Persevering Despite Obstacles

Ruben Gonzalez Jr.

Seattle University Master in Teaching Program

TEED 521

Fall 2007

Central question:

What does it mean to persevere despite obstacles?

What does it look like to persevere?

What does it take for someone to persevere?

Learning Target	Type	EALR	Assessment Tool	Evidence of Learning
1) Student will understand what it means to persevere despite obstacles.	generalization	Reading 2.2.3. Understand and analyze story elements.	Formative: Journal responses, post-it notes, pre-assessment, bookmarks Summative: Post-assessment and extension project.	Student provides one example, from The Fighting Ground,of what it means to persevere.
2) Student will understand how to identify perseverance. People persevere because they are relentless. People who persevere do so because they are pessimistic. *People persevere because they want a better life.	concept and generalization	Reading 2.3.1. Analyze informational/expository text and literary/narrative text for similarities and differences and cause and effect relationships.	Formative: Journal responses, post-it notes, pre-assessment, bookmarks Summative: Post-assessment and extension project.	Student identifies one example, from The Fighting Ground,of perseverance from the text.
3) Student will understand what it takes for someone to persevere.	generalization	Reading 2.2.3. Understand and analyze story elements.	Formative: Journal responses, post-it notes, pre-assessment, bookmarks Summative: Post-assessment and extension project.	Student provides one example, from The Fighting Ground, of what it takes for someone to persevere.
4) Student will use a number of reading strategies such as prediction, looking for main ideas, making connections, previewing, comparing and contrasting to reach comprehension.	skill	Reading 2.1 Demonstrate evidence of reading comprehension. 2.1.3, 2.1.4, and 2.1.5.	Formative: Anecdotal notes, journal responses, running record, reading conference, and self-reflection.	Student will use three reading strategies to reach comprehension of the theme of persevering despite obstacles.
5) Student will use communication skills and strategies to interact/work effectively with others.	skill	Communication 2.1.1. Analyzes the needs of the audience, situation, and setting to adjust language.	Formative: Anecdotal notes and self-reflection.	Self-evaluation: What did you do well during discussion? What could you do better next time? One answer per question.
6) Student will use the writing process to create ideas and prepare.	skill	Writing 1.1.1. Applies more than one strategy for generating ideas and planning writing.	Formative: Journal responses and self-reflection.	Student will create one idea using the writing process.

Thematic book and resource list:

Literature Circle Books:

Hobbs, Will (1997). Ghost Canoe. New York, NY: Morrow Junior Books.

A group of rebellious teenagers manages to elude their wilderness survival school supervisors. They commandeer some boats and try to run the dangerous white waters of the Grand Canyon. This book will be a literature circle selection.

Paulsen, Gary (1987). Hatchet. New York, NY: Bradbury Press.

After thirteen-year-old Brian’s plane crashes in the wilderness, he is left to survive with only the hatchet given to him by his mother. He learns to survive on his own and overcomes many obstacles in the process. This book will be a literature circle selection and used for a visualization focus lesson.

Paulsen, Gary (1998). Soldier’s Heart. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.

In this story, Charley Goddard leaves his farm home, and enlists as a First Minnesota Volunteer. At fifteen, he enters the war with not much life experience. By the time he turns nineteen, he has seen much and proves himself as a soldier and as a survivor. This book will be a literature circle selection and used for a focus lesson on writing in character point of view.

Richter, Conrad (1981). The Light in the Forest. New York, NY: Vintage Books.

True True Son has been living with the Indians since he was a baby; he was taken from his family. Now, after a peace agreement, the settlers want all the captives living with the Indians to be returned to their proper homes. This book will be a literature circle selection and used for a focus lesson on using sketches and illustrations.

Taylor, Mildred D. (1976). Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. New York, NY: Dial Press.

Roll of Thunder is a story about a Southern black family living in the 1930’s. They face discrimination and prejudice, and the children have a hard time understanding these issues. This book will be a literature circle selection and used for a compare and contrast focus lesson.

Uchida, Yoshiko (1971). Journey to Topaz. New York, NY: Scribner.

This book is about a Japanese-American family who are thrown into an interment camp after the Pearl Harbor attack. This book will be a literature circle selection and used for a focus lesson on finding supporting evidence.

Read Aloud Book:

Avi (1984). The Fighting Ground. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers,

Jonathan is a 13-year old boy who can think of nothing better than to be a soldier. On one ordinary day, he gets his wish. He runs off without his father’s consent, and before he knows it, is marching off to war. This book will be our main read aloud book and will be used for a focus lesson on prediction and verification.

References:

Bergeson, T. (2007). Olympia, WA: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Online Grade Level Resources. Retrieved on November 10, 2007 from, http://www.k12.wa.us/ealrs/default.aspx?ca=1

This website provided me with the grade level expectations as well as the essential academic learning requirements for Washington State.

Charles, C.M. (2005). Building Classroom Discipline. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

This textbook provided me with classroom management theories.

Family Education. (2006). Your Fifth Grade Reader. Retrieved from, http://school.familyeducation.com/fifth-grade/middle-school/36069.html?detoured=1

This website is used as a resource for families who want to help their child read at home.

Hill, B. C., Ruptic, C., Norvick, L. (1998). Classroom Based Assessment. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.

This text gave me ideas of how to structure assessments. I also adapted one of the formative assessments for my unit plan.

Office of Special Education Programs. (2007). Reading Rockets: Launching Young Readers. Retrieved from, http://www.readingrockets.org/

This website is used as a resource for parents with children who struggle with reading.

Reading Is Fundamental. (2007). Tips and Tricks. Retrieved from, http://www.rif.org/parents/tips/default.mspx

This website is used as a resource for parents who want to learn some “tips and tricks” to help their child with reading.

Schlick Noe, K. L. and Johnson N. J. (1999) Getting Started with Literature Circles. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.

This book was used as a blue print from which to structure my literature circles. I used multiple ideas as well as suggestions to create my unit plan.

Schlick Noe, K. L. (2005). Themed Literature Units: Steps in the Concept Development Process. Retrieved on November 11, 2007 from,

http://fac-staff.seattleu.edu/kschlnoe/web/TLU/process.html

This website provided information on the concept development process.

Schlick Noe, K. L. (2006). Literature Circles Resource Center. Retrieved on November 9, 2007 from http://fac-staff.seattleu.edu/kschlnoe/web/LitCircles/

This website provided resources for and examples of literature circles.

Snowman, J. & Biehler, R. Psychology Applied to Teaching. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006.

This textbook provided the stages of cognitive developmental process.

Vonderlage, Dirk (2004). Reaching Out to Understand Others. Retrieved on November 8, 2007 from, http://classes.seattleu.edu/masters_in_teaching/teed521/professor/Literacy/vonderlageF04.pdf

This unit plan provided an example of how a literature unit plan was to be structured.