InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards for EDTP 639 Reading and Multiple Literacies - Writing and Graphic Organizers
ARTIFACT # 1 - Created for Writing and Graphic Organizers
The first assignment I chose as an artifact is an assignment from week 4 on writing and graphic organizers. The artifact was submitted on October 17, 2023. The purpose of the assignment was to explain why writing is important for student learning and how writing to learn is applied in English language arts. The creation of the artifact was designed as a minilesson for students to focus on the use of multiliteracies and multimodal learning in a 21st century learning environment.
The lesson included best practices for writing to learn. The artifact also included using visualization and graphic organizers.
The goals, objectives, and keywords for the lesson are: Create, interpret, organize, explain, produce, graphic organizer, and writing.
Teaching and Learning
The InTASC Standard that this artifact best exemplifies is Standard #8: Instructional Strategies:
“The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways” (CCSSO, 2013).
The substandard for standard # 8, under Performances is “8(g) The teacher engages learners in using a range of learning skills and technology tools to access, interpret, evaluate, and apply information” (CCSSO, 2013).
The objective of the assignment was to explore multiliteracies and multimodal means of communication. The objective was accomplished by using Five Card Flickr as a method for students to engage with technology, exploring images, and writing a story about those images. By using this method, students were exposed to visualization as well as writing. The assignment also involved a creative response in the form of writing about the images and turning them into a coherent story. Music was also used as another form of communication that was related to the pictures: First of all, what types of songs came to mind, and secondly: What kind of memories and feelings did the music, and the images evoke?
Essential Knowledge:
Essential Knowledge is a substandard under standard 8: “8(m) The teacher understands how multiple forms of communication (oral, written, nonverbal, digital, visual) convey ideas, foster self-expression, and build relationships” (CCSSO, 2013).
In the context of 21st century learning, multiliteracies and multimodal communication are important. For example, using visual images and written text. It is also important to use electronic files as a means of communication. A nonverbal example of communication may exist in the form of a comic strip with no words or a wordless book, this method would leave the images open to analysis and personal interpretation.
For this lesson the students created a neoteric narrative. Neoteric is a word that means new, modern, or recent. However, for this assignment students created a neoteric narrative with elements of the past, present, and future. To make the assignment digital, the students could have created an electronic book, a wiki, blog, or webpage. The students were able to copy or download pictures from the internet, or they created their own individual art.
Critical Dispositions:
Critical Dispositions is a substandard under standard 8: Substandard: “8(q) The teacher values the variety of ways people communicate and encourages learners to develop and use multiple forms of communication” (CCSSO, 2013).
In this lesson, the students learned about using questioning strategies. For example, evaluative questions require the reader to formulate a response based on their opinion. Evaluative questions are higher order thinking questions:
For example, in the story, "Everything that Rises Must Converge" by Flannery O'Connor, these are the evaluative questions that were asked:
1. How do Julian and his mother differ and how are they the same?
2. Among the people who are riding the bus in this story, compare and contrast the differences between the White passengers and Black passengers.
3. Do you believe race relations have improved in the South or in the United States in general in recent years? Cite facts and evidence to prove your point or opinion.
4. What are the general connotations of the words “White,” and “Black,” when it comes to race relations, images, and perceptions?
5. What do those words conjure or imply? Do the words produce negative or positive images?
Five Possible Questioning Strategies Are:
1. Factual
2. Convergent
3. Divergent
4. Evaluative
5. Combinations
It is not our purpose to define each of them here. We want to acknowledge that they exist and are useful questioning strategies.
How does the artifact demonstrate achievement of the standard?
The chosen artifact, Lesson Plan Part 3, demonstrates achievement of Standard #8, by using technology, writing assignments, questioning strategies, multiple assessments, and a deliverable or final product. The students have also been presented with differentiation, choice, and any modifications or accommodations, which may be required. In all of the above ways, the teacher has demonstrated that she values multiple ways of learning and communicating.
Teaching and Learning: Describe how the completion of this artifact affected your understanding of teaching and learning, and/or how it may contribute to your effective teaching/learning in your discipline.
Specifically, in English language arts, using multiliteracies and multimodal modes of learning, will increase students' ability to diversify their learning. For example, writing to learn is a method used in ELA that promotes understanding and critical thinking through the use of language. Writing to learn will improve students writing skills as they learn to do writing and research in various disciplinary areas. Writing to learn can increase students’ discipline and motivation as they begin to see writing as a relevant activity that is important to their academic growth. In a similar way, graphic organizers are used to sort data into meaningful categories and assist with providing organization and clarity for all students, and also for students who have learning disabilities.
Strengths – Explain how you grew, developed, benefitted, or were strengthened by being involved in the task and how your students would benefit.
In researching and writing about this subject – writing and graphic organizers- I learned about new multiliteracies, multimodal modes of learning, and how to teach specific content to students. I explored the concept of visualization and helping students to express themselves through writing, art, and music. I also learned more about lesson planning in the process.
Implications – What are implications for your practice as a teacher and what would you do to achieve effectiveness going forward or to improve in areas where you are not as strong with this standard?
Continuing to learn and study research and writing methods and using graphic organizers is a good way to gain additional knowledge in these two areas. Writing can also be tied to many areas of Bloom’s Taxonomy, close reading, and making inferences. All of the above are good areas for both educators and students to explore in greater detail. Also, there are the differences among fiction, nonfiction, and informational texts to take into account and the different methods for studying, analyzing, applying, and evaluating literacy methods in those categories.
Reference
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards and Learning Progressions for Teachers 1.0. (2013). Council of Chief State School Officers. https://ccsso.org/sites/default/files/2017-12/2013_INTASC_Learning_Progressions_for_Teachers.pdf
Patricia Saddler, UMGC, November 22, 2023
