TLED

408: Text Set Assignment (5 pts)

1. Go to the link below to read about text sets. Read through the example provided.
http://www.learner.org/workshops/tml/workshop4/teaching.html

2. Read the document “Guide to Creating Text Sets for Grades 2-12” (see file attached on Blackboard).
Read through the steps to creating a text set.

3. Visit a school library, public library, bookstore, or bookstore website and create your own Text Set on
a chosen topic of your interest for your classroom. You may use a combination of print and digital texts.
Make sure to have a balanced set of resources, both in format and genre.

4. In the grid below, provide the grade level, content area, topic/theme, standard/objective, anchor text,
related texts, and genres. Provide the full reference for each text.

5. Write a 1-2 paragraph summary of your text set. In your summary, provide an overview of your text
set. Justify why you chose the anchor text and each of the related texts. Make connections to the
features of ‘strong text sets’ listed in the reading.

6. Provide a 1 paragraph evaluation of your text set (step 3 in the reading). Clearly explain your
evaluation, and make suggested improvements for your text set.

TEXT SET

(.5 pts) Grade Level: 3rd

(.5 pts) Content Area: Science

(.5 pts) Topic/Theme: Human impacts on the environment and to key species

(.5 pts) SOL/Objective(s): 3.10 The student will investigate and understand that natural events and
human influences can affect the survival of species. Key concepts include:
b) the effects of human activity on the quality of air, water, and habitat;
(1 pt) Anchor Text & Genre:
“Who Was Rachel Carson?”, Sarah Fabiny (Biography)

(1 pt) List of Related Texts & Genres:

“Bee & Me”, Alison Jay (Short Story)
“Me…Jane”, Patrick McDonnell (Short Story)
“Olivia’s Birds: Saving the Gulf”, Olivia Bouler (Short story)

(.5 pts) Summary:
My text set, as of now, consists of 4 book, 3 of which are short stories and one is a biography. I chose to
focus on human impacts to the environment because I have always considered myself to be ecofriendly
and want to do my part to help animals and the environment from negative effects. I also chose this
grade level because it is easier to make an impression on children at a younger age and I want to instill
in them the impacts they can have on the world both positive and negative.

I chose “Who Was Rachel Carson?” as my anchor because it acts as a stepping stone into the
conversation of conservation and she is one of the many people they can learn about and follow their
examples. I chose “Bee & Me” because it also explains why bees are necessary to have in the
environment and what the world would be like without them. I chose “Me…Jane” because it begins to
tell the story of a zoologist Jane Goodall and how she wants to help animals all over the world. Finally, I
chose “Olivia’s Birds: Saving the Gulf” because it is a story about a little girl and her efforts to help raise
money to clean up an oil spill on the Gulf Coast. Each of these stories will help solidify the topic or
theme I will teach, which is how humans impact the environment and why animals are important to the
ecosystem.
(.5 pts) Evaluation:
The guide states 2 choices, choose an anchor text and then begin to form the content and other texts
around it or to choose the content first and then find an anchor text to go along with it. I began by
choosing the content first because I had an idea of what I wanted my lesson plan to be about, and I then
searched around for anchor and other related texts for my content. To improve this assignment, I can &
will find more texts and possibly find an even stronger anchor text.