Haley's Part A Target Area

Your Name: Haley Brewster

Inquiry Two, Part A:

Discuss Your Target Area and ‘Core Practice’ for Guided Lead Teaching

NOTE: YOU MAY INSERT YOUR ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS POSED BELOW IN A DIFFERENT COLOR FONT.  Please name your file with your last name and email as an attachment to your instructor (example: SmithPartATargetArea.docx)

Talk with your MT about your idea, and use the information you gained from Inquiry One to respond to the following guiding questions listed below.  Email your responses to your instructor before our Week 4 class (October 1) AND post them on your book club blog:

1.     Describe your target area for guided lead teaching.

I will be focusing on informational reading. The main concepts from the unit are:

1.     Informational readers learn the skills and habits essential for informational reading.

2.     Informational readers respond to texts and share the topics they are studying with others.

3.     Informational readers pursue collaborative inquires critically and analytically.

With these concepts in mind my target area is reading comprehension and strategy instruction.

2.     Approximately how much time per day is allotted for your instruction in this area?

Most of the morning is spent with literacy. The time between specials and lunch, which is an hour and 15 minutes will always be dedicated to this instruction. I am lucky in that my mentor teacher is launching her Project Based Learning unit in science around the same time I am. Her unit is focused on the students creating a habitat at the Detroit Zoo. According to my mentor teacher, there will be a large coloration between informational reading in science and what is being studied in literacy. Science is about 50 minutes in the afternoon.

3.     Which Common Core State Standard(s) will you work toward?

CCSS.ELA-Literacy

Reading: Informational Text

Key Ideas and Details:

R1. 4.1Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

R1. 4.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

R1. 4.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

Craft and Structure:

R1. 4.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.

R1. 4.5 Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.

R1. 4.6 Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

R1 4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.

R1 4.8 Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.

R1 4.9 Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Speaking and Listening:

Comprehension and Collaboration:

SL. 4.1a Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.

SL. 4.1b Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.

SL 4.1c Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.

SL 4.1d Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

SL 4.2 Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

SL 4.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

SL 4.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

SL 4.6 Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion); use formal English when appropriate to task and situation.

4.     How will teaching in this target area provide opportunities for students to learn important content and/or skills that relate to their lives?  In what ways does this learning include learning literacy, learning about literacy, and/or learning through literacy?

Informational text is a huge part of the real world, and is all around students in their community. Students will be able to engage in different informational texts, and understand the importance. They are learning literacy by literally reading informational texts and working on their comprehension of these texts. They are learning about different types of text, and text structure. There will be opportunities for the students to have explicit instruction on informational text, but also a great amount of time for them to workshop and work with other students on comprehension, understanding, and discussion. We will wrap-up lessons in whole-group, so students will have opportunities to see how their classmates digested the lesson. They will be learning, learning about, and learning through literacy through hearing explicit instruction, reading information text, monitoring their own processing of the text and their comprehension, and sharing and participating in group discussions about the informational text. Hopefully through these experiences, students will connect informational text to places outside of school, and see literacy through a bigger scope.

5.     What types of classroom talk take place within this target area? To what extent is the talk teacher-led, student-led, or focused on higher-level thinking? What norms for interaction would you like to build within your classroom as you teach in this target area (e.g., see ideas in Chapter 6 of Strategies that Work, the Berne & Clark 2008 article, or draw from some of the readings done in TE 402 on classroom talk)?

My students engage in lots of discussions in terms of literacy. They are beginning to prepare for book clubs, as well as constantly have large discussion and partner discussion. Most of my literacy instruction will be workshop based, with a mini-lesson about 15 minutes, and then 30 minutes of the students working and reading (sometimes together, sometimes individually), and then coming together as a whole-group for the wrap up. There are multiple times for students to engage in conversations. My teacher has introduced “Turn and talk” recently. She partners students for this, for a whole unit. They get comfortable and establish communication with their partner about literacy. The whole group is initially teacher-led; however, today my teacher introduced how students can feed off each other to make the discussion. For example, they were practicing saying, “In addition to student A’s thoughts, I felt…” There is a lot of student-led during work shop and turn and talk. Many of the questions that student are asked are higher-level thinking because they are not focused on simple answer questions. They require students to infer, predict, and look back for evidence in the text. I will be continuing these types of questions for my own unit.

I would like to continue these norms of turn and talk, because students have been practicing how you interact in discussion and what the norms are for having discussion and creating community during literacy. Strategies that Work has a number of suggestions for discussions and monitoring discussion. I liked the “Knowing When You Know and Knowing When You Don’t Know” (p. 81), to help monitor comprehension with sticky notes. This highlights positives (things that clicked), as well as areas readers need to re-read. I also liked the “Noticing When We Stray from the Inner Conversation” (p. 79), because it helps think about our thinking, and realize when we have gotten off track.

6.     Which ‘core practice’ do you want to work on developing/improving as you teach in this target area (refer to document “Resources for Developing Core Practices”)? How will focusing on this core practice contribute to your own professional learning?

I want to focus on responding to reading, with a specific focus in developing structures that promote purposeful talk (turn and talk, paired reading, jigsaw discussions, book club, study groups, mall-group shares). As a professional I will learn how to explicitly demonstrate these techniques to students so they are meaningful. One technique my teacher uses a lot is turn and talk. I will learn how to communicate and show students how to participate in purposeful talk, as well as learn about the best ways students to have these talks support students learning.

I also want to work on monitoring comprehension. As teachers we talk about how important and critical it is for students to comprehend text. As 4^th graders though, students need to start taking responsibility for monitoring their own comprehension; however, we need to model and explicitly show them how you can monitor comprehension. For my own learning, I will find ways to most efficiently monitor my students monitoring of comprehension.

7.     What resources within the community, neighborhood, school district, school or classroom do you have to work with in this target area?

As I mentioned earlier within the classroom, my mentor teacher will be teaching a science unit that integrates comprehension and informational text into the curriculum. Also in the classroom my mentor teachers have multiple resources of books. They have the National Geographic Theme Sets which include books on Rain Forest Animals, Desert Animals, Ocean Animals, Forest Animals. Our classroom and school also has technology such as an Elmo, Smartboard, ipads, and computers. I have access to our book room, which has 1,000’s of books, as well as a very nice library. The district has their curriculum on their website under Atlas Rubicon, and I also have access to that.

8.     What additional resources do you need to obtain?

Many of the lessons require resources such as pencils, pens, paper, different types of paper such as charts ect.

9.     How will you pre-assess your students in your target area

Students will complete a “My Self-Evaluation Checklist: Information Reading”, that is 22 statements long. They will complete the check-list before the unit, as well as after. I can also keep notes through observation of how my students currently participate in comprehension checks and discussions.

10.  What else will you need to find out about all students in your class to help you develop lesson plans for your Guided Lead Teaching?

It will be helpful to find out more about what my students are interested in outside of school, to continue to try and make connections between literacy at school and literacy at home. I also am curious to see how my students feel about “informational text”, because some children have negative feelings towards informational text or nonfiction genres. It is important to find out where my students stand with their feelings towards informational text. I can check their reading levels as well, so they are reading at the appropriate level.

11.  What else do you need/want to learn about the ‘core practice’ to support your planning and teaching?

I want to learn more about purposeful talk, and ways different teachers have had it work successfully, and also ways it has not worked. My mentor teacher estimates my instruction will usually be about 10-15 minutes, and then students will begin reading and work shopping. I want to learn how I can explicitly instruct on purposeful talk and model it.

In terms of monitoring comprehension, I want to learn about some of the quick ways I can assess to see if students are monitoring their comprehension, as well as work on how I will explicitly show students how to monitor their comprehension. While I want to explicitly show all of this, I want to make sure students feel like there is a flow to the lesson, and my core practices are integrated in.

12.  What concerns, if any, do you have about planning and teaching your unit

As of now I do not have any specific concerns, my mentor teacher has given me lots of resources and we have engaged in frequent conversations. I feel a bit overwhelmed with seeing the given curriculum, and how I will create lessons that are unique and meaningful to my students.

Inquiry Two Part A

1. My target area is writing instruction. I will specifically be focusing on writing a persuasive letter, based on the writing unit for county.

2. There are approximately 60 minutes of time allowed for writing instruction per day.

3. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.1c Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.

  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1a Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer’s purpose.

There are many more that the unit says will be covered.

4. Writing a persuasive letter is a more formal type of persuasion that they use without knowing it. Students use persuasion to try and get things they want from their parents and teachers. Persuasion is an important skill to have in schooling and in the work force. Using evidence to support a statement is something that happens all the time both formally and informally.  The students will be learning how to write persuasive letters, which is an aspect of literacy. They will learn that they use this type of literacy when they try to convince someone that they deserve something but they will be doing it formally in this unit. They will be learning through literacy because we will be showing examples of persuasive letters to the students. They will have to pick out an audience, issue and evidence from the persuasive text. Once they learn more about persuasive texts they will be able to use to write in the future for a project and they will be able to evaluate a persuasive letter they might learn from.

5. The classroom talk that will take place in the classroom is teacher lead for 15% of the time on average, giving instruction. The students will have 20% of the time on average to share out ideas and the rest of the time the students will be working independently without discussion. In the beginning of the year the class set of rules for discussion. We have been following these rules all year and I will use these because they are what the students are used to and I like them as well.

6. I plan on creating authentic, meaningful writing tasks for real audiences. I want to practice thinking about how to find writing tasks for the students because I’ve read many text book passages and articles on how an authentic task will motivate students. I want to create enthusiasm in my students to work.

7. My teacher uses the writing and reading units created by the Oakland Schools for Oakland county schools, so she has given me that as a resource that I plan to use. The library at the school has texts available that I can use as well as a public library.

8. I need to obtain examples of persuasive texts for the students to read and analyze.

9. The students will be give an on the spot assessment. They will be asked to write a persuasive letter on a statement that I will create. 

10. I would like to know more about what the students struggle with in general, like punctuation and sentence structure so I can possibly fit in a tip/reminder of a general part of writing into each lesson.

11. I will need to learn about anything in the community or school that the students could write about. I need to find an interesting topic that would be authentic for the students. 

Inquiry 2 Part A- Natalie D'Amico

1.     Target area

a.     My target area will fall under reading comprehension/strategy instruction. The unit itself is focused on improving informational reading, so we will be going over skills and strategies for informational reading, how to respond to texts and share information with others, and pursuing collaborative inquiries critically and analytically.

2.     How much time per day is allotted for instruction

a.     For each lesson, there will be a mini lesson between 10 and 20 minutes long, followed by about a 30 minute time frame for students to read the informational text of the day, and then a brief wrap up discussion. Each session will be around one hour total.

3.     Which CCSS           

a.     We will be working towards the following Common Core State Standards:

                                               i.     CCSS: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.3, RI.4.4, RI.4.5, RI.4.7, RI.4.8, SL.4.1, SL.4.1a, SL.4.1b, SL.4.1c, SL.4.1d, LS.4.4a, LS.4.4a, LS.4.6

4.     How will teaching in this target area provide opportunities for students to learn important content and or skills that relate to their lives?

a.     This unit will provide students with a better understanding as to what it means to ‘read for information’—something that they will be spending a great deal of time on as they continue their educations. Reading for information is not only important in a school context, but outside of school as well. It is important as a teacher to provide my students with valuable strategies and skills for reading for information so they will be able to successfully achieve comprehension. In terms of literacy, students will be learning about literacy in a sense that they will become familiar with a whole new type of text. They will also be learning literacy, as we will be spending much of the unit reading, discussing, and asking questions.

5.     What types of classroom talk will take place within this target area?

a.     We will spend each session of the unit with a mini lesson lead by the teacher. I will be introducing certain skills and habits that are important during informational reading, facilitate any discussions, and help students identify any strategies that could be useful. Then, following a mini lesson, sessions will be split up by either providing students with time to read independently or read with a partner. On a day where students are with partners, students will practice reading the informational text out loud to each other while discussing their use of strategies. Finally, there will be a teacher led wrap up discussion as a whole class.

6.     Which core practice?

a.     The core practice that I chose to work on developing/improving during my instruction are monitoring comprehension and activating and connecting background knowledge. Both of these practices are very important components of my unit, because both comprehension and background knowledge are key components of student learning during this time. Also, as a teacher, these practices are valuable skills to improve in. Comprehension and background knowledge are constantly brought up in literacy instruction, which is why I felt that it was important for me to explore these practices a little more.

7.     What resources do you have to work with?

a.     As this unit focuses on having students read for information in informational texts, I will be using a classroom set of National Geographic books about animals from the ocean, rain forest, desert, and forest. Also, our school has a Book Resource Room, where I will have the opportunity to pull other helpful texts as needed. Additionally, the Novi Community School District utilizes an online curriculum website called Atlas Rubicon, where I am able to pull up specific grade level resources that are aligned with the needs of the district and Common Core State Standards. Lastly, the District’s unit plan for this particular unit provides a list of professional resources that I am able to obtain as needed.

8.     What additional resources do you need to obtain

a.     Aside from any text that I will be using, I need to obtain a text features list, anchor charts of ‘ways information readers read with power’ and ‘text structures’, as well as copies of specific excerpts from Oceans (A True Book).

9.     How will you pre-assess your students?

a.     I will be using ‘self evaluation’ checklist on informational reading that I could easily adapt as a pre and post assessment with my students. It features twenty-two items on the checklist that are all important concepts of informational reading. 

10. What else will you need to find out about all students in your class to help you develop lesson plans?

a.     I personally think it would be beneficial for me to find out the reading levels of my students, because my mentor teacher and myself have not had the chance to discuss this yet. I do not really know much about the literacy levels of my students, so this would make me much more prepared when I begin to teach my unit. Also, knowing more about my students as literacy learners will help me better prepare for my planning as well.

11. What else do you need/want to learn about the core practice?

a.     I would personally like to research a little bit more about both of the core practices that I have chosen so that I can think of creative ways to incorporate them into my unit plans. Also, I would like to have a little more time to think of exactly where I could add any spots to practice my core practices in my unit plans.

12. What concerns do you have?

a.     I am a little confused about when we are supposed to start teaching our units, so I would like more clarification on this. 

Inquiry 2 Part A

Inquiry 2 Part A -Whitney Farmer

1.     Describe your target area for guided lead teaching.  My target area for guiding lead teaching will be reading comprehension/strategy instruction. Students will read mentor text to study informational writing as well as the skills and habits essential for reading informational text.  Students will generate ideas, experiment, create, revise, publish, and share informational text critically and analytically. 

2.     Approximately how much time per day is allotted for your instruction in this area?  Reading 1 hour

3.   Which Common Core State Standard(s) will you work toward?

CCSS: ELA & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, & Technical Subjects K-5, CCSS: Grade 4, Reading: Informational Text

Key Ideas and Details
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

•  RI.4.1. Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

•  RI.4.2. Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

•  RI.4.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

•  RI.4.5. Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.

6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

•  RI.4.6. Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

•  RI.4.7. Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.

8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

•  RI.4.8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.

9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

•  RI.4.9. Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

•  RI.4.10. By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

CCSS: ELA & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, & Technical Subjects K-5, CCSS: Grade 4, Speaking and Listening

Comprehension and Collaboration
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

•  SL.4.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
•  SL.4.1a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
•  SL.4.1b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
•  SL.4.1c. Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.
•  SL.4.1d. Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

•  SL.4.2. Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

•  SL.4.3. Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

•  SL.4.4. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

CCSS: ELA & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, & Technical Subjects K-5, CCSS: Grade 4, Language

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

•  L.4.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
•  L.4.4a. Use context (e.g., definitions, examples, or restatements in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
•  L.4.4c. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.

4.     How will teaching in this target area provide opportunities for students to learn important content and/or skills that relate to their lives?  In what ways does this learning include learning literacy, learning about literacy, and/or learning through literacy?

Reading is a basic skill that will be relevant to them for the rest of their lives.  They will learn literacy by developing skills on how to read/comprehend informational text.  Students will learn about literacy by being exposed to informational text and how they are read.  They will learn through literacy because the informational texts that will be shared are nonfiction, which will provide students a wide variety of topics.  These nonfiction topics can include subjects like, science and social studies, which will provide a wealth of knowledge.

5.     What types of classroom talk take place within this target area? To what extent is the talk teacher-led, student-led, or focused on higher-level thinking? What norms for interaction would you like to build within your classroom as you teach in this target area (e.g., see ideas in Chapter 6 of Strategies that Work, the Berne & Clark 2008 article, or draw from some of the readings done in TE 402 on classroom talk)?

There would be a mini lesson taught by the teacher.  Then the students will have their work time, and then the class will be brought back together at the end to discuss/end the lesson.  Depending on the lesson, if I did a read aloud I would ask students to turn and talk to a neighbor about their thinking or about something specific in the story.  I could have them form groups afterwards and write their responses on sticky notes about what they learned about monitoring comprehension/inner conversation (Strategies that Work, pg. 79).  I could also have them “jot down their thoughts while they read so that they can add to their store of knowledge, remember the information, and better learn and understand it” (Strategies that Work, pg. 83).  I think these suggestions would be great norms for my classroom because I would like to engage my students as much as possible and not lecture them.

6.     Which ‘core practice’ do you want to work on developing/improving as you teach in this target area (refer to document “Resources for Developing Core Practices”)? How will focusing on this core practice contribute to your own professional learning?

I would like to focus on monitoring comprehension and guided interactive discussion.  These are two core practices that I think would benefit my students.  In informational text there will be a lot of information that I want to make sure my students understand.  I think a lot of the time when they’ve had to do something similar to this, they have a hard time answer questions about the reading.  Teaching them strategies to monitor their comprehension will be not only beneficial to them by myself as well.  I will be able to test strategies to see what works for my students and what doesn’t work.  I think some of the strategies from the “Strategies that Work” text will be helpful and easy to incorporate.  As a professional I will be able to determine which students struggle with comprehension and which ones don’t.  I also want to develop a sense of guided interactive discussion.  I think it is very important to discuss readings because again not everyone comprehends it the same way someone might.  It is also good because everyone takes away something different from a reading.  As a professional I will learn good strategies to teach this and if my students really do benefit from it.

7.     What resources within the community, neighborhood, school district, school or classroom do you have to work with in this target area?

My mentor teachers have many resources.  One resource that will be use is a set of themed books by National Geographic that focus on differentiated teaching.  My school has a book resources room that provides classroom sets of books based on topic, theme, genre, etc.  One way I could use this resource is by checking out books for different level readers and form small groups.  We also have atlas rubicon, which is a district website that offers many resources to teachers as well.

8.     What additional resources do you need to obtain?

I will need chart paper, dictionaries, and large white paper.

9.     How will you pre-assess your students in your target area?

I will give my students a self-evaluation checklist that will include 22 “I can” statements.  Before the unit is taught they will self evaluate and after the lesson is taught they will get the same sheet back and re-evaluate themselves.

10.    What else will you need to find out about all students in your class to help you develop lesson plans for your Guided Lead Teaching?

I will need to find out about what they already know about informational text, which could be assessment based or a discussion.  I will also need to examine my students reading level to make sure I am choosing books that aren’t to easy or difficult.

11.    What else do you need/want to learn about the ‘core practice’ to support your planning and teaching?

I want to know how to implement them into my lesson without making my lesson seem like its based on the core practices.  I also want to see examples of the core practices and what people have done in the past to help guide my teaching.

12.    What concerns, if any, do you have about planning and teaching your unit?

Of all subjects literacy seems like its takes the most planning.  I hope that I will have enough resources that will benefit my lesson and students.  I am also nervous about teaching strategies and engaging my students who don’t like to read.