Gradual Release of Responsibility through a Literacy Squared Lesson

Plan Presenters

Cielo Tahmaseb, Maxine Jennings English Language Acquisition Specialists

Salem -Keizer School District

Today’s objectives:

After today’s session you will… • understand some of the components of a

Literacy Squared lesson. • have tools to include higher level

questions in lesson planning. • understand the process of and the

importance of using the gradual release of responsibility.

Literacy Squared lesson Components:

• Literacy objectives • Reading and writing objectives • Cross- language connections • Language objectives • Plans for Spanish literacy and literacy

based ESL must address different objectives

Components of Spanish Literacy Lesson:

• Oracy objective • Dialogue • Language structures • Vocabulary • Mentor text (culturally relevant) • Varied reading and writing approaches • Minimum of five session plan

Components of Literacy based ESL Lesson:

• Oracy objective • Dialogue • Language structures • Vocabulary • Mentor text (culturally relevant) • Varied reading and writing approaches • Minimum of five session plan

Turn and Talk

• How are the components of a Literacy Squared lesson similar of different from the lessons that you use or that are used in your building?

The First Tortilla

• A third grade Literacy Squared lesson using gradual release and high level questioning.

Standards Addressed: State Core Standard: EL.03.WR.25 Write descriptive pieces about people, places, things or experiences: Develop a unified main idea; Use details to support the main idea. State Core Standard: EL.03.RE.32 Ask questions and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal information found in, and inferred from, the text. State Core Standard:EL.03.LI.07 Determine what characters are like by what they say or do and by how the author or illustrator portrays them.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will analyze the physical and personality attributes of the main characters.

• Students will use critical thinking to formulate and answers high level questions.

Language Objectives:

• Describe what a character looks like • Describe the actions, words, and feelings

of a character “I can use adjectives to describe a

character’s physical attributes, actions, words, and feelings.”

Metacognition and Bloom’s Taxonomy

• Using Bloom’s Taxonomy as a resource

provides teachers of ELLs with a tool to ensure that they are asking a wide range of questions from low to high and fosters development of metacognitive skills in their students.

“Directing and maintaining ELLs’ instruction at the lowest level of thinking confines them to lowest level of learning”

(Lunquist, A. and Hill, J., 2009)

Bloom’s Taxonomy Levels •

Turn and Talk

Look through your packet and talk with a partner…

• What types of questions do you use or hear used with students most often?

• What benefit do you see in including higher level questioning with ELL students?

Gradual Release of Responsibility

The lesson:

• Teacher models her thinking about the character using sentence structures and begins a list of adjectives that describe the character.

• Teacher facilitates whole group practice with language structures using the following structures:

Differentiated Language Structures:

• Question: How would you describe ___________? _____ is _____ . _____can be described as ____ because _____ . ________ can be characterized by several features, such

as: _____, _____ and ___ because _____ .

High level questions…

Teacher uses high level questioning to illicit response from students about characters.

Do you think it was fair that the Mountain Spirit withheld the rain? (Evaluating)

If you were the Mountain Spirit would you have acted in the same way?

What may have happened if Jade had not gone to visit the Mountain Spirit? (Synthesis)

Why do you think Jade went alone to visit the Mountain Spirit? (Analyzing)

What question would you ask Jade (or the Mountain Spirit) if you had the opportunity to meet with them? (Application)

Teacher Modeling

• Teacher models writing the first part of the paragraph describing the character using adjectives and language structures at the potential of the students.

• Teacher and students work together to write the second part of the paragraph.

Teacher modeled Paragraph

The Mountain Spirit In the beginning of the story, the huge and

colorful Mountain Spirit could be described as angry and powerful. We know he was powerful because he could make the earth shake and prevent the rain from falling. Later, he could be characterized as kind and generous because he gave the corn to Jade and provided rain for the people.

The next steps…

• Students work in teams to collaboratively produce a list of adjectives to describe Jade.

• Students are given more opportunities for oral language practice using Lines of Communication.

• Students work with a partner to write a paragraph describing Jade.

Motivational words from Dr. Ben Carson…

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuYmhJUeoBE

Exit Ticket

Please complete an exit ticket!!

Thank you so much for coming!!!

Maxine Jennings and Cielo Tahmaseb