Beginning; best practices, in brief:

              In a situation where a teacher becomes aware that a student’s parents are in the midst of a breakup, it is important to maintain a semblance of regularity in the classroom as the rhythm of the school will be a valuable structural support in general for the student (Green, et al., Hollman, Mahony). As well, it will be valuable to let the student know that you are open to their sharing of feelings (Laletas, et al., Leon, Pedro-Carroll). It can be valuable to get information about the status of the divorce so that parental custody matters are understood for reasons that stretch to homework, lunch preparation, and many more logistical reasons beyond the emotional ramifications (Hollman, Laletas, et al.). Furthermore, regular communication with the parents and allowing the student to have access to councilors and 504-plan styled accommodation, if recommended, will lead to a stronger base of shared experience, so that a teacher can appropriately interact with all parties and so the student is able to share their emotions in healthful areas (Green, Laletas, et al., Mahony, Øverland, et al., Pedro-Carroll, Venet). These basic, foundational starting points are important to keep in mind when dealing with a student who is dealing with a divorce.

Now, for a structural-hypothetical:
Presented in the first person, as if written as a record of this student’s interactions with me.  

Following a fourth period Literature class one day (Friday, October 18, 2019) in which I’d laid out a long-term project based around a novel our class was going to read together, an 8^th grade student (student AC) came to me to tell me that his parents were getting a divorce. He said he wanted me to know because he wasn’t sure how well he’d be performing in my class considering the project I’d described. I shared that I would be open to flexibility and asked how he was feeling.¹ He said that he and his two siblings (an older sister and a younger brother) were going to be spending time at each parent’s home on a rotating basis of one week on and one week off, for each, trading on the weekends as his father was getting an apartment in town. He said that he wasn’t looking forward to any of it, except for not having to listen to the arguments that he’d had to witness his parents having before their split up. I told him that I could let him have an extra copy of the book so that he could have one at each parent’s house and let him know he was welcome to talk to me about any struggles that he might have and want to talk about, so that I could try to help where I could.² He thanked me and left towards the theater parking lot.

I conferred with the school counselor about their awareness and was told that she was, indeed, aware, as all three children were students in the school, and she was in touch with the parents about the situation.³ Already, there was a coordinated line of communication between the counseling center at the school and both parents so that everyone could stay in the loop on developments with their children, etc. The counselor told me that my student was already scheduled for regular visits in her office, and that we could stay in touch for any special needs he might have.

The information was welcomed, and I went away, reflecting on my own experience as a child. My parents had also split up, and I remembered how difficult it was to go through the whole experience. Knowing that the student was able to be in touch with both parents made me feel a little better than not, considering how some kids don’t get to see both parents after divorces sometimes. I walked back to my classroom to get my day sorted so I could go home. I found AC sitting on a chair in my classroom, silently moping. I greeted him so he knew I had entered the room. Deciding to wait for his thoughts, I didn’t inquire about what was on his mind, just if he was okay, figuring he would say when he was ready, anyway.⁴ He said he was okay, but remained silent. Perhaps he just needed a peaceful place to sit.

I quietly went about my paperwork for a while, when he stood up and walked over to me in a huff, “Why do people give up on people?” he asked me. Sitting with such a question caused me pause. Knowing my answer would be one he’d remember. I told him that I couldn’t speak to the situation of his parents since I didn’t know them as individuals, and hoped he would appreciate it if I related a bit of my own story to him instead of approaching his question.⁵ He sighed and said it was okay. He sat in the chair by my desk and I shared how I’d watched my parents split up when I was young and how it also caused me a lot of trouble at the time. I pointed out to him that I’m a normally happy person at this stage in my life and hoped the image would help put in perspective the long-term possibility of happiness for him, even though he and his parents were having a tough time right now. He looked at me sideways and asked how that was supposed to help. I shared that I wanted to offer an example of the possibility that ‘this too shall pass’.⁶ He said he didn’t know. I asked him if he had talked to other teachers about this. He said he hadn’t. I asked if he’d talked to his friends yet about it. He said he’d told one of his friends already (BG), but not the others. He wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. I thanked him for his willingness to talk to me about it and told him how brave it was to start talking about his struggles since other people can sometimes be helpful when we’re going through things.⁷ He shrugged, looking out the window at the sports field with a look that I couldn’t place. I let him stare for a while and then asked what he was thinking about. He said he didn’t know if he loved his parents anymore. I asked him why. He told me that since they’d given up on each other, that he figured he should give up on them too.

Knowing he’s just shared a feeling that was growing in the wrong direction, I asked him what it meant for a person to love someone. We talked for about half an hour before we got to a point where he was comfortable loving his parents even with them mad at each other. We discussed how they were in a new pattern of co-parenting that he was lucky to be a part of, and how he’d still have all their love, even if they didn’t feel the same about each other.⁸ His deeper feelings were a bit less painful, but it couldn’t fix what was already broken. At least he knew he could still have a meaningful relationship with them both.

He thanked me for the time and took his extra book and went to catch the bus. I didn’t see him in class for the whole next week. When I saw him in the next class (Monday, Oct 28), he looked disheveled. His homework wasn’t finished and he didn’t have his notebook for class. I gave him a piece of paper to work with and let him know I’d appreciate if he could wait after class was over to talk with me for a few minutes. (Our class is followed by a long break, so there was plenty of time that wouldn’t disturb another class.) I put him with his BG’s group so they could talk about the book together and he’d be more comfortable. After class, he didn’t stay.⁹ The next day, he showed up looking ready for class, notebook in hand and told me he’d read what he needed to. I told him that was good to know, and he sat with the same group. As the week continued, he seemed sad, but productive. I let him know that my door was always open, in case he wanted to talk, but he didn’t stop by. The next week was not the same. He missed school Monday and Tuesday, so I dropped in on the counselor who told me that the children’s father was not returning calls and they were waiting to hear back from other authorities (CPS). ¹⁰

Wednesday (Nov 6) morning’s email shared that he would be back in school and was to be given leeway for missing homework and other expectations for the time-being.¹¹ Come fourth period, there he was, looking sharply dressed, and ready to work. He’d done the reading and was prepared for class. It was a pleasant surprise, so we got to work as if it were any other day.¹² I put him with his best friends to discuss their recent chapter, and they were back in gear. After class, he stopped to let me know that he was sorry to have missed classes, but things were “complicated” as he put it, at home, but that he’d stay on with the classwork from now on. He said this while looking at the floor. That part struck me as odd. AC typically would look at me when he spoke to me. I told him that his participation would be welcome, but that I hope things are going okay. It wasn’t until the next week that I heard he’d been removed from his father’s house due to how his pop had gotten a place that was far too small for him and the three children and was apparently drinking heavily. The children were told to stay with their mother for the duration of the term. It wasn’t until about a month later that AC came back after class time to talk again.¹³

It was Tuesday, December 17^th, 2019, when AC came by my classroom after school. He wanted to ask about my family, my story. Knowing I needed to be helpful somehow, I shared a few details, but left out some of the more personal bits. He needed to have something to hold on to, but I didn’t yet know why. He then told me that his father was entering a rehabilitation center for the holidays and that this was going to be the first one he’d ever know where they wouldn’t all be together. I looked at him, knowing that it was likely going to get better in the long run, but also knowing that it hurt too bad to tell him that flat out. Sharing my thought that it was going to be a gift that his father spent that time getting himself straightened up over the holidays was how I related my feeling of the situation.¹⁴ I shared that I’d seen other people struggle with alcohol and just like with any other great challenge, it’s often helpful to get others to help when trying to achieve a great goal. He said he appreciated the idea but was still sad to not have his dad around. I reminded him that how I understood and then asked if he knew when his dad would be out of the hospital. He said he didn’t know, but it would be through the holidays, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. Mentioning to him that his mom would need him more than ever, I asked him about any holiday plans. We talked for a while more before he took off and caught the bus. The next morning, I had an email from his mother, thanking me for the conversation that AC had related to her.¹⁵ She told me that AC’s father would be away for “some time” and that AC would be with her and the other kids in their house for at least the rest of the school year.

After the holidays, AC didn’t come back to school. The fact that he didn’t was a surprise to us all, and for a while there was real concern that something terrible had happened. His friends and those who were his teachers were worried about him until we heard the news. (And to be honest, we still are worried.) The school counselor finally reported that all three children had been withdrawn from school and that they had transferred across the state to the Franklin County school system. She said that the mother had rented out their house to a family with two children in early elementary over the break and had asked for all mail to be sent to an address in Greenville that she had supplied the school. Since AC has left, his friends certainly miss him. His friends, BG and others, often speak of how they would prefer to have him in class. His was the first divorce of the students in his grade, but since then, we have had two more families with notable struggles that have bled over into the classroom.

After that, we only saw AC and his siblings one more time that year when they came back during the springtime fundraising event (Mar 14, 2020). They seemed like they were getting along alright and were in good spirits. AC caught me for a chat while I was selling raffle tickets and let me know that his dad had also moved to Greenville, but his parents were still split up. He said they were getting along more easily and had started going to group therapy, and he felt better than he had before about how things were going.

After that weekend, the school went into online-only teaching due to Covid-19 and we started seeing all of the students less. Things have been different since then. This year (2020-2021 school year), we started doing full-time online teaching. Thankfully, now that we are all online with our studies, I’m told that AC is in touch with his old friends again and they are able to keep in touch through some video games they play together. 

This report is provided as a record of interactions with AC in relation to his emotional stamina and how I approached his situation for reflection in the future. I hope he’s doing well enough.

End.

Conclusion appendix

This situation is one that I chose because I can relate to it. My parents divorced when I was young, so I am familiar with the experience and bring that collection of memories with me when considering dealing with a student who is in the same situation. Because my experience was so long ago (in the early 1990’s, before the advent of broad-based SEL studies in public education), there were rather few memorable resources or interactions that came from the public schools I went to at the time. As such, I’m pleased to find, in my research for this task, such a variety of resources available for input around the matter of what a teacher can do in this situation.

Footnotes

¹ Being open to flexibility concerning assignments is important for students who are going through traumatic events. Also, being available for consultation is important so they feel heard and safe in their environment and emotions. (Hollman, Leon, Mahony, Monash)

² Having extra materials for the student is an accommodation that is easy to provide, if resources allow. (Mahony, Monash)

³ Making sure that the counseling center is in communication with the family leads to a scenario that is easier to navigate than not. (Green, Laletas, et al., Leon, Mahony, Øverland, et al., Pedro-Carroll, Venet)

⁴ Being patient with a student is important. Allowing a student space to simply be, without requirements is helpful so that student can have time to process their thoughts. (Leon, Mahony, Monash)

⁵ Through relating my own story, I let AC know he wasn’t alone in this journey. (Laletas, et al., Leon, Mahony, Pedro-Carroll, Venet)

⁶ It’s important that a student knows that there can be light at the end of the tunnel. (Mahony, Monash, Pedro-Carroll, Venet)

⁷ Acknowledging AC’s bravery for communicating with me let him know that he had been seen and heard in his moment of vulnerable sharing. (Mahony, Monash, Pedro-Carroll, Venet)

⁸ This lengthy discussion was necessary for his recalibration towards understanding that there are variations of relationships and everything doesn’t need to be black and white. (Mahony, Laletas, et al., Leon, Monash, Pedro-Carroll, Venet)

⁹ I felt the need to check in on his wellness, but didn’t want to be too pushy, knowing that it was outside my professional purview to do so. (Green. et al., Mahony, Monash, Øverland, et al., Pedro-Carroll)

¹⁰ Following up with the counselor about AC’s wellness was the way to go because it is her position to attend to such matters for the school.  (Green. et al., Laletas, et al., Mahony, Øverland, et al., Pedro-Carroll, Venet)

¹¹ With the counseling center organizing a path of action, we were able to coordinate our systems of care for AC and his siblings within the school. (Konen, Mahony, Øverland, et al., Pedro-Carroll, Venet)

¹² By providing a normalized situation for AC, I was able to help get his patterns of behavior realigned with previous ways, and with the rest of class. (Green, et al., Hollman, Mahony, Monash, Øverland, et al., Venet)

¹³ By staying in touch with the counseling center, I was able to know about AC’s current situation and talk to him with the knowledge that he didn’t have to bring up. We could simply talk about the day and ‘next-steps’. (Laletas, et al., Leon, Mahony, Pedro-Carroll)

¹⁴ By being available to AC in an authentic way for honest conversation, I was able to share my experienced, optimistic perspective with him. (Green. et al., Laletas, et al., Leon, Pedro-Carroll, Venet)

¹⁵ Making sure that AC’s mother was comfortable being in touch is a touchstone value, so that she knew she could reach out for whatever reason. (Hollman, Konen, Laletas, et al., Leon, Pedro-Carroll)

Citations:

Green, Katharine; McAllister, Melody; Metcalf, Shannon. Practical Recommendations and Interventions: Divorce. https://www.education.udel.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Divorce.pdf. University of Delaware, Education Department handout. Pub. Jan 2013. Accessed Oct 21, 2023.

Harrington, Shel. 17 Things Teachers Want Divorced Parents to Know. https://shelharrington.com/17-things-teachers-want-to-tell-divorced-parents/ Personal Law Blog. Accessed Oct 21, 2023.

Hollman, Laurie Ph.D., 7 Tips on How Teachers Can Help Kids with Divorcing Parents. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/7-tips-on-how-teachers-can-help-kids-with-divorcing_b_58a20c74e4b0e172783a9f33. HuffPost. Feb 13, 2017, Accessed Oct 21, 2023

Konen, Jon. 8 Teacher Tips When Dealing with Divorced Families. https://www.teacher.org/blog/8-teacher-tips-when-dealing-with-divorced-families/ Teacher.org Blog. Posted Sept 10, 2019. Accessed Oct 21. 2023.

Laletas, Stella; Khasin, Michelle. Teaching Children Caught in the Middle of Divorce. https://www.monash.edu/education/teachspace/articles/teaching-children-caught-in-the-middle-of-divorce. Monash University Education Department, guidance. Pub. Oct 2021. Accessed Oct 2023.

Leon, Kim; Spengler, Leanne. Helping Children Adjust to Divorce, a Guide for Teachers. https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/gh6611. University of Missouri, Extension. Nov 2005. Accessed Oct 21, 2023.

Mahony, Linda. How teachers can help support children during their parents’ divorce. Charles Sturt University, The Conversation, blog. https://theconversation.com/how-teachers-can-help-support-children-during-their-parents-divorce-102900. Pub. Sept 2018. Accessed Oct 21, 2023.

Øverland, Klara; Arstad Thorsen, Arlene; Størksen, Ingunn. The beliefs of teachers and daycare staff regarding children of divorce: A Q methodological study. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0742051X11001326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2011.10.010. Teaching and Teacher Education, Vol 28, Issue 3, April 2012. Elsevier. Accessed Oct 21, 2023.

Pedro-Carroll, JoAnne L. FOSTERING RESILIENCE IN THE AFTERMATH OF DIVORCE: The Role of Evidence-Based Programs for Children. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1744-1617.2005.00007.x Family Court Review. Vol 43, Issue 1. Pub. Feb 18, 2005. Accessed Oct 21, 2023.

Venet, Alex Shevrin. The How and Why of Trauma-Informed Teaching   https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-and-why-trauma-informed-teaching/. Edutopia, Teachers Weigh In blog. Aug 2018. Accessed Oct 21, 2023.

Reviewer comments

You suitably described a strategy that would realistically help the student in the divorce scenario better cope with the situation he was dealing with when you described how you had an open-door policy whenever the student felt the need to talk. You provided flexibility concerning assignments and grace for the student to work through the traumatic event in his own way.

My friend’s years of experience in the American public school system have allowed her to form a number of well-informed views considering how things are set up and run in her district, and how they impact teachers such as herself. While she is a teacher in an area of the country that I don’t intend to teach, she is a teacher of a type of class that I will likely teach along with my stated focus of English, that of the ELL sort. Her opinions on the local-specific and Common Core standards as well as other influences, both internal and external, impacting the capacity for a teacher to teach, were enlightening. She described how there was a forum that allowed teachers to interact in a meaningful way so they could learn from each other and share data regarding shared students that she found notably helpful. Furthermore, it was a welcome surprise to hear how empowered and interconnected she felt as an individual, professionally.

Her comments about standards such as the Common Core were such that she valued them as a good baseline to work from so that people could have a common framework that people use both as goals and shared language for diverse teaching staff. She noted how they were useful for applying the tiered considerations (MTSS, or Multi-tiered System of Support) that focused on how to keep lower-performing students engaged and encouraged.

She spoke at length regarding how data was used for closing achievement gaps through a neat kind of symposium that her district hosts as part of a collaborative professional development and student-discussion forum. The forum is named PLC, or Professional Learning Community. As a group, teachers get together with administrators to discuss the data that they’ve collected about students so they can compare how their students are doing against other teachers. In this forum, teachers who have higher performing students are asked to share and discuss what they think might be working for them. Sometimes this is in discussion, sometimes this is in presentation format. E.g., perhaps a particular song or activity connected with students or was more engaging than other materials, etc. In that forum, teachers can demonstrate or share their experiences with others. As well, teachers with students showing lower-than-average results can spend time inquiring with others about their practices and perhaps gain insights that could help them in their efforts.

Considering how ELL was applied in her district was a particularly easy topic for her to speak to. She elaborated about how English language generally is given a special extra class period in the school day for students in her state so that students who are learners of English as an additional language can have a space to study in a respectful, non-remedial setting. During the same period, students who are speakers of English as a first language are to study English in another format, though in her experience (much to her chagrin) this is not always the case and many principals violate this state order and teach science or math to their students in this time, leading to a learning gap in those areas. She extended her discussion to point out that ELL is not considered a tiered issue (See: MTSS) and the course is still considered direct instruction, rather than a special education need.

She is currently in a strong position and comically described her sense of positioning by using the term “baby admin” because of how much design control she currently holds, while still officially being considered a teacher, as such. This is because, for one, she is the director of the ELL department and so determines how that area of study is taught in her school. She is also on the council that considers a path of action when other teachers bring data that is put together for the purposes of Civil Rights matters, special education, and learning patterns that might require an MTSS tier 2 or 3 designation. She is also on what she called the Leadership Team at her school, empowering her to be a part of the decision-making core group of individuals who design the bigger picture issues as well as the detailed implementation of larger plans. As she continued talking about her school, I came to understand that she is employed by a rather unique one at that. It is a magnet school with a focus on the performing arts, such that they have no Gym class, but have two electives in the Performance Arts areas made available for students instead of the normal, one. Her success has led to her feeling happy about her position, and leads me to believe that happiness is obviously available, even with the warnings of rigor that come as disclaimers to such introductory tasks such as this one, provided by the course designers.

            Overall, I get a sense that this interview was a holistically sound experience considering how I might reflect on it, academically. Before the interview, I was calm. I began by reviewing the “recommend questions” page, imagining how I might discuss the topics in a conversational way and soon found myself snacking and surfing social media for a while to allow the thoughts from the preparatory material time to settle in the background of my thinking. It was a pleasure to speak to this old friend who I hadn’t taken time for an extended conversation with in many years. It was a pleasure to hear how well she is doing and enlightening to see how she is participating in the field upon which I aim to perform. It was clear to me through her interactive voice and energy throughout that she was also pleased with the path of the interview. It was both conversational the whole time, and we were able to discuss each point within the structure provided without it feeling stilted, rushed, or drawn out.

Considering how my expectations of this interview panned out, and what I did or didn’t do well, I’m biased, but comfortable. Philosophically, I carry few expectations when it comes to interactions with others. Though, of course, a few minimalistic ones can be touched on for the purposes of this pointed inquiry. I expected that we would be able to have an easy conversation and that we would be able to cover the content and more during it. These came to pass successfully. I was pleased that we were able to stray into personal experiences, that we were able to converse so easily about such a wide range of topics within what was still something of a structured conversation. There was no awkward moment in which we were shy or whatnot. The conversation seemed rather organic, even while I kept in mind that I had four specific topics expanded towards detailed points that I was intending to discuss. She was amenable to this structure, and it felt unforced as we are both comfortable being creative within such types of constraints, so we were comfortable while hitting the mark. The four areas seemed to blend well together and without struggle. Had I been quicker to think about it, I could have recorded the conversation. I was prepared to do so, with a recorder set up, turned on, and had her on speaker phone, but as I was holding myself to the restriction of asking for explicit consent first. I was taken in by our conversation as she was eager to chat, and I didn’t want to slow her down. Thankfully, my note-taking ability was concise enough to go away from our conversation with a complete tabulation of our conversation sans personal matters.

Without exception, I share similar views as she does in regards to content standards, the impacting influences we discussed, the generality of teacher identity, and professional development. I appreciated her view of the content standards as a shared platform of discourse such that students can be discussed as they are performing somehow in relation to them, a baseline for communication. Her description of the PLC exposed me to a great forum of communication for teachers to get together in order to cross-pollinate in all the ways, from sharing teaching techniques to asking for help from others, to having a social network within their field so that teaching them becomes more of a community project to bring the students together. When she shared that some principals flaunt the laws that are put in place by teams of curriculum designers on behalf of the state over a period of years with their own ad-hoc notions leading to learning gaps and struggles that are tough to address, I sympathized with her struggle. 

I was particularly pleased to hear about her sense of self in relation to the profession. I found her to be situated in an empowered and confident state and I applaud her accomplishments to that effect. This capacity is important for teachers to feel (Killion). Through this integration of teacher input, greater impacts can be created. It was clear that she considers her position as that of a change agent and that the use of dialogue rather than monologue is the way of strong education in a broader scope (Hattie). It was clear to me she was a strong proponent of Hattie’s seventh Mindframe through her discussion regarding how she considers other staff and professionals in the field as being integral to the thinking process for creating a space for learning. Similarly, she related how students inform her teaching through her attentive listening and assessing of their work. She shared that while she’s been teaching in public schools for the last eight years, she’s only recently received her own master’s degree in the field, specializing in ESL. She related her path, which included an initial licensure through emergency means, allowing her to teach without the otherwise required educational path, with respect to her experience, ability, and drive. Her ability to study while teaching was a pleasure for her and was pleased to see me on the same path.

From this interview, I learned many insightful points such as the great cross-pollination made available to teachers through forums like her PLC that allow teachers to come together in a conference-like setting so that they can learn and grow together. Further learning about PLCs gave more detail to the forum (CLAS). She also expressed some distinct advice to me that I will do well to figure out how to organize for myself. Coming from the Asian patterns of over-working, the American system is exciting to me for its limited time-requirements. I have to be sure to find a balance with how I apply myself, timewise, so that I am not yet another statistic of the burned out teacher. It’s clear to me that I’ll have a greater capacity for setting boundaries, as the teacher-protections available in the United States in relation to hours, fairness of pay, and interactive behaviors far exceed those of Asia. The interview was generally complete. Perhaps I could have recorded it for the practice and policy, but in this instance, I don’t think it is a missed element.

Appendix: Actions

Discuss one of Hattie’s Mindframes that speaks to me.

I’m taken by the impact of the second Mindframe: “The success and failure of my students’ learning is about what I do or don’t do. I am a change agent.” I feel this is a statement that needs to be highlighted because it illustrates how the creative process of class design and performance are all important to the experience of the students. By taking in feedback along with the thoughtful production of classes, a teacher can improve their teaching skills and have a more effective pattern of teaching in the long term. I have a strong self-awareness having to do with this Mindframe that will allow me to progress within it at a measurable pace. On the other hand, I am aware that it is one of the toughest to keep in mind as a class is being produced, as time is a restraint, and sometimes allowing time for formative assessments or thoughtful reflection can be a struggle. 

Discuss a SMART (Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-sensitive) goal.

Aiming to attain the certified level of Master of the Art of Teaching English Education, Secondary (MATEES) is the specific goal that is most obvious at this time. By enrolling in the courses provided by Western Governors University, I am able to attain this goal within a realistic and timely way. I expect to be able to complete this course of study by December 2024.

Citations:

CLAS Network, Unpacking Standards in Middle School PLC.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_2KcxUqqnk. Accessed: August 16, 2023

Colorado State Standards. https://www.cde.state.co.us/apps/standards/6,10,0. Accessed: August 14, 2023

Hattie, John, et al. 10 Mindframes for Visible Learning. https://thinkingpathwayz.weebly.com/10-mindframes-visible-learning.html. Accessed: August 14, 2023

Killion J. and Harrison C. Taking the Lead: New Roles for Teachers and School-Based Coaches. National Staff Development Council. Oxford, OH. 2006

Washington State Standards.
https://learning.ccsso.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ADA-Compliant-ELA-Standards.pdf. Accessed: August 14, 2023

Teacher comments:

Your work conveys a pleasant interview experience with an old friend who teaches ESL in Colorado, citing an agreement with the teacher’s views on all aspects discussed, particularly highlighting the value of the PLCs as an internal influence and for ongoing growth and reflection. Further, you wisely note the role of the teacher is to set good boundaries and ways to apply oneself to avoid teacher burnout. Please see comments in the rubric below for one aspect of the work requiring revision.

Added one sentence to end in edit.

Your SMART goal includes a clear end date of December 2024. Good work! 

(This assignment won an award for Academic Excellence from WGU.)

Horace Mann

An historical influence that is apparent in each of the classrooms would be the influence of Horace Mann’s “Common School” movement, from which our nation has a tendency to imagine that all students are within the realm of responsibility for the government to educate (point 3, below). Obviously, this movement needed time to grow. Its beginning was during the social crime of slavery, so of course, people of African heritage weren’t included with the initial stages, and many other groups were automatically excluded as well, such as Native folk. However, the paradigm began and has been expanded exponentially through the era of Civil Rights, both for people of diverse heritage and abilities.

Mann’s main principles having to do with public education have been considered revolutionary and controversial, and yet today seem common sense. They are as follows:

“(1) citizens cannot maintain both ignorance and freedom; (2) this education should be paid for, controlled and maintained by the public; (3) this education should be provided in schools that embrace children from varying backgrounds; (4) this education must be nonsectarian; (5) this education must be taught using tenets of a free society; and (6) this education must be provided by well-trained, professional teachers.” ¹

While each point could be the subject of a complete text, the scope of this paper includes three classroom settings and will focus on only one of the above six notions (point 3). The example classrooms are from New York, Kansas, and California (NY: https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/213279870, KS: https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/213280122, CA: https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/213279664).

The third notion deserves attention for how much it has been struggled over, considering Civil Rights and equity. The first classroom, from a Queens, NY elementary school in which students were studying the germination of a kidney bean shows a demographic makeup that is visibly diverse. This lack of homogeneity is a healthy aspect of American schools that can not be seen everywhere, as many nations do not include people of other backgrounds into their public schools. The second example from Olathe, KS, where a more prominently Euro-American population was present, still included more than ten percent students of Asian heritage, reflecting a population that would have been impossible before Mann’s reformation. The third example, from Oakland, CA, had both a largely Hispanic student body and over a third categorized as learners of English as an additional language. This more inclusive space of learning would have been impossible without the advocacy of Horace Mann.

              Clearly, Mann’s reformation has been a lasting one that can be seen throughout the nation. While, for the sake of brevity, I focused on only one of the six main points he laid out for the future we all share, the rest are clearly still in play. The first is unique to democracies, and underpins the notion of a functioning one, at that. His second tenet influences public financing to this day, though not without some frustrations. The third has been well advanced through the years, reaching from his era of striking division, to ours which still has barriers, but their number is fewer and the mechanisms for change are certainly more accessible. The fourth tenet, representing a separation of church and state, has led to a secular space that can provide a welcoming environment to people of various cultures and beliefs. His fifth may be a touch vague, but would imply choice rather than restriction, allowing for variety in design. Finally, his sixth brings us to studying him today ~ this course, D-166, is the result of his conceptualization of trained teachers for the student body, and it is a pleasure to be a part of his impact in all the ways.

Compare and Contrast

To begin with, the three classes differed in age, resulting in material and presentational differences, appropriate to the age-group. As such, the most simplistic contrast of their level will be used in this segment of our assignment as I address each group as I go about comparing and contrasting two additional aspects of them. They will be referred to as elementary, middle, and high school levels for the first, second, and third videos respectively representing the classes that were titled Claims, Evidence, and Reason; Citizen Science: Creek Water Analysis; and Infographics for Change.

Slightly more nuanced a set of considerations, the instructional topics/content of the lessons showed some similarity between the elementary and the middle school classes, as they were both considering a scientific notion. The elementary class was focused on the germination of a kidney bean and the middle school class was analyzing water from both a creek and later, the homes of the students. In contrast, the high school class was looking at civic engagement through the lens of graphic design.

In order to attend to their considerations, a variety of technology was used, some similar among the classes, some different. Some materials were seen in each of the classrooms: the teacher’s whiteboard for one, the classroom handout, another. However, because of the age-groups and differing activities, the technology branched off into different designs, especially when it came to what the students used during class time. For example, the elementary students used bins of markers for whiteboards before moving on to a poster board for their final presentation. Their science was of a basic sort that required no special devices for analysis. Next to them, the middle school grade students employed the internet through the use of iPads so they could connect with collaborators in Seattle and their science was of a level that it required centrifugal tubes and the ability to inspect their samples using kits that the school provided. For the context of the high school level class, the students were able to use full-sized laptops for the purposes of reaching out to corporate entities with whom they would have to interlock and utilize materials from in the format of templates for their graphic projects. This more-complex tool was appropriate for their age and they seemed at ease with it, though the learning was certainly measurable for the focus of the class at hand.

High-leverage Practices

This discussion will focus on prominent elements per class from the “High-leverage Practices” as defined by TeachingWorks.org to discuss how the teachers differently employed these ideas.

Within the first video, from the elementary school class that was studying seed germination, some High-level Practices that stood out included how the teacher (1) led a group discussion, (9) set up and managed small group work, (14) designed single lessons and sequences of lessons, (15) checked for student understanding, (17) interpreted student work, and (18) provided feedback to students. Many of these practices generally overlap in how they manifest. For example: she set students into small groups and led a group discussion with them from that arrangement (1, 9); she checked for student understanding through interpreting their work (15, 17) and used that information to inform her adjustment of focus towards a following class – when the confusion about discussing the isolated germination stage vs. the life-cycle was recognized (14, 18).

Certainly, the points are evident independently though. Her group discussion was facilitated by her intricately prepared board work that allowed the students to have stepping-off material that could be seen throughout the work-day. The small group work was attended to by arranging desks into blocks of four and putting one bin of markers for them to share, and as well, designating each table-group as a team of sorts for their path of discovery. She was able to go around the room checking their work and interpreting it for how it was created in a visual and communicative way. This allowed her to provide feedback after noticing trends in their work.

The second video was punctuated by the teacher’s analysis of her own instruction for the purpose of improving it through her lengthy narration (19). The first two minutes (~30% of the video) is spent introducing the project, which contrasted distinctly from the first film that was largely showing how the class went. This analysis is a strength because it shows how well thought out she had set learning goals and designed the lesson within a sequence of others (13, 14). Otherwise, she also stood out for her establishment and maintenance of community expectations, and communication with families through her necessary interlocution with people outside the school in order to go on a school trip, which would require both external permitting from families and reservation of space with the local area as well as coordination with transportation for their purposes (7, 11).

Notably, her (8) implementation of organizational routines is on display with how she emphasizes the importance of “doing the science in the field” with how she describes needing to isolate useful samples while at the creek so that they aren’t overwhelmed by samples in the lab when they get back to the classroom. This lesson is a valuable one that could easily be overlooked by a learner without the experience to limit their exposure to materials so they can get a more useful data-set. She describes a focus on (13, 14) goals and sequencing when she talks about getting buy-in from her students around the study through following up the analysis of the creek water with analysis of the water from each student’s home. This created a real-world awareness of the value of the science and reinstilled the importance to the students that clean water shows up in many places.

This teacher’s narration explained her thinking regarding what was obviously a well-thought out class that exposed her students to an element of life that was otherwise invisible due to its microscopic nature, but permeates all of our every-day lives.

              The third video, coming from the high school class studying infographics, had a teacher who rather well exemplified a certain few of the named practices brought to us by the people at TeachingWorks.org. As I watched the video, I noticed her (4) paying special attention to the patterns of student thinking, (9) setting up small groups for students to work from, (15) consistently checking in with students for their comprehension, and (16) selecting and designing assessments precisely for the learning material and the students she was teaching.

              As she introduced the rubric that would define the capstone project’s goals, she invited students to grade her example that was riddled with points that could have been done differently for a better score, but served the purpose of allowing students an opportunity to discuss how to do things different as she included many common errors such as font and color choices that can be overlooked if not attended to (4, 16). As she elicited feedback from the students in this way, it was clear from the video that the students were already comfortable working with each other with how they shared their personal computer screens with each other as they progressed through the workshop (4). Her continued inquiry around the example, followed by her use of the planning sheet that was required before a computer was granted, allowed her to check in on student understanding in a direct way (4, 15). As she set up the end of her day, she brought the students together again to speak to each other about what they learned in order to have them voice their learned knowledge and check in with each other about what they had accomplished (9).

              Overall, her lesson was a fine example of repeated inquiry, leading the pace of the lesson and can act as a model for similar classes that I might create in the future.

Generally, the list of High-level Practices that we are discussing is a great collection of ideas to keep in mind, and while they might not always all be present in each class, such as community or parent interaction, especially, they are great guidelines to keep in mind as best-practices so that a teacher is reflective towards the student needs and is also spacing out their own goals in a manageable way.

Teacher comments:
Your abundant responses to each aspect have clearly demonstrated your grasp of each aspect, such as comparing three points from each video which addresses the differences in level and instructional topics and the similar use of a whiteboard and handouts as technology. You have insightfully identified a high-leverage practice applied by each teacher and give examples like attending to patterns of student thinking in the high school lesson as the teacher allows students the opportunity to grade her example and discuss how to do things differently in their project. Very well done!

            Considering the two students, Sofia and Matteo, I’m given to noticing the differences and similarities between them, for how they relate. Sofia is a speaker of English as her native language and Matteo is originally from Italy, learning English as an additional language at an unknown juncture in his life. His skill with the English language is nearly at native level, though clearly needs more practice to make it to that point. On the other hand, Sofia is also struggling even though English is her first language. Her struggles are related through the representation of a difficulty with decoding and literary fluency. What they both need is thoughtful and intentional practice. They have both been related as generally willing students without behavioral or cognitive issues to contend with. As such, their improvement is readily possible with focused attention. They will need to approach their books with new ideas, frameworks, and goals.

One reading comprehension strategy that comes to mind for Sofia is PALS, the peer-assisted learning strategy that brings students together, to practice in shared time (IRIS, 2008). She would listen to and read to another student during it and would then relay questions relating inquiry about what they each had read. This would allow her to read in a safe space with her peer and the friendly feedback could be helpful for how she considers what she is reading.

A second, broad-based learning strategy that would be well applied, this time to Matteo, would be the usage of graphic organizers. His profile defines previous success with them. As readers are tasked with slowing down their reading into chunks so that they can write within one, the reading bursts are, to that effect, directed into patterns of staccato (or chunking). Each section filled in a graphic organizer tells a portion of the whole in a way that helps with maintaining understanding in long-term ways. That advancement through an intentionally staccato patterned reading approach becomes a strength rather than an impediment in this way.

Sofia is represented as having no trouble reading her text messages/using a cell phone. Following, as “past teachers have been successful in helping her make inferences by providing scaffolded instruction and support,” as today’s assignment’s provided source material provides, ‘scaffolded instruction and support’ is reasonable to continue offering. For the first of two scaffolds, I’d assign her a KWL chart for brainstorming (animating the reading comprehension strategy of “Activating Prior Knowledge”), which is a three-part worksheet that asks the student to start by writing down what they (K) know, then what they (W) want to know, followed up with the third column in reflection after reading to include what the student (L) learned (IRIS, 2012). This is particularly appropriate because all native-born students of the US have some sort of awareness of the American Revolution by her age, but there is always more to learn.

Also, for while she’s reading, I would have her use a commonly used graphic organizer known as a Mind Map, so she has a way to retain information in a way that will help with her understanding of connections and so she will have an easy way to refer back to her previous thinking as she moves forward in her learning (Fitzell, 2011). These two approaches would have useful effects on her abilities to think about, retain, and organize what she has been asked to investigate so she will be well prepared for the discussion that will follow.

Matteo is a separate case and has somewhat dissimilar needs. Considering him, assessments are worth discussion. Certainly, an easily accessible variation of assessment would be one that is formative so that I, as a teacher, can clearly view to what extent this student is comprehending what he reads. To do so, since his spoken language skills are notably good, I would begin by asking clarifying questions during his readings, so that he would be tasked with revisiting the ideas of what he had already read. Indeed, the famous Feynman Technique is based on this idea of having a student re-tell what they’ve been tasked with learning (Feynman, 1985). By doing so, he and I both can isolate what gaps in his comprehension there are, and we can move forward with instruction from there. We could talk about what he picked up and I could ask leading questions about connections or details that he may show evidence of having missed. This kind of review can help solidify what has been passed over.

A second type of formative assessment would be asking him to make predictions about what may come next in his text. Doing so would task him with formulating the situation that is described in the text he has already read for description. When a student is tasked as such, the text can lose its abstract nature and become more clearly a notion of reality for them. By dissolving this abstraction and having Matteo internalize the material of the text that he has covered, he can naturally grow a greater connection to what has been presented to him and the content, in turn, becomes more accessible through the perspectively alternative consideration of it. In this case, the exercise of the assessment is an intentionally juxtaposed thinking process that at its core, is based on how it can encourage connection to the text, rendering it more accessible to the reader (Fries-Gaither, 2011).

Both students are situated well for growth, while having largely different paths in their similar struggles. As such, it is appropriate to consider alternative ways to address what could seem like a similar situation if only the results of a diagnostic assessment were on hand. Allowing the external realities such as Matteo being a speaker of another language as his first, among however many he speaks, is an important consideration for how a teacher will approach a student who shows signs of struggles in their academic path. This task is a good representation of how thoughtful differentiation is helpful all around.

Resources

Feynman, Richard P., Leighton, Ralph, Hutchings, Eduard, (1985). Surely you’re joking, Mr. Feynman!: adventures of a curious character. W.W. Norton, New York.

Fitzell, S. A. G. (2011). RTI strategies for secondary teachers. Corwin Press.

Fries-Gaither, Jessica, 2011. Making Predictions: A Strategy for Reading and Science Learning. Ohio State University, https://beyondweather.ehe.osu.edu/issue/the-sun-and-earths-climate/making-predictions-a-strategy-for-reading-and-science-learning. Accessed April 2024.

IRIS Center, 2008. PALS, a Reading Strategy for High Schools. Vanderbilt University press. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/palshs/. Accessed April 2024.

IRIS Center, 2012. Components of Effective Comprehension Instruction. Vanderbilt University press. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/sec-rdng/. Accessed April 2024.

Evaluator’s notes

You demonstrate a strong understanding of strategies to improve reading comprehension by detailing how you would implement peer-assisted learning and utilize graphic organizers to help Sofia and Matteo strengthen their understanding. You effectively explain scaffolding techniques when you discuss how using a graphic organizer could help increase Sofia’s comprehension. 

The Response to Intervention (RTI) process is one that has many facets. In 2015 (after the creation of this course) RTI was integrated through the federal enactment of the Every Student Succeeds Act into what is now known as Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) with the addition of social/emotional concerns. Certainly, there is plenty of information available about this, and Washington State’s public information about modern practices is particularly clear (Washington OSPI, 2020). This paper will not branch out to MTSS but will stay within the scope of RTI to discuss four main points: how students get identified for tiering, differentiation that is appropriate to some students within the tiers, how students are monitored within it, and some examples of vocabulary interventions.

Within the structure of RTI, three standard tiers are simply named 1, 2, and 3. Tier 1 is the most broadly applied, with a general assumption that about 80%-90% of student needs will be sufficiently addressed (Appelbaum, 2009; Johnson 2008). About 15% will need Tier 2, which is the first level of concerted interventions with a smaller percentage typically in need of more intense attention, and that is what is known as Tier 3. In order to be identified for Tiers 2 and 3 attention, students in the classroom need to be found through scientific means for fair isolation. As Fitzell tells us “Diagnostic assessments can include preassessments, measures of a student’s prior knowledge, baseline data, documented observations, or probing questions to assess student understanding” (Fitzell, 2011). These various assessments are valuable because they are both fair and helpful.

For example, if my tenth-grade class is studying Romeo and Juliet, looking towards discussing themes of love, violence, and satire, most students will need some sort of language support for this text that is hundreds of years old. That is representative of Tier 1 scaffolding. However, if some students continue to have pronounced difficulty after we’ve had some time practicing with the language together, they may need focused attention because of a lack of previous exposure to rhythmic reading or cultural abstraction. These students could be positively affected by a specialized grouping that allows them to practice the language patterns in a more isolated area of focus involving more explicit communication from me about how language evolves and has done so over time. A smaller group of students who continue to not grasp the material may need more explicit definitions and resources such as a broader emphasis on graphic organizers for visualization or worksheets such as what the Buck County, Pennsylvania school district has made publicly available (IRIS, 2008; Central Bucks, ND). Moving through this expanded volume of support material can be helpful for students to incorporate the vocabulary into their understanding but could slow down a class that is otherwise aiming to focus on the broader parables of the story.

Generally, when students are identified for Tier 2 or 3 intervention support, small groups or 1:1 work with a specialist becomes necessary. Some examples of how differentiation would look include having students work with a peer-tutor or specialist twice a week (Fitzell 2011). Students should work initially in the second tier for a period of time deemed either: sufficient to be helpful, or indicative of further attention. Students can either be held in the second tier or advance to Tier 3 because of further assessments (as named in paragraph two) that relate the efficacy of Tier 2 efforts. If a student is recognized as needing Tier 3 support, they are then given more intensive attention from teachers who will provide more complex scaffolding, 1:1 tutoring, or other such measures that can assist the student with their struggles. Differentiation should be individualized to the student’s unique needs. Perhaps they need a type of material that is closer to their realm of interest, or perhaps that which comes with simpler language (Fitzell 2011). Indeed, sometimes it is motivation rather than ability that is leading to the student’s output slump, and by attending to their interests, a teacher can help a student who is capable, but disinterested, while other students are more in need of support such as vocabulary expansion for success.

To maintain awareness on the part of the teacher, throughout all three tiers, there should be a consistent system of monitoring to keep track of their output. Some styles of monitoring were mentioned above generally but can be discussed more in-depth, here.

Preassessments that tell what students are bringing to the classroom are a first step in any classroom interaction. This universal screening is considerably integral to RTI and ultimately cannot be separated from the process (Appelbaum 2009).

From informal, formative, information gathering through conversation, to more structured inquiry that involves quizzes or tests that can be used to show technical awareness on a broad range of topics, gathering levels of prior knowledge is an important first step for a teacher in the path of monitoring any student’s abilities.

Documentable observations, such as the usage of taught vocabulary in appropriate context or successful application of particular skills such as a mathematical equation can offer a second area of teacher-monitoring that is helpful for recognition of student advancement. Using the feedback from those observations, a teacher can be cognizant of student needs and abilities in ways that will inform whether or not a student needs extra help.

Indeed, probing questions that can come in a variety of formats, such as discourse, impromptu presentation assignments, or tests can be another area of monitoring to inform administrative decisions.

Fitzell offers quite a lot of valuable information regarding vocabulary interventions (VI) with the third chapter of her 2011 text focused on exactly that. Her structure to consider VI is a frame based on describing how to go about individual lessons to manifest a learning exercise. For example: “Using vocabulary mapping to acquire new vocabulary” is a heading to describe the mapping strategy she leads with (Fitzell, 2011). After touching on research, she begins with learning objectives, expected difficulties, materials needed, and expected time frame, and continues to describe procedures for how to go about the strategy in each individual tier.

Tier 1 is characterized by whole-class participation, group work, and presentations at the close of the class so that students can share their work with the class. This would be a VI that is created for all students, such as a short list of words that are archaic with their modern equivalents, listed, and presented in a way that students can practice using them briefly so that they are not unnecessarily confusing during initial readings of the passage.

Tier 2 is characterized by smaller groups, smaller lists of words to work with, and does not have presentations illustrated. This VI could include workgroups that expand discussion around word patterns, including extra teacher involvement to explicitly describe how portions of the text in question (such as Romeo and Juliet) are put together. Realistically, a student may have never read a play, may be coming from another language and need more discussion around the obscure linguistic aspects, or may have a lower reading capacity due to practice. Any of these reasons and more can lead to justification for Tier 2 support, and each iteration of support will correspond appropriately, may it be for one reason or another.

Tier 3 is differentiated by isolating a student with a specialist in a non-descript arrangement “to master the skill” (Fitzell, 2011). More explicit instruction for students who are having pronounced issues with the material will be helpful. As with the worksheets that come from the Central Bucks School District, there are plenty of materials and styles available to address a piece of literature from (Central Bucks, ND). What the job of a teacher is, is to find a type that works for an individual student. Sometimes, a student is socially, academically, or physically unprepared for the work that their classmates are doing well with. These students will need something like worksheets that explicitly lay out cloze reading, practice, and integrated use of material that allows for tangible, incremental growth so they can then return to the source text with the hope of achievements that are more accessible than what they had been working with.

Indeed, the expansion of focus from only academic ability (RTI alone) to include social/emotional needs (MTSS) was smart and kind when it came in the structure of the federal legislation known as the Every Student Succeeds Act. The three tiers of RTI combine for a thoughtful structure of its own that has been well-hewed through time. I look forward to reading more modern research and literature on the matter, incorporating the last ten vibrant years that are not represented in the materials of this course, for what they might add through their representation of modern studies and techniques.

References

Appelbaum, Maryln. (2009). The One-Stop Guide to Implementing RTI : Academic and Behavioral Interventions, K-12. Corwin. https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/ebookviewer/ebook?sid=0c61acb1-bd48-40df-a276-9024000e9f77%40redis&ppid=pp_1&vid=0&format=EB. Accessed April 2024.

Central Bucks School District, Pennsylvania (not dated). Romeo and Juliet Vocabulary. https://www.cbsd.org/cms/lib/PA01916442/Centricity/Domain/1793/romeojulietvocablistsandactivities.doc. Accessed April 2024.

Fitzell, Susan A. Gingras (2011). RTI Strategies for Secondary Teachers, Corwin Press. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/westerngovernors-ebooks/detail.action?docID=6261923. Created from westerngovernors-ebooks on 2024-04-16 22:25:53.

Johnson, Evelyn S., Pool, Juli, Carter, Deborah R., (2008). Screening for Reading Problems in Grades 4 through 12. RTI Action Network. Boise State University. http://www.rtinetwork.org/essential/assessment/screening/screening-for-reading-problems-in-grades-4-through-12. Accessed April 2024.

Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Education, (2020). Washington State’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports. https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2023-10/washington_s-mtss-framework-document.pdf. Accessed April 2024.

Reflecting on the effect of inquiry-based teaching methods in my discipline (teaching the language of English to students of various language abilities through middle and high school years, or “ELA” for our purposes) brings to mind the experiences I had while working in schools that were within the realm of the International Baccalaureate (IB 2018). One of the great paradigms that came from my years at them was to “Lead with Inquiry.” This element of leading with inquiry was based on the principles of IB schools’ order and structure (IB 2018). I found that by doing so, a person can approach nearly anything with a softer effect, a more accepting positioning, and an easier interactive experience since it inherently presents an approach that is not set up to be imposing. It is set up to listen and learn. As well, the four levels of inquiry (Confirmation/Verification, Structured, Guided, and Open) lend a smart order of progression for a student’s learning patterns (Herron 1971).

By applying this core paradigm to ELA as a student, one can step into each exercise/lesson/class, what have they, with a receptivity that is prepared to absorb, is prepared to learn, is intentionally set to pick up on what may be the intended goals, but also is able to reach deeply into what may be hidden beneath the initial layers of possible learning. By teaching students to inquire about their texts, a teacher is priming students to be critical thinkers by setting students on a path of necessitated doubt in this era of “alternative facts” and Artificial Intelligence technology, which is wildly employed by otherwise respectable organizations that could otherwise be considered fonts of knowledge, providing what is now more doubt-worthy information (Blake 2017). This questionable information is more slickly packaged than before, leading to the broader narrative of news stories, scientific topics, social narratives, etc. being presented as believable, while they are in fact in dire need of the kinds of analyses that can be provided by the thoughtfully formatted doubt that can be found created from the architecture of critical thinking that comes from a teacher’s elicitation through an inquiry-based focus by applying techniques such as the “five whys and seven so what’s” and other arrangements of inquiry that are patterned within this kind of thinking (Siddiqui 2019).

This connected nature between inquiry-based teaching and critical thinking is especially important to an ELA classroom because of the diverse nature of the material that comes across the desks of students and teachers in this discipline. May the material be metaphorical literature such as Kafka’s Metamorphosis, seemingly innocuous articles extracted from popular magazines like Time or National Geographic, or historical documents like the Magna Carta or the Declaration of Independence; leading with inquiry allows a student to stabilize their perspective as they approach the work or text that they have in hand. Inquiry-based teaching methods (such as described by people like Tayyab Siddiqui and Marshall D. Herron in his groundbreaking work) can lead students to well-positioned, independent thinking that empowers them to be in control of their learning, can help them become more aware of just how tenuous the nature of material that is presented as fact to them sometimes is, and can help them approach literature from alternative perspectives that lead to a greater understanding of what they would be dealing with.

For the purposes of our discussion, today’s discourse will be based around an Argumentative Writing activity about the intentionally light-hearted topic of whether or not students should be allowed to bring their pets (other than support animals) to school on a regular basis. It would aim to incorporate the Writing Standard for grades 9-10 found in the CCSS listed as follows:

1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
   1. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
   1. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
   1. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
   1. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
   1. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented (Common Core 2022).

In preparation for this activity, I would isolate my goals for the students, hopes for their productions, and timeline for the overall project. Within the scope of goals, I would incorporate a discussion of vocabulary (claims, counterclaims, objective tone, transition phrases, etc.), an understanding of intended audience, and persuasive arrangements of language, etc. Considering their final product, I would offer the frame of a three-to-five-page paper, excluding their citations page, but would be flexible in allowing up to seven pages, though no less than three. (Visual presentations would be welcome as an element to their final product if they feel comfortable with presenting in that way.) They would be encouraged to be creative about the audience to whom they might be addressing to expand their conceptualization of voice and possible impact. To that effect, I would ask them to be able to name that audience in their introductory paragraph aimed at we, the local audience, so that their ultimate intended voice could be incorporated as we take in their work. Indeed, I would be open to final presentations being in a variety of formats so that students of different styles could more easily approach the overall goal of creating a persuasive essay, depending on their differentiated needs and inclinations. Overall, a production of this kind could settle well as a two-week project so that students would be able to comfortably create something that would be well-reviewed upon completion.

When preparing students for this activity, I would start with a topical warming exercise that reaches into the area of their feelings about pets in general. From there, I would inquire about where they think pets should and shouldn’t be normative, generally. By leading into the activity in this way, I am eliciting their previous knowledge about pets in society, and in the students’ personal lives. After this warm-up activity, I would let the students know that we would be researching the question of whether or not pets should be allowed in schools. On their Canvas/interactive class websites, I would have links available to them to start with. They would include: https://pawsofmichigan.com/comprehensive-analysis, https://spca.bc.ca/programs-services/leaders-in-our-field/position-statements/position-statement-on-animals-in-schools/, and https://www.peta.org/teachkind/humane-classroom/whats-problem-classroom-pets/. However, I would also encourage them to do their own research on the matter so they can more solidly support the positions they have, individually. In doing so, we would talk about keywords being used in search boxes, how the possible use of artificial intelligence may be integrated with their digital sourcing, and how we need to consider the sources of our information – mindfully valuing voices of organizations, individuals, and origins of other sorts in measured ways. During our first class together, they would be tasked with beginning their research using these parameters, finding at least five more supporting sources for their inclined position and creating a basic thesis for their assignment, which they would provide for me as an exit slip.

In the following class, the students would be tasked with beginning the construction of their work. As such, we would warm up by looking at some examples of other persuasive essays that have been created by previous students. As well, this would be when I would isolate the formulaic theory behind an argumentative/persuasive essay by introducing key ideas such as claims and tone in order to thoughtfully frame how they would eventually present their ideas. Helping them see that they need to take into account the argument that stands in contrast to their own in a way that considers the support it might have, would be appropriate at that time. Providing this line of thinking and the associative language of appropriate transition sentences in sets that can be offered as examples for students to practice with, would help set the students up for success as they consider how they would eventually construct their own positions. Subsequent classes would be set up as workshops to naturally progress the construction and research needed to make it to a final product, complete with peer-review and my own review, as appropriate.

While the foil of ‘pets in the classroom’ is employed as a placeholder for a topic in this scenario, it would be emphasized to the students that the real purpose for the exercise is the productive learning of how to create an argument in a way that is persuasive. As such, while they would learn plenty about the topic of classroom pets through their reading of materials provided by the SPCA, PAWS, and many others, I would coach them to focus on their presentations along with the understanding that this topic is replaceable and any argument or position may come up against another, and must be prepared for defense, as such (SPCA 2024, P.A.W.S. 2012, PETA 2024). Notably, it is entirely possible that some students would be in the school’s debate club and so may be familiar with keeping an eye out for and avoiding logical fallacies and addressing biases. However, some students would likely not have that particular background and experience. As such, it would be appropriate to cover a few common notions in that area so all students would be familiar with regularized errors and deficiencies in modern interactions, so that they can speak with a more solid position than what might otherwise occur.

By scaffolding for student needs through inviting various formats, students would be able to create what is appropriate for their capacity. Through using the instructional strategies that introduce vocabulary, structure, and methodology such as attention to contrasting positions, biases, and fallacies, students would be well-positioned to create a well-thought-out argument. As such, this generalized illustration would be successful in practice after being fleshed out through thoughtful design incorporating more distinct pacing, ordering, and expanded details that are all excluded here for the sake of form and brevity. Students would certainly understand the process of argumentative writing more solidly from an exercise that covers the above-mentioned points. Similarly, and more genially, they would be more understanding of whatever the school policy about pets in the classroom might be after these weeks of focus due to the incidental learning that would come through their reading required for a successful presentation.

Citations

Blake, Aaron (2017). “Kellyanne Conway says Donald Trump’s team has ‘alternative facts’. Which pretty much says it all”. The Washington Post. Retrieved January 22, 2017.

Common Core. Common Core State Standards for English Language arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and technical Subjects. https://learning.ccsso.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ADA-Compliant-ELA-Standards.pdf Retrieved May 2024.

Herron, M.D. (1971). The Nature of Scientific Enquiry. The School Review, 79, 171 – 212.

International Baccalaureate, online resources (2018). Programmes standards and practices. https://www.ibo.org/globalassets/new-structure/become-an-ib-school/pdfs/programme-standards-and-practices-2020-en.pdf. Retrieved May 2024.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), (2024). https://www.peta.org/teachkind/humane-classroom/whats-problem-classroom-pets/. Retrieved May 2024.

Progressive Animal Welfare Society of Michigan (P.A.W.S.), (2012). Should Pets Be Allowed in School: A Comprehensive Analysis https://pawsofmichigan.com/comprehensive-analysis. Retrieved May 2024.

Siddiqui, Tayyab (2019). Critical Thinking: The Art of Thinking. Medium. Online magazine. https://medium.com/@tayyabsiddiqui/critical-thinking-the-art-of-thinking-95741f5632f5

The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), (2024). Position Statement on Animals in Schools. https://spca.bc.ca/programs-services/leaders-in-our-field/position-statements/position-statement-on-animals-in-schools/. Retrieved May 2024.

            The value of Disciplinary Literacy is elemental to higher education. That is to say, the language of specialties within the broader reaches of the civilizational design that we have in modern times requires focused attention that reaches beyond normative conversation for regular day-to-day activities. To isolate this, the delineation of Disciplinary Literacy (DL) and Content-area Literacy (CaL) can be defined by the utility of the language, whether it is either unique to a discipline, or generally useful, respectively. To illustrate this, we can consider a clear example from within the sciences.

Certainly, it is useful to understand the variations of an intermediate dose of methotrexate when combined with cyclophosphamide, vincristine, adriamycin, and prednisone when treating non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (Gomez, et al.). However, to a lay person like myself, these are not words that I will commit to memory, nor chemical interactions that I will expect myself to be familiar with. They are specialized. They are within the realm of Disciplinary Literacy. I do have a working knowledge, or Content-area Literacy for the sciences, generally. This less specialized literacy can be viewed in the context of talking about petri dishes, wave lengths, displacement, and many more common notions that are more broadly applicable to life on earth. This would be an illustration of where the fields of literacy diverge, when language is pertinent to some, but perhaps not others. Finer discernment will follow.

Methodologically thinking, Content-area Literacy and Disciplinary Literacy work differently as well. As Heather Lattimer describes in relation to DL, we are not “teaching students the core ideas of our discipline. Instead, we are inviting students to engage in the processes and practices of the disciplines…” (Lattimer 2010). The recognition of the differential between teaching core ideas versus processes and practices is key. It is cumulative, in a way that DL follows CaL, advancing the specialization of the language and structural norms of the defined realm of focus. As noted above, learning about petri dishes is basic to science, but how prednisone acts within a petri dish is a specific practical application that is a recognizable step beyond CaL into the arena of DL. In even more basic a view, the petri dishes may be considered unique to science, so could be considered to fall within DL. So, another way to look at it might be to consider strategies rather than vocabulary. In notable contrast to DL strategies, CaL strategies are possible to use across disciplines. Consider, for example, language used in areas of study such as the inquiry that comes from textbooks and tests. If a student is able to read and understand the questions that come along with close reading texts, they are exemplifying their ability to show their CaL. It is the details and structural constructs that extend beyond the basic language that extend into DL.

E.g., “Contrast the perspective of Johnny Star against that of Cole Porter in the story you just read in relation to how they interpret the actions of Davie in a way that illustrates their respective understandings of Davie’s motivations.”

In this example (made up, from a non-existent text), Johnny and Cole both witness Davie from alternative perspectives and backgrounds. It can be take for granted that the impact of Davie’s actions has different value and meaning to these two other people. Teaching CaL in relation to this task would address the notion of contrasting perspectives in general. Whereas teaching DL could extend the aspectual implications of the psychological and sociological deeper meanings of Davie’s actions in relation to the two other characters.

To further consideration on this topic, I will focus on the provided extract of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. Being that the provided text is decontextualized and brief, the focus below will assume that broader offering of context for the story than that which is provided here can be available to students. The single paragraph would be insufficient for a reasonable analysis. Context would need to be established for the close reading to proceed. As far as describing three disciplinary reading strategies to use to do so, they follow.

An initial strategy that would be appropriate would be one found described in Think-Literacy, Cross-Curricular Approaches, a text provided by WGU, created by “classroom teachers and literacy consultants with extensive classroom experience in Grades 7 to 12, from public and Catholic school boards across Ontario” (Ontario n.d.). They offer the strategy they call “Reading Literary Texts.” While the title is deceptively general, as described on pages 88-90 of their text, it can be remarkably specific in method.

It is broken up into three areas of approach: before, during, and after reading. Previous to reading the text, one would consider the visual aspects such as the size of the text, the title, context, language conventions, perhaps some historical contextualization, and more. This helps a reader to situate oneself into a positioning to approach the text. After considering all those things, one would begin reading with notable constructs in mind. Some of those include considering the motivations of the characters, making predictions about what might follow, imagining the setting in a thoughtful way that may even include making sketches, perhaps making annotations in the text itself, and more. Graphic organizers can be employed during this stage so that a student can easily notate what they are reading. Especially for texts such as The Metamorphosis, inferring what the author is saying beyond the exact story is elemental to understanding the text. Encouraging students to consider this metaphorical realm is important for a successful reading of such a text. Within this strategy, after reading, one can immediately start to write. Starting with quotations from the text that stuck out and timelines/sequence descriptions, a reader can make notes about the turning points in the story that were highlights. Similarly, a student can summarize the text so that it could be retold in discussion, thoughtfully expanding on the metaphorical implications along with a retelling of the story line.

Another reading strategy from the Ontario collective shared would be “Sorting Ideas Using a Concept Map.” This is a graphic organizer of a specific sort, one that is particularly useful for this kind of reading. The way they describe it (again by organizing it in the three stages of Before, During, and After reading), a teacher would begin by introducing the model, exemplifying it, discussing it with students in a way that encourages inquiry on their part and then leading into the reading stage. During reading, students use post-it notes during their reading so they can identify notable elements. As well, they use their Concept Map model they’ve created in preparation for their reading by placing these sticky notes upon it. They can write in bubbles like a normal brainstorming map, but notably, this one is organized by “overall topic, sub-topics, and details.” Following their reading, they then join up with other students to compare and contrast their results to expand and extend their learning and understanding of the material. A broader class discussion follows so groups can share what they’ve come up with (Ontario n.d.).

A third strategy that would be useful would be focusing on a Close Reading of the text. This type of strategy is characterized as large or small heterogeneous groupings of students using challenging and complex, grade-appropriate texts along with notably text-dependent questions and repeated readings in order to approach an extract or otherwise small-ish reading with multiple perspectives of approach (Frey & Fisher 2013). By using short passages, a student can more intensely focus on the content with various goals. These goals are specified by text-dependent questions. An interesting aspect of close reading that other strategies don’t emphasize as much is the distinctly necessary re-reading of a text for success. With close reading, three separate readings can be defined. They focus on Key Ideas and Details first, followed by a look at Craft and Structure, and finally thoughtful Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (Burke). Each reading is intentional in its form. The first attends to things like the story line and main ideas within the text and can be done in a variety of ways such as in groups, independently, or in workshops. The second section encourages students to look at how the work is put together in relation to text structures and features that elicit style. Then, to close things up, a more cerebral focus is applied, reaching into synthesis and analysis of information from various inputs around the text for a more eclectic approach to the work. Each stage may employ note-taking techniques such as marginal notation, annotation, or use of notebooks or graphic organizers to retain thoughts while moving through the work.

These three strategies would each be appropriate for the segment provided from The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka. However, if I were to use only one to illustrate how it might be used in an activity that could be described as “being effective for helping students to understand the text,” as the task defines, I would choose “Close Reading” because of how The Metamorphosis really lends itself to being looked at from many perspectives and in many different ways. By offering the students layers of questions, as this form of activity can be imagined, students could unpack the deeply metaphorical passage to derive creative meanings in addition to discussing the structure and the sociological positioning that it stood in at the time of its initial writing as well as in modern times. A first reading (key ideas and details) may incorporate a view of the language conventions, isolating the voice of the speaker, naming who that character is, describing the location of the setting and what is going on within it. All of these are all good starting points. I would consider this first reading to be one where students work independently. From that, a second layer of focus (craft and structure), requiring a second reading, would be spurred by other text-dependent questions that had a focus on how the rhythm of the language helped the pacing. It could look at how the point of view of the main character was in juxtaposition to that of others in the story. (Again, I would incorporate more than the provided extract for an expanded contextualization of the story.) Also, the order of information could be analyzed to discuss why Kafka gives us certain parts of the story at different times. Isolating this type of organized focus allows for a discussion of the deeper artistry of the work. I would have students work together in small groups or individually at this junction. Further in, a third reading that aims even deeper (integration of knowledge and ideas) would be able to focus on unpacking the rich metaphorical designs of Kafka’s. By encouraging students to peel apart the meaning within this illustrative text in a way that focuses on the analogue of the insect in relation to a man, we can provide not only a way for a student to understand textual matters, but also the world around them, better (Burke n.d.). I would have students work in pairs or groups of three for this portion of the exercise so that students could share their insights and learn from each other during this intrinsically thoughtful line of questioning.

Using the reading strategy of close reading is particularly effective for helping students understand this text because of how many things are going on at the same time in it. There is the story telling about a bug that can be appreciated for how weird and descriptive it is, but at the same time, there is a totally different story going on about how the man is feeling like a bug. He isn’t one at all, but is one in a metaphorical sense that has recently been brought to back to the modern psyche by the modern Netflix series and 2006 novel by Liu Cixin, The Three-Body Problem (Liu 2006). This “being bugs” mentality is a philosophical discussion that is wholly available as an arena of discourse that students can open up into a debate about social structures and our places in them (Kafka n.d.). This third perspective that employs the metaphorical realm, following the more literal, but still pointed, previous ones, is an entirely necessary line of discussion for opening up this particular text. However, without the first two layers of details and craft as the focus, it is not accessible. This is why close reading would be a uniquely good strategy for studying The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka.

Citations

Burke, Beth (n.d.). A Close Look at Close Reading, Scaffolding Students with Complex Texts. NBCT. https://nieonline.com/tbtimes/downloads/CCSS_reading.pdf Retrieved May 2024.

Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (2013). Rigorous Reading: 5 access points for comprehending complex texts. Corwin Press.

Gomez, G. A., Barcos, M., Han, T., & Henderson, E. S. (1987). Cyclophosphamide, vincristine, adriamycin, and prednisone (CHOP) with and without intermediate dose methotrexate for the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas of diffuse histology. Cancer, 60(1), 18–24. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-0142(19870701)60:1<18::aid-cncr2820600105>3.0.co;2-0

Kafka, F. (n.d.). Metamorphosis. The Project Gutenberg eBook of Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5200/5200-h/5200-h.htm

Lattimer, Heather (2010). Reading for Learning: Using Discipline-based Texts to Build Content Knowledge. National Council of Teachers of English.

Liu, Cixin (2006). The Three-Body Problem. Trans. Ken Liu. Tom Doherty Associates, New York. Chongqing Publishing Group, Chongqing.

Ontario School Districts (n.d.). Think Literacy, Cross Curricular Approaches Grades 7-12. Government of Ontario, Canada

Below are accompanying materials that I sourced elsewhere. The respective creators’ information is noted in each. Many thanks to those who built them.

Assessing Grammar

Assessments for grammar used in a classroom of English Language Arts (ELA) at the secondary level should, in my opinion, be mostly formative (FA), with fewer summative assessments (SA) so that students can be conceptually fed more than they are taxed with producing and so they are given as much practice time as possible in order to become more naturally attached to the notions that are offered in the area of learning we call grammar. This inclined determination does not come directly from one academic source or another, but rather it comes from personal experience and an incalculable host of reading that I have done on this topic over the last fifteen years as a professional in ELA (specializing in English as an Additional Language, or EAL). Whether it has been communication practice with Vietnamese high schoolers, afternoon Scrabble or Debate Club with mixed-ability/age students in China, or flashcard practice with kindergarteners in South Korea, I have witnessed the value of the personalized feedback that comes from informal settings provided by thoughtful FAs and how they do so well to inform future teaching. That feedback works as the fuel for proper future engagement. It allows a teacher to listen clearly to students as they grow through their organic progress, rather than pressuring them by tasking their abilities to score highly on tests such as the Cambridge and Oxford exams that the all-famous iGCSE provide or their American equivalents.

Indeed, to support the interpretive nature of recognizing and assessing grammar in the area of assessments, even the well-thought-through document provided in this C-369 course named “Teaching and Testing Grammar,” by Diane Larsen-Freeman (2009), offers wonderfully nebulous descriptions such as her first line: “Perhaps no term in the language teaching field is as ambiguous as grammar,” (emphasis, hers) and later on as she describes how “each one of [her] seven definitions is multidimensional” and because when assessing grammar, methods that are “decontextualized, discrete-point items such as …” where she lists a variety of imperfect, but certainly applicable, widely used methods – we teachers are not truly able to provide a single answer for how exactly to assess grammar (Larsen-Freeman 2009). Indeed, discrete methods are appropriate at many points of interaction for assessment, but to truly assess a student’s capacity, one needs to speak with them in informal ways, encouraging conversations that allow the students to utilize what has been studied, or to have them write at length so that a similarly incidental usage is achieved. Of course, there are standardized methods for this to provide for SA, as having a static record of achievement is a normal requirement for schooling. For example, a collection I’ve used by the well-known Oxford Publishing house named World Explorers is a good example, with its oral questionnaires and open-ended questions, allowing students to show what they’ve learned along with fill-in-the-blank questions that allow a student to show they understand how pronouns work, etc. (Oxford 2012).

To be sure, students who are preparing for American tests such as the SAT or ACT have a genuine need for practice around testing. To make this discrete skill accessible, it can be provided for them in low-stakes environments in a classroom with practice tests that can be effectively reviewed by students to help them understand where their areas that can be improved are. This method is an example of using FA to prepare for SA in a way that can give the experience to students of the SA, so they are not uncomfortable in the setting with it when the time comes to take one. In my classrooms, if given my druthers, I would use an SA a maximum of four times a course-structure, so that they are primed to be ready for the broader world, but as a result of the more frequent FAs they would experience a less stressful setting in my classroom by not being pressured to produce in the format more often than completely necessary.

Corresponding Methodology

There are hundreds or perhaps even thousands of appropriate teaching methods and innumerable topics to focus on as content due to the flexible nature of the English Language Arts. From student learning activities, multi-media applications, flipped classrooms, inquiry-based learning, problem-based learning, project-based learning and many, many more (Carter 2006, Chandrasekar 2016, Gardener 2024, Hall 2016, Hancock 1998, Jones 2021, Levin et al. 1999). Methodology is truly an array of possibilities to be approached as colors in a painter’s palate, as far as I’m concerned. Depending on the students, a different approach may be more fitting than another. Depending on the goals, the focus will shift. Am I engaged with working within an inquiry-based curriculum alongside a STEAM-heavy course load that includes Geology, Physics, and Pure Maths? Or is it a less progressive setting that has a curriculum based around focusing on testing, coming from a pre-proscribed set of information?

If given design flexibility, in order to teach students a holistic path of ELA growth at something like the ninth or tenth grade level, I would like to start with block scheduling, allowing for 90-minute segments of time together, so that I would be able to create a host of interactivity for them. Warmups could consist of reading or conversation and could last anywhere from five to fifteen minutes. From there, with the daily goals established, we would start in on the lesson of the day. Obviously, lessons will vary in style, depending on the goals and material at hand, may it be a literature review using something like a scene from Romeo and Juliet, or a section of a young adult novel of contemporary origin; a writing foray, something like how to write a letter to the editor, or writing in an unexplored genre; or historical contextualization of the language, for an etymological or grammatical lesson. However, no matter what the lesson of the day is about, there will be a point at which, I as a teacher, provide static input to work from. That input could be a video, a worksheet for them to read and work through, a research question for them to work with on the internet, or something else. From that starting point, I would step into a section of the class that could be called a controlled practice or challenge. In this section, there is a formulaic question that is presented to the students so they can put their minds to work around the input provided within an area of focus. From there, we would reflect on it either through group sharing, whole-class sharing, or something else that allows me to take in the input of a FA, to better step into the next section of our class. That next section would be a freer practice/challenge for them to more broadly take time putting effort around the overarching goal of the class. A resultant product or an exit slip that consists of a reflection on the day’s work would be valuable to help me know what students garnered from our experience and could help inform following lessons.

As we are in an era that offers the profound technology of what had come to be known as Artificial Intelligence (AI), I would hesitate from asking students to do homework that consists of broad-based writing. As such, I would use a substantial portion of the 90-minute block for most of their writing and research and then encourage them to only use home-time as a time to polish their class-time efforts.

By achieving a deeper understanding of the structure and mechanics of language, students will extend their proficiencies in many ways. For example, by understanding the skills of skimming and scanning to preview a text, a student can better approach a text by garnering the context and meaning of it through its structure and key points, observable through these techniques (Ontario n.d.). This applies to how they look at everything from literature to informative texts that may share knowledge about topics like sciences, history, and more. This is because when students are approaching different types of writing in thoughtfully more appropriate ways, they can have a richer experience with it. One does not approach a metaphorical, poetic soliloquy with the same method as one would look at a geological description of fossils found in Montana. Similarly, by having the skills of understanding how to create these disparate styles of writing, a student can represent their thoughts and goals better through using the appropriate methods of English composition.

Example in Practice

Summary~

Topic: Recognition of, and use of dependent clauses together with adjective-order

Language standard: CCSS 1.b. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

a. Use parallel structure.

b. Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.

Objective: Given a photographic image of a busy scene, students will be able to describe what they see using complex sentences, including dependent clauses and appropriate adjective use 70% of the time.

Measurement: Students will be tasked with writing (or describing orally, depending on IEP parameters and recommendations) what they see in an image to the extent of choosing three nouns to describe from within it. Their narrative responses will be graded by noticing their language use with particular attention paid to their use of dependent clauses and descriptive adjectives.

Explanatory Description~

Given the goals as stated above in the summary, I have found that an overlay of short exemplar texts being used as exposure-units to start with, followed by inquiry around them is a good way to begin.

One way to do that is by using the grammar structure that is the goal of the lesson in a couple sentences, but with a third that does not show it. Asking the students what they see, asking them to compare the structures, then asking them if they know why the structures in focus are set as they are gets students into smart inquiry around the topic at hand, together with a bit of thoughtful guidance if needed, allows their natural curiosity to deconstruct the presented material to the point of isolating what it is that is isolated on the board in the examples.

For example: The topic of teaching how to spot (and later create) dependent clauses could have the three sentences that follow on the board.

“There are seventeen tomatoes on the plant, nine are still green.

There are twelve students in the class, each student has a hat on.

Fourteen cars are in the parking lot and six of them are running.”

By using these three sentences with students, noting how the second sentence has an independent clause as its secondary, students get exposure to how different structures work, can see them in practice, then can begin discussion in groups about how they might create more complex sentences of their own.

Another way to teach this grammatical notion would be to explicitly describe it. This would provide the necessary knowledge to language learners who are coming from other languages or individualized dialects of American, British, Saffa, etc. origin. Being that these dialects and non-native grammars are valid and logical in their own, a clear discussion of the logic is valuable to clarify the intended end result (Kennedy 1993, McLaren 2009).

The second grammatical element that would accompany this activity is the order of adjectives. Using the same design as above, examples such as those below would suffice.

“The tabby cat was a wonderfully furry and friendly creature.

Howard had a big, red dog with ears that are floppy and long.

At her home, Josie has a funny, red fish, big, slippery.”

Again, using intentional anomalies for discussion is an element, as can be seen in sentence three. This is a particularly helpful structure of focus for a class that has learners of English from origins that are not primarily English language because of how English functions differently than other languages. As such, having graphs that show how adjective-order works, available for students who need them such as the one pictured here (sourced in 2018, no longer visible on the host website), is useful to illustrate how English language functions (T.E.S. 2016). E.g., one would not typically say “a wool, beautiful, brown blanket,” but would rather say “a beautiful, brown, wool blanket.”

By providing exemplars and image-based support as shown above, I can accommodate for students with visual learning styles, dyslexia, and students with non-native origins by having extra support beyond simply telling them (Long, et al. 2007; McConlogue 2020). This alternative presentation mode can assist students internalize and have a tangible structure for what could otherwise be less-than-clear.

After that explicit presentation, I could put images on the board and have a playful, but scholastically applicable practice with descriptions around whatever the image may be of, may it be a small, Belgian waffle, covered with delicious, amber syrup and imported walnuts or whatever. The creativity of the playful randomness adds to the openness of possibilities, engaging the students through a bit of silliness, but nonetheless, staying on point with the particular lesson at hand. This would be the controlled practice.

For a freer practice, and a summarizing assessment to track their overall learning, a collection of photographic or illustrated images that are busy, such as images of a park or at a train station, could be handed out or projected so the students could stretch their learning in a way that would allow them to be as creative as they choose from the variety provided in such an image. Assessing that practice would come from collecting their results and attending to those results after class, in reflection, measuring their product against a prepared rubric to assign a resultant score to go along with what actionable feedback I can provide in that setting.

Citations

Carter, Ronald; McCarthy, Michael. (2006). Cambridge Grammar of English, A Comprehensive Guide, Spoken and Written English Grammar Usage. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo.

Chandrasekar, Mira Saraswathi; Ramachandran, A. (2017). Diagramming Complex Sentences: A visual Approach to English Grammar (sic). Vijaya Online Academy, India.

Gardener, Howard. (2024) The Essential Howard Gardener. Teachers College Press, Columbia University, New York.

Hall, Diane. (2016). English for Everyone, English Grammar Guide. Penguin Random House, DK Publishing. New York.

Hancock, Mark. (1998). Singing Grammar, Teaching grammar through songs. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, New York Melbourne, Madrid

Jones Ed.D, Darolyn (2021) Barron’s Painless Reading Comprehension. 4^th Ed. Kaplan Inc. New York

Kennedy, B. L. (1993). Non-native Speakers as Students in First-year Composition Classes with Native Speakers: How can Writing Tutors Help? The Writing Center Journal, 13(2), 27–38. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43441928 Accessed June 2024.

Larsen-Freeman, Diane (2009). Teaching and testing grammar. In M. Long and C. Doughty (Eds.) The Handbook of Language Teaching (pp. 518-542). Malden, MA: Blackwell. https://www.docdroid.net/NoGggnj/approaches-language-structure-teaching-and-testing-grammar-pdf. Accessed June 2024.

Levin, James; Levin, Sandra R.; Waddoups, Gregory. (1999). Multiplicity in learning and teaching, A framework for developing innovative online learning. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 32(2), 256-269. https://pages.ucsd.edu/~jalevin/LLW-multiplicity.htm. Accessed June 2024.

Long, L., MacBlain, S., & MacBlain, M. (2007). Supporting students with dyslexia at the secondary level: An emotional model of literacy. Journal of Adolescent &amp; Adult Literacy, 51(2), 124–134. https://doi.org/10.1598/jaal.51.2.4.  Accessed June 2024.

McConlogue, T. (2020). Developing Inclusive Curriculum and Assessment Practices. In Assessment and Feedback in Higher Education: A Guide for Teachers (pp. 137–150). UCL Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv13xprqb.14 Accessed June 2024.

McLaren, J. (2009). African Diaspora Vernacular Traditions and the Dilemma of Identity. Research in African Literatures, 40(1), 97–111. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30131189 Accessed June 2024

Ontario School Districts (n.d.). Think Literacy, Cross Curricular Approaches Grades 7-12. Government of Ontario, Canada

Oxford Editorial Team (2012). World Explorers Evaluation Booklet. Illustrations by Simon Smith. Oxford University Press. UK

The English Student (2016). Adjective Order. Professional academic, hosted blog. http://www.theenglishstudent.com/ Accessed 2018.