Literacy Design Collaborative A Teacher’s Reflection Kathy Thiebes

Impact of LDC – Professional Perspective Ensures that the Common Core Standards are imbedded in curriculum. Task bank is an excellent resource for producing quality prompts that meet the Common Core Standards. Modules provide structure but allow for flexibility and personal teaching style. Common curriculum language between teachers within districts and around the country.

Impact of LDC on Students Students gain and improve reading and writing skills. Students learn content on a deeper level!! Attendance improves. Eliminates assumptions about students’ reading and writing skills. Students see the value in reading and writing for different content areas…it’s not just for English class!

Economic Systems Module

First Steps in Planning… Choosing Content –What unit, theme, or content standard would work best with a literacy module? –Economic Systems - High student interest, great selection of texts, great for debates. Timing What is the ideal time in the curriculum to implement a literacy module? Unit 2 – Early in the year, but still time to build/review basic literacy skills and develop a positive classroom culture first.

The Task What task and text structure best fits the content and my students’ literacy skill-levels? Writing the Task - Use learning targets, essential questions, or standards to help write the task. Example –Standard: Describe how organisms obtain and use energy throughout their lives. –TASK I 5 – Informational or Explanatory –After researching diagrams and informational texts on _____, write a report that relates how organisms obtain and use energy throughout their lives.

COMPARING ECONOMIC SYSTEMS Task Argumentation/Analysis – Level 2 What combination of market and command systems do you believe creates an ideal mixed economy? After reading informational and opinion texts, write an essay that addresses the question and supports your position with evidence from the texts. Be sure to acknowledge competing views.

Pacing How many days do you have available to teach the unit and module? Will you teach all the content first and the literacy module second or teach them simultaneously? Incorporated Approach: First 3 classes are content introduction (no module) Introduce module on day 4 – Total 16 Days (3 weeks) Module used for both literacy and learning content.

Choosing Texts What is the appropriate reading-level of texts? How many texts will you need to help students develop their essay? Options: – Primary sources – Textbook – Newspaper/Magazine Articles – Literature or Poems – Diagrams

Texts - Economic Systems Module 5 Texts introduced in class –Students must use a minimum of 3 texts in their essay. Newspaper/Magazine Articles: –National Healthcare System (pro/con) –Cuba (recent changes) –Walmart (good or evil?) Other Texts: –“The World’s Best Countries” infographic data –Radio interview – Denmark’s Economy Optional Texts (for advanced students) –The Bailout (Newspaper Article) –Soda Tax (Newspaper Article)

Preparing for the Module Portfolios –Keep students on task, organized, and provides a sense of “building” the skills and essay. Writer’s Notebook –All writing is done in one place so students can access the task, brainstorming, outline, rubric, and vocabulary. Accommodations –IEP and ELL students – Use 1 or 2 texts instead of 3. –Advanced Students – Provide optional texts that can help them develop a more complex essay. –“Extra support” plan provided at each skill in the instructional ladder.

Skills

Instructional Ladder Blue highlighted text is directly connected to LDC template, the rest is my adaptation/curriculum

Skill Cluster 1: Preparing for the Task

Skill Cluster 2: Reading Process

Skill Cluster 2: Reading Process (cont.) The following skills, Active Reading and Note-Taking, are completed in conjunction with each other for each text. *3 Class Periods Total. Skill / Definition Product & Prompt ScoringINSTRUCTION Active Reading Ability to understand necessary reading strategies needed for the task Annotated Articles Use annotation techniques and other reading strategies to demonstrate your reading process Use Active Reading Rubric to give feedback on annotated article- does it have a variety of marks, written questions, connections, and insights in the margins. Frontload vocabulary synonyms for market and command economies. Model Active Reading Teacher models active reading with first article “Think aloud” in pairs and finish reading and record vocabulary Note-Taking Ability to read purposefully and select relevant info & summarize. Vocabulary list In your notebook, list words and phrases essential to the texts. Summaries contain “who, what, where, when and why” Focus questions have an appropriate response Brief review of summary writing Use a variety of summary writing activities: 25 word summary, reciprocal teaching, metacognitive log. Students summarize and answer questions independently Organizing Notes Ability to prioritize and ad narrow notes and other information. Notes and Graphic Organizer Prioritize relevant information in the “organizing notes” section of the Writer’s Notebook Creates a prioritized set of notes that categorizes evidence. Suggests implications drawn from information about the econ systems. Students place relevant information and background knowledge into the graphic organizer. Prioritize information identify which pieces of evidence will go into essay. Extra Support: Provide leading questions.

Skill Cluster 3: Transition to Writing

Skill Cluster 4: Writing Process

Skill Cluster 4: Writing Process (cont.)