language_arts

  Standard: Evaluate the way in which the theme or meaning of a selection represents a view or comment on life, using textual evidence to support the claim. [11.3.2/12.3.2] the learners: 9-12 grade American high school students environment: an American high school objectives: See standards: extracting themes and meaning from textual evidence Level: 9-12 Subject: English Traditional activity to be updated with technology: Traditional logic and writing skills Procedure 1. Grouping (individual / small group) 2. Time required (3-4 lessons) 3. Resources required (computer access and an internet connection) 4. Media used (audio- text)
 * Case 1: Communication  **

Present Scenario: Mr. Gomez teaches English in a secondary school in Indiana and is looking to expand the range of interpretations his students make from what they read. He teaches large classes and many of his students have critical minds which are not fully expressed in how they write. He would like his students to read other student’s work so they know the extent to which their writing can improve. He feels communicating with other learners might provide this kind of breadth of interpretation. Mr. Gomez is curious about giving his students a wider range of experiences by communicating with other students in other parts of the world, or other parts of the USA.

Traditionally, he taught his students to evaluate texts for meaning and themes by using assignments which were provided in a thematically organized text book. He had previously asked for pen and paper responses to these readings. However, he realized that most of these readings are popular across the USA and included in many different state’s high school curricula for English. He wants his learners to look closely at textual arguments and make evaluations of these in text form, but does not feel he can grant enough attention to all of his students work in the short amount of time he has to respond.

What are some solutions you would suggest to Mr. Gomez?

Level: 9-12 Subject: English Standard: Evaluate characteristics of subgenres, types of writings such as satire, parody, allegory, and pastoral that are used in poetry, prose, plays, novels, short stories, essays, and other basic genres. [11.3.1/12.3.1] the learners: 9-12 grade American high school students environment: an American high school objectives: See standards: analyzing subgenres Traditional activity to be updated with technology: Traditional Literary Critique Skills Procedure 1. Grouping (individual / small group) 2. Time required (3-4 lessons) 3. Resources required (computer access and an internet connection) 4. Media used (text based)    Present Scenario: Mr. Gomez teaches in an urban classroom north of Indianapolis. His student population is quite diverse and one things this population shares is a disconnect with the materials provided in the course material. He would like to provide more modern examples of satire for his students than are provided in the text book. Because his students are having trouble connecting with some of the classical texts included in the assigned course book, and his wants to address the standard of evaluating characteristics of subgenres, types of writings such as satire, parody, allegory, he would like to provide a few alternative texts.
 * Case 2: Content Exploration **

To address methods of evaluation in English classes, previously students had been asked to write in a journal or write papers. He wants to incorporate rubrics of evaluation, especially in a graphic form where students can better share the reasons behind their evaluations, and develop communication skills at the same time as they collaborate on evaluating pieces of satire. Mr. Gomez believes collaboration might help some of his weaker students gain the insights of students who are already quite insightful about satire. He knows his students have a keen understanding of satire and sarcasm, and is looking for a way to draw on those skills to make their academic work more engaging. 

What would you suggest to Mr. Gomez in this situation?

**Case 3: Analysis Lesson Plan for Language Arts ** Level: 9-12 Subject: English Standard: SPC.1.9 Analyze strategies used by the media to inform, persuade, entertain, and transmit culture (including advertising; perpetuating of stereotypes; and using visual representations, special effects, and language). [11.7.9/12.7.9] http://www.doe.in.gov/standards/docs-English/2006-06-ELA-HS-SpCom.pdf Traditional activity to be updated with technology: Traditional Rhetoric Skills Procedure 1. Grouping (individual / small group) 2. Time required (3-4 lessons) 3. Resources required (computer access and an internet connection) 4. Media used (audio- text)

Present Scenario: Mr. Gomez would like to update an activity which helps learners analyze strategies used by the media to inform, persuade, entertain, and transmit culture. He wants to help them become informed viewers of the advertising, stereotypes, and visual representations they face on a daily basis. He wants to heighten their awareness of the nuances of language around them. Traditionally, he has had students bring in magazine articles and group them into various strategy categories. He then had students showcase what they found on posters. He would like to update this activity by incorporating multi-media. He wants to make learners more aware of the video clips they view on TV or other video media.

A standard he wants to address is that of analysis. He is looking for ways to build analysis skills though some sort of through access to different media channels. He is particularly aware of the cultural stereotypes which the media portrays and wants his learners to be able to identify media items which promote stereotypes, such as connecting ethnicity to sports or music—relationships that are actually arbitrary but may be assumed as “cultural”. Traditionally limited to magazine articles, he has had few opportunities to incorporate audio and visual media in this section of his course. He has surveyed the class and few of his students how read paper based magazines and even fewer read a newspaper regularly. He would like to update the activity to connect better with the students’ lives.

What are some solutions you would suggest to Mr. Gomez so he might provide better opportunities for analysis for his students?

Standards' for language arts available from: http://www.doe.in.gov/standards/welcome2.html

=Alternate Cases if Needed =

Case 4: Personal Productivity
Standard: SPC.1.1 Summarize a speaker’s purpose and point of view, discuss, and ask questions to draw interpretations of the speaker’s content and attitude toward the subject. [11.7.1/12.7.1] http://www.doe.in.gov/standards/docs-English/2006-06-ELA-HS-SpCom.pdf the learners: 9-12 grade American high school students environment: an American high school objectives: See standards: traditional rhetoric skills Level: 9-12  Subject: English Traditional activity to be updated with technology: Traditional Rhetoric Skills Procedure: 1. Grouping (individual / small group) 2. Time required: 3-4 lessons 3. Resources required (computer access and an internet connection)  4. Media used (audio- text)

Mr. Gomez would like to update an activity which develops summarizing and discussion skills. One of the required standards for high school students is to be able to write a summary, discuss, question and interpret content and arguments presented by others. Traditionally, these activities were limited to textual interactions. Students read parts of a text book, or handouts and then responded on paper. Another traditional way to address these skills was through in class debate. Mr. Gomez liked the growth of their speaking skills when his students debated in class. However, students who missed a debate class had a very difficult time catching up, and debates also tended to cater to more aggressive speakers.
 * Present Scenario:**

In Mr. Gomez’s classes he would like to integrate more audio and oral interaction in a way that is accessible and re-accessible for students who miss that important class. He wants a way to include opportunities for limited proficiency students to re-access as well. He is looking to technology to solve these problems, but also to provide response channels for students to speak using other channels (oral/aural instead of reading and writing). While paper and pen solutions could provide an artifact that he could use to showcase his students learning, he would like audio artifacts that he could use to round out his own teaching repertoire.  What are some solutions you might suggest to Mr. Gomez so he could find better ways to attain higher student production in these areas? <span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">

<span style="color: rgb(79,129,189); font-family: Cambria;">Case 5: Production by Groups—Shared Knowledge
Level: 9-12 Subject: English Standard: <span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: 'Century-BookCondensed','serif';">CMP.1.11 Revise, edit, and proofread one’s own writing, as well as that of others, using an editing checklist. [11.4.11/12.4.11] Traditional activity to be updated with technology: Traditional Rhetoric Skills Procedure 1. Grouping (individual / small group) 2. Time required (3-4 lessons) 3. Resources required (computer access and an internet connection) 4. Media used (audio- text)

Present Scenario: Mr. Gomez teaches English in an Indiana High School. He would like to update an activity which helps him teach revision techniques. He wants his students to develop skills of revising, editing, proofreading and helping other beginning writers in those areas as well. He has had learners in the past revise each others’ work and hand in copes of different revisions of papers. He has also had his learners hand in revision they made to each other’s work. Traditionally he used different color pens for these kinds of collaborative assignments. He would like to approach this activity in a way which will allows greater access to learners during the revision process. Mr Gomez is also searching for a way in which depictions of the revision process is more clearly presented than in his previous approaches. What are some solutions you would suggest to Mr. Gomez so he might provide a collaborative environment for his students to learn revision skills?