Assignment 6: Apply a Graphic Organizer

APPLY A GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

NAME: Christina Abdelhadi GRADE: Preschool

SUBJECT being taught: Alphabet, colors,numbers, basic concepts

ORGANIZER used: TChart

 What is the English language proficiency range for students using the organizer? I only have one ESL student. His language proficiency is at the entering level.

 State the overarching understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. I understand that there are many dangerous things that around me and that I should be careful.

 State the topical understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. I learned that some objects are not safe.

 State the content objective. The students will group pictures into two categories, dangerous and not dangerous

 State the language objective for students with lower language skills. Each student will name the picture before placing it on the Tchart. Example: This is a ______.

 Identify a CHALLENGE language objective for students with higher skills. A student with higher skills will name the object and tell if it is safe or not safe and what it is used for. This is a ______and it is ______.

 What materials did you use? Explain briefly why they were appropriate for the range of learners. Previously, we read several books about fire safety. I used six real life pictures of a bicycle, stove, matches, crayons, iron and a book. I also had a corkboard, poster board, sticky tack and worksheets. Pictures are a great visual aid for children.  What directions did you give? For example, did you use any cooperative structures or reading strategies? In our large circle time, I told the children we were going to categorize pictures into two groups. My class had categorized before so they were familiar with the concept. First, we named all the pictures together so there was no confusion of what the object was. Then, I asked for volunteers to group each picture. I would tell them the sentence prompt that I wrote next to the TChart. I told the student that they needed to tell me what the picture was and if the child was able to I would have them tell me why they put it in that category. If the child was not able to, I asked another student. During center time, I met with 3 children at each rotation to go over the chart. I had the group round robin objects that were not safe. Finally, each child received a worksheet with the pictures that we grouped earlier in circle. I had them color only the pictures that were dangerous and I asked them why those pictures were not safe.

 How would you evaluate the application? Were there any surprises? Is there anything you would change next time? The children really enjoyed learning how to categorize in a new way. I would probably add more pictures so that each student at circle time would each get a turn to come up. Also, I would not include the picture of an iron. My children had no idea what an iron was. I had to help explain what it exactly did. Parents take their clothes to the dry cleaner so most households do not have this appliance. Otherwise, everything went pretty well. The children were very willing and excited to participate in something new.

NAME: Eunice Park GRADE: K

SUBJECT being taught: friendship

ORGANIZER used: Venn diagram

 What is the English language proficiency range for students using the organizer? The students range from beginning to expanding levels, with some students who are not English language learners but have low social/communication skills.

 State the overarching understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. Friends do activities together.

 State the topical understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. In school, there are activities we can do with friends, activities we need to do on our own, and activities we can choose to do alone or with friends.  State the content objective. Students will sort illustrations of activities into a Venn diagram, showing what activities are done alone, what activities are done together with friends, and which can be done both alone and with friends.

 State the language objective for students with lower language skills. Students will say “ I can ______(activity)______alone” or “I can ______(activity)______together,” using the pictures in the Venn diagram.

 Identify a CHALLENGE language objective for students with higher skills. Students can change the sentence from “I can” to state the what is happening with the person/people in the picture using “he, she, they”.

 What materials did you use? Explain briefly why they were appropriate for the range of learners. The students used Venn diagrams that were made with “alone” written in one part, “together” written in the other, and “both” in the middle. There were pictures with each word, so that students could tell which circle part was for which category. The students were given picture cards with kids doing activities they would be familiar with.

 What directions did you give? For example, did you use any cooperative structures or reading strategies? The activity was introduced and the Venn diagram and pictures they would work with were explained. We looked at some pictures specifically and talked about what the kid/kids were doing and which category it would go in. Then a student said the sentence to go along with it. The students worked in groups of 2-3, and only 2 groups worked on this activity at one time. They worked with guidance from me as this was very new to them. With each group, we tried a couple together, with students stating why they placed it there. The students used round robin in their group, going around and taking turns. Each placed the picture and then said the sentence, “I can _____ alone” or “I can ____ together.” As students finished organizing the pictures, I challenged them to make a sentence about what was happening in the picture, like “They are playing catch together.”

 How would you evaluate the application? Were there any surprises? Is there anything you would change next time? I think that the activity and lesson went pretty well overall. This group of students that I am working with is part of an intervention kindergarten and many of them struggle with communicating their thoughts because of language barriers and/or social skills. It was great seeing them work in a group and I was surprised that they did work well together, taking turns and sharing about which activities you can do together and alone. Taking turns in doing an activity and in talking is always something that we are working on together. I was glad that I decided to work them the students 2 groups at a time because it was their first time and they benefitted from the guidance. At times, I did have to have them slow down and think through where they would place the picture and why. I would do more modeling and students practice as a whole group next time. I would have students actually come up to the front and place the picture in the right place in the Venn diagram themselves, and then share with the class why it was placed there. I think more explicit modeling and practice as a group would have been beneficial. The Venn diagram and the “both” category was a little confusing for some of the students.

NAME: Jennifer Block GRADE: 1st ESL

SUBJECT being taught: Language Arts

ORGANIZER used: 5 Questions (Question It)

 What is the English language proficiency range for students using the organizer?

I have 14 students in my class. All are ELLs who range from entering to developing English proficiency.

 State the overarching understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. There are different forms of writing. Each form has special characteristics.

 State the topical understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. Works of fiction contain the elements of character, problem, setting, time-frame, and resolution.

 State the content objective.

After reading Boo-Hoo multiple times over the course of the week, and having group discussions about it, including discussions about the characters, problem, setting, time- frame, and resolution, students will fill out a 5 Questions graphic organizer.

 State the language objective for students with lower language skills.

Students will talk about the book Boo-Hoo and using the words who, what, where, when, why, characters, problem, setting, time, and resolution in whole-group discussions. Students will list the key elements in the graphic organizer.

 Identify a CHALLENGE language objective for students with higher skills.

Students will use the words character, problem, setting, time, and resolution to write complete sentences about the 5 elements in their graphic organizer.

 What materials did you use? Explain briefly why they were appropriate for the range of learners.

I used question wands that students picked out of a container and then answered whatever question was on it (who, what, where, when why). I used a 5 Question graphic organizer that has words and pictures. The pictures helped my students who have difficulty reading the 5 question words.

 What directions did you give? For example, did you use any cooperative structures or reading strategies?

We had read and reread the book over the course of the week, including me reading it aloud, students reading chorally, and students reading independently or with partners. Along with this we had practiced many decoding and comprehension strategies. I used this graphic organizer on the final day of teaching the book. First, the students round- robined to summarize the book, then students pulled question wands from a bucket and answered the questions. I had several students contribute ideas for each wand, as there is more than one correct answer for many of the questions. I then had students fill out the organizer independently, allowing them to look back through the book as needed.

 How would you evaluate the application? Were there any surprises? Is there anything you would change next time?

I was surprised to find that the when question was the most difficult for the students to write about as the book took place partly at night and partly during the day and many of them were looking for one answer. Next time I would have students find a partner and share their answers after they had filled out the graphic organizer. I think this would have been a great way for them to see once again the range of possible answers and it would have given them one more time to verbally communicate what they knew.

NAME: Inge Bennett GRADE: 1

SUBJECT being taught: social studies

ORGANIZER used: venn diagram

 What is the English language proficiency range for students using the organizer? I have six students that are native speakers and are reading at grade level. Their reading levels range from primer to first grade for word recognition and comprehension. In our class we have two students that are both reading at a fifth grade reading level for word recognition and comprehension. I have eight native speaking students currently reading below the preprimer level.

Five students in our class are ELL students. One is currently receiving ELL pull-out services three times per week for 30 minutes each time. She is in the beginning to developing stages in all academic areas. Her native language is Russian. The other four students are currently on consult. Two are Hispanic, one is Lithuanian and one is Polish. They are in the bridging stage of the WIDA standards. Since these students are first graders, they are not literate in their home language. They are all fluent speakers in their native languages.

 State the overarching understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. People from all countries around the world have similarities and differences in their lifestyles and traditions.

 State the topical understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. There are differences and similarities between Russian and American people.

 State the content objective. Students will sort pictures and put them into piles of American or Russian. They will look at pictures of foods, clothing, schools, markets, etc. There will be a third pile of pictures, which could be Russian or American.

 State the language objective for students with lower language skills. Students will be able to state Russia is on the continents of Europe and Asia. The United States is on the continent of North America. Students should be able to identify similarities and differences between Russian and American people. For example: In Russia students wear uniforms. We wear jeans and T-shirts. In Russia, people eat Borscht. In America we eat hamburgers and french fries. In both countries students go to school.  Identify a CHALLENGE language objective for students with higher skills. Students should elaborate on similarities and differences adding details for each item. For example, students attend school on Saturday. Because schools are overcrowded, some students attend school in the morning and others in the afternoon.  What materials did you use? Explain briefly why they were appropriate for the range of learners. In our school several first and second grade teachers are involved in a “travel” program. Students travel to a country for a morning until we have done a rotation of four countries. We have recently traveled to countries in Asia (Russia, Japan, Nepal and China). When students travel they are given background knowledge of a country. We show videos, read books and have artifacts, which are shared with the students. Students make a flag, locate the country on a map, taste native food, and learn interesting facts about each country. This is appropriate for all range of learners because students of all abilities can participate in these activities.

For our picture sort I collected pictures from anywhere I could find appropriate ones. I also asked for photographs from families that have traveled to Russia. .

 What directions did you give? For example, did you use any cooperative structures or reading strategies? Since we recently “traveled” to Russia, the students were asked to recall information they had learned. Each table group did a numbered heads together to brainstorm facts they learned in their travels. We then compiled a list of facts. We completed a venn diagram, which I modeled on the overhead. We listed facts about Russia and compared them to the United States.

 How would you evaluate the application? Were there any surprises? Is there anything you would change next time? The picture sort was great because it generated discussion. Students had to apply their knowledge of what they learned in travel to sort the pictures. If I were to do this again I would let some students try to complete the venn diagram with partners. I modeled it this time because we are learning how to complete this graphic organizer. Next time I would allow the students to complete some of the work independently.

NAME: Sara Kirchner GRADE: 2nd

SUBJECT being taught: All

ORGANIZER used: One that I created on my own. The organizer has three columns. The first column contains the different parts of the tooth (roots, crown, pulpa, dentin, and enamel). The second column is open for the students to write in their descriptions of each part. In the last column there is room for the children to draw what each part looks like or label it on a tooth.

 What is the English language proficiency range for students using the organizer? I used the graphic organizer with my whole second grade class (regular ed.). My English Language Learners range from developing (level 3) to bridging (level 5).

 State the overarching understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. It is important to take care of your teeth.

- State the topical understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. Your teeth have several different parts.

 State the content objective. Students will be able to label the different parts of a tooth and describe it.

 State the language objective for students with lower language skills. For my students with lower language skills I just want them to be able to say, “This is the ______.”

 Identify a CHALLENGE language objective for students with higher skills. The students who are ready for a challenge will have to identify the part and tell their groups something about it.

 What materials did you use? Explain briefly why they were appropriate for the range of learners. I used many materials for the dental hygiene unit. For this particular lesson involving the graphic organizer I used a model of a tooth and a poster that shows all of the different parts of a tooth. The students also had their health textbooks available.

 What directions did you give? For example, did you use any cooperative structures or reading strategies? The children were asked to independently fill in the column labeling or showing the specific part of a tooth first. I then asked them to talk at their tables about the details of each part. They were able to work together to find information for that column.

 How would you evaluate the application? Were there any surprises? Is there anything you would change next time? Overall, the graphic organizer worked very well. Once the information was all compiled, they were able to use it as a reference for the rest of the lessons in the unit. Next time I would ask them to use a specific cooperative structure at their table. I think it would provide more structure and guidance.

NAME: Brenda Housley GRADE: Implemented in Grade 2

SUBJECT being taught: Reading – Retell a Story with 2nd grade class

ORGANIZER used: Shape- Go Map Idea from Guided Reading Basics , by Lori Jamison Rog

 What is the English language proficiency range for students using the organizer? There are 20 students in this second grade classroom. One third of the students are bilingual. The range of proficiency levels are from level 3-developing to level 5- bridging.

 State the overarching understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. Identifying and retelling the story elements help students organize and understand the meaning of the story.

 State the topical understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. Narrative stories all have certain story elements: characters, setting, plot/ problem, events, solution/ ending.

State the content objective. Students will orally retell the story elements of a fictional text using a roundrobin cooperative structure. Students will write the story elements in the beginning, middle, and ending shapes of the graphic organizer.

 State the language objective for students with lower language skills. Students will use the following language structure to retell the story orally and in writing. The main character is… The story takes place… His/her problem is… The first thing that happens is… The second thing that happens is… The third thing that happens is… The problem is solved when… At the end of the story…

 Identify a CHALLENGE language objective for students with higher skills. Students will respond to the following question by writing or drawing a picture. What do you think the author is trying to tell you in this story?

 What materials did you use? Explain briefly why they were appropriate for the range of learners. I used a simple narrative story that all the students could relate to. The story was a second grade text from our Guided Reading collection called The Magic Disk, and was about a boy who was given three wishes. It was similar to a fairy tale that they had heard before, but happened to a child their age in the present. I intentionally wanted to use an easy story so they could focus their attention on the oral and written retelling. The graphic organizer that I used had a triangle, a rectangle, and a square representing the beginning, middle, and ending of the story. I also had magic markers available for the students to color code the organizer by outlining the shapes with green (triangle) for beginning, yellow (rectangle) for middle and red (circle) for ending. The three sides of the triangle are a reminder to the reader to identify the characters, setting and the plot. The four sides of the rectangle are a reminder to try to tell four events from the story. The circle at the end is to remind the reader that the end of the story should circle back to the beginning and solve the problem. I think the resources were appropriate for this age group because they could relate to the story and it was an easy story at their reading level.

 What directions did you give? For example, did you use any cooperative structures or reading strategies? I applied this graphic organizer during guided reading after the students had reviewed the story elements during many shared reading experiences with their classroom teacher. In previous lessons, I modeled retelling using a retelling checklist with pictures for each of the story elements. Each student also had a copy of this checklist for his or her reading folders. To prepare the students for writing on the graphic organizer, I used the Round Robin strategy to have students orally share each of the story elements. Then I modeled filling in the answers that the students gave as they filled in their own chart.

I liked using this organizer because it gave additional support for students. Students can refer to the Retelling checklist in their reading folders for support as well. I don’t know how students will be able to use the organizer independently since I did it with them for this first time. I liked the organizer because it was not complicated and gave enough room for the students to write their answers. One thing that I would change would be to make a copy of the form on the computer with kidspiration so that older students could type in the information.

NAME: Janet Peters GRADE: 2nd

SUBJECT being taught: Language Arts

ORGANIZER used: Anticipation Guide

 What is the English language proficiency range for students using the organizer? I have 2 ESL level 4 students and 16 non- ESL students.

 State the overarching understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. I understand that I can use the skill of prediction & prior knowledge to help me understand what I am reading better.

 State the topical understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. I learned/understand that listening for the important details in the story helps me to comprehend the story.

 State the content objective. Students will activity prior knowledge and use the skill of prediction to help them set their focus while reading; by echo reading each statement and placing a check mark on their graphic organizer whether they agree or disagree. Students will then explain their answers to a partner.

 State the language objective for students with lower language skills. Students will state in their own words if they agree or disagree with the statements and why they think that. After the after activity students will go back and re-read the statement and state whether they agree or disagree and back up their answers with proof from the story. (I agree because… or I disagree because… After reading I found out…. I was right because….)

 Identify a CHALLENGE language objective for students with higher skills. Students will use the words mammal and birds and provide definitions of the two since we are predicting about mammals and birds. They will also talk about how are they like and different.

 What materials did you use? Explain briefly why they were appropriate for the range of learners. I use an anticipation guide that had picture of thumbs up for agree and thumbs down for disagree. I also used our basal reading series and had the students take a picture walk of they story. We had also previously in science discussed about mammals, birds and reptiles. I use the picture of the thumbs just in case my students would get confused with the words agree and disagree. I had them look at the picture first to start building their background knowledge. I had previously talkd about animal classification in science, so that they could use what they already know to help make better predictions.

 What directions did you give? For example, did you use any cooperative structures or reading strategies? I first had my students echo read the statements. Next I had my students take a picture walk through the story. Then I had my students go back and re-read with a partner the statements and had the check mark their predictions and tell their partner why they answer that way. After reading the student got back into partners and re- evaluated their answered and if they were wrong they had to find the answer in the story that proved them wrong. Finally I had a couple of the groups share back with the class.

 How would you evaluate the application? Were there any surprises? Is there anything you would change next time? I thought the mini lesson went very well. My students listened very closely to the story’s main details and were able to comprehend the information being taught. All my students felt successful with the anticipation guided because everyone had some kind of background knowledge already on the topic. I heard my students using the language I had modeled for them with their partners. I found all students to be very engaged and that was the best part, to see all my students participating and discussing and retelling parts of the story. I will definitely being doing this activity more often with my students after seeing how well they completed this task. APPLY A GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

NAME: Jennifer Zitella GRADE: 3rd Grade

SUBJECT being taught: Guided Reading

ORGANIZER used: Learning New Vocabulary

I used this graphic organizer in a small guided reading group of six children. Of the six, four are English Language Learners. All four are at grade level with their reading skills and are at Level 6 – Reaching according to the WIDA Performance Levels. I do not have students lower than that as ELL’s in my classroom for reading. All students are continuing to increase their levels of English language vocabulary.

 State the overarching understanding(s) reflected by the organizer.

I understand that learning new vocabulary while reading a text can increase my reading comprehension skills.

 State the topical understanding(s) reflected by the organizer.

I understand that using synonyms and context clues can help to identify what a new vocabulary word means to increase my reading comprehension skills. Putting that word in a sentence helps me to practice using my new word.

Students will be able to learn new vocabulary as they read by identifying synonyms, context clues, and writing their own definition for the word. They will apply what they have learned by using the new word in a sentence of their own and sharing with the group.

Students will be able to use their new vocabulary words when discussing them as a group. They will explain to their group members what their word means, and how they know. They will also use their word in a sentence to demonstrate their ability to apply the word.

The challenge is embedded within the task since the students will be choosing words that they do not already know. They are also reading a book at their instructional guided reading level. Since the task is to be completed on their own time, the students will not need an extra challenge when other students are completed. They must come to their group the next day with the task accomplished.

The books that I used with my guided reading group were at the instructional level for each child. They read A – Z Mysteries: The Deadly Dungeon. My students enjoy mysteries and have enjoyed this series. Since we have already read the first three books in the series, the students already know the characters and the author’s style of writing. This helped us to focus on vocabulary to ensure an even higher level of comprehension. As we start out using this graphic organizer, I will have students use a dictionary to confirm their definitions. The students also were able to use a thesaurus as needed. As the students learn to use this graphic organizer more they may not need to use these references as much.

Throughout the school year I have taught all my students how to place synonyms in the place of a word to understand its meaning. We have also worked a lot on finding context clues to help understand a new word. Therefore, these strategies have been pre-taught to my students. First I showed my students the graphic organizer and asked them what they thought it would be used for. I also started out by reviewing the terms with my students to refresh their thinking. Before having students forgo this task on their own, we modeled the word “squirmed” which I thought would be a word that would benefit all students. I guided the students in filling out the graphic organizer. Before sending students off to complete the reading, I gave them another word and a page number. They were to complete this word with a partner during the time allowed in class. Then they were to complete their choice of word on their own. I was able to check in with them the next day, where I could assess whether or not they were ready to find their own words independently in the future.

I felt that the use of this graphic organizer went quite well. I was actually surprised at how well it went. The students seemed to really grasp the concept of finding words they did not know to better understand the text that they were reading. The part of the graphic organizer that was a bit more challenging for my students was the section on synonyms. We practiced more of that together. I also needed to remind the students to make sure they used their word in a complete sentence of their own. One child wrote the same sentence from the book, and another child wrote a phrase instead of a complete sentence. The majority of the students were able to figure out exactly what their word meant by using the clues on the graphic organizer to help them. They were very excited about it and could see how it was helping them too. (Before its use they were not very enthused.) As with anything, this also is somewhat time consuming, but I think as I teach my students how to use it they will be able to check-in more with each other rather than taking group time. I don’t think I would change anything, but I do need to remind the student of specific aspects of the graphic organizer so they complete it correctly. Also, as I said before, I feel with more time the students will be able to perfect their use of the graphic organizer.

NAME: Marjorie Harter GRADE: 5th

SUBJECT being taught: Language Arts Reading

ORGANIZER used: T chart

 What is the English language proficiency range for students using the organizer? The Students range in language proficiency from Developing to Bridging  State the overarching understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. Good readers use many strategies to help them understand and use what they read.  State the topical understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. Competent readers respond to and interpret text to indicate an understanding of the author’s message.  State the content objective. Students will be able to communicate an understanding of the author’s message by completing the t-chart  State the language objective for students with lower language skills. Students will be able to independently select, read, and write one statement of text support connected to the key concepts presented in the prompt.  Identify a CHALLENGE language objective for students with higher skills.  Students will be able to independently say, write, and read, an I think statement connected to the key concept in the prompts in addition to the text support. As an indication of comprehension of the text.

 What materials did you use? I used a below grade level ISAT PREP passage. Explain briefly why they were appropriate for the range of learners. The fact that the text was below grade level allowed students to focus their energies on the meaning of the text rather than the decoding process.

 What directions did you give? I had stated the explicit objectives. In addition, we completed the first part of the organizer together. Students had worked in cooperative think pair share structures to sort text support and personal responses prior o this Students were allowed to share their responses in pairs. For example, did you use any cooperative structures or reading strategies?  How would you evaluate the application? Are the students able to respond to other text or questions with support of their position? Can they come up with at least two statements of text supports connected to the concept? Can the students then transfer the graphic organizer into a meaningful response

 Were there any surprises? I actually was surprised with the ease at which some of the lower students were able to utilize the organizer, while some of the higher performing students had difficulty. Graphic organizers are not a one size fits all. This is ttrue both for learners and tasks. Sometimes the organizer can be used in reverse as a check, particularly for higher functioning students, for some it can be restricting of their own cognitive processes.

 Is there anything you would change next time? I need to add some additional phrasing on each side.

NAME: Sharon Siciak GRADE: 5th grade

SUBJECT being taught: ESL pullout, expository writing

ORGANIZER used: The graphic organizer I used is an adaptation of the Frayer Model, used for writing. The center section had prompts for using a hook, question, or main idea for the first paragraph and a marquee saying “Coming Attractions” to prompt students to state the areas to be written about. The next three boxes had a puzzle piece in the upper corner for transitional words and three bullets for details. The last box had only a puzzle piece and was for the conclusion.

 What is the English language proficiency range for students using the organizer? Being a substitute (who has not yet taken assessments), it seemed the 4 students were developing or expanding, possibly bridging.

 State the overarching understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. Expository writing is an effective way to share information.

 State the topical understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. Sharks are fish, predators, and there are many types.

 State the content objective. SWBAT write an expository essay about sharks, describing the physical characteristics, eating habits, and at least three types of sharks.

 State the language objective for students with lower language skills. SWBAT write a 5 paragraph expository essay using a graphic organizer.  Identify a CHALLENGE language objective for students with higher skills. To accept a challenge, students could write a RAFT (role, audience, format, topic) essay, which is an essay from a different point of view. One student wrote from the viewpoint of a shark explaining why people should not be afraid of them.

 What materials did you use? Explain briefly why they were appropriate for the range of learners. A black and white, copied booklet on sharks, a colored book of ocean life, personal underwater photos, including a picture of a nurse shark, colored paper for round table activity, brain pop video on shark attacks, graphic organizer A lot of the materials supplied the needed information and the graphic organizer gave them a visual aide to plan their essay.

 What directions did you give? For example, did you use any cooperative structures or reading strategies? The sub plans said to finish reading the booklet, then students plan their expository paper using the graphic organizer. The teacher said they were familiar with the graphic organizer from their classroom, but they struggled with it. So I adjusted on Day 2. I began by showing them my photos from a dive trip that included a nurse shark. Then we paged through a colorful ocean book, concentrating on the shark pages. Then we used the round table activity with 3 sheets of paper with the headings “types of sharks”, “physical description”, and “predators.” The fourth student looked at my photos and book. I asked if this helped organize their thoughts, and the girls responded with an enthusiastic, “Yes!” The following day, we went over the round table information and reexamined incorrect information. There were a couple misconceptions that we cleared up. For instance, there was a picture of a manta ray on the page explaining skeletons made of cartilage, so some thought that manta rays were a type of shark. Afterward, the students filled out the graphic organizer, selecting information from the round table. When the graphic organizer was complete, the students created a 5 paragraph expository essay.

The students needed more scaffolding and modeling than I expected, from the information in the plans. I was surprised at the couple misconceptions discovered after the round table and I was surprised how difficult they were to correct. The students wanted to hold on to their misconceptions, even when they read contradictory information.

NAME: Theodora Megremis GRADE: 7 Special Education

SUBJECT being taught: Social Studies

ORGANIZER used: A comparison table  What is the English language proficiency range for students using the organizer? o One of the students who used this organizer is considered a level 3 ELL. The other is a native English language speaker.

 State the overarching understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. o The overarching understanding was that revolutions can change peoples’ lives.

 State the topical understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. o The topical understanding was that the Industrial Revolution changed the way people lived in the United States in the 1800s.

 State the content objective. o The objective of this lesson was to identify how the Industrial Revolution changed life for people living in America in the early 1800s.

 State the language objective for students with lower language skills. o The language objective was that students were to write similarities and differences between life before and after the Industrial Revolution using a table.

 Identify a CHALLENGE language objective for students with higher skills. o The challenge for students with higher language skills was to write a compare and contrast essay on life before and after the Revolution.

 What materials did you use? Explain briefly why they were appropriate for the range of learners. o I used a table to help students identify how life changed because of the Industrial Revolution in America in the late 1700-early 1800s. The students watched a United Streaming video on this topic. They then needed to complete the organizer based on facts from the video. The table had 2 columns – one called “Before I.R.” and the other called “After IR.” There were 8 rows, with each row stating a specific piece of information the students should identify from the video clip. I also left some cells so that the students could record Fun Facts or other interesting pieces of information. The students were each able to view the video on their own on individual computers, so if they needed to rewind to rehear some information they were able to do so without interrupting one another.

 What directions did you give? For example, did you use any cooperative structures or reading strategies? o I passed out the organizer and then reviewed with them how to read it. We read it together so that they knew what specific information to look for during the video. In addition to providing them with oral directions, the directions were also written on the worksheet. Due to behavior issues between the students, I was not able to incorporate cooperative learning structures.  How would you evaluate the application? Were there any surprises? Is there anything you would change next time? o I plan on doing this activity again next year. Next time, though, I would rephrase the instructions for the writing of the comparison paragraph. Although the students did this part well, I think it was because my oral directions were clearer than the written directions.

NAME: Lyn Comer GRADE: 10th Grade LEP World History

SUBJECT being taught: World History

ORGANIZER used: Venn Diagram/Sentence Prompt

Since this is an LEP World History class, most students fall between the levels of developing through bridging.

Early civilizations share numerous aspects of comparison, yet are also unique in their own manner.

The Maya, Aztec, and the Inca share numerous similarities in their advancements, religion, government and farming methods. Yet they also are distinctly different in their cultural achievements.

In groups of three, choose two early American civilizations to compare and contrast by completing the Venn diagram and sentence prompts.

The early American civilizations of the ______and the ______are alike in numerous ways. The most important similarity is that they both ______. Yet the ______and the ______are very different. The most striking difference between the two is ______. The ______are ______, whereas the ______are ______.  Identify a CHALLENGE language objective for students with higher skills.

In paragraph format without using the sentence prompts, students can compare and contrast two early American civilizations. The paragraph must contain two similarities and two differences. Students can also predict why they think these civilizations resemble each other.

World History: Holt Social Studies (Holt, Rinehart, Winston) This is the textbook we use for this course. It is written for a 6th grade reading level. During our textbook adoption, it was the only book that we could find that had a Spanish and English version. This was necessary since my colleague teaches the same course with the same curriculum, yet it is a bilingual course.

Prior to this Venn diagram, students were each given a particular section to read on the Aztec, Maya or Inca and completed a chart. Groups were then formed with one “expert” from each group. This information was then put into a large network tree detailing a comparison of the achievements, religion, government and farming methods of each civilization.

Following up on these network trees, I then gave each group a guided Venn diagram with aspects of comparison on the left side of the Venn. As a group, they were expected to pick two civilizations from their network trees and compare and contrast them in the form of a Venn diagram. Then using information from the Venn, they were asked to complete the sentence prompts on the backside of the Venn.

Students will see this same graphic organizer on the unit test. The directions will be similar to the directions that were given in class. Students will be given three choices, Aztec, Maya and Incas and will pick two to compare using a Venn diagram. They will then be asked to complete a sentence prompt.

I thought this lesson went very well. By reviewing the students’ sentence prompts on the back of the Venn diagram, I was able to view first hand what they learned from the lesson. After reflecting on this lesson, I was shocked (and even ashamed) to learn after eight years of teaching that I never correctly instructed students on how to complete a Venn diagram. Prior to this lesson, I did not have students (in sentence format), explain what the Venn diagram represented. I also previously failed to list the aspects of comparison on the side of the Venn. As a result, their Venn diagrams did not evenly compare and contrast two aspects. ASSIGNMENT 6: APPLY A GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

NAME: Matthew Guglielmi GRADE: 9 -12

SUBJECT being taught: World Geography ELL – Latin America

ORGANIZER used: Cognitive Map or Flow Chart (condensed version below)

Panama Canal

Why make the improvements? Benefits of the improvements

Globalization Impact

Benefits for Panama

Positives Competition to CanalNegatives 1)

 What is the English language proficiency range for students using the organizer? o In my class of about 20 students I have a mixture of levels from Beginning to Expanding. I have 3-4 at the beginning level, 8-9 at the Developing level, and another 8-9 at the Expanding level.

 State the overarching understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. Globalization is causing the integration of economies, cultures, and communication throughout the world.

 State the topical understanding(s) reflected by the organizer. o The Panama Canal has been a key geographic feature that has helped push globalization.

 State the content objective. o Students will complete a graphic organizer to identify the globalization impacts of the Panama Canal focusing on: reasons to improve the canal, benefits to Panama and other countries, as well as positive and negative issues related to competition for the canal.

 State the language objective for students with lower language skills. Students will use terms to show positives and negatives of a route; longer, more expensive, cheaper, complex, etc.

 Identify a CHALLENGE language objective for students with higher skills. The challenge was for students to write a paragraph stating which method of travel they would use if they were shipping goods from New York to Los Angeles.

 What materials did you use? Explain briefly why they were appropriate for the range of learners. I used an article from the internet about current conditions and problems of the Panama Canal. I eliminated sections of the article for lower level readers and kept some sections in for more advanced readers. Key terms were also placed in bold to help students focus on those terms.

 What directions did you give? For example, did you use any cooperative structures or reading strategies? Students were given a brief lecture and PowerPoint on the Panama Canal before reading the article and filling out the graphic organizer. The PPT was to give an introduction to the Panama Canal. Within the PPT students were also shown a live web camera of the Panama Canal to see a ship passing through the locks. The students were then introduced to the article and the structure of the graphic organizer.

 How would you evaluate the application? Were there any surprises? Is there anything you would change next time? The application worked fairly well. I think next time I might turn the graphic organizer into more a of two column note format which the students are more familiar with. The use of the live web cam was a vey good “grabber” for student interest.

ASSIGNMENT 6: APPLY A GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

NAME: John Cronfel GRADE: 9-12 SUBJECT being taught: History

ORGANIZER used: Venn Diagram

This is an 11th/12th grade “ESL American Studies” class. There are 10 students with a fairly even split between beginning and intermediate level students. There are six Mexicans, one Lithuanian, two Serbians, and one Thai student.

Migrations of people leads to change and challenges

Immigration into the United States has always been challenging for immigrants, yet also provides great opportunity.

Students will be able to complete a Venn diagram comparing immigration into the U.S. in the 1800s as compared to now, identifying how issues have changed or stayed the same.

Students will be able to properly place and pronounce key words/ideas from the reading and front board that were discussed before hand.

Students will be able to add one to three new ideas and issues concerning immigration issues today that we did not discuss in the reading or class and apply them to the Venn diagram.

I used:  A one page reading from History Shorts about immigration in the 1800s.

This only works once I have reviewed key vocabulary and main concepts, and then have them apply what they have learned from the reading.

 Students conduct a mutual interview in order to identify their motivations and concerns of being an immigrant today. This seemed to be the most focused and interesting part of the period for the students. They enjoyed the question-answer part, as well as the chance to share their stories.  Students select information they find interesting from -http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/newamericans/

 They are able to follow the life of an immigrant from a country of their choice  Discover the culture that different people bring with them, such as music, food, holidays etc.  Take a quiz that challenges a lot of stereotypes that people hold

This allows for a lot of choice since even listening to music is an option. I think the website is user friendly enough that even a pair of lower level students can gain something from it.

 A blank Venn Diagram Chart

The kids are used to this, but I did stress that student needed to create and specify their categories.

Since I carefully paired students to complete different, clearly explained worksheets it worked well for the most part. Students had clearly defined goals throughout the different activities. Students were able to help each other.

It seems that no matter how much I try, not every pair will be equally focused. I have to learn to accept this at a certain point, or accept that some students need to work alone. I think that I may have tried to force to much in a short period of time. I think this issue is worth extending a day or two more. I did not really have a final product for this unit. I well organized debate on immigration could be beneficial on several levels.