, and conclusion bringing it all together.
 * Present your analysis in a short 20 minute presentation. Again, try to be creative.