Lesson Plans

Some standard teacher tasks still overwhelm me. Lesson planning is one such task. While I was working on my master's, our literacy class was asked to develop a week's worth of informal literacy lesson plans during yesterday's class. My group was excited to dive into something so obviously practical and useful. We reviewed the examples of daily schedules and literacy blocks we'd been given by our professor, leafed through the books and supplies we were to use in our lessons (an insect and butterfly theme), and quickly became activity generating machines!

We could visit the community garden! Or a butterfly house! Plant butterfly-attracting plants at school! Have caterpillars in the classroom! Create a paper and felt garden with the class!The kids could create pretend seed packets and plant stakes! A gardening themed play center!

Fortunately, it didn't take us long to realize that, while we were not lacking enthusiasm about our topic, we'd forgotten our goal: to create literacy lesson plans. This, I think (I hope) is a common pitfall for novices. We're so excited about getting into a classroom and teaching kids new things that we lose sight of the vital structure that makes a classroom enriching, not enraging.

Back on track, we focused on developing specific types of literacy activities that matched our theme. We could write about where the butterflies in Waiting for Wings go once they are fully grown. We could raise caterpillars in the classroom and write down our observations as they changed from larva to caterpillar to butterfly. Word work would focus on breaking apart and assembling -ing words. Lessons were actually starting to take shape.

A very helpful reminder came from our professor at the end of class. She said two things I'll need to remember to keep myself from going crazy. First, it doesn't need to be cute for the sake of being cute, and next, building one richly connected literacy unit a year is plenty. I should not try to have an entire school year of in-depth cross-curricular units created my first year teaching.

Briefly, I was overwhelmed by this experience. I worried that even my enthusiasm was now a potential handicap. Now though, my take away is this: when it comes to teaching, too much enthusiasm is less of a problem than not enough.

Teaching and Learning with Popular Media

Many of my blog posts have focused on the importance of using a variety of media and activities in order to engage students in developing literacy skills. In the past few weeks, we have been able to put those ideas into practice. Myself and another pre-service teacher helped the early readers we have been working with this semester make a movie.

The students we have been working with are kindergartners. Each has a very different personality. One is very eager and talkative, but likes to focus on exactly how characters are portrayed in books or movies. The other student is very shy and needs much encouragement to participate. Knowing that, we went to their kindergarten class with picture books and art supplies, ready to engage the students in telling us about what interests them. Myself and the other pre-service teacher told them that we were going to help them make a movie about anything they wanted! This turned out to be an overwhelming offer and both students told us they did not have any ideas. This is when relying on popular media came in handy.

We immediately asked about movies the students had recently seen. Had they seen anything they really liked? Would movies they like be fun to recreate here? With some careful questioning we were able to find out that our more talkative student had recently seen a movie about dinosaurs he called Meet the Dinosaurs. He told us it was a very new movie, still in theaters, and that it was okay that we hadn't heard of it. I did some investigating on the internet and found a 1999 made-for-TV movie called Meet the Dinosaurs, but I also found out that there is a Discover the Dinosaurs show happening in Indianapolis in addition to The Children's Museum's dinosaurs attractions. Wherever the interest came from, we had an enthusiastic dinosaur expert. As we suspected, our shier student was happy to go along with this suggestion.

To make the movie, we gave the students the options to be the dinosaurs themselves or to make dinosaurs for their movie. They opted to make dinosaurs and we provided our two students with paper and drawing materials in order to create the characters. With our dinosaur enthusiast explaining who the main characters were in the movie, we helped create a background and the start of dinosaur shapes. Our movie was a work in progress from start to finish. We filmed a few scenes when the students decided we needed to create two more dinosaurs, so it was back to the art supplies before we shot more footage.

Working with the kindergartners to make a movie taught me to be open-minded to whatever topic they were interested in and also to however they wanted to make their movie. The students we worked with did not have any interest in planning a story out ahead of time. The student who had seen the dinosaur movie usually started the scene wanting to replicate something he'd seen in the movie, but usually switched to playing a dinosaur who just ate everything. I enjoyed letting the students decide what made sense to do next while facilitating an end product. 

Playing with Literacy

Just as a child progresses through different levels of learning to read, so does the child who develops literacy skills through play. Children may start by mimicking social situations they have seen in their daily lives (talking on the phone, shopping, making dinner, etc.), but as the child is allowed to play through the literacy skills they observe in life their play evolves as well. Students begin using familiar characters to recreate favorite stories from books, movies, or TV. They may even make up new adventures for their favorite characters.

In order to learn about this process from the student's point of view, we were asked in class to use McDonald's Happy Meal toys to make a short movie. We were instructed to subvert the intended use of the toys. Our group had a stuffed animal, two scantily clad fairy women, a robotic dog-type pet, and Sherman from the cartoon Mr. Peabody and Sherman. Immediately one of our group members suggested that the fairies rescue Sherman. We opted to create a series of short situations in which Sherman finds himself trapped and the fairy women must rescue him. I believe we found it easier to work outside the original plot lines of theses characters because, for the most part, we were not familiar with the TV shows and movies from which they originated. This process was helpful for me, though, to see how students ideas evolve from expectation, to story ideas, to play.

There are many other ways to encourage play as a literacy-strengthening activity. For instance, Literacy Playshop suggests "Playing Action Scripts with Puppets." This activity helps students focus on communicating ideas through movements and actions. In this process, narration is used sparingly and the story is explained through the puppets actions and dialogue. Children must stretch their creative muscles in order to get away from tradition descriptive narration. What a useful tool for demonstrating different types of writing in an engaging way. I think this would be a very useful activity for second or third graders who have enough independent writing skills to begin to experiment with different narrative techniques and story structures. This activity is also useful for helping students understand the story in a read aloud text. The students develop ownership of the story and characters if they have firsthand experience with the situation.

It is important to allow students as many different ways to engage with curriculum. We do not use our ability to read for reading only one type of text, so why should students develop literacy skills through one type of activity. Using various kinds of play, whether it is puppet shows, movie-making, or role playing in the classroom, students engage with literacy on different levels when they play with it.

Using Picture Walks Fully

In Beyond Picture Walks: Revaluing Picturebooks as Written and Pictorial Texts, the authors praise the picture walk as a comprehension strategy, but explain that the way they are commonly used in the classroom frames the illustrations as merely an accessory to the words. This article argues that artists', including illustrators use colors and symbols to create meaning in their work and decoding that meaning can be a very meaningful activity for students.

The first thing the authors need of their students is for them to "revalue" picturebooks. They explain that "in our context, we use revalue to mean identifying and highlighting a less-valued aspect of picturebooks, namely, reading the meanings in the pictorial text." Not only can paying attention to the pictures aid in understanding the story, this practice can teach students about the emotions associated with different colors, why artists use different styles of art, and how artists use elements like line to portray movement or urgency. These evaluation skills have the ability to help students in and out of the classroom.

For instance, in their research the authors observe an art teacher's collaborative lesson with the nonfiction book a class of third-graders is reading. The art teacher uses illustrations from this book to demonstrate principles of design. "Stacey used illustrations to talk about how McCurdy's use of neutral colors emphasized the extremely cold temperature, how his use of shapes with pointed edges depicted danger..." Students then chose a sentence from the story to illustrate. In this way, students learned about the similarities and differences between conveying a message in written and visual forms.

The authors found at the end of their study that by using revaluing with picture walks, students were more confident moving between sign systems and taking ownership of their interpretations. It is not hard to see how these skills apply to life outside the classroom. Students who are confident making meaning from written and visual sign systems are better equipped to begin navigating the internet, text messages, and the bombardment of advertising present in everyday life. Teaching students to value and interpret both written and visual information is a necessary skill in today's classrooms.

Maderazo, C., Martens, P., Croce, K., et. al. (2010). Beyond Picture Walks: Revaluing Picturebooks as Written and Pictorial Texts. Language Arts. Vol. 87 (No. 6). pp. 437-446. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41804215

Interactive Read-alouds

Catching Readers Before They Fall describes in Chapter Six many compelling reasons for having interactive read-alouds in the classroom. They allow students to discuss a common topic with each other, they can be tied to math or science curriculum to enrich a lesson, and they can act as brainstorming sessions for students' writing. However, I believe the two most important reasons to have frequent interactive read-alouds in the classroom are to model enjoyable reading and to expose students to a variety of books. Students will likely be enthusiastic readers if they know it can be fun and they have books that interest them. 

Using read-alouds to model enjoyable reading is something I hadn't considered until my first literacy class this Fall. I knew that reading to children was fun. I knew that using funny voices and good inflection were helpful to keep a group of students engaged. It hadn't occurred to me though that kindergarten and first graders who find reading challenging could look to a read-aloud for proof that it gets better! What a wonderful reason to read to a class- to show how fun it is! 

Catching Readers reminds us that modeling enjoyable reading is not just for struggling readers. English Language Learners (ELLs) benefit from hearing books read in English and even the strongest readers will learn from listening to a teacher with good tone and inflection. So, read-alouds serve many purposes. They are also helpful for exposing students to a variety of books.

I can look at my own habits to see how important this demonstration is in the classroom. I am not particularly varied when I choose a book to read for fun. I know I enjoy science fiction and mythology-based stories. I know I like certain authors or series and I tend to stick to what I know. It is always a thrill though, to have a book outside my predictable sphere recommended. Children do the same thing. Whether it's butterflies, the moon, or Scooby Doo, students tend to stick with what they know they like. Catching Readers reminds us to manage the "diet" of books we give our students to prevent this miopic view of reading. For instance, because I loved Madeline as a girl I might be tempted to read every Madeline book to my students. They will benefit more though, from having one Madeline book read to them for a purpose (the story structure, repeated language, character development, etc.) and then having the option to explore more Madeline books on their own. 

By choose a healthy variety of books, we are increasing the chances of every student finding something with which to connect. When students have a personal connection, they have an incentive to read. I was glad that Catching Readers reminded me as I read that read-alouds can happen during any part of the curriculum, too. Students still get the benefits of seeing an enthusiastic reader when hearing a non-fiction book about shapes or seasons. 

Chapter Six of Catching Readers was helpful in reinforcing my interest in reading aloud to a class by providing detailed reasons read-alouds are beneficial. Read-alouds can be varied in a number of ways to fit any situation and appeal to any students. That makes for a very helpful resource in a teacher's toolbox.

Beyond Words

It's no secret that exposure to text is vital to students in the early elementary grades. The more a student sees letters, words, and sentences, the more familiar they become with the structure of language. However, in order to enrich the meaning making process, it can be helpful to encourage students to do visual work as well. In Violent Red, Ogre Green, and Delicious White: Expanding Meaning Potential through Media, Leigh explains that "daily access to a variety of media (e.g., marker, crayon, pencil, colored pencil, pen, pastel, and paint) influenced how children constructed meaning through drawing and writing."

Leigh believes that elementary classrooms are too focused on pencil use. She explains that pencils are privileged over other types of media because they allow students to correct their work. The alternative Leigh offers is that "we should be pushing for a process-oriented mindset where daily access to drawing/writing media makes it possible to respect process, to value experience. There are several benefits to allowing students more freedom of media when working in the classroom. First, students learn to manipulate the different supplies they have to create their work (splattering paint, blending pastel colors, etc.). Further, when no two students are using the exact same materials in the same way, valuable practice in verbal communication can be had by explaining techniques to each other. Leigh explains that students in the classroom where she worked were very interested in learning how to make unique colors by layering the provided crayons or markers. Students explained to each other not only how by why they created these new colors for their work.

Possibly the most important argument for allowing students a variety of media to express themselves is that it gives students a new way to demonstrate their understanding. Leigh begins this article with an anecdote about Marcus, a second-grader who is drawing a response to read-alouds about storms and tornadoes. Marcus asked other students if they had a "violent red". This showed Leigh and Marcus' classroom teacher that he had understood the mood of the books about storms, that they are intense and sometimes scary things. Leigh explains that "Marcus needed a kind of red that would communicate movement, agitation, unrest." How great that Marcus had this way to express himself! As a second-grader, Marcus may not have had the written vocabulary to explain in such detail his understanding of this topic.

Leigh broadens this idea about children relating to the media they have access to by telling us "Children who are given rulers will likely measure their world, but if a ruler is their only tool, their knowing is limited." I think Leigh makes a very valid argument for giving our students access to many different types of media. In this way, we are encouraging our students to think about what tools make sense for the task at hand. Leigh says of students' access to media in her study, "Announcing to children when they can take out their markers to draw, a common school practice, seems to us contrived and controlling, putting emphasis on us rather than on them." I found myself realizing that if our goal as teachers is to encourage students to think independently and form their own thoughts about what is being presented to them, it doesn't make sense to tell them how to show us that they understand.

Certainly writing is a vital tool for life and it should not be replaced by drawing or painting. Leigh demonstrates, though, that working in media like markers, pastels or paints, does not have to be limited to the holiday keepsake craft.


Leigh, S. (2010). Violent Red, Ogre Green, and Delicious White: Expanding Meaning Potential through Media. Language Arts. Vol. 87 (No. 4). pp. 252-262. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41804190

Organization and Communication

Chapters 10 and 11 of Catching Readers Before They Fall by Johnson and Keier fit together very well. Chapter 10 discusses how to interact with students in order to make observations about their reading skills and what to do with that information to make it usable. Chapter 11 addresses communicating with parents about student reader progress. I think these two areas of teacher go hand in hand.

For most elementary school teachers helping students develop reading skills is paramount. It's no wonder then that so much time and effort is spent getting to know our students as readers. Catching Readers outlined great ways to interact with students such as individual conferences and small guided reading groups. The most valuable part for me was the information about how observations in this groups and conferences is organized. Seeing the charts and forms that teachers actually use gave me a much better idea what my student records need to look like. How valuable to have well organized information about the entire class as well as individual students at your fingertips. As is explained in Chapter 10, this information is necessary to best plan for whole class instruction as well as small groups. As I continued to Chapter 11, I discovered another important reason to develop a successful organization system for student observations. Communicating with parents will be much easier and much more effective for me if I've made organizing and maintaining my reading observations a priority. These observations about students as readers influence their success in every other subject area (reading word problems in math, doing research for social studies, etc.) so being able to confidently discuss this information with parents is a vital skill I had not anticipated.

Chapter 11 is structured as question from parent/answer from teacher. Johnson and Keier explain that they selected sixteen of the most commonly asked questions about reading in the classroom. The questions range from 'I know my student is struggling. How do I help?' to 'The books my student is bring home are way too easy! What gives?' to 'What level is my student at? High, middle or low?' Reading the provided responses to these questions made me realize how important those records in Chapter 10 will be. If I received an email from a parent asking about how to help their struggling child. I would want to know exactly where I could reach to find up-to-date information about their student's reading progress and notes about my plans to help them. While I'm sure a certain amount of information about students is always rolling around in a teacher's head, I think parents would find recorded observations more professional and reassuring.

There was one answer to a question in Chapter 11 that I found confusing though. The question reads "It seems like my child just memorizes the books he brings home. Last night he even told me he could read it with his eyes closed. Is this okay?" The answer that Johnson and Keier provide includes explaining that "Oh, but that's not really reading though...readers do not memorize books." I understand that what they're getting at is a student who has figured out the structure and story of the book without working through the words to make meaningful connections, but readers do memorize books. At least, this reader does. I don't think I'm alone in falling in love with a story and reading it dozens of times, especially as a child. I memorized some of Aesop's fables, poems my mother shared with me that she loved as a little girl, and entire passages of A Wrinkle in Time. As an adult I continue to memorize sections of books I love. I think to tell a young student that readers don't memorize books may send the message that books are impersonal. Certainly, students should be encouraged to use reading strategies to process the words and make meaning first, but what about the student who loves a story so much they commit it to memory?

Overall, I found these chapters incredibly helpful. I realized a connection I hadn't before that I believe will make me a stronger teacher. I enjoyed the real world examples of organizational tools and the insight regarding parents' concerns about their students reading progress.