Materials Critique

Student Background:

The 5 ESL students I focused on for this assignment are all Spanish speaking students who are in

5th grade. Three of students are at TESOL Proficiency level 4 (bridging) and 2 of the students are

at TESOL Proficiency level 5 (extending). All of the students are unable to read and writing in

their native language, however, they all speak Spanish when they are at home and

communicating with their families. All of the students were not born in America and moved here

when they were either babies or toddlers and did not begin to learn English until they started

school. All 5 students attend school in the Central Islip School District. All of the students are

around the same level and can use English to communicate their thoughts and ideas effectively. I

think as a group these students struggled most when they would try to write down their thoughts

and ideas in English in a clear, organized, and coherent way. For the most part when the students

were in class, they would communicate with each other and myself in English, however, on

occasion they would switch over to Spanish and communicate that way. I found that when the

students did switch over to Spanish to communicate with each other they weren’t speaking about

academics or topics in class to help each other, they are mostly socializing because they felt

more comfortable doing that in Spanish. When the students were paired together to complete

work, the ELL students were almost always paired with a non-ELL student because they were at

the level where they could communicate effectively in English. Even if there was something they

didn’t understand they were still able to problem solve with the non-ELL student and figure out

whatever they were having trouble with.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

The first book I chose to talk about for this assignment is the novel Esperanza Rising by Pam

Munoz Ryan. This book is a historical fiction novel about a Mexican family. The story takes

place in Mexico and California during the Great Depression. The story is about Esperanza, the

main character, and her family’s journey to the United States. The book starts off in Mexico and

gives a background about the family, they are wealthy ranch owners. However, after a family

tragedy that leaves them poor, Esperanza’s mother decides that they need to flee to the United

States in search for a better life. The book goes into detail about the struggles the family faced to

get to U.S and the hard work they needed to do when they arrived in order to survive. Hard work

is something they are not use to because they were once rich, so for Esperanza this was a

struggle. It is clear throughout the story Esperanza has to make a lot of changes to adjust to this

new life style. I chose this book because I felt this was a story some of the students could relate

too. As I mentioned in the student background section, all the 5 students I’m focusing on were

not born here in America, which means at some point they had to make a similar trip to the U.S

that Esperanza did.

This is not the first time I have read this novel with a class so having background knowledge on

it, I felt it was important for the students to recognize the changes Esperanza had to make. For

example, her life style, her beliefs, her values, and her overall attitude towards life. I felt this

book had a strong message that the students needed to hear. One of the activities that I wanted

the students to do at the end of the book was compare and contrast Esperanza from the beginning

of the story to end of the story. Unfortunately, we did not get the chance to do this because of our

busy school schedule. So, I am going to talk about how I would have carried out this lesson if I

had the time to do so. Being that this is a chapter book I know there would be a chance the

students would forget some information from the beginning of the story by the time we finished.

With that being said I would have had the students do a journal entry each day after we read. The

journal entry would focus specifically on Esperanza and her thoughts, feelings, actions, and

attitude in each chapter that we read. In addition to that the students would be required to provide

text evidence with a page number to back up what they were writing. I figured this would be

helpful especially when we finished the story for the students to look back at each journal entry

and be able to easily pull information from either what they wrote; or they could go back to the

page number they wrote down and get more information from there. Therefore, this particular

lesson would have taken place once we finished the whole novel.

My objective for this lesson would be to compare and contrast the main character from the

beginning of the story to the end. Each day we read a chapter I would begin by showing the

students a slide show presentation of the specific skills I wanted them to focus on for that chapter

and doing a mini lesson. We would discuss the skills briefly I would give them some examples

and then we would begin to read. I would always start the students off by reading out loud to

them while they followed along. After 3 or 4 pages I would have them split off into pairs and

have them finish the reading that way. This lesson would follow the same format I just discussed.

I would provide the students with a PowerPoint presentation on comparing and contrasting. I

would read a short passage about a character who made changes from the beginning of the

passage to the end. As a class we would complete a mini Venn diagram; this would only take

about 15 minutes. I would then begin to read the last chapter of the novel and then students

would break off into pairs to finish the chapter. After all students were done, they would be

given directions on the task that they need to complete. My role as the teacher for this lesson

would be the leader. I would help students come up with ways to compare and contrast

Esperanza from the beginning to the end of the story. And I would give them specific

instructions on how their task/assignment needs to be completed.

Brief summary of directions that would be given: (Students would be given the directions

verbally and also would have them displayed on the smartboard to refer back to incase they

forgot something I said.)

After you have finished reading the last chapter of Esperanza Rising, find your group

(there was a PowerPoint slide on the board of groups that I made) and begin the

assignment.

On the left side is where you are going to write how Esperanza was in the beginning of

the story. You can talk about her attitude, her life style, the things she valued, etc. You

must back up what your saying with a quote from the story and the page number where

you found it.

On the right side you are going to write how Esperanza was at the end of the story.

Again, you can talk about her attitude, her life style, the things she valued, etc. You must

back up what you’re saying with a quote from the story and the page number where you

found it.

In the middle is where you will write what has remained the same or has not changed

about Esperanza throughout the entire book.

Once you are finished as a group you will come up with a short paragraph summarizing

the information you wrote in the Venn Diagram

My objective for this lesson along with the assignment/task meets the NYS TESOL standard

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3: Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or

events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

And the NYS TESOL standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or

texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

Key Vocabulary:

Compare Contrast Change over time

Lesson Format for Esperanza Rising:

Essential Question: How does Esperanza change throughout the story?

Focus Question: How has Esperanza changed as a character from the beginning of the book to the end?

Academic Language Understand the meaning of compare and contrast and change over time

Guided Questions: What was Esperanza’s life style, attitude, and values in the beginning of the story?

What was Esperanza’s life style, attitude, and values in the end of the story?

How are they similar? How are they different? What is the biggest change you think

Esperanza made?Task: In groups, students will complete a

Venn Diagram about the main character, Esperanza, and how she has changed from the beginning of the book to the end of the book.

Students will use poster paper to complete this assignment.

Students must provide text evidence (quotes from the story with a page number) to back up the changes they say Esperanza has made

At the bottom students will collaborate together to come up with a short summary of how she has changed.

Bloom’s Knowledge Matrix:

The Knowledge Dimension

Remember

Under-stand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create

Facts list distinguish identify Point out collect relate

Concepts recall compare apply distinguish asses compose

Processes name contrast organize examine opinion construct

Procedures tell explain write list categorize model

Principles arrange interpret model list determine select

Metacognitive retell infer construct classify conclude elaborate

The Tortilla Factory by Gary Paulsen

The next book I chose to talk about is The Tortilla Factory by Gary Paulsen. This book explains

the life cycle of a seed into a tortilla. First it starts off as a small yellow seed, the book then goes

through each step this small yellow seed has to take before it becomes a tortilla. I picked this

book to read to the class because at the time we were working on a science unit about plants and

their life cycle. This book went perfectly with the unit and I felt was culturally appropriate for

the students. Although my focus for this materials critique is only five students, in the district I

work, majority of the population is Hispanic therefore pretty much the entire class was able to

make a connection to this book. At first, I thought this book would be a little young for this age

group, however, they loved it and it tied in really well with the lesson. The objective of this

lesson was to sequence from first to last how a tortilla is made. Before even reading the book, I

decided to have a class discussion and see what the students already know about making tortillas.

I first asked the students if they have ever eaten a taco before. Of course, they thought this was a

silly question. They laughed and said “of course we have!”. Then I asked the students if they

knew what a taco shell was made of, again they all knew the answer to this and they responded

by saying a “tortilla”. I then had the students turn and talk to each other at their tables and

discuss how they believed tortillas were made and the process that needed to take place to make

them. I gave the students about 5 minutes to do this. Once the time was up, I asked each group to

tell me step by step how they think a tortilla is created. Each group started out by saying

something along the lines of “My grandma makes tortillas all the time and this is how she does

it…” or “My mom has made tortillas at home before and she did this….”. These were the exact

responses I was expecting from the students, however, I wanted them to think about the actual

process of how it is grown as a plant and then made into a tortilla. All of the groups mentioned

that they had seen their grandma, mom, etc. start by using flour. So, I asked the students “What

is flour made of?”. This question seemed to stump them so I went on to tell the students that

flour does not just appear in our kitchens so we can use it to bake and that there is a process that

needs to take place for flour to be created. This is when I began to read the story to the class. I

told them to pay close attention to the steps and process that takes place throughout the book. As

I read, I would stop once in a while and ask students basic questions to make sure they were

following along and comprehending. At the end of the story I could see the looks on the students

faces that told me they had never thought that far into it. When we discussed the book, many

students shared that they always thought tortillas started from the flour and never thought about

how the flour was even created. Before we started the sequencing activity, I had the students tell

me different steps that they heard throughout the story, they did not have to tell me them in

order. As they verbally told me the steps, I wrote them down on the board. Once this was

completed, I had the students start their activity. We had been working with sequencing a little

bit prior to this lesson so students were aware of the sequencing vocabulary and it was reviewed

before they began the activity.

Directions for sequencing activity: (students were split into groups and each group got a poster

paper to write on)

Each group will write “A Tortilla’s Life Cycle” on the top of their poster paper.

Then you need to draw 9 lines (horizontal) across the paper, and one line down the

middle. (I demonstrated this on the board for them)

All of the boxes on the left side of the paper will be used to draw a picture of each step

and all of the boxes on the right side will be used to give a brief description of each step.

When you give a description of the steps you must use the sequencing words.

If you forget one of the steps they are written on the board, however, they are not in order

so you cannot copy straight from the board. I also have a few copies of the story if you

need to look back.

My objective for this lesson along with the assignment/task meets the NYS TESOL standard

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.4 Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas

logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or

themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. And the NYS TESOL standard CCSS.ELA-

LITERACY.RI.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly

and when drawing inferences from the text.

Key Vocabulary:

Soil Seeds Green plants Golden corn Flour Bake Tortilla Sequencing words such as first, second, then, next, after, last, etc.

Lesson Format for The Tortilla Factory:

Essential Question: What if the life cycle of a tortilla?

Focus Question: Can you sequence the life cycle of a tortilla?

Academic Language

***students were given visuals for each of these words

Soil Seeds Green plants Golden corn Flour Bake Tortilla Sequencing words such as first,

second, then, next, after, last, etc.

Guided Questions: What is the very first thing that needs to happen to start the process of a tortilla?

What sequencing words are used in the story or are any used?

If sequencing words are not used how do we know the order of the steps?

Task: In groups, students will complete a chart of the life cycle of tortillas by sequencing the steps.

Students will use poster paper to complete this assignment

Students must use sequencing words when describing each step of the tortilla life cycle

Bloom’s Knowledge Matrix:

The Knowledge Dimension

Remember

Under-stand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create

Facts list discuss sketch examine prioritize designConcepts recall summarize select dissect asses composeProcesses list explain apply inspect select model

Procedures order classify develop categorize evaluate invent

Principles reproduce identify produce divide conclude compose

Metacognitive label rephrase show analyze reproduce explain

All for the Better: A Story of El Barrio by Nicholasa Mohr

The last book I am going to talk about is All for the Better: A Story of El Barrio by Nicholasa

Mohr. I think this would have been by far my favorite story to explore with the class if I had the

chance to do so. This book is about a girl named Evelina who was born in Puerto Rico but was

sent by her mother to live with her aunt and uncle in the United States due to the Great

Depression. The book walks the reader through the struggles Evelina faced such as making new

friends, being on welfare, and trying to make a difference in her community. I feel like this

would be a good book to read with the class and the five focus students because many of them

would be able to relate or have similar stories to the main character. The particular class I am

referring to along with the five focus students from it, had expressed to me the struggles

themselves and families have had to face here in the United States so I feel they would have been

comfortable talking about it as a class. As I mentioned in the student background the 5 students, I

focused on for this particular assignment all moved to the United States when they were very

young. In addition to that majority of the students in the class, although they were born here in

the U.S, had parents or family members that came over to the United States illegally and knew

all about their experiences. A lot of the students have gone through things that I will never

experience in my life and I feel it’s important to give them an outlet to talk about their stories

and experiences, which could be done using this book. The Central Islip Community as a whole

is predominately Hispanic families, most of which are illegal. A lot of the things the main

character in the book experienced when she moved to the U.S, the students and their families

have experienced and still due to this day. Looking back at the things I taught to this class I

decided this book could have been used during a unit of Social Studies that we did that focused

on immigration. This book is in English, however, does have multiple Spanish phrases, which I

know the students would have enjoyed, because they loved teaching me different phrases in their

native language. The overall objective of this lesson would be for students to write an essay, with

all the correct parts of an essay, about coming to the United States (they would have the option to

base it on their own experience or it could be made up) and discuss what they went through or

how they think it would feel to make the move to the U.S alone, just like Evelina did. Essay

writing and writing in general is something the five focus students seemed to have trouble with,

so reading this book and pairing it with this activity would have given them the opportunity to

work on those skills. The essay would need to include all of the correct parts. For example, and

introduction, two to three body paragraphs with details, and a conclusion. This particular lesson

would take place once we finished reading the book and all throughout it the students would be

talking notes and documenting the different experiences and challenges the main character faced.

My role as the teacher would be a facilitator. For this specific lesson it would be centered around

the students expressing their stories and I would be there to help guide them in the right

direction. I would also help facilitate class discussion and make the students feel comfortable in

talking about their experiences or how they would feel if they had to experience a similar

situation to the main character Evelina.

My objective for this lesson along with the assignment/task meets the NYS TESOL standard

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and

convey ideas and information clearly. As well as NYS TESOL standard CCSS.ELA-

LITERACY.W.5.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information

from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work,

and provide a list of sources.

Key Vocabulary:

Hardships Racism Prejudice Culture Community Struggles Welfare

Lesson Format for All for the Better: A Story of El Barrio

Essential Question: What was it like for Evelina to move to the United States?

Focus Question: What was your experience moving to the United States? How did you feel? What were you thinking when you got here? How were you treated? What struggles did you face? What is one thing you would want to change in your community and how would you do it? (for students who wanted to write about their personal experience)

If you had to make the move to the United States like Evelina, how would you feel? How do you think you would be treated? Do you think it would be hard or easy and why?

Academic Language Hardships Racism Prejudice Culture Community Struggles Welfare

Guided Questions: How do you think Evelina felt when she had to move?

How would you feel if you had to move away from your family?

Why do you think the people on welfare in Evelina’s community were embarrassed?

What is something in your community

you would want to change? How would you do it?

Task: Independently students will write an essay.

Their essay can either be based on their own experience moving to the United States or how they think it would be like to make the move to the United States.

The essay must include an introduction paragraph, 2-3 body paragraphs with details, and a conclusion.

Bloom’s Knowledge Matrix:

The Knowledge Dimension

Remember

Under-stand Apply Analyze Evaluat

e Create

Facts find interpret identify examine perceive discuss

Concepts choose infer select analyze opinion imagineProcesses memorize review apply inspect select plan

Procedures tell relate write compare design formulate

Principles recall identify construct model asses design

Metacognitive choose illustrate organize conclusion

evaluate invent

References

Mcdaniel, R. (2018, August 13). Bloom's Taxonomy. Retrieved July 24, 2019, from

https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/

Mohr, N. (2001). All for the Better: A story of El barrio. New York: Metropolitan Teaching and

Learning.

Paulsen, G., & Paulsen, R. W. (2003). The tortilla factory. Columbus, OH: SRA/McGraw-Hill.

Preparing America's students for success. (n.d.). Retrieved July 24, 2019, from

http://www.corestandards.org/

Ryan, P. M. (2018). Esperanza Rising. New York: Scholastic Press.