TitleIII Learning Experience

Learning Context | Procedure | Instructional/Environmental Modifications | Time Required | Resources | Assessment Plan | Student Work | Reflection

LEARNING CONTEXT

Purpose or Focus of Experience

 This Learning Experience is a part of a Learning Unit titled, Out of This World Writing! It is used in preparation for the fourth grade ELA assessment. Students will be using graphic organizers and writing a report from the information in the organizer. The report will be about an assigned planet from the learning unit, however, this experience may be used with topics other than planets. While the planet is being researched it will be the writing process and report writing that is being assessed here. I plan to use this unit with a special education class, where writing skills are lacking.

Connection to Standards

 Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

• gather and interpret information from children's reference books, magazines, textbooks, electronic bulletin boards, audio and media presentations, oral interviews, and from such forms as charts, graphs, maps, and diagrams.
• select information appropriate to the purpose of their investigation and relate ideas from one text to another
• select and use strategies they have been taught for note taking, organizing, and categorizing information
• present information clearly in a variety of oral and written forms such as summaries, paraphrases, brief reports, stories, posters, and charts
• select a focus, organization, and point of view for oral and written presentations
• use the process of pre-writing, drafting, revising, and proofreading (the "writing process") to produce well-constructed informational texts

Essential Question

How do you present information clearly in a report?

What different resources can be used to research information in a report?

Content Knowledge:

Declarative: know and understand report, rough draft, final draft, revising

Procedural: writing a report, revising rough drafts

PROCEDURE

Students are introduced with a Gathering Grid.

Using numbered heads, (This strategy is designed to ensure active involvement on the part of learners by giving specific tasks to each partner. 1. Students number off #1 and #2. 2. Teacher announces the task and time limit. 3. #1 and #2 switch tasks.) students come up with questions they can ask about their planets.

As a whole group, list questions on board.

Students complete first column on Gathering Grid using questions they found with partners or from whole group.

Using LINKS, (This is a note taking strategy. It reminds students to Listen, Identify verbal or written clues, Note, Identify Key words, and Stack into graphic organizer.) students take notes on the planet they were assigned from CD ROM (Encarta, The Magic School Bus, Wonders of Learning) web sites, text books, magazines, library books, videos (Launch Box Series, Magic School Bus, Bill Nye the Science Guy).

Complete Gathering Grid.

Discuss Report Writing with class. Use these Guidelines: (adapted from New Hartford Central School District)

A report is a written paper in which you share all kinds of information on a certain topic. You read and gather all kinds of information about your topic from many different sources. When you write the report, you tell the reader what you have learned about the topic using your own words.

Guiding Questions:

What is the topic?

Did I think of questions to research that do not have yes or no answers?

Did I use several sources?

Did I use an interesting opening to hook readers?

Did I organize my information?

Do I have a strong ending statement?

What are the steps in the writing process?

What does revising entail?

The remainder of the learning experience will be done in a writing workshop fashion. Those that need extra supports can be granted that, and those that can work with some independence will be able to do so. Writers are to be reminded of the writing process along the way. If a certain area seems to be a common problem, some group instruction may be needed.

Students will word process their reports and spell check.

INSTRUCTIONAL/ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATIONS

 During the writing workshop phase, students will be at different places. There may be times when students will have to wait for assistance. It may be helpful to have additional independent activities on hand to occupy that time. This experience allows for varying levels. It may be helpful to use older students or volunteers to aid students in the word processing stage.

TIME REQUIRED

This experience should take about 50 minutes per day for one week. The entire unit was scheduled for three to four weeks. 

RESOURCES

Books on Solar System

Bookmarked web sites

Videos on the Solar system

CD ROMS on solar system

Space magazines

A visit to the library may be helpful

Computers for word processing

Additional help from volunteers or older students during writing workshop can be helpful.

ASSESSMENT PLAN
(Include samples of rubrics, checklists, etc.)

 REPORT RUBRIC

Adapted from New Hartford Central School District

REFLECTION

This experience was developed to help students work from a graphic organizer and form a piece of writing. I intend to use it in my self-contained special education class, as students will be allowed to work at their own paces. Time will have to be spent in planning and scheduling the writing workshop phase to be sure that students that are not being directly instructed are making productive use of their time.