Lesson Plan (Cinquain Poem)

Teacher: Ruth Gonzalez Lopez
Theme: Cinquain Poem
Grade Level : Fourth Grade
Concept: Creative writing
Content Standards:

• listening/speaking
  
• reading
  
• writing

Grade Level Expectations: The student writes narrative, descriptive,and persuasive text demonstrating command of Standard English, using research and organizational strategies and the stages of the writing process.

Content Standard #3: Writing

The students communicate effectively to a variety of audiences in all forms of writing through the use of the writing process, proper grammar, and age-appropriate expressive vocabulary.

Strategy: Conceptualization

Thinking skill: Synthesis

Assessment technique: Celebrate the writing process by having the students read their poetry aloud with fluency, rhythm, and expression.

Objectives:

• Write a cinquain poem.
• Understand and identify differents parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
• Understand and use synonyms, and other parts of speech to write cinquain poem.

Materials:

• Worksheets
• Cinquain grafic organizer
• text book
• a writing rubric
• charts
• flash cards

Activities:

Initial

1. Greeting, date, weather, and song.
2. The teacher will review the syllable pattern in each poem with students and the meaning and function of the following terms: noun: names a person, place, or thing. verb: expresses action adjetives: describes a noun or pronoun, and synonym: means the same or almost the same thing as another word.
3. The teacher will discuss how cinquain poetry stresses the use of nouns, verbs, and adjectives in writing. Have students identify different needs of speech in the Father's Day poem and explain their function as follows: ( Father) - noun - describes the topic (active, strong) -adjectives - describe the topic; (fishes, cooks, plays) verbs- express an action. (God's gift to us) - expresses a feeling. -( Alex) refers to the title.

Development Activities

1. The teacher begins to discuss the first step in writing a Cinquain Poem and writes examples of cinquain poetry on the board or hand out a copy of the Cinquain grafic organizer.
2. Have students brainstorm possible topics about which to write. Subjects might include: words from a content area being studied; names of friends, family members and pets; a favorite hobby or any other topic of interest. Encourage students to name topics that can be easily described or that evoke feeling. Record students suggestions on the board.
3. Choose a topic from the generated list that you know students are familiar with and write it on the board.
4. Write line 1 on the board and invite students to name a noun that describes the topic. List suggestions in the Line 1 row. Continue by writing Line 2 on the board and asking students to name nouns that describes the topic. List their suggestions in the Line 2 row. Continue the process through Line 5.
5. Choose example from each row and write a model cinquain poem for the chosen topic on the board.
6. Have students write their own cinquain poem using the same topic. Encourage them to use a dictionary or thesaurus to find synonyms that might be more interesting and concise.
7. Have students write a cinquain poem using the worksheets.

Closing Activities:

1. Students will work in groups to write their cinquain poem.
2. Each group will present their works to the teacher to be corrected.
3. The student will share their work with others and then display Cinquain poems in the classroom bulletin board.

Homework: Have students write a cinquain poem on a topic that is the opposite of the one they have already written. For example, if they choe to write about their father, than have them write about their mother.

Metacognition: What did you learn today?

Lesson Plan (Arthur Writes a Story)

Teacher: Ruth Gonzalez Lopez

Story: Arthur Writes a Story

Author: Marc Brown

Theme: Something Special

Grade Level: Fourth Grade

Concept: Creative Writing

Content Standards:

• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing

Grade Level Expectation: The student writes narrative, descriptive,exposiory and persuasive text demostrating command of Standard English, using research and organizational strategies, and the stages of the writing process.

Content Sandard #3: The student communicates effectively to a variety of audiences in all forms of writing through the use of writing process, proper grammar and age apropriate expresive vocabulary.

Strategy: Conceptualization

Thinking Skill: Synthesis

Assesment Thecnique: Comic Strips

Objetive: After finishing reading the story "Authur Writes a Story" the student will be able to:

• Answer questions from the story with the five W's and how.
• Identify the story elements in a short story.
• Write a narrative story of something importatnt to you. The story should have character, setting and a plot.

Materials:

• reproduced material
• textbook
• chart
• six- frame comic strips format
• a writing rubric
• flash cards
• sentence strips

Activities:

1. Initial:

• Grettings, date, weather, song
• The teacher will revew the character, setting and plot of the story.
• The teacher will encourage the students to write there answers in complete sentences.

2. Development Activities:

• The teacher begins to read the story while the students follow along and take turns reading aloud.
• The teacher will stop reading to ask questions of comprehension using the 5 W's and how.
• After finishhed the reading the student will be asked to choose a flashcard with some details from the story. They will identify the character, setting and plot of the story and glue them under the corresponding column of the board headed: Character, Setting, Plot.
• The teacher will hand in six frames comic strips to the students in which they will use to create a story. They should include charcters, setting and plot.

3. Closing Activities

• The students will work in groups to write their story.
• Each group will present their works to the teacher to be corrected.
• The students will share there work with others then display their comic strips in the classroom bulletin board.

Homework: Identify the parts of the story by filling in the bubble with the correct answer.

Metacognition What did you learn today?

Benefits of Low Stakes Writing (Writing to Learn)

This article shares some benefits of low stakes writing. According to Peter Elbow, low stakes writing helps students be active learners. Their writing performance is also much livelier, clearer and interesting. This is due to the fact that their writing assignments are not graded and as a result, their level of anxiety is decreased and their motivation is increased. As ESL teachers, I believe that we need to consider and understand these advantages of low stake writing in order to help our students develop their writing skills. I also consider that by maintaining the students' high interest we will see significant results in their writing .

Using Writing in Disiplinary Subject - Matter Courses by: Peter Elbow

This article provides the two purposes for teaching writing: write to demonstrate learning and write to learn. The first, is the most popular used and is a high stake writing always counted as a part of the final grade. The second, write to learn, is less popular in the classroom and is of low
stake. Peter Elbow points out that low stake wiriting help students understand and remember the subject matter of a course. As a ESL teacher, I partiularly believe that writing to learn is the
best to use with our students because it's less stressful and easier on both teachers and students.
I found Peter Elbow's suggestios of different kinds of writing very helpful, useful. He also emphasizes that when students understand that they are being asked for two very different kinds of writing in the course, their writing will improve because of their extensive practice. I think that if we are constantly seeking for our student progress then we should provide them with alot of practice, keeping in mind that practice makes perfect. In addition to this, our students need us to guide them with a lot of patience through this slow writing process which may take up more time than what we expect.

A Proposal for a Taxonomy of ESL Writing Strategies

This article reviews four theories related to ESL writing instruction approaches so as to provide a theoretical format for the classification of ESL writing strategies. Considering the theories of contrastive rhetoric, cognitive development, communication and social constructionism, this study proposes five categories used to ESL writing strageties. A taxonomy of ESL writing strageties is then established based on synnthesizing studies on ESL writing strageties. The five writing stategies are: communicative, rhetorical, metacognitive, cognitive and social/affective. Almost all of the categories of writing strategies in the studies are used to categorise the writing process.

As an ESL teacher, I consider that the development of writing is very complicated and influenced by many factors. However, the social constructionism theory and social/affective writing strategy called my attention because I am a constuctionism teacher. We assume that "writing is primarily a social act". Social/affective strategies are defined as strategies that writers use to interact with the target discourse community for the support and to regulate their emotions, motivation, and attitude in the writing (Carson & Longhini, 2002). Once again, it is in our hands to motivate students to write by guiding, supporting and providing them the opportunities to write. Keep in mind that the motivation to learn to write effectively comes through you!

Tecnologia ou Metodologia?

Reflexion on the video Metodologia ou Tecnolgia

Although this video is not in English or Spanish it's message is very evident. I think that there's a lot more to do than simply presenting a lesson in a methodolgically way. It's just wonderful to have all the advanced equipment in our schools, but what use do they have if the teacher doesn't know how to use them effectively. As teachers we must take advantage of the wide input of technology that surrounds our students. We definitely need to change our old methods and begin with the new by focusing on the importance of motivating our students with their likes and needs. Eventually, our students will enjoy the learning process.

Reflexion on Taylor Mali's poem of What Teachers Make

This video of "What Teachers Make?" has definitely become one of favorites. I think that teachers and parents should watch it especially during the first week of school. It's uplifting for us teachers but a slap in the face for those who look down on our profession. Although we have a complicated job, it is worthwhile because we can eternally influence our students lifes in a positive way by helping them to use their minds and not loading them up. If anyone should have
a doubt on what we do, visit a classroom .

Integrated Instruction Plan

Integrated Instruction Plan
Content Area: English
MRS.RUTH GONZALEZ

Date: Thursday, March 24, 2010

Grade: Fourth Grade

Length of Plan: One day

Lesson Theme: What a Team!

Book: Hidden Surprises

Title of the story: Turtle Bay

Author: Saviour Pirotta

Concept: Introducing Vocabulary

Thinking Skill: Knowledge

Strategy: Exploration and Conceptualization

Integration: Science

Content Standards and Grade Level Expectations: Listening/Speaking

The student uses the English language to interpret oral input, construct meaning, interact with confidence both verbally and nonverbally, and express ideas effectively in a variety of personal, social, and academic contexts.

L/S.4.3 Listens and responds to complex instructions, complete statements, and answers and formulates the 5 W-Questions as well as how questions (who, what, when, where, why, and how) in formal and informal discussions.

L/S.4.5 Identifies, states, and paraphrases the main idea or topic and important details from learned concepts or read aloud of a variety of simple informational texts; uses transitions to tell, retell, and explain a story
using acquired vocabulary and appropriate language structure.



Objectives: Once the skill has been initiated and a series of activities have been performed, the student will demonstrate 70% mastery of the following skills:

1. Identify new vocabulary words with the aid of pictures and context.
2. Recognize the importance of acquiring new vocabulary words.
3. Write sentences using the new vocabulary words learned.

Materials:
1.Book: Hidden Surprise
2. flash cards
3. dictionary
4. transparencies
5. pictures
6. handouts
7. sand box
8. sentence stripes

Activities:
Initial:
1. Greetings and Date.
2. Reflection: Poem Dream Boat
3. Present skill: Vocabulary of Turtle Bay
4. The student will pick a word from a toy sand box and relate the word with a given picture. This activity will activate their previous knowledge.

Development:
1. The class will be divided in two groups. Each group will have a dictionary. The students will use the dictionary to look for the definition of the vocabulary words after presenting them in context.
2. The vocabulary words will be presented to the class in context using sentences from the story. (with the use of transparencies)
3. Once the words are presented the students will look for the definition in the dictionary and write them on the chalkboard.
4. After finishing defining the vocabulary words they will practice orally a fill in the blanks.
5. Students will apply the new vocabulary words learned by completing two exercises:
· Write new sentences using the new vocabulary words
· Identify a given vocabulary word in a picture.
6. Discuss the exercise.

Closing:
1. Have students write a reflexive journal on their experience of the reading selection read in class.
2. Draw a picture of the endanger animal from the reading selection; Turtle Bay and have student share their ideas.
3. Hand out homework.

Metacognition: What did we learn today?


Homework: Complete the crossword puzzle and find information about an
endanger sea animal in Puerto Rico.

Vocabulary Words:
1. message
2. wise
3. shore
4. eager
5. trained
6. bay
7. patiently
8. hatch
9. rough
10. litter

The Renaissance Man

Who ever said that teaching was simple? The movie "The Renaissance Man" takes you on a journey with an unexperienced teacher who discovers the beauty or art of teaching with all it's commitments and responsibilities. The movie begins with the dismissal of a big time ad man, named Bill Rago, for his tardiness at a meeting which cost his firm a $6 million contract. After enduring the rigors of the unemployment line, he finds a job as a teacher at an army base. That was all there was for him so he couldn't turn it down. He was assigned to teach reading comprehension to eight educationally-challenged recruits so that they can graduate. Since this was his first teaching experience, there is no structure set up for his class. He tells his students that it's a simple basic comprehension course. Since he doesn't have classroom materials, he begins an English conversational class by asking them to share why they decided to join the army. Without realizing it, he joinned the group closer than it had ever been and assigned an essay on that same topic. He also asked them to bring a book to the next class so that they can discuss what they were reading.

In the second class, one student asked him what he was reading and again without realizing it, he triggered the students' interest with his response. He used reverse psychology when he tells them that his book named Hamlet is about sex, murder, intrigue and incest. The soldiers were so amazed that they wanted to know more about it. So the profesor made copies of the book for the next class and assigned them to read and analyze it. He incorporates the learning theory of Constructivism. which is a philosophy of learning founded on the premise that, by reflecting on our experiences we construct our own understanding of the world in which we live.

As students of a reading comprehension course , they had to learn to read and think but in Shakespeare's language (this was like a new language) They had to construct their own knowledge and this they achieved by actively participating in the class. There is one occasion where they ask the teacher to help them understand Hamlet. So the profesor uses the audio-lingual method where the students listen to each read and interpret what they read. Consequently, he catches the students interest again. I believe that Language Schemata was the key that opened the student's interest.

Once the students started to use their own learning styles, they were able to surprise the profesor with a rap singing dance which interpreted their understanding of the book Hamlet. Furthermore, each student was able to recite a part of the play successfully. At the end of the movie, they demonstrate dominance of the language structure in Shakespeare. Eventually, they graduated and dedicated their achievements to the profesor. The faith that the profesor had put into each and everyone of his students really paid off. Teaching is not an easy job but it is the most precious profession.

Journal - The Miracle Worker

The story of Helen Keller's life has deeply touched me. This inspiring movie definitely awakens our appreciation of dedicated teachers or miracle workers. The illness that hits Helen at infancy left her blind before she could speak. As she grew from infancy into childhood she was wild, frustrated and unable to communicate effectively. She relied on her senses, of touching and smelling everything. It wasn' t until she was motivated and challenged by a young teacher, named Anne Sullivan that her new life began.

Throughout the movie, a variety of language learning theories are detected. For instance, in the beginning of the movie, Miss Sullivan immediately begins to trigger Helen's knowledge by communicating with her through sign language. I believe that creativity was the key to Helen Keller's life story? According to Piaget's Cognitive Theory , the principal goal of education is to create men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done but men and women who are creative, inventive and discoverers. She also follows Stephen Krashen's Theory when she ensures that Helen does not become anxious in language learning. She establishes from the very beginning a friendly relationship with her and strives at building a close one.

Eventually, Miss Sullivan began her task with a doll that the children at Perkins had made for her to take to Helen. By spelling "d-o-l-l" into the child's hand, she hoped to teach her to connect objects with letters. Helen quickly learned to form the letters correctly and in the correct order, but did not know she was spelling a word, or even that words existed. In the days that followed she learned to spell a great many words in this uncomprehending way. Anne based her instruction on a system of touch teaching rather than attempting to explain the properties of an object, she would allow her student to experience it directly. This scene of the movie takes us to another theory; the communicative language theory where the learner interacts and learns by doing. (John Dewey)

Nevertheless, it wasn't until Miss Sullivan was able to gain full control of Helen's discipline that she began to learn or comprehend to the fullest. At this point, B.F. Skinner's theory of behaviorism appears as Anne tries to constantly modify Helen's behavior by rewarding with positive reinforcements and punishing with negative reinforcements. Skinner further insists that all learning is a process of habit formation in which a stimulus creates a response and is reinforced to become a habit. After this, Miss Sullivan led Helen to the water-pump and pumped water onto her hand spelling out the word "water" on her other hand. After many repetitions of the word, Helen realized that the individual signs represented the letters that made up a word that was the name for the thing water, and that other things must also have a name. She proceeded quickly after this to master the alphabet. The movie ends when Helen finally understands symbolic language. To this day, Helen Keller and her teacher remain an inspiration to people thoughout the world.

In conclusion, as educators we need to observe and interact more with our students. They are natural artists because they allow their creativity to run free. Their imagination knows no boundaries and nobody should make them believe they "can't" do something. Ideas are limited only by the boudaries we have set with our adult imaginations. In most cases, children come to school in full possession of their "creative spirits". It is in our hands to create children who are capable of doing new things and believe in themselves.