Emily Condon

2131 N 118th St. Wauwatosa, WI 53226 May 6, 2013 Ms. Lynn Davies, Principal Whitnall Middle School 5025 South 116 Street, Greenfield, WI 53228 Dear Ms. Davies: I am so thrilled that I am one of the applicants being considered for the position of sixth grade teacher at Whitnall Middle School. I have done field work in an eight and sixth grade classroom at Whitnall Middle School in the past, so I am honored to be considered for an interview. This is a wonderful school in a strong district, and I would love the opportunity to discuss my plans with you. My extensive work at Alverno College has prepared me not only to write a literacy plan, but also be able to apply these concepts to the classroom. I have grown and developed into an educator who is very aware of what works in a classroom and what does not work. I have made these discoveries through fieldwork and gained support of these ideas through my all-encompassing study of theorists and theories. I love teaching adolescent children and I feel they respond well to me. I have had experience in an eighth grade classroom and a sixth grade classroom at Whitnall Middle School, so I feel I can apply that knowledge to the sixth grade classroom I am being considered for. I would love to have the opportunity to discuss my qualifications and answer any further question you may have. I can be best reached during the evenings at 414-403-9744. Sincerely,

Emily Condon
Emily Condon Alverno Graduate, May 2014 Elementary to Middle Education with a focus on Science

Enclosure: comprehensive literacy plan

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Philosophy/Beliefs about Literacy Learning

As an educator, I have developed my philosophy about literacy in the content areas learning based on a comprehensive view of many theories, theorists, and different teaching models. The theories I have focused on in this literacy plan are Sociolinguistic Theory (Vygotskian and Critical Literacy/Social Justice Theory), Cognitive Theory (Interactive and Reader Response Theory) and Multiple Intelligences Theory. I believe that these theories work very well together; features of these theories complement each other well. Sociolinguistic Theory has a strong focus on language and social interaction in learning (Tomkins, 2010, p. 8). Two sub-categories of Sociolinguistic Theory are Vygotskian Theory and Critical Literacy/Social Justice Theory. Vygotskian Theory is focused on the social interaction, Zone of Proximal Development, and scaffolding. Critical Literacy Theory and Social Justice Theory is the ability to read texts in an active and reflective manner in order to better understand the power, inequality, and injustice that exists in human relationships. For Vygotskian Theory, this means that students engaged in activities with their peers and their teacher. I believe that students learn best through social interaction. Along with being involved in the classroom, Vygotskian Theory also states that language is very important to learning. Students also learn best when they are taught within their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). This means that a teacher must know and understand where a child is developmentally, and be able to teach in a way to push the student to grow, but not be teaching above what they can understand. I believe students learn best through scaffolded instruction. The teacher must scaffold activities, so the students understand what is expected of them. The reason scaffolding is effective is because the teacher uses think aloud to show the students how

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they should be thinking (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001, p. 16). I believe students learn best through a multicultural experience that can help them relate school to their home life. According to Vygotskian Theory, children learn best when they are provided with a multicultural experience that helps bridge the gap between home and school. By having a variety of cultures represented, this allows for a more engaging discussion, as well as assisting in helping the students to feel comfortable in the room. Students also learn best through authentic learning activities and authentic assessments. Authentic activities connect to real life experiences and help student to make those important connections to help students recall information later on. These students who bring more information, a new perspective, or an interesting experience to the class enhance the conversation and the understanding of what we are working on. I believe students learn best when they feel empowered and in control of their learning. This idea of empowering students also connects to the Critical Literacy/Social Justice Theory. Critical Literacy is when students read a text and understand the perspective or bias the text may have, what may not be written, but inferred, and what the authors intent for writing was, along with other ways of looking at text critically. Social Justice Theory focuses on taking a more active role as a reader. Students are exploring different texts, asking authors questions, sending them letters, researching issues in the community, and getting a greater understanding of issues that exist. These two theories work hand in hand. I believe students learn best when they are in charge of their learning. When students get to pick the topic they would like to cover, they are more engaged in the learning. When students are text users, they can understand the social relations around the texts. Students can challenge things they read, understand point of view, and draw their own conclusions.

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There are also Cognitive Processing Theories. Cognitive processing theories attempt to explain mental processes like reading and writing (Tompkins, 2010). Two sub-categories of Cognitive Processing Theory are Interactive Theory and Reader Response Theory. These theories work together to explain the way a student learns and how it is connected to the way they process information and respond to it. Interactive Theory, or Cognitive Processing Theory, involves looking at everything as a whole in order to get greater meaning of the text (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001, p. 204). When a student can connect images, charts or any other visual cue to the text, the student is more likely to understand to reading and the student is more likely to be able to recall this information at a later date. This encourages students to think beyond the text when they read to better understand the information (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001, p. 204). Reader Response Theory, or Transactional Theory, is the theory that everyone comes with their own set of experiences and everyone has a slightly different interpretation of the same text (Class Notes). Rosenblatt states that reading is a transaction between the reader and the text (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001, p. 163). When a student pays attention to everything, including the pictures, then a student is able to increase their knowledge (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001, p. 163). This strongly connects to Critical Literacy Theory, since both theories have a large focus on really paying close attention to what you are reading. In Reader Response Theory, through investigation, students are encouraged to explore books to help answer their questions. If they have a question or would like to investigate it, this would be an amazing opportunity for the students to make sense of what they are reading and connect it to their question. In Critical Literacy Theory, they are taking a deeper approach to evaluating the books they read. Both of these theories allow students to take ownership of their learning, which can be very beneficial in

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a classroom. When a student is in control of their learning, they feel empowered and tend to work and succeed at a higher level. I believe students learn best when their individual learning needs are met. The Multiple Intelligences Theory focuses on looking at students different ways of processing information and applies it into teaching strategies. This theory breaks down learners into nine different categories of intelligence. By giving students opportunities to showcase their knowledge in a variety of ways, When the Sociolinguistic Theories, Cognitive Theories, and Multiple Intelligences Theory are combined, it can be very powerful in a classroom. I believe that no one theory can stand alone: by taking parts of many different theories, it is possible to create a classroom in which all students have an opportunity to improve.

Range of Reading/Writing Behaviors

In a middle school classroom, it is important to understand the range of readers and writers. Although ages and grades are associated with the reading continuum and writing continuum, these are just guidelines. Students may be at grade or age level, but there is a good chance that a classroom will have a large range that a teacher must be prepared for. These students will range in age from 11 to 14 (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001). For reading and writing the students will range from inexperienced to exceptionally experienced (The Learning Record Assessment System, Class Handout). It is important to know that students may not fit exactly into the categories that are established by age as outlined in the following chart, but that is okay. These categories are a guideline for a teacher to use to better understand where a student is and

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how to help them to grow. Most students will fit somewhere in between the stages (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001, pp. 7-8). Reading Scale Reading Level 1 Inexperienced Description of Level Student has limited experience reading. Student reads easy texts with pictures or texts they have already read. Student needs a lot of support when reading unfamiliar texts. Student usually reads word by word, which decreases comprehension of text. Student does not read for fun. Student reads some material with sureness. Student prefers short books with illustrations: comics, magazines. Student needs help with informational books. Student is confident in reading and reading silently. Student can read for longer periods of time. Student may begin to reflect on what they have read. Student can pick books independently and use them to help with understanding new topics. Student is very self-motivated in their reading. Student can read demanding material for the class. Student can find multiple sources to support their research. Student is reflective and excited to read. Student can handle difficult texts and even some adult texts. Student understands different texts are read different ways. Student has a critical eye when reading. Writing Scale Writing Level 1 Inexperienced Description of Level Student can compose orally, but does not tend to transcribe what they say. Student writes the minimum and spells words phonemically or by memory. The punctuation marks do not usually help with the meaning of the sentence. Student takes some risks in writing. Student still struggles with prolonged writing on a single topic. Student can write familiar words and makes attempts at unfamiliar words that show a higher level decoding strategies. Uses

2 Less Experienced

3 Moderately Experienced

4 Experienced

5 Exceptionally Experienced

2 Less Experienced

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3 Moderately Experienced

4 Experienced

5 Exceptionally Experienced

punctuation consistently. Student is writing with confidence and using information they read to enhance their writing. Student can successfully write in many genres. Student is aware of audience, language and style. Student is able to write words that are familiar and uses the visual patterns in words to help spell unknown words. Student uses punctuation correctly. Student is self-motivated and can write for a longer period of time. Student enjoys writing in different styles, but still needs support. Student is likely to revise their own writing. Student uses good self-help strategies for spelling and uses appropriate punctuation. Student has a recognizable voice in their writing. Student can write with an audience in mind. Student can reflect on their own work with a critical eye. Student can use organization in their writing.

It is possible to have all ranges of readers and writers in a middle school classroom; it is actually very likely. Some students will be exceptionally experienced, while others will still be inexperienced. It is also possible for a student to be a strong reader, but a struggling writer or vice versa. The importance of this is to see where students are starting the year, where they are mid-year, and where they are at the end of the year. This should help show progress of the students throughout the year, as well as guide instruction. This is effective because it aims to set teach in the students ZPD, which is part of Vygotskian theory, so they are able to develop as readers and writers (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001).

Science Education Assessments

As a middle school teacher, it is my role to know and understand where my students are developmentally. Foe this section I chose to focus on Literacy in the content area of Science.

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This connects to the Vygotskian Theory of Zone of Proximal Development. Since it is so important to know where the students are understanding concepts and where they are still struggling. By doing formal and informal assessments of reading and writing, trying many different concepts and strategies, and providing a balanced literacy approach to instruction, it is likely that students are learning literacy concepts, skills and strategies. Reading Assessments What is it? It is a two column entry where one side is a quote or description of a part of the reading and the other is the strategy being taught: connection to quote, question about quote, or other strategy.

Assessment Double-Entry Diary (Tovani, 2004)

Connections Guide (Tovani, 2004)

It is a guide for students to make a connection, state the significance, and make a statement, question, visual or greater understanding.

Comprehension Constructor (Tovani, 2004)

This is a guide to help the students increase their comprehension of an article or reading. They will ask a question and identify if it can be answered for the article, inferred from the article, or if the teacher can answer the question.

Observation (Tovani, 2004)

The students will be participating in class

How is it helpful? Students are able to practice their reading strategies Students increase their interaction with the text and their comprehension Teacher can see how well they are comprehending the text Students are able to practice connecting to the text Students are able to draw further meaning out of the text Teacher is able to evaluate if the student is able to connect to the text and make meaning out of it Students are able to problem solve and use inference, along with article details, to answer their own questions Teacher can see where the student still has questions and even possible interest levels for the students in a particular topic Student will be able to verbally express if they

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discussions, as well as group discussions.

Running Records (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001)

Checklists (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001)

This assessment is used to analyze students oral reading for processing strategies. The teacher has a blank piece of paper and puts a check mark for every correct word and uses particular symbols for miscues. This assessment is where you have a list with students name and you check for observable behaviors.

comprehended what they read. Teacher can take notes about the students insights. Student has an opportunity to read out loud and see where they are getting stuck. Teacher gains insight into the strategies the student is using to decode words. Student can verbally explain their thinking. Teacher can do a quick check for understanding and see where there may be a need for further explanation.

Assessment Rubrics (One Point Rubric)

Writing Assessments What is it? This assessment is a way to see if a student is meeting criteria, exceeding criteria, or emerging.

Writers Notebook

This assessment is an ongoing notebook that is a dialogue between the student and the teacher.

Writing Projects

This assessment is used to assess the quality of their final draft for content and conventions, as well as the evolution of the students writing through their drafts.

How is it helpful? Student is clear on what the teacher expects of them. Teacher has a less subjective way to look at student writing. Student has an opportunity to interact with the teacher through their writing. Teacher gains insight into the authentic learning that the student is doing as they project it in their writing. Student is able to produce a final product showcasing their best effort. Teacher is able to see their use of conventions, drafts, and revisions to produce a final draft.

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Writing Checklists

Literacy Portfolio

This assessment is where you have a list with students name and you check for observable behaviors. This can be used to evaluate writing similarly to the rubric, but is just a check list, instead of a chart with different degrees of success. The portfolio is an assessment tool for teacher to look at the students work throughout the semester. It is a culmination of final drafts from different points in the year.

Student is clear on what the teacher expects of them. Teacher has a less subjective way to look at student writing.

Student is able to show the teacher the work that he/she is most proud of. Teacher is able to see the progress the student has made throughout the semester by evaluating early works and later works.

Assessment is at the core of every educational system. Although many assessment are required by the schools, district and state, that does not by any means say that those are the only times and only assessments that should be performed. Assessments should be given and/or recorded every day (Tompkins, 2010). Students are constantly demonstrating what they know or showing that they need to work on. It is vital that the teacher is aware of this and constantly monitoring the students progress in order to make instruction effective for the students. Reading and writing are crucial to the learning process. In science, lab reports are a means to convey what they learned. This is what most people think of when they think of science and literacy, but there is much more than that. Students can keep a double entry diary with their questions and answers about the chapters in the book or the readings. They can also keep a writing journal where they reflect on the science they encounter outside of class. Literacy is all around us and in every content area. It is important to create authentic assessments for science literacy in order to check for student learning.

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Science Education Strategies

There are many strategies that can be used in middle education. Each literacy strategy serves a specific purpose. Strategies are used to help teach students information; these are especially relevant after assessing students seeing where they are not understanding a concept. The following strategies can be used in the science classroom as needed. Reading and Writing Strategies What is it? Students are able to write down the important ideas of the text.

Strategy Summarizing/Main Ideas

Questioning

Students ask or write down questions as they read.

Making Connections

Students connect their prior experiences to the books they are reading.

Visualizing

Students picture what they are reading.

Predicting

Students think about what may come next as they are reading.

How is it helpful? This helps students to be able to synthesize what they read. This can be great to do is they just read a science article or if they are reading a chapter in the science text book. if they pause to summarize what they read, they are more likely to comprehend it. As students learn more in science, they become more curious. If they write down their questions, this helps to extend their learning and challenge them to make more connections to the text. Students can make connections to their lives as we read science concepts, or connect science concepts to their chosen reading books. Some concepts in science make more sense if you picture what they are describing. Students are challenged to think about what comes next. This can be helpful in science especially in

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KWL

Students are able to write what they know, things they want to know, and new learning about a topic.

Making Inferences

Students use the information in the text to draw conclusions.

Monitoring Comprehension

Students think about if the reading is making sense.

labs. We predict all the time. What do you think will happen next and why? Students can use this when they are researching a new topic. They may have some background knowledge on the topic, but the questions are the important part. This can help to guide research. Students can use this to draw larger conclusions with what is in the text. This can be helpful in science when they are reading about a topic or viewing an object. Limited information may be given, but they can make some logical conclusions for the text. Students are expected to read and understand what they have read. With students doing selfmonitoring of comprehension, they can go back and re-read if they dont understand.

By using different strategies as they read and write, the students are more likely to be successful. The books in the content areas can be very dense, so it is important to show the students these strategies to help them. Some students may not even be at grade level for reading, which makes these even more important. As students work through the articles, text, and other readings, the student should be able to understand and reflect on the readings; if they are unable to understand what they read, it is possible that the teacher needs to show them another strategy

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or scaffold a previous strategy again. In order for students to fully understand what they are reading, there must be more to homework than page numbers.

Science Education Instructional Components

In order to give students all the aspects of balanced literacy, it is important to incorporate instruction of: read aloud, write aloud, shared reading, shared writing, guided reading, guided writing, independent reading and independent writing practice. Each of these offers a different level of support for the students. Also included in this list are literature circles, because they can really add value to balanced literacy. In the following table, it lists the role of the teacher, students and environment surrounding each aspect of balanced literacy. Role of the Teacher Assess students Read text out loud Model thinking of good readers Engage students in the process of reading Make and objective (focused) Teach to the objective Choose a book Set expectations (plan) Practice Writing Using think aloud Plan Know objective Know what/why they are teaching the particular lesson Bring and/or create examples Role of the Student Interactive Read Aloud Pay attention Participation listen with a purpose Think about what they are hearing Make connections to the reading Share and respond Sit near the book Building stamina for focused attention Role of the Environment Be close enough to the book to see pictures Quiet environment (except when answering questions) Comfortable Safe Inviting Risk-free Rich/dense books

Modeled Writing (Write Aloud) Listening Viewing Participating Thinking about what they are seeing

Sitting in close range on a rug Use an easel, document camera, overhead projector or smart board

Shared Reading

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Assess students Read text out loud Model thinking of good readers Engage students in the act of reading Make and objective (focused) Teach to the objective Choose an appropriate book Set expectations (plan) Plan multiple lessons Practice Support decoding strategies Does all of the writing Models and thinks aloud Chooses the topic (using awareness of class experiences) Guides students responses End with an invitation when you are writing Plan based on students needs Engage Pre-activity Picture walk Review strategies (anything relevant to the lesson) Hand out books Assist Guide Help Coach students Match books with the students zone of proximal development Include a related activity Have centers established

Listening Viewing Participating Thinking about what they are seeing Observe text as teacher reads Connect words to illustrations Read with teacher

Be close enough to the book to see pictures Comfortable Safe Inviting Risk-free Text that all students can see (either on the SMART board, doc camera, or every student holding a copy of the book) Appropriate text and illustrations Easel

Shared Writing Mini Lessons Gives ideas for content and composition Participating in the revision to standard English Watching to writing process Guided Reading Active Independent Work simultaneously Respond Ask questions Read out loud Read in pairs Participate Take books home Practice

Sitting in close range on a rug Use an easel, document camera, overhead projector or smart board

Close to students Small group instruction Risk-free environment Appropriate text for their ZPD Different types of texts for students with increasingly different interests

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Break into small groups formed by the teacher based on the students needs Groups based on writing needs as determined by assessment Guiding and coaching students application of the skill or strategy Select five or six books with a similar theme or author or skill for the students Provide multiple copies provided for each and the students are given a book talk Form groups to read together and respond to the book The teacher sits in on the discussions Assessment to determine independent reading level Provide appropriate materials Conferring Monitoring Monitoring Provide materials for writing Context set for writing

Guided Writing Writing Participating in practice Responding to coaching or writing independently They always have the option to read an author and write about their styleetc

Meeting place (a kidney shaped table) Centers around the room

Literature Circles Select a book based on their interests and reading level Read and come prepared for group discussions Take ownership of their reading, since they chose it Participate in group discussions Respond to the book Ask questions Respond to prompts Independent Reading Reading independently Quiet reading time (whisper to silent reading) Engaged in reading

Small groups Sit in close proximity, around a table or in a group of desks Support through students and teacher Hold students responsible for their own learning

Space (must be organized) Books at different levels Newspapers, magazines, recipe books Block of time set aside

Independent Writing Write Try new styles of writing Create new ideas Work on existing ideas

Organized materials Accessible materials A place to share writing (bulletin board)

As a student develops in their reading and writing skills, they can move towards more independent work. The teacher still plays an active role in their education; however, the student does a lot more self-monitoring. Even if a student is ready to do independent work, this does not

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mean that is all they will do either. It is important to do more guided practice with new information or concepts. Even a strong independent writer needs scaffolding on how to write a lab report. All the components of balanced literacy build on and support each other. My philosophy, the range of readers and writers, assessments, strategies, and instructional components are all connected. In order to address students needs, parts from all of these components need to be interwoven together. This is how a student achieves success. Self-Reflection I have grown a lot in my knowledge of the standards and theories. I feel I have a much better understanding of standard number 4, but I still need to work on developing standard number 1, standard number 3 and standard number 10. These will be my focus as I move on in my educational career. Standard number 4 focuses on teachers knowing how to teach. I feel that I have done a good job of showcasing that I know many different techniques and ways to teach students. This includes my knowledge of the range of students I will have, to the assessments and strategies I can use with the students. I feel that I have really grown in this area and this is a standard I think I have excelled in. Standard number 1 focuses on the teacher making meaningful learning experiences and understanding the frameworks that go with them. Although I feel I understand how to make authentic learning experiences, I still feel like I need to make stronger connection to theory in this literacy plan. I know I still want to work on making better connect them to the theories and theorists. I also feel that I have some really good ideas, but by having the theories and theorists

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connected to them, I think they would be much better. In order to do better with standard number one, I will continue to work with the theories and theorists so I can make stronger connections in my literacy planning and create a better understandings and more substantial support as I move forward. Standard number 3 focuses on adapting instruction for all students, including exceptional learners. I feel that I have done a good job having my lessons adaptable for students who struggle, but I dont feel that I have included this in my comprehensive literacy plan. I know I must be accommodating the gifted students who are finished with their work early and strive to be challenged, but I did not really do this in my literacy plan very much. Every child needs to be challenged, so that is what I will need to work on. In order to enhance standard 3, I plan to use some of the new theories I have learned about this semester to come up with questions and activities to challenge a range of students. The key will be to design a literacy plan that has strategies that dont make more work for the gifted students, but instead challenge them at a greater level. This reflection allows me to see what standard I feel I have really met, but also more importantly where I still would like to improve, and how I plan to do it. By reflecting at this point in my educational career, I am able to better understand how I am doing and what I still want to do before I graduate. This is a great skill to develop because I plan to self-reflect once I graduate as well. It is good to see your strengths and where you would like to improve. Continuous reflection creates a lifelong learner and will make me into the teacher I want to be. I want to always be improving.

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Work Cited Bear, D.R. (2012). Words their way. (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson Education. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. (2001). Guiding readers and writers: Teaching comprehension, genre, and content literacy. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Tompkins, G.E. (2006). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach. (5th ed.) Columbus, OH: Pearson Education. Tovani, C. (2004). Do I really have to teach reading. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.