Benchmark – Cross-Curricular Unit Plan

2

Implementing Content Area Literacy Activities

Briana Jenkins

Grand Canyon University

Dr. Lisa Trait

Wednesday 21 December 2022

Introduction

As a reading specialist or literacy specialist, it is essential to support teachers in providing additional support to struggling students in reading and writing. One way to do this is by working with small groups of students and providing specific feedback to teachers about their needs. In this reflection, I will describe my experience using an informational or narrative text and an aligned activity to support students in reading and writing and provide feedback to my mentor teacher about student progress and next steps. I will also discuss how this experience of modeling literacy as content area integration will guide my future professional practice.

Implementing the Text and Aligned Activity

I chose to use an informational text about the life cycle of a butterfly and an aligned activity that involved creating a timeline of the different stages of the butterfly's life cycle. Before implementing the action with the whole class or small group of students, I shared it with my mentor teacher and made adjustments based on their feedback. I used questioning strategies, content area vocabulary, and text features during the reading and activity to support student understanding and engagement (Maryland State Department of Education, 2022). For example, I asked questions about the text’s central idea and used vocabulary related to the life cycle of butterflies. I pointed out text features such as headings and captions to help students better understand the content.

Providing Feedback to the Mentor Teacher

After implementing the activity, I provided my mentor teacher feedback about student progress and the next steps. I shared my observations about which students seemed to have a good understanding of the material and which students may need additional support. I also suggested some strategies that could be used to help these students better understand the content, such as providing further explanations or providing visual aids (CCSSO, 2019). I also identified English Language Arts standards and a content area topic for which I could develop a lesson in the future. I discussed these ideas with my mentor teacher, and we agreed that I could teach a lesson about the life cycle of plants to the same small group or whole class in a future field experience.

Reflection on Modeling Literacy as Content Area Integration

My experience modeling literacy as content area integration was enriching. It was satisfying to see the students engage with the text and activity and to be able to provide support and guidance as they worked through the material. This experience has also helped me better understand the importance of integrating literacy instruction into content-area lessons. By using texts and activities closely aligned with the content being taught, students can make connections between the language and concepts they are learning, which can lead to a deeper understanding of the material. In the future, I plan to continue incorporating literacy instruction into my content area lessons to better support my students’ needs. I will also continue to seek feedback from my mentor teacher and colleagues to improve my practice and better serve the needs of my students.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my experience using an informational or narrative text and an aligned activity to support students in reading and writing was very valuable. By providing feedback to my mentor teacher and identifying standards and content areas for future lessons, I further developed my skills as a reading specialist or literacy specialist. This experience has also helped me better understand the importance of integrating literacy instruction into content-area lessons. I plan to continue using this approach in my future professional practice.

References

CCSSO. (2019). Grade 3» Measurement & Data | Common Core State Standards Initiative. Corestandards.org. http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/3/MD/

Maryland State Department of Education. (2022). State Standards and Frameworks in Social Studies: Grade 1 Social Studies Framework. Marylandpublicschools.org. http://marylandpublicschools.org/about/Pages/DCAA/Social-Studies/MSSS.aspx