#rethinkela A1: We don't teach the standards like a checklist. We combine reading and writing with speaking and listening to build literacy skills. It can work for any standards, especially the Oklahoma Academic Standards.
This is what makes bundling and making sure I've covered standards difficult for me. I can plan for specific standards, but sometimes the process leads us in many different directions, and individual students in different directions depending on their needs. #rethinkela
A2 I struggle here. I usually end up hitting most, if not all standards in the units I develop. They all flow together, yet some students need to hit some standards more often than others. #rethinkela
A2 I am teaching a narrative unit right now. I have some students who are heavily focused on drafting while others really need to work on grammar skills. #rethinkela
Q3 When you’re working with bundling standards, do you start with the standards you want to teach, or with the ultimate product you want the students to create? #reThinkELA
#rethinkela A2: I have the same issue. I begin the year with the Top 10 College Grammar Mistakes and have Ss work on correcting those mistakes throughout the year. I start small and build up to the big unit at the end, but whatever Ss learned in August is still relevant in May.
A3 I always start with the product I want students to create and the purpose that product needs to serve or audience it needs to reach. This guarantees my units are going to be authentic and relevant. #rethinkela (At least, that's the idea...)
#rethinkela A3: Since I learned to build units with the end in mind, I think about what I want Ss to know and build the unit backwards, the Understanding by Design approach. What do we want our Ss to know and what do we need to do to get them there.
I think the piece I need to work on getting better at is how to get students from where they are to where they need to be. It's like writing the middle of a book... #rethinkela
A4 It's a good idea to start with Ss writing about a topic, talking with each other about it, reading more information on the topic, & then talking about it again with partners/class. Finally, students can then write about what they've learned through the process. #rethinkela
#rethinkela A4: I have Ss annotate a story, write their own questions, and participate in a Socratic discussion. I also have Ss choose a topic, read and write about it, and give a speech in front of an audience.If they can discuss an idea, they can write about it.
A5 When students are peer editing, they are reading works by other students (after producing their own writing) and putting their grammar & usage skills to use. #rethinkela
#rethinkela A5: This is the hardest one to do because I grew up learning grammar in isolation, and I see that Ss lack editing skills. I have Ss use different types of sentences and show them that if they forget a comma for a compound sentence, then they have run-on sentence.
I think one thing that helps me with this in practice, though not in planning, is that editing is such a natural part of the writing process. We did this all the time on newspaper staffs. Grammar was built right into the process. #rethinkela
A6 I have this book and have read some of it. My plans this summer are to really go over it and make using this process second nature, particularly for getting S from point A to B. #rethinkela
#rethinkela A6: I love this framework, and I encourage Ts to build their units using it. I think of the end in mind, build backwards, write the skills and strategies, make a plan, and then implement it. It's a roadmap of where my Ss begin to where they will end.
A7 Collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking... I think you can build this into every unit using groups, real-world projects, authentic audiences, essential questions... #reThinkELA
#rethinkela A7: I had my Ss work in groups. They have just finished reading Parts 1 & 2 of The Odyssey. They sketched a toy, wrote a description, and made an advertisement. They collaborated, used critical thinking skills, & used creativity. The winning toy will be 3-D printed.
#rethinkela That's so easy and so much fun for some of the Ss and for me because I like to see what they can create. My seniors have options for their speeches: use Google slides, make a movie, write a book, or build a website.
A8 I am getting ready to have Ss write book reviews that they can put on their Goodreads profiles. A step beyond the book report, and real-world purpose... #rethinkela
A9 Here is a graphic organizer that can be used for bundling Oklahoma Academic Standards, or recreated for other standards. https://t.co/94H3KSmJVO#rethinkela
Your afternoon inspiration for taking part in our 15-Sec Vocab Video Contest: A 2016 winner defines "disheartened" https://t.co/dQul7zD9fM (submissions due by 2/23)
Your afternoon inspiration for taking part in our 15-Sec Vocab Video Contest: A 2016 winner defines "disheartened" https://t.co/dQul7zD9fM (submissions due by 2/23)
#rethinkela A10: Read and use Understanding by Design because that's the key to bundling the standards. I learned it when I took my classes for my Master's Degree in Reading. It's framework supports literacy.
