Strategies for across-the-curriculum teaching
Literary Circles
When setting up a literary circle, one needs to first address the student makeup within a group. Some teachers prefer to have the students identified homogenously, while others prefer to have their students mixed heterogeneously and other teachers like to give the student the choice of literature and group members. Personally, I set up five groups with six students, and I prefer heterogeneous grouping. I divide up the groups by using standardized testing as well as some informal testing. Each group decides on a group name, along with a color for the Literary Circle Booklets. Monday is the day I assign a reading in their book, usually Chapter 1 to 2. But when reading Shakespeare, I may read Act I, Scene 1 in class, then assign for homework Scene 2. Using the strategies for generating words and questions, they will be scaffolded into their literary circles. Each student receives a journal entry form, to summarize, as well as an evaluation sheet. Each Monday, the students select a job (discussion director, artful artist, passage picker) that they will do in relationship to the play. The students meet back on Wednesday, and share their jobs. On Friday, the students may do a project-based activity in their group, or they may choose to work independent from their group. The students rotate their jobs, and they share jobs within their group. These jobs enable the student to connect their reading comprehension and writing to the plays. It also enables the student to enjoy interacting with literature.
Generating Words and Questions through Literature
Over the years, I have been using the book Strategies at Work, which demonstrates great strategies or what I would call best practices that are aligned for ELL (English Language Learners) students. As the student reads say Act I, in Romeo and Juliet, I would have the reader write all the unfamiliar words on a yellow post-it. Along with that task, I would have the student use a blue post-it to generate questions he or she may have. When the student meets with his or her group of five other students, each would share their words and questions. Using guided "Word-Question" form, the students would list the words and questions that they have in common. Along with that, they would try to clarify words and questions they did not have alike. The students would give the "Word-Question" form from each of the six groups to the teacher; these forms would guide the discussion of vocabulary for the day. In addition, these strategies would enable a student to write a summary for the Act that they had just read. The words are placed on the "Word Bank" wall to be used during the school year. This strategy enables students to use context clues to enhance their vocabulary and reading comprehension.
Management of Technology
Using laptops in the classroom needs to be addressed in two areas. The first strategy concerns equity. For some schools, a mobile lab is not feasible. The school may already have a computer lab at which the teacher would need to sign up to schedule a class. The second is in the overall management of using laptops or even using a computer lab. Some suggestions that I have are associated with keeping track of which student used which laptop or computer. Always use the student's textbook number that he or she was assigned in the beginning of the school year. This way, if an incident arises, you as the teacher can manage the situation with the student that was assigned to the computer.
When passing out the computer to the student, look it over to see if it has been left on or damaged by previous users. This prevents any misunderstandings between the facilitator and the student. I like to give out a guided check off sheet that the teacher and the student sign. When using laptops, it is a good idea to have a LCD projector set up so the students can follow the teacher's lesson.
After using the laptop, or computer, make sure that it is turned off. Make sure that the students dump any trash. If the student needs to start a file, label it with their initials and textbook number, which were previously assigned. If they are using a junk drive, make sure that the student correctly discharges the drive. I have the students return the laptop, with the guided check off sheet, to sign off.
The second area of concern when using laptops with Sixth grade students is whether they are PC users or Apple users. Really there is no difference, but I do still find students who struggle with the computer. If the student does not have an email account, I contact the parent to see if they will let their child have one, and explain how to monitor it. For my Non-English speaking parents, I have at times had to guide both children and parents to set up an email account.
The third area is dealing with ipods. We use ipods at our school to help with the languages. Again, this item is addressed in the SFUSD handbook, but we send a release form home telling the parents why we will be using the ipod. The Chinese teachers in Cantonese and Mandarin make audio for the students to practice their tones. I am planning to have the students download, free of charge, "Shakespeare". This will give the students an opportunity to listen to various plays they may become interested in that may not be addressed in the class. To maximize the use of ipods, I plan to use an assessment tool that will be used for a writing reflection piece.
Introducing Technology
Knowing that I am going to embed technology with this unit, I should not assume anything. The first strategy is to send a letter home, as well as a survey to the parents, to introduce the concepts and outcomes I see for the students. I am going to go over this approach with the staff at Alice Fong Yu. At one of the staff meetings, I'll explain the unit, the goals and outcome, and I would ask my colleagues how tech savvy they truly are. This process could be informal, or even done in a manner that enables me to collect information through a survey. With that in mind, I to am going to give a survey to the students. With this information, I will have a base line to design the technology component of the unit.
The strategy to move forward is to write the following on the board: WTIL (What time is lunch?)—followed by guided questions to set the tone of either instant messaging (IMS), or text messaging. I am going to use the following questions:
- What am I saying?
- Why did I write this in this format?
- Is this a form of communication?
- Do you use this type of format with others?
- In what ways do you use it?
Then I would give the students a copy of the Text Messaging Chart (Appendix D). This chart demonstrates common types of symbols of text messaging and the meanings. As the students work with their neighbors, they will identify the familiar text, I would then have the students generate other texts that are known to them, but are not on the chart. Through a whole group discussion, I would lead the students to the following text message from the quote from Juliet, (II, ii, line) O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art though Romeo? ORRW4ATR. Through this discussion, and strategy I would introduce Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream to the class.
Elements of Writing
When using the San Francisco Unified School District's Middle School Writer's Workshop, one finds a wealth of knowledge, clarity, and strategies to develop writers. The program breaks down the various parts of an essay by using graphic organizers that are aligned to various types of essays, from sentence structure, to topic sentences, to identifying and developing evidence. The writer's workshop brings depth to writing a narrative essay, persuasive essay, expository essay, poem, or even a letter. Along with formal writing, the students will also do quick writes, exit responses, journal writing, and short summaries. When writing either formally or informally, using a connection to everyday experiences enables the student to feel motivated and empowered. For example, we all know how frustrating it is when a message fails to reach its destination, as when Friar Lawrence's message fails to reach Romeo.
One of the strategies in writing I am going to introduce to the students is a persuasive essay. Connecting the topic of technology, I will have the students write a persuasive letter to the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education about the practices of using cell phones, ipods, and laptops for educational experience. Using a guided lesson plan, the students would brainstorm in a pair-share about which technology they would like to address in the letter. Then within their group, the whole group could discuss the type of technology that they want to address, using the strategies, and write the essay.
The second strategy includes the following terminology; elements of a story, setting, plot, character, theme, metaphor, pun, climax, conflict, and simile. The terminology will be scaffolded in through the literary circles and the writer's workshop. Shakespeare's plays are full of puns. One strategy I want to teach is, what is a pun? I plan to address this question through everyday puns, for example the word lettuce (let us), or when it rains it pours, and then within the plays have the students identify examples of puns. I think this strategy of connection of text to everyday will be beneficial in comprehension of various parts of the plays.
Classroom Management
Reflecting on station driven curriculum, there are factors that need to be addressed. The first of course is classroom management. As the facilitator, do you have a structure? What are your expectations? The personnel in the facilitator's class also need to be considered. Honestly, there are times when no matter how the teacher tries to train the students to work independently, as well move within a classroom, it just does not work. There is also the time frame of the curriculum to consider. As a teacher who has a block schedule, I have found that using station driven activities, computers, and labs has been successful for the students. This teaching strategy fosters independence and leadership, while giving the teacher more flexibility to interact with the students.
Art
The cost, organization, and promotion of creativity in art assignments can be daunting. The two art activities that are designed for this unit can be done in two different ways. First, the I Own This Word-Glove could be part of the Shakespeare Station Unit. This art activity is designed to be inexpensive. The strategy is to use recyclable items found in everyday life and incorporate a word, for example—from A Midsummer Night's Dream— the word vile. This word appears numerous times in the play. The student would use various means of research from the internet, the dictionary, and the play to design the glove.
The second art piece, a mask, could be also done as a station within the Shakespeare unit. Using clay and having a kiln may not be feasible for you. I also have an art consultant who works closely with me to help integrate art into the curriculum. She and I design and trouble shoot, prior to the students actually making an item out of clay. When working with clay, we demonstrate to the students the proper way to add pieces of clay so the item does not get destroyed in the kiln. Last but not least, masks could be made out of materials other than clay.
Keeping that all in mind, the opportunity to include the historical connection of Peking or Beijing Opera would be beneficial to the community in which I teach. (In this upcoming school year I have formed a partnership with Cal Shakes and the San Francisco Opera Guild.) Changing faces is a difficult technique in operatic performance. It is considered to be a stunt that can only be mastered after extensive training. Face changing is also a special technique used to exaggerate inner feelings of characters, portray their dispositions, set off the atmosphere and improve effects. Facial changes expressing sudden changes in a character's feelings are done in the four main characters, and students could learn a great deal from this experience about creating their own masks.
English Language Learners
There are many strategies used in the classroom to guide English Language Learners through literature. The most powerful are the literary circles, strategies aligned to the context clue for words, and questions from within the plays. Using the jigsaw vocabulary game, pair-share, prediction matrix, and collaborative poster are just a few more great strategies that can enhance the comprehension and writing of the English Language Learners. Having the technology component from laptops, instant messaging (IMS), and text messaging will enable many English Language Learners to feel that they are on the same playing field.
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