Literacy Strategies
The first literacy strategy used in this unit is a word wall. A word wall is an organized collection of vocabulary words displayed on the wall in the classroom that is created by students. Science can be vocabulary-intensive at times. Therefore, by having students interact with the key vocabulary terms, they will learn and become familiar with the terms. In later lessons, the vocabulary words on the word wall will help students increase comprehension when reading about science, in this case geology, and help them make connections between previous concepts and current concepts being discussed. The word wall will be introduced during the first lesson about earth's age and geologic time and used for the duration of the unit. During subsequent lessons, students will add to the word wall, and use the words on the word wall to make connections between concepts.
Another literacy strategy featured throughout the unit is a directed reading activity (DRA). A DRA provides students with instructional support before, during, and after reading. For the directed reading activities in this unit, the teacher will pre-teach a few important vocabulary words the students will need to understand the reading. The teacher will also provide a purpose for reading by telling the students why they are reading what they are reading. The teacher will also activate students' prior knowledge before reading by asking questions about the title of the reading and questions about the topic of the reading in general.
The teacher will start by reading the first paragraph or so to the class then have a discussion with students about what they just read. Students will extract important vocabulary words and define them based on the reading. Then the students will read the next paragraph on their own. After that, any additional vocabulary terms will be defined and added to the word wall. This will continue until the end of the reading. Then, the teacher will ask the purpose-setting statement in the form of a question. The students will provide responses using evidence from the text. DRA will be used in every lesson where students will be asked to read scientific articles.
Directed reading activities enhance instruction in the following ways:
-teach word identification skills
-connect students' prior knowledge to the topic of the text
-sets a purpose for reading
-forces students to comprehend what they are reading as they read
To introduce the theory of plate tectonics, during part of the lesson, the students will participate in a webquest. The webquest will enhance students' literacy skills as well as foster creativity and critical thinking skills. Students will be required to find information, analyze, synthesize, and summarize the information. Then they will use that information to draw conclusions.
Webquests provide opportunities for collaborative group work that is authentic and inquiry-based. The webquest also serves as a means of incorporating technology into the unit.
Another literacy strategy featured throughout the unit is a directed reading activity (DRA). A DRA provides students with instructional support before, during, and after reading. For the directed reading activities in this unit, the teacher will pre-teach a few important vocabulary words the students will need to understand the reading. The teacher will also provide a purpose for reading by telling the students why they are reading what they are reading. The teacher will also activate students' prior knowledge before reading by asking questions about the title of the reading and questions about the topic of the reading in general.
The teacher will start by reading the first paragraph or so to the class then have a discussion with students about what they just read. Students will extract important vocabulary words and define them based on the reading. Then the students will read the next paragraph on their own. After that, any additional vocabulary terms will be defined and added to the word wall. This will continue until the end of the reading. Then, the teacher will ask the purpose-setting statement in the form of a question. The students will provide responses using evidence from the text. DRA will be used in every lesson where students will be asked to read scientific articles.
Directed reading activities enhance instruction in the following ways:
-teach word identification skills
-connect students' prior knowledge to the topic of the text
-sets a purpose for reading
-forces students to comprehend what they are reading as they read
To introduce the theory of plate tectonics, during part of the lesson, the students will participate in a webquest. The webquest will enhance students' literacy skills as well as foster creativity and critical thinking skills. Students will be required to find information, analyze, synthesize, and summarize the information. Then they will use that information to draw conclusions.
Webquests provide opportunities for collaborative group work that is authentic and inquiry-based. The webquest also serves as a means of incorporating technology into the unit.