Inquiry 2 - Target Area

Inquiry 2- Target Area

1. Describe your target area for guided lead teaching.

Writing Instruction – Genre Study

2. Approximately how much time per day is allotted for your instruction in this area?

We usually plan for 45 minutes – 1 hour of writing, but that is not always the case, depending on how the rest of the day goes. We will typically teach writing for at least 20-30 minutes each day.

3. Which Common Core State Standard(s) will you work toward?

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

4. How will teaching in this target area provide opportunities for students to learn important content and/or skills that relate to their lives? In what ways does this learning include learning literacy, learning about literacy, and/or learning through literacy?

The students have not worked with the computers in their classroom yet this year, because my MT is not very comfortable or familiar with using computers. With the growth of technology, students need to become familiar with using computers in many different ways in order to develop skills that involve technology. This lesson will allow students to experiment with the technology in their classroom and develop an understanding of how to use computers in an educational way, with a focus on literacy in that they will be using the computers to write an informational text.

5. What types of classroom talk take place within this target area? To what extent is the talk teacher-led, student-led, or focused on higher-level thinking? What norms for interaction would you like to build within your classroom as you teach in this target area (e.g., see ideas in Chapter 6 of Strategies that Work, the Berne & Clark 2008 article, or draw from some of the readings done in TE 402 on classroom talk)?

Most of the directions and steps will be teacher-led so that the students understand. There will be student-led discussions revolving around their topic that they choose to write about, and also at the end of the unit, I hope to have a student-led discussion or share out with their writing pieces.

6. Which ‘core practice’ do you want to work on developing/improving as you teach in this target area (refer to document “Resources for Developing Core Practices”)? How will focusing on this core practice contribute to your own professional learning?

Genre Study – I haven’t done much genre writing before, since I have always been placed in Lower El classes. It will be interesting to see how the students react to working with a different type of writing that is new to them and involves different vocabulary.

7. What resources within the community, neighborhood, school district, school or classroom do you have to work with in this target area?

The school itself has many resources to use to teach my unit plan. There is a book room specifically for the teachers to use to gather information on how to teach certain topics, which consists of a variety of books on teaching. Also, my MT has her masters in Language Arts – Reading & Writing, so she will be a helpful resource while planning this unit.

8. What additional resources do you need to obtain?

I’m not sure that I will need to obtain any additional resources because there is so much within the school and in my classroom. I will do some internet searching for ideas and tips on teaching this genre, since I have never taught in an area similar to this before.

9. How will you pre-assess your students in your target area?

I will work with them prior to my unit plan on typing and becoming familiar and comfortable with using the computers. Also, I have seen many of their writing samples and ideas that they have written in class and I will use those to help me gauge where students are in terms of writing and the writing process.

10. What else will you need to find out about all students in your class to help you develop lesson plans for your Guided Lead Teaching?

It will be helpful to know what types of topics students are interested in researching and writing about so I can bring in books for them to use for research, so they can develop skills on researching both online sources and books. Also, it will be helpful to know exactly what the students have used the computers for and if they’ve ever used them for a writing project.

11. What else do you need/want to learn about the ‘core practice’ to support your planning and teaching?

I would like to learn ways to teach computer use, and encourage the use of computers in the classroom. Since we have 5 computers in our class that haven’t been used, as well as 2-half hour periods in the computer lab each week, I think it is important for the students to realize that the computers can be used for things other than educational math games online.

12. What concerns, if any, do you have about planning and teaching your unit?

I am not too far into my planning yet, so I am not sure that I have any questions now. I am sure that as my planning progresses, I will develop more questions on teaching and developing my lessons.