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Section III

Evidence-Based Instructional Tip 5/5

Professional Book

The final tip is about using music in the classroom. Music is a constant in the lives of adolescence, especially these days. Students use music to make connections to the outside world and to one another. We should be able to tap into their love of music and use it to guide our teaching. The best way to do this is to stay current with their music preferences and allow them to analyze lyrics to music just as they would lyrical poetry.

Cultural literacy theory states that there are necessary stories, authors, poets, etc. that all students should be exposed to; however, opponents of the theory suggest that the theme of the work is more important than the specific author or story.

We can take the themes from popular songs and apply them just as we would literary themes.

Section III

Evidence-Based Instructional Tip 2/5

Professional Book

Tip number two discusses the need for students to deeply analyze text beyond surface level ideas. This requires them to question what they are reading rather than accept everything that is presented to them. This is important, especially around adolescence, because it is the natural time in their lives to begin questioning the order of things. In order to accurately question their texts, students often need to be shown or told what to question. They can't question everything, or they wind up looking at everything in a paranoid manner. The best way to combat this is by devising and offering menus for students to determine their own level of depth of thinking. Don't be afraid to offer opportunities for students to run the lesson; they will still do the work, but they will be allowed to choose the pace.

Section V

Teacher Interview

Part 2

Northwest does pay for our professional development to a certain degree. My only complaint would be that we don't have the time to attend conferences during the school year. We miss a ton of great learning opportunities because we can't get sub coverage. Other than that, we have plenty of chances to improve on certain programs.

Speaking of conferences, have you ever attended something like the Texas State Reading Association state meeting? Any similar? What experiences do you have with specialized professional development?

I'm from California, which is where I began my teaching career, but my sister has done her entire educational experience here in Texas. I did professional development in California, but I'm not sure how it compares with the standards of the Texas program.

I've always found the professional development programs to be helpful

as far as building certain skills. I think that we take those new skills

and apply them to our classroom each year. Over the years, we

try to make sure our experiences with professional development

gear our teaching to include everything that we have found

effective.

Section IV

Webliography

Sites 5-6

Section IV

Webliography

Sites 1-2

5.

What Does a Teacher Do? (n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2019, from https://teach.com/what/

Section III

Evidence-Based Instructional Tip 5/5

Outside Source

We often get caught up in the bureaucracy of education and the educational field and forget what it means to be a teacher, a point reflected in the text. This website perfectly incapsulates what it means to be a teacher, especially with a focus on learning and changing.

6.

Research-based Principles of Learning & Teaching Strategies. (n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2019, from http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p4_7

1.

According to editor Jill Lewis, the primary purpose of the text is to bridge the gap between research and legitimate classroom application. This website offers suggestions for how to jump through the unfortunate bureaucratic loops and still offer a thoroughly effective classroom environment to the students.

Kelly, K. (n.d.). Reading Specialists: What You Need to Know. Retrieved June 24, 2019, from https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/treatments-approaches/working-with-clinicians/reading-specialists-what-you-need-to-know

One section of the text focuses on the role of a reading specialist as they exist in the classroom, emphasizing the importance of reading comprehension improvement. This website highlights the role of the reading specialist and offers insight into what the reading specialist can do in the classroom and for individual students.

2.

All About Differentiated Instruction with Menus. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://www.teachhub.com/classroom-management-differentiated-instruction-menus

Differentiation is one of the most important and most difficult concepts to effectively implement in the classroom. This site offers different ways to use menus (the method I've found most effective) to differentiate instruction and assessment.

10, 65354, 21803, & 390. (2017, April 16). 10 Ways to Incorporate Music into Your Classroom. Retrieved June 24, 2019, from https://www.theedadvocate.org/10-ways-incorporate-music-classroom/

Section III

Evidence-Based Instructional Tip 1/5

Outside Source

Section V

Teacher Interview

Part I

Interviewed: Brooke Jayo, 8th grade ELA, 6th year teacher

(After having explained the core philosophy of the book) What would you say is your experience with these concepts? Do you agree, disagree, find anything new? What are your thoughts?

Well, the concepts are nothing new for an experienced teacher, but the presentation seems... not revolutionary, necessarily, but interesting. I like the setup. It makes it feel more real in a way, asking actual teachers rather than, you know, just "professionals" who like theories but can never actually apply them.

What about the idea of educational research not being immediately applicable to the classroom?

That's no secret. We're used to hearing all the "best ways" to do things, but it's nice having those practices broken down and actually applied. It doesn't help to hear what we should do; we already know that. What does help is having those ideas tested and the results shown.

How do you feel Northwest (we work in the same district) supports professional development?

Section III

Evidence-Based Instructional Tip 3/5

Outside Source

The Edvocate, an online resource based around implementing new technologies into the modern classroom, postis 10 ways for teachers to incorporate music in the classroom in effective ways. Based not only on analyzing theme, but also on connecting with real-world issues and contexts beyond the classroom, these tips are adaptable for any teacher in any discipline to master.

Connected TEKS

110.23(5)[E]: make connections to personal experiences, ideas in other texts, and society.

This standard is based around the idea that music helps students make connections within their own society and with the world around them. Used in conjunction with the identity theory, students should be able to use literature to build concepts of themselves and their society, as well as outside cultures.

Section IV

Webliography

Sites 3-4

3.

Frederick, J. (2018, November 19). Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://www.hmhco.com/blog/setting-literacy-goals-for-special-day-class-students

Having worked with many SPED and 504 students, it is clear to see that not all instructional methods work for all students. This website provides a comprehensive method for establishing realistic yet challenging (driving) literacy goals for SPED students.

4.

Brown, K. (2017, May 26). These High School Students Literally Wrote the Textbook on Race Relations. Retrieved June 22, 2019, from https://www.teenvogue.com/story/teenagers-create-racial-literacy-textbook-interview

Making Connections with Students at the Beginning of the School Year. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://www.kaplanco.com/ii/making-connections-with-students

We used this resource at the beginning of this class in Module 1, and it has continued to influence my learning, as it is based directly on adolescent and cultural literacy. This site has a ton of insight to offer professionals surrounding the idea of self-advocacy and culture, and it can influence classroom instruction by offering unparalleled perspective.

Whether or not they are willing to openly admit it, students are influenced by their teachers and they do care about what their teachers think of them. This website provides different ways for teachers to get to know their students and try to build connections in a personal way. I've used this website before in trainings because it works for a wide variety of age groups.

Connected TEKS

110.23 (1)[D]: (D) engage in meaningful discourse and provide and accept constructive feedback from others.

Adolescent Identity Development. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2019, from http://actforyouth.net/adolescence/identity/

This is the most accurate standard regarding personal connections to the students because it discusses both meaningful discourse, which is something we always try to incorporate, and accepting feedback.

Especially for middle school students, who I have the unique privilege of educating, identity is everything. It is difficult to find, even harder to hold on to, and the fragility of ones sense of self is tested daily in a public school system. This site corroborates those findings, offering several different methods of defining oneself and identifying different traits of emerging personality types.

Connected TEKS

Section III

Evidence-Based Instructional Tip 2/5

Outside Source

Ascd. (n.d.). Chapter 1. The Key Benefits of Choice. Retrieved June 23, 2019, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/116015/chapters/The-Key-Benefits-of-Choice.aspx

This website, which I've used several time throughout this class and previous university courses, expertly explains the benefits of allowing for choice in the classroom. I love this site because it does not focus on only the positives of choice; it also mentions the detriments of it. But it then offers solutions to combat those challenges. The tip here is based on differentiation, which is why menus are so effective. Not all students learn the same, so it is important to establish choice in a way that still results in the completion of their work, but in their own way.

Section II

Personal Response

Continued

Section III

Evidence-Based Instructional Tip 1/5

Professional Book

Connected TEKS

110.23 (4)[A]: self select text and read independently for a sustained period of time.

This standard mentions students selected their own text and reading for sustained periods. They are still completing the work, but they are doing it with the text of their choice, which naturally imbues value to the assignment.

110.23 (1)[A]: listen actively to interpret a message and ask clarifying questions that build on others' ideas;

Never forget your adolescent years; perspective is everything when it comes to educating adolescents because it allows for a deeper connection with the students. G. Stanley Hall described adolescence as "storm and stress," and posited that it is the most tumultuous time in many people's lives. My first tip, based on the research provided in the book, is to always find connections with students wherever you possibly can. For many students, teachers are the only positive adult influence in their lives.

Essentials of Young Adult Literature (3rd Edition). (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://www.amazon.com/Essentials-Young-Adult-Literature-3rd/dp/013352227X/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?crid=1BH9ZSNZ1Z4OX&keywords=essential questions in adolescent literacy&qid=1561328730&s=gateway&sprefix=essential questions in a,aps,159&sr=8-2-fkmr0

180 DAYS: Two Teachers and the Quest to Engage and Empower Adolescents. (2018, March 22). Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://www.amazon.com/180-DAYS-Teachers-Empower-Adolescents/dp/0325081131/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?crid=1BH9ZSNZ1Z4OX&keywords=essential questions in adolescent literacy&qid=1561328730&s=gateway&sprefix=essential questions in a,aps,159&sr=8-1-fkmr1

It is important for students to build their own ideas of who they are, but that is impossible to do without the influence of their peers. It is well documented that one borrows characteristics of those with whom they spend the most time, so students should be able to listen to and interpret messages from peers and build ideas from this discourse.

Section III

Evidence-Based Instructional Tip 4/5

Outside Source

Section III

Evidence-Based Instructional Tip 4/5

Professional Book

(n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2019, from https://study.com/academy/course/staar-reading-grade-7-test-prep-practice.html

Students are being taught how to pass a test in order to move on to the next grade. Politcs aside, I think we can all agree that one test can not accurately measure what a student has learned throughout the course of a school year; however, the determining factors for testing success can be important in helping us identify what a student knows and what they need to know. This site offers several tips on how to tackle the STAAR (7th grade reading STAAR, because that is my focus) test and master testing concepts beyond knowledge-based questions. Some of the most-missed questions (statistically) are those that face main idea, theme, and poetry. These tips help students with those specific areas of struggle while still maintaining the importance of taught material.

There's no use in ignoring the cold facts just because we don't want to accept things the way that they are: a grand majority of our job is teaching to the test. The ugly truth rears it's hideous head once more and demands we pay it the attention it deserves. Yes, we teach concepts that will be on tests. Test scores determine whether or not we get funding for certain programs, so we must teach tests, not students. We teach answers, not concepts. We expand funds, not minds. So let us take a step back and analyze just what in the world we can do to change that.

Connected TEKS

110.23 )5)[F]: make inferences and use evidence to support understanding.

Section II

Personal Response

So why would I preach what we already know without offering solutions? Well, the solution might not be ideal, but it is the essence of making the best of a bad situation.

TEKS necessarily guide tests because districts rely on a set standard by which to judge student success. As we teach to the test, we also teach the prerequisite TEKS that will be present on the test. Being able to justify one's answer lends credence to the possibility that students understand what is required of them and have a better idea of how to beat the test.

If we are being forced to teach to the test, then let us teach to it, and against it. We must teach test-taking concepts within our disciplined curriculum.

The above links follow two books of similar style, but with a more direct narrative approach. I would recommend Jill Lewis' collection to colleagues, professionals, and even personal connections who approach me with questions regarding my work.

There are few contradictions or unsubstantiated claims throughout this book because it is so well-founded. It is a collaborative effort between a collection of professionals who clearly have experience and the best interests of students at heart.

This text is so effective because it is not told by one person and supported by only one perspective. The ideas and opinions within the book are well-researched and documented by actual teachers rather than outside professionals who have been out of the classroom for years. Professional texts are often written by a literacy expert who no longer understands what it's like to work with students one-on-one. What's refreshing about this book is the straight-forward approach focused on legitimate questions and problems plaguing a modern teacher.

Not only is this not out of date; it has a quality that stands the test of time better than most texts of a similar variety - since it is corroborated by so

many different teachers in so many areas

of education, it can be used often.

Section III

Evidence-Based Instructional Tip 3/5

Professional Book

Just as students need to learn how to work together in a collaborative environment, so too do they need to learn to examine who they are and build their own identity, an issue that plagues many adolescents.

Autonomy and identity, two of the most important things to youth, are also two of the most ambiguous ideas in modern civilization. Beyond simply stating that "kids need to find themselves," this text offers several ways to foster the search for student self-realization.

Section I

Title Page

Section II

Critical Analysis & Focus

Students struggle with the need for acceptance versus the need for identifying their own identity, which can be challenging in a world that seems to demand so much of them. So the best thing for us to do as educators, mentors, and adult figures, is to show them how far they have already come in establishing their personalities and continue to reiterate the ways in which they have grown and changed throughout the school year.

Lewis, J. (2009). Essential questions in adolescent literacy: Teachers and researchers describe what works in classrooms. New York: Guilford Press.

According to editor Jill Lewis, who collected the myriad stories reflected throughout the book, the purpose of this text is to help answer questions based on how to "engage [my] students with the texts of the discipline" and "scaffold their comprehension and composition relative to those texts" (Lewis, Foreword).

Book Reviews:

Essential Questions in Adolescent Literacy: Teachers and Researchers Describe What Works in Classrooms. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Questions-Adolescent-Literacy-Researchers/dp/1606232673

EdD, J. L. (n.d.). Essential Questions in Adolescent Literacy: Teachers and Researchers Describe What Works in Classrooms|Paperback. Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/essential-questions-in-adolescent-literacy-jill-lewis/1112082140

Evidence to support the findings in this text are reflected through real-world application and recorded results from teachers through different areas, grade levels, discplines, and generations. The focus of this text is the evolution of literacy and what we as teachers can do to combat the rapidly changing literacy environment.

Review Summary: These editorial reviews mention how Lewis combines professional and personal perspectives to help get to the root of many of the industries' toughest questions regarding adolescent literacy. Moving chronologically through the history of literacy in American youth, Lewis masterfully analyzes how literacy has evolved and continues to evolve in the 21st century.

Section I

Background Information

The text is set up in a way that posits a specific issue or argument and offers insight from professionals who have dealt with that specificity before. It sets out what does and does not work in areas of literacy for adolescents.

Position: 7th Grade English Language Arts

Seeking Master's in Curriculum Education

Attended AVID Reading Strategies Conference in Dallas, Texas in the summer of 2018 for professional development, which offered impactful insight about new reading strategies for low-income schools and students.

Northwest encourages teachers to attend conferences all across the United States, but only covers the fees of conferences in Texas. Travel and lodging is not covered by the district. Northwest does provide opportunities to review professional journals by supplying links through weekly emails, even in summer months.

Section II

Introduction and Summary

Jill Lewis, Professor of Literacy Education at New Jersey City University, collected, synthesized, and edited several personal and professional perspectives in an effort to answer some of the most important questions regarding the history and evolution of adolescent literacy. Her expertise helps the reader (teachers, professors, anyone with a professional interest in literacy) understand the main issues facing teachers of adolescents; then, using her background in literacy studies and experience in the classroom, she offers answers to questions about technology, politics, and new vs. old ideologies. The purpose of this text is to offer authentic solutions, based on applied practices, to common issues in modern classrooms.

Professional Book Talk Project

Joseph Holt - LIST 5326

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