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EDU 742: Strategy Demo Reflection James Francis University of New England

EDU 742 Dr Clarke September 15th, 2012

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To view the strategy explained in this reflection, please use this link:
http://www.glogster.com/franciskerbob/27-club-glog/g-6l9blevbgggn3hfm5dk9ja0

Classroom Setting

The Pioneer Charter School of Science, or PCSS, is a small charter school located in Everett, Massachusetts. While the primary emphasis of PCSS is on science and math, is has a balanced foundation in the humanities (Pioneer). This is where I come in. Prior to my arrival at PCSS, there was no music or arts program or curriculum. This meant that I was able to design and creates my own program to my specifications and liking. The first place I began was with the 7th grade middle school general music curriculum. This curriculum is still in place, although it has seen a few updates to the technology aspect of the class. This is where the teaching strategies and Glog come into play. This lesson would be for a section of the Classic Rock unit I teach. Typically, during a class, I display a section of interactive notes on the board, and we have an open discussion about the notes while listening to the music of the day. Interactive notes are a strategy that PCSS has employed in recent years to help differentiate and accommodate all levels of students. In this strategy, students are given notes with key words left out. During the discussion, they fill in the blanks, and can then take the notes with them for further study. For the two strategies I have chosen in this lesson (Say Something and Exit Ticket), the students will be given access to the mobile laptop classroom our school has available. Students would pair up, and open the Glog. Each group would decide on a particular rock star, read their biography, listen to a song by that rock star, then discuss amongst themselves (also called Think-

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Pair-Share). Each student will have 30 seconds to share, then it will switch to the other student. After doing this, they will then select another rock star, read the biography, listen to the music, and compare the two rock stars. Once again, each student will have another 30 seconds each to share. Together, the students will then use the information gleaned in their history classes as well as in prior music classes to understand not only the rock stars contribution to music history, but also how the times affected the music and their lifestyle. Finally, at the end of the lesson, the second strategy will be used and the students will use an exit slip to do a 3-2-1 card (three interesting things learned, two questions, and one thing they would like to learn more about).

Resources

There are only a few necessary resources needed to perform this lesson. The first major necessity is the need for a computer. As this is done in pairs, one would need access either to a computer lab with enough computers, or a mobile laptop classroom. PCSS has taken great initiative to supply the teachers with all of the necessary technology to transform our classrooms into 21st century classrooms, so we have access to both. Ideally, we would have the mobile laptops. Another outstanding piece of technology that would help would be a SmartBoard. This is not only for demonstrating each portion of the exercise, but is also very helpful for maintaining order and timing throughout the lesson. The students will be switching from assignment to assignment on a specific time schedule, and the SmartBoard would enable the teacher to model and control this aspect of the lesson. The final resource that would make this lesson a great success is just a pair of earbuds for each computer. This would allow the students to listen in pairs (each student gets one earbud),

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keep one ear open to hear directions, and prevent excessive noise in the classroom that would otherwise disturb other classes.

Reading Engagement

There are several ways that this would help encourage active engagement in reading. First off, reading is built into the lesson. At two different steps along the way, the students will be reading mini biographies of different rock stars. Next, there is a choice of which biography to read (there are six different rock stars, and the students only have to read two of them). Having the choice to read what they want to read will encourage enthusiastic reading. Finally, the information is presented in a manner that the students are already familiar with. Most students of todays generation have some sort of electronic device at home that they consistently check on a day to day basis. Since this lesson is completed entirely on the computer, a student will feel more at home typing and reading off of a computer than they would do without electronics.

Relation to Research

There is much on the subject of proficient readers, but the biggest idea that stood out in my mind is the ability for proficient readers to be metacognitive, or being aware of ones own comprehension level. I know as I read a difficult test, I am constantly gauging my level of understanding, and adjusting my strategy as I read. For example, when watching the Powerpoint given in Module 2 on Fathers Butterflies, I noticed my strategy changing constantly. At first, I

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skimmed to see whether it was high order reading or easier reading. Once finding that it was high end reading, I tried to pinpoint a few vocab words I knew would throw me off if I was reading it straight forward (e.g. ad usum Delphini, or honnetes gens). Then, I proceeded slowly through the excerpt, chunking run on sentences as necessary. I do consider myself a proficient reader, and I use several of the techniques listed in the Powerpoint. I often skim for vocabulary, look at text structure and important info, I reread, and I constantly adjust the speed of my reading. However, I do not find myself visualizing. I noticed that the only times I tend to visualize on a regular basis is while reading fiction as opposed to non-fiction. In this lesson plan, I try to build in the techniques of being a good teacher of reading skills. I specifically take the time to model reading strategies at the beginning of the lesson, and show the students exactly how and what to read. I also make a strong attempt through the use of the strategies Say Something and Exit Tickets to continue having the students think about their reading process before, during, and after.

Relate to Reading

Daniels states that, young people need genuine choice of reading materials: at least half of what kids read should be self-selected, based on interest and curiosity (Daniels, p. 251). While the assignment itself is not an option, the parts within the assignment are fully chosen by the student. Having that selection based on what they want to read not only makes the assignment more interesting, but allows the student to make a stronger connection with the reading.

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Differentiated Instruction

There are many ways that this lesson can provide differentiated instruction to meet with the various types of learners. For students who are of the Musical Intelligence, the Glog includes a large audio component, and for Linguistic Intelligence, students are verbally able to provide feedback. Students who have other kinds of intelligences are also able to explore their learning ability in this lesson (PBS). This lesson also allows for students with disabilities of all kinds. A student who has a physical impairment and is unable to maintain fine motor control will be able to type a response on the computer the students are using. A student with an inability to hear will still be able to read and respond to the written biography. Many students with certain kinds of emotional or behavioral disabilities can also find comfort in music. Many of the ELL students will also find this lesson to work in their favor. Speaking for extended periods of time can be very daunting for a student whose English proficiency is not at a comfortable level. The speaking time is limited to 30 seconds, and the reading is all done with simple text, so an ELL will have an easier time learning. Finally, the gifted students will also get a chance to shine. There is a writing component after some of the speaking component. A gifted student will be able to craft their own thoughts onto paper after verbally expressing themselves to whatever degree they feel comfortable doing. Differentiation is one of the best ways for allowing students to connect to the lesson and the information given. When it is built in to begin with, a teacher will have no difficulty teaching to a variety of students with all different learning styles and difficulties on a plethora of topics.

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References Daniels, H., & Zemelman, S. (2004). Subjects matter: every teacher's guide to content-area reading. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. PBS: Howard Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences. In Educational Resources. Retrieved September 15, 2012 from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/education/ed_mi_overview.html.

Pioneer Charter School of Science. In About Us. Retrieved September 15, 2012, from http://www.pioneercss.org/about.jsp.