English Language Arts and Common Core State Standards

The research proposal discusses the role of the technology (wiki) in the English Language Arts educational process and its connection to the common core state standards (CCSs). The measurements of the chosen learning outcomes, like the challenges teachers face while implementing CCSSs, are feasible indeed as the answers to the open-ended questions help to realize how the technological progress may influence the educational process. Unfortunately, the proposal does not present a clear discussion of such concepts as learner motivation, control, or possible interactions. It contains a brief description of such learner attributes like student’s age (11 and 12 graders), learning style (the use of wiki technologies), and expectations (students need to achieve better results in education using the technologies). This is why there are many potential problems in the chosen procedures. Technology is defined as an issue with no particular standards (Haertel & Means, 2003), and certain attention should be paid to the pedagogical approaches and technological quality. It is also hard to define whether the success of students’ grades depends on the use of the technologies only, or some other outside factors can influence the process.

In the proposal, the author does not define the target audience, and it is impossible to say whether the chosen subject matter is age-appropriate for the audience. Still, the audience should be connected with ELA and the standards. The author’s attention to the ethical issue is also minimal. It is mentioned that all teachers’ answers remain to be anonymous, students have to use information considering certain ethical norms, and teachers should follow the standards set (Burns, Aitkenhead, Frederick, & Huddy, 2013). The author explains how the chosen open-ended questions and case studies may help to evaluate the peculiarities of the educational process and the impact of technologies and what kind of limitations may become a problem for research. The paper does not also correspond with the APA style rules. In-text citations should be put as follows (author’s name, year) (Paiz, Angeli, Wagner, Lawrikck, Moore, Anderson, Soderlund, Brizee, & Keck, 2014). In the proposal, there is no comma between the year and the author’s name. It is also necessary to write the names of all authors in case the source is mentioned for the first time. The author does not follow this requirement as well. There are discrepancies in spacing and headings. There is no page header.

In general, the paper may be strengthened if the author edits and proofreads it properly following the APA standards precisely because minor mistakes take place throughout the paper and adds more specific information about the research variables and the conditions under which the chosen subject should be discussed.

Reference List

Burns, M.K., Aitkenhead, J.M., Frederick, C.M., & Huddy, S. (2013). Undergraduate internship expectations: Strategic encouragement of student involvement. Student Pulse, 5(12). Web.

Haertel, G.D. & Means, B. (2003). Evaluating educational technology: Effective research designs for improving learning. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Ismail, S.A., Al-Awidi, H.M., & Almekhlafi, A.G. (2012). Employing reading and writing computer-based instruction in English as a second language in elementary schools. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(12), 265 – 274.

Paiz, J.M., Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrikck, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderlund, L., Brizee, A., & Keck, R. (2014). . Online Writing Lab. Web.

English Language Arts Standards in Reading

Introduction

Lesson planning is one of the most important aspects of teacher’s work. The teacher should be able to conduct a lesson that meets all necessary standards and engages all students at the same time. As far as it can be rather a challenge, a teacher has to use lesson plans to define strategies and activities that have to be used to accomplish objectives. I have chosen Understanding by Design template as a central one. In the following paper, the UbD lesson plan will be evaluated according to the provided criteria.

Lesson Plan

Criterion for comparison Understanding by Design Template
Grade level content standard English Language Arts Standards in Literature (Reading) for the sixth grade:

  • Be able to analyze the text and use evidence from material;
  • Identify the central idea of the text and be ready to evaluate it from the personal perspective;
  • Be able to identify both figurative and connotative meanings of the word from context;
  • Be prepared to evaluate, compare and contrast texts in various genres;
  • Describe the sequence of the story (English Language Arts Standards, Reading: Literature (Grade 6), n.d.).
Appropriate ISTE Standards
  • Students can plan and do researches and find solutions to problems;
  • Students use digital tools for the evaluation of future trends and news in the field of studying;
  • Students can use the Internet to have access to other cultures and communicate with representatives;
  • Students can use technologies to look for information;
  • Students collaborate with the help of technologies (ISTE Standards Students, n.d.).
Learning objective Lesson objectives should be specific for the particular grade. For instance, the lesson objective may be: sixth-grade students determine the key idea of the text with the help of group discussion and tests. The plan also includes a detailed explanation of lesson objectives. Thus, students will develop the understanding of the problem raised in the text under analysis. Essential questions for lesson include open-ended questions that provoke students’ inquiry. At the end of the lesson, students will know the central idea of the topic and develop decoding skills.
Gradual Release of Responsibility The first phase (focus lesson) is defined in the Instructional Input (teacher shows what has to be done) (Fisher, n.d.).
Guided instruction and collaborative phases are combined in Guided Practice (We do it, You do it & I help).
The last stage is reflected in the Independent Practice section.
Differentiated instruction Differentiation is included as a separate part of the plan. The teacher has to optimize plan to make sure that all students are engaged in the process of studying without reducing or omitting objectives of the lesson. A lesson plan should be personalized. For instance, sixth-grade pupils prefer acting out dialogues. The teacher has to take into account while preparing the lesson plan. (Understanding by Design — Backwards Design Process, n.d.).
Evidence of purposeful rigor and student thinking A Recall and Skills/Concepts levels are reflected in the instructional input and guided practice. During the independent practice, the teacher aims to develop the strategic and extended thinking (the third and fourth levels) (Webb, 2005).
Purposeful question Questions are defined in the first part of the plan (Identify Desired Results or Stage 1). Essential questions may be provocative, open-ended, reflecting philosophical foundations of the discipline, hypothetical, stimulating, and urging to re-think some concepts and ideas.
Assessment for learning Formative assessment is integral in this plan. It includes traditional quizzes, independent and group activities, observations, and tests. The teacher assesses students during the sequence of the lesson, especially at the Guided Practice and the Independent Practice stages.
Use of Technology The usage of digital tools is not defined as a necessary part of the lesson template. Nevertheless, UbD lesson template sets appropriate ISTE standards. Consequently, the teacher has to include digital tools and technologies into the lesson plan.

Explanation

As far as the table limits the description of the Understanding by Design lesson template, it is necessary to evaluate particular parts of the template separately. The UbD lesson template aims at exact definition of the lesson’s objectives. It is of great importance that lesson’s goals are divided into sub-groups such as understanding, essential questions, knowledge, and skills. Thus, a sixth-grade student should be able to understand the main idea of the text. Key questions may address some controversies in the text under analysis. For instance, a student may be asked to express his or her opinion. Then, the teacher has to challenge that view and evoke discussion. It is the task of the teacher to define necessary knowledge. For example, the pupil should be aware of the events from the text and their sequence. The development of thinking skills is also a part of the plan. Students should be able to analyze the text, express, and support their positions.

Students will be assessed in different ways during the lesson. The teacher will evaluate students with the help of group activities. First, students will act out dialogues from the text. Then, they will be asked to write the description of characters without names on separate pieces of paper. Every student will receive somebody’s description. Teacher evaluates pupils’ understanding of characters during these tasks. Group discussion is another technique that will enhance thinking skills. In such a way, the teacher will employ the scaffolding method to make students able perform activities on their own and retain knowledge. The teacher will provide immediate feedback on the basis of the information provided.

The first level of Webb’s DOK will be achieved after the teacher shows how to retell the sequence of events in the text and describe characters. Students should repeat and try to memorize at least some events. The second stage will be reached with the help of activities described above. Strategic thinking will be promoted during the group discussion and other types of the formative assessment (Lefrancios, 2013). Students may be asked to participate in traditional quizzes, tests, or observations. Extended thinking will be enhanced via questions that will provoke students’ understanding of the text. Students will be asked to use laptops or other gadgets to find information that will help them to develop extended thinking. For example, the task will be to find texts of the same genre and theme written by authors from other countries.

Conclusion

Understanding by Design template is the most appropriate for the efficient lesson planning. The UbD template provides teachers with opportunities to define objectives of the lesson in details. This feature is not developed in other two types of plan. However, the template lacks the exact distinction between stages described in the Gradual Releases of Responsibility model. UbD template is a useful tool that assists teachers in both meeting objectives and engaging all students in the process of studying.

References

English Language Arts Standards, Reading: Literature (Grade 6). (n.d.). Web.

Fisher, D. (n.d.). Effective Use of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model. Web.

ISTE Standards Students. (n.d.). Web.

Lefrancios, G. (2013). Of Learning and Assessment. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Understanding by Design — Backwards Design Process [Image]. (n.d.). Web.

Webb, N. (2005).. Web.

Narratives in the Middle School Language Arts

Introduction

A narrative is a type of text; it is a text that tells a story. While narratives are not always used in classrooms, they have several benefits that make their usage in teaching very beneficial. In this paper, after defining the term “narrative” more clearly, we will describe the advantages of using narratives in the middle school language arts classrooms, and the disadvantages of using only them. We will then provide five examples of the utilization of narratives in the mentioned types of the classroom.

Definition of Narratives

A narrative is a retelling of a story – some events, imaginary or real, between which there exists a connection; the events are ordered in space and time (Howald 722-723). It is important to note that the narrative is not the story itself, but the event of telling the story; the narrative is not several happenings, but the act of communicating those events, possibly omitting a part of them as not important or not interesting and possibly stressing some of the others. This means that narratives transform the story, often adding opinions, nuances, or emphases (“Definition of Narrative” par. 1). Importantly, the narrative should be distinguished from other types of telling, such as an exposition of an idea, description of a place where no events take place, etc. (Abbott 261).

Narrative literature, therefore, can be defined as a literature that contains a description of some events. It also should be noted that literary texts that contain not only narrative but also non-narrative types of telling (description of an idea, etc.) are generally considered to be narrative literature as well (Abbott 261-262).

Advantages of Using Narratives in

Middle School Language Arts Classrooms

The use of narratives while teaching students in middle school language arts classrooms has several significant advantages. It is stated that “narrative is the natural way in which humans organize information, and storytelling is the most immediate (and fundamental) means by which that narrative is communicated” (Fojkar, Skela, and Kovac 21). Using narrative often allows us to better capture the students’ attention and make them interested in the materials, which, has a beneficial effect on the process of learning. When materials are difficult to understand, narratives can sometimes allow the teacher to explain them more easily, as well as to focus the students’ attention on some important aspects.

They permit to provide a meaningful and clear interpretation of the materials, letting the learners imagine some vivid happenings, and supplying the possibility of an additional perspective on things (Bunkers 306). This also creates the possibility of additional connotations and associations, which, as it is known, makes it easier to remember the materials. It is also noteworthy that the use of narratives provides the students with a chance to gain some additional social experience, for they live through the story; they also share emotions with their classmates (Fojkar, Skela, and Kovac 22). The narrative is also useful specifically in classes oriented at teaching language and topics related to it because it allows employing a large spectrum of words, which is of crucial importance for school students.

Disadvantages of Using Only Narratives in the Classroom

On the other hand, using only narrative texts is not recommended. There are several reasons for it, the most important ones being the lack of time and the difference in interpretations. Indeed, telling a story might be interesting, and it will be easy for students to remember it; but the process of narrating is time-consuming. Also, the students, as it was mentioned above, build their interpretation of the story which is told. Even though the teacher will attempt to put stress on the important aspects of the story, they will not be able to allow for the proper interpretation of the story by all the students.

It is also worth pointing out that in multicultural classes additional complications in the understanding and interpretation might also be caused by the cultural background of the learners. Therefore, the use of narratives on their own may be somewhat misleading, which means that the story that is being told should always be supplemented by proper theoretical instruction and a detailed discussion. Also, some students might not like narratives in the classroom, preferring clear and concise expository texts. Besides, the use of only narratives, focusing on just one way of presenting information, does not permit the teacher to let their students understand many important aspects of language and communication, largely depriving them of academic knowledge about the subject.

Five Possible Uses of Narrative Literature

  1. It is possible to use narratives to design various activities in the classroom. For instance, after the teacher tells the students a story, or after the student read one from a book, it is possible to give them reconstruction tasks, to give them comprehension questions, to have them write a text evaluating the given piece, etc. (Gafu and Badea 195).
  2. It also might be useful to use narratives to teach students the realities of a particular cultural epoch, or about the culture of a different region, etc. It might be especially beneficial in the classes related to the study of foreign languages, for it allows the learners to picture the culture of the country in question, the way the people there communicate with each other, etc. It makes learning a foreign language a much brighter experience, and is helpful in vocabulary instruction, for the learners see the new words in use (Westby 11-12).
  3. It also can be produced to give the students tasks to create a narrative of their own. If the task is written, this will improve their writing skills; if it is oral, they will learn to communicate their thoughts via speech more clearly. They will also have to think of a situation and create a plot to make their story interesting, which develops the thinking skills of the learners.
  4. A teacher may also want to use a narrative to give their students analytical or summarizing tasks. The students will learn how to extract important details from a text where the information is not concentrated, and summarize this information. It is also possible to teach students to distinguish between important and unimportant details.
  5. Another situation when the utilization of narratives should be useful is when an educator is teaching students various stylistic and literary devices. Story-telling may prove useful in demonstrating these devices in practice.

Conclusion

As can be seen, the use of narratives in the classroom can yield several positive results for the learners. On the other hand, the utilization of only narratives or their overuse should not be practiced. There are several ways in which narratives can be successfully employed in the middle school language arts classrooms, and it is possible to think of even more ways of putting this instrument to use.

Works Cited

Abbott, H. Porter. What Do We Mean When We Say ‘Narrative Literature’? Looking for Answers across Disciplinary Borders.” Style 34.2 (2000): 260-273. Print.

Bunkers, S. S. “The Use of Narrative in Teaching-Learning Experiences.” Nursing Science Quarterly 18.4 (2005): 306. SAGE Journals. Web.

Definition of Narrative. n.d. Web.

Fojkar, Mateja Dagarin, Janez Skela, and Pija Kovac. “A Study of the Use of Narratives in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Young Learners.” English Language Teaching 6.6 (2013): 21-28. ProQuest. Web.

Gafu, Cristina, and Mihaela Badea. “Advantages and Disadvantages of Storytelling in Teaching English at Academic Level: A Case Study in the University of Ploiesti, Romania.” Proceedings of the European Conference on Games Based Learning (2011): 195-201. EBSCOHost. Web.

Howald, Blake Stephen. “A Quantitative Perspective on the Minimal Definition of Narrative.” Text & Talk 29.6 (2009): 705-727. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web.

Westby, Carol. “Classroom-Based Narrative and Vocabulary Instruction.” Word of Mouth 26.3 (2015): 10-12. SAGE Journals. Web.