MUST BE COMPLETED ON JANUARY 13, 2022 BY 8 P.M EASTERN STANDARD TIME. USE ATTACHED ASSIGNMENTS TO HELP.
Take a moment to review the details of this assignment below and gather any necessary files. Once you’re ready to submit your assignment, move on to Step 2.
Assessment Description
For this benchmark, write a 750-1,000 word narrative about a cross-disciplinary unit you would implement in your classroom. Choose a minimum of two standards, at least one for the content area of your field experience classroom and at least one supportive literacy standard to focus on for the unit narrative. You may use your Topic 3 “Instructional Strategies for Literacy Integration Matrix as a guide to inform this assignment.”
Your narrative must include:
· Unit Description and Rationale: Complete description of unit theme and purpose, including learning objectives, based on the content area standards and literacy standards.
· Learning Opportunities: Description of two learning opportunities that create ways for students to learn, practice, and master academic language in content areas
· Collaboration: Description of how you would facilitate students’ collaborative use of current tools and resources to maximize content learning in varied contexts
· Support: Description of support that would be implemented for student literacy development across content areas
· Differentiation: Description of how the lessons within the unit would provide differentiated instruction
· Strategies: Description of strategies that you would use within your unit to advocate for equity in your classroom
· Cultural Diversity: Description of the effect of cultural diversity in the classroom on reading and writing development. Describe how the unit capitalizes on cultural diversity.
· Resources: Description of current resources and tools that would enhance the learning experience for all students.
Support your findings with 3-5 scholarly resources.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.
Small or Whole Group Instruction
4
Small or Whole Group Instruction
Marquetta Gibson
Grand Canyon University: SEC-540
December 22, 2021
Part 1: Implementation
In this field experience, I was able to adapt the literacy exercise I prepared in Topic 2 to Ms. Dawn’s class. Students in small groups were able to participate in the exercise that I gave to the class. I was aware that it would be critical for me to think about how best to help students improve their reading skills. As a result, I set out to design a lesson plan that would engage students of various abilities and interests. It’s critical that I make the most of one-on-one time with kids so that I can better understand and address their various requirements. I utilized these lessons to get my pupils more involved in class and to get them thinking critically.
Part 2: Ms. Dawn Feedback
After my implementation, I was able to ask Ms. Dawn the following:
How effectively did I integrate literacy into the activity?
Ms. Dawn said I did a good job of incorporating literacy into my activity, and she was glad to have me in her class for this particular one.
Were students engaged?
Even though there were some inevitable interruptions, Ms. Dawn said that she believed the students were attentive.
How effectively did I meet the needs of all students?
Ms. Dawn stated that she was satisfied with the literary activity and that the students’ requirements were met.
What did I do well and what can I do better?
Ms. Dawn pointed out that I needed to improve my ability to deal with student distractions and provided me with some pointers on how to quickly pique students’ interest.
Part 3: Reflection
After reflecting on my implementation experience and receiving input from Ms. Dawn, I was able to identify a number of areas where I might make improvements. I believed that I had successfully integrated literacy into the lesson, and I believed that it was critical to retain the emphasis on student literacy throughout the class in order to keep the attention where it needed to be. I feel that the students did a good job demonstrating the principles of the exercise throughout the sessions and after commenting on their performance. It is my belief that they accomplished this by actively participating in the class and engaging in meaningful conversations that were intended to increase their comprehension of the topic. My use of media to educate students through the activity’s guidelines and instructions was a successful way to incorporate technology into the lesson plan.
During the exercise, I was able to make required modifications by providing additional help to specific students and engaging in critical exchanges that guided them toward a better or deeper understanding. I believe that the observation period went quite well, and I believe that the program was well accepted by the children. Personally, I believe that I could do a better job during transitions; I believe that I get a bit overwhelmed when I am attempting to change gears. I feel that the lesson was well received by the students, and that they achieved the learning target for the exercise. My belief is supported by the fact that they all displayed a good level of knowledge and understanding when I went around with them to talk about the exercise and examine their work. In my future practice, I want to be more confident, and I believe that will be easier to achieve if I have my own classroom that is set up to my specifications and is a setting in which I feel entirely at ease and at ease with myself.
2
Small or Whole Group Instruction
Marquetta Gibson
Grand Canyon University: SEC-540
December 15, 2021
Ms. Dawn is a pre-kindergarten at Children of America. During the last interview, Ms. Dawn picked four students who she believed would best reflect the small group that would be required for the continuation of the practicum experience in the future. In terms of reading ability, one kid has an IEP that is on grade level, while the other three have IEPs that are either above, on, or below grade level. They shall be referred to as C, A, L, and T in this document. Ms. Dawn confers with her pupils one-on-one rather than in larger groups, as is customary. She either sits with the students at their desks or invites them to join her at hers for a discussion. The children listen while Ms. Dawn reads to them out loud. When they have completed reading, they discuss what they have learned. She works with them to improve their reading fluency, as well as their understanding. The four children were very engaged in the read aloud, but their levels of understanding differed greatly. The children with IEPs need prompting to keep attentive, as well as leading questions to build on reading topics, among other things. Perhaps a reading tracker or listening to an electronic rendition of a narrative might be beneficial to them. Other ideas are utilizing visual images such as videos and colorful pictures. The children seem to benefit from technology in that it helps them stay grounded and focused. The other students were quite attentive and enjoyed the lesson, which was encouraging.
“Fall Forward, Spring Back”, is the title of the book I chose. It is a multi-leveled reader that will satisfy the diverse reading demands of the kids. Several of the students will be working at a lower level, which will have fewer words in journals to copy and learn during small group sessions. The higher level has more words in their journals to copy and will be required to draw an image of what they comprehended from the story. Both levels feature the same concentrated vocabulary words, as well as the same primary theme and supporting elements. The book may be read electronically, with the option to listen to it while reading along with the author’s narration. All exercises may be performed either online or on paper, depending on the teacher’s preference. Allowing students to simply draw what they learned from the story is also available for students who are having problems with the writing task. As part of this next chapter of this literacy journey, I’ve already started working on the pre-assessment and studying the learning target for the students. I’m looking forward to continuing my work with Ms. Dawn and the students in our small literacy group in the coming months.
Instructional Strategies for Literacy Integration Matrix
Marquetta Gibson
Grand Canyon University: SEC-540
December 15, 2021
Instructional Strategies for Literacy Integration Matrix
Grade: 11th
Content Area: African American Studies
Part 1: Matrix
Select three state standards for your content area and align each content standard with a different literacy standard. Based on the standards chosen, create a learning objective and select an instructional strategy. Write a rationale for how the strategy for each standard promotes a balanced literacy curriculum.
State Standard by Content Area |
Literacy State Standard to Integrate into Another Content Area Use a different literacy standard for each content standard. |
Standards-based Learning Objective Aligned to content standards |
Instructional Strategy to Integrate Literacy |
Resources Provide links to websites, PDFs, and any other documents used or referenced for strategy |
Rationale How the strategy will promote balanced literacy curriculum |
State Content Standard 1: “H1: Understands historical chronology (OSPI, 2020)”. |
“H1.9-10.3 Design questions generated about individuals & groups that assess how the significance of their actions changes over time (OSPI, 2020)”. |
Can ask questions that reflect a person or group & will be able to contribute to the historical debate. |
Who, What, Where, and Why worksheet |
Black Panther, Malcom X, 4W’s |
Assist kids in answering the 4W’s. This will aid them in formulating questions as they write them down. 4W’s serve as a catalyst for the entire the project. |
State Content Standard 2: “H2: Understands and analyzes causal factors that have shaped major events in history (OSPI, 2020)”. |
“H2.9-10.3 Define and evaluate how technology and ideas have shaped world history (1450-present) (OSPI, 2020)”. |
The student fully and thoroughly discusses the advantages and disadvantages of technology, as well as how it has shaped particular regions of the globe. |
Using a Venn diagram to compare various technological eras |
Video 1 Video 2 Video 3 |
Supports higher order thinking by allowing students to find connections between and among material rather than merely detecting likenesses and differences; useful at all levels of schooling and throughout the educational program. |
State Content Standard 3: “H3: Understands that there are multiple perspectives and interpretations of historical events (OSPI, 2020)”. |
“H3.9-10.2 Analyze the multiple causal factors of conflicts in world history (1450-present) to create and support claims and counterclaims (OSPI, 2020)”. |
In their letter, the student links theme terms and discusses how the themes may have influenced individuals to migrate to America. |
Writing letters to the heads of several organizations concerning their role in the events. A letter to those who have been affected by the events. |
Use the textbook for this. |
Develops a variety of writing skills, including factual, narrative, and opinion writing. This also aids in the development of reading abilities. |
Part 2: Summary and Scholarly Resources
While teaching, one will come into contact with a variety of students from multiple diverse origins and economic statuses. Along with differentiated levels of learning, a range of instructional styles is required to develop a balanced literacy curriculum. We must cater to the individual requirements of each kid in the classroom. “Teachers who use a balanced approach to literacy education mix instruction with actual reading and writing on a regular basis, so that students learn how to apply and utilize the literacy techniques and abilities they are acquiring (Bumgardner, “n.d.”)”. This enables instructors to diversify learning in order to assist students in comprehending at their level and to keep students engaged in the session.
A suitable literacy learning environment requires oral language, phonological awareness, and print understanding. Oral language is a crucial component of early literacy, and the phases children go through while learning to read are similar to those they go through when learning to speak. “Children who participate in developmentally appropriate activities that emphasize both spoken and written language often demonstrate increased proficiency and mastery in both (Determan, 2016)”. The type of children’s earliest interactions has an effect on their language and proficiency development and, therefore, on their long-term outcomes. We foster young children’s developing language by conversing, singing, and interacting with them throughout the day, on daily routines, and during play.
Reading requires phonological awareness “Rhyming, alliteration, blending, and segmenting within a linguistic hierarchy of speech structures such as syllables, onset-rime units, and phonemes are all component abilities (Determan, 2016)”. It pervades every aspect of our existence. “Our comprehension of print is comprised of three components: an awareness of how print works, a grasp of the written symbols that reflect our spoken language, and learning to write (Determan, 2016)”. Children learn how to recognize print, how to value it, and how to utilize it for a variety of reasons. It is critical that the children are motivated from the instruction. Their level of comprehension gives the teacher an idea of the next level of their learning. Through a variety of intuitive print openings, children develop attention and understanding of competence.
To continue promoting this atmosphere, activities such as The Daily 5 assist students improve their reading and writing skills. This strategy includes “the following components: reading aloud to another, writing practice, listening to reading, and word work (Bumgardner, “n.d.”)”. This may be done in small groups or in a classroom setting. Rereading the same book might assist them in becoming comfortable with material. Finally, develop activities that use language so that pupils get accustomed to hearing and seeing it in everyday activities. Allowing children to make errors is one thing to bear in mind while dealing with literacy. The environment should be encouraging in order to acquire new skills. If we have students that are learning a second language, we should work with them to put in more effort and be more eager to assist. Mistakes are a natural part of life; one must just be prepared for them.
Reference
Bumgardner, K. R. (n.d.). A Balanced Literacy Classroom: What Does It Look and Sound Like? McGrawHill Education.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/ecommerce-prod.mheducation.com/unitas/school/explore/sites/reading-wonders/your-balanced-literacy-classroomwhat-does-it-look-like-and-how-does-it-work
Determan, L. (2016, December 16). Three components for literacy development. Early Childhood Education Blog | Northwest Area Education Agency.
https://www.nwaea.org/connections-blogs/early-childhood-education-blog/2016/12/16/three-components-for-literacydevelopment#:~:text=3)%20there%20are%203%20essential,phonological%20awareness%20and%20print%20knowledge
.
OSPI. (2020). Washington State K–12 Learning Standards for Social Studies. Washington Office of Superintendent Public Instruction.
https://www.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/socialstudies/standards/SS%20Standards%202019_Grades%209-12_History
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Submission Ide: 9d2c8720-5b1f-4fb4-aa4b-25491f732c21
71% SIMILARITY SCORE 7 CITATION ITEMS 11 GRAMMAR ISSUES 0 FEEDBACK COMMENT
Internet Source 0%
Institution 71%
Marquetta Gibson
Benchmark – Cross-Disciplinary Unit Narrative
Summary
1079 Words
Benchmark Cross-Disciplinary Unit 1
Benchmark Cross-Disciplinary Unit 2
Two Standards
RL. 8.2: Ascertain a text’s theme or central idea and examine how it evolves throughout
the text, taking into account the characters, setting, and plot.
Potentially missing comma: 2021 2021,
Benchmark Cross-Disciplinary Unit
Marquetta Gibson
Grand Canyon University: SEC-540
January 12, 2021
https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/africa/tools/culture/goals.html
W.8.3. Use efficient methods, explanatory details, and well-structured event sequences to
create real or imagined experiences or events in narratives.
Unit Description and Rationale
An 8th grade Language Arts class will be taught this “Choices” unit. Students will be able
to regulate how theme choices are developed in literature by reading a variety of short stories,
poems, and folklore. They’ll be able to explain how one decision affects subsequent decisions
and how good decisions often necessitate sacrifice. Students will be able to examine themes in
literature by examining dialogue and character development in a story. Students will be asked to
compose an autobiographical essay about how a terrible mistake affected their lives using a four-
step writing process that adheres to the common core writing standards. By the end of the unit,
they will also be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of third person point of view, myths,
irony, metaphor, and anaphora.
Learning Capabilities
As we learn new literary terms, learners will work in pairs to record definitions in their
notebooks, locate an example in their readings, and begin to create their own examples. They’ll
have easy access to our academic language in their notebooks, and they’ll be instructed to look
for illustrations of each literary term throughout the unit; we’ll come back to it and talk about it.
Third-person perspective and myths will appear in a few of the selections we read, as will
anaphora, irony, and metaphor.
Benchmark Cross-Disciplinary Unit 3
In this unit, we’ll also be writing an autobiographical essay. I’ll give students sentence
frames to help them with language structure so they feel comfortable and confident in their
writing (Gonzalez, 2019). “When I was years__________ old, I made a difficult choice that led
to _________,” for example, could be a sentence frame for the first paragraph of their narrative.
Sentence frames provide students with a solid writing foundation without detracting from their
original ideas.
Collaboration
I’ll give them a list of names to start the unit and get them thinking about their options
(people like Hellen Keller, Anne Frank, and so on). They will research this person with a peer
using the laptops provided by the school; they will then determine what types of decisions this
person had to make in difficult situations. They will have to think critically about the prompt
while researching the person because looking up “choices made by Hellen Keller” will not
provide them with the necessary results. They’ll have to collect data then use that data and
intentional collaboration. Students should be able to discuss how that person’s choices influenced
their life for the better or for the worse.
Support
In order to support student literacy in this unit, I’d like us to focus on storytelling. We’ll
take inspiration from the folktales we’ve read and use their model to encourage students to tell
Student: Submitted to Grand Canyon University
Student: Submitted to Grand Canyon University
Passive voice: choices are developed in l…
Student: Submitted to Grand Canyon University
Spelling mistake: anaphora amphora
Spelling mistake: anaphora amphora
comma between …: structure so structure, so
Spelling mistake: years__________
Three successive sentences begin wi…: They
stories. “Language development, reading comprehension, and narrative writing” are all aided by
telling stories (Barrett, 2019, pp.5). This can be carried over into the history classroom because
they understand they are simply reading historical stories. It also aids student on how they should
begin when constructing and writing their own stories and help them to tell their own stories
Benchmark Cross-Disciplinary Unit 4
about themselves. We’ll finish the unit by having them write a story about their own choices; this
will be a great opportunity for them to practice the academic language they’ve learned, while also
allowing them to be creative in their writing.
Differentiation
In the classroom, I’ve found that lengthening the wait time after asking a question makes
a big difference. It’s tempting to choose the first hand that is raised; however, increasing the wait
time allows students’ thinking to develop and their verbal involvement to increase (Tanner,
2017). I’ve also added picking popsicle sticks to this strategy to call on students at random.
Though it may bring back memories of elementary school, this strategy holds the teacher
accountable for calling on different students; as well as on the students who may be called on.
Both of these approaches are meant to keep the focus on the students’ discussion and problem
solving rather than the teacher lecturing for the entirety of the class.
Cultural Diversity
We will spend a bit of time in the unit looking at various folklore through the ages to
ensure that students get a broad cultural exposure in the classroom. A section of the unit will
focus on African/African American folklore and the importance of oral tradition in that culture.
We’ll have the chance to look at a variety of traditional and modern art, as well as talk about the
daily lives of people in various African countries and within the United States (PBS
TeacherSource, n.d.). This section of the unit is designed to remind students that the world is
bigger than their familiar surroundings. This will encourage people to talk about the decisions
they have to make in their daily lives and how they are often influenced by their surroundings.
Benchmark Cross-Disciplinary Unit 5
We’ll wrap up the discussion by asking: How does your upbringing/environment influence the
decisions you make every day?
Resources
Studying Academic Language: Quizlet is an excellent resource for use in the classroom.
It’s a great way to brush up on academic vocabulary, and students enjoy the competition that
Student: Submitted to Grand Canyon University
Student: Submitted to Grand Canyon University
Hyphenation problem: first hand firsthand
Spelling mistake: popsicle Popsicle
Student: Submitted to Grand Canyon University
Student: Submitted to Grand Canyon University
Spelling mistake: Quizlet Quiet
Spelling mistake: notecards note cards
comes with it. The teacher creates a set of digital notecards for the class, and the app assigns
students to groups at random. The groups must correctly answer each flash card within the time
limit; it can get quite noisy as they compete to see who can answer them the fastest.
Tracking with Choices: At the start of the unit, students will be given a chart with a row
for the story title, a row for characters, a row for character choices, and a row for other themes.
Students will fill in the chart as we read each story. Comparing Folklore: We’ll use a Venn
Diagram to compare the various folklore stories we’ve read in this unit.
Benchmark Cross-Disciplinary Unit 6
References
Barrett, L. (2018, September 14). 50 Ways Schools Can Support Early Literacy. Retrieved from
P. (n.d.). Exploring African Culture. Retrieved from
https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/africa/tools/culture/goals.html
Gonzalez, V. (2018). English Learners Need to Use Academic Language. Retrieved from
Tanner, K. (2017, October). Structure Matters: Twenty-One Teaching Strategies to Promote
Student Engagement and Cultivate Classroom Equity. Retrieved from
https://www.lifescied.org/doi/full/10.1187/cbe.13-06-0115#:~:text=These teaching
strategies are sometimes,know the biology being taught.
Benchmark Cross-Disciplinary Unit
6
Benchmark Cross-Disciplinary Unit
Marquetta Gibson
Grand Canyon University: SEC-540
January 12, 2021
Two Standards
RL. 8.2: Ascertain a text’s theme or central idea and examine how it evolves throughout the text, taking into account the characters, setting, and plot.
W.8.3. Use efficient methods, explanatory details, and well-structured event sequences to create real or imagined experiences or events in narratives.
Unit Description and Rationale
An 8th grade Language Arts class will be taught this “Choices” unit. Students will be able to regulate how theme choices are developed in literature by reading a variety of short stories, poems, and folklore. They’ll be able to explain how one decision affects subsequent decisions and how good decisions often necessitate sacrifice. Students will be able to examine themes in literature by examining dialogue and character development in a story. Students will be asked to compose an autobiographical essay about how a terrible mistake affected their lives using a four-step writing process that adheres to the common core writing standards. By the end of the unit, they will also be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of third person point of view, myths, irony, metaphor, and anaphora.
Learning Capabilities
As we learn new literary terms, learners will work in pairs to record definitions in their notebooks, locate an example in their readings, and begin to create their own examples. They’ll have easy access to our academic language in their notebooks, and they’ll be instructed to look for illustrations of each literary term throughout the unit; we’ll come back to it and talk about it. Third-person perspective and myths will appear in a few of the selections we read, as will anaphora, irony, and metaphor.
In this unit, we’ll also be writing an autobiographical essay. I’ll give students sentence frames to help them with language structure so they feel comfortable and confident in their writing (Gonzalez, 2019). “When I was years__________ old, I made a difficult choice that led to _________,” for example, could be a sentence frame for the first paragraph of their narrative. Sentence frames provide students with a solid writing foundation without detracting from their original ideas.
Collaboration
I’ll give them a list of names to start the unit and get them thinking about their options (people like Hellen Keller, Anne Frank, and so on). They will research this person with a peer using the laptops provided by the school; they will then determine what types of decisions this person had to make in difficult situations. They will have to think critically about the prompt while researching the person because looking up “choices made by Hellen Keller” will not provide them with the necessary results. They’ll have to collect data then use that data and intentional collaboration. Students should be able to discuss how that person’s choices influenced their life for the better or for the worse.
Support
In order to support student literacy in this unit, I’d like us to focus on storytelling. We’ll take inspiration from the folktales we’ve read and use their model to encourage students to tell stories. “Language development, reading comprehension, and narrative writing” are all aided by telling stories (Barrett, 2019, pp.5). This can be carried over into the history classroom because they understand they are simply reading historical stories. It also aids student on how they should begin when constructing and writing their own stories and help them to tell their own stories about themselves. We’ll finish the unit by having them write a story about their own choices; this will be a great opportunity for them to practice the academic language they’ve learned, while also allowing them to be creative in their writing.
Differentiation
In the classroom, I’ve found that lengthening the wait time after asking a question makes a big difference. It’s tempting to choose the first hand that is raised; however, increasing the wait time allows students’ thinking to develop and their verbal involvement to increase (Tanner, 2017). I’ve also added picking popsicle sticks to this strategy to call on students at random. Though it may bring back memories of elementary school, this strategy holds the teacher accountable for calling on different students; as well as on the students who may be called on. Both of these approaches are meant to keep the focus on the students’ discussion and problem solving rather than the teacher lecturing for the entirety of the class.
Cultural Diversity
We will spend a bit of time in the unit looking at various folklore through the ages to ensure that students get a broad cultural exposure in the classroom. A section of the unit will focus on African/African American folklore and the importance of oral tradition in that culture. We’ll have the chance to look at a variety of traditional and modern art, as well as talk about the daily lives of people in various African countries and within the United States (PBS TeacherSource, n.d.). This section of the unit is designed to remind students that the world is bigger than their familiar surroundings. This will encourage people to talk about the decisions they have to make in their daily lives and how they are often influenced by their surroundings. We’ll wrap up the discussion by asking: How does your upbringing/environment influence the decisions you make every day?
Resources
Studying Academic Language: Quizlet is an excellent resource for use in the classroom. It’s a great way to brush up on academic vocabulary, and students enjoy the competition that comes with it. The teacher creates a set of digital notecards for the class, and the app assigns students to groups at random. The groups must correctly answer each flash card within the time limit; it can get quite noisy as they compete to see who can answer them the fastest.
Tracking with Choices: At the start of the unit, students will be given a chart with a row for the story title, a row for characters, a row for character choices, and a row for other themes. Students will fill in the chart as we read each story. Comparing Folklore: We’ll use a Venn Diagram to compare the various folklore stories we’ve read in this unit.
References
Barrett, L. (2018, September 14). 50 Ways Schools Can Support Early Literacy. Retrieved from
P. (n.d.). Exploring African Culture. Retrieved from
https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/africa/tools/culture/goals.html
Gonzalez, V. (2018). English Learners Need to Use Academic Language. Retrieved from
Tanner, K. (2017, October). Structure Matters: Twenty-One Teaching Strategies to Promote Student Engagement and Cultivate Classroom Equity. Retrieved from https://www.lifescied.org/doi/full/10.1187/cbe.13-06-0115#:~:text=These teaching strategies are sometimes,know the biology being taught.