Blog Entries, Unit Reviewing/Analysis, Day 4 & 5
September 13, 2023
Unit and Lesson Analysis- Day 4
Grade: 5
Unit: Fundamentals of Reading Fiction & Making Meaning:
In comparison, my unit plan has a broader scope, spanning the entirety of a quarter, and encompasses key elements such as learning objectives, essential questions, and enduring understandings. It also features comprehensive details about learning strategies, tactics, and routines, along with the incorporation of educational standards and various instructional resources. On the other hand, the UDL lesson plan is highly specific, offering intricate daily guidance and implementing all three principles of Universal Design for Learning. It focuses on a single lesson with a strong emphasis on flexibility and inclusivity to meet the needs of all students within that specific class session. In my opinion, these two planning approaches can work together to create a cohesive and inclusive learning experience.
September 13, 2023
Unit Reviewing/ Enduring Understanding- Day 4
As a grade 5 teacher, I've crafted a set of enduring understandings for our "Fundamentals of Reading Fiction & Making Meaning" unit. This unit encompasses captivating literary works like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," short stories from "Every Living Thing," and level books. These enduring understandings serve as my guide, intended to steer my students through a literary voyage. They enable each of my students to dissect the core elements of literature, including characters, settings, plot, and conflicts. My ultimate objective is to nurture critical thinking, amplify comprehension, and foster a deep-seated appreciation for the craft of storytelling.
My current enduring understanding is as below, and I mostly focused on EU number 1:
- The main character’s desires and struggles across the events of a story reveal the author’s purpose, the gist or message of a story.
Throughout our exploration of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Every Living Thing" short stories, and level books, I've consistently encouraged my students to unravel the intricate layers of storytelling. Together, we've delved into how a main character's desires and struggles not only shape the story's purpose but also convey its very essence. We've been captivated by how settings paint vivid contexts and moods that breathe life into narratives. We've eagerly followed the twists and turns of conflicts, appreciating how they evolve through rising actions, and savored the resolutions that gracefully unfold in falling actions. Above all, we've recognized that the plot serves as the sturdy scaffold, providing structure to the tales we've encountered. These enduring understandings have not only enriched our literary journey but have also empowered each student to become a more discerning and thoughtful reader.
*After inputting my enduring understandings into ChatGPT, I received the following response: The enduring understandings you've designed for your grade 5 unit, titled "Fundamentals of Reading Fiction & Making Meaning," which encompasses materials like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," short stories from "Every Living Thing," and level books, exhibit a well-structured framework that harmonizes with fundamental literary concepts. These enduring understandings serve as a robust foundation, empowering your students to delve into the realm of literature. Simultaneously, they foster the development of critical thinking skills while enhancing students' comprehension and enriching their grasp of storytelling.
I did not change "The main character's desires and struggles in a story are essential elements that reveal the author's purpose or message", because these elements drive the narrative, convey character development, and serve as a lens through which readers can explore universal themes and the author's intended meaning.
It seems like I have a comprehensive plan for assessing and enhancing my students' literacy skills through a combination of major projects, formative assessments, and self-assessment strategies. Here's an overview of how each component contributes to the overall assessment and learning process:
Major Projects:
Primary Level Project (Literary Essay): This project assesses students' ability to analyze characters, understand plot structures, and provide evidence to support their interpretations. It also emphasizes the importance of written communication, a critical skill for academic and real-world success.
Secondary Level Projects (Book Club Conversation and Presentation): These projects encourage students to engage in meaningful conversations and presentations about literary works. They assess their ability to discuss and articulate their thoughts, fostering communication skills essential for both university programs and the workforce.
Formative Assessments:
Exit Slips: Daily questions and prompts specific to the lesson's learning points help gauge students' understanding during the unit. This provides immediate feedback to adjust instruction as needed.
Journal Entries: Journaling allows students to reflect on their learning progress, identify areas for improvement, and articulate what they have learned. It promotes metacognition and self-assessment.
Graphic Organizers and Rubrics: The use of graphic organizers and rubrics for various literacy traits and skills helps students track their progress and understand the criteria for success. It aligns with the enduring understandings and learning points, fostering self-assessment.
Fountas & Pinnell: These assessments provide insights into students' reading levels and comprehension abilities, helping to tailor instruction to their needs.
Self-Assessment:
Metacognition Reflection: Daily meta-cognition reflection encourages students to think about their thinking, promoting self-awareness and the ability to monitor their own learning progress.
Journal Prompts: Journal entries asking students to describe what they've noticed, what made them think, and what they want to learn better encourage them to assess their learning and set goals for improvement.
Enduring Understandings and Learning Points: These provide a clear framework for students to assess their own comprehension and critical thinking abilities in relation to the content and skills being taught.
Overall, my assessment plan appears well-designed to foster literacy skills and critical thinking, aligning with real-world applications and preparing my students for both higher education and future careers. The combination of major projects, formative assessments, and self-assessment strategies provides a holistic approach to measuring and improving student learning outcomes.
The unit and assessments I've described do incorporate elements aligned with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. However, I acknowledge that ensuring full UDL compliance requires careful consideration of the specific needs and diversity of my students. Here's how my unit and assessments relate to UDL expectations:
Multiple Means of Representation:
Graphic Organizers and Rubrics: Providing graphic organizers and rubrics caters to different learning styles and helps students organize and understand the assessment criteria.
Multiple Means of Engagement:
Choice in Projects: Allowing students to choose from different types of projects (e.g., literary essays, book club conversations, presentations) can increase engagement by accommodating their preferences and strengths.
Metacognition Reflection: Daily metacognition reflection prompts self-awareness and can help students become more engaged in their learning.
Multiple Means of Expression:
Variety of Assessments: Offering various assessment formats, such as written essays, oral discussions, and presentations, provides students with options to demonstrate their understanding and communication skills.
Journal Entries: Journaling allows for personal expression and can be particularly beneficial for students who may struggle with traditional assessments.
Flexible Materials and Methods:
Fountas & Pinnell Assessments: Tailoring instruction based on individual reading levels and comprehension abilities demonstrates flexibility in your approach to meet students where they are in their learning.
Supporting Executive Function:
Exit Slips: These quick, daily reflections can help students develop executive function skills such as goal-setting and self-monitoring.
While my unit and assessments include many elements that align with UDL principles, it's important to consider further ways to differentiate and provide additional support for students with diverse learning needs. For example, I might consider:
Offering alternative project formats to accommodate students with disabilities or different learning preferences.
Providing additional scaffolding or support for students who may struggle with metacognition reflection or journaling.
Ensuring that materials are accessible to all students, including those with visual or hearing impairments.
Incorporating options for digital tools or resources to enhance accessibility for students with diverse needs.
Ultimately, the effectiveness of my unit and assessments in meeting UDL expectations will depend on how well they accommodate the unique learning profiles of my students and provide equitable opportunities for all learners to succeed.
1. Readers think about the character’s desires and struggles.
2. Readers walk in the shoes of the character, entering the imaginary world of the story.
3. Readers come to know characters by their actions, choices, relationships, and by the objects that are important to them.
And they notice when a character is acting out of character.
4. Readers examine ways others interact with the main character, and they notice patterns of behavior.
5. Readers think about how the secondary characters in a story have meaningful roles, through which they learn about the main character.
6. Readers determine a character’s personality traits and anticipate the character’s response to events.
7. Readers think about how characters change across the events of the story.
8. Readers differentiate between a static character (no change over the course of the story) and a dynamic character
(changes over the course of the story).
9. Readers interpret how the setting affects the character.
10. Readers reflect upon how the setting contributes to the mood of the story.
11. Readers anticipate how the conflict of a story might unfold through the character’s desires and struggles across the rising action.
12. Readers recognize how the conflict is made clear at the high point or a turning point in the story. This is the climax of the story.
13. Readers anticipate the climax is near when the character’s desires and struggles seem to fully play out, when the suspense builds to a turning point.
14. Readers categorize the conflict of the story as being one or more of the following:
> person against person
> person against self
> person against nature
> person against time
> person against society
> person against fate
15. Readers know that the falling action of the story leads to the resolution.
16. Readers reflect upon the story, thinking about how the resolution to the conflict brings a natural,
thought-provoking, and/or surprise ending to the story.
17. Readers recognize that the resolution to the conflict reflects what the characters have learned
about life through the events of the story.
18. Readers know and understand the plot (story mountain) and its five parts: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action,
and Resolution.
19. Readers carry forward inferences across the story to make interpretations and reflections about the story, supported by evidence from the text.
20. Readers think about how a character’s actions and choices across events of the story may be symbolic of the story’s theme and message.
21. Readers think about and understand the story’s message, which reflects the author’s purpose.
22. Readers develop enduring understandings and generate essential questions from the story’s plot.
23. Readers make meaning by inquiring and interpreting, “Why did the character act that way?
(Readers support their thinking with text-to-self, text-to-world, and text-to-text evidence.)
24. Readers make meaning by inquiring and interpreting, “Was it right or wrong for the character to act that way?
(Readers support their thinking with text-to-self, text-to-world, and text-to-text evidence.)
25. Readers make meaning by inquiring and interpreting, “What did the character get from acting that way?
(Readers support their thinking with text-to-self, text-to-world, and text-to-text evidence.)
26. Readers make meaning by inquiring and interpreting, “How am I like the character in this story?
(Readers support their thinking with text-to-self, text-to-world, and text-to-text evidence.)
27. Readers make meaning by inquiring and interpreting, “What is the message or gist of the story?
(Readers support their thinking with text-to-self, text-to-world, and text-to-text evidence.)
28. Readers make meaning by inquiring and interpreting, “How has the message of the story changed the way I think?
(Readers support their thinking with text-to-self, text-to-world, and text-to-text evidence.)
TYPES OF COMPREHENSION
Readers retell or summarize, in their own words, what has been made explicit in a story (fiction) to demonstrate literal comprehension; readers retell or summarize by covering the elements of a story.
Readers read between the lines and put two and two together to think about what is implied - what might be true; readers carry forward thinking and make connections to make inferences, interpretations, and reflections.
CRITICAL THINKING
Readers develop critical thinking by knowing, understanding, and applying cognitive processes.
TRAITS OF CONVERSATION
Readers develop conversational skills by knowing, understanding, and applying the Traits of Conversation.
Upon reviewing my current learning goals, I've come to recognize that they are extensive and in harmony with literacy standards. However, there is room for improvement in terms of simplification, enhancing clarity, and establishing priorities. By aligning these goals with assessments and ensuring effective communication with students, their effectiveness in guiding the learning journey can be significantly enhanced. Below is a revised versions of these learning goals:
Learning Goal 1: Readers think about the character’s desires and struggles.
Strengths:
Encourages empathy and critical thinking about characters.
Areas for Improvement:
Lack of specificity and measurability.
Revised Version for a UDL Lesson: "Students identify and analyze the desires and struggles of a central character in the story, supporting their observations with evidence from the text."
Learning Goal 2: Readers walk in the shoes of the character, entering the imaginary world of the story.
Strengths:
Encourages deep engagement and empathy with the story.
Areas for Improvement:
Clarity and measurability.
Revised Version for a UDL Lesson: "Students immerse themselves in the story's world by adopting the perspective of a character, understanding their experiences and emotions."
Learning Goal 3: Readers come to know characters by their actions, choices, relationships, and by the objects that are important to them. And they notice when a character is acting out of character.
Strengths:
Encourages close reading and analytical thinking about characters.
Areas for Improvement:
Complexity and clarity in the second part.
Revised Version for a UDL Lesson: "Students analyze characters through their actions, choices, relationships, and significant objects. They identify when a character's behavior deviates from their established traits."
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