DEJ Week 6

“Since NCLB was passed, teachers have had to adjust their curriculum to incorporate standardized test preparation into lessons.”


I found out how hard it is to try and incorporate test preparation into my curriculum last year. While making out my lesson plans, I found out that I had to plan to give my students acuity/benchmarking tests at least twice, make time to teach and complete Tech Steps, and make sure that my teaching correlates with the West Virginia CSO’s.
The CSO’s and lesson planning I was fine with; I didn’t even mind the benchmarking and Tech Steps, but where in the world could I get some extra time? We had staff development days, snow days, and holidays. There just wasn’t enough time. I was able to get test prepping in by adding questions from the WESTEST preparation book into my bell ringer questions. It is very hard trying to accommodate for all of the testing and still trying to teach a class everything that they need to know to move on to the next grade and be prepared.

References:
Learn critical thinking through media literacy education. (2010, October 25). Retrieved from http://medialiteracycolloquium.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/learn-critical-thinking-through-media-literacy-education/


Webpage Link:

Just Think
This website has a little bit of everything if you are thinking of trying to integrate media literacy into your classroom.




WV CSO's
Sixth Grade WV CSO’s

Classroom Resources | Grades 6 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Creating Character Blogs
Students view examples of blogs, learn the basic elements of blog creation, and then create a blog from the perspective of a fictional character.

WV CSO’s
Sixth Grade
RLA.O.6.1.4
select defining characteristics, construct background knowledge and develop reading skills to understand a variety of literary passages and informational texts by West Virginia, national and international authors:
• myth
• fantasies
• biographies
• autobiographies
• science fiction
• tall tales
• supernatural tales
RLA.O.6.1.6
differentiate and apply comprehension strategies in literary and informational texts to
• use prior knowledge
• draw conclusions
• interpret meaning
• determine cause and effect
• judge text critically
RLA.O.6.1.7
determine the elements of literature (e.g., external conflict, mood) to construct meaning and recognize author’s/reader’s purpose.
RLA.O.6.1.8
interpret the actions, behaviors and motives of characters in literary texts.
RLA.O.6.1.9
determine and explain theme by locating supporting details in a literary passage and in informational text across the curriculum.
RLA.O.6.1.10
evaluate connections (e.g., cause/effect, order) among the facts, ideas, events and concepts of literary and informational texts to self, to other texts and to the world.
RLA.O.6.1.11
identify and understand figurative language (e.g., onomatopoeia, personification, alliteration) in text.
RLA.O.6.1.14
use graphic organizers to create, develop, interpret and organize information (e.g., tables, graphs, diagrams, charts).
RLA.O.6.1.15
increase the amount of independent reading to comprehend, analyze and evaluate literary text and informational text.

RLA.O.6.2.3
from a prompt, use the writing process to develop a composition that contains specific, relevant details and transitions.
RLA.O.6.2.4
use the five-step writing process to address specific writing purposes and to address various audiences (e.g., creative, journalistic, essay, narrative, informative, persuasive).
RLA.O.6.2.5
use analogies, illustrations, examples, or anecdotes to enhance written communication.
RLA.O.6.2.6
edit one’s own compositions as well as the writing of others to correct errors in organization, content, usage, mechanics and spelling.

Ca
RLA.O.6.3.1
exhibit effective oral communication skills (e.g., volume, rate, audience, etiquette, standard English) through the presentation of
• compositions
• personal narratives
• brochures
• speeches
• poetry
RLA.O.6.3.2
retell and create original, simple and detailed sequential stories.
RLA.O.6.3.3
interpret spoken text in order to comprehend topic, purpose and perspective in spoken texts (e.g., of a speaker, informational video, televised interview, radio news program).
RLA.O.6.3.4
perform a variety of roles in group discussions including active listener and discussion leader.
RLA.O.6.3.5
create and present an age-appropriate media product that demonstrates format, purpose, and audience.



Can integrating media literacy into your classroom activities help prepare your students for taking the WestTest? Use what you learned from this week's reading in your answer.


Yes, integrating media literacy into classroom activities will definitely help prepare student for taking the WESTEST. It allows for a variety of instruction and allows for the students to be more creative,I really like the idea of the students creating a blog from their character’s point of view. It is creative and can help to enhance writing which a lot of sixth graders still really need.

In our reading there was a quote from Summer’s stating, “Teachers who recognize the goal of teaching thinking rather than just imparting knowledge help students make connections beyond the content of the coursework”. Integrating media literacy is a great way to help students think outside of the box and not have to remember a hundred facts about a particular subject. Students sometimes don’t know how to do a lot of things on their own, thinking seems to be one of them. It is easier for them to ask for help or an answer than to take five minutes to find it on their own.