 Walk Two Moons Integrated Literacy Unit

About the book  Newbery Award winning novel  Follows the journey of Sal, a young American Indian girl’s journey with her grandparents in search for her mother  Moved to Euclid, Ohio after her mother left her and her father  During the journey Sal and her grandparents make notable historic stops in their journey and Sal flashes back to her life in Ohio with her new friend Phoebe

Overview of the Unit  Intended for 5 th grade classroom  Diversity focus  American Indian Culture  Death  Diverse students  Integration of content area- Social Studies  American Indian cultures  United States Geography

Rationale  Why thematic units?  Reading a variety of print resources and writing across the curriculum deepens skills in both areas (Soares & Wood, 2010)  Through social studies content, students make sense of their lives (Soares & Wood, 2010)  More higher level thinking will result (Allington, 2011)

Student Diversities  Kevin-Emotional Disability -On grade level academically but emotions prevent Kevin from attending to assignments without heavy support-requires behavior plan  James-Attention Deficit Disorder -On grade level academically but performs significantly below due to attention difficulties and lack of interest and motivation  Miguel-English Language Learner -Below grade level in most subject areas, hesitant to accept help, wants to be independent

Lessons overview  90-minute Blocks  Read-Aloud of Walk Two Moons  Vocabulary Focus  Direct Instruction on literacy strategy  Guided Practice  Group/Partner/Independent work period  Closure  Assessment

Lesson 1 Outline  Non-fiction text Structure and American Indian Cultures  Main task-Group work-Research an American Indian Tribe and their geographic location  Create a poster incorporating nonfiction elements  Modification -Levels of books read, grouping of students, visuals to support vocabulary  Assessment-Poster Rubric

Lesson two  Author’s style and vocabulary and geographical descriptions  Main task-Research one of the notable places Sal and her grandparents visit and write a postcard to a family member describing the location and things to do  Modifications: printed Internet resources with highlighters, Read & Write Gold to read text online aloud, printed pictures instead of drawing, lines on postcard  Assessment: Rubric

Lesson Three  Character Analysis and Geographical Locations  Main task-Student written scripts in the persona of either Sal, her grandmother or grandfather  Student Created Podcast narrating trip describing 6 total locations  Modifications: student groupings, assigning certain student’s roles, printed copies of graphic organizer  Assessment: Rubric

Salamanca Character Traits *brave, stubburn, helpful, understanding Commonly used Phrases Things she enjoys Nature Things she is afraid of *Car accidents

Integrating Literacy Strategies  Brainstorming-connect to previous knowledge  Think-Aloud Models using read-aloud  Nonfiction text structure lesson  Independent, partner and group readings of expository text  Fluency, comprehension, vocabulary  Authentic writing activities  Audio and Visual presentations

Motivating and Engaging Learners  Connections to their own lives  Peer interaction  Authentic Activities  Technology integration

Involving Families  Postcard Activity  List of possible responses given to families, written in both native language and English  Podcast Activity  Listen online if Internet access

Flexible Grouping  Whole group and guided instruction  Partner Work  Group Work  Independent work  Students’ personalities, work habits, instructional needs

Selecting Materials  Reading levels  Website recommendations  Relate to content area objectives and connect to read-aloud  Multiculturally appropriate  Variety of genres  Availability of resources

Annotated List of Literature  A Boy Called Slow  America is…  Children of the Longhouse  Native Dwellings of Plains Indians  National Geographic Our Fifty States  The First Americans: Tribes of North America  The Northwest Indians: Daily Life in the 1700’s  The Pueblo  The World of Native Americans  What do we know about the Inuit?

Collaborating with Resource Personnel  Special Education Teachers  ELL Teachers  Librarian  Content Area contacts  Technology Teacher

Differentiation  Books on a variety of reading levels  Modified tasks  Breaks given when assignments completed  Printed Internet resources  Read Write and Gold Program  Drawn graphic organizers  Printed pictures  Visuals of Vocabulary  Grouping Arrangements  Breaking down of tasks

Assessment  Informal Assessment- observations, anecdotal notes, checklists  Formal Assessment: Rubrics, planning sheets, main tasks

Evidence of Student Learning

Student grade improvements from 2 nd quarter to 3 rd quarter

Student Vs. Class Averages KEY _____Kevin _____James ____Miguel _____ Class Average

Questions, Comments, Concerns…  Please feel free to ask me any questions about the rationale, the development of the lessons, content of the lessons, assessment procedures or documentation of student learning…