Dakiri Burkhardt December 3, 2013 ENGL 414A Comprehensive Plan Grade: 4th Grade I. Governing Principles A.

I believe that childrens literature should definitely be incorporated in an elementary classroom and in all subjects when possible. A common misunderstanding is that childrens literature can only be used in reading or language lessons. That could not be farther from the truth. All subjects could easily incorporate various types of childrens literature. This would help to connect a students learning amongst subjects because they truly are connected in many ways. If students are able to make connections between subjects, then they have more ways to remember that information. The more exposure to information, the easier the students can recall it whenever they need it. Also, by incorporating childrens literature in more subjects, students will begin to understand its importance in their lives. I want my students to be able to find connections between childrens literature and whatever they a re learning or whatever they are interested in on their own. I wanted them to be able to discover their own importance for the literature. I also believe that many students get frustrated with school because it does not appeal to them or they feel like classwork is punishment of some kind. By incorporating childrens literature in the classroom, the monotony of daily classroom routines such as note-taking, worksheets, workbooks, etc. are broken up. Childrens literature gets students to use a different part of their brain. It gets them to think creatively and outside the box. I think that incorporating childrens literature in the classroom could definitely get students to approach problems, scenarios, and their work in a completely different way than they might otherwise. Class Activities A. Independent Reading: This is an activity I want to incorporate in my classroom. Students can go to The Reading Spa during this time and read a book of their choosing. They must follow the rules, however, that are listed below. Students will have time for independent reading every single day for at least 30 minutes. Students can read in the morning if they get to school early or during recess if they want to. They can also read whenever they finish an assignment early. B. Daily Poem Reading: One student will read a poem of their choice once a day. There will be a daily poem reading schedule posted up in my classroom. At the end of the day, the students will have an opportunity to practice reading their

II.

III.

poems to a friend to prepare themselves for their class reading. This should not take longer than six minutes or so. C. Word Wall: I think it is important to have a word wall in the classroom. This will be up all year long. Whenever we learn new vocabulary in any subject, we will place it up on the word wall. The students will have a word wall journal that they can use for help when completing in-class assignments or homework. They will write the word, the definition, and an example sentence for each word added. This way, they understand the word independently and do not need a teacher or parent to help them appropriately use it. We will add to the word wall every week. The spelling words can also come from this list, depending on the reading levels of the students in the classroom and the Basal program the school has in place. D. Readers Theatre: I think that is important to have at least one readers theater a month. This gives students the opportunity to be a character of their choosing (funny, sad, happy, mad, silly, crazy, an animal, a mythical creature, etc.). It will also help the students practice their public speaking skills. The students can sign up for a specific readers theatre play or write their own. Once every nine weeks, we will perform a readers theatre for parents and guardians. E. Literature Circles: I want to incorporate literature circles in my classroom because it helps students to better understand the texts that they read. Basically, after we finish reading a short story, novel, or really anything either independently or as a class, we would have a short discussion about it. The class sits in a circle so everyone can see each other. The teacher would prompt the students with a few comprehension questions about the text and the students would just have an open discussion about it. The teacher would be the mediator. You could also play the Ping Pong Literature Circle game. You put a bucket of ping pong balls in the middle of the circle with various questions written on them about characters, plot, setting, tone, authors purpose, sequencing, problems, solutions, etc. The student chooses a question and answers it. If they cannot answer it, then they bounce it to another student who then must help them. Whoever answers the question gets to keep the ball to represent one point. Everyone must get one point by the time this is overwith. Classroom Set-up A. Classroom Library: I think it is important to have a classroom library because students need to be exposed to books, poems, short stories, fiction, nonfiction, and so much more. There are children that I will come across in my career that will not have books at home. This means that they will not have the same prior experiences with books that other students will have. Simply having a classroom library will help even the playing field in the classroom. It is also extremely important for students to constantly be practicing and improving their reading skills. Having a classroom library will give students the control to pick the books that they are interested in every now and then. This will give reading an element of joy. This will be located along the walls surrounding The Reading Spa. I think

IV.

this is a good place for the library because it puts reading in a fun and relaxing environment. It also eliminates students needing to walk back and forth between the reading center and the library. The books will be placed on book shelves that are not too tall for students to reach. Each shelf or group of shelves will be separated into various reading levels for students. Students will be able to locate books on their reading level and interest level much easier this way. I will also have a poetry shelf. I will have students visit The Reading Spa once a week to read either a poem of their choice from the shelf or one assigned in class. The students will need to sign all books that they are using out and then back in once they are done. Students can check one book out of the library at a time, unless they have special permission from me. B. The Reading Spa: In my classroom, in one of the back corners of my classroom, I will have The Reading Spa. I will bring a small blow-up pool and fill it with different size pillows. I will also have two little wooden benches with a soft covering on them. Surrounding this little corner, along the wall, will be the classroom library. This is where all of the childrens books will be. Students will be able to go and read in The Reading Spa during independent reading during class time, during centers, during reading lessons, or during freer time. The students will be on a rotating schedule each week so that everyone gets a chance to visit The Reading Spa while everyone else has to sit at their desks. However, the students must show good behavior, attitude, and participation to be eligible to visit The Reading Spa during that time. I want to utilize a fun reading space so that students associate fun with reading. It will also give them a break from the daily classroom routine and rules. Students will be able to relax at The Reading Spa and truly just enjoy whatever reading materi als they bring in there. 1. Rules of The Reading Spa a. Quiet voices at all times. b. Stay in your own space. c. Respect others in The Reading Spa d. Must be reading to be in The Reading Spa e. Respect the books and The Reading Spa at all times so others can enjoy it in the future. f. Sign books in and out whenever using them. Teacher/Parent Relations A. Reading Scavenger Hunt: At open-house and the first week of school, I will send out information for the reading scavenger hunt. This is a way for students to get extra reading practice at home and for parents to get involved. The activity will be a long list of various genres and mediums (picture books, short stories, poems, ingredient labels, magazines, newspapers, journals, cook books, etc.) of reading. The parents help the students find reading material that fits into the categories listed on the list. The students and parents have to read it together and write three sentences about what they read and why it was important. At the end of each nine weeks, I will collect this from the students and whoever

V.

gets the most completed, while meeting the minimum requirements, will get a prize. I will also put their picture up on a bulletin board in class. If a student does not have a parent or guardian willing or able to do this with their child, I will find a faculty or staff member to partner with the student. This way, all students have a chance to participate. I think this is important because it allows parents to get involved with their childs learning. They will be able to witness their childs growth and help to monitor their progress. B. Parent/Guardian Reading Day: I will invite parents/guardians to work on reading a picture book, short role play, or poem with their child at home. During the last week of each nine weeks, I will invite the parents/guardians to come and read their piece with their student in front of the class. They can dress up as the characters in the story or make props to go with the story. The pairs will have to sign-up ahead of time so I know how many people to expect. This will help parents support their student at home because this will have to be practiced and rehearsed at home before performing it. Plus, it is a good way for students to relax and enjoy themselves. This will also help students build confidence in reading in front of the class because that is something they will have to do all the way up to the college level. C. Daily Practice: I will have a reading log that I will send home to with the student each night. Every time a parent sits down and reads with their student, they will fill out this log and a short, half-sheet of info about the story. Then, the student will take an A.R. test on the prepared book. If the student reaches a certain amount of logs and A.R. points, then I will give a reward to the student and parent. This will just encourage parents and students to practice reading at home. I think this is important because the more exposure a student gets to reading, the more he or she will progress and develop as a reader. Integrating Childrens Literature into Other Subjects A. Science: There are a lot of opportunities to integrate childrens literature in science. Scholastic is a great resource for finding reading materials for all subjects, especially science. There are little workbooks and articles that students can read and work on independently, in pairs, or as a class. There are also childrens versions of science journals that have short articles about various scientific topics that would be beneficial to students. Poems would also be a really fun way to introduce a science topic on the seasons, animals, the weather, and so much more. Then, in reading, the poem could be analyzed further. This would interconnect the subjects and show students that learning is actually connected and not just stand alone. B. Math: There are all sorts of picture books that integrate various math skills. In some of these books, it is obvious that the author is focusing on math skills, while in others, it is unapparent to the reader that they are reading about math until the very end of the story. In many of my math lessons that I have taught in my past field experiences, I have introduced a math lesson with a math picture book. The students really like it and it gives them prior knowledge to connect the new math skills to, which helps to strengthen their basic foundation. There

VI.

are also a ton of printable books that teachers can copy and staple together. Students can take these books home, color them, and use them until they fall apart. They are interactive, and if something happens to them, then they can be replaced. Resources A. Elementary School Librarian: An elementary librarian has a special love for children. They will know great books, poems, and resources that children will enjoy. Most of my field teachers have recommended to befriend my future schools librarian because they are full of useful information. B. Public Library: The public library is filled with tons of resources for both children, but adults as well. The librarians there are also a great resource too. They can help you find materials you might need for a lesson and can even offer some suggestions or ideas. It is also helpful to sometimes get an outside opinion from outside of your school or your own mind. C. Pinterst.com: This website is truly an asset to teachers. If you need ideas for lesson plans, unit plans, activities, worksheets, games, assessments, books, crafts, and really so much more, it is truly as easy as typing it in the search bar and seeing where you end up. The possibilities are endless. You can be as general or specific as you want. For instance, if you need a lesson plan about Cinderella equipped with a plot and character worksheet, you could easily find it using this website. Some of my best teaching strategies, ideas, lessons, and activities have come from taking an idea I found on Pinterest and altering it for the specific needs in my classroom.