Colorado

State University

Teaching a Text
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
















Mandi Marcantonio
E 401: Teaching Reading
Dr. Pam Coke
11 May. 2015
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Context: (same as assessment portfolio)

School: Monarch K-8

Demographics

http://www.bvsd.org/middle/monarch/Pages/demographics.aspx

Mission Statement:
Monarch K-8 is a community of learners where we celebrate and honor the diverse talents, interests,
and unique potential in each of us. We engage in challenging and creative academic activities in a safe,
respectful environment. We value and encourage success for all.
http://schools.bvsd.org/p12/monarchk8/Pages/default.aspx

Teachers: how many? Size of English Department
92 staff members
One 7th and one 8th grade Language art teachers
Two 6th grade Language arts and Reading teachers
One LLI and 6th grade Language arts and Reading teacher

Students: how many? Involved in extra curricular, ratio?
Enrollment: 727-748
Student/Teacher Ratio: 17.4/1
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Extra Curriculars (sports):
o 6-8th Track, Wrestling
o 8th Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball, Girls Volleyball, Girls Soccer, Boys Football

Extra Curriculars (activities):
! 6th grade Garden Club
! 8th grade 360 Monarch Leaders
! 4th & 5th grade Math Olympiads
! ALL Students Talent Show
th
th
! 5 8 grade Yearbook
! 5th 8th grade Musical Production
! 4th & 5th grade Chess Club
! 6th 8th grade Show Choir Club
! 6th 8th grade Jazz Band
! 6-8th grade Middle Level Science
! 5th 8th grade NO place for HATE
Club
th
th
! 7 & 8 grade Outdoor Ed Club
! 4th & 5th grade Computer Club
! 4th 8th grade Geography Bee
! 6-8th grade F.I.S.H. Club
! 1st 7th grade Junior Great Books
! 8th grade National Junior Honor
! 6th & 7th grade Game Club
Society
! ALL Students Spelling Bee
! 5th 8th grade Newspaper Club

Tracking/Programs: ability grouping/ELLs
Focus on additional literacy and mathematics support
360 is a trained group of eighth-grade students who mentor and reach out to new students. They
hold activities for sixth graders throughout the year.
Advanced language arts option at sixth, seventh and eighth grade
Opportunity for accelerated learning (esp. in mathematics and world languages) elementary to
middle level, middle level to high school
Special Education program promotes inclusion in the regular classroom. We refrain from the use
of the term special education and instead use an acronym: STRIVE (Success, Teamwork,
Responsibility, Integration, Versatility, Excellence)
District Deaf and Hard of Hearing magnet program housed at Monarch K-8. We provide a quality
education for our DHOH students, and this program allows all students and staff the opportunity
to learn sign language.
New Intensive Learning Center for students with special needs
ESL training for teachers
Meal assistance and financial scholarships for activities based on need
Talented and Gifted Program (with an on-site coordinator) driven by individual student needs
I Care character education program provides students, staff and parents with a philosophy and
common vocabulary for daily interaction


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Course: 7th Grade English Language Arts

Description:
7th Grade English Language Arts course is developed around 21st century skills, school readiness, and
postsecondary and workforce readiness skills. Colorado's Description of 21st Century Skills are the
synthesis of the essential abilities students must apply in our rapidly changing world. Todays students
need a repertoire of knowledge and skills that are more diverse, complex, and integrated than any
previous generation. Drama and theatre arts are inherently demonstrated in each of Colorados 21st
century skills such as, Critical Thinking and Reasoning, Information, Collaboration, Self Direction, and
Invention. http://schools.bvsd.org/p12/monarchk8/programs/Pages/Middle-Level-Core-
Curriculum.aspx


Students, class size, gender, ethnic:

50 minute class periods MTRF; 40 minute class periods Wed.

Class size: 17-20 students
Gender: 48% Female, 51% Male
Ethnic:
o African-American 1.2%
o American Indian 0.2%
o Asian 9.9%
o Caucasian 74.1%
o Hispanic 8.2%


Counting by 7s Holly Goldberg Sloan

Select a Text

A. Bibliographic citation for your chosen text (APA or MLA style; your choice)
Sloan, Holly Goldberg. Counting by 7s. New York: Dial for Young Readers, 2013. Print.

B. Why did I choose this text?
There are several reasons I chose this text as one to teach in my 7th grade Language Arts class.
Counting by 7s is a fairly new book, and I think its important that along with teaching the classics,
we teach more current texts as well so students have a chance to see and explore whats available
to them. The state standards I am aiming to achieve through teaching this text are, Standard 2
Reading for all Purposes and Standard 3 Writing and Composition.
Willow is a shy, inquisitive genius whose adoptive parents encourage their middle school
daughters scientific endeavors and mathematical pursuits. Through her emotional journey,
Willow learns that good can come out of tragedy, as she copes with the shock and grief that
accompany the loss of her parents to an accident. It is my belief that through teaching this book
students will be able to: relate to a character who is an oddball and doesnt know how to fit in, as
well as understand that first impressions are often wrong, and if youre lost, you might need to
swim against the tide. This book also offers a positive illustration of a young girls interest in
STEM areas (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics), which are fields we would like to see
more females in. Willow experiences the lives and friendships of other cultures, which I feel is
important to expose students to, as well as how good can grow out of tragedy.
While this book does discuss some sensitive issues, I think it is important for middle school
students to learn about tragedy and how to cope with it, understand different cultures, and have a
positive example of a character their age interested in STEM fields. Structurally, this book is
broken up into small chapters with intermediate vocabulary and sentence structure.
C. What are my goals for this text?
To compose literary and narrative texts that incorporate a range of stylistic devices
demonstrates knowledge of genre features.
Reading for purpose, tone and meaning in word choices influence literary, persuasive and
informational texts.

*Teacher who has taught the book: Roz Guterman, reading teacher, Boynton Middle School, Ithaca
Teachers Association*
http://www.nysut.org/news/nysut-united/issues/2014/may-june-2014/check-it-out-counting-by-7s











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A.

B.

C.

D.

Author Background

When was the author born? Where? Is the author still alive? If not, when and
where did the author pass away?
Holly Goldberg Sloan was born in 1958 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Has been a Film director, producer,
novelist, screenwriter since 1987-present

What were the authors major works? Include descriptions
Ill be There - Sam Border wishes he could escape, but there's nowhere for him to run and
nothing besides his little brother to care about. He has lived his life in the back of truck,
under the threat of his criminal father. And then Sam sees Emily Bell. That's when
everything changes.
Counting by 7s - Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and
diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been
easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasnt kept
her from leading a quietly happy life... until now.
Just Call Me My Name -Ill Be There SEQUEL: Emily Bell has it all. This summer is destined to
be the best time of her life. But the biggest threat to her happiness is someone she never
saw coming. Sam's criminally insane father, whom everyone thought they'd finally left
behind, is planning a jailbreak. And he knows exactly where to find Emily and his sons
when he escapes.
Adapted from: http://hollygoldbergsloan.com/about-the-books.php

Did this author earn any awards? If so, include dates and descriptions.
Counting By 7s has been nominated for a Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award in 2014, and is a
nominee for the Global Read Aloud Award.


Who and what influenced this writer?
An interview adapted from http://authorturf.com/author-interview-with-holly-goldberg-
sloan/authorinterviews
o What initially inspired you to pursue a career in writing?
I always wanted to be a writer. My second grade report card says: I hope Holly
continues to tell stories. What kind of stories could I possibly have been telling? I
guess I was a chatterbox even then.

o Name someone who supported your writing journey outside of family members.
My teachers. I had fantastic teachers. Ray Scofield from Roosevelt Junior High
school in Eugene, Oregon comes to mind as so important.
o What books have most influenced your life?
Everything written by William Faulkner.

o If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
If I could have anyone, I would have hung out with Harper Lee. Instead I just read
her book over and over.
E. What else is important to know about this author?
Sold her first screenplay when she was 24 years old

Reading Strategies

Beers, Kylene G. When Kids Can't Read, What Teachers Can Do: A Guide for Teachers, 6-12. Portsmouth,
NH: Heinemann, 2003. 62-69. Print.

A. Include a minimum of five reading strategies you would use with this text.
1. Before Reading KWL Know, Want to know,
2. During Reading Say Something - Oral
3. During Reading Word Scrolls Vocabulary
4. During Reading Poetry - Action- Reaction
5. After Reading Semantic Differentiation Scales

B. Include two in-class activities
1. One small group activity
Before Reading Types of Inferences Making predictions using text Small group
2. One large group activity
After Reading Smart Words Literary elements Large Group

C. Include one major writing assignment you would use with this text
Personal Narratives

D. Include an assessment tool for the major writing assignment
See rubric

Reading Strategies

1. Before Reading KWL Know, Want to know

Strategy: Pre reading K.W.L.
Purpose: provides a framework that helps readers access their knowledge about a topic before they
read, consider what they want to learn, and record what they have learned once they finish reading
Objectives: To be able to use K-W-Ls as a pre-reading strategy before reading expository and narrative
texts.
Materials: KWL Chart
Step Into the Classroom/ Modeling:
1. Recap the pre-reading strategy on making inferences, and how we can apply that to the KWL using
the text Counting by 7s.
2. As a class, brainstorm some ideas that would help complete the K what you already know column
a. Ask students what they know about that topic, Comparing and contrasting
b. What is it and how does it work?
c. What do we already know about the text Counting by 7s?
About setting, plot, characters
About the structure of the book (Beers, 85)
3. As a class, brainstorm some ideas that would help complete the W what you want to know column
a. Connect what they wonder about to what theyve already told me
b. Linking the unknown to the known
o What is something we want to know about the text that we cannot figure out by making
inferences or using our prior knowledge alone?
4. Explain what L stands for and why were saving it until after we complete the text. (Beers, 86)
The L column is what weve learned which is why we cannot fill out the column until after weve
finished the text.
5. Give students some time to complete their own KWL chart using the text Counting by 7s.
a. Encourage them to come up with their own Ks and Ws because not everyone has the same
knowledge and wonders the same things.
b. Adapted from: http://whysospecial.com/tag/k-w-l-chart/















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2. During Reading Say Something - Oral Constructing Meaning

Strategy: During Reading Say Something
Purpose: Interrupts a students reading of a text, giving them a chance to think about what they are
reading.
Objectives: To gain a strategy that helps readers build meaning or comprehension while reading a text.
Materials: Rules for Say Something Handout
Step Into the Classroom/ Modeling:
1. Model the strategy with a passage from the text
a. Have a student volunteer to pretend to be your partner
b. Teacher reads 3-4 paragraphs, pauses, and asks the student to say something about what was
just read to them in the form of: making a prediction, asking a question, clarifying a
misunderstanding, making a comment, or making a connection.
c. Prompt students in the audience to say something as well, in order to make sure they know
what their roles will be.
2. Explain procedure to students:
a. In groups of 2-3, take turns reading a passage from Counting by 7s
b. Tell students that when they stop to say something (every 3-4 paragraphs), they must make a
prediction, ask a question, clarify a misunderstanding, make a comment, or make a connection
(Beers, 107)
c. It is encouraged that students use the Rules for Say Something handout as guiding questions
for something to say about the text.
d. While one partner is reading, it is the listeners job to offer a response to what was read.
3. Provide students with the Rules for Say Something handout (see next page) *Adapted from Beers,
107-8
4. Have students complete the strategy in groups of 2-3.
As students read, you should be hearing the reader pause, and the other partner saying
something about the passage read.
5. Come back as a class, and have every group say something about either what they read or about
what their partner read.
a. What kinds of predictions were made?
b. What were some questions you asked, or passages you were unclear about?
c. Was there a passage you misunderstood and needed help clarifying?
d. Any comments or connections made while reading that helped you better understand what
was going on?
e. How can we use Say Something in our daily lives when reading?









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3. During Reading Word Scrolls Vocabulary

Strategy: Figuring out what words mean Word Scrolls
Purpose: To expand and understand vocabulary by learning, using, and remembering new words.
Objectives: Students will gain a new strategy that will help them learn, use, and remember new or
unfamiliar vocabulary.
Materials: Word Scrolls Handout
Step Into the Classroom/ Modeling:
1. Demonstrate word collection
a. As a class, select a passage from Counting by 7s.
b. Read the passage aloud, selecting words students might have a difficult time with.
c. These words can consist of: words they dont like, dont understand, think sound or look
funny, or that invoke a particular memory or image.
2. Distribute and explain the Word Scroll graphic organizer
a. Students select one or more words and
independently complete the Word Scroll
b. This organizer asks the students to define
the word, identify two synonyms and two
antonyms, provide four examples and use
the word in a sentence.
3. Have students perform a word collection on the
selected passage from the text, Counting by 7s.
a. As they read the text, have students mark
(sticky note, highlight, or write down)
words they dont like, dont understand,
think sound or look funny, or that invoke a
particular memory or image.
4. Have students independently complete the
Word Scroll
a. Select one or more words from their word
collection to complete the Word Scroll
b. Students will have to define the word,
identify two synonyms and two antonyms,
provide four examples and use the word
in a sentence.
5. Come back as a class, students teach the words they learned
After completing the graphic organizer for each word, students are then asked to teach the
class the new vocabulary words they have learned.

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4. During Reading Poetry Action/ Reaction

Strategy: Action-Reaction
Purpose: To show action and reaction in poetry.
Objectives: Students will be able to pick out similar actions and reactions in poetry.
Instructions:
1. Students will be analyzing Fog by Helen Cadbury
2. Before Reading
3. First Reading
4. Close Reading
5. After Reading
Step Into the Classroom/ Modeling:
1. Students will be analyzing Fog
by Helen Cadbury
2. Before Reading
a. Why I admire this Poem:
The reasons I admire this
poem are I love its aspects of
figurative language and
metaphors that is used to
describe fog. I also admire
the plot of the poem,
because while it is subtle,
you can see the fog move in
and around the village, and
the way it leaves an
impression with its every
move, lurking for the perfect
day.
b. Special Words to work through:
i. Disconsolate
ii. Unfathomable
3. First Reading Meeting the Poem
a. Teacher: who has experienced fog before? What was it like?
b. Teacher: Does the language in the poem accurately depict the weather?
c. Teacher: do you think the fog has another meaning behind it?
4. Close Reading
a. Noticing Plot:
i. The fog moves in smothering the village
ii. Infects the citizens
iii. Gets pushed back in to the shadows by the day waiting to return again
b. Noticing Metaphor:

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i. Metaphor- is a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison

between two things or objects that are poles apart from each other but have some
characteristics common between them.
ii. Teacher: what are some metaphors you see in this poem?
iii. Teacher: what are other metaphors you would use to describe fog?
iv. Teacher: how does the language contribute to the metaphors conveyed?
c. Noticing Figurative Language:
i. Appeals to the senses.
1. Smothers, Pockets, Sprays, Spits, Heaves, Cold-shouldering
5. After Reading Knowing the Poem Forever
a. Distribute the Action-Reaction organizer *adapted from Janeczko, 137
i. Ask students to write the initial action of the poem in the first box. In the box to the right,
write in a reaction that comes from that initial action.
ii. Ask them to fill in the other boxes with similar actions and reactions
1. Action: At the start of the poem the fog moves in around the village
2. Reaction: The villagers become infected
b. Issues/Themes/Topics for Discussion:
i. Fog
ii. Plague
iii. Weather experiences
c. Book Bridges: Pair with metaphors from Counting by 7s.

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* Action-Reaction organizer *adapted from Janeczko, 137

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5. After Reading Semantic Differential Scales (On the Fence)

Strategy: After Reading Semantic Differential Scales (On the Fence)
Purpose: To encourage students to think and engage in discussions on what they read. To give students a
strategy that helps them they draw conclusions, make inferences, use the text as support and make
connections to their own lives. (Beers, 143)
Objectives: Students will be able to think and engage in discussions on what they read. They will be able
to discuss the reasons for their opinions, draw conclusions, make inferences, use the text as support and
make connections to their own lives.
Materials: Semantic Differential Scale handout
Instructions:
1. Model the scale for Counting by 7s
2. Explanation to students
3. Have students independently complete the scale for Counting by 7s
4. Come back as a class and discuss scales
Step Into the Classroom/ Modeling:
1. Model the scale for Counting by 7s:
a. Complete the scale once the class is about a third of the way through Counting by 7s, and
again upon finishing the book.
2. Explanation to students:
a. I arrived at my opinions based on evidence from the text.
b. Its not as simple as agree or disagree students must respond by marking to what extent
they agree or disagree, and also explain their choice by citing evidence from the text, from
personal experience, or from outside knowledge.
c. Lets take the first one for example. I would place an x on the scale in between shy and
outgoing, because Willow is shy in social situations, and outgoing in academia.
d. You have to have reasoning from the story as to why you placed your x where you did.
3. Have students independently complete the scale
4. Come back as a class and discuss scales
Ask students where they agree, disagree, and their reasoning behind their choices
Do you think your choices will change as we further read the book?

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Two in-class activities

One Small Group Activity

Before Reading Types of Inferences Making predictions using text Small group

Strategy: Before Reading Types of Inferences
Purpose: To gain a better understanding of text based
and knowledge based inferences through the chosen text,
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Objectives: To be able to distinguish the difference
between text and knowledge based inferences, and apply
as a strategy in your own reading.
Materials: Becoming Inference Smart Organizer
Step Into the Classroom/ Modeling:
1. As a class, define inference, text based inference, and
knowledge based inference.
Inference the ability to connect what is in the
text with what is in the mind to create an
educated guess. (Beers, 63)
Text Based Inference information the author
supplied in the text; external
Knowledge Based Inference knowledge I have
about the world; my thoughts about whats
happening in the text.
2. As a class, model an active reading of how it looks to make inferences about what youre reading. This
is a marked up example of the inferences that went through my mind as I read this selection.
a. Mark inferences that.
i. The pronouns refer
ii. Gave explanations for events
iii. Told us where it was taking place
iv. Told us what the characters were doing
v. Show relationships between characters
vi. I used my own personal knowledge about the world to provide an educated guess
b. Teacher: What can we infer about the title of the chapter and the quote that follows?
c. Teacher: What type of word is We?
d. Teacher: What can we infer about where we are in the story?
e. Teacher: According to the text, how many characters are there?
f. Teacher: From our own lives and experiences, what can we infer that the characters are doing?
g. Teacher: Does the text provide us with any information about the narrator? Can we make any
guesses?

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3. Sort your findings into text vs. knowledge based inferences

a. Text Based Inferences:
o The pronouns refer (1, 11)
o Told us where it was taking place (2,3,10)
o Told us what the characters were doing (5,8)
b. Knowledge Based Inferences:
o Show relationships between characters (4)
o I used my own personal knowledge about the world to provide an educated guess (6,7,9)
4. Become Inference Smart note catcher activity
a. Explanation of activity:
i. In groups of 2-3, select a passage from the text Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
you want to make inferences about.
ii. Have one person read the selection aloud, paying attention to inferences you make
while reading.
iii. You are encouraged to stop and discuss these inferences as you read, and record the
quote you are referencing with the page number in the chart below.
iv. You need to determine how you made that inference, and what type of inference it is.
5. Come back as a class, and discuss what were still fuzzy about after our inferred reading
Is there a question that could not be answered through our strategy?

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One large group activity

After Reading Smart Words Literary elements Large Group

Strategy: Use Appropriate Literature Give Students the Smart Words
Purpose: Used as a post-reading strategy for Counting by 7s; to give students a way to describe what they
are thinking about the words
Objectives: Students will be able to frame their comments when describing literary elements (plot,
characters, and theme)
Materials: Words to describe plot organizer
Step Into the Classroom/ Modeling:
1. Discussing and describing literary elements pertaining to the text:
a. Upon finishing Counting by 7s discuss literary elements and ways we can describe them.
b. Ask students: what do you know about literary elements, (plot, characters, and theme)?
c. Ask students: What did you think about the plot, characters, and overall theme of the text?
d. Have students recap the plot, characters, and theme of the text.
2. Shout out!
a. After class has had a summary recapping the literary elements of the text, have students shout
out different adjectives or phrases (smart words) that describe the plot, characters, and
themes. Both positive and negative smart words are encouraged, as long as students can
support their claims using evidence from the text.
3. Independent Work Time:
a. Provide students with the Smart Words worksheet, and have them fill it out with their own
thoughts (smart words) about the plot, characters, themes, and writing styles.
b. If students are struggling ask: How were the characters trying to make you feel? What did you
like or dislike about the characters? How did the overall book flow to you? Was it rough and
hard to get through, or was it a page-turner that had you on the edge of your seat? What was it
about the book that made you feel that way?
c. Encourage students to dig deep and note both the ways in which they were positively and
negatively affected by the text
4. Large Group:
a. Have students partner up by location, and have them share some of their smart words to a
peer. They can add to or change their smart words based on their discussions.

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Major Writing Assignment

Personal Narrative Assignment

The class text weve been reading, Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan is told through a first person
narrative, a written account of connected events in the form of a story. Willow recounts a very trying time
in her life, retelling the story of losing her parents to a tragic accident. Through her story, Willow moves
through time introducing her audience to the characters who have helped shape her new life, while
reflecting on the changes she had made to move on with her life.

Your Task: You will be writing your own personal narrative, telling a story about a MOMENT or EVENT
in your life- Not your whole life story! Your narrative will be written through the first person point of
view, and will need to include the following: characters, setting, and plot development, as well as
movement through time, a change in events, setting or character, and a reflection that reveals what
you and other people and the story learned from the experience. There is no specific length requirement,
as long as your narrative effectively tells your story with all of the necessary components, but should be
around 3 pages double-spaced. As always I care more about quality over quantity!































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Assessment Tool for Personal Narrative

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Developing Depth, Stamina, and Passion

Kittle, Penny. Book Love: Developing Depth, Stamina, and Passion in Adolescent Readers. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann, 2013. Print.

A. How could you use this text to help build stamina and fluency?
Weekly Reading Recording Sheet
o Allows for teacher to see at a glance what students are reading, and which ones are
reading consistently.

B. What would you provide as a book talk for your selected text? [4 points]
Counting by 7s is told by twelve-year-old Willow, a shy, inquisitive genius whose adoptive
parents encourage their middle school daughters scientific endeavors and mathematical
pursuits. Through her emotional journey, Willow learns that good can come out of tragedy, as
she copes with the shock and grief that accompanies the loss of her adoptive parents to an
accident. While this book does discuss some sensitive issues, it is my belief that it covers core
concepts that are essential to the middle school population. Through teaching this text
students will be able to: relate to a character who has a difficult time fitting in, gain a better
understanding that first impressions are often wrong, offers insight to friendships across
cultures, how good can grow out of tragedy, while also offering a positive illustration of a
young persons interest in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

C. How would you use conferences when reading this text with students? [4 points]
During independent reading of the text, or assigned outside reading, have students sticky note
the text with questions, comments, predictionsetc. Have them share their sticky notes with
you as a way of participation and a way to conference with them about the text.

D. In what way(s) will you invite students to respond to the reading? [4 points]
Give Students the Smart Words
o Used as a post-reading strategy for Counting by 7s; to give students a way to describe
what they are thinking about the words
Responding to Passages in the Book Response to Quotations
o To get students more engaged with the books they are reading; students need to write
about the thinking they do while reading.

E. In what way(s) will students reflect on their reading? [4 points]
They will reflect on the book and its style through writing their own Personal Narrative.
o Personal Narratives are written about something important to the writer that will be
conveyed to the reader.
o It is a story about a MOMENT or EVENT in your life- Not your whole life story!
o Characters: The characters are the people (and sometimes animals) in the story.
Personal narratives are told by the writer and are about the writer.
o Setting: The setting is the time and place of the story.
o Plot: The plot is the sequence of events in the story. In personal narratives, the events in
the story support and enhance the meaning.
o Movement through time: The passing of time is always evident in the plot and often in
the characters and the setting.

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o Change: There will be change in a personal narrative. Either the characters, the setting,
or the events change. Often characters learn something or change as a result of the
situation or a conflict and resolution, but not always.
o Point of View (POV): Personal Narratives are told in FIRST PERSON point of view Use
pronouns like I, me, we YOU are telling the story of what happened to you.
o Include Reflection in your story: Reflection tells why the story is important
Reflection reveals what you and the other people in the story learned from the experience.
Reflection indicates why the story is memorable. This is what makes your writing more
mature! Use reflection throughout your story, but especially at the end (as a conclusion)
" Tell the reader how people reacted to the events in the story. What did you and
the other people DO? What did you and the other people SAY? This is what
makes the story interesting and connects the reader to the events

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Poetry and Other Genres

Janeczko, Paul B. Reading Poetry in the Middle Grades: 20 Poems and Activities That Meet the Common Core
Standards and Cultivate a Passion for Poetry. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print.

Strategy: Haiku poetry
Purpose: The purpose of this strategy is for students to gain more experience with haiku poetry by
paying attention to details, structure, and sounds.
Objectives: Students will be able to make meanings of haiku poems by analyzing details, poetry
structure, and sound.
Materials: Haiku Organizer adapted from Janeczko
(111)


Step Into the Classroom/ Modeling:
1. Students will be analyzing three haikus,
Sunflowers, Butterflies, and The Old Pond
2. Before Reading
a. Why I admire this Poem:
i. The reasons I admire these
poems are because, they are
original works, and they follow
Haikus themes of nature. They are also all poems that are easily to relate to, so
students shouldnt have a difficult
time with sounds or imagery.
b. Companion Poem:
i. Yosa Buson haiku poems because
they are also very original poems
and it would be interesting to
examine the history of Haiku poetry.
3. First Reading Meeting the Poem
a. Teacher: what makes a good poem?
b. Make a list of poem qualities (word choice, sensory details, language)
c. Teacher: do good poems always need to rhyme?
d. Teacher: how do you feel about the length of these poems?
e. Teacher: what tense are these poems written in?
4. Close Reading
a. Distribute the Haiku handout *adapted from Janeczko (111)
i. In small groups, using the Haiku organizer, have students examine syllable count,
seasonal reference, pause, and images.
ii. Once finished, discuss the details and images found in the poems
b. Noticing Details:
i. Teacher: what kinds of pictures do these poems paint in your head?
ii. Teacher: what kinds of senses or feelings did you experience while reading them?

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iii. Teacher: even though these poems were short in length, do you feel like enough
sensory details were provided for your comprehension of the poems?

c. Noticing Sounds:
i. Teacher: what are some of the sounds you heard when reading the poem?
ii. Teacher: in The Old Pond poem, Basho wrote, the sound of water, what sound did
you hear in your mind when you read that line? Was it a different sound than what
someone else in your group heard? Why do you think Basho wrote the sound of
water rather than composing a line that described the sound of water?
d. Noticing Structure:
i. As a rule, Haiku poems generally have a five-seven-five syllable count
ii. Haiku do not have rhythm nor rhyme, and usually no use of metaphors, similes, or
personification.
iii. Captures a scene with very few words
5. After Reading Knowing the Poem Forever
a. Issues/Themes/Topics for Discussion:
i. Nature
ii. Significance of using fewer words
b. Book Bridges: Imagine you are sitting in Willows masterful garden, create a Haiku based off
the images from the book

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Digital Literacies
Christel, Mary T., and Scott Sullivan. Lesson Plans for Developing Digital Literacies. Urbana, IL: National
Council of Teachers of English, 2010. Print.

A. Assignment sheet for teaching a specific digital literacy concept



Fakebook Character Assignment


Now that you have dug deep into the heart of your own Facebook, and have gained some insight
on your usage, you will be creating a Fakebook for a character from Counting by 7s. Your Fakebook
profile will need to consist of: your characters name, a profile picture, cover photo, an about me section,
and 30 or more posts that reflect your characters persona. Ideally, you will have one post per chapter,
(beginning at Chapter 18), and will include status updates, posts from friends, pictures, videos, links, etc.
that reflect the development of the character and story. Pay special attention to audience, voice, and
wording that your character would use. This assignment should capture the movement and development
of the plot line and characters, as they progress through the story.



























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B. Lesson plan for teaching the digital literacy skill(s).
Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson:

"Colorado Common Core Academic Standards for Seventh Grade Reading, Writing, and Communicating."
Colorado Department of Education Home Page. N.p., Dec. 2010. Web. 10 May. 2015.


Understandings: (Big Ideas)
How audience affects voice, recognize modes of communication, and analyze the effects of
their word and image choices through the persona of a character from Counting by 7s
through social media.

Inquiry Questions: (Essential questions relating knowledge at end of the unit of instruction, select
applicable questions from standard)
o How does the author use language to convey different characters viewpoints?

Evidence Outcomes: (Learning Targets)
Every student will be able to: understand how audience affects voice, recognize modes of
communication, and analyze the effects of their word and image choices through the
persona of a character from Counting by 7s through social media.

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I can:
o Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g. how ideas
influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
(CCSS:RI.7.3)
o Determine an authors point of view or purpose in a text (CCSS: RI. 7.6).
o Compare and contrast a text, an audio, video, or multimedia version of the text, analyzing
each mediums portrayal of the subject (e.g. how the delivery of a speech affects the
impact of the words). (CCSS: RI. 7.9)

List of Assessments: (Write the number of the learning target associated with each assessment)
o CCSS:RI.7.3
o CCSS: RI. 7.6
o CCSS: RI. 7.9
Name and Purpose of Lesson:
Facebook and Fakebook: Understanding Voice, Audience, and Purpose on Social Networking
Sites
Purpose: To ensure students are asking the right questions about the ways they
communicate and to encourage them to be active, aware, and ethical participates in this
environment. To create a Fakebook page for a character
Approx. Time and Materials
Two Full 50 minute class periods
One 50 minute class period for Personal Inventory of Facebook Usage
o Computers/lab
o Students access to Facebook Accounts
o Personal Inventory of Facebook Usage organizer (adapted from Christel and
Sullivan)
One 50 minute class period for Create a Fakebook for a Counting by 7s Character
o Computers/lab
o Fakebook site

Anticipatory Set
Hook: Who has a Facebook account or another type of social networking account?
How much time do you think you dedicate to these sites?
What main attraction do these sites offer to you?

Procedures
Day 1: Personal Inventory of Facebook Usage

1. Students Will Need to Have Access to a Facebook Account:
a. Make sure your school/district allows access to social media sites, or get approval.
b. Make sure parents are aware that their student will be using their Facebook account
in class
c. For students who do not have a Facebook account, allow them to partner up with
other students whom are willing to share their Facebook page at school.

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2. Personal Inventory of Facebook Usage:
a. Questions for Facebook Users:
i. How long have you had your Facebook account?
ii. Did you change from a different social networking account?
iii. Why did you set up a Facebook account?
iv. How often do you check your Facebook account? (once a day, every hour, few
times a week, I live on Facebook)
v. What is the amount of time you spend once you have logged on?
vi. What are the first three things you check when you log in?
vii. What is your favorite form of communicating while on Facebook (status
updates, wall-to-wall posts, poking, messaging)?
b. Questions for non-Facebook users or users of a different social networking site:
i. Why do you not have a Facebook account?
ii. Do you have a different social networking account? Do you prefer one over the
other?
iii. Do you find that many of your friends do or do not have accounts? What are
their reasons for not having one?
iv. Describe your main methods of communicating with friends: phone, texting,
email, etc.
v. Do you ever feel pressure from others to join Facebook or similar sites?
3. Whats on my page? Looking at Info and Photos pages:
a. Ask students to think about how they decided what information they would include
by answering the following questions.
i. Are there certain categories that you purposefully did not include? Why?
ii. At the bottom of the Info page is a list of the groups or pages the Facebook user
has joined. How do you decide which groups or pages join?
b. Topic for discussion, the idea of online privacy
i. Looking at your account settings, what information is available to everyone?
What information is available to everyone? What information is available only
to friends?
ii. What does privacy mean to you? Do you think this term means something
different to people in your parents generation?
iii. Who is the intended audience for your Facebook page and how is that reflected
in what information you share and do not share?
c. Have students look at their photo page
i. How do you filter the pictures you add to your Facebook photo album before
you post them?
ii. How do you determine which picture you will use for your profile photo? How
often do you change your profile picture?
iii. Who has permission to see the pictures in your album?

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d. Have students think back on the parts of their pages they examined and explain
whether their Facebook page is an accurate reflection of who they are

4. How do I communicate?
a. Make a list of the various methods of communication within the Facebook
environment
i. Do you use more formal language in your inbox than in wall postings?
ii. Do you tend to use on mode of communication for some friends and a different
one for other friends? Why?
iii. Do you have different purposes for using the different modes of
communication?
iv. How do you compare the ways you communicate on Facebook with the other
ways you communicate with friends: phone, email, texting, Twitter, etc.?
b. Have students compare language in messages they have previously sent

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Day 2: Create a Fakebook for a Counting by 7s Character

1. Students Will Need to create a Fakebook:
a. Explain that Fakebook is like Facebook, only for more of an educational setting.
b. Students will not need to create an account, nor post any information related to
them or their personal lives.
2. Fakebook Character:
a. Select a character:
i. Have students sign up for a character they would like to portray on social
media
ii. No more than 4-5 students doing the same character
1. Willow Chance
2. Dell Duke
3. Mai Nguyn
4. Quang-ha Nguyn
5. Jairo Hernandez
6. Pattie Nguyn
b. This will be the character they take on a persona of, and develop a Fakebook for
3. Create Your Fakebook:
a. Fakebook Assignment sheet
i. http://www.classtools.net/FB/home-page
ii. Each Fakebook page will need to include the following:
1. Name (Willow Chance aka YOUR NAME)
2. Profile Picture relating to your character
3. Cover photo relating to your character/hobbies
4. About Me! Post some things you know about the character (age,
hometown, family members, quotes, etc.)
5. Add a post!
b. Save your Fakebook with a password you will remember so you can go back and
edit/add to your profile
c. A link will be provided where you can access your Fakebook profile and share
with your peers and myself.
i. Example: Ms. Ms link http://www.classtools.net/FB/1206-LUvgSX
4. Posting and communicating through your Character
a. For the rest of the duration of the book, students will make status updates, post
various pictures, videos, and links etc. taking on a persona from a character in
Counting by 7s.
b. Students should pay attention to voice and audience as they formulate their
postings
c. There should be at least one post per section read
i. Status update from the character
ii. Comment or post from another character
iii. Videos, links, articles etc.
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Closure
What was your biggest challenge posting as a different character?
What were kind of posts did you find yourself posting? (pictures, videos, status updates
etc.)
What are some things you are now aware of when it comes to developing posts for social
media?

Differentiation
For students whom do not want to create a Fakebook, or do not have access to a reliable
Internet connection, may choose to do their Fakebook in their interactive notebook.


Assessment
Authentic character Fakebook
30+ posts by the end of the unit one from each chapter read
Attention to character persona and plot
Appropriate voice and audience

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C. Example of what you are asking students to create

Tarr, Russel. "Fakebook." Class Tools. Class Tools.net, 2015. Web. 10 May 2015.

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D. Assessment tool for evaluating student success.

Fakebook Character Rubric

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