Session 3: Designing a Literacy-Focused Classroom

LA 3.1—This learning activity has teachers raise questions or misunderstandings regarding the final project and the two literacy profiles. You respond to their queries. After this, teachers will pair up and share why they chose the unit they did for this assignment. Then they will use the worksheet from HW 2.2 how their strengths in Pedagogy, Curriculum, and Classroom Organization and Structure work to develop their ELs language and literacy development generally and in their current unit plan. Then they will share ideas with each other to improve their unit as it is now.  

LA 3.2—This is a 55 minute activity. You will need to watch the clock and move around the tables to be sure everyone is working to complete all of each part.  

LA 3.3—Teachers need the three charts called Constructing Meaning from the Literacy Guidelines. They will discuss in their group the overarching principles and the 2 principles for each. This will inform their work to create a literacy-rich classroom. 

LA 3.4—Teachers will be working in pairs, but each on their own lesson planning.  This allows them to be able to share ideas and solve problems together. They need their list of literacy practices that should be evident in lessons, Evaluation of my Enacting Practice SEP Form, the their notes documenting their understanding of the ESL guidelines. They also should have brought with them their Capturing 3 Ideas from Cummins and their beginning work on their unit plans. 

HW 3.1—This is the weekly reflection. 

HW 3.2—This asks them to consider the 2 students they are profiling. They need to write cognitive, social/affective, and linguistic goals for each of them. They use the Literacy Profile of an English Learner worksheet they have already worked on during HW 2,4, and need to just add the goals.  

HW 3.3—This is a continuation from LA 3.4. They need to select a goal with the literacy focus for their unit plan. There are 2 components in bullets to be considered: a copy of the unit plan and the literacy environment checklist.  They should bring both of these to session 4. 

HW 3.4—This is an active viewing assignment. They click on the first link to get the video and the active viewing guide is found in the second link. They take notes on the right side and also write questions they have about the information. 

HW 3.5—They will read the double entry journal to read the article Words as Tools: Learning Academic Vocabulary as Language Acquisition by Nagy & Townsend. They need to underline key events and take notes on the right side of the form. 

HW 3.6—For this unit, they need to find a text they will use in their unit and bring it with them to session 4. They will use it during session 4 as they consider the vocabulary needs of the unit.  

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Access it online or download it at https://equitypress.org/tell_facilitator_guide/session_3e.