Strategy II-Sternberg UVA 10

Enduring Understandings /Essential Questions:

Expert Practitioner Apprentice
Writersstructurenarrativesusingtheelementsofsetting,character,andplottosupportconflictandrevealtheme.
(10 pts) (9pts) (8 pts)
Preparation The student is The student is The students notes are
thoroughly prepared and sufficiently prepared and present, but lack
Gifted Subject Area: Advanced . It is reflected
organizedEnglish 6 organized and it is completeness, accuracy
in his/her response. reflected in his/her and depth. This is
Targeted Audience: Notes are complete, response. Notes are reflected in his/her
accurate, and ofin-depth. adequately complete, response. Chapters are
This group of gifted learners consists students divided into four classes of 24, 25, 25, and 26. There are 53 boys and 49 girls.
ALL chapters are accurate, and in depth. missing from product.
All students are identified as gifted though each hasSOMEuniquechapters
learning are
needs. We have one legally blind student that has severely
decreased hearing in onecovered
ear. Onethroughout
of our students uses an FMinsound
covered system and another is diagnosed with a visual processing
product.
product.
disorder. Eight students have health needs associated allergies/asthma. One has experienced traumatic brain injury and two
others have weak immune Thedisorders. And finally,
student worked well one diabetic
The studentstudent.
worked The student had trouble
Participation
during allotted time during allotted time working during allotted
Classroom Context: frame. The student was frame. More time was time frame. The student
This strategy was implemented in the middle
able to articulate mainof reading the novel
needed. Oliver Twist by
The student wasCharles Dickens.
not able The students have been
to articulate
guided through each of the assigned
points: chapters.
setting, main The focus has been
was able to identify main
to articulate maincharacters, introduce challenging
points: setting,
characters,
vocabulary, discuss significant social
events, understand thesome main
basic plot,points:
and uncover key main characters,
social social is trying to reveal to
issues Dickens
the reader. This was our issues, and important
fifth reading section, so thesetting,
studentsmain
havecharacters,
already used issues, and
a variety of important
graphic organizers. They also have
a solid understanding ofevents.
novel thus far. The Sternberg social issues,
Strategy and them toevents.
allowed analyze the text in a variety of ways.
important events.

Product The students responses The students responses The students responses
VBOs
were rich, insightful and were above average and did not demonstrate
6.1 The student will participate in and deep
demonstrated contribute to demonstrated
small-group activities.
some (SOLdeep 6.1) thought and lacked
6.1.1 Communicate as leader andThe
thinking. contributor.
responses(SOLdeep
6.1a)thought. They insight. They indicated
6.1.3. Summarize and evaluate group
illustrated the activities.
students indicated that the the student could do little
6.1.5. Demonstrate responsibility for individual
ability to read beyond andstudent
group learning activities.
is capable of beyond read what was
6.1.6. Exhibit sensitivitywhat
to different
is on theideas and opinions
pages among
reading morepeople.
than what on the pages.
and synthesize the is on the pages to a
6.2.8. Paraphrase what isinformation.
heard. sufficient degree.
6.2.9. Summarize what is heard.
6.2.11. Use language and vocabulary appropriate to audience, topic, and purpose.

6.5. The student will read, write, respond to, and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts, narrative
nonfiction, and poetry. 6.5.2. Activate prior and background knowledge as a context for new learning.
6.5.6 Describe the elements of narrative structure, including setting, character, plot, conflict, and theme. (SOL 6.5a)
6.6.5 Draw conclusions and make inferences based on explicit and implied information.(SOL 6.6e)
6.6.6 Use prior knowledge and build additional background knowledge as context for new learning. (SOL 6.6b)

GIFTED BENCHMARK FOCUS:

Sternbergs Triarchic Theory of Human Intelligence is an excellent strategy to use with gifted learners. Sternbergs intelligence
is defined by the ability to achieve success in life based on learning how to balance of strengths and weaknesses. This theory
categorized three aspects of intelligence: analytical, creative, and practical.

Students will know:
How to identify setting, main
characters, conflicts, new
vocabulary, significant events, and
social issues
Depending on their choices:
Prezi, Power Point Mix, Graphic
Novel design, Google Drive,
Google Slides, Touch Cast,
iMovie, or other individualized
ways to present assigned chapters
Students will understand:
How Dickens persuaded and
influenced his readers to notice
social issues presented in Victorian
England
Students will be able to:
Identify main characters, setting,
social issues, plot structure, word
choice
these elements contribute to the
readers understanding of the text
Draw conclusions and build on
others ideas
Understand multiple perspectives
and practice scholarly
collaboration techniques

Learning Activity Materials

We want to share what we learned from chapters 14-26 of Oliver Twist in a variety of
INTRO ways. This is a quick formative assessment for understanding of basic concepts PPT
throughout reading assignment. The students were uncovering for major characters,
 1. WhatdidyouenjoymostaboutChoosingYourOwnAdventureforchapters1426?
2. Whatwasthemostdifficultpartaboutthisassignment?
Evaluation of Effectiveness: Throughout the process, I felt comfortable with all of the choices the kids made
for themselves. I was actually quite surprised at how well each of the students designed their own way to share
the chapters. The kids responded well and enjoyed the assignment. They felt free and liked the way they
could express themselves. There were about 4-5 students per class that wanted to stick with the way we had
analyzed the chapters previously. I was completely happy with that. They were usually the ones that are more
timid about branching out and creating new things.

The next time I use this strategy, I will allow the students to work in partners or groups. I will assign a larger
chunk of reading, but have them decide how they want to present it. When they shared their work with each
other, some said they wanted to try things they had seen other students complete.

I will definitely use this Sternberg again. I think it empowered students and made them look deeper into the text.
They enjoyed this section more than the others so far. I saw a lot more laughing, collaborating, debating,
discussing, and innovation going on in the classroom. The students designed much more creative ways to
explain the novel than I could. There is a spark now. They are more interested in reading Oliver Twist, which is
a dense, difficult text.
Reflection The next time I use this strategy, I will allow the students to work individually or in partners,
depending on experience with the Frame strategy because it allowed the students to work as leaders or
participants to gain those valuable skills. It also helped me to differentiate instruction for those students. I also
will do a whole-class discussion once the students have had individual or pair-think time because the discussion
was very rich and helped me to find where students may have had holes in knowledge or not as much
experience with a topic. I also will wait to write the answers on the large Frame so that the students have a
chance to express their knowledge and idea without feeling invalidated because their answer is already there.

All in all, I will definitely use this strategy again because I think it definitely allowed the students to frame their
thinking as a disciplinarian, allowing them an authentic, meaningful context for learning about a classic novel. I
have also noticed that because I framed the novel and the unit in this way, the students have been more
interested in reading Oliver Twist, which is a dense, difficult text, because they have a meaningful context and
reason for understanding Dickens use of various journalistic techniques, storylines, and characters. The
students want to learn more about this story because they will be acting as journalists when they complete their
performance task.
Strategy: The Frame of the Discipline strategy allows students to think critically about a discipline by
framing their work through the lens of an expert in that particular field. To help the students understand the
context of the Charles Dickens writing and to show the students the larger scope of journalism, I chose this
strategy as one of the opening activities of our Journalism and Persuasion unit. For the first part of filling the
Frame, the students worked individually or in partners (depending on experience with using a Frame) for about
30 minutes during one class period. During the next class period, we had a whole-class discussion to synthesize
ideas and to pre-assess what the students knew (see page _). Through the discussion and thinking about the field
of journalism, the students were able to practice communication skills and to expand their knowledge of what
journalism encompasses. Moreover, the Frame allowed the students to practice the language of journalism, as
well as to think about the products and skills of journalists would use, so that the students had authenticity and
practiced as journalists would. As the unit has progressed, the students have been able to take what they have
learned about journalism and to apply it. We have discussed Dickens purpose in writing many of his novels
(identify social issues and persuade others to change and to better society). The students have found social
issues in Oliver Twist and have collaborated on an anchor chart to write text evidence to support those social
issues (see page _). The summative assessment for this unit will allow the students to report on what they have
learned in Oliver Twist about social issues and to connect those social issues to current events so that the
students understand the connection between past and present. Therefore, parts one and two of the summative
assessment will place the students as reporters (journalism subfield), using an authentic text (Oliver Twist) and
current events articles written by journalists to support their ideas. In addition, the students will have the chance
to talk to actual journalists who have had experience in the field and who will discuss the various methods
utilized in their field to express their messages so that the students have more of an idea of what tools are
available to present their messages about the social issue each student chooses before the third part of the
summative task begins. Finally, the third part of the summative task will place the students in the role of a
journalist, persuading readers to take a stand on one of the social issues the students have discussed in parts one
and two of the task and utilizing ethos, pathos, logos (authentic tools of persuasion taught in collaboration with
the librarian) to accomplish that task. The students will be able to choose their product (technology tool) as the
vehicle for their message in order to identify the social issue and persuade others to change and to better society,
just as Dickens did. Thus, the process of this unit will allow students to understand how journalists utilize the
language and skill of their discipline, and the product will authentically place the students in the role of
journalists as they use the language, skills, and process of this field to of this activity allowed students to take
the role of leader and contributor.

With the Frame, each student had a chance to share his or her ideas and to activate prior knowledge about the
discipline of journalism. The students learned more about interacting in a social situation and responded
respectfully to one another, which is important for gifted students to learn. Moreover, the students were able to
guide one another this activity because those who had worked with the Frame before were able to lead their
partners who were less experienced with this strategy. These leadership skills are quite important for gifted
students to learn so that they can understand how to lead others effectively in real-world contexts. They will
encounter people who have less experience than they do with content or other activities, and they need to learn
how to guide them through the process. On the other hand, those students who were less experienced with the
Frame learned how to respond because they were learning from peers, which will happen in a real-world
context. They learned how to be flexible and to receive instruction in something with which they were less
experienced. They responded with grace, rather than with pride (thinking that they knew everything).

The product of this activity allowed students to synthesize ideas and to activate prior knowledge of a discipline
before reading and to place this novel in a real-world context. For classic literature, this skill is especially
important because gifted students need learning experiences that provide meaningful real-world contexts; this
activity provided those contexts for these students and was effective in meeting learning outcomes by
connecting classic literature to a field that students will experience throughout the unit. Gifted students also
need to become familiar with the language and skills of a discipline so that they practice authentically while
they are learning, which is what the Frame allows them to do.

Implementation:
1. I created a large blank Frame on chart paper and hung it on a bulletin board (see page _).
2. The students copied the Frame into their journals and wrote their ideas down for each part. For the
students who had worked with the Frame of a Discipline before, I allowed them to write their initial
ideas to fill in the Frame in their journals first. Since some of the students had not worked with a
Frame before, I allowed them to work with an experienced partner (one who had done a Frame
before) to discuss their ideas and to write them in their journals. This activity occurred during one
class period for about thirty minutes.
3. For the next class period, the students used the notes from the previous class to participate in a
whole-class discussion of the Frame. I recorded their responses on the computer as they spoke and
asked pointed questions as we discussed.
4. I did not record the responses on the blank frame yet because I teach four sections. Instead, I typed
their responses on the computer on the PowerPoint we were using so that the students could write
down ideas they had not written the first time and could see what everyone else in the class was
thinking without being influenced by previous classes.
5. Examples of questions that I asked included, How does a journalist use that (language, skill, etc.)?
Why would the journalist create that product? Can anyone else think of products a journalist would
create or skills a journalist would use? Are there any other subfields or specialties in which a
journalist may work? Why would journalists write about these specific topics?
6. This discussion took about thirty minutes. The rest of the class involved reading and writing related
to journalism and Oliver Twist.
7. After all classes had discussed, I synthesized all four classes answers and wrote them onto the large
Frame I had hung on the bulletin board (see page _).

Evaluation of Effectiveness: Throughout the discussion, I recorded the responses the students gave and asked
questions to clarify student responses and to stretch student knowledge. As we discussed, I realized that most
classes did not know about the field of photojournalism. Because the students said that some products of
journalism could include images, I asked what kind of images. Responses included political cartoons, comics,
and photographs with captions. I asked students what a journalist who took those photographs and wrote
captions was called. In some classes, the students were able to name photojournalists. In other classes, I gave
them the word because they did not have the background knowledge.

Because of this activity, I was able to ascertain that the students really understood what the field of journalism
entailed. The responses from all four classes showed that the students understood the breadth and depth of
journalism, although we have added more to the Frame as we have read more of Oliver Twist and have learned
more about Dickens. I have also used this Frame to frame the performance task the students will be
completing at the end of this unit because the students will be acting as journalists to complete all three parts of
the task.

The next time I use this strategy, I will allow the students to work individually or in partners, depending on
experience with the Frame strategy because it allowed the students to work as leaders or participants to gain
those valuable skills. It also helped me to differentiate instruction for those students. I also will do a whole-class
discussion once the students have had individual or pair-think time because the discussion was very rich and
helped me to find where students may have had holes in knowledge or not as much experience with a topic. I
also will wait to write the answers on the large Frame so that the students have a chance to express their
knowledge and idea without feeling invalidated because their answer is already there.

All in all, I will definitely use this strategy again because I think it definitely allowed the students to frame their
thinking as a disciplinarian, allowing them an authentic, meaningful context for learning about a classic novel. I
have also noticed that because I framed the novel and the unit in this way, the students have been more
interested in reading Oliver Twist, which is a dense, difficult text, because they have a meaningful context and
reason for understanding Dickens use of various journalistic techniques, storylines, and characters. The
students want to learn more about this story because they will be acting as journalists when they complete their
performance task.
 Choose Your Own Adventure
Self Evaluation

Creator _____________________________________
Innovation___________________________________

Read Rubric. Score yourself accordingly.

 Expert Practitioner Apprentice
(10 pts) (9pts) (8 pts)
Preparation The student is The student is The students notes are
thoroughly prepared and sufficiently prepared and present, but lack
organized. It is reflected organized and it is completeness, accuracy
in his/her response. reflected in his/her and depth. This is
Notes are complete, response. Notes are reflected in his/her
accurate, and in-depth. adequately complete, response. Chapters are
ALL chapters are accurate, and in depth. missing from product.
covered throughout SOME chapters are
product. covered in product.

Participation The student worked well The student worked The student had trouble
during allotted time during allotted time working during allotted
frame. The student was frame. More time was time frame. The student
able to articulate main needed. The student was not able to articulate
points: setting, main was able to articulate main points: setting,
characters, important some main points: main characters, social
events, social issues setting, main characters, issues, and important
and provide textual social issues, important events.
evidence of ethos, events and provide
pathos, and logos. textual evidence of
ethos, pathos, and
logos.

Performance The students responses The students responses The students responses
were rich, insightful and were above average and did not demonstrate
demonstrated deep demonstrated some deep thought and lacked
thinking. The responses deep thought. They insight. They indicated
illustrated the students indicated that the the student could do little
ability to read beyond student is capable of beyond read what was
what is on the pages reading more than what on the pages.
and synthesize the is on the pages to a
information. sufficient degree.

Reflection Questions: Answer the following questions in

complete sentences.
1. Whatspecificallydidyouenjoyaboutchoosingyourownadventuretoprovethatyoucouldunderstand
andexplainaboutthesechaptersofthenovel?
2. Whatwasthemostdifficultpartaboutthisassignment?Whywasitdifficultforyou?
3. Ifyouhadthisassignmentagainforanotherreadingsection,wouldyouchosethesameadventureor
wouldyouchoosesomethingnew?Why?
4. Ifyouhadtochoosedifferently,whatwouldyourtop3newchoicestotry?
5. Aftercompletingthisassignment,whatdoyoufeelyouunderstandthebetteraboutthenovel?