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.