LTM 621
Ashley Retzlaff
Fall 2014
Welcome to the newest edition of Literacy 2.0, a
popular comic book presenting the literacy plan for a
7th grade classroom. Fight along with the superheroes
as we search for the best compelling ways to include
literacy in classrooms today!
And I’ll be your
brave narrator
leading you
through the
journey!
Keep an eye out for
different learning
strategies you could apply
from this comic to your
classroom!
What is literacy?
Literacy is more than picking up a
book and reading, a truly literate
superhero knows that literacy
includes the 6 modes of
communication!
READING! WRITING! SPEAKING!
LISTENING! VISUALIZING! And…
REPRESENTING!
In my 7th grade literacy plan I will
introduce my 7 selected student
superheroes and show how I
would defend literacy for them
in my classroom. Hopefully their
story can prove an interesting
adventure for you as well as an
informative one!
I love
to
read!
But I
practice
literacy in
every way
Because literacy is
about receiving and
sharing the modes of
communication
I receive communication
through…
Seeing
Listening
Reading
And I share communication through…
Speaking
Writing
Representing
Felix
LEON
Gisela
Nationalities
 Italian (1)
 American Indian (1)
 African American (3)
 Polish (2)
 Hmong (1)
 British (1)
 Irish (1)
 Puerto Rican (2)
 Serbian (1)
 East Indian (1)
 Mixed (2)
 Scandinavian (1)
 Mexican (1)
Special Needs
CD (1)
ADD (1)
LD (2)
ED (1)
Languages Spoken
English
Chinese
Ebonics
Spanish
We celebrate
diversity in our
classroom!
Nice, smart, hard work
Son of Mr. Ands Ms McManus
My family and girl and friend
Sports and book, newspaper
Mad, sad, happy
Work, book, math
I don’t like read
Frog, snake, bird
Milwaukee
McManus
Robert is an Irish student who learns best with
mathematical/logical learning and benefits greatly
from visual representations of stories.
Nice, intelligent, caring, goofy
Brother of Chang
Lover of Will Smith, Sponge Bob and
food
Who likes to read when its quiet,
nothing to do, and have spare time
Who feels relaxed, calm and at ease
when read
Who dislike reading when it’s loud, it’s a
lot of people around
Who fears reading about spiders, war
and death
Who wants to read about computers,
drama and comedy
Resident of Milwaukee
Vang
So is a Hmong student who learns best
with interpersonal and auditory styles. He
enjoys participating in classroom
discussions.
Loving, Funny, African American,
Nice
Daughter of Lela
Lover of money, cars, and clothes
Who likes to read when it’s quiet,
at school and to my little
brothers
Who feels happy, excited, sad
when I read
Who dislikes reading when I am
mad, sad, and not at home
Who fears reading about death,
scary books and how people die
Who wants to read about puppies,
Mystery storis, and buildings
Phoenix
Tamisha is an African American student
who learns best with musical/rhythmic
and verbal/linguistic learning styles. She
is a great mentor for other students.
Funny, Dancer, Outgoing, Friendly
Brother of Denny, Sondra, Ariel, Thomas, David
Lover of People, music, performing arts
I like to read when there’s nothing to do, on a trip, during set
Who feels anger, suspense, and happiness.
Dislikes reading with it’s boring, sci-fi, cheesy romance book
Who fears reading about death in newspaper, new disease and
war
Who wants to read horoscopes, tabloids, Sherman Alexie
Resident of Milwaukee
Nightcloud
Felix is an American Indian student who learns well with
musical/rhythmic and bodily/kinesthetic learning styles.
Role-playing aids his comprehension.
Honesty, Careless, Actress, seriously
Sister of Michael, Judy, and Megan
Lover of rock, heavy Metal & baby’s
I like to read comedy books
Who feels hate, unworried, & healthy
Who dislike reading when a youngster
dies
Who fears of snakes, mouse, & rats?
Who wants to read about acting
Resident of Milwaukee, WI
Smith
Sarah is a Polish student who learns best with
musical/rhythmic and naturalist learning styles.
Role playing aids her comprehension.
Gisela,
Outgoing, sharing, giving, and adventurous
Sister of Aaron, Ariel, and Ernesto
Lover of clothes, money, and music
Who likes to read when it’s quiet, about history, and alone
Who feels surprised, interested, and informed when read
Who dislikes reading when it’s in small font, about death, and noisy
Who fears reading about my own/family’s death, friend’s betrayal, and
chain letters
Who wants to read about Mexican achievements, history, and my
accomplishments
Resident of Milwaukee
Rodriguez
Gisela is a Mexican student who learns best through verbal/linguistic
and naturalistic styles. Being involved in her Mexican community is an
important goal for her.
Loving, wild, funny & laidback
Son of John & Mary Dilberti,
My son, my girlfriend, my family,
Who likes to read when I’m at home, school, & at work,
Who feels happy, smart, & excited when I read,
Who dislikes reading when around loud people, in front a
lot of people & when I’m sick,
Who fears reading about death, being burn alive & being a
slave,
Who wants to read about lovers, life, & money,
Resident of Milwaukee, WI.
Diliberti
Leon is a British student who learns best through
intrapersonal and verbal/linguistic styles. He enjoys talking
about relationships.
English Language Arts Standards (Reading: Literature)
Grade 7
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1
Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text.
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of
the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.3
Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the
characters or plot).
CRAFT AND STRUCTURE
 CCSS.ELA-LIETARCY.RL.7.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions
of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or
drama.
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.5
Analyze how a drama's or poem's form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to
its meaning
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.6
Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or
narrators in a text.
I love how much these
standards help to
guide our teaching!
INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.7
Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or
multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting,
sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.9
Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical
account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter
history.
RANGE OF READING AND LEVEL OF TEXT COMPLEXITY:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems,
in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end
of the range.
TEXT TYPES AND PURPOSES
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.1 A
Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons
and evidence logically.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2 D
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the top
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF WRITING
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.5
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing
as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on
how well purpose and audience have been addressed. (Editing for conventions should
demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 7 here.)
RESEARCH TO BUILD AND PRESENT KNOWLEDGE
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.7
Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and
generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.
COMPREHENSION AND COLLABORATING




CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others'
ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.1.A
Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly
draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and
reflect on ideas under discussion.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.2
Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats
(e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue
under study.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.3
Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the
reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

PRESENTATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.4
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with
pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate
volume, and clear pronunciation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.5
Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and
findings and emphasize salient points.

How can I
learn new
vocabulary in
an effective
way?
Let me show you
some of my
favorite ways
Sarah!
A Magnet summary from A Raisin in
the Sun
struggle
(detail)
threat
(detail)
Oppression
(key concept)
ideals
(detail)
protect
(detail)
Superhero identifies key words
and phrases and creates
summaries in her own words
Teacher identifies magnet
words, student is asked to
find her own, and then
construct a sentence showing
her comprehension of the
text
Sentence: Oppression is when an individual struggles to protect her ideals because
someone is threatening them.
Promotes problem solving and collaboration!
Helps superheroes make vocabulary relevant
Superheroes get a strong foundational understanding of the
vocabulary and are more likely to use it in missions in the future
The Steps
What Tier does the word fall in?
Model the world in lieu of definition
Students provide examples of word in action!
Who would use this word? How would someone use this word?
Using the novel Wonder
Word: disfiguration
Step 1: Identify the Tier : Tier 2 (sophisticated vocabulary)
Step 2: Teacher Model: After putting a non-microwave safe bowl in the microwave it may
become disfigured.
My snowman was melting in the 50 degree weather and his shape was disfigured.
My disfigured Play-Doh castle was a result of my brother Timmy’s insatiable love of
smooshing things.
Step 3: Superheroes provide examples:
Robert: My car was disfigured after the accident.
Step 4: Who would use this word? Doctors, architects, artists…
Step 5: Superheroes keep track of the new vocabulary
Word
Reference
Sentence
Personal
Explanation
Examples
Visual
Step 6: Teacher reinforces new mission material with non-examples
Greek statues, newborn baby, symmetrical beauty
I often need help
understanding what I read
I’ll show you
some awesome
ways to build
your
comprehension
Leon!
Using a chart as a visual students construct meaning
from a text and engage in conversation with the author
First you…
Introduce the 5 part comprehension chart
Then you…
Incorporates
W.1 - practice using text
Model the strategy (think-aloud)
based evidence in arguing
And finally you would…
W.9 – draw evidence from
texts for analysis and
Practice the strategy
reflection
I wonder…
The author says…
I say…
And so…
(Before Reading)
(After reading)
(After reading)
(Summarizing
thoughts)


Allows students time to think about their opinions and
write them down before sharing them in a small group
Encourages participation and sharing of differing ideas
1)
2)
3)
4)
Steps:
Introduce an article or short text to students
Ask students to write 3-4 sentence that they find important
in the text and put it on a notecard
Students mark the text as they read
Students get in small groups to discuss sentences, the first
student who reads is the last to comment on the sentence
I think writing is
kinda boring. How
can you make it
more fun?
I’ll show you fun
ways to expand your
creativity while
building writing
skills!
(I’m even dressed for
the creative
occasion!)
A guided writing exercise that allows for students to
create authentic tasks
G - Goal
R- Role
A – Audience
S- Situation
P-Product, Performance, and Purpose
S- Standards and Criteria for Success
Goal:
Your task is…to create the best selling candy bar in America
Role:
You are…a factory taste tester
Audience:
Your clients are…your fellow workers
Situation:
The challenge involves dealing with…upset bosses
Product, Performance and Purpose:
You will create…a new candy bar…in order to…boost business
and get a raise
Standards and Criteria for Success:
Your work will be judge by…your judgmental bosses
A fun way to get superheroes to write creatively about an image
and then craft a story/poem/or creative work afterwards
1)
Pick an image to use
2)
Ask superheroes to write for one to two minutes about the
following questions:
-Look closely at each object. Identify as many as possible
-Examine each quadrant of the image
-Who or what is in the photo? Give them names
-Determine the season, time of day, and weather conditions.
Where is the sun coming from?
-What are people doing and why?
-Put yourself in the image. What does do all of your senses feel in
the image?
-What happens next???
Then why don’t we
check out some
listening and
speaking tools we
can use!
Talking through
ideas and
listening to
others helps
me learn!
This is a fun, active speaking and listening strategy where
superheroes are asked to access prior knowledge on a
topic and record it in a graphic organizer. After the
superheroes do this they get up and give one idea to
another classmate and then get one in return. After
the teacher calls an end to the sharing of information
there is a short discussion where everyone discusses
the information that was shared and received and the
teacher can help the students solidify correct
information and disband commonly shared
misconceptions.
Here’s a chart for
Give One-Get
One that you
could use
Tamisha!
This is a fun problem solving strategy for superheroes to work
with others to find the meaning and usage of new vocabulary
using problem solving. The teacher decides 5 vocabulary words
and then writes down each of the following items on a separate
card
 1) Word
 2) Phonetic Pronunciation
 3) Meaning
 4) Word in a sentence
Each student gets one card and must find the other
cards/superheroes that match with the card she/he was given.
Finally one student from a group then teaches the word to the
rest of the class and the teacher verifies the solution or helps
students rethink a solution if it is incorrect.

Sometimes
visualizing a story
helps me better
understand it
You’re not the
only one Robert!
Here’s some fun
tools to help us
visualize and
represent ideas!
This is a fun strategy where superheroes act as
detectives, just like Commissioner Gordon, to find
clues about a character throughout a story.
Superheroes chart clues using…
1) interpersonal and intrapersonal dialogue
2) what others say about the character
3) characters actions
4) if the character ends up better or worse off at the
end of the story




1) Review basic components of story structure
2) Students become the detective when analyzing the
character
3) Model with a blank character grid
4) Superheroes apply the strategy!
Author’s Point of View about the Character:
Ways the
character
changes
Just ask your
superheroes
to fill out
the model!
Character
Things
others
say about
the
character
The Character’s
Actions
Things the
Character Says
Your Point of
View about the
Character:
Introduces new vocabulary to superheroes in a visual
way. The teacher analyzes a passage and decides which
concepts and words are important for the superheroes
to learn. It is best to choose words that have multiple
connections and relationships. A teacher may want to
refrain from choosing difficult terms that don’t have
many connections. Then pictorial representations
(bubbles, arrows, boxes, circles etc.) are used to “map
out” the words and concepts.




1) Teacher decides a passage that is rich with concepts
and vocabulary words
2) Teacher makes a mock map of the words and ideas
3) Teacher gives the superheroes the text, then allows
students to fill in a partially filled out mind map in
order to make connections between concepts and
ideas
4) Superheroes and Teacher talk about the maps made
Here’s one
example of a
mind map
for your
superheroes
to use!
Here’s some ways to find how
well your students are learning
and what they are learning
Helps students get prepared for the topic and ideas in a text
Engages students in discussions before and after reading a text
Helps students evaluate assumptions
Example:
For the following statements please mark if you find them True or False. If
False please correct them so they are true
_ Cats always bite people
_More American households have cats as pets than dogs
_Tiger cats are the breed of cat most closely related to tigers
_It is painful for a cat to be declawed
_Dogs and cats never get along
Assesses student thinking before and after class
Gets students thinking about what they are about to learn or what
they have learned during the day
Helps the teacher find what students are comprehending and thinking
Gives students something to do right in the beginning of class
Gives students time to solidify knowledge learned in class for the few
minutes at the end of class
Entrance Slip
Write 5 vocabulary words from To Kill a Mockingbird and draw a visual for each
Exit Slip
List one thing you loved learning about today
List one thing you learned today you’d like to learn more about
Describe the Think-Pair-Share activity we did and what you learned from it. (2
sentences)



Qualitative and Quantitative charts that mark the
expectations for a project and give a guide to the students
for what work is expected
One paragraph of teacher’s response to the project
Should include Bloom’s Taxonomy levels of thinking as well
as the Multiple Intelligences
◦ -Did students engage in at least 2 multiple intelligences for a larger
assignment (visual/spatial, musical/rhythmic interpersonal,
intrapersonal, mathematical/logical, and linguistic/verbal
◦ Did the teacher provide for student to engage in deeper levels of
knowledge and evaluation and synthesis stages of Bloom’s
Taxonomy?
Learning
Planned for
“Relaxed
Alertness”
Meaningful
Content
Collaboration
with Peers
Immediate
Feedback
Trust
To create competent 21st century learners technology must
be a huge resource in our superheroes classroom. I
encourage them to use our resources to expand our
knowledge rather than find shortcuts to answers.
Students are given the choice to write papers, tape videos, or
do a SmartBoard presentation using Prezi, SlideRocket, or
PowerPoint for end of the semester projects
Students create Facebook pages for characters in stories we
read in class to create a deeper foundation of how that
character would behave socially and what they are
interested in
Teacher uses Elmo or Document Cameras to help students
learn visually as well as auditorially
Wonder
Tar Beach
Wonder by R.J. Palacio is a novel
about Auggie Pullman, a boy
with a rare facial disfiguration
who goes from being
homeschooled to a local middle
school. This novel explores the
topics of image and acceptance
in middle school today.
Esperanza Rising
A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry’s play
focuses on the Younger
family and their struggles
with race oppression in
Chicago. Together the
family fights for their rights
as individuals as well as for
the home they deserve.
Tar Beach is a fictional
work based on African
American history and
autobiography. In Faith
Ringgold’s work 8 yearold Cassie discovers her
dreams coming true
where she can fly
wherever she’d like
regardless of her skin
color.
Pam Munoz Ryan’s
novel follows
Esperanza’s move
from Mexico to
California during the
Great Depression. She
deals with poverty,
prejudice, and hard
work in her new
home.
American Born Chinese
Gene Luen Yang’s graphic
novel explores
interrelated stories about
Chinese characters who
face similar struggles but
need one another to
solve them.
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins’ first
books in the trilogy
introduces the postapocalyptic world of
Panem where class
division and survival
are part of everyday
life.
Heat
Mike Lupica’s work
tells of Michael
Arroyo’s amazing
pitching talent along
with his recent status
as an orphan. To
avoid being sent back
to Cuba Michael
finds family in places
he never thought he
would.
The Absolute True Diary of a PartTime Indian
Sherman Alexie’s
novel focuses on
Arnold Spirit Jr.’s
journey from a
reservation school
to an all-white
public school away
from his home.
Lawn Boy
Agatha Rex
Gary Paulsen’s tale follows
a 12 year-old boy who gets
an early lesson about
wealth and capitalism
It’s important to note that all of these books
were chosen because they appeal to the
cultural diversity of our superheroes and
span a variety of mediums and content. They
also all have to do with a character
overcoming great obstacles despite the
difficult circumstances: just like a superhero!
Lindsay Price’s
adaptation
places
Sophocles’
Antigone into a
high school
setting today
with the same
young girl
fighting for what
she thinks is right
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Buehl, D. (2001). Classroom strategies for interactive learning
(2nd ed.). Newark, Del.: International Reading Association.
Buehl, D. (2011). Developing readers in the academic disciplines.
Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Google Images. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2014, from
http://images.google.com/
Pemberton, A. (n.d.). Youblisher. Retrieved December 1, 2014,
from http://www.youblisher.com/p/873286-ltm621-litearcyplan/
The Brain Compatible Classroom. (2013, August 1). Retrieved
December 1, 2014, from
http://www.commoncoreprinciples.com/brain-compatibleclassroom/
Boom! We did an awesome
job of defending literacy.
Until next time….