Vocabulary Review
One of the key strategies in my unit is associated with making sure that students understand the vocabulary associated with the unit topic. I will utilize flash cards, word maps and concept webs to make sure that students understand the key terminology that will be associated with the concepts introduced in my unit. Words such as utopia, dystopia, genre, and point of view as well as numerous words associated with the structure of a short story, including but not limited to setting, rising action, falling action, climax, resolution and conflict, must be understood before my students will be able to participate in my unit. Words taken from the text must be understood as well as some science fiction terminology.
One basic way that I introduce and review vocabulary with students is with flashcards. As we come across new words in our reading, I will jot them down on colored flashcards, using different colors to indicate the part of speech the word is. For example all of the verbs may be written on yellow flashcards while all the nouns are represented on red flashcards, etc. I will also write synonyms, definitions or examples of the word in a sentence on the back of the card. Throughout the unit I review the words, often through a game which I call “Vocab Faceoff.” Either in small groups or as a class, I will hold up a card. The first student who hits the “buzzer,” (usually simply tapping a book on a table between the contestants) gets a chance to define or use the word in a sentence. If they get it correctly, they keep the card. At the end of the game, the contestant with the most cards wins. Continuous building and review of vocabulary is so important to students’ success in reading. This is one simple game, but there are dozens of ways to review vocabulary in a fun way with students.
Plot Diagrams are a great way to review vocabulary related to short stories specifically while also reviewing the structure of the story. There are dozens of different formats for plot diagrams. Most are built around the story arc and are very visual. The tent like diagram gives students a chance to review terms associated with literature by filling in setting, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution in the designated spots on the diagram. I plan to run through the diagram on a story we read together and then ask them to apply the diagram to their own stories.
Group Discussions/Reading
As mentioned previously, one thing that has really become key to my success as a reading teacher is the group work. Whether working on vocabulary review, reading comprehension, phonics or spelling, small group work (meaning the teacher sitting with four or five students while the rest of the class works independently) makes a big difference in students’ success. I find that grouping students at similar Lexile or reading levels helps everyone improve at their own pace. Reading together in small groups, either as a whole group, or paired up, makes reading a group effort that all students can engage in, again to the best of their abilities. Utilizing graphic organizers such as Venn Diagrams, KWL charts or participation guides in small group or in the larger class setting are always helpful for struggling readers.
Journal writing
Journal writing has always been a mainstay of my language arts classroom. I ask students to purchase the soft cover black and white composition books which are inexpensive and can be found anywhere. Students keep the journals in my room so that we can use them throughout the school year. There are a variety of ways to set up the journals with different labeled sections depending on what you want to emphasize with your students. I usually have students create a table of contents and several sections within the journal including a vocabulary section, a section for response to literature, a free write section and a doodle section. There are many ways to set up journals in your classroom and there are numerous resources with great ideas for setting up journal as well. I recommend Ralph Fletcher’s A Writer’s Notebook, but there are numerous others.. Having journals in the classroom provides students with an easy access, low maintenance record for both reading and writing. Students should be encouraged to write in their journals often and in a variety of formats. Listings, time lines, free writes, vocabulary lists, responses to literature, doodling, drawing, personal entries (which I assure student I will not look at if they signal to me through folding the pages or some other means) questions, and note taking can all be encapsulated in students journals. The journals not only become a collection of student work, but individual reflections of personalities and writing styles. Some possible journal topics that might accompany this unit are:
- Brainstorm a list of common threads that might link your group stories
- Do a free write describing a dystopian setting, add a picture
- Write a new ending to The Lottery
- Design your own robot.
- Write your own fundamental Rules for Robotics
- Describe a problem in our society that you would use modern technology to fix. What could go wrong with your plan?
- Draw a Venn Diagram comparing utopian and dystopian societies
- List names for robots
If used often and in a variety of ways, your students’ journals will become an important part of their learning experience and something that they will treasure.
Writer workshop
The writer workshop teaches helps students see writing as a process. By following the steps of a writer workshop, students learn that writing an essay or a story includes drafting and revising in order to complete a publishable piece. Students need to understand that unlike journal writing, essays and other publishable works need to go through the process of revision and redrafting. Often a writer workshop can begin with a seed taken from a journal writing assignment and turn it into a more complete written piece.
Basically, the steps of the writer workshop are prewriting or brainstorming, which can take place in journals; drafting, in which students write a first draft of their ideas; revising and editing, often with the help of a partner, rewrite/publish; depending on how many drafts your student needs to do you might have a draft revised and go right into publishing or you could do several drafts before the publishing step. Publishing is basically getting the piece into its best form, usually typed or printed out in decorative manner. The published piece is the one you want to hang on your wall or enter into student portfolios. The last step of writer workshop should be celebration. This is when students share their pieces and celebrate their hard work. The celebration can be as simple as a circle share with the desks all positioned in large circle in the room or as complicated as an open mic celebration with refreshments and guests such as other students, teachers or parents. Either way students should be encouraged to celebrate and share their hard work.
The more students practice this writing process and the earlier in the year that students get started with the process, the better off they will be when it comes to writing the short story for this unit as well as longer pieces, essays and reports in language arts and other classes. I always give students the option of revising their papers right up until the end of the marking period for a better grade. This helps students understand that even their final draft can be improved upon, and that they are responsible for their own writing and grade.
Art in the classroom
Having taught previously in an arts magnet school, I fully appreciate and advocate the incorporation of art into the middle school classroom. While in the magnet school, all of my academic units incorporated some sort of art project. Students would create sculptures, paintings, comic books, creative dioramas, skits and plays, performance poetry, colorful murals and the list goes on and on. It is fairly easy and very important to include arts in academic work. Art brings a fresh, enjoyable depth to lessons that allows teachers and students to tap into various learning styles and philosophies.
In this unit the culminating activity will be a group collection of short stories based on the style of Isaac Asimov’s I Robot. As the students are writing their stories I will encourage them to add something to the collections that will captivate their audience’s attention as they are sharing out their work. Students might want to give their collection a title and make a movie poster portraying the theme examined. Others might make a recorded presentation or act out a scene from one of their stories. Still another might create a rap or poem, summarizing and celebrating the group’s final project.
