ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

After a review of class performance on the NWEA reading test scores for Fall 2004, it was determined that 82% of the second graders in my classroom performed below the median score, while 64% tested below grade level. Analysis of personal observation, unit quizzes/tests and concern of students’ low NWEA test scores led to a goal in English Language Arts. Through implementation of benchmarks in Standard 2: Students engage in the reading process, this unit will develop activities that will increase reading skills in literal, interpretive and evaluative comprehension. After reviewing the North Dakota State Assessment results for 2001-02 and 2002-03 it was determined that fourth graders at the school where I teach performed below other North Dakota fourth graders on Standard 3: Students engage in the writing process. By linking the reading process to the writing process students will better read for purpose and connect writing to literature.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: I want the students in my classroom to have increased reading comprehension and to be able to read with purpose. I would hope they would become more skilled at bridging text-to-self and text-to-world connections. In addition I would like students to be able to link reading to writing and realize how the two are intertwined. Through prewriting, revising and editing, students will be better able to complete high quality projects that can be shared with others. I would also like them to realize the importance and usefulness of technology in their every day lives Goal(s):Students will engage in the reading process by recalling story events, relating to the text, and using strategies to monitor and improve comprehension. Students will engage in the writing process by gathering, organizing, analyzing, composing and sharing their writings. Students will continue to build strong character through final projects that build on the character traits: teamwork, community, friends, sharing, and diversity. Students will realize the importance of technology and how it can be incorporated into their every day lives.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: 1. How can team members contribute to the success of their team? 2. Why is it important for people in our community to do things for each other? 3. How can you be a good friend? 4. Why is it important for people to share? 5. How does it feel to not fit in with everyone else? Objectives: Students will establish purpose for reading and increase skills in prediction, summarization, word meaning and story element identification. Students will improve their writing skills through the processes of planning, organizing, editing, composing, and sharing their reader’s responses to the five stories read in Unit 3. Students will connect the reading and writing processes by incorporating technology to complete a written reader’s response to each of the five stories. Students will identify the positive character traits in each of the five stories in Unit 3 of the Scott Foresman reading series which has been newly adopted my school district: teamwork, community, friends, sharing and diversity.

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding? Students will complete five weekly multiple-choice quizzes which will assess word meaning and story comprehension. An end of the unit a multiple-choice, formal assessment will assess comprehension skills in: prediction summarization, work meaning, and identification of story elements. With the use of rubrics, students will complete writing assignments which will determine the writer’s progress. What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding? Students will increase comprehension through identification of the positive character traits in each of the five stories and incorporate those themes into their written projects. What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding? Students will bridge the reading and writing processes by relating text-to-self and connecting text-to-world while completing a reader’s response for each story. Technology will be the guiding tool in the completion of each final project. Students will also keep a running list of key words in each literature piece which will be incorporated into a personal word search to be shared with peers. What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect? Students will work cooperatively in pairs to share their final projects and complete written review checklists. Students’ final projects will be displayed for the entire school, shared with parents at Parent-Teacher Conferences, and also shared with older students through our “4th Grade Buddies” partnership.

Instructional Strategies

Through inquiry-based learning strategies students will be able to apply their prior knowledge and develop purposes for reading. Higher-order thinking strategies will be applied to increase students’ skills in making reading predictions, relating to the text, developing word study skills and improving comprehension. Problem-based strategies will be used to make text-to-world connections, develop character analysis and solve problems in the plot of the stories that the students read. Project based strategies will be used to organize, plan, edit and share final projects. These final projects will lead to improving skills in comprehension, summarizing, identification of main idea and details, as well as drawing conclusions after reading. Technology will be incorporated into all of the final projects to insure quality end results.