Text+Prep+Description

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// Text Prep Assignment // // ­ // //Read “How to Do a Close Reading” (Course Reserves)// For this assignment you are to demonstrate that know how to teach students processes for interpreting literature that they can use when reading independently. Thus, you need to demonstrate that you can plan lessons that For this assignment, you will find a difficult passage in a work of literature and prepare for teaching that text. The excerpt will be the focus of two lessons. Begin by telling me what is happening in the short segment and why it is significant to the larger work. Focus on the excerpt, not on extraneous materials. Identify areas of difficulty and explain what makes those areas difficult (i.e. language, cultural differences, background knowledge, ambiguities, convoluted sentences, unreliable narrators, and so on). Then explain how you would address these potential areas of difficulty. You will explain activities in the next section. Next, consider how you might use this excerpt to teach students something about literature that goes beyond “what happened in this story?” For example, think about the readings we have done in class and what you want students to understand about //Literature//. Think about how problem-solving and organizing strategies might be used to support students and think of what might constitute overt instruction in direct presentation and during group work or reading. Next, write objectives (not activities). Plan lessons that will take at least **two** days. If you are introducing a concept that students have not learned before, think about what is reasonable to expect. Always think about moving students beyond where they are (ZPD), but remember that you have to take them there. Pick a grade level and consult the Sunshine State Standards and Florida DOE curriculum guides to find grade-level expectations. Write a paragraph that presents this information and attach it to your lesson plan. Write activities by drawing on tools learned in this class, your readings, or in another class, such as ESOL. Explain why __those__ activities and connect each to what you are trying to teach be sure to include appropriate ESOL accommodations. Cite all sources as appropriate. You can list the activities and include your rationale beneath each activity in the list. Provide samples of any hand-outs. Finally, explain your assessment process. Explicitly connect the assessment to your goal, your activities, and the text. Papers worthy of the grade of **__A__** will skillfully represent a high-level of understanding of text analysis and a justifiable and meaningful explanation of the difficulties that certain kinds of texts might pose for readers. The writer of this paper will create lesson goals for teaching students to move beyond a single text and for teaching students to understand Big Ideas about literature. The activities selected will be well explained and rationalized. They will make sense in terms of how they are applied and in terms of how they connect to the learning goals and to assessment. The paper will be clearly written and cohesive. It will be technically correct and any errors will be minor errors that do not complicate or impede communication. The A paper represents superior work that goes beyond the obvious, that includes a justifiable and meaningful application of ideas from multiple sources, that indicates critical and reflective thinking in teaching ELA. Papers worthy of the grade of **__B__** will clearly represent advanced understanding of the focus text and a justifiable explanation of the difficulties that certain text might pose for readers. The lesson goals in this paper will be focused on teaching students to go beyond the plot of a single work. The activities selected are well explained and justified; they fit (for the most part) with the learning objectives and with assessment. Ideas will be clearly expressed and the paper will be cohesive. The author will communicate his or her ideas clearly. Technical errors will be minor and will interfere little, if at all, with communication. Examples will be used as appropriate. The B paper represents good, solid graduate work and it will include a meaningful application of ideas and critical thinking about teaching literature. Papers receiving a **__C__** grade will not provide a sufficiently analytical reading of the focus text. They may not unearth the complications of the text adequately. The learning goals may not be challenging or appropriate. They may not support students in moving beyond the plot of a single work. The activities may not be appropriate to the goals or to the assessment plans. The paper might be underdeveloped or disconnected. The examples may be ill formed. The paper may be plagued by technical errors that impede clear communication. The C paper will not evince synthesis or careful consideration of the ideas and principles associated with teaching ELA. At the graduate level, the grade of C indicates below average work.
 * develop students creating and creative thinking about literature
 * scaffold student understandings of literature
 * go beyond a focus on a single text to help students learn about patterns and techniques in literature (i.e. critical stances, multiple perspectives, reading strategies, narrative structure, literary technique, and so on)
 * This assignment will result in a short, explanatory paper that includes a truncated lesson plan. You can divide the paper into sections and complete each section by following the instructions below. **
 * 1. The Text **
 * 2. The Lesson **
 * Activities **
 * Assessment **
 * __ The Text: __**
 * __ The Lesson: __**