Language Arts Lesson Sequencing Grade 6 Carmen Giancarlo December 5, 2011

Table Of Contents

Lesson Plan One...............................................................................................................3 Handout: Jumbled Mountain View Xmas.....................................................................5 Reflection One...................................................................................................................7

Lesson Plan Two...............................................................................................................9 Handout: Frayer Model.................................................................................................11 Reflection Two................................................................................................................12

Lesson Plan Three..........................................................................................................13 Handout: News Article Assessment Criteria...............................................................16 Handout/Assessment: Writing Mastery Scale.............................................................17 Reflection Three.............................................................................................................18

References.......................................................................................................................19

The Jumbled Body Class: Grade 6 Language Arts Date: November 29, 2011 Unit: Newspaper Writing Lesson # within unit: 13 Length: 52 minutes Topic: Putting together a strong article body Materials/Resources/Equipment Needed: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Computers for some students Scissors Tape or glue Blank paper (~2 sheets per student) Handout: Jumbled Mountain View Xmas

Resources Consulted: - Alberta Program of Studies - Teacher Associate - Students articles as inspiration for exemplar Rationale: This lesson will connect to the learning outcomes in the Alberta Program of Studies for grade 6 English Language Arts because of its relevance to managing ideas and information as initial steps to writing an organized news article. GLO 3: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to manage ideas and information. SLOs: 3.1 Plan and Focus: Focus attention & Plan to gather info 3.3 Organize Information Intended Learning Outcomes (Learning Objectives): The students will be able to. . . 1. Group information according to similar ideas in an article into paragraphs. Procedure: Introduction: (10 minutes) 12:43pm-12:53pm 1. Tell students that they can go print their Christmas Program articles and hand them to me after instructions for the activity. If they havent finished their articles, they are to do so before they begin the activity. 3

2. Inform learners of the objectives: Today well be focusing on how to organize the article body. Body: (Development) (32 minutes) Learning activities: 1. 12:53pm-1:25pm Direct instruction: Show students the jumbled news article and explain to them that they will have to cut out each sentence and reorder them all to make a good article body. They will tape or glue the sentences of the article in their new order on separate sheets of paper. Tell them that they can add or take out some words for it to be more descriptive and to make sense. Class Discussion: What parts do we need to include in the lead? How do we know which sentences to put together? How do we know when to make different paragraphs? What strategies can we use to keep track of the sentences we cut out? Allow students to first go print and hand in their Christmas Program articles, and to finish them if they havent already done so. Then they may get started working independently (some conversation is okay). Extensions/sponge activities (if time permits): Share examples of how students ordered the jumbled news article. Brainstorm what else could be added to the article. Any other quotes? Descriptive words?

Closure: (10 minutes) 1:25pm-1:35pm Have students gather up any loose pieces and paperclip them together, put away other materials, and throw out scraps of paper. They will hand in what they have done so far to me. Assessment/Evaluation: Informal assessment- checking for understanding throughout lesson and encouraging participation writing (addresses LO #1).

Jumbled Mountain View Xmas

More Than A Mountain View As Christmas Comes Into Sight 1. On December 21, 2011, the Mountain View school will put on a Christmas program in their gym. 2. The program shows off school talent and provides entertainment for the people of the town. 3. Every year they perform a different play; this year, it is an Island Christmas. 4. Everyone will go to the gym and then the performers will move to the stage and begin. 5. There will be many different characters including: beach bums, reindeer, elves, pirates, Santa and Mrs. Clause, carollers, a nativity, Smurfs, and toys. 6. The only downfall is that some students are not as enthusiastic about the Christmas program as others. 7. The dance practice begins on December 1st and this is when rehearsals for the program begin daily for all students. 8. The school teachers all have a role in helping to put on the performance. 9. Mr. Quinton directs the entire performance. 10. Mr. Romeril takes care of the lighting on performance day and Mrs. Nelson does the scenery. 11. Mrs. West and Mrs. Neilson teach the music to all of the performers and Mrs. Walberger teaches the dancing.

12. Mrs. Webster and Mrs. Leishman take care of the props and Mrs. Jacobs is in charge of costumes for everyone. 13. Leading up to the program, the Junior High students practice two times a week and those in Elementary practice every day. 14. All of the Mountain View students are involved in the program, and everyone who wants a part is given one. 15. Students sacrifice their gym time in order to rehearse for the Christmas program. 16. Dress rehearsals start a week beforehand, and they take up a lot of time. 17. Mr. Leishmans 8grade 4/5 class will decorate the gym ceiling with snowflakes for the event. 18. All of the rehearsing can get tiring, and is not nearly as exciting as the final Christmas program. 19. The younger students seem to enjoy practicing much more than the older students. 20. A piano accompanist is used during song practice. 21. The program will begin in the evening at 7:00pm. 22. One student said, I wish we didnt have to miss out on gym time, but its worth all the practicing when the show all comes together. 23. The Mountain View Christmas programs have been a hit in the past, and there is no reason to believe that it wont be just as magical this year.

Reflection of The Jumbled Body 1. Description of lesson-as-taught My students all handed in the article that they were to have finished for the day. I then gave them instructions regarding the process of how to cut up and piece together the article that had jumbled sentences. This led to a discussion about how to group similar ideas and what is needed in the lead paragraph. I distributed the handouts and blank sheets of paper and the students got to work. Some students were unsure what the best way was to gather the information, so I suggested that they made stacks of sentences that were about similar things and then laid them out in the order they wanted, and finally separated them into paragraphs. All students worked to get their sentences in an order, but I had to stress over and over again that they should not start gluing until they have ordered every sentence. 2. Strengths and weaknesses of lesson as planned This lesson took much longer than I had anticipated. Some students barely had finished the cutting phase by the time class was over, when I had expected that most would be completely finished gluing all their sentences onto the paper by then. I did not plan for what to do if the pieces that students had cut out werent glued down before class was over. I also, therefore, did not allocate enough clean-up time. When the bell rang, I told them to just leave their papers and sentence pieces on their desks and I would collect them- this cut into my next class. It became apparent to me that this type of activity is very beneficial in writing to organize ideas, an area that most students struggle with. I got the idea from my Teacher Associate, who had done a similar one with her grade 7/8 class when they were writing persuasive paragraphs. 3. Strengths and weaknesses of lesson as taught I feel like I could have made my lesson introduction more exciting so that my students understood that it was a fun activity to do, and much better than having to write for a whole period. Perhaps I could have told them that they would get to take a brief vacation from writing to do a hands-on activity. Although my students didnt seem very excited when I introduced the activity, they did seem to be engaged throughout the lesson and eager to participate and order them correctly. My students were frequently calling me over to affirm that they were putting something in a good spot, or to ask about how they could include something. I didnt explain how to order the sentences very well, so I wasted some class time by having to re-explain to most students that they could cut out all the sentences, lay them all out, and then arrange them in groups, before deciding the exact order for them.

This activity obviously helped my students see exactly how they need to be organizing their articles by moving around information to get grouped with similar ideas. As I assisted my students, I could tell that the idea of organizing paragraphs was really sinking in, and I continuously questioned them to verify understanding. By the end of the period, all of my students were able to explain how an article body should be organized. 4. Implications for my professional growth This lesson made me think about how important it is to not only plan the activities really well, but also plan the direction I will take as a teacher in order to spark enthusiasm from my students. I think that if I start to consider what I would be interested in, as a student, I will do a better job of presenting material in a more exciting and meaningful way from the get-go. It also reminded me just how crucial it is to break down every single step, and even write them on the board. Just because the process seems simple and easy to me, doesnt mean it will be for the students.

The Article Body Class: Grade 6 Language Arts Date: November 30, 2011 Unit: Newspaper Writing Lesson # within unit: 14 Length: 52 minutes Topic: Putting together a strong article body Materials/Resources/Equipment Needed: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Computers for some students Scissors Tape or glue Blank paper (~2 sheets per student) Handout: Jumbled Mountain View Xmas Handout: Frayer Model

Resources Consulted: - Alberta Program of Studies - Teacher Associate - Students articles as inspiration for exemplar Rationale: This lesson will connect to the learning outcomes in the Alberta Program of Studies for grade 6 English Language Arts because of its relevance to managing ideas and information as initial steps to writing an organized news article. GLO 3: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to manage ideas and information. SLOs: 3.1 Plan and Focus: Focus attention & Plan to gather info 3.3 Organize Information Intended Learning Outcomes (Learning Objectives): The students will be able to. . . 1. Group information according to similar ideas in an article. 2. Reflect on what makes a good article body through the use of examples, non-examples, and characteristics. Procedure: Introduction: (7 minutes) 9:50am-10:00am

1. Inform learners of the objectives: Today well be focusing on the article body. 2. Distribute students clippings and sheets from last class. Body: (Development) (35 minutes) Learning activities: 1. 10:00am-10:25am Students will tape or glue the sentences of the article into organized paragraphs on separate sheets of paper. This will include a headline, a lead paragraph, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Tell them that they can add or take out some words for it to be more descriptive and to make sense. 2. 10:25am-10:35 Student will share examples of how they ordered the jumbled news article with a partner, and vice versa. They will then read it out loud and have the partner tell them if something doesnt make sense or if it should go somewhere else in the article. Extensions/sponge activities (if time permits): Brainstorm what else could be added to the article. How could we make it more interesting? Any other quotes? Descriptive words? Add more to their exit slips. Read silently.

Closure: (10 minutes) 10:35am-10:42am Students who finish ordering their sentences will complete the Frayer Model sheet on a Good Article Body and hand it in. Explain that essential characteristics are things that an article MUST include, whereas non-essential means that they are optional in articles (e.g., quotes). Non-examples are things that should never be in an article (e.g., false information). Those who dont have time in class can do/finish it for next class. Assessment/Evaluation: Informal assessment- checking for understanding throughout lesson and encouraging participation writing. Collect their reorganized articles and grade according to the -, , or + system (addresses LO #1). Collect and read through their exit slips, looking for signs of comprehension (addresses LO #2).

10

Frayer Model

A Good Article Body

11

Reflection Two on The Article Body 1. Description of lesson-as-taught This lesson went just as I had planned. I distributed their fragmented articles with their sentence pieces (thankfully, I didnt lose any), and they got straight to work. I was able to provide extra help to the couple students who needed it along the way. Students who finished looked over their articles and read them out to a partner to ensure they made sense. Then, they filled in the Frayer Model, which both of my Mentor teachers had told me about, to the best of their abilities. I had to explain how to fill out each section to each student as they begun, since they all finished at different times. When class was over, they all handed in their pieced-together articles and their exit slips. 2. Strengths and weaknesses of lesson as planned I needed to plan in time to explain how to do the Frayer Model to the whole class before they all started because they were all at different stages when it came time to start it, and I spent a lot of my time explaining the sheet to each student individually. Using the Frayer Model proved to be an excellent way to wrap up the activity, to make students reflect on what the purpose of it was, and what they learned throughout the process. Their exit slips, though some were more comprehensive than others, included all of the important information we had been going over, such as the importance of including the 5 Ws and the H and not to include false information. 3. Strengths and weaknesses of lesson as taught Students were able to work at their own pace, and those who finished earlier had something to do. I was able to provide extra help to the students who needed it because the rest of the class was busy working. The Frayer Model go them thinking about what we have been learning and made them reflect on what an article should have and what it shouldnt, but a lot of them didnt know how to do this right off the bat. I go them to discuss in groups what they thought they should fill in for each section, which seemed to make it easier for them to think of ideas and stay on-task. 4. Implications for my professional growth I definitely see the beauty of using an exit slip. It was clear to me what students had drilled in their minds, and what we still needed to review a bit more as I read them over later. I think that this is absolutely something that I will incorporate into a class once we have gone over, or done an activity using, new information.

12

Editing Articles Class: Grade 6 Language Arts Date: December 1, 2011 Unit: Newspaper Writing Lesson # within unit: 15 Length: 42 minutes Topic: Editing articles Materials/Resources/Equipment Needed: 1. 2. 3. 4. Students completed Jumbled Mountain View Xmas articles Students Christmas Program articles (without names) News Article assessment sheets for each student Writing Mastery Scale sheet for each student (already have)

Resources Consulted: - Alberta Program of Studies - Teacher Associate - Students articles Rationale: This lesson will connect to the learning outcomes in the Alberta Program of Studies for grade 6 English Language Arts because of its relevance to writing an organized news article and editing their own work as well as that of their peers. GLO 3: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to manage ideas and information. GLO 4: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to enhance the clarity and artistry of communication SLOs: 3.3 Organize Information 4.1 Appraise own and others work & Revise and Edit Intended Learning Outcomes (Learning Objectives): The students will be able to. . . 1. Explain verbally how an article body should/can be organized. 2. Fairly appraise the work of a peer using the assessment criteria and writing mastery scale. Procedure: Introduction: (10 minutes) 12:43-12:53

13

1. Inform learners of the objectives: Today well be discussing how you all organized the Jumbled article and then peer-marking your Christmas Program articles. 2. Distribute students reorganized article sheets from last class. Body: (Development) (35 minutes) Learning activities: 2. 12:53-1:08 Discuss as a class the different ways that students organized their Jumbled articles. What were your paragraph topics? Share a few examples of their leads. What did you use as a lead sentence? What did you use for a concluding sentence? Is it a concluding sentence just because it comes at the end, or does it need to have special information?

2. 1:08-1:20 Explain that when we mark another persons work, we are helping them become a better writer; dont be too nice or mean, just accurate. Remind them that because the article belongs to someone in the class, we cant say anything about it out loud, unless its a question for just the teacher. Read the grading criteria together and discuss how to know what the student deserves (e.g., Do they deserve a P? Why?). Distribute peer articles to students to mark and go over each section together. Read the first section that is graded, give them time to go through and pick a grade, then read the next one etc. Ask students to write feedback on the marking sheets. What could the articles author have done better to receive a higher grade? What did they do well? Extensions/sponge activities (if time permits): Talk more detailed about what it means to have complete sentencescomplete thought, not choppy, not a run-on, mix it up. Discuss more about how to conclude an article. Give them back their articles and have them look into what they can change/add to improve.

14

Closure: (5 minutes) 1:20-1:25 Brief summary of what we learned today about organizing ideas, the importance of good editing, and how to make an article stronger. Collect all graded sheets and let students keep their Jumbled articles. Assessment/Evaluation: Informal assessment- checking for understanding throughout lesson and encouraging participation in the marking process (addresses LO#1). Collect their reorganized articles and re-evaluate marks (that they gave each other) before recording them, using the Writing Mastery Scale (addressed LO#2): E (excellent), P (proficient), G (growing), N (novice), I+ (getting started), I (insufficient evidence).

15

News Article Assessment Criteria

Name: News Article Writing

Description of Skill
I can write a good lead paragraph with the 5 Ws & H that catches the readers attention. I can write my article in complete sentences. I can write an article that is interesting and descriptive. I can organize my article in paragraphs according to similar ideas and most important information to least. I can write an article that gives the reader all the available information.

Skill Level

Additional Comments:

16

17

Reflection Three on Editing Articles 1. Description of lesson-as-taught This lesson followed my plans really closely. First off, we were able to have a really good discussion about how students organized their Jumbled articles. I started them off by having them discuss in groups how they organized their paragraphs, so that when we started our class discussion, they were ready to share their answers. It was interesting to me to find that some students organized their articles quite a bit differently than I had when writing it. For example, one student organized their paragraphs according to the different times in the semester when things happened for the Christmas program while another had paragraphs based on activities. I then distributed the Writing Mastery Scale, which they had gone over in their morning LA class, and the News Article Assessment sheets. We went through the criteria and discussed what it meant if someone got an E, P, G, N, I+, or I for each characteristic. Then I gave out a copy of a peers article to each student, and ensured that no one got their own. I had previously photocopied them all, taking off the authors names in the process. We went through each area that would be graded as a class, and they marked down a grade for it. At the end they wrote down what that person did well, and what they needed to do to improve. 2. Strengths and weaknesses of lesson as planned It was great for them to familiarize themselves with the grading criteria for articles as well as the Writing Mastery Scale that they will be marked on. Reading another students work would help them to understand what an article looks like that is lacking essential components and/or how they can improve their own articles by adding more ideas in. In retrospect, I would have done this lesson after I did the lesson where I got them to grade provincial exemplars. This would have helped them to compare what they were giving the author to what their peers were, and then we would have discussed why it got a certain grade as a class. 3. Strengths and weaknesses of lesson as taught It was good to explain exactly how the grading scale worked and the criteria involved before handing out the articles for students to read and mark. This ensured they didnt start grading while we were still talking, and helped them focus. I was unable to guide students much without giving away whose article they were marking since the articles author could have been seated right beside them. 4. Implications for my professional growth I think that I need to work on thinking of a few lessons in advance rather than day-to-day planning. This would ensure that I teach lessons in the best order for the students to understand and grow from. 18

References Alberta Education. (2000). English Language Arts K - Grade 9 Program of Studies. Retrieved from http://www.learnalberta.ca/ProgramOfStudy.aspx?lang=en& ProgramId=404703# Roscoe, K. (2011). An introduction to curriculum & instruction: first steps towards effective teaching and learning. Victoria, B.C.: Metropolitan Publishing.

19