Task 1: (Essential Question A) Jigsaw Reading: This week we will look at a few disciplines (sorry not all are represented here) which our school systems recognize and regularly assess adolescents’ abilities. Each of the chapters listed below explores learning within a particular discipline from the perspectives of both a literacy expert, who understands the reading, and writing challenges that adolescents encounter, and a discipline expert, who understand the nature of the discipline and how literacy processes operate within it. Please choose one of the chapters below to read and become an expert on.
English Language Arts
Jetton, T. L., & Shanahan, C (2012). Adolescent literacy in the academic disciplines. Chapt. 5 pp. 120-153
Science
Jetton, T. L., & Shanahan, C (2012). Adolescent literacy in the academic disciplines. Chapt. 6 pp. 154-171
Mathematics
Jetton, T. L., & Shanahan, C (2012). Adolescent literacy in the academic disciplines. Chapt. 7 pp. 172-198
History
Jetton, T. L., & Shanahan, C (2012). Adolescent literacy in the academic disciplines. Chapt. 8 pp. 199-226
Art
Jetton, T. L., & Shanahan, C (2012). Adolescent literacy in the academic disciplines. Chapt. 9 pp. 227-266
What is Jigsaw?
Jigsaw is a cooperative learning strategy that enables each student to specialize in one aspect of a learning unit. Students meet with members to teach the material to their group members.
Just as in a jigsaw puzzle, each piece--each student's part--is essential for the completion and full understanding of the final product. If each student's part is essential, then each student is essential. That is what makes the Jigsaw instructional strategy so effective.
Description of Lesson: In a typical jigsaw activity, students are given a topic on which to become an expert, either individually or as part of a group. The student or group of students then teaches the material to the rest of the class. For our online meeting week you will read JUST ONE of the chapters above teach the other members of your group about your chapter.
(Essential Question A)
Pre-Posting – Read JUST ONE of the chapters above.
Posting – For a full discussion of the readings, in your assigned small group, you are to become the expert of your chapter and teach the material to the rest of your group. You need to not only summarize the chapter, but to help everyone in your group to develop a deeper depth of knowledge in relation to your chapter. To do this you will need to explain and clarify meanings with personal examples or applied examples for further clarification. This posting should indicate deep thinking and reflection on your part, along with supporting evidence that shows your own learning from reading and experience to this point.
Response Postings -- Everyone should respond at least 1-2 times to each group member with a question, clarification, or addition to the thoughts on their postings. You might consider other information, questions you still have as a future teacher, etc.
Hello everybody,
ReplyDeleteI, of course, focused on Chapter 5 - Learning with Text in English Language Arts. The overall concept of the chapter is that ELA teachers need a new approach to teaching literacy, integrating the student's role and the importance of the reader-text interrelationship, as well as considering the role new media (read: technology) plays in literacy.
Traditionally ELA classrooms have focused on functional, cultural, and progressive literacy ideologies. The first refers to "skills deemed necessary to successfully participate in school and society, specifically, skills to be a productive citizen or member of the workforce and, as such, to support marketplace ideologies." The second refers to "teaching of morals and values, with a curriculum that includes the classics or 'Great Books'". The final arena "requires students & teachers to engage in the process of learning to read and write based on themes and topics of interest to students, with vocabulary related to their lives."
While these are all important areas to teach, the chapter here stresses also covering *critical literacy* - defined as "actively examine[ing] and critique[ing] power structures evident in language use." For me, this means encouraging students to think outside-the-box, write in a variety of styles (not all pre-formulated), and come up with assignments/readings themselves. One suggestion the chapter had I wholeheartedly agree with is to integrate more young adult fiction, which can be on par (and surpass!) some of the classics in grace of style and depth of meaning.
A personal example - I recently had to write a unit plan for my Teaching English Methods course, and I structured the unit around the classic Dostoevsky 'Crime and Punishment'. I incorporated lots of other more contemporary forms of literacy and multi-media in the unit, including: This American Life podcast episodes, You Tube videos, Music from Wicked, an Edgar Allen Poe short story, and the Wizard of Oz movie. Although the final project was pre-formed (students wrote their own "morality guides"), it gave students freedom to write on a variety of themes and encouraged critical thinking, creativity, and defensive writing to support their claims.
Here, I was trying to do what the chapter encourages - touch on a variety of important/relevant themes to students, work with various media, give students a voice (lots of discussion), and freedom, and also work with more traditional teaching approaches - i.e. we study Dostoevsky's Russia and the author's history. Although, after reading this chapter I might consider moving the background information to later in the unit so students can approach the text from their own unique perspectives without the baggage of reality...Although, I really think either approach can work for what this book (ALITAD) suggests as the end result - a thorough, multi-faceted approach to literacy.
I liked the part about critical literacy. Language arts seems to be the most liberal of the chapters, meaning that students are actually encouraged to use varying types of writing. I really like this because it might allow my ELL students to perform at a level and style that they are comfortable with. I have found that students also tend to do their best writing when they are writing about things that they actually want to be writing about. I am thinking more about creative writing type classes, but I still think this would pertain to some types of Language Arts classes right?
DeleteHi All,
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry I have not responded. I have been very focused on finishing our Thematic Unit.
I will take Art and have it finished by Saturday, November 30th.
I just read Teresa's e-mail giving us through the week to finish "week 5" blog.
Thanks!!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Understandable Michelle! I know a lot of us are feeling very overwhelmed. Take a deep breathe and let us know what you need!
DeleteHi Everyone. I have been so bogged down with projects! Here is my response:
ReplyDeleteI focused on the chapter on Science, mostly because ELL was not an option, and that I am most familiar with science-style writing from my undergraduate experience in psychology. The main issue that the book describes is that students struggle with science texts because they are so much different than the other types. Science writing uses high levels of academic language, especially content specific academic language.
The text also focuses on a tasks used to improve the students' performance on reading science texts. This focus was directed to some specific components of the text: vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. Like many subjects, science has a lot of content-specific vocabulary. I think that it is crucial to familiarize students with these terms using creating of dictionaries. This way, students can learn not only the "brick" terms, but the "mortar" terms as well. This understanding of the vocabulary directly correlates to the comprehension of the text. If students understand the terms, they can piece them together to understand the entire text.
When it comes to writing with science, the text mentions using the RAFT method to improve this skill. (Role, Audience, Format, Topic) By creating these situations for students and assigning the four key components of the RAFT, the teacher can better instruct the student how to write in these situations.
I have always liked science writing because it is short and to the point, but this would be very hard for a non-native speaker to understand if they are unfamiliar with the majority of the words used in these short sentences. What do you guys think?