Reflections on the Literature Log Tips and Clarifications

Positive things we’ve seen Many staffs are working together to share ideas about engaging activities. Many teachers are gradually understanding the process their students need to go through. Many teachers have interesting and creative ideas for Post Reading tasks

. Challenges More staffs need to begin working together and sharing ideas. Teachers need to have a clear understanding of each component in order to assign appropriate tasks. Teachers need to have a better understanding of the guidelines of assessment in the literature module.

The Components of a Unit Common misunderstandings Suggestions

Pre-reading This is NOT – teaching vocabulary, teaching grammar, or reading the piece (!). It is NOT appropriate for this component to be the graded task. The purpose of this component is to engage your students in the theme or the main issue of the piece.

Basic Understanding Reading the piece, teaching vocabulary, asking questions to make sure the students understand the basic plot. (Who, what, where, when? Not “why?” if it involves drawing a conclusion) Evaluate the questions in the books critically. If the questions in the LOTS section are actually HOTS questions, save them for Analysis and Interpretation. If the piece is long, teach it in chunks – teach vocabulary and ask questions after each chunk, rather than after the entire story. Imagine yourself to be a student in your class. If you are bored, your students will also be bored. Ask questions that will help clarify the plot for your students. Don’t ask questions in order to ask questions!

Basic Understanding (cont.) If you see that they have a good understanding of the story, move on. It is not necessary to beat the piece to death! If you want to use this component as a graded task, ask your students to tell the story briefly, or describe one of the characters. It is generally NOT appropriate to give a quiz as the graded task.

Analysis and Interpretation It is important to present the HOTS you will use to analyze the text explicitly – NOT in connection with the text. Defining the HOTS is NOT enough. This activity should be quick, experiential, and memorable. – a joke, a video clip, a picture, etc.

Analysis and Interpretation (cont.) This is the component to teach a literary term or two. Even if many literary terms are appropriate, choose only one or two new terms to teach, so they will be remembered. Ask other questions which require HOTS to answer, only naming the HOTS if it has been taught previously.

Analysis and Interpretation (cont.) You can use a thought provoking question in this component for the graded task. Ask the students to write a paragraph or two. You can incorporate drama activities to illustrate the HOTS in analyzing the story The graded task should NOT be a list of questions to answer. Save that for the summative assessment.

Analysis and Interpretation (cont.) Use the HOTS you have presented to get to a deeper understanding of the piece. *Examine the motivation of one or more of the characters for their action * Compare and contrast two characters * Notice a pattern of behavior of a character so as to predict his/her next move * Infer meaning from certain lines of dialogue to understand a character’s thoughts, etc.

Bridging Text and Context The purpose of this component is to show the kids how to make the connection between factual background information or a quote by the author or a quote about the theme or the main issue of the piece and the piece - and, of course, to broaden their horizons and get them thinking. The quote or information should be significant and actually relate to the piece! Relating information to the text can be the graded task. Do NOT give a quiz on the background information.

Post Reading The purpose of this component is to show you that the student has thoroughly understood the piece. It should be personal, creative, fun, etc., but it MUST be based on the piece you have just studied. Examples: * Write a page in the diary of one of the characters – NOT “Write a page in your diary”.

Post Reading * Write what you would do if you were in the situation of one of the characters – NOT “Tell about a problem you once had and how you solved it” * Tell the story ( or a scene from the story) from a different point of view from which it is told ( a different character narrates, or an objective narrator if the story is told in the first person - NOT “Make up another story/poem something like the one we read.”

Post Reading (cont.) *A dramatic enactment of one of the scenes * an artistic representation of one of the scenes with a written or oral explanation *Make a PowerPoint presentation or video clip representing the story or poem.

Evaluating the content of the post-reading task Instructions for task were followed. Content is clearly based on the text. All information is relevant and accurate. Content is well organized.

Division of points for the graded task 5 point log: Content 80 Accuracy 20 ( 15 language, 5 mechanics) 4 point log: Content 90 Accuracy – 10 You MUST have a labeled rubric (Content/ Accuracy) on each graded task.

Grading the task If you take points off for content, you MUST explain why you deducted points. There is NO deduction for number of words. Read your directions carefully to make sure that the required elements of the task are clear. If you didn’t ask for it, you may not deduct if it isn’t there!

Important points about grading the post reading task: Note that there are NO points added or subtracted for artistic or dramatic excellence. All content points should be given according to the elements in the rubric. If the activity is artistic or dramatic, there must be a written element or individual oral explanation if you want this to be the graded task. Doing the written task in class assures that the student is giving you his own work.

Summative Assessment 5 points: 20 points – LOTS questions – can include vocabulary 60 points – HOTS questions plus literary terms. 20 points – Bridging Text and Context question – this must include the bridging information or quote Pure grammar questions are NOT appropriate!

Summative Assessment- 4 points: 45 points – LOTS questions – can include vocabulary 40 points – HOTS questions plus literary terms. 15 points – Bridging question – this MUST include new bridging information or a quote. It is NOT OK to test information learned in class. Pure grammar questions are NOT appropriate

Important points about Summative Assessment The assessment is done in class and is graded by the teacher. It must be similar to the Bagrut exam format, according to the Table of Specifications. Assessment should be done according to the grading rubrics in the Handbook. Assessment is done individually (no group or pair work). Open-book tests are not allowed. The Summative Assessment can test more than one literary text.

Reflection - 2 or 3 times during the log process 3 or 4 questions about the learning process: 1-2 personal question(s) – *Did you enjoy reading the piece? Why or why not? *Do you identify with/ agree with the message of the piece? Why? Why not? * Copy a line or sentence from the piece to which you had a strong reaction. Explain why.

Reflection (cont.) 1 question about the usefulness of using the HOTS to analyze the piece or the bridging information to understand the influences on the author when writing the piece. Example: *How does using the skill X help the reader understand the story/poem on a deeper level? *How does knowing about X help us understand what may have inspired the writer to write this piece?

Reflection (cont.) 1 question about the usefulness of the HOTS in life in general or other subjects in school, or about knowing background information, in general, or in other subjects in school. Important!! In this component, we do NOT test the students on anything they have learned in the unit. We also do NOT grade this component or correct English mistakes. We do write a comment after reading the reflection. The Reflection MUST be written individually! (not oral!)

Additional tips : Remind your students that they MUST write the work for the Logs in their OWN handwriting. Encourage them to write as neatly as possible. If you have a reason to allow them to type certain tasks, make sure that you have a way of knowing it is the student’s own work. Decide on the rules about making up work and/or improving their work, within a time frame.

Teacher feedback It is only necessary to grade the graded task and the summative assessment, however, there should be some sign – if only a check mark, that you read each task. Remember that the literature module is also a tool for learning English! Assess each graded task or Summative assessment as it is completed; do NOT let units of work get backlogged.

Approval of your program If you have already gotten approval for the group you are teaching, it is not necessary to request approval again. Simply cross out the 2 poems you will not be including in the log. Even if you have decided to change only one text that was not on your approval form, you must send in a new form for Shirley to approve.

Your records Keep an organized record of literary texts that the student has studied, completed and that you have marked. This is VERY important especially in case there is change of teacher or the student moves classes or schools! Since you NEVER know when that can happen, be prepared!

Piece: Pts so far Log pts Unit GradeParticipationTestReflection Post readingBridging Analysis Basic understanding Pre- readingStudent

The student’s organization Your students should use dividers to separate the work done on the units, and the units should appear in the order they were taught. This way you can see their improvement as the module progresses. The first page of each unit should be the unit chart/checklist which indicates (very) briefly what was done for each component, what grades were received, and the final grade for the unit.

gradeIn Log ? Description of task Pre-reading Activity Basic Understanding Analysis and Interpretation Bridging Text and Context Post-reading Activity Reflection Test Participation Unit Grade Points for Log Points so far

Reality check If you feel overwhelmed and drowning, you are probably doing much too much grading, and/or giving your students too much work! If you are spending more than 8-10 lessons on a poem, even with a weak class, something is wrong. ( Too many questions, too many tasks, too much analyzing, etc)

Reality check If you are spending more than lessons on a story ( unless it is a really long story), you have chosen a story that is too difficult for your class, or you are demanding too much work. Both you and your students should be enjoying this module! The most important thing is the literature itself.

Questions? Thanks for listening!