Read All About It!

CONTENT STANDARDS
· Reading and Writing: Standard 1 grades 5-8: Using a full range of strategies to comprehend technical writing, newspapers, magazines, poetry, short stories, plays, and novels; Standard 2 grades 5-8: Incorporating source materials into their speaking and writing. Writing and speaking in the content areas using the technical vocabulary of the subject accurately.
· History: Standard 1.1 grades 5-8: Chronologically organizing major events and people of U.S. history. Standard 1.3 grades 5-8: Interpreting historical data to determine cause-effect and time-order relationships. Standard 2.2 grades 5-8: Distinguishing between primary and secondary sources. Standard 5.3 grades 5-8: Describe how military and /or economic expansion resulted in the assumption or seizure of political power throughout history.

KNOWLEDGE
· Understand the difference between primary and secondary sources and their potential accuracy/inaccuracies.
· Understand the structure and design of newspaper articles.
· Understand the major events of World War II and their chronological order.
· Understand U.S. involvement and strategy during World War II as well as events taking place back in the U.S. during the war.

SKILLS
· Ability to comprehend and interpret information from newspaper articles.
· Ability to synthesize information taken from newspapers over a several years of history and place it in chronological order.
· Ability to summarize and convey information to others orally.

RELEVANCE
Newspapers combine news, politics, sports, fashion, religion, entertainment, comics and editorial information from a local as well as national perspective all in one chronologically ordered source. They are excellent primary sources of history. Besides, old newspapers are just plain cool!
Understanding how newspapers are organized helps students to quickly use them as reference material and may spark some early interest in reading them. This lesson exposes students to newspapers and gives them an opportunity to analyze information, explain it to their class, learn some history and organize it chronologically.

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
Orient students as to how newspapers are structured and how the articles are organized for quick reading. This will allow students to retrieve and evaluate information from several front page articles much quicker. Build enough background knowledge in WWII for them to understand the event they are going to be reading about. Build enough background knowledge in the geography of the war that they understand where in the world these events are taking place. Explain that they will not understand everything they will be reading, but that it’s alright because the goal is to understand the “Big picture” of what is happening. Many Americans living through this event didn’t understand where Iwo Jima or Danzig was either.

VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT
One of the purposes of this lesson is to teach students the difference between primary and secondary source material.

GROUPING
This is a small group reading lesson. Introduce the above vocabulary and background knowledge as a whole group then organize your class into small groups accordingly. Because newspapers are not leveled and often contain unfamiliar language, you will need to group your below-level readers with on-level or advanced readers.

MATERIALS
You need copies of the front page of any newspaper from key times in World War II. The newspapers need to cover the length of World War II. For example, I used the front page of the New York Times from the following dates:
· 1 September 1939 – German invasion of Poland.
· 26 April 1940 – Roosevelt swears the U.S. will remain neutral and sell the British 12,000 planes.
· 27 September 1940 - Japan joins axis alliance.
· 8 December 1941 – Attack on Pearl Harbor.
· 8 November 1942 – U.S. soldiers land in West Africa.
· 8 June 1943 – Rationing, the draft, women joining the services and war bonds.
· 6 June 1944 – D-Day invasion.
· 7 May 1945 – Hitler’s suicide, Germany’s surrender and V-E Day.
· 7 August 1945 – Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
· 9 August 1945 – Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki & Soviets declare war on Japan.
· 31 August 1945 – Japanese surrender, prison camps discovered, end of rationing.

INSTRUCTION
Read aloud an old headline and story as an anticipatory set. Start the lesson by polling the class about their knowledge of newspapers. How many have ever read a newspaper (something besides the comics!)? Why are the stories organized into such narrow columns?
Orient students as to how newspapers are structured and how the articles are organized for quick reading. Teach the difference between primary and secondary sources and the importance of knowing your sources when doing research.
Explain the lesson and build background knowledge. Carefully model exactly what you expect. If you don’t model it, be prepared for a whole lot of arguing about who is going to talk first and very low quality group presentations. Divide up the groups, distribute the newspapers and set them to work. Give the students a specific amount of time for reading and preparing their presentations. Monitor the groups.
Draw a timeline on the board for the groups to add their events to. Have each group stand in front of the class and give a report on what they read. Guide the class in a discussion about what was going on in the world at that time. Guide and assist them in synthesizing the information by adding details that are not included in the articles. When they are done with their report, have the students enter their event onto the timeline and sit down. Supply tape for them to attach their paper to the board under their event on the timeline. This will help to illustrate the timeline as well as give the other groups a chance to look at the papers. Once completed, review the timeline as a class.

ACCOMMODATIONS
· Enrichment- Have students report on lesser known events. Sports, fashion, political elections and Japanese internment. Have other sections of the newspaper for these students to look at and interpret.
· Remediation- Careful organization of reading groups and reducing the amount of information students will have to understand and interpret (e.g. just the headline story). Supply students with maps to clarify country and city names and locations.

ASSESSMENT
Draw a time line on the board and have each group give an oral report on what they read. Each group will place their event on the timeline and connect their events to the previous event on the timeline. Discuss the events as a class. All students should participate in the oral presentation.

SCORING CRITERIA
Plate Tectonics Drawing Rubric
Excellent - Groups are able to report what they read in their newspaper. They are able to place their events on the timeline and connect them to the previous event on the timeline. All students in the group participate in the oral presentation.
Good - Groups are able to report what they read in their newspaper. They are unable to place their events on the timeline or connect them to the previous event on the timeline. Most of the students in the group participate in the oral presentation.
Need Improvement - Groups are unable to report what they read in their newspaper. Only one or two students in the group participate in the oral presentation.

FOLLOW UP
Continue to spark interest in newspapers by bringing in other front page news for them to read and evaluate.

This type of lesson is limited only by your imagination. It can be used with any era of history or type of event that you can get a newspaper articles for (e.g. sports, the Depression, Prohibition, Civil Rights Movement, the Cold War etc…). It doesn’t have to be a significant historical event either. You could also enrich this lesson by combining music or other literature sources from the same time.

Charles Rasmussen, M.A.Edu.

Alamosa Public Schools
Evans Elementary School

Spring 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

It has been my pleasure to supervise student teacher William Allen during the 2008/2009 school year. Initially, Mr. Allen was assigned by my principal to observe in my classroom for is senior year "Sr. Block" requirements. He quickly recognized those students needing remedial help and began to take on more and more responsibility in helping me meet the needs of a large class. As such, I specifically made a request to Adams State College Department of Education that he be assigned as my student teacher for Spring Semester. I've never done this before, but recognized quickly that he is highly qualified to teach students with difficult needs as well as those that are advantaged.

William has an impeccable work ethic. He never missed school. He had lesson plans completed two weeks ahead of time the entire semester. He works well with staff. He is easy to work with, has a pleasant personality and fun sense of humor. He gets along extremely well with students. He conducted the most recent Parent Teacher Conference by himself, with my watching from a distance. He relates well to parents. His ability to utilize technology in his teaching is second to none. His knowledge base of all academic areas is completely solid. He's well seasoned in the Core Knowledge Series curriculum and he understands how Bloom's Taxonomy is to be used to aid greater student understanding and application.

In addition to all of these most remarkable strengths, know that his integrity and moral character are his greatest assets. He understands well. better than most veteran teachers in fact, what is appropriate and what is not. Never does he cross lines. His character is simply flawless, reflective of his self discipline learned in military service and leadership as well as being reared in a home where integrity and the work ethic were embedded.

I have taught, coached, and been an administrator during my 25 years in public education. During that time I have supervised seventeen student teachers. Mr. Allen tops the list as to who I would give my highest recommendation. Your school would be greatly enriched and most fortunate by including him as part of your staff.

Sincerely,
K. Charles Rasmussen, M.A.Edu.

James A. Cerrone, COL, FA, Commanding

Department of the Army
Headquarters, 82nd Airborne Division Artillery
Fort Bragg, North Carolina 28310

1 May2001

To Whom It May Concern

Staff Sergeant William D. Allen has been a member of the 82nd Airborne Division for the past six years. In this routinely fast paced environment, he has excelled in every endeavor. Staff Sergeant Allen is a self-motivator, extremely intelligent and an all around outstanding performer.

I am sure that he will do and excellent job in whatever duty position he is assigned. I would gladly have him work for me again; top performers are always welcome.

Sincerely,
James A. Cerrone
COL, FA
Commanding

Major General Vines, U.S. Army, Commanding Officer

ALL AMERICAN DIVISION
May 14, 2001

Dear Sergeant Allen:

Your chain of command recently nominated you as an Outstanding Junior Noncommissioned Officer. It is obvious to me that you know you hob, set the example, and enforce standards as well as any troop leader in the 82nd Airborne Division.

Clearly, you are on of our finest junior noncommissioned officers and have a very bright future in the Army. Congratulations and keep up the great work!

Sincerely,
John R. Vines
Major General, U.S. Army
Commanding Officer

Kimberly Wakasugi, Cub Scout Troop Leader

To Whom It May Concern:

William and I volunteered for out local Cub Scout Troop for approximately a year while my son and his troop were finishing their requirements to become Boy Scouts. It was our responsibility to make sure that all of the requirements were met.

William was always there for the meetings and ready with new and creative lessons for the boys. They enjoyed the time spent with him and accomplished more than what was required of them. He's an excellent role model for kids because he did everything to the best of his ability and expected them to do the same. After my son's troop crossed over and became Boy Scouts, the other troops were trying to get him to stay and continue with the program.

I feel that William will be a valuable asset to any school. He is creative, confident, and not afraid of a challenge. If I had a chance to work with him again I wouldn't hesitate.

Sincerely,
Kimberly Wakasugi

Richard A. Goddard, Ph.D., Archaeologist

September 5, 2008

To Whom It May Concern:

I have been acquainted with William Allen for more than a year through Adams State College. I have been his professor during all of that time. He has taken two of my regular classes and, most recently, has been a student in my archaeology field school. Throughout all of this, he has consistently been an excellent, hard-working student, but it has been through the archaeology field school that I have come to know him best. This class consisted of six weeks of intense field training where the students lived on the site for the entire course. Thus, in addition to his academic performance, I was able to observe William's work ethic as well as his social skills.

William demonstrated maturity, a serious attitude about his work, leadership, and excellent social skill working with a diverse group of students. Students in the field school were evaluated by the entire field school staff, which consisted of five individuals in addition to myself. All members of the staff gave him the highest marks.

Throughout my career, I have had a close association with the field of education at all levels. I have no doubt that William will be and outstanding educator.

Sincerely,
Richard A. Goddard. Ph.D.
Archaeologist

Never ask your soldiers to do something that you yourself would not do

This is a leadership maxim I learned and used while serving in the military. I can’t expect high standards of my students if I do not expect the same of myself. I am the role model for my students. The following are a few artifacts to demonstrate my dedication to achieve what I ask my students to do every day.

Effective Instruction and Authentic Assessment

The following is a plan I created for a science unit on the solar system. Included is a lesson plan for the first day’s lesson, the assessment I created for the unit, a rubric for the assessment as well as one of my student’s two-column notes and assessment results. This is a small example my ability to plan whole units, individual lessons and authentic performance assessments. The student artifacts are also a small demonstration of the effectiveness of my instruction.

CONTENT STANDARDS
· Science: Standard 4 grades 5-8 benchmark 7: There are basic components of the solar system (for example: sun, planets, moons); Standard 6 grades 5-8 benchmark 9: The rotation of the Earth on its axis, in relation to the Sun, produces the day and night cycle and the orbit of the Earth around the Sun completes one year.

KNOWLEDGE
· Understand the basic components of the solar system, their relative locations and properties.
· Understand how our calendar is based on the rotation and revolution of the earth around the sun and why we have leap year.

SKILLS
· Ability to name and give details about the basic components of our solar system.
· Ability to explain how our calendar is based on the rotation and orbit of the earth and why we have leap year.

RELEVANCE
NASA plans to spend $17.6 billion dollars exploring our solar system in 2009. The U.S. currently has over thirty active space probes not including our work with the International Space Station. Modern space exploration has become almost common place and current technology gives us crystal clear views of our solar system as well as the outer reaches of space.
Aside from meeting CMCS, this lesson introduces students to the basic layout of our solar system, its components and how it affects our daily lives. It gives students a basic understanding of what we are spending so much money to explore, the basis for the Gregorian calendar and what they could be seeing when they look up at the night’s sky.

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
The concept of the leap year will need to be introduced and explained as it is not covered in the textbook. It occurs every four years and is a good tool for connecting our calendar to the orbit of the Earth.
The textbook covers the contents of different planets and distances. Some background knowledge in gasses and conversion from Standard English distances to metric would be helpful.
The lesson could be enriched with some background knowledge on the names of the planets and current space exploration (Mars explorers & International Space Station), telescopes (Hubble space telescope & Keck Observatory) and discoveries.
Be prepared to discuss why Pluto is no longer a planet, solar and lunar eclipses and possibly comets, meteors and asteroids hitting Earth.

VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT
No vocabulary development is required aside from leap year. Lesson introduces solar system, planet, orbit, revolution, rotation, Sun, inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars), outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune), meteoroids, asteroids and comets.

MATERIALS
Textbook (Science Horizons Sterling ed. Silver Rurdett Ginn Inc., 1993) two column notes, magazines such as National Geographic or pictures of some sort (Internet, DVD, overheads etc…) to enrich the lesson and display more current space exploration. A globe, or basketball, tennis ball and flashlight can be used to demonstrate the daily rotation of the Earth and cycles of the moon. The NASA (http://www.nasa.gov) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov) websites have many resources available to enrich this lesson.

INSTRUCTION
Distribute the 2-column note handout and discuss the objective of this lesson, how to use the 2-column note handout and the objectives of this unit. Model how to use the 2-column notes as you start the lesson.
The remainder of the lesson is whole group reading of the text combined with lecture and discussion. Enrich the lesson with the materials outlined above depending on the available technology. A globe, or basketball, tennis ball and flashlight can be used to demonstrate the daily rotation of the Earth and cycles of the moon.

ACCOMMODATIONS
· Enrichment- Without leap year, how long will it take for the month of July to occur in winter? What is a lunar calendar?
· Remediation- Additional graphic representations and review. Use other graphic sources such as the internet, National Geographic, Astronomy and documentary videos such as Nova or Cosmos. Drawings on the chalk board to illustrate the concepts as they are discussed. Demonstrations with the globe and a flashlight.

ASSESSMENT
Written test containing matching, fill in the blank, one short essay and a performance assessment (Enclosed).

SCORING CRITERIA
“Explain why we have leap year.” Rubric (Question #11)
6 Points - Explains that leap year maintains the alignment of our calendar to the Earth’s orbit of the sun. Can also be explained numerically (eg.365 versus 365.3 or 1.2 days difference every four years).
3 Points - Explains that leap year keeps our seasons at the same time each year but doesn’t make any direct connection to the Earth’s orbit.
0 Points - Makes no connection whatsoever between the Earth’s orbit and our calendar.

Solar System Drawing Rubric
70 Points - Accurately depicts the sun, all eight planets and the asteroid belt in the correct order and correctly labeled. Drawing does not have to be to scale.
Subtract five points for each each missing planet or if the asteroid belt is missing or in the wrong location.
Subtract one point for each unlabeled or mislabeled components.
A total of five additional points may be awarded for additional details such as rings on Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Sun spots, sun flares, a storm eye on Jupiter or Neptune. Moons, meteors or comets. Additional labeling of the inner and outer planets. Etc…

FOLLOW UP
Continue to spark interest in astronomy and science by talking about such occurrences as the phases of the moon, visible planets and stars, additions to the International Space Station or new pictures from probes and the Hubble Space Telescope. Topics such as celestial navigation and ancient astronomy can also be integrated into history lessons.

Sheryl A. Ludwig, Ph. D., Assistant Professor, Teacher Education Department

4 May, 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

Although William Allen is a new educator, seldom have I known an educator at any stage of his/her career who is more capable, thorough, professional, and passionate about helping children learn. For the past year I have had the pleasure of teaching and supervising William in various teacher education classes at Adams State College. He has consistently excelled in both his academic work and in his field interactions with faculty and students at local Alamosa public schools.

Among the many qualities that have impressed me is William’s diligence in working with a young Guatemalan student. When working with this student for a class project, William learned that the student, despite having been enrolled in the district for several years, was reading at less than a first grade level. Once William began to study the child’s background, he discovered that many of the sounds the child couldn’t master didn’t even exist in Q’anjobal, the child’s first language. William then sought information about the Q’anjobal; he used linguistic connections to help the child experience success. In reporting on this literacy project, William said, “I don’t know who was happier the first time he got 100% on his spelling test.” Employing research-based literacy practices, William has continued to use modified fifth grade curriculum so that the student would not feel embarrassed about having to do work that was different from his classmates. Today that child is finally making progress in achieving basic literacy.

It is telling to me that William has successfully, so early in his career, shown through practice that he understands and does what it takes to individualize for a student’s learning needs. While other teachers new to our profession are still sorting out what it takes to manage a classroom and structure educative experiences for students, William has demonstrated that he embodies both the science and the art of teaching. Seldom have I been more confident in recommending a new educator. William is a wonderful addition to the educational profession.


Sincerely,


Sheryl A. Ludwig, Ph. D.
Assistant Professor,
Teacher Education Department
Adams State College

Lecture Notes

I was honored to be selected by two of my professors to make a Student Scholar Days presentation. Adams State College Student Scholar Days is an opportunity for students to present a “Project that exemplifies excellence in their area of study.” I was chosen to present what I had learned during a three month long reading intervention with an English language learner. These notes demonstrate not only my affect on this student’s achievement over a short period of time, but also my ability to present that information to my superiors, colleagues and peers.
The following is a link to my lecture notes and PowerPoint Presentation:

http://www.slideshare.net/allenwd/student-scholar-days-presentation

Reading Intervention With the Hulk and Spiderman

This is a reflection on a three month long reading intervention with a 5th grade student from Guatemala. It summarizes my first hand experience and the lessons I learned about SIOP, accommodations and using comic books to teach literacy. For a more detailed analysis of the reading intervention and the growth I was able to affect, see the lecture notes from my presentation at Adams State College Student Scholar Days in the evidence of effectiveness section.

Holy Cow! What did I get myself into?
The more information I learned about my battle buddy, the more overwhelmed I became (“Case study” or “Intervention student” sounds like a lab rat so I call him my battle buddy).
I was thinking I could have picked a much easier student with whom to work. Then again, I could have chosen to be a factory worker instead of a teacher.
It wasn’t until I started asking for help that we started to make progress. I sought out information on my student’s first language from a number of people. Suddenly, many of my student’s reading problems were clear to me. Sounds he couldn’t seem to master didn’t even exist in his first language. Much of his native alphabet had different sounds from the English alphabet and vowels are used differently.

Success is contagious.
Once we experienced success, our motivation snowballed. I’m not sure who was happier the first time my battle buddy got a 100% on a spelling test. From that point on, he was more engaged and worked harder at everything we did. Everyone needs to feel success and that first little bit of it paid huge dividends.

Comic Books
They’re cheap, short, engaging, full of great illustrations and have good quality vocabulary. There is also plenty of research available to back their effectiveness as a tool for teaching literacy.
Cleaver, Samantha. “Mrs. Grundy’s right! You can teach reading with comics and graphic novels.” Instructor May/June 2008: 29-34.

http://www.comicbookproject.org/

Ranker, Jason. “Using comic books as read-alouds: Insights on reading instruction from an English as a second language classroom.” The Reading Teacher, 61(4), 296-305.

Kakalios, James. The Physics of Superheroes. New York: Penguin, 2005.

WARNING: Like most other entertainment, comic books have ratings. Familiarize yourself before using comics in your classroom.

Undercover Accommodation
My battle buddy wanted to do the same thing everyone else was doing. He didn’t want to take different tests or do different worksheets. It embarrassed him to be different. I learned to take what the class was working on and modify it to meet his needs. By taking timed multiplication tests and putting the questions in some sort of order, it allows my battle buddy to complete the problems easier without his test looking any different from everyone else’s.

Don’t be fooled by a 5th grader.
It took me a while to realize my student was fooling me. He could tell me the entire storyline of a given comic book from memory. The problem was he wasn’t actually reading the comic. He constructed the story strictly from the illustrations. When I asked him if he had any questions, he would flip the book open and ask me about the first big word he saw.
When people lose one of their senses, they naturally compensate by heightening their other senses. My student was no different. He struggled with reading, so he compensated by developing a keen ability to interpret context clues. He is also an expert at self correcting based on my facial expression. I’m still working on my spelling poker face.

What I learned:
You’re not alone unless you choose to be.
· Get help from other teachers and experts.
· Coordinate your effort with other teachers (ELL, Resource etc…).

Success equals motivation for everyone involved.

Use appropriate reading material.
· Interesting to your student.
· Good vocabulary-Lamborghini and Ferrari are not useful words.

Don’t be fooled by a 5th grader! They have well developed adaptation skills.

Learn their language and culture.
· Make connections.
· SIOP really works!

Practice undercover accommodation.
· Make your accommodations invisible to the rest of the class.
· Intervention students want to do the same thing everyone else is doing.

No Colorado Model Content Standard for celestial navigation?

Ever wonder exactly how men like Columbus, Cook, Magellan and Lewis & Clark knew where they were? They used the 2400 year old astrolabe; the precursor to a modern sextant. This lesson uses a simple astrolabe built out of paper, string and a straw to demonstrate celestial navigation. Students can learn to measure angles and what lines of latitude are while reading about pirates. Aaargh Matey! This lesson plan demonstrates my ability to design a lesson that is flexible and utilitarian enough to teach history, science, math, or geography while using a variety of literature.

Established Goals:
Math standard 5, grades 5-8, benchmark 1: Estimate, use, and describe measures of distance, perimeter, area, volume, capacity, weight, mass and angle.
Geography standard 1.1, grades 5-8: Interpreting and constructing maps, globes, models, charts and geographic databases.
History standard 4.1, grades 5-8: Identify and explain the consequences of scientific and technological changes (navigation and transportation).

Understandings: Students will understand what and astrolabe is and how it was used.

Essential Questions: How did Christopher Columbus, Captain Cook, Ferdinand Magellan, pirates and other explorers navigate the open ocean?

Students will know... How changes in celestial navigational enabled humans to map and explore the earth.

Students will be able to...
Measure angles using a protractor.
Identify longitudinal lines on a map or globe and explain how they are derived.

Performance Assessment:
Using a self constructed astrolabe, students will be able to measure an angle to within 5⁰.
Correctly identify longitudinal lines on a map or globe.
Use longitudinal lines to create a map illustrating how to navigate to a given location.

Other Assessment:
Classroom discussions and questioning.
Small group measurement practice.

Learning Activities:
1. Build background knowledge by discussing ocean travel during Christopher Columbus' time. How did Columbus know where he was when he could see nothing but water? This can be used with almost any non-fiction literature on ocean exploration, Christopher Columbus, Captain Cook, Ferdinand Magellan or even pirates. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea also makes an excellent fiction accompanyment to this lesson. For you land lubbers, Lewis and Clark also used a sextant (more accurate version of the astrolabe) on their expedition as did Zebulon Pike.
2. Discuss the Astrolabe, its different forms and history.
3. Discuss Polaris (North Star), its alignment with the earth's axis (<1⁰), its distance from earth(430 ly) and how to find it using Ursa Major (The Big Dipper).
4. Discuss lines of latitude on a map or globe and their correlation to Polaris.
5. Guide students through the construction of the astrolabe. Materials needed per astrolabe: 1 drinking straw, 6" of string, I paper protractor, 1 sewing needle, masking tape, scissors. Also maps or globes
6. Model taking measurements with the astrolabe. You will need to create artificial North Stars using a projector or just hanging paper start around the room. Plans for a simple constellation projector can be found in Still More Science Activities ed. Cheryl Solinini. Smithsonian Institute, 1989.
7. Break the class into small groups and have them practice measuring angles in the classroom and recording their measurements.
8. Connect the measurements the students have recorded to lines of latitude on the map or globe. Where could you be if you measured 37⁰?
9. Have students pick somewhere they would like to go on vacation and create a map illustrating how to navigate to that location using lines of latitude as a directions.
Other Ideas
Put lines of latitude on the floor of your classroom with string. Have the students label the lines using the measurements they derive with their astrolabe. Have large cutouts of the different continents for the students to place and the correct latitude until they have constructed their own map of the world.
Lesson taken from Projects in Space by Robert Gardner. Simon and Schuster, 1988.

Tired of Writing Prompts?

In an effort to give my students a more authentic purpose for writing, I connected my fifth graders with soldiers who were deployed overseas through the Any Soldier Program. The lesson plan and the accompanying artifacts demonstrate not only my integration of reading, writing and geography, but also a community service project. My students were writing for a real purpose, not a prompt. They received grades, but more importantly they received responses from soldiers half way around the world.

Established Goals:
Reading and writing standard 2, grades 5-8: Writing stories, letters and reports with greater detail and supporting material; and drafting, revising, editing and proofreading for a legible final copy.
Reading and writing standard 3, grades 5-8: Students write and speak using conventional grammar usage, sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization and spelling.
Geography standard 2, grades 5-8: Describing human and physical characteristics of places; and explaining how places change due to human activity.

Understandings:
That personal letters are much more than the notes they pass around in class.
Personal letters have a particular format and are publish in much the same way as any other writing
Students will understand the environment and conditions of countries such as Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan.

Essential Questions:
How do you publish a well written personal letter?
What is it like to be an American soldier deployed overseas?

Students will know...
The steps to publish a well written personal letter.
The proper format for a personal letter.
About the people, environments and cultures of other countries.

Students will be able to...

Draft, revise, edit and publish a personal letter.
Locate their "pen pal" on a map and explain what that person is experiencing.

Performance Assessment:

Draft, revise, edit and publish a personal letter to a soldier deployed overseas using proper format and conventions.

Other assessment evidence: Whole group sharing of soldier's letters, classroom discussions and questioning.

Learning Activities:
1. This is a writing exercise in which you connect your class with soldiers who are deployed overseas. This is an authentic way for students to write letters and learn about foreign countries in which the U.S. is involved. Two months prior to starting this activity, go to anysoldier.com and carefully select a variety of soldiers for your students to correspond with. Try to find soldiers who will match with your class (e.g. units that will be deployed until the end of the school year, units with females to write your female students etc...). Write a letters to them explaining exactly what your goals are. I suggest contacting twelve soldiers to start with.
2. Wait for responses. It can take in excess of a month for a letter to get to S.E. Asia and back.
3. Once you get a positive response, share the letter with the class and build background knowledge by discussing where the soldier is deployed. Post a map and mark the location of each soldier who you are writing to. Often these soldiers post pictures on anysoldier.com that can be printed and displayed in your class.
4. Explain the format and model the steps of planning, drafting, revising, editing and publishing a personal letter.
5. A WORD OF CAUTION: There are certain security issues involved in corresponding with soldiers deployed in combat zones. I strongly suggest that all correspondence go through the teacher; either through the school address or preferably a personal address. This enables the teacher to monitor everything and limits incoming mail to one contact point. I also strongly suggest students only be allowed to use their first name and absolutely no personal addresses, phone numbers, photographs or email addresses. If needed you may use a parental consent form and/or seek approval from the school administration. This is not meant to frighten anyone. These are simple measures to ensure your student's safety.
6. Encourage your students to ask questions, and tell the soldiers about themselves. They are basically establishing a pen pal.
7. Mail the letters and wait for return letters. Again, this can take a month or more. APO adresses only require standard postage and it is free for soldiers to write to the U.S. Share return letters with the class. This is a great tool to talk about the geography, environment and culture and will spark more questions and ideas for their next letter.
8. Be prepared to adjust for a number of factors that are difficult to control. You may get several responses or very few. You may start with just a few responses and several more will come in later on. The amount of time it takes to get return letters will vary. Tracking who is responding to whom and making time throughout the year to maintain this correspondence requires management.
Other Ideas
Do a drive to send these soldiers some of the simple things they need as part of a community service project. This lesson idea can also be easily adapted to other areas. Instead of soldiers, contact other schools, soldiers homes, elderly organizations etc... The idea is to give them an authentic, interactive reason to write.

Evidence of Involvement

Evans Elementary School: Completed my student teaching with a 5th grade class. I assumed all daily teacher responsibilities to include lesson planning, weekly classroom schedules, taking attendance, classroom management and discipline , playground duties, maintaining the grade book, assigning homework, grading student work and conducting parent teacher conferences. I also coordinated and conducting two field trips, assisted in proctoring and performed scribe duties during CSAP testing as well as attending and contributing to both RTI and PLC meetings.

Youth Challenge: Volunteer in state directed youth drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. Planned and conducted training in various outdoor skills culminating in hands on exercise emphasizing leadership, teamwork and character. Conducted confidence courses and sporting events.

Evans Elementary School: Assisted in a reading intervention program designed to assist strategic readers. I assisted a 5th grade Guatemalan student who was reading below a 2nd grade narrative level. I coordinated my efforts with the student’s ELL, regular classroom and resource teachers. I also coordinated with a number of instructors from Adams State College who were familiar with Q’onjobal in order to connect the student’s native language with the English language he was struggling to learn.

Cub Scouts: Volunteer assistant Den Leader for a Webelo Troop of 4th and 5th graders. I assisted in planning and conducting weekly meetings and outdoor events. I Instructed and assisted the Cub Scouts in attaining activity badges that center on character development, physical fitness, community service, citizenship and respect.

Polston Elementary School: Assisted and observed afternoon kindergarten class. I helped evaluate the student’s recognition and annunciation of the alphabet as well as daily classroom activities. Monitored students during recess and assisted in getting students on the bus.
I was also a volunteer assistant for a morning kindergarten class. Helped to evaluate student vocabulary and worked with individual students on improving their vocabulary. I also assisted with daily classroom activities, project preparation and completion, grading, student record organization and filing.

Boyd Elementary School: Assisted and observed a 2nd and 3rd grade looping classroom. I conducted small group lessons and activities on geometric shapes.
I also assisted and observed a 2nd grade classroom. I helped with daily classroom lessons, individual project and activities. I conducted individual and small group reading activities and monitored students during recess.

Guadalupe Elementary School: Assisted in the set up, maintenance and inventory of an elementary science laboratory. I then assisted and observed afternoon 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classes in the science laboratory. I helped student’s apply the process of scientific investigation in physics, earth science and biology. I conducted small group instruction in observing, creating a hypothesis and conducting experiments. I also assisted and observed afternoon 6th grade math laboratory. I helped monitor student progress in a variety of centers in the math lab. I also gave individual as well as small group instruction in number sense, geometry, probability, statistics, graphing measurement and patterning.

Marsh Elementary School: Assisted and observed afternoon kindergarten class. I helped with daily classroom lessons, individual project and activities. Monitored students during recess and assisted in getting students to activities outside of their regular classroom.

Evans Elementary School: Assisted and observed a morning 5th grade class. I taught a daily grammar lesson from the Reading Street basal reader as well as numerous other lessons. I also did small group reading lessons and assisted in numerous administrative tasks. I administered spelling and mathematics tests and assisted with fall parent teacher conferences. I also started a “Question of the week” to inspire students to conduct research on their own.

Ortega Middle School: Assisted and observed afternoon 6th and 7th grade art classes. I helped distribute supplies and answer questions about the art techniques used during class. The class covered a variety of drawing techniques to include tessellation, perspective and such artists as M.C. Escher and Betty Edwards. I also assisted and observed three afternoon special education instructors, a paraprofessional, and a community social worker. I was able to help children with a variety of physical, behavioral and learning disabilities.

Ortega Middle School Youth Enrichment Program: Volunteer tutor in an after school program designed to provide students with individual tutoring. Tutored 7th and 8th grade students in math, science, language arts and geography.

In the Company of Men Who Changed the World

This is a Web Quest I created to teach about the Civil Rights Movement from some lesser know figures. It uses the poem Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shang as a catalyst to investigate the lives of Paul Robeson, W.E.B. Dubois, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Jackie Robinson and Joe “The Brown Bomber” Luis. This lesson plan demonstrates my use of technology and integration of content areas. I use music, sports, literature, and entertainment to provide a new approach to a staple of American history.

Introduction
In Ellington Was Not a Street, Ntozake Shange describes growing up “…In the company of men who changed the world.” Who where Paul Robeson, W.E.B. DuBois, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and Virgil “Honey Bear” Akins and what made them men who changed the world? What does Shange mean by “It hasn’t always been this way?”

Colorado Model Content Standards
HISTORY STANDARD 5.1 Students understand how democratic ideas and institutions in the
United States have developed, changed, and/or been maintained.
Grades 5-8
• giving examples of extensions and restrictions of political and civil rights in United States history.

Task
Analyze the Civil Rights Movement from the point of the lesser known activists in history. Investigate the lives of Paul Robeson, W.E.B. DuBois, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and Virgil “Honey Bear” Akins and determine what part they played in the Civil Rights Movement. You should leave this WebQuest with an understanding that the Civil Rights Movement was not just about Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. but that many people played important roles in gaining rights for African Americans.

Process
We are going to be looking at five “Men who changed the world,” so each person in your group should choose one. Draw names from a cup and set to work learning about these men. Once you have taken a look at the web sites and understand how your person changed the world, get back together in your group and discuss what you found. Don’t forget our initial questions; what made them men who changed the world? What does Shange mean by “It hasn’t always been this way?” You should be prepared to share what you found with the class. Let’s get started!
Learning Strategy
Students will be summarizing information from reading the websites and watching the You Tube video as well as grouping these historical figures into the context of the Civil Rights Movement. Students will also be using cooperation in their group discussions and the final class discussion about what they found.

Resources
What is the NAACP? What did W.E.B. DuBois have to do with the NAACP?

At Drop Me Off in Harlem you will be able to find W.E.B DuBois, Duke Ellington and Paul Robeson. Be sure to look at the intersections help understand what was happening in Harlem. This may help you to answer what Shange means by “It hasn’t always been this way?”
The African American Odyssey also has information about Duke Ellington and Paul Robeson as well as many other “Players” in the Civil Rights Movement. Take a look at a movie clip of Paul Robeson. Listen to Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald.

Dizzy Gillespie’s story is a bit more challenging but your work will be rewarded as he was a colorful character that became known worldwide. Take a look at these sites and you will see what I mean. Dizzy for President! Let’s listen to a little of his early music.

Virgil “Honey Bear” Akins was one of many athletes who helped to break the color barrier. Let’s take a look at a few of them. Jackie Robinson endured intense hatred in a sport as American as apple pie. Joe “The Brown Bomber” Luis was a world champion boxer like Akins but he carried the hopes of America on his shoulders when he fought Max Schmeling prior to WWII. There are two reasons that is the timing of this fight so important. What are they?

Evaluation
You will be evaluated on your ability to answer our two questions. Be able to tell us who your person is and how he changed the world. Additionally, what do you think Shange means by “It hasn’t always been this way?”

Conclusion
Now that you understand these men, let’s consider one more thing. Almost everyone loves sports and/or music. People that don’t otherwise have anything in common are often united by sports or music. Baseball and Jazz were very popular during the life of these men. How do you think this affected the Civil Rights Movement?

Credits & References
The picture of Dizzy Gillespie was found at www.growabrain.typepad.com/.../dizzy.jpg

Resume

William D. Allen
allenwd1968@gmail.com

OBJECTIVE: Secure a position as an elementary school teacher

HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS
Will have logged 800 hours teaching and observing in various classrooms upon completion of student teaching.
140 additional hours volunteering in public schools, youth enrichment, at risk youth and Cub Scout programs.
17 years experience leading, teaching and mentoring people from a variety of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
Responsible for the accountability and safety of soldiers in some of the most demanding environments.
Self motivated, confident and a high degree of personal efficacy.
Strong sense of service to the community.

EXPERIENCE
Volunteer assistant for a morning kindergarten class. Assisted in evaluating student vocabulary, and individual vocabulary improvement as well as daily classroom activities and records maintenance.
Volunteer in after school Youth Enrichment Program at Ortega Middle School. Tutored 7th and 8th grade students in math, language arts, science, and geography.
Volunteer assistant Den Leader for a Cub Scout Troop. I assisted in planning and conducting weekly meetings and outdoor events. I instructed Scouts in character development, physical fitness, community service, citizenship and respect.
Conducted an extensive reading intervention with an English language learner resulting in a marked improvement in accuracy, fluency and spelling.
Scored 297 on PLACE and in the top 15th percentile on PRAXIS exam.
Maintained a 4.0 GPA.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Executive Operations Manager U.S. Army Georgia & Iraq
Unit Trainer and Evaluator U.S. Army Arkansas, Texas & Louisiana
Team Supervisor and Trainer U.S. Army Various locations worldwide
Team Member U.S. Army Washington & Germany

EDUCATION
Graduated summa cum laude in May 2009
BA Interdisciplinary Degree with Elementary Licensure Adams State College
Current Adult, child and infant CPR/AED certification American Red Cross
Leadership, counseling, training, planning and security U.S. Army

My Philosophy Statement

My Students are my Credentials

My life experience has largely been as a soldier, and I believe it will serve me well as a teacher. As a leader, I was entrusted with the care, safety, development, and training of my soldiers, regardless of their background, race, color, or creed. The reward for accepting such responsibility is seeing what a soldier is capable of accomplishing with proper mentorship. On my shoulders rested the responsibility of America’s sons and daughters, just as it will as a teacher. Teaching is leadership, and my philosophy is based on my leadership experience.
I believe without setting high standards for children, they will never achieve nor know their full potential. By challenging my students with high standards, and teaching them how to achieve those standards, they will not only learn but they will also gain resiliency, and confidence in themselves. As a teacher, I must know my students individual abilities and keep them in their individual zone of proximal development. Challenge builds teamwork, and being part of a team inspires courage. Getting a student’s parents and peers involved creates a team that will provide support and inspiration for the child.
I believe I must continuously strive to increase my competence as a teacher. A teacher must have three types of knowledge. I must know my subject area. A mastery of my subject area is required to confidently instruct it, and present it in different ways so each student can grasp the concepts. I must know child development. A thorough knowledge of the physical, cognitive, and social development of my students will enable me to understand how they learn and how best to reach them. I must know and care for my students. Unsurpassed lesson plans and child development theories are useless without knowing, and having a genuine concern for each individual child. These three knowledge bases combined will give me the tools to reach every child.
I believe in setting the example. Just as I set high standards for my students, I also set high standards for myself. A teacher is a role model, and high standards of character are inherent in that role. Everyday my students will look to me for instruction, but also look at me to see if I am trustworthy, honest and someone they want to emulate. My attitude and knowledge will be conveyed to my students. Regardless of what is going on in a child’s life outside of my classroom, I can be a positive influence on that child. My appearance, conduct, and character are all subject to scrutiny not only by students, but also Parents, colleagues, and the community. I must set the example; I must be a role model in my classroom, and in my community.
After a horrific battle on the Cotentin Peninsula in France, German General Ramcke sent word to the American forces that he wanted to discuss terms of surrender. In meeting with American General Canham, he asked, “I am to surrender to you. Let me see your credentials.” Pointing to his dirty, exhausted, but victorious soldiers, General Canham replied, “These are my credentials.” My students are my credentials. It is through care, challenge, and guidance that they will achieve greatness. They are America’s sons and daughters. They are the future of our country. My students and my country deserve the best I can offer.