Integrating Strands Using Thematic Planning

1. Integrating Strands Using Thematic Planning Emily Stains

2. Background • Secondary Literacy Curriculum Specialist • Chesterfield County Public Schools • Starting 12th year in education • Certified K-12 Reading Specialist • NBCT in Adolescent Literacy • Former Department Leader • Collaborative, College Prep, Honors, and AP Literature • AP Lead Teacher for Henrico County Public Schools • Let’s keep in touch! • emily_stains@ccpsnet.net • emily_stains314

3. Learning Target & Success Criteria • I understand how balanced literacy and state standards inform my teaching to integrate strands into thematic units and lesson planning. • I know I will be successful when I can create an integrated lesson plan within a thematic unit.

4. Agenda • Define Balanced Literacy • Create a thematic unit • Build integrated lesson plans

5. Balanced Literacy • Teachers should integrate critical reading, writing, research, communication, and collaborating to deepen student learning and impact achievement. This is accomplished through balanced literacy. Balanced literacy is an approach to teaching that incorporates direct instruction via mentor texts to target and improve specific reading and writing practice. • How is balanced literacy accomplished in practicality?

6. QFOCUS: Using thematic units to frame instruction • Write as many questions as you want. • No discussion. No judgement. No clarifying. • Capture the exact quoted question. • 3 minutes! • Number your questions. • Turn your closed questions into open-ended ones. • Choose the three most important questions as a group and circle the numbers. • Consider why you chose those three questions. • Did you notice where your priority questions fell in a numerical order? QFTStrategy

7. Quote • “All genuine learning is active, not passive. It involves use of the mind, not just memory. It is a process of discovery in which the student is the main agent, not the teacher. How does a teacher aid discovery and elicit the activity of the student’s mind? By inviting and entertaining questions...” Mortimer Adler (1982)

8. Starting Point • Step 1: Skills? • Determine the goals, essential question(s), and skills students will know upon completing the unit • Step 2: Assessment? • Performance tasks, other evidence (i.e. quizzes, tests, homework), and student reflection is incorporated • Step 3: How will students acquire these skills? • What learning experiences, instruction, and platforms will allow students to achieve the desired results?

9. Jim Burke Quote “Too often underachieving students have no opportunity to ask or respond to questions that would connect school to their lives outside.” Jim Burke

10. Unit planning drives lesson planning How would our units change if we gave students a Qfocus, and they generated the questions we would explore via texts?

11. Unit Planning: Theme (1 of 2) Nonfiction: Mentor text to facilitate a mini-lesson, leveled practice, independent practice, and paired practice Writing and Grammar: Use mentor texts to have students explore how to write a persuasive essay and determine components. Write something everyday. Media and Visuals: There is so much power in a TedTalk, a YouTube video, a visual, a song. Let it serve as a mentor text, a QFT, a supplement. Communication: Give opportunities for them to connect and share without fear of a correct answer.Model how different audiences require a different communication style. Poetry: Mentor text to facilitate a mini-lesson, Leveled Practice, Independent Practice, Paired Practice Fiction: Mentor text to facilitate a mini-lesson, leveled practice, independent practice, and paired practice

12. Unit Planning: Theme (2 of 2) •Activating Prior Knowledge •Connection from previous day’s skill •Foreshadowing/building prior knowledge for today’s skill •Focused literacy skill with SSR text •SSR •Classroom libraries •Matching students with the right texts •Practice what we preach •Mini-lesson •Direct instruction to guided practice to partner practice to differentiated, independent practice •Reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary incorporated throughout anchor and guided practice texts •Summative assessments/PBA How could your classroom change if you let young adult novels drive your mini-lesson?

13. Determine a Skill to Reinforce (1 of 2) Skill: Analyze the effect characterization Determine the elements of characterization students should consider in their analysis Choose a mentor text to model the skill From The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas I get lost again as classmates and teachers that I don’t know are discussed. I can’t say anything. Doesn’t matter though. I’m invisible. I feel like that a lot around here. In the middle of them complaining about Denasia and their teachers, Kenya says something about getting another drink, and the three of them walk off without me. Suddenly I’m Eve in the Garden after she ate the fruit—it’s like I realize I’m naked. I’m by myself at a party I’m not even supposed to be at, where I barely know anybody. And the person I do know just left me hanging.

14. Determine a Skill to Reinforce (2 of 2) Skill: Analyze the effect characterization Determine the elements of characterization students should consider in their analysis Choose a mentor text to model the skill From Pride and Prejudice "Come, Darcy," said he, "I must have you dance. I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much better dance." "I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. At such an assembly as this, it would be insupportable. Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with."

15. Sample English 9 Unit Plan Unit Theme: What does it mean to be “happy?” Link to SampleUnit QFocus: Happiness is determined by your perspective. -QFTStrategy

16. William Damon Quote William Damon (2008) writes that“...young people do best when they are challenged to strive, to achieve, to serve...fails to address the most essential question of all: For what purpose? Or, in a word, Why? For young people, this concern means starting to ask--and answer--questions such as: What do I hope to accomplish with all my efforts? What matters to me; and why should it matter? What is my ultimate goal in life?”

17. Thank you! ANY QUESTIONS? You can find me at ⊷@emily_stains413 ⊷emily_stains@ccpsnet.net I loved learning with you today. Let’s keep in touch!!

18. Disclaimer • Reference within this presentation to any specific commercial or non-commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer or otherwise does not constitute or imply an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Virginia Department of Education.