S P E L L PR D IE EO U TA CG C ER IR A RN AA T AE LM I TR N ES G By: Cole Trautmann & Joe Clark Education 200 Curriculum Project April 29 th 2004

Our goal is to increase third grade interest in literacy using fun and efficient techniques that exercise reading, writing, spelling, and communicating to practice and sharpen language arts skills!

♦ (Overall Objective) Students will develop a clear understanding of the importance of literacy through reading, writing, spelling, and communicating. ♦ Students will use pre-reading/writing activities to activate prior knowledge and establish purpose in their work. ♦ Students will “recognize and organize relevant information in proper form to use for summary.” ♦ Students will identify and explain their text and its structure. ♦ Students will “visualize their work.” ♦ Students will increase their interest in reading, writing, spelling, and communication through a student newspaper. ♦ Students will reflect on and improve their skills based on their newly acquired knowledge due to the pride in their own and interest in other people’s work. ♦ Students will “identify points at which meaning breakdown and apply appropriate strategies to facilitate understanding.”

The U.S. Department of Education: States, “Our students are not reading well enough.” The No Child Left Behind Act: Has a program called Reading First and it deals with battling and providing “high-quality, comprehensive reading instruction for all children in kindergarten through third grade.” Education Week (On the Web): States that “Determining the best means of teaching children to read and write is of particular concern in light of dismal national reading proficiency scores.”

Monday Schedule Day 1  Students will be placed into four groups of five.  Teacher presents the question, “What is literacy?”  After a few responses from students the teacher will give the definition.  Teacher explains literacy, by reading the first half of a story, up to the climax. The teacher will leave out the end and send the students back to their groups.  Teacher hands out the ending, but it is illegible.  When the students can’t read the ending, the teacher tells them this is what it would be like to be illiterate.  As groups the students are to write three to five sentences explaining the importance of being able to read and write.  The teacher will bring the class together for a discussion about their sentences and have one student from each group read an answer.  Explain the week’s project, which will include a newspaper about their family, where each student contributes one article.  The teacher reads her model and then distributes it for the class to see as an example.  The homework is to simply think of a title for their story.

(Days 2 & 3) DAY 2: Students will create an outline from their “title” on a hand out distributed by the teacher. –After outline is completed students will have the chance to share the details of their story with their group. –For homework students will be expected to read a story that has been provided by the teacher to give them an idea of how to structure their own. DAY 3: From the outline, students will be handed out paper, crayons and markers and be instructed to draw a picture of their story. –If some students finish the picture early, have them start the writing of the article for Day 4’s assignment since it is the most important part.

(Days 4 & 5) DAY 4: Following the outline and the picture, have the students write their stories to be approved for a final copy. –Once the students finish their first copy and it is corrected by the teacher, the teacher will hand out the final copy paper and the students will copy their story as neatly as possible from the first draft to the final. DAY 5: Hold a Meet and Greet with the families to have a breakfast reception. –Students and families will read over the articles. –Students will be asked to pick two articles and write a letter to the author stating what they liked about the story, using as much detail as possible. –For homework critique own work as to how it could have been better in a journal entry for Monday.

Teacher’s evaluation can include: Overseeing successful group work. Participation in class work In discussions Writing & Reading exercises Participation within their groups Final Product; the class newspaper This will demonstrate their understanding, the importance of literacy. This will also create a stronger relationship between students, teachers, and parents.