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Monica Unhold University of California, Davis, Spring (2013)

Comprehension of Complex Texts through Characterization “Comprehension of Shakespearean Literature through Characterization”. Monica Unhold University of California, Davis, Spring (2013) Under supervision of: Steven Athanases. Context of Inquiry: Community.

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Monica Unhold University of California, Davis, Spring (2013)

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  1. Comprehension of Complex Texts through Characterization“Comprehension of Shakespearean Literature through Characterization” Monica Unhold University of California, Davis, Spring (2013) Under supervision of: Steven Athanases

  2. Context of Inquiry: Community • Students from entire Sacramento City Unified School District • Diverse student body • 71 percent of students are socioeconomically disadvantaged • Approximately 1/3 of students are ELs • The school is in program improvement

  3. Context of Study: School • Small charter school – 256 students • Support from Gates Foundation • 1:1 computers • Character values: • Trust • Respect • Responsibility • Project-based learning • Summative inquiry project basis of instruction • Projects are interdisciplinary

  4. Context of Study: Focal Class • 9th grade iWorld – interdisciplinary English/Social Science • Course is not tracked • Class of 36 includes: • 3 ELs • 11 reclassified ELs • 2 IEPs, 1 504 • Classroom inquiry took place during a PBL unit on Romeo and Juliet

  5. Four focal students • Apple • High achieving re-designated EL • Melon • Current EL • Newcomer from Mexico • Pear • Redesignated EL • Exhibits first language interference in writing • Peach • Native English speaker • High skills but middle of the pack grades

  6. Apple: Early performance • High achieving student • Below grade level in all subjects according to CST scores • Excellent work ethic • Re-designated English learner • Subject-verb agreement often not seen in writing • Struggles to support opinions with textual evidence

  7. Melon: Early performance • English Language Learner • Newcomer from Mexico • Quiet/Introverted • Highly motivated • Struggles with subject/verb agreement

  8. Pear: Early performance • Re-designated English Learner • Very creative and outgoing • Participates in class discussions • Organization strong in writing • Subject/verb agreement problems

  9. Peach: Early performance • B student • Native English speaker • Very creative • Extroverted • Enrolled in the school’s leadership class • Does not submit a lot of assignments • CST indicates below grade level

  10. Baseline full-class observations • Students are struggle to find and cite evidence to support an opinion • Students have superficial views of characters • Students do not look deeply into character motivation • When student do not relate to characters in a text, it seems to reduce student engagement

  11. Instructional Design • Through a variety of activities students will be asked to expand their thinking about the text using both direct and indirect characterization processes • Student responses will be measured based on student ability to: • Infer character motivation • Consider alternative points of view • Predict future actions of characters based upon observed actions and inferred motivation

  12. Timeline

  13. Data Sources • Facebook profiles • Point of view • Slang translations • Character journals • Point of view • Reflect plot • Private reflection • Gossip columns • Point of View • Reflect plot • Reflect language

  14. Facebook profiles

  15. Focal student 1: Key: Yellow = Shakespearean vocabulary Green = Figurative language ! = plot details

  16. Focal student 4: Key: Orange = Modern slang ! = plot details

  17. Facebook Profile Assignment Analysis

  18. Character Journals

  19. Focal student 5: Key: Yellow = Point of View ✔ = plot details Green = Complexity

  20. Focal student 2: Key: Yellow = Point of View ✔ = plot details Green = Complexity

  21. Character Journal Analysis

  22. Gossip Columns

  23. Student 2 Key: Yellow = Language ✔ = plot details Orange = Point of View

  24. Student 1 Key: Yellow = Language ✔ = plot details Orange = Point of View

  25. Gossip Column Assignment Analysis *** Note: Focal student 3 did not submit this assignment.

  26. Student Surveys

  27. Focal student 1

  28. Focal student 3

  29. Themes from student surveys • Performance activities were ranked most useful by students in understanding characterization • Most students ranked the writing activities least helpful, despite data which indicates they expanded students’ comprehension • Students’ metacognition about process of developing character understanding appears limited

  30. Synthesis • Student engagement in characterization was evidenced in use of: • Point of view • Language (figurative and vocabulary) • Inclusion of plot details • A focus on characterization created high level of engagement in the reading of a difficult text • Ability to consider different character points of views enhanced overall comprehension

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