EdwardS: LI 876 Collaborative Lesson Plan

LI 876 Elementary Practicum: Collaborative Lesson Plan Using Guide Words Jessica D. Edwards Emporia State University November 24th, 2013

EdwardS: LI 876 Collaborative Lesson Plan Grade Level: 2nd/3rd Overview: For this lesson the students will review using guide words to locate definitions in the dictionary. The school librarian at Blue River Elementary has reported that, although students are introduced to this skill in first grade, their test scores show that they struggle with it as they get older. She and her colleagues hope to reinforce this skill more often in the second and third grades. Therefore, this lesson will reintroduce guide words, how to find them, and how to use them to locate unknown words. Projected Time Frame: 30 minutes Content Area Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.2: Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.

Information Literacy Standard: 2.1.4: Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information.

Teaching Plan: Learning Targets: I can use guide words to locate unknown words in a dictionary. Key Concepts and Content: Alphabetical order Guide words Dictionary Skills

Connection to Prior Knowledge: The librarian will (TLW) remind students that they are now experts at alphabetical order, and will apply that knowledge to their use of the dictionary. Evidence of Learning: At the end of the lesson, TLW review the handouts where students recorded information on where they found their words and what definition they chose to draw. Opening of Lesson: TLW remind students of prior alphabet knowledge and tell them that they will apply that knowledge to their use of the dictionary. She will also ask them if the like trick-or-treating, and tell them that today they will be trick-or-treating for guide words.

EdwardS: LI 876 Collaborative Lesson Plan Instruction: TLW run through a brief presentation (appendix 1) that identifies the definition of guide words, describes what they are used for, and shows examples of different guide words in dictionaries. She will model how she uses guide words to locate certain terms. Guided Practice: TLW use three terms pertaining to the students of Blue River Elementary (library, hero, and bobcat) as guided practice. She will tell them to use the guide words and their knowledge of the alphabet to locate the word hero in their individual dictionaries. Students will raise their hands when they are finished. Once everyone has located the word, she will call on three people. The first will provide the page number, the second will provide the guide words, and the third will read the definition. Then, they will move on to the next two words, working through the same process. While students are looking for their words, the teacher will (TTW) walk around and help students, as needed. Independent Practice: For independent practice, students will trick-or-treat for a Halloween term that they will look up on their own. Once they find the word, they will fill in the information on their handout (appendix 2): page number and illustration of the words definition. Remediation and Enrichment: Remediation: For students who struggle with this activity, the teacher and librarian will be available for one-on-one support throughout the lesson. Enrichment: Students who finish early and need enrichment will be asked to do any of the following: o Include a written definition o Identify the phonetic spelling of the word o Use the word in an original sentence

Assessment Overview/Evaluation: The independent practice section outlined in this lesson plan serves as the assessment over the learning targets. Since I only had about 30 minutes with the students, and I did not want to send work home with them, I simply had them located the definition of one word, demonstrating their mastery of guide words. Overall, I felt like every student mastered this skill, and many of them needed enrichment. If I were to do the lesson over again, I would have most likely added some other assessment elements to the handout. While I feel like it is important to review skills where assessments reflect a lack of retention, I also understand that it is important to build upon this knowledge yearly. I would have been a better assessment had I incorporated different skills into the final activity. Due to a time restraint on my collaboration with the classroom teachers, I was not always fully aware of the students prior knowledge. This resulted in me needing to add additional enrichment activities for many students, which I would have done in my initial planning, had I been aware of the students understanding of dictionary skills. Teacher Collaboration: The collaboration time that I had with the classroom teachers for this activity was limited, and I really had to work through Mrs. Ward letting me know what she had discussed with the teachers as I was planning my lesson. Essentially, a teacher will communicate to Mrs. Ward that they would like a mini-

EdwardS: LI 876 Collaborative Lesson Plan lesson on a specific topic (guide words, citing sources, locating books, etc.), and she will design something that reflects that learning target. The difficulty that I found with this method, especially since I am only in the building a few hours every week, is that there is much that is difficult to plan without more specific input from the teacher. I have already mentioned, for example, the amount of enrichment I needed to do so that the 3rd-graders were challenged enough by the activity. Overall, I feel like things went well, but I have learned that more collaboration is always better. I do, however, recognize that teachers are incredibly busy and do not always have the time needed to meet for a period of time. Therefore, is it important to know the curriculum well so that one can plan as best as possible without needing to take up too much of the teachers time. Evaluation of Library Media Program: Overall, this library media program is one that appears to be highly valued by the school community. In terms of curriculum support, Cherilee Ward does a great job of working with teachers and aligning her lessons to the targets that students are working on in class. She also does a great job of staying current on the skills that are mandated in the state standards. Blue River Elementary has recently begun to focus more on inquiry-based learning, and the library has started to play a more central than ever in curriculum and student learning. Mrs. Ward has worked hard to ensure that her program supports teachers and students through this change, by having frequent consultations in regards to curriculum and reading the new material given to teachers and students. In terms of collection development, Mrs. Ward also works hard to keep up on current authors that are popular with her students. She also has implemented a program called birthday books, which gives children the option of donating money for a book purchase that will have a label with their name and birthdate on the inside cover. This program fosters a love of books because children get so excited to have a book with their name in it, and it is also a great way for the BRE library to maintain a diverse and up-to-date collection. The library space itself is very clean and student-friendly, and the scheduling of each class or storytime session is incredibly organized. Teachers, students, and classes visit the library on a regular basis for presentations, lessons, and book checkout. The staff is friendly and knows the teachers and students well. Mrs. Ward and the library paraprofessionals also do a great job of creating guidelines for library behavior without taking the fun out of visiting. Students seem aware of the library procedures and are comfortable with the organization of the collection. The library space is also used for faculty and community events, such as the Literacy Night that I participated in, as well as the story-teller presentation. Mrs. Ward coordinates these events, bringing the community and faculty together, bettering the connection between the school and its surrounding parents and community members. In summary, it is evident that the BRE staff and school community regard the library program as a valuable one. Mrs. Wards services are used often, and I believe that this is a good example of how an elementary library should be run.

EdwardS: LI 876 Collaborative Lesson Plan Appendix 1: Guide Words Presentation

EdwardS: LI 876 Collaborative Lesson Plan Appendix 2: Independent Practice Handout

Name: _______________________________________________ Finding Definitions Using Guide Words: 1) Draw a word, and write the word in the blank. 2) Look up the word using your knowledge of guide words and the alphabet. 3) Find your word, and draw a picture that represents the definition of the word below.

My Word: _______________________________________ Page #:_________ Picture of definition: