Langston Hughes Web-Based Activity (October 29, 2019)
Currently, I am a Literacy Support Teacher with the Halifax Regional Centre for Education working with junior high students to improve their reading comprehension skills by providing instructional support in a small-group setting as well as in-class support. Therefore, technology does not have a prominent place in our reading lessons, nor do I need to be a technology expert. During our small-group sessions, comprised of three students, we explore fiction and nonfiction texts to enhance reading skills such as summarizing, inferring, predicting, the author’s overall message and how the writer attempts to maintain the reader’s interest throughout a piece of writing. Additionally, we focus on reading goals to advance the students’ accuracy and fluency that will help to assist in their understanding of a piece of writing. Students who can find academic success by improving their accuracy, fluency and comprehension related to reading will be prepared for the critical thinking skills required of a 21st century learner.
In my position, I collect data through an initial assessment of the students to find their highest instructional reading level and complete a final assessment for the same purpose. I use the 3rd edition of the Fountas and Pinnell “Benchmark Assessment System” to discover a student’s accuracy, fluency and reading comprehension skills. As I provide small-group instruction, as well as in-class support, reading strategies and skills are consistently being developed. The final data is validation as I can review the reading levels to see where the students have improved. For example, a student may improve from a highest instructional reading level of R to T and also show growth in their ability to respond to within, beyond and about the text questions. The data is then used by the Literacy Department at the Halifax Regional Centre for Education to recognize the students’ strengths and challenges to determine what can be learned from the data and how can we help the students find more success.
I am currently working with a Grade 7 teacher, who has two sections of English Language Arts (ELA), with an interest in incorporating poetry into her classroom on a regular basis. However, she did not want to complete a typical poetry unit where students read and respond to poems while completing a poetry booklet that emulates the poems that were examined during class time. Therefore, I designed a concise poetry lesson plan that would address specific Grade 7 ELA outcomes from the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The outcomes incorporated elements from all three strands of grade 7 ELA - Speaking and Listening, Reading and Viewing as well as Writing and Other Ways of Representing (see specific Outcomes listed in the Langston Hughes Lesson Plan). Additionally, I have a solid knowledge of where the students currently stand academically with their reading comprehension skills from the individual reading assessments I conduct; the small-group sessions we participate in; as well as the in-class support I provide.
The Halifax Regional Centre for Education has a Digital Citizenship Policy (2016) urging teachers to develop 21st century teaching strategies centered around technological tools that are going to make students successful in this digital era. In the article “Social Media Helps Educators Build Professional Learning Communities,” Sack-Min claims, “Kids don’t need experts in the classroom...they need relevant and connected learners who will empower them to be curious, networked, and safe” (29). Following this insight, I designed a driving question – Who is Langston Hughes and how does his poetry impact people, society, and the world? – and used Allen’s (2007) concept that learning opportunities must be meaningful, memorable and motivational. To make the poetry lesson meaningful, memorable and motivational, I added the opportunity to use the Tellagami app as the final output for their poems. Additionally, students are using an app that is fun, interactive, easy to use and meaningful to them; Students are working in a meaningful and collaborative learning environment; The “Crash Course” video provides meaningful and motivational context; and students are applying critical thinking skills.
As a Literacy Support Teacher, I can offer students engaging reading and writing experiences while allowing them to gain 21st century skills through technological tools. Additionally, I am working with students who have challenges related to their reading and writing; therefore, the implementation of technology permits students to access software such as “Read & Write” which is a text-to-speech program for students who may need adaptations to hear individual words, entire passages or the complete text read aloud. Supporting the diverse learners in a classroom, through adaptations and technology integration, will allow all students to find success and become confident learners during their academic journey.
References
Allen, M. W. (2007). Designing successful e-learning: forget what you know about instructional design and do
something interesting. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Nova Scotia Department of Education. (2012). Learning outcomes framework: Grade 7-9. Available from
https://gcj.hrce.ca/sites/default/files/websites/gcj.hrsb.ca/basic-
page/2015/10/nova_scotia_learning_outcomes_framework.pdf
Sack-Min, J. (2017). Social media helps educators build professional learning communities. Education Digest, 82(6), 25–
29.
Grade: 7
Subject: English Language Arts
Unit: Langston Hughes (Poetry)
Expected Time: 3 Classes (one hour classes)
Driving Question: Who is Langston Hughes and how does his poetry impact people, society, and the world?
Curriculum Outcomes:
3.4: Recognize that different situations (interviews, speeches, debates, conversation) require different speaking and listening conventions (questioning techniques, persuasive talk, formal language) appropriate to the situation
4.2: Read widely and experience a variety of young adult fiction and literature from different provinces and countries
8.1: Experiment with a range of strategies (brainstorming, sketching, freewriting) to extend and explore learning, to reflect on their own and others’ ideas, and to identify problems and consider solutions
9.4: Develop the awareness that content, writing style, tone of voice, language choice, and text organization need to fit the reader and suit the reason for writing
10.3: Acquire some exposure to the various technologies used for communicating to a variety of audiences for a range of purposes (videos)
10.4: Demonstrate a commitment to crafting pieces of writing and other representations
Resources:
Lesson Procedure:
Teacher Mini-Lesson: Approx. 5 minutes
Individual Student Work: Approx. 25-30 minutes
Group Work: Remainder of class plus another class
Class Share: 1 class
Lesson Wrap Up:
Day 1: The final 15 minutes of class can be used to share the “I, Too” poems.
Day 1/2: Group work which will be carried out over multiple classes; therefore, teacher must check in with each student/group to ensure they are following the assigned time frame.
Day 3: After each presentation of the final product, ask the class (audience) to share 3 positive aspects about the work.
Adaptations & Assistive Technology for Learners (requiring support):
Meaningful, Memorable, Motivational Context:
21st Century Skills (applied):
Grade 7 ELA Langston Hughes Outcomes
4 - The student demonstrates achievement with a thorough understanding and application of concepts and skills
3 - The student demonstrates achievement with a very good understanding and application of concepts and skills
2 - The student demonstrates achievement with a basic understanding and application of concepts and skills
1 - The student demonstrates achievement with a limited understanding and application of concepts and skills
Grade 7 ELA Langston Hughes Outcomes Score /4
3.4: Recognize that different situations (interviews, speeches, debates, conversation) require different speaking and listening conventions (questioning techniques, persuasive talk, formal language) appropriate to the situation
4.2: Read widely and experience a variety of young adult fiction and literature from different provinces and countries
8.1: Experiment with a range of strategies (brainstorming, sketching, freewriting) to extend and explore learning, to reflect on their own and others’ ideas, and to identify problems and consider solutions
9.4: Develop the awareness that content, writing style, tone of voice, language choice, and text organization need to fit the reader and suit the reason for writing
10.3: Acquire some exposure to the various technologies used for communicating to a variety of audiences for a range of purposes (videos, e-mail, word processing, audiotapes)
10.4: Demonstrate a commitment to crafting pieces of writing and other representations
Reflection:
Poetry can often produce a collective groan from a junior high classroom as students are accustomed to piecing together a "poetry booklet" that emulates certain types of poetry such as an acrostic poem, a haiku, a limerick and other forms that follow a particular rhyme scheme or explore certain subject matter. However, students were faced with a new challenge as they received the title of a Langston Hughes poem - "I, Too" - and were allowed the freedom to create a piece of poetry that had few limitations other than in length as the final draft had to allow them to use the Tellagami app (30 seconds) to record and share their work. Additionally, the students knew that one of their learning targets/outcomes was to be engaged in the writing process to select a "writing style, tone of voice, language choice, and text organization to fit the reader and suit the reason for writing."
Studying poetry and exploring poetic content does not normally excite all students, but once the Grade 7 classes discovered that they would be using a fun and interactive app to produce their final draft to visually share with the class, engagement was not an issue. As Allen (2007) notes, students require meaningful, memorable, and motivational context. The fact that students would be using a new app on an iPad to submit the final draft of their poetry work clearly excited them and allowed them to focus on the creative writing process. The students were working in a collaborative learning environment where they could communicate with peers to apply 21st century skills such as analyzing and synthesizing as well as creating and publishing. Many students commented that previously the only technology integration during a "poetry unit" was to "type" the final draft of their work in a Google Doc and to submit the work through Google Classroom.
The students created poems that ranged from fun to insightful and silly to serious. However, the desire to write and create was obvious as students were immediately immersed in their work. The Tellagami app allowed them to explore their own creative and technological skills while using their prior knowledge related to apps, video making and video games. Students also noted that they could use this app to complete class work in the future where they have to offer a reflection or "Exit Pass" to share their understanding of a subject. This exploration of Langston Hughes may not produce a future poet out of the classes, but it did allow a group of young students to discover how to examine a familiar topic in a meaningful manner while gaining new 21st century skills.
References
Allen, M. W. (2007). Designing successful e-learning: forget what you know about instructional design and do
something interesting. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Nova Scotia Department of Education. (2012). Learning outcomes framework: Grade 7-9. Available from
https://gcj.hrce.ca/sites/default/files/websites/gcj.hrsb.ca/basic-
page/2015/10/nova_scotia_learning_outcomes_framework.pdf
Currently, I am a Literacy Support Teacher with the Halifax Regional Centre for Education working with junior high students to improve their reading comprehension skills by providing instructional support in a small-group setting as well as in-class support. Therefore, technology does not have a prominent place in our reading lessons, nor do I need to be a technology expert. During our small-group sessions, comprised of three students, we explore fiction and nonfiction texts to enhance reading skills such as summarizing, inferring, predicting, the author’s overall message and how the writer attempts to maintain the reader’s interest throughout a piece of writing. Additionally, we focus on reading goals to advance the students’ accuracy and fluency that will help to assist in their understanding of a piece of writing. Students who can find academic success by improving their accuracy, fluency and comprehension related to reading will be prepared for the critical thinking skills required of a 21st century learner.
In my position, I collect data through an initial assessment of the students to find their highest instructional reading level and complete a final assessment for the same purpose. I use the 3rd edition of the Fountas and Pinnell “Benchmark Assessment System” to discover a student’s accuracy, fluency and reading comprehension skills. As I provide small-group instruction, as well as in-class support, reading strategies and skills are consistently being developed. The final data is validation as I can review the reading levels to see where the students have improved. For example, a student may improve from a highest instructional reading level of R to T and also show growth in their ability to respond to within, beyond and about the text questions. The data is then used by the Literacy Department at the Halifax Regional Centre for Education to recognize the students’ strengths and challenges to determine what can be learned from the data and how can we help the students find more success.
I am currently working with a Grade 7 teacher, who has two sections of English Language Arts (ELA), with an interest in incorporating poetry into her classroom on a regular basis. However, she did not want to complete a typical poetry unit where students read and respond to poems while completing a poetry booklet that emulates the poems that were examined during class time. Therefore, I designed a concise poetry lesson plan that would address specific Grade 7 ELA outcomes from the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The outcomes incorporated elements from all three strands of grade 7 ELA - Speaking and Listening, Reading and Viewing as well as Writing and Other Ways of Representing (see specific Outcomes listed in the Langston Hughes Lesson Plan). Additionally, I have a solid knowledge of where the students currently stand academically with their reading comprehension skills from the individual reading assessments I conduct; the small-group sessions we participate in; as well as the in-class support I provide.
The Halifax Regional Centre for Education has a Digital Citizenship Policy (2016) urging teachers to develop 21st century teaching strategies centered around technological tools that are going to make students successful in this digital era. In the article “Social Media Helps Educators Build Professional Learning Communities,” Sack-Min claims, “Kids don’t need experts in the classroom...they need relevant and connected learners who will empower them to be curious, networked, and safe” (29). Following this insight, I designed a driving question – Who is Langston Hughes and how does his poetry impact people, society, and the world? – and used Allen’s (2007) concept that learning opportunities must be meaningful, memorable and motivational. To make the poetry lesson meaningful, memorable and motivational, I added the opportunity to use the Tellagami app as the final output for their poems. Additionally, students are using an app that is fun, interactive, easy to use and meaningful to them; Students are working in a meaningful and collaborative learning environment; The “Crash Course” video provides meaningful and motivational context; and students are applying critical thinking skills.
As a Literacy Support Teacher, I can offer students engaging reading and writing experiences while allowing them to gain 21st century skills through technological tools. Additionally, I am working with students who have challenges related to their reading and writing; therefore, the implementation of technology permits students to access software such as “Read & Write” which is a text-to-speech program for students who may need adaptations to hear individual words, entire passages or the complete text read aloud. Supporting the diverse learners in a classroom, through adaptations and technology integration, will allow all students to find success and become confident learners during their academic journey.
References
Allen, M. W. (2007). Designing successful e-learning: forget what you know about instructional design and do
something interesting. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Nova Scotia Department of Education. (2012). Learning outcomes framework: Grade 7-9. Available from
https://gcj.hrce.ca/sites/default/files/websites/gcj.hrsb.ca/basic-
page/2015/10/nova_scotia_learning_outcomes_framework.pdf
Sack-Min, J. (2017). Social media helps educators build professional learning communities. Education Digest, 82(6), 25–
29.
Grade: 7
Subject: English Language Arts
Unit: Langston Hughes (Poetry)
Expected Time: 3 Classes (one hour classes)
Driving Question: Who is Langston Hughes and how does his poetry impact people, society, and the world?
Curriculum Outcomes:
3.4: Recognize that different situations (interviews, speeches, debates, conversation) require different speaking and listening conventions (questioning techniques, persuasive talk, formal language) appropriate to the situation
4.2: Read widely and experience a variety of young adult fiction and literature from different provinces and countries
8.1: Experiment with a range of strategies (brainstorming, sketching, freewriting) to extend and explore learning, to reflect on their own and others’ ideas, and to identify problems and consider solutions
9.4: Develop the awareness that content, writing style, tone of voice, language choice, and text organization need to fit the reader and suit the reason for writing
10.3: Acquire some exposure to the various technologies used for communicating to a variety of audiences for a range of purposes (videos)
10.4: Demonstrate a commitment to crafting pieces of writing and other representations
Resources:
- Laptop/LCD, IPads w/ Tellagami app, BYOD (students)
- https://tellagami.com/gami/U3VQQ0
- https://tellagami.com/gami/6PYW88
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir0URpI9nKQ (Crash Course Literature 215)
- Langston Hughes “Mother to Son” & “Harlem Night Song” Book (Graphic Poetry Series published by Scholastic Canada, ISBN: 978-1-55448-724-0)
Lesson Procedure:
Teacher Mini-Lesson: Approx. 5 minutes
- Write the “title” of a poem on the whiteboard– “I, Too”
- Explain to the students that they must write a poem using this title and that is the only limitation. Their poems can be about anything; therefore their work may surprise us, make us laugh, make us think, tell a story that points to a theme, tap our senses.
- This will be a challenge, but students will have to use 21st century skills such as critical thinking to produce a piece of poetry. https://tellagami.com/gami/U3VQQ0 (Reminder video clip/screencast for students)
Individual Student Work: Approx. 25-30 minutes
- Using only the “title” of this poem as the writing prompt, students will create their own “I Too” poem.
- Provide the students with the following information about the original poem as a guide:
- 5 stanzas,
- 18 lines,
- Longest line is 8 words,
- 2 stanzas only have 1 line,
- The phrase “I, Too” is used in the poem,
- Does not rhyme,
- Written in 1924
- Students will follow the Writing Process to brainstorm, create a rough draft, revise and edit a poem, before producing a final draft.
Group Work: Remainder of class plus another class
- Students will work with a partner to compare/contrast their “I, Too” poems. They will discuss similarities and differences.
- Students will then read “I, Too” by Langston Hughes and complete the graphic organizer to record the similarities and differences between their work and Hughes.
- https://tellagami.com/gami/6PYW88 (Reminder video clip/ screencast for students)
- We will collectively review the handout detailing Hughes life and his influence on the “Harlem Renaissance” movement.
- As a class we will watch the “Crash Course Literature” video on YouTube (12 minutes) to gain a deeper understanding of Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance.
- After the video, ask “Who is Langston Hughes and how does his poetry impact people, society, and the world?”
- The partners will then produce a new “I, Too” poem which will be written together.
- Students will follow the Writing Process to brainstorm, create a rough draft, revise and edit a poem, before producing a final draft.
- The students will have to produce a poem that is 30 seconds or less when read. The poem has to be this length as the Tellagami app only allows for 30 second videos.
- Students will use the iPads to create an animated video with the Tellagami app. The app is simple to use as students will create a character, place him/her in a setting and then record their own voices reading the “I, Too” poem. Recording their voice may take multiple takes, but they can read directly from the poem, so they should produce a quality recording in a brief period of time.
Class Share: 1 class
- Students share their final poetry products with their peers.
Lesson Wrap Up:
Day 1: The final 15 minutes of class can be used to share the “I, Too” poems.
Day 1/2: Group work which will be carried out over multiple classes; therefore, teacher must check in with each student/group to ensure they are following the assigned time frame.
Day 3: After each presentation of the final product, ask the class (audience) to share 3 positive aspects about the work.
Adaptations & Assistive Technology for Learners (requiring support):
- “Read & Write for Google Chrome” is available to students to use on the Chromebooks. “Read & Write” is a text-to-speech program for students who may need adaptations to hear individual words, entire passages or the complete text read aloud. Students can use this feature to read the Langston Hughes poem.
- “Read & Write for Google Chrome” allows students to dictate text (poems) to help assist them with the writing process (brainstorming, rough draft(s), revise, edit, final draft). Students can use this feature when writing their rough draft(s) and carrying out revisions.
- Small-group instruction to support individual learning
Meaningful, Memorable, Motivational Context:
- Students are using an app that is fun, interactive, easy to use and meaningful to them.
- Students are working in a collaborative learning environment.
- “Crash Course” video provides meaningful and motivational context.
- Students are applying critical thinking skills.
21st Century Skills (applied):
- Evaluate
- Remember & Understand
- Collaborate & Communicate
- Analyze & Synthesize
- Critical Thinking
- Create & Publish
Grade 7 ELA Langston Hughes Outcomes
4 - The student demonstrates achievement with a thorough understanding and application of concepts and skills
3 - The student demonstrates achievement with a very good understanding and application of concepts and skills
2 - The student demonstrates achievement with a basic understanding and application of concepts and skills
1 - The student demonstrates achievement with a limited understanding and application of concepts and skills
Grade 7 ELA Langston Hughes Outcomes Score /4
3.4: Recognize that different situations (interviews, speeches, debates, conversation) require different speaking and listening conventions (questioning techniques, persuasive talk, formal language) appropriate to the situation
4.2: Read widely and experience a variety of young adult fiction and literature from different provinces and countries
8.1: Experiment with a range of strategies (brainstorming, sketching, freewriting) to extend and explore learning, to reflect on their own and others’ ideas, and to identify problems and consider solutions
9.4: Develop the awareness that content, writing style, tone of voice, language choice, and text organization need to fit the reader and suit the reason for writing
10.3: Acquire some exposure to the various technologies used for communicating to a variety of audiences for a range of purposes (videos, e-mail, word processing, audiotapes)
10.4: Demonstrate a commitment to crafting pieces of writing and other representations
Reflection:
Poetry can often produce a collective groan from a junior high classroom as students are accustomed to piecing together a "poetry booklet" that emulates certain types of poetry such as an acrostic poem, a haiku, a limerick and other forms that follow a particular rhyme scheme or explore certain subject matter. However, students were faced with a new challenge as they received the title of a Langston Hughes poem - "I, Too" - and were allowed the freedom to create a piece of poetry that had few limitations other than in length as the final draft had to allow them to use the Tellagami app (30 seconds) to record and share their work. Additionally, the students knew that one of their learning targets/outcomes was to be engaged in the writing process to select a "writing style, tone of voice, language choice, and text organization to fit the reader and suit the reason for writing."
Studying poetry and exploring poetic content does not normally excite all students, but once the Grade 7 classes discovered that they would be using a fun and interactive app to produce their final draft to visually share with the class, engagement was not an issue. As Allen (2007) notes, students require meaningful, memorable, and motivational context. The fact that students would be using a new app on an iPad to submit the final draft of their poetry work clearly excited them and allowed them to focus on the creative writing process. The students were working in a collaborative learning environment where they could communicate with peers to apply 21st century skills such as analyzing and synthesizing as well as creating and publishing. Many students commented that previously the only technology integration during a "poetry unit" was to "type" the final draft of their work in a Google Doc and to submit the work through Google Classroom.
The students created poems that ranged from fun to insightful and silly to serious. However, the desire to write and create was obvious as students were immediately immersed in their work. The Tellagami app allowed them to explore their own creative and technological skills while using their prior knowledge related to apps, video making and video games. Students also noted that they could use this app to complete class work in the future where they have to offer a reflection or "Exit Pass" to share their understanding of a subject. This exploration of Langston Hughes may not produce a future poet out of the classes, but it did allow a group of young students to discover how to examine a familiar topic in a meaningful manner while gaining new 21st century skills.
References
Allen, M. W. (2007). Designing successful e-learning: forget what you know about instructional design and do
something interesting. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Nova Scotia Department of Education. (2012). Learning outcomes framework: Grade 7-9. Available from
https://gcj.hrce.ca/sites/default/files/websites/gcj.hrsb.ca/basic-
page/2015/10/nova_scotia_learning_outcomes_framework.pdf