Week 14 – Chapter 12 – EngEd 275 – Nicole Kavajecz
Teachers use many learning tools to integrate reading and writing across different subject areas within their curriculum (Tompkins, Smith, Campbell, & Green, 2019, p 402). Text sets are a group of books or other reading materials which relate to the same topics or themes. Each set includes as many books as possible. Some books or reading materials will be used as a single copy for one student to use at a time, while others might be kept with a copy for each student to read as a whole class activity. Mentor texts are used to model the specific types of writing the teacher is teaching about. A science teacher might integrate the Dr. Suess book The Lorax as part of a lesson on conservation, then have the students write a poem mimicking part of the story.
Using learning logs is a great way to give students the power to record what they believe they have learned (Tompkins, Smith, Campbell, & Green, 2019, p 405). Students record and react to their thoughts, and have a great reference tool for later reflection to see their growth. They also will likely be shocked at their misunderstandings throughout the course of time, and enjoy feeling proud of their growth. Double-entry journals are useful for reflection as well. Students divide their journal page into two sections, one side they write the important facts and vocabulary words while the other contains their thoughts and reactions to the material.
The use of quick writing engages students, activates their background knowledge, and often sparks very interesting conversations about the topic (Tompkins, Smith, Campbell, & Green, 2019, p 408). The goal is to present a query to the students, then have them write for 5-10 minutes without worrying about proper mechanics: the goal is to get as much of their thoughts and ideas out on the paper as possible.
To explain, analyze, or persuade with writing, students can compose essays (Tompkins, Smith, Campbell, & Green, 2019, p 411). Usually shorter than 2 pages, writing essays aides in all kinds of other communication skills which people need to be successful as adults. Opinion and persuasive types are used daily throughout life in spoken language, as well as the general structural components such as introduction, information, and conclusion connect to other areas of life beyond the page. Developing a KWL (Know, Want to know, Learned) chart can be a great assistant to writing an essay. It can guide the student through their process, and give them something to come back to when or if they encounter a mental block. Anticipation guides are statements the teacher presents to the students and they can reply to them before reading the chapters, then read the material to see if they were right. Putting this to use with a journal is a great classroom application to encourage students to be reflective in their learning. Students also can develop a pre-reading plan where they present their ideas on the topic before diving into the material. During and after reading, they can create word walls, possible sentences that might go along with the material, and especially develop the question-answer-relationship (is the answer to the question directly on the pages, made from connections of material, or beyond the textual information). Another strategy which upper middle school students often are taught to use is the SQ4R method: a six-step technique for studying which includes survey, question, read, recite, relate, and review.
There are 5 stages of reading that have accompanying activities to make application across the curriculum more attainable (Tompkins, Smith, Campbell, & Green, 2019, p 416).. Pre-reading can include KWL charts, word walls, anticipation guides, and exclusion brainstorming. Reading could include partner reading, small group discussions, and note taking in a journal. Responding is important and could include learning logs, double entry journals, and graphic organizers. Exploring can look like word sorts, data charts, and word walls. Also, including a semantic feature analysis to categorize important information can be useful during the exploring stage. Applying, as a higher level thinking skill, can involve power point presentations, essays, oral reports, and multi-genre projects.
“Thematic Units are interdisciplinary units that integrate reading and writing with social studies, science and other curricular areas” (Tompkins, Smith, Campbell, & Green, 2019, p 421). Ways to develop a good thematic unit are determining the focus, collecting the text set, coordinate the text book readings, locate digital and multimedia materials, planning instructional activities, identifying mini lesson topics, differentiating the instruction, brainstorming possible projects, and planning for assessment along the way. Students can be involved with most if not all of these steps, and will enjoy taking ownership of the learning goals.
Alternative assessments need to be used with all students, but especially with English Language Learners. This is because testing is not always the most effective way to measure their complete comprehension or lack of. Discussions, conferences, and observations all performed informally can give a clearer picture of what the student actually is capable of. Replacing a written essay with a graphic organizer or picture drawing and adding specific words may be more effective and attainable for the students.
References
Tompkins, G. E., Smith, C., Campbell, R., & Green, D. (2019). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (Seventh ed.). Melbourne, VIC: Pearson Australia.
