The units in Part 2 of Differentiation in Practice are all interesting but I specifically chose "All About The ABCs" and "We Each Have a Role to Play" because of the great experiences I've had with language arts and literature. My mother was an English teacher for many years in Nebo School District and even though I don't have early childhood memories of her reading to me I have no doubt she did. You see, if I can find a quiet place and a book (of any kind), I'm a very happy person. :)
All About The ABCs was very well done. The KUDs were clearly mapped out and the instructional strategies were grade level oriented. The ABC center was differentiated in many ways including working as an individual or as partners, tiering the materials on hand, introducing 1 or 2 activities at a time, and giving teacher feedback and support. This created a community within the classroom that ultimately led the students to teach other and they found other ways to use the available materials.
As I entered field for the first time last year I was, as you can imagine, very apprehensive. However, I was very lucky to be placed with an amazing 5th grade teacher that firmly believes in literature circles. I had a great time participating in a literature circle with one of the groups in that class and it was a lot of fun to see these students minds open up to the possibilities that literature has to offer.
We Each Have a Role to Play was another reminder of how a literature circle takes place. I was pleased to see the objectives defined the way they were. I would very much like to be a 5th grade teacher and when that happens this will be a great resource for me! The strategies are just as I remember but written in a way that will help me as I put these literature circles into practice in my classroom. Literature circles allow for differentiation in students' reading and thinking readiness and eventually allows the teacher to create the differentiated roles and tasks that are necessary to meet the students varying needs as literature is explored.
Blogging about this reminds me how excited I am to start teaching . . . Do I really have to wait another ten months??????
Don't Laugh At Me
Remember as you view this digital story that a simple hug can help those affected by bullying feel better about themselves and the world around them.
1 comment:
I'm so thrilled for your wonderful field opportunity last year to see how lit circles can really work! Unfortunately, it's way too rare to find that being done in uppder grades... and it can be so wonderful, as you found! I'm also thrilled that you can see how differentiation can fit into something you already believe in! 4 points
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