English Language Arts
Instructional Guide
for DYS Schools
Massachusetts Department
of Youth Services
September, 2005
English Language Arts
Instructional Guide
for DYS Schools
Massachusetts Department
of Youth Services
September, 2005
Acknowledgements
This manual was compiled and largely written by William Diehl, Ed.D., Tanya Lieberman, and
Jonathan Charney with the Center for Youth Development and Education, Commonwealth
Corporation (CommCorp).
Special thanks for their invaluable contributions:
• Christine Kenney, Director of Education Services, DYS
• Janice Manfredi, Project Director of the DYS LEED Initiative with CommCorp
• Shirley Gilfether, Hampshire Educational Collaborative
• Talitha Abramsen, CommCorp
• Bayard Klimasmith, CommCorp
• David Axelrod
• ELA Teachers Focus Group:
Leigh Gallivan, Director of Education, Juvenile Justice Programs, Robert F. Kennedy
Children’s Action Corps, Inc.
Vikki Hunt, Our House
Kelli LaGrange, Brockton Girl’s Secure Detention Unit
Kelly Smith-Pilon, Westboro Sharp Transition
• Donna Cohen, David Hantman, and the many other DYS ELA teachers who shared their
mini units with us.
• And especially to all the ELA teachers involved in professional development workshops
over the last three years. Their experience, suggestions, and best practices have shaped
this manual.
Dear DYS Teacher:
The Massachusetts Department of Youth Services and the Commonwealth Corporation are
developing a comprehensive education and training system for the thousands of young people
who are placed in DYS custody each year by the juvenile courts. Our goal is to enhance the
continuum of options and opportunities - comprehensive case management, high-quality
education and training, mentoring programs and other services - that will give these young
people the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to build a better future.
As teachers, you play an integral role in this initiative because you work closely with the youth
we endeavor to serve. With your help, students receive individualized attention around learning
deficits; some for the first time in their education experience. Many of these students have
experienced failure in traditional education systems and encountered other challenges in their
lives. They demonstrate gaps in learning that have prevented them from achieving academic
success. As you know, our work is focused on delivering a quality, content rich learning
experience that addresses the needs of all students placed in DYS care.
The English Language Arts (ELA) guide is a compilation of information, resources and best
practices identified thus far. It is an attempt to provide current and new teachers in the DYS
system with a roadmap toward success with our students. DYS teachers and practitioners
were the primary resource for the materials contained in the ELA guide and we relied heavily
on their experience to establish a standard that these lessons are based upon. Lessons contained
in this guide have been tested in the classroom and refined accordingly.
Our hope is that this guide will provide you with a resource that will help you in your daily
work with DYS youth. It is in the best interests of all – staff and students - to share what we do
to improve education and to better prepare our DYS youth for return to their communities,
families and schools.
Thank you for your continued dedication to this important work.
Table of Contents
DYS English Language Arts Instructional Guide
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1
a. DYS Education Program .................................................................................................... 2
b. Mission.................................................................................................................................. 2
c. Educational Philosophy ...................................................................................................... 2
d. Structure of the Guide ...................................................................................................... 2
2. Framework for Curriculum and Instruction ............................................................................ 4
a. About Curriculum and Instruction .................................................................................. 4
b. The Challenge of Developing a System for Curriculum and Instruction in DYS ..... 4
c. Guiding Principles of ELA Instruction in Massachusetts .............................................. 5
d. Principles for Curriculum and Instruction in DYS Settings ......................................... 7
e. Strands and Standards of English Language Arts Curriculum Framework ............. 10
3. Curriculum ................................................................................................................................... 14
a. Organizing Around Broad Themes ................................................................................ 14
b. Overview and Calendar of Themes for DYS instruction ........................................... 14
c. Massachusetts ELA Themes for DYS ............................................................................. 18
Individuality / Personal Identity .......................................................................... 18
American Dream / Experience ........................................................................... 21
Social Responsibility ............................................................................................. 24
Overcoming Obstacles ........................................................................................ 27
d. Creating and Using Mini-units and Lessons ................................................................. 29
4. Instruction .................................................................................................................................... 33
a. Planning for Effective Instruction ................................................................................... 33
b. Incorporating Three Key Components of Instruction in DYS .................................. 37
Focus on Literacy ................................................................................................... 37
Differentiated Instruction ..................................................................................... 62
Attention to Diversity .......................................................................................... 68
Who are DYS Youth? ................................................................................... 68
Teaching Students from Diverse Backgrounds ........................................ 70
Teaching English Learners ........................................................................... 71
Teaching Students with Special Needs ...................................................... 72
5. Assessment .................................................................................................................................. 73
a. Types of Assessment for Different Purposes ............................................................... 73
b. MCAS Assessment ........................................................................................................... 81
APPENDICES
A-1 Mini-unit Templates and Samples .................................................................................... 88
A-2 Sample Teaching Tools and Strategies ...........................................................................105
A-3 Reading Lists .....................................................................................................................119
Introduction
The Department of Youth Services (DYS) Education Program1
Each day, DYS provides educational services to
over 1,500 young people at 58 residential
facilities operated by, or under contract with,
the Department of Youth Services. These
programs are run by a variety of vendors and
community-based organizations across the
state. The 58 facilities include:
• Detention sites – for youth in the precommitment stage
• Assessment sites – for youth who have been
committed to DYS and are awaiting
determination of placement
• Short-term treatment programs
• Long-term secure treatment programs
In addition, DYS operates 38 day programs to
service youth transitioning back into the
community, and residing with a parent, guardian,
foster parent, or in an independent living
program.
DYS educational services are designed to
prepare youth to successfully reintegrate into
their communities and to make successful
transitions to public schools, alternative
education programs, GED preparation, postsecondary education, job skills training, or
employment. Educational programming within
each residential facility operates on a 12-month
school year, with a minimum of 27.5 hours of
instructional services per week. DYS educational
services strive to meet all state education
standards, policies and procedures, including
requirements for time and learning and for
educator certification.
1
1
DYS education programs include:
• Educational services, GED preparation,
vocational education, life skills programming
and/or post-secondary education services.
• Educational liaison services which provide
links across programs and with local school
districts.
• Special education services, provided
through the Massachusetts Department of
Education’s Educational Services in
Institutional Settings (ESIS).
• Title I supplemental services, provided
through federal entitlement funds.
• Vocational/work programs, including
extended day and job training and
employment,
provided
through
partnerships withVocational-Technical High
Schools and Workforce Investment Act
(WIA) youth programs.
DYS facilities have the flexibility to meet the
specific needs of their students, but are united
by a shared set of principles and guidelines.
The transient nature of the student body, age
range, varied academic skill sets, and high
number of students with special needs poses
a unique set of challenges for our schools.
Description based on materials from DYS website (http://www.mass.gov/dys) and from CommCorp.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide 131
- Introduction
1
1
Mission of the DYS Education System
The mission of the DYS Education program is to provide a comprehensive educational system
that meets the needs, experiences, and goals of our youth. Through collaboration with local
schools, community-based organizations, families, and other resources, the DYS education system
seeks to provide individualized education plans and services that focus on academic skills, education
and employment opportunities, and transitions to the community and workforce.
DYS Education Philosophy
DYS is committed to providing an education program for all students in the DYS system that is in
compliance with the Massachusetts State curriculum standards. The curriculum guides that frame
the instruction and assessment are organized around key themes and essential learning outcomes.
All education is delivered with an understanding of the diversity of the student population; all
curriculum, instruction and assessment planning includes components of differentiation, respect
for cultural diversity, and a commitment to enhance students’ overall literacy skills.
Structure of the Guide
The English Language Arts Instructional Guide is the first in a series of five guides being prepared
for DYS teachers. Four guides will focus on major content areas – English Language Arts, Math,
Science, and Social Studies, and the fifth will address Life Skills. The content area guides will share
the same basic outline, instructions for use, and alignment with both the Massachusetts Curriculum
Frameworks and the goals and principles of the DYS education system. The format is designed to
provide DYS instructors with key information about the Frameworks, with important ideas and
resources in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and with guidance and direction
in creating mini-units and lesson plans of high quality.
Principles Guiding Curriculum and
Instruction in DYS Settings
The first part of each guide describes contentspecific principles for curriculum and
instruction as well as principles that guide
planning and implementation of education
services in DYS settings.
2
Strands and Standards of
Massachusetts Curriculum
Frameworks
Each content area has a set of learning
strands and standards, developed by the
Massachusetts Department of Education, that
guides curriculum, instruction, and assessment
in all Massachusetts schools. The MCAS test
is also built from these standards. The broad
strands and standards are included in the
manual.
Introduction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Curriculum Built Around Required
Calendar and Themes
This part of each guide outlines a calendar
built around key themes and essential
questions. These required themes cover
two to three months and are intended to
frame the teaching and learning activities
during each session. While there is still
much flexibility for teachers in choosing
what specific content they may cover, the
broad themes, essential questions, and
recommended books provide a means for
all programs to reduce redundancy and
address the problems related to the high
number of transfers within the system.
Instruction and Assessment
The guide next covers key elements of
instruction – the “how” of education – and
assessment. Principles, key practices, and
examples in each area are given. Also
included are resources and tools.
11
Required Elements of
all DYS Instruction
Given the educational, socioeconomic, and racial
backgrounds of many of the youth served by
DYS, we have identified three core elements we
believe all instruction must address in order to
meet the needs of our population.The first two
– literacy and differentiated instruction –
relate directly to enhancing skills while the third,
attention to diversity, acknowledges the fact
that our youth represent diverse populations,
racially, ethnically, economically, and educationally,
and our curriculum and instruction needs to be
sensitive towards and build from that diversity.
To help ensure that all DYS instruction includes
literacy, differentiated instruction, and diversity
components, educators should specifically
identify how their lessons and choice of materials
will address each of these elements.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide 131
- Introduction
1
3
Framework for Curriculum and Instruction
About Curriculum and Instruction
In a broad sense, curriculum refers to the ideas, skills, processes, and dispositions that educators
identify as the important ones for students to learn. It is the “what” of education. Massachusetts, like
most states, has developed curriculum frameworks (“Frameworks”) that articulate the major
principles and learning goals (strands and standards) in each content area.
At the classroom level, curriculum is adopted or developed by teachers and translates the broad
Framework principles and learning goals into mini-units, lessons, activities, assessments, and
supporting materials. These provide the means through which teachers engage students and lead
them through activities that will result in meeting the learning goals. In the classroom, ELA
teachers build their curriculum programs by defining their goals for student learning and then
planning activities and selecting materials that will support those goals.
Instruction refers to the interaction between teacher and student, or the actual activities that
impart knowledge or skill. It is the “how” of education. In our settings, instruction needs to be
interactive and engaging. It needs to stress academic rigor, yet be differentiated to address
differences in background, ability, interests, and learning styles among students.
This manual will cover curriculum, instruction, and assessment separately. In actual practice, these
are closely connected.
The Challenge of Developing a System for
Curriculum and Instruction in DYS
Within the DYS education system, there are a number of different settings and educational
programs, as well as great variation in the lengths of time specific youth are in programs. Youth
come to us with very different sets of skills, abilities, and background knowledge. Both educational
and non-educational factors are at play in impacting student learning. The youth themselves come
to our programs with their own hopes and aspirations. All of these “inputs” impact what we can
do in the DYS classrooms.
At the same time, we are concerned about “outputs.” We need to be preparing all our youth
for a range of possibilities, such as: returning to high school; passing the MCAS or the GED;
entering the Job Corps; getting employment; or entering a community college or other postsecondary option.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Framework for Curriculum & Instruction
4
4
Given the incredible range of inputs and outputs for the DYS system, it is a challenge to have a
coherent and consistent system of education. We can begin to have a systematic approach by
centering our curriculum, instruction, and assessment around:
1. A common mission of preparing a very diverse population, often facing multiple
barriers, for multiple pathways
2. Curriculum, instruction, and assessment that will help us achieve this mission
3. Themes / big ideas / major strategies that will promote learning
4. “Chunks” of learning (mini-units and lessons) that are part of the larger theme
5. Common teaching / learning / assessment strategies and tools
6. Materials that support the above
In order to meet this challenge, we have developed a flexible curriculum, organized around broad
ELA themes and reflecting key principles for ELA instruction in DYS settings. The next section of
this manual discusses the themes. Below are the two types of principles that guide our work: a)
the principles for ELA curriculum and instruction; and b) the principles for curriculum and
instruction in DYS settings.
Guiding Principles for English Language Arts in DYS Settings
Principles for English Language Arts Curriculum and Instruction2
The Massachusetts ELA Framework is built around ten principles or philosophical statements.
These principles should guide the construction and evaluation of English language arts curricula
in the DYS educational system. A fuller description of these principles is provided in the Framework
document. Teachers in the DYS system should have, and refer to, a copy of this very important
document.
• ELA Guiding Principle 1:
•
ELA Guiding Principle 4:
An effective English language arts curriculum
emphasizes writing as an essential way to
develop, clarify, and communicate ideas in
persuasive, expository, narrative, and expressive
discourse.
•
ELA Guiding Principle 5:
An effective English language arts curriculum
provides for literacy in all forms of media.
•
ELA Guiding Principle 6:
An effective English language arts curriculum
provides explicit skill instruction in reading
and writing.
An effective English language arts curriculum
develops thinking and language together
through interactive learning.
•
•
ELA Guiding Principle 2:
An effective English language arts curriculum
develops students’ oral language and literacy
through appropriately challenging learning.
ELA Guiding Principle 3:
An effective English language arts curriculum
draws on literature from many genres, time
periods, and cultures, featuring works that reflect
our common literary heritage.
These principles are from the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework, June, 2001. Additional description of the
principles can be found in the Framework document: (Word version): http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/ela/0601.doc
2
5 Framework for Curriculum & Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
•
ELA Guiding Principle 7:
An effective English language arts curriculum
teaches the strategies necessary for acquiring
academic knowledge, achieving common
academic standards , and attaining
independence in learning.
• ELA Guiding Principle 8:
An effective English language arts curriculum
builds on the language, experiences, and
interests that students bring to school
(See Box 1).
•
ELA Guiding Principle 9:
An effective English language arts curriculum
develops each student’s distinctive writing or
speaking voice.
•
ELA Guiding Principle 10:
While encouraging respect for differences in
home backgrounds, an effective English
language arts curriculum nurtures students’
sense of their common ground as present or
future American citizens in order to prepare
them for responsible participation in our
schools and in civic life.
APPLICATION: ELA Guiding
Principles
Look over the 10 Guiding Principles
from the Massachusetts ELA Framework.
Pick three that seem especially
important for youth in DYS settings
o What are ways to promote these
principles in your classroom?
Pick one that seems like the greatest
stretch for an ELA class for DYS
youth
o Why does this seem to
be a stretch?
o What might be a way to
promote the
principle in your
classroom?
Which principles would be most
important to use in planning
curriculum and assessment at your
site? Why?
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Framework for Curriculum & Instruction 6
Principles for Curriculum and Instruction in DYS Settings3
The following principles for quality ELA curriculum and instruction can be adapted to reflect
the opportunities and challenges facing teachers and students in the DYS educational system.
Here are a set of principles that guide quality teaching and learning in DYS.
• DYS Education Principle 1:
Curriculum, instruction and
assessment should be tied to the state
Frameworks and standards.
DYS youth are held to the same
high learning standards as all
other Massachusetts youth. Our
classrooms should reflect those
standards and expectations. In
addition, rather than measuring
students against one another, we need
to measure individual students against
the benchmark of learning standard(s).
• DYS Education Principle 2:
All youth can learn.
Maintaining high expectations and
establishing a “can do” attitude in the
classroom is essential to student
success. One of the greatest factors
in student achievement is the belief
by both teachers and students that
they can succeed.
• DYS Education Principle 3:
All youth are different as learners.
Students come to our programs
with a variety of learning styles,
intelligences, educational backgrounds,
and learning strengths (See Box 1).
Students also have a range of interests,
cultural experiences, and prior
knowledge that effect their engagement
with different units of study. Based
on these differences, teachers need to
adjust curriculum and instruction to
fit learner needs.
• DYS Education Principle 4:
Our youth need encouragement,
praise and motivation to learn.
Because many of our students come
with a history of failure and criticism
in traditional schools, we need to build
on what they can do and reinforce all
positive growth. By building on
student interests and enthusiasm, by
reinforcing effort, and by providing
recognition for growth, we can, even
in a short period of time, impact
student learning.
• DYS Education Principle 5:
Our youth learn best when actively
engaged.
Like many youth, DYS students learn
best when they are actively engaged
and able to make connections to their
own experiences and to real world
contexts. Many are kinesthetic or
visual spatial learners, and most are
looking for reasons why they need to
learn something. Teachers should use
examples and demonstrations,
manipulatives, primar y sources,
simulations, authentic learning tasks,
etc. Teachers need to treat students
as active learners, not as passive
recipients of teacher-driven
instruction. Teachers should strive to
be “the guide on the side” NOT “the
sage on the stage.”
Based on “Elements of Instruction,” synthesized by Shirley Gilfether of the Hampshire Educational Collaborative from research related
to quality instruction for at-risk students.
3
7 Framework for Curriculum & Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
• DYS Education Principle 6:
Youth learn best by seeing
connections across topics.
Students learn better when they can
see the big picture and make
connections to their own experience
and to other things they have learned.
This means linking learning to essential
questions, big ideas, concepts, or
themes. Factual information is
important, but primarily as a foundation
for thinking and problem solving.
• DYS Education Principle 7:
Literacy (and especially reading) is a
base for all learning.
In most classes, and throughout the rest
of a student’s life, reading is the primary
portal to information, ways of thinking,
and new knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Strong literacy skills are essential to
success in school and adult life.Teachers
need to emphasize strategies for
reading and work with vocabulary and
comprehension in all lessons.
• DYS Education Principle 8:
Good questioning is critical to
quality learning.
Questions are a primary “tool of
the trade” in education. There are
different types of questions that
promote different types or levels of
learning. All students can work on
questions at different levels – some
more simple or concrete, others more
complex and abstract. We need to
include different levels and types
of questions in our teaching and
assessment. Bloom’s Taxonomy,
included later in this manual, provides
a framework for different levels of
questions.
Both the content-specific principles from
the Massachusetts Frameworks and the DYS
education principles are used to frame all
the curriculum and instruction in our
classrooms.
APPLICATION: Principles for Curriculum and Instruction in DYS
Reflect on a learning experience you had as a teenager that was
especially memorable and powerful. Which of these principles
were built in?
Do you agree with all 8 principles? Why or why not?
Which principle is the biggest stretch for you in your teaching?
What might be ways you could incorporate that principle into
your classes?
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Framework for Curriculum & Instruction 8
Box 1: What do DYS youth bring to our ELA classrooms?
Natural abilities to learn: As human beings, we are “wired in” to learn language and to
make sense of the world. Learning to read and write, and then using those skills to learn
other things, builds on those natural, inborn abilities. If a young person can speak and
listen, they can almost always become proficient at reading and writing (although the
amount of time and type of instruction required varies). It is important for teachers to
know and believe that every student has this enormous capacity to learn.
Well-honed skills: All of our youth come to us with a rich array of language and thinking
skills as well as skills in other academic, social, athletic, and artistic areas. Literacy and
learning build off of existing skills and help students acquire new skills.
Lots of background knowledge: Most of what we learn builds on what we already know.
Students come to us with lots of knowledge, both about the world and about specific
topics. They tend to have the most knowledge about those topics that most interest
them. If we can build learning activities around students’ interests, they will be excellent
places for students to use their background knowledge to acquire new literacy skills and
new knowledge. In addition, our classes should provide many opportunities to expose
students to new experiences and information. These, in turn, give the youth new
background knowledge, frames of reference and mental scaffolding – all of which enable
them to build literacy and academic skills.
A wide range of experiences and attitudes about school and literacy: Some of our youth have
done well in school, are proficient in literacy, and will use our classes as a chance to build
on and expand their success as learners. Other youth have not done well in school
and /or are significantly behind their peers in reading and writing; these students often
are discouraged and tend to avoid anything that resembles “school work.” In our programs,
we can provide our strongest learners with new, exciting experiences in literacy. For
our struggling learners, we can give them the successful experiences in literacy that they
need and we can help them acquire new skills. For many youth, our DYS classes offer
an invaluable chance to re-engage with learning.
9 Framework for Curriculum & Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Strands and Standards of Massachusetts
ELA Curriculum Framework4
In addition to the key principles discussed in the previous section, the strands and standards
articulated in the Massachusetts ELA Framework are key components for planning ELA curriculum
and instruction in DYS settings.
The Framework divides ELA learning standards into four strands:
1. Language
2. Reading and literature
3. Composition
4. Media
Each strand includes two or more learning standards, for a total of 27 general learning standards.
Each general learning standard is then broken into more specific and measurable standards, grouped
by grade-span (e.g. 9th-10th grade). Hence, the complete Framework contains these levels:
Strand
General Standard
Language
2: Questioning, Listening, and Contributing
Description
Students will pose questions, listen to the ideas of others, and
contribute their own information or ideas in group discussions or
interviews in order to acquire new knowledge.
Example
Group discussions may lead students to greater complexity of thought as
they expand on the ideas of others, refine initial ideas, pose hypotheses,
and work toward solutions to intellectual problems. Group work helps
students gain a deeper understanding of themselves as they reflect upon
and express orally their own thinking in relation to that of others
Specific standard
by grade span
Grades 9-10
2.5 Summarize in a coherent and organized way information and
ideas learned from a focused discussion.
Example
For example, students discuss similarities and differences in the social and
political contexts for the views of Thoreau, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King,
Jr. on civil disobedience. Then they summarize what they learned from the
discussion, noting those similarities and differences.
In planning curriculum and instruction, teachers should refer to the more specific standards by
grade span. There are many of these in the Framework and only selected standards are reprinted
here. Teachers should obtain a copy of the Framework document for use in planning. The
Framework not only gives detailed grade-appropriate standards, but also provides curriculum,
instruction, and assessment suggestions and resources.
Complete listings of standards, broken down by grade clusters, are contained in the complete Massachusetts English Language Arts
Curriculum Framework, June, 2001. See the Framework document: (Word version): http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/ela/0601.doc
It is highly recommend that DYS teachers have and use this Framework document.
4
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Framework for Curriculum & Instruction 10
The strands and broad learning standards are shown in Box 2.
Box 2: STRANDS AND STANDARDS OF
THE MASSACHUSETTS ELA FRAMEWORK5
STRAND 1: Language
Learning Standards — Students will:
1. (Discussion) Use agreed-upon rules for informal and formal discussions in small and large
groups.
2. (Questioning, listening and contributing) Pose questions, listen to the ideas of others, and
contribute their own information or ideas in group discussions of interviews in order to
acquire new knowledge.
3. (Oral presentation) Make oral presentations that demonstrate appropriate consideration
of audience, purpose, and the information to be conveyed.
4. (Vocabulary and concept development) Understand and acquire new vocabulary and use it
correctly in reading and writing.
5. (Structure and origins of modern English) Analyze standard English grammar and usage
and recognize how its vocabulary has developed and been influenced by other languages.
6. (Formal and informal English) Describe, analyze, and use appropriately formal and informal
English.
STRAND 2: Reading and Literature
Learning
Learning Standards
Standards — Students will:
7. (Beginning reading) Understand the nature of written English language and the relationship
of letters and spelling patterns to the sounds of speech.
8. (Understanding a text) Identify the basic facts and main ideas in a text and use them as the
basis for interpretation.
9. (Making connections) Deepen their understanding of a literary or non-literary work by
relating it to its contemporary context or historical background.
10. (Genre) Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the characteristics of different genres.
11. (Theme) Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of theme in a literary work and provide
evidence from the text to support their understanding.
12. (Fiction) Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the structure and elements of fiction and
provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
13. (Nonfiction) Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the purpose, structure, and elements
of nonfiction or informational material and provide evidence from the text to support their
understanding.
14. (Poetry) Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the theme, structure, and elements of
poetry and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
15. (Style and language) Identify and analyze how an author’s words appeal to the senses,
create imagery, suggest mood, and set tone and provide evidence from the text to support
their understanding.
5
June, 2001 version of the ELA Framework
11 Framework for Curriculum & Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Box 2: STRANDS AND STANDARD OF
THE MASSACHUSETTS ELA FRAMEWORK - CONTINUED
16. (Myth, traditional narrative, and classical literature) Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge
of the themes, structure, and elements of myths, traditional narratives, and classical literature
and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
17. (Dramatic literature) Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the themes, structure, and
elements of drama and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
18. (Dramatic reading and performance) Plan and present dramatic readings, recitations,
and performances that demonstrate appropriate consideration of audience and purpose.
STRAND 3: Composition
Learning
Standards
Students
will:
Learning Standards
——
Students
will:
19. (Writing) Write with a clear focus, coherent organization, and sufficient detail.
20. (Consideration of audience and purpose) Write for different audiences and purposes.
21. (Revising) Demonstrate improvement in organization, content, paragraph development,
level of detail, style, tone, and word choice in their compositions after revising them.
22. (Standard English conventions) Use knowledge of standard English conventions in
their writing, revising, and editing.
23. (Organizing ideas in writing) Organize ideas in writing in a way that makes sense for
their purpose.
24. (Research) Gather information from a variety of sources, analyze and evaluate the
quality of the information they obtain, and use it to answer their own questions.
25. (Evaluating writing and presentations) Develop and use appropriate rhetorical, logical,
and stylistic criteria for assessing final versions of their compositions or research
projects before presenting them to varied audiences.
STRAND 4: Media
LearningStandards
Standards
—
Students
will:
Learning
Standards
Students
will:
Learning
——
Students
will:
26. (Analysis of media) Identify, analyze and apply knowledge of the conventions, elements,
and techniques of film, radio, video, television, multimedia productions, the Internet,
and emerging technologies, and provide evidence from the works to support their
understanding.
27. (Media production) Design and create coherent media productions (audio, video,
television, multimedia, Internet, emerging technologies) with a clear controlling idea,
adequate detail, and appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and medium.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Framework for Curriculum & Instruction 12
APPLICATION: USING LEARNING STANDARDS
Planning from activities to standards:
- Select a lesson, activity or project you do that you think has strong ELA
components.
- Look at the ELA standards at the end of this section. Find three that are
(or could be) supported by your lesson or activity.
Planning from standards to activities:
- Look over the ELA standards. Pick one standard which is challenging for
your students.
- Brainstorm lessons, activities or projects that you could do with your
youth to teach, reinforce, or extend this standard.
- Pick two activities you could do in your programs to support the mastering
of that standard. How will you assess whether or not students master the
standard?
13 Framework for Curriculum & Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Curriculum
Organizing Around Broad Themes
As discussed in the previous section, there are many challenges to developing an organized and
systematic curriculum for the DYS educational system. In light of these challenges, we have
developed a flexible curriculum, organized around broad ELA themes and reflecting key
principles and learning standards for ELA instruction in DYS settings. This section of the manual
discusses those themes (see Graphic Organizer 1).
Why use themes?
The themes for ELA were selected by teachers participating in ELA professional development
workshops in 2003-04. There are five goals for the themes:
1. Themes can be tied to the principles for ELA instruction and to the strands and standards
from the Massachusetts ELA Framework; themes promote high standards and rigor.
2. Themes help identify broad concepts / essential questions that can guide student learning
and help students to think about the larger picture.
3. Themes connect content (e.g. literature) to students’ own lives and experience, thus making
the content relevant.
4. Themes are broad enough for each teacher/program to choose many of their own materials
and meet individual needs but still guide teachers in planning their year.
5. Themes provide some unity between programs, and provide a mechanism for sharing lessons
and units among teachers.
Box 3: Overview and Calendar of Themes for DYS instruction
Time Frame (about)
Sept. 1 – Nov. 15
Nov. 15 – Jan. 31
(scheduled to coincide
with ML King Day)
Feb. 1 – April 15
April 15 - June 30
Summer (July - August)
14
Theme
#1: Individuality/
Personal Identity
#2: American Dream/
Experience
#3: Social
responsibility
#4: Overcoming
obstacles
#5: Current events
Includes
Becoming an individual; coming of age;
personal narrative
Particular historical experience
(immigration; world wars; civil rights);
“Back in the Day”; multi-cultural
experiences; tolerance and intolerance
Individual in society; taking personal
responsibility; responsibility for
environment and wildlife
Personal struggles and triumphs; survival;
banishment and exile; living conditions
Current events / world issues / ‘hot topics’
through ELA lens
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Curriculum 14
Graphic Organizer 1: Overview of DYS Curriculum Framework
Themes
Broad concepts /
Essential questions /
Areas of inquiry
Principles / Learning
strands and standards
What students need to
know and understand
(learning objectives)
What students need to
be able to do (final
assessment, performance,
measurement of
objectives)
Instruction: Teaching /
learning strategies
and materials
Curriculum: Mini-units
and lessons
15 Curriculum - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Assessment: Formal
& informal
Each theme includes:
1. Essential questions: These are broad and open-ended questions that cannot be answered
simply and that require students to use higher level thinking. Essential questions are
deliberately thought provoking and require students to draw on both their own experiences
and what they’ve read. On Bloom’s taxonomy, these questions require students to evaluate,
synthesize, analyze, or apply.
2. Suggested reading materials: For each theme, a list of novels, memoirs, short story and
poetry anthologies is included. Details and a short description of each of these books –
and many others that are of high interest to our youth – are included in Appendix A-3.
In addition to the materials listed under each theme, teachers are encouraged to use:
Selections from anthologies that relate to a theme. For example, many facilities
have:
o Poetry in Six Dimensions (Perfection Learning) or Poetry 180: A Turning Back
to Poetry (compiled by Billy Collins, Random House, 2003)
o 24 Favorite One-Act Plays (edited by Bennett Cerf and Van Cartmell, Main
Street Books) as well as other anthologies
o Prose and poetry collections such as Perfection Learning’s “Literature
and Thought collections” (Decisions, Decisions; Voices of the Holocaust; Free
at Last: Civil Rights; And Justice for All)
High-interest, low-reading level anthologies. For example, some facilities have:
o Skill-based reading anthologies such as, from Perfection Learning: Over
the Edge: Extreme Sports; Crime and Punishment: Famous Crimes and Trials in
Truth and Fiction; and Sending Out an S.O.S. : Modern Disasters That Rocked
the World
High-interest low-level novels such as those in the “Passages” series from
Perfection Learning and those from other publishers (See resources in Appendix
A-3).
Post Essential Questions
One or two essential questions for a mini-unit should
be posted in the classroom. They are useful in putting
the reading, writing, and learning experiences into a
broad, meaningful, and “essential” context. They can
also be re-visited throughout the unit. Essential
questions can also be used for reflection and for writing
prompts.
16
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Curriculum 16
3. Suggested writing activities are also included for each theme. For each theme, it is
highly recommended that you include writing regularly – at the start or end of each class,
in journals, for reflection, and for final products. Even students who do not write well can
benefit from building their writing fluency. This can only happen if they write regularly.
For all themes, a series of essential questions are included. In addition, particular types of
writing and prompt questions are listed for each theme.
Summer Theme: For the summer theme of current events, it is recommended that teachers
use newspapers and magazines as well as high-interest nonfiction books that relate to current
events. Because many DYS sites have different teaching staff in the summer, this theme is intended
to allow flexibility in what is covered over the summer.
The themes and their essential questions and related resources are included in the next part
of this section.
17 Curriculum - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Theme 1 - Individuality / Personal Identity
September 1 – November 15
Includes: Becoming an Individual; Coming of Age; Personal Narrative
Essential Questions (examples):
a. Who am I?
b. How do I figure out what choices are in my best interest?
c. What are the influences of family values and history on my choices?
d. What is the influence of my environment on my choices?
e. How do my choices define my identity?
f. How do I take new knowledge and make wise choices?
g. What does it mean to be a man or woman? What realizations and actions signify
maturity?
h. How do my personal experiences shape my view of others?
i. What does it mean to be an insider or an outsider?
j. What does it mean to “grow up?”
Suggested writing activities
a. On-going journal reflections
b. Poetry - experimentation with different forms of poetry to express individuality
c. Personal narrative / autobiography (using readings as models and prompts)
d. 5-paragraph essay applied to personal experience
Culminating piece of writing: Personal Narrative
Narratives or autobiographical pieces that capture topics such as:
Who Am I?
What are the influences that shaped who I am today?
The day that changed my life
The funniest thing that ever happened to me
Any of the essential questions (above)
Suggested Reading Materials
Novel:
Speak ........................................................................................
Thwonk ...................................................................................
Hanging On to Max ..............................................................
Bucking the Sarge .................................................................
Keeping the Moon ................................................................
Bad ...........................................................................................
Author:
Laurie Halse Anderson
Joan Bauer
Margaret Bechard
Christopher Paul Curtis
Sarah Dessen
Jean Ferris
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Curriculum 18
Theme 1 - Suggested Reading Materials
Novel:
Author:
Whirligig ................................................................................. Paul Fleischman
Seek .......................................................................................... Paul Fleischman
America ................................................................................... E.R. Frank
Fat Kid Rules the World ...................................................... K.L. Going
Leaving Fishers....................................................................... Margaret Peterson Haddix
Breaking Boxes ...................................................................... A.M. Jenkins
I’m Not Who You Think I Am ............................................... Peg Kehret
You Don’t Know Me .............................................................. David Klass
Where the Kissing Never Stops ........................................ Ron Koertge
Son of the Mob ....................................................................... Gordon Korman
The Contender ...................................................................... Robert Lipsyte
Iceman....................................................................................... Chris Lynch
The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things .......... Carolyn Mackler
A Day No Pigs Would Die.................................................... Robert Newton Peck
Define “Normal” ..................................................................... Julie Ann Peters
Holes ......................................................................................... Louis Sachar
Memoirs:
King of the Mild Frontier:
An Ill-Advised Autobiography ................................. Chris Crutcher
Boy: Tales of a Childhood ...................................................... Roald Dahl
Girl, Interrupted ..................................................................... Susanna Kaysen
Jefferson’s Children: The story of
One American Family ................................................ Shannon Lanier & Jane Feldman
Bad Boy .................................................................................... Walter Dean Myers
Knots in My Yo-Yo String:
The Autobiography of a Kid .................................... Jerry Spinelli
Short Story Collections:
Traveling on into the Light ................................................... Martha Brooks
Who Am I Without Him? ..................................................... Sharon Flake
On the Fringe ......................................................................... Donald Gallo, ed.
Destination Unexpected ...................................................... Donald Gallo, ed
Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls .......................... Marilyn Singer
Help Wanted ........................................................................... Gary Soto
Big City Cool .......................................................................... Jerry & Helen Weiss
19 Curriculum - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Theme 1 - Suggested Reading Materials Continued
Poetry:
Author:
Poems from Homeroom: A Writer’s Place to Start ..........Kathi Appelt
Cool Salsa ................................................................................... Lori Carlson
Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem from the Inside Out ....Ralph Fletcher
Buried Alive: The Elements of Love ....................................... Ralph Fletcher
You Hear Me: Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys........... Betsy Franco
Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writings by
Teenage Girls ..................................................................Betsy Franco
Love Poems ................................................................................Nikki Giovanni
I Never Said I Wasn’t Difficult ................................................ Sara Holbrook
SLAM ............................................................................................ Cecily Von Ziegesar
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Curriculum 20
Theme 2 – The American Dream / American Experience
Nov. 15 – Jan. 31; Scheduled to coincide with Martin Luther King Day
Includes: Particular Historical Experience (immigration; world wars; civil rights);“Back
in the Day;” Multi-cultural Experiences; Tolerance and Intolerance
Essential Questions (examples):
a. What is the American Dream and to what extent is it achievable for all Americans?
b. How has the American Dream changed over time?
c. How is the American experience the same and different for different racial, ethnic,
socio-economic, and regional groups?
d. What is the importance of historical experiences in shaping who we are today?
e. Why is history important?
f. What is freedom? Is freedom ever free?
g. How does reading books and stories about different cultural experiences speak to
me?
h. What creates prejudice and what can an individual do to overcome it?
i. What allows some individuals to take a stand against prejudice/oppression while
others choose to participate in it?
j. What are the causes and consequences of intolerance and how does an individual’s
response to it reveal his/her morals, ethics, and values?
Suggested writing activities
a. On-going journal reflections
b. Poetry and music – as multicultural expression; to express feelings about social
issues
c. Personal – reflective writing about multicultural experience, tolerance, intolerance
d. 5-paragraph essay - Persuasive
Culminating piece of writing: Persuasive five paragraph essay
Topics:
Is the American Dream for real and for me?
What creates prejudice and can it be overcome?
Why is history important?
Any of the essential questions (above)
Suggested Reading Materials
Novel: ................................................................................ Author:
Nothing But the Truth ....................................................................... Avi
Under the Same Sky ........................................................................... Cynthia DeFelice
Romiette and Julio .............................................................................. Sharon Draper
Seedfolks ............................................................................................... Fleischman, Paul
Life is Funny ......................................................................................... E.R. Frank
21 Curriculum - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
21
Theme 2 - Suggested Reading Materials Continued
Novel: ................................................................................ Author:
Jason’s Gold.......................................................................................... Will Hobbs
To Kill A Mockingbird ......................................................................... Harper Lee
Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida .............................................................. Victor Martinez
Fallen Angels ........................................................................................ Walter Dean Myers
A Long Way From Chicago ............................................................... Richard Peck
When I Was Puerto Rican................................................................. Santiago, Esmeralda
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered
Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf ........................................... Ntozake Shange
Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl’s Story ......................................... Pegi Deitz Shea
Finding My Hat .................................................................................... John Sun
Flight to Freedom ............................................................................... Ana Veciana-Suarez
Rooster ................................................................................................. Beth Nixon Weaver
Memoirs:
Warriors Don’t Cry: A Searing Memoir of
The Battle to Integrate Little Rock’s Central High ............... Melba Patillo Beals
Bound Feet and Western Dress ...................................................... Pang-Mei Natasha Chang
The House on Mango Street ............................................................ Sandra Cisneros
Blackball Superstars: Legendary Players of the
Negro Baseball Leagues .............................................................. Ace Collins
Ida B. Wells: Mother of the Civil Rights Movement ..................... Dennis Fradin & Judith Fradin
The Life and Death of Crazy Horse ................................................ Russell Freedman
Rocket Boys: A memoir ..................................................................... Homer Hickam
Breaking Through................................................................................ Francisco Jiminez
The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a
Girlhood Among Ghosts............................................................. Maxine Hong Kingston
Jim Thorpe: Twentieth Century Jock .............................................. Robert Lipsyte
Young, Black, and Determined:
A Biography of Lorraine Hansberry ......................................... Patricia McKissack
The Greatest: Muhammad Ali ........................................................... Walter Dean Myers
When I Was Puerto Rican................................................................. Esmeralda Santiago
Short Story Collections:
Multicultural Reader Collection (One and Two) .......................... Perfection Learning
The Toughest Indian in the World ................................................... Sherman Alexie
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven .......................... Sherman Alexie
What a Song Can Do: 12 Riffs on the Power of Music .............. Jennifer Armstrong, ed.
22
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Curriculum 22
Theme 2 - Suggested Reading Materials Continued
Short Story Collections:
Flying With the Eagle, Racing the Great Bear .................................... Joseph Bruchac
Join In: Multiethnic Short Stories .......................................................... Donald Gallo, ed.
America Street: A Multicultural Anthology of Stories ...................... Anne Mazer
Standing Tall: The Stories of Ten Hispanic Americans ....................... Angentina Palacios
Face Relations: Eleven Stories About Seeing Beyond Color ............ Marilyn Singer
American Dragons: Twenty Five Asian American Voices ................... Laurence Yep
Poetry:
Laughing Tomatoes and
Francisco Alarcon &
Other Spring Poems .......................................................................... Maya Christina Gonzalez
Laughing Out Loud, I Fly ......................................................................... Juan Felipe Herrera
This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from Around the World .... Naomi Shihab Nye
Quiet Storm: Voices of Young Black Poets .......................................... Lydia Omolola Okutoro
23 Curriculum - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Theme 3 – Social Responsibility
February 1 – April 15
Includes: Individual in Society; Taking Personal Responsibility; Responsibility
for the Environment and Wildlife
Essential Questions (examples):
a. What does it mean to take personal responsibility?
b. What are my responsibilities towards other people?
c. What is community? What are the individual’s responsibility to the
community as well as the community’s responsibility to the individual?
d. How can I support others without losing my identity?
e. How do I balance my needs with the needs of others?
f. What is social justice?
g. When should an individual take a stand against what he/she believes to be an
injustice? What are the most effective ways to do this?
h. What are the benefits and consequences of questioning / challenging social
order?
i. What is my responsibility to the environment?
j. What are the responsibilities of the individual and/or society in regard to the
health of the environment?
Suggested writing activities
a. On-going journal reflections
b. Poetry and music – used to make social or political point (use reading
examples as prompts)
c. Personal – reflective writing about experiences in taking responsibility (for
self, family, community, or environment)
d. 5-paragraph essay – common structures
Comparison/Contrast
Summary/Response
Cause/Effect
Pro / con debate
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Curriculum 24
Theme 3 – Social Responsibility
Culminating piece of writing: 5-paragraph essay following a structure
Examples of Topics:
• Think of major characters in two books, movies, or TV shows who had to
assume personal responsibility. Write a 5 paragraph essay that compares
and contrasts the two characters.
• Cause / effect: Think about a time when you had to work through a
problem and it changed the way you saw the world. Write a 5 paragraph
essay that describes this as cause and effect.
• Should you always take a stand for what you believe to be right? Discuss
the pros and cons.
Any of the essential questions (above)
Suggested Reading Materials
Novel: ................................................................................. Author:
Many Stones ......................................................................................... Carolyn Coman
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes ............................................................. Chris Crutcher
Someone Like You ................................................................................ Sarah Dessen
Painting the Black................................................................................ Carl Deuker
Tears of a Tiger..................................................................................... Sharon Draper
Breaking Point ..................................................................................... Alex Flinn
Blood and Chocolate .......................................................................... Annette Klauss
The Giver ............................................................................................. Lois Lowry
Hate You ................................................................................................ Graham McNamee
Monster ................................................................................................. Walter Dean Myers
Big Mouth and Ugly Girl ................................................................... Joyce Carol Oates
Body of Christopher Creed ............................................................. Carol Plum-Ucci
Pool Boy ................................................................................................ Michael Simmons
Stargirl ................................................................................................... Jerry Spinelli
Make Lemonade ................................................................................... Virginia Euwer Wolff
Hush ...................................................................................................... Jacqueline Woodson
Armageddon Summer ........................................................................ Jane Yolen & Bruce Coville
Memoirs:
Hole in My Life..................................................................................... Jack Gantos
Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution ................. Ji-Li Jiang
Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth’s
Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa ................................ Mark Mathabane
25 Curriculum - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
25
Suggested Reading Materials
Short Story Collections:
To Break the Silence ........................................................................... Peter Barrett, ed.
Necessary Noise: Stories About Our Families
As They Really Are ........................................................................ Michael Cart, ed.
An Island Like You................................................................................ Judith Ortiz Cofer
No Easy Answers ................................................................................ Donald Gallo, ed.
Who Do You Think You Are?............................................................. Hazel Rochman, ed.
Doing Time: Notes from the Undergrad ....................................... Rob Thomas
Poetry:
Paint Me Like I Am: Teen Poems from WritersCorps ................. Bill Aguado
Class Dismissed! High School Poems ............................................ Mel Glenn
Blues for All Changes ......................................................................... Nikki Giovanni
26
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Curriculum 26
Theme 4 – Overcoming Obstacles
April 15 - June 30
Includes: Personal Struggles and Triumphs; Survival; Banishment and Exile; Living
Conditions
Essential Questions (examples):
a. What personal qualities have helped you to deal with obstacles in your life?
b. How does overcoming obstacles help a person to grow?
c. Why do some people manage to overcome major obstacles while other people
do not?
d. How does conflict lead to change?
e. How does an individual’s point of view affect the way they deal with conflict?
f. What turning points determine individual pathways to adulthood?
g. To what extent does power or the lack of power affect individuals?
h. What is oppression and what are the root causes? How do people overcome
oppression?
i. How are prejudice and bias created? How do we overcome them?
j. Do we have choices concerning fairness and justice?
Suggested writing activities
a. On-going journal reflections
b. Poetry and music – use of figures of speech
c. Personal – reflective writing about experiences in overcoming obstacles
d. 5 paragraph descriptive essay (e.g. describing characteristics needed to overcome
obstacles)
Culminating piece of writing:
Narrative about character overcoming an obstacle
Story about turning point in a character’s life
Any of the essential questions (above)
Suggested Reading Materials
Novel: ...................................................................................... Author:
Go Ask Alice ............................................................................................... Anonymous
Redhanded .................................................................................................. Michael Cadnum
Bull Catcher ............................................................................................... Alden Carter
The Chocolate War .................................................................................. Robert Cormier
Ironman ....................................................................................................... Chris Crutcher
On the Devil’s Court ............................................................................... Carl Deuker
27 Curriculum - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
27
Suggested Reading Materials
Novel: ...................................................................................... Author:
The Skin I’m In........................................................................................... Sharon Flake
Stoner and Spaz ........................................................................................ Ron Koertge
Silent to the Bone ..................................................................................... E.L. Konigsburg
Number the Stars ..................................................................................... Lois Lowry
Dancing on the Edge ................................................................................ Han Nolan
Peeling the Onion ..................................................................................... Wendy Orr
Don’t Think Twice ...................................................................................... Ruth Pennebaker
Full Tilt ........................................................................................................ Neal Shusterman
Long Night of Leo and Bree ................................................................... Ellen Wittlinger
I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This ............................................................... Jacqueline Woodson
Memoirs:
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings........................................................ Maya Angelou
I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust ........ Livia Bitton-Jackson
The Diary of Anne Frank ......................................................................... Anne Frank
For the Love of the Game, Michael Jordan .......................................... Mark Vancil
Night ............................................................................................................ Elie Wiesel
Short Story Collections:
Athletic Shorts .......................................................................................... Chris Crutcher
On the Edge .............................................................................................. Lois Duncan, ed.
Visions ......................................................................................................... Donald Gallo, ed.
How to Breathe Underwater: Stories .................................................. Julie Orringer
Poetry:
Teen Sunshine Reflections: Words for the Heart and Soul ............. June Cotner
Poetspeak ................................................................................................... Paul Janeczko
Movin’: Teen Poets Take Voice ................................................................. Dave Johnson
The Last Place Sports Poems of Jeremy Bloom .................................. Gordon Korman
What Have You Lost? ................................................................................ Naomi Shihab Nye
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Curriculum 28
Thematic Instruction: Creating and Using Mini-units and Lessons
In using these themes, DYS teachers need to create (or use existing) mini-units and lessons
that are directly tied to learning standards.
Mini-units are chunks of curriculum, designed to last for one to three weeks, organized around
the key elements of standards-based education. Mini-units cover a relatively large topic – a novel,
a series of related stories, a genre of writing (e.g. writing poetry), a set of skills (e.g. in vocabulary
development), or specific strategies used by good readers and writers. Mini-units include a series
of specific lessons. The components of a mini-unit are included in Box 4 and summarized in
Graphic Organizer 2. Blank templates for planning mini-units and lessons are included in this
manual, in Appendix A-1.
Standards-based planning of mini-units and lessons involves having a clear relationship among
at least seven things6:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Topic or essential question
Standards to be taught and assessed
Tasks and activities (to teach and to demonstrate knowledge and skills)
Products and performances (the basis for assessment)
Criteria for assessment (based on the standards)
Scoring guides (to assess and to communicate about student learning)
Exemplars (collected over time to clarify expectations for student learning and to aid in
evaluating and revising the unit)
Key Elements in Developing Mini-Units
Among key elements in developing mini-units and planning for quality instruction are the following7:
•
•
•
•
•
Clearly identify learning objectives (what you want students to know, understand,
and be able to do) as a result of your curriculum and instruction.
Plan your curriculum and instruction with the end in mind. Known as “backward
planning,” teachers should always decide how students will demonstrate their knowledge
and understanding through assessments, products, or performances before designing the
mini-unit or lesson.
Explicitly link your learning objectives to required learning standards from
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
Know your learners. Do a quick pre-assessment of students’ background knowledge on a
topic before beginning a mini-unit or lesson. This helps you decide what needs to be
explicitly taught, what adjustments you will have to make for individual learners, and how you
might group students for project work. A pre-assessment may be difficult in DYS units with
daily turnover, but some of it can be done with questioning and KWL (both described later).
Plan for diversity, creativity, and realism. Plan on using a variety of materials and
resources so that the needs of students are met, students are engaged, and learning is
meaningful. Lesson activities should be designed to help students prepare for the final
assessment, product, or performance, as you’ve outlined in your learning objectives.
Adapted from How to Use Standards in the Classroom, Harris and Carr, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development,
Alexandria, Virginia.
7
Based on “Elements of Instruction,” synthesized by Shirley Gilfether of the Hampshire Educational Collaborative from research related
to quality instruction for at-risk students.
6
29 Curriculum - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
29
•
Reflect and adjust. When the unit or lesson has been done, make notes of what went
well, what should change, etc. Continuous improvement is a hallmark of a successful and
inspiring teacher.
Box 4: Components of a Mini-Unit
Unit Objectives: By the end of this mini-unit, students should:
KNOW (factual information, basic skills)
UNDERSTAND (big ideas, concepts)
And therefore be able to DO (final assessment, performance,
measurement of objectives)
Learning Standards: Based on what students should know, understand, be able to do
Pre-Assessment: How will you determine students’ readiness for this unit? What data
will you collect? What survey of prerequisite learning will you use—KWL charts, journal
prompts, oral survey, etc?
Resources and Materials: Should reflect differences in students’ reading levels,
readiness to learn (prerequisite learning), interests (choices), style of learning, multiple
intelligences, and other factors
Outline of Lessons: Lesson tasks and activities to support students’ achievement of
learning objectives
Introductory- stimulate student interest in the topic and motivate students to participate
in the project
Instructional- students make meaning of content information and begin to demonstrate,
through on-going assessment, what they know and understand
Culminating- usually a final assessment in which students demonstrate their level of
achievement with regard to the learning objectives.
Reflection: After the mini-unit is completed, make note of adjustments you would make
when using this unit again.
A mini-unit template is included in Appendix A-1
30
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Curriculum
30
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER 2:
MINI-UNIT PLANNING LINKING TO LEARNING STANDARDS8
STANDARD
What do you want ALL students to KNOW,
UNDERSTAND, and be able to DO?
How do these goals….
(topic, concept and/or skill)
relate to STANDARDS?
REFLECTION
What would you change or
adjust in the lesson / unit,
and why?
PRE-ASSESSMENT
What knowledge, understandings and
skills do students bring
to the learning?
POST-ASSESSMENT
To what degree do students KNOW
and UNDERSTAND content, and
to what degree are they able
to DO (apply information, demonstrate
essential skills, etc)?
How will you ASSESS students’
achievement of instructional goals?
What will it look like?
Plan LESSONS and
INSTRUCTION including
diverse content material,
differentiated activities, and
differentiated assessment
8
Graphic developed by Shirley Gilfether, Hampshire Educational Collaborative, drawing on work on standards-based planning.
31 Curriculum - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
31
Instruction
Planning for Effective Instruction
Effective teaching starts with good planning
of the curriculum, including mini-units and
lessons, as described in the previous section.
The actual instruction, or lesson delivery, is
equally important. Among key elements are
the following:
1. Learning objectives should be clearly
communicated to students. Talk about
them with your students. Post the
objectives in your room and refer back to
them often. Use them to frame
assessment.
2. Similarly, classroom rules, procedures,
expectations, and consequences should be
clearly articulated, posted, referenced, and
enforced. You owe it to all the students
to be in control of your classroom and
make sure that learning takes place.
3. Start every lesson (or every day) with a
ritual or routine. This might be an engaging
hook to introduce the lesson (for example,
by reading an excerpt from a book or telling
a story). Or it might be a short activity
that energizes students, sets the tone for
the class, and/or incorporates a quick lesson.
It might be a period of sustained silent
reading or uninterrupted writing. Be
creative! This could be the most fun part
of your class. Some examples of anchor
activities are included in Box 5.
4. After the opening activity, do the main
lesson for the day. It might include these
elements:
a) Diverse methods of introducing
information (e.g. using various levels of
reading material as needed with reading
organizers or guiding questions; using
videos with viewing guides or books
on tape; mini-lectures with graphic
organizers or note-taking guides; etc.).
b) Student-centered, active, authentic
learning. The goal is for students to
be doing something that is meaningful
and has them working harder than the
teacher. The teacher is framing the
process and directing the learning, but
the students are the workers – at
learning. If possible, the learning is
hands-on, meaning the students are
doing something authentic with the
learning; when this happens, students
see a purpose in the learning and are
much more engaged.
c) Learning is creative, builds on prior
learning, and connects to a bigger idea
or theme. Students are not just doing
worksheets that have little connection
to real life. When focusing on a skill,
they understand how that skill is
important in life, and how it will help
them learn the next skill or
understanding.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 33
d) A variety of instructional strategies are
used to help students learn. This
includes different types of materials, use
of learning stations, various learning
games, projects, labs, etc.
e) The teacher uses questioning effectively.
Either in oral or written questions, a
variety of questions and questioning
techniques are used. It is clear that the
questions help students think and
connect their learning to prior and
future learning.
f) Critical components of cultural diversity,
differentiation, and literacy are
incorporated (these are discussed in
more detail below.
5. Just as you began the lesson or class, you
should close with a ritual or routine. This
could be summarizer activity in which
students reflect on what they did and
what they learned, and give the teacher
feedback about what they got from the
instruction. “Exit card” or “ticket to leave,”
in which students have to write responses
to a reflection question before they can
leave, can be great for this. Some examples
of activities are included in Box 5. In some
cases, collecting the work of the lesson
can give this feedback, provided the work
is directly linked to the learning objectives.
6. Throughout, you should set a positive
classroom tone for learning. This includes
such things as: showing enthusiasm for
student progress; establishing an
atmosphere of success; actively promoting
thinking, curiosity, and creativity; praising
students when they act appropriately;
decorating the room for learning; posting
guidelines for classroom behavior and
enforcing them consistently and fairly.
What Works in
Adolescent Literacy?
Judith Langer conducted a five-year study of
ELA programs, conducted in 44 classrooms in
25 schools in four states. She discovered major
differences between effective adolescent literacy
programs and ineffective ones. Highly successful
programs, Langer reported, practice six
instructional practices concurrently and
consistently:
1. Teach students using a variety of
activities, including independent lessons,
exercises, and drills; lessons involving reading
and writing about new concepts and
information; and lessons in which students
apply new learning in class discussions.
2. Prepare students for tests by emphasizing
the knowledge on which they’ll be
assessed, and integrate test preparation
into daily lessons instead of giving students
separate drills.
3.
Incorporate students’ real-life
experiences both in and out of school
into daily lessons.
4. Give students critical reading and
writing strategies they need to succeed
on daily lessons and homework assignments.
5. Provide time for students to read
broadly on topics of interest, explore
texts from many points of view, and conduct
their own research.
6. Foster collaborative learning by placing
students in well-chosen groups. Prompt
students to raise questions, discuss ideas,
and “bump minds” with one another.
Langer, Judith, et al (May, 2004) “Guidelines for Teaching
Middle and High School Students to Read and Write Well:
Six Features of Effective Instruction.” National Center on
English Learning & Achievement.
34 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Box 5: A Few Ideas for “Anchor Activities” R1
1. Read-alouds
High-interest selections from the book or topic being studied
Fun poems, jokes, riddles
Two-minute mysteries
Selection from Guinness Book of World Records (students guess what the
record is)
First pages (or other compelling selection) from a young adult novel
2. Sustained silent reading or uninterrupted writing
3. Quick discussions and/or writing using prompts
Write down predictions about the day’s lesson or questions you hope to have
Do a “quick write” in response to a specific question about the lesson
Discuss or write a news blurb (as a summarizing exercise).
Discuss or write “3-2-1” (as a summarizing exercise):
3 things I learned
2 things I already knew
1 question I still have
Out of this World9
Put common objects on a table. The students have to write a description of
one of the objects for a visitor from outer space who has no knowledge
about the object and what its purpose is. What is it? What does it look
like? What is it used for? Ask students to use as much detail as possible.
Writing Bugs
Story or essay starters. For example, “When I arrived at the English class
today, there was an orange sign on the door. The black lettering on the
sign said ‘Danger! Open at Your Own Risk!’ So I…”
What’s in a name? Where’d your name come from? Who named you? What
are some stories about your name?
Discussion or writing sparked by photos - - use books like The Family of Man,
Sisters or a collection of postcards, etc.
4. Cartoons
Cut out individual frames and use for sequencing practice (or newspaper
headline word-sorts).
Find examples of slang or use of dialect in cartoons, discuss or write about it.
Choose “the funniest cartoon of the day.” Discuss why it’s funny (it’s usually
about use of language).
9
“Out of This World” adapted from Reading Is Cool, by Sarah Mello Temple for School’s Out Consortium, Seattle.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 35
Box 5: A Few Ideas for “Anchor Activities” – Continued
5. “Icebreakers” and “energizers” that include language and literacy
There are a number of books and websites with great ideas. A FEW examples:
o Carl Olson: Energizers: Calisthentics for the Mind (Ed Media Corporation, 2000)
o Alanna Jones: Team Building Activities for Every Group and 104 Activities that
Build Self-Esteem and Teamwork (Rec Room Publishing)
o http://www.wilderdom.com/games/Icebreakers.html (with links to other sites)
o http://adulted.about.com/od/icebreakers/
o http://www.teach-nology.com/ideas/ice_breakers/1/
Examples of Icebreakers
Cross the Line
Everyone stands in a line or on one side of the room and the teacher asks a question,
such as “if you had fun with the art project, cross the line.” Some people walk across
the room or across a line that has been drawn on the floor or somehow designated.
Once they have crossed the line, everyone stops to see who is in which group, then
they all walk back together. Rotate questioners so everyone gets a chance to speak.
Use your imagination with questions:
If you’re left-handed…
If you can speak Spanish…
Poetry Hodgepodge
Form small groups. Give each group an envelope containing a nonrhyming poem that
has been cut into two-line pieces. Each envelope should have the same poem in it. Ask
the groups to reconstruct the poem as they think the author wrote it. Then have a
person from each group read the revamped poem. The more variations, the better.
After each group has shared its creative labor, read the true version of the poem.
My Problem
Divide into two teams. Each team sits in a row facing each other. Give each person a
piece of paper and a pencil. Ask those on one side to write down some great
predicament they imagine themselves in. Those on the other side, without
communicating with the first team, should write down a solution to some
predicament.
After everyone has written down a predicament or a solution, the first person in one
line states his or her predicament. Then the person opposite him or her says the
solution he or she had written down. This continues until everyone has had a turn.
36 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Incorporating Three Key Components in Instruction
As discussed earlier, there are three key components that need to be incorporated in all DYS
educational programs. These are:
1. A focus on literacy
2. Use of differentiated instruction
3. Attention to the diversity of our youth population
1. Focus on Literacy
An alarming number of youth in the United States lack the level of literacy proficiency they need
to succeed in school and adult life. As the Alliance for Excellent Education (December, 2004)
notes: “A student’s level of literacy is a critical determinant of success in secondary school and
beyond. Currently, more than half of America’s secondary students struggle to read their textbooks
and other course materials.” This is an issue of lifelong consequence, as evidenced by the correlation
between adult literacy levels and income levels (Jobs for the Future, 2002; U.S. Department of
Commerce, 2005). In addition, the literacy levels required for our youth to be successful in livingwage jobs – jobs that are increasingly technology- and knowledge-based – is increasing over time
(Barton, 2000).
A substantial portion of the adolescent population is in a “literacy crisis.” This literacy crisis is
especially true for our DYS youth. Research shows that low literacy levels are one of the most
common factors among young people caught up in the juvenile justice system. The Coalition for
Juvenile Justice reports that more than one-third of all juvenile offenders (median age, 15 and a
half) read below the fourth-grade level. And, they add, 82 percent of adult prison inmates are
school dropouts, and a high proportion is unable to read. Given the importance of literacy for
learning in school, for success in careers, and for life-long learning, it is critical that all DYS
educators, regardless of content area, provide their students with ample opportunities to develop
their literacy skills, both independently and through instruction in all content areas.
Six ways to develop literacy skills are discussed in this section:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Creating a literacy-rich environment in your classroom, program, or site
Providing lots of opportunities for reading, writing, speaking, and listening
Explicitly teaching literacy skills
Modeling and coaching students on strategies and habits used by good readers
Building in teaching strategies that support development of vocabulary and
comprehension skills
f. Using Writing to learn in the classroom
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 37
a. Create a literacy-rich environment
This is an environment in which our youth
are immersed in words – in speaking,
listening, reading, and writing. At the
classroom or program level, we want to
surround youth with many engaging,
authentic experiences that can support or
build their literacy skills.
The reason we need to surround our youth
with literacy experiences is simple: human
beings learn language and literacy largely
through exposure and practice. Kids who
come to school reading (or ready to read)
usually come from homes where there are
books, magazines, and newspapers, where
they are read to by caring adults, where there
is lots of conversation using increasingly
sophisticated vocabulary, and where literacy
is an integral and valued part of home life.
Children are “wired in” to learn language;
what they need is lots of exposure. The same
is true for reading and writing – at least
once young people have mastered the basics
(like phonics; skills usually taught in K-3rd
grades). So, we can promote literacy just
by having lots of literacy in the
environment and by actively
encouraging youth to read, write, speak,
and listen.
Sustained Silent Reading
Every program or class should have 15
minutes of Sustained Silent Reading
(SSR) on a regular basis.
Everyone – youth, teachers, staff, aides –
spends 15 minutes reading (every day, if
possible).
The goal is fluency. Youth are reading
what they want to read. They choose
the materials; they might bring materials
from home or school or use materials in
the program.
Have youth reflect briefly about what they
read at the end of the SSR. For example:
⇒ form pairs and tell their partners
3 things they got out of their
reading
⇒ keep a learning journal and write
a one paragraph summary
⇒ write or tell three predictions
they have about what will happen
next in the book they’re reading
Use a log to track what and how much
students read. Post progress. Celebrate
accomplishments.
The types of things to incorporate in a literacy-rich environment include:
Tools of the trade - A variety of reading and writing materials
Novels, memoirs, books of short stories or poems (for different levels and different interests;
there is an extensive list in the appendix)
Dictionaries and reference books
Newspapers and magazines
Multi-media supports (e.g. books on tape)
Pencils, pens, markers
Paper, notebooks, learning journals
Computers
38 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Displays of work
Posters, pictures, and charts
Student projects
Short bios of the youth
Book-jacket book reports by kids on books they loved
Poetry corner
Written instructions, posted and/or distributed
Directions for activities
Notes and assignments
Message board (for students and teachers)
Key objects are labeled
Inspirational and challenging literacy activities
Quote of the day
Word of the day (or week)
Literacy Challenge (e.g. a crossword puzzle, riddle, 1-minute mystery)
Strategy games that require logic and literacy
Fun literacy activities
Story telling
Games and activities that promote literacy skills
Board games that include written instructions
Jokes, riddles, puns, other word games
Regular activities that promote literacy
Sustained silent reading
Sustained silent writing
Conversations, debates, etc.
Journal writing / learning log
Other reflection activities
Creative writing
Book sharings / reports
Literacy is included in projects
Production of a newsletter, magazine, radio show
Projects that require research, writing, presenting
Poetry slams, drama productions
Students write and illustrate books for younger children or for their families
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 39
b. Provide lots of opportunities for reading, writing, speaking, and listening
Immersion in spoken and written language is critical for our youth. This immersion includes
setting up literacy-rich environments, described above. It also includes:
engaging youth with high interest and culturally appropriate literacy materials
using authentic literacy tasks to engage and motivate
rewarding efforts by youth at improving their literacy
including time for sustained reading, writing, speaking and listening
involvement by all the adults in the DYS facility as literacy-role models and mentors
infusion of literacy in all content areas and activities
The reason this immersion is so important is because children and youth who use language
relatively well tend to use it more, and in doing so, get even better at it. The “Matthew Effect” –
where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer (from the Book of Matthew) – certainly applies
to learning both spoken and written language. There are a number of studies that have shown the
“Matthew Effect” in literacy (see Cunningham and Stanovich, 1998; NCEE, 2002). One of the
most-cited studies (Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding, 1988) looked at the correlation among
percentile score on reading tests for adolescents, the amount of time reading different kinds of
material per day (outside of school), and the number of works read per year. As the following
chart shows, the best readers (at the 98 percentile) read over 9,000,000 words a year, while the
poorest readers report NO reading outside of school.
Reading percentile
score
Minutes reading per
day: books and other
materials for pleasure
Minutes reading per day: Approximate number
textbooks and
of words per year read
outside of school
assignments
98%
65.0 minutes
76.3 minutes
9,100,000
90%
21.2
33.4
4,200,000
70%
9.6
16.9
1,800,000
50%
4.6
9.2
900,000
20%
.7
2.4
150,000
2%
0
0
0
Source: Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding, 1998
In our DYS programs, we can provide engaging literacy activities in several ways:
1. We can draw on the interests, hobbies, and backgrounds of our students, we can provide
literacy experiences that build on background knowledge and motivate our students to
read and write. This can be especially important for learners who have been turned-off to
literacy.
2. We can encourage recreational reading and other activities that help students build fluency
and lifelong literacy habits.
40 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
3. We can expand our students’ horizons by using literacy to expose them to new ideas,
materials, and activities.
4. We can model how literacy is used in ‘real life’ and can encourage and cultivate those
literacy skills our students need for lifelong learning.
5. We can encourage reflection, through writing or speaking, with all activities.
Even in our short-term programs, we can “turn youth on” to a piece of literature, a
poem, the words of a song, an article, a type of writing, etc. This, at the minimum, can be
a goal of every program and every ELA teacher within DYS.
APPLICATION: 3 -2 -110
What do you currently do to create literacy-rich environments?
Looking at the list (above) write down (or share verbally) a “3 – 2 – 1”
- 3 things I learned about literacy rich environments
- 2 ideas I can use
- 1 question I have
10
Adapted from Diehl, W.A., Grobe, T, Lopez, H., and Cabral, C (1999) Project-Based Learning: A Strategy for Teaching and Learning.
Boston: Center for Youth Development and Education, Commonwealth Corporation.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 41
Our Students Can Make A Difference for Younger Children
Another reason to stress reading and writing in our programs is because of the
importance of family literacy. Research tells us that one of the best predictors for
success in school is the amount of time a child is exposed to reading, writing, speaking,
and listening in the home. As Benita Somerfield, Executive Director of the Barbara
Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, states: “Reading to your child early and often is
the single most important thing that you can do to help a child start school ready to
learn. Read to your child every night.”
Our students often have younger people in their lives – siblings, their own children,
or nieces and nephews. Our students need to know the importance of reading to and
with these children. One way to involve our students in reading, in fact, is to have them
practice oral reading of simple children’s books that they plan to share with these
children.
Our students also need to know that they can be invaluable role models for using literacy
to get information or solve problems. They can talk about what they’ve read. They can
play games with children that develop language and thinking skills. In our DYS programs,
if we can encourage youth to create literacy-rich environments and experiences for
their own siblings and children, we can help build literacy across the generations.
For information and ideas:
Massachusetts Family Literacy Consortium
http://www.doe.mass.edu/familylit/
National Center for Family Literacy
http://www.famlit.org/
Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
http://www.barbarabushfoundation.com/
Reading Matters from the MA Teachers Association, Boston Red Sox and Verizon
http://readingmatters.org
42 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Matching students with reading materials
A key to promoting lots of reading is to make sure reading materials match the reading levels,
interests, and background experiences of students. You want materials that can be read fairly
independently, yet stretch the student to improve his/her reading.
Some helpful hints:
Publishers sometimes indicate on the
cover of the book or on a book jacket the
age level or grade level for which they think
that book is most suitable.
You can easily get a readability level for
any material using Microsoft Word. See
the instructions below.
Remember : For a “reluctant reader” an
appropriate (or ‘cool’) book must have:
(1) a decent title
(2) a cover that will not embarrass the person
carrying it around (splashy / machismo /
evocative / culturally diverse is favored, but a
sophisticated-looking book is okay too)
(3) medium to large typography
(4) some photos or illustrations (if not childish)
(5) a good “hook” to keep the reader engaged
If you don’t have access to student reading levels (or if you want to check out if the information
is correct), you can do informal assessments of kids. Have the student read 100 words in the
material you think is the right level; if the student misses one or no words and answers 90%
of the comprehension questions you ask, that material is at an Independent Level.
The Five-Finger Method for matching students with books: An easy method to match a reader
with a book is to ask the reader to open the book to any random page. The student reads the
page and puts one finger on each word s/he doesn’t know. If the student runs out of fingers on one
hand – the book’s too difficult for them. The idea is that readers can handle material with some
unfamiliar words, if they know enough words to use the context. More than five unfamiliar words
per page means “Frustrational Level.”
Helpful hint: This is a very useful technique for students to know. It can help them pick out
appropriate independent materials.
Getting a Readability Score Using Microsoft Word
Either cut-and-paste or type in at least 150 words from the book or article. Then:
1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Spelling & Grammar tab.
2. Select the Check grammar with spelling check box.
3. Select the Show readability statistics check box, and then click OK.
4. On the Standard Toolbar, click Spelling and Grammar.
5. When Microsoft Word finishes checking spelling and grammar, it displays
information about the reading level of the document.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 43
High-Interest, Low Reading Level Books. High-interest, low reading level books are
specifically written for struggling readers. They use topics of interest to youth, but with
vocabulary and sentence structure at a low reading level. For example, the book may be of
interest to high school aged students, but written at a fourth-grade reading level (see Box 6).
Book Lists: There are also many book lists available on the web, arranged by age level, culture,
topic, special interest, and a variety of other categories. Box 7 lists a number of these websites.
For a booklist prepared specifically for DYS, see Appendix A-3.
44 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Box 6: Resources for High-Interest, Low-Level Books
Sample Websites
American Library Association’s quick picks for reluctant readers:
www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/quickpicks
Young Adult Library Services:
http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/yalsa.htm
Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/guides/guide-display/-/1C0O95RFIUUOB/0024437973-6609637
Reference Books
Ammon, Bette D. and Sherman, Gale W., More Rip-Roaring Reads for Reluctant Teen Readers.
Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1998. Grades 5-12. See also http://www.srv.net/
~gale/rrr.html
LiBretto, Ellen V., ed., High/Low Handbook: Encouraging Literacy in the ‘90s, 3rd ed. New
York: Bowker, 1998.
Rosow, La Vergne. Light ‘n Lively Reads for ESL, Adult, and Teen Readers: A Thematic
Bibliography. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1996.
National Council of Teachers of English. High Interest Easy Reading: An Annotated
Booklist for Middle and Senior High School. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of
English, 1996.
Pilla, Marianne Laino, ed. The Best: High/Low Books for Reluctant Readers and Resources
for Middle-Grade Reluctant Readers: A Guide for Librarians. Englewood, CO: Libraries
Unlimited, 1997.
Publishers of High-Interest, Low-Level Books
Perfection Learning — http://www.perfectionlearning.com
Scholastic Press — http://www.scholastic.com/index.asp
Saddleback — http://sdlback.com
Sundance Publishing — http://www.sundancepub.com
Capstone (esp. for grades 3–9) — http://www.capstone-press.com/capstone.cfm
Compass Learning (esp. software) — http://www.compasslearning.com
American Guidance Ser vice (high interest, low-level textbooks) —
http://www.agsnet.com
Jamestown Education Press (fiction and reading in the content areas) —
http://www.glencoe.com/gln/jamestown
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 45
Box 7: Books and Booklists
SEE BOOKLIST PREPARED FOR DYS IN APPENDIX A-3
The American Library Association
(http://www.ala.org/) provides many
booklists of great books.
• Award-winning books (in many categories, including Best Books for Teens,
Selected Audio books, Newbery Award winners, and many others):
http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/YALSA/
Booklists_and_Book_Awards/Booklists_and_Book_Awards.htm
• Coretta Scott King Award books — for books promoting understanding and
diversity: http://www.ala.org/ala/emiert/corettascottkingbookawards/
corettascott.htm
• Best Books for ages 12–18
http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/bestbooksyoung.htm
• Best Picks for Reluctant Readers
http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/quickpicks/quickpicksreluctant.htm
Boston Public Library
(http://bpl.org) offers a range of lists, and includes Spanish
versions.
For Teens: http://www.bpl.org/teens/booklists/index.htm
Other Libraries with up-to-date lists of the best books for teens
http://www.carnegielibrary.org/teens/read/teenlists.html
http://www.st-charles.lib.il.us/youth_services/yrl/ythread.htm
http://www.slco.lib.ut.us/yabest.htm
Check out your local library for similar booklists.
Multicultural Online Organizations
• Celebrating African American experience, PreK–12: http://www.ferglib.org/ferg/
youth_link/kidol/booklists/africanbooklist.htm
• Celebrating Hispanic experience, PreK–12: http://www.ferglib.org/ferg/
youth_link/kidol/booklists/hispanicbooklist.htm
• Leads to fifty great books, plus advice from top educators, writers, and
illustrators on how to spot literature that transcends stereotypes: http://
teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/instructor/multicultural.htm
High Interest Adolescent Literacy sites
• http://www.teenreads.com/ Offers extensive book, author and general
information for teen readers in a snappy newsletter format.
46 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Box 7: Books and Booklists Continued
• http://www.bookspot.com/youngadultfeature.htm Presents books with a twist,
not your average best sellers.
• http://www.grouchy.com/angst Reviews books that really get to the heart of
what teenagers are struggling with. Books are organized into categories such
as Journeys, Mixed-Up Families, Sex & Love, Challenges, Pressures and Healing.
• http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/YoungAdult/age.html Especially for the
young adult female grappling with coming of age. Profound books, such as
Dorothy Allison’s Bastard Out of Carolina and Sandra Cisneros’ The House on
Mango Street, reviewed.
c. Explicitly teach literacy skills
Many DYS students are substantially below grade level in reading and writing. For youth who are
four or more grade levels behind their peers, targeted and intensive instruction, tutoring, and
practice, often in basic literacy skills, are needed.
In many cases, especially in the longer-term programs, these students can be referred to Title I or
ESIS and receive intensive services, ranging from instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics,
word attack skills, and fluency to help with vocabulary development and comprehension. As an
ELA teacher, you should work with your program director to ensure the youth in your classroom
receive necessary Title I or ESIS services. The Title I and ESIS teachers can also help you differentiate
your instruction to meet the needs of these youth.
A student who is substantially behind may also have a learning disability and may have an Individual
Education Plan (IEP) from their home school; the IEP often specifies the types of reading or
writing instruction and support the young person needs (see later in this manual for more on
students with special needs).
There are mechanisms and services in place to explicitly teach basic literacy skills to students who
struggle the most with literacy. Often, however, it is difficult for you as a teacher to make use of
these services. For example, sometimes students are not in a DYS program long enough to make
use of Title I or ESIS programs. Or a student may have a learning disability and an IEP, but records
from the sending school don’t reach your the facility in a timely manner (if at all). Or, equally likely,
the student has a learning disability that was never diagnosed.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 47
While it is beyond the scope of this handbook to provide detailed instruction to regular ELA
teachers in how to explicitly teach basic literacy skills to struggling adolescents, here are a few
suggestions for working with youth who are substantially behind their peers in reading and
writing.
1. Work with students on word recognition.
• If a new word follows standard rules of phonics, help students “sound out” the word.
Make connections to other words that use the same rules of phonics.
• If a new word does not follow the standards rules of phonics (and many do not), help
students learn the word by sight. These “sight words” include many of the most common
(e.g. the, of, are, etc.) as well as many others. (In fact, over 50% of our words do not
conform to the ‘rules’ of phonics.) Sight words have to be learned by repetition, so use
flash cards for practice; have the student use the word in writing; and find other reading
selections where the word is used.
• Model for and coach the student in how to use the context in which an unfamiliar word
occurs to figure out what the word is. (Often, students know a word in their spoken
language that they don’t recognize in print.)
• Break down (and have the student break down) words that use prefixes and roots.
Identify the definition of the word part. Make connections to other words that use the
same part.
2. Encourage lots of reading in materials that are of high-interest but written at appropriately
low reading levels (see previous section).
3. Emphasize and reward personal effort. These students have had many years of failure in
literacy; any effort and all progress should be praised and rewarded.
4. Use good instructional practices, especially ones geared towards struggling students.11
These include:
• Pre-teach what you think be will be difficult – specific words, concepts, etc.
• Stress “similarities and differences” whenever you can
• Use graphic organizers, such as those shown later in this section
• Try to give multiple examples or exposures to any new idea or skill
• Help the student focus on mastery – the correct and fluent use of a strategy or new
concept; this success will build confidence and motivation
• Emphasize strategies that effective learners use
• Help students move from specific examples to generalizations
• Include social skills development in your activities
There is additional information about working with students with learning disabilities in a later
section of this manual.
This list partially adapted from Deshler, Ellis, and Lenz, Teaching Adolescents with Learning Disabilities, 2nd Edition. Love Publishing Co.,
1996.
11
48 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
d. Model and coach students on strategies and habits used by good readers
Another way to help students become more proficient in literacy is by modeling and coaching
students on strategies and habits used by good readers and writers. This approach, which comes
out of research about construstivist learning, metacognition, and scaffolding learning, is increasingly
being used in secondary and alternative schools. Referred to as collaborative coaching or cognitive
apprenticeship, this approach includes: WestEd’s Reading Apprenticeship; Boston’s Collaborative
Coaching and Learning; Readers / Writers Workshops; National Center on Education and the
Economy’s Ramp Up, and others.
In this approach, teachers:
• model effective literacy strategies (see below);
• think-aloud / articulate the strategies to students;
• provide instruction in strategies;
• coach students while they practice strategies;
• lead students through reflection and modification of strategies; and
• have students independently use the strategies.
The instructional strategy, then, is one of showing students strategies, coaching them, and gradually
releasing them to do the strategies on their own. An easy way of describing it is:12
I do – you watch
I do – you help
You do together – I help
You do independently – I watch
Or, from the students’ perspective: Show me – Help me – Let me
There are several different lists of effective literacy strategies that can be used in this approach.
One of the first was developed by P. David Pearson and colleagues from an extensive review of
research. Here are Pearson’s “Seven Strategies Used by Skilled Readers:”13
A good reader:
1. Uses existing knowledge to make sense of new information
2. Asks questions about the text before, during, and after reading
3. Draws inferences from the text
4. Monitors comprehension
5. Uses “fix-up” strategies when meaning breaks down
6. Determines what is important
7. Synthesizes information to create new understanding
This list partially adapted from Deshler, Ellis, and Lenz, Teaching Adolescents with Learning Disabilities, 2nd Edition. Love Publishing Co.,
1996.
12
From: Pearson, P.D., Roehler, L.R., Dole, J.A., & Duffy, G.G. (1992). Developing expertise in reading comprehension. In S.J. Samuels & A.E.
Farstrup (Eds.), What Research has to say about Reading Instruction (2nd ed., pp. 145–199). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
13
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 49
In this approach, teachers model and coach students in these seven strategies. In addition,
teachers model and coach the “fix-it” strategies, or things we do when we get stuck while
reading. These “fix-it” strategies are:
• Make a connection between the text and:
Your life
Your knowledge of the world
Another text
• Make a prediction
• Stop and think about what you have already read
• Ask yourself a question and try to answer it
• Reflect in writing on what you have read
• Visualize
• Use print conventions (headings; italicized word; etc)
• Retell what you’ve read
• Reread
• Notice patterns in text structure
• Adjust rate – slow down or speed up
There are a number of good resources for this approach, some of which are included in Box 8.
We especially recommend:
Schoenbach, Ruth, Greenleaf, Cynthia, Cziko, Christine, and Hurwitz, Lori. Published in
partnership with WestEd: (1999) Reading for Understanding: A Guide to Improving Reading
in Middle and High School Classrooms. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
The Vermont Strategic Reading Initiative. Available for free at: http://www.state.vt.us/educ/
new/html/pgm_curriculum/literacy_resources/reading_to_learn.html
APPLICATION
Why is this approach sometimes called a “cognitive apprenticeship
model?” How is this like an apprenticeship? How do you see using this
in your teaching.
Review the “fix-it” strategies. Think about which of them you used the
last time you read a difficult text.
50 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
e. Use Teaching Tools that Support the Development of Vocabulary and
Comprehension Skills
In addition to strategies-based modeling and coaching, we can use a variety of teaching tools to
help students use reading and writing to learn information and master competencies across the
content areas (including in ELA). Much of content learning in high school and beyond involves
effective use of reading and writing in a range of materials. Our DYS programs need to incorporate
teacher-directed practices that help students access, comprehend, remember, apply, and extend
content area reading material. We also need to help students use writing as a tool for learning in
all subjects. And we need to teach independent study-skills strategies so students can continue
learning from content materials.
These teaching tools can be used across all the content areas, not just in ELA. In fact, they are
most powerful when used in several content areas at the same time so students can see how to
apply the strategies in different materials.
There are many content-area reading strategies and tools, so we will include only a few key ones
in this manual (these are ones that can be used in all the content areas in DYS). There are several
very useful compilations of these strategies and tools (see Box 8). The compilations from McREL
have been distributed to many of the DYS sites.
Developing Vocabulary and Concepts
Much of the new information in ELA and other content areas is conveyed through new or
specialized vocabulary. Helping students with this new vocabulary is critical to their understanding.
Key ideas include:
1. Be selective in the words you teach
♦ Aim for 10-12 new words a week (don’t try to cover all the possible new words)
♦ Have students pick words from their reading or you pick the words. Ask:
• Are the words necessary for comprehension?
• Are the words of value in other contexts?
• Are the words or concepts they represent familiar to students?
• Will teaching these particular words enhance independent learning?
2. Pre-teach words (before the students encounter them in reading).
3. Use graphic organizers like concept maps or the Frayer model (shown in Appendix A-2).
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 51
4. Use the new word many times and in many ways. Students need multiple exposures to a
new word or concept to “get it.” Aim for 17 exposures.
• Use the word in many contexts and in your speaking and writing
• Use word games, worksheets, etc. to reinforce
• Have students keep a Vocabulary Notebook (shown in Appendix A-2)
5. Teach students to use “CSSD” as an independent vocabulary strategy. In this strategy,
students attack new words and concepts in this order:
a. Context - read “around” the word
b. Structure - recognizable parts
c. Sound - sound it out
d. Dictionary - look it up
Developing Comprehension
Tools for helping students with comprehending and remembering written information are usually
used “before,” “during,” or “after” the reading task.
Before-reading tools are designed to: a) build student interest; b) activate prior knowledge; c)
build additional background knowledge (including about new words and concepts); d) set purposes
for reading; and e) help guide the student to what is most important in the reading.
During-reading tools are intended to help students: a) zero in on what is most important in the
reading; b) be selective; c) use the context to unlock new words and concepts; d) periodically
reflect on the reading; and e) create meaningful organization of the information to aid
comprehension and retention.
After-reading tools help students: a) reflect upon what they read; b) tie what they read to their
background knowledge; c) put ideas into their own words; d) organize and consolidate information
to help remember it; and e) analyze, synthesize, or apply the information (use higher order
thinking skills).
There are many tools that could be used in DYS content areas (including ELA). Here are just a
sampling; fuller descriptions of many of these tools are included in Appendix A-2.
52 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Sampling of Comprehension Tools
Overall Tools (includes “before” “during” and “after” components) These tools are
described in detail in Appendix A-2: Sample Teaching Tools
♦ K-W-L Chart: Know-Want to Know–Learned
♦ SQ3R: Survey-Question-Read-Recite-Review
BEFORE students read new material:
♦ Preview material (you and/or students)
♦ Pre-teach vocabulary
♦ Activate prior knowledge
♦ Organize prior knowledge with graphic organizers
♦ Make predictions
♦ Ask questions at different levels
To help students DURING reading:
♦ Read aloud / think aloud
♦ Try to have some written or verbal response — to keep students on task
and to check on comprehension and vocabulary
♦ Stop-and-take note (at 10-20 minute intervals)
♦ Complete next parts of KWL or SQ3R
To help students AFTER reading:
♦ Summarizing
♦ Reflecting in writing or verbally
♦ Complete KWL or SQ3R
♦ Create map
♦ Reflect or summarize using nonlinguistic representations
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 53
Box 8: Reference Texts and Websites for Teaching Strategies
Available at most DYS sites:
• McREL – Series of strategy books, one general, and one in each major content
area:
Teaching Reading in the Content Area: If Not Me, Then Who?
Teaching Reading in Mathematics
Teaching Reading in Science
Teaching Reading in Social Studies
• Allen, Janet (2000) Yellow Brick Roads: Shared and Guided Paths to Independent
Reading 4-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Others:
• Allen, Janet (2004) Tools for Teaching Content Literacy. Portland, ME: Stenhouse
• Allen, Janet. (1999) Words, Words, Words: Teaching Vocabulary in Grades 4-12.
Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
• Burke, Jim Reading Reminders: Tools, Tips, and Techniques. Heinemann, 2000
• Harvey, Stephanie and Anne Goudvis, Strategies that Work: Teaching
Comprehension to Enhance Understanding. Stenhouse Publishers, 2000
• Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock (2001) Classroom Instruction That Works:
Research-Based Strategies For Increasing Student Achievement. Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.
• Readence, J. E., Bean, T. W., & Baldwin, R. S. (2001). Content Area Literacy: An
integrated approach. (7th ed.). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.
• Schoenbach, Ruth, Greenleaf, Cynthia, Cziko, Christine, and Hurwitz, Lori.
Published in partnership with WestEd: (1999) Reading for Understanding: A
Guide to Improving Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass
• Tovani, Cris (2004) Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Content Comprehension 612. Stenhouse.
• Vacca, R. T., & Vacca, J. L. (2002). Content Area Reading. (7th ed.). Boston: Allyn and
Bacon
• Wood, Karen & Dickinson, Thomas (2000), Promoting Literacy in Grades 4-9: A
Handbook for Teachers and Administrators. Boston: Allyn and Bacon
HANDBOOKS OF SPECIFIC STRATEGIES:
54 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Box 8: Reference Texts and Websites for Teaching Strategies Continued
Handbooks of Specific Strategies:
• Buehl, Doug (2001) Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning. (for 6-12 grade)
(2nd ed.). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
• Tierney, R. J., Readence, J. E., & Dishner, E. K. (2000). Reading Strategies and Practices:
A compendium. (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Struggling Readers:
• Beers, Kylene (2002) When Kids Can’t Read – What Teachers Can Do: A Guide for
Teachers 6-12. Portsmouth NH: Heinemann.
• Tovani, Cris (2000) I Read It, but I Don’t Get It: Comprehension Strategies for
Adolescent Readers. Portsmouth NH: Heinemann.
A Few Internet Resources for Comprehension:
Vermont’s “Reading to Learn: A Classroom Guide to Reading Strategy Instruction”
http://www.state.vt.us/educ/new/html/pgm_curriculum/literacy_resources/
reading_to_learn.html
Content Area Reading — Curricular WebQuests
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/edis771/webquests/students.html
Reading in the Content Area resources: Baltimore Public Schools
http://www.bcpl.net/~dcurtis/readingcontent/
Literacy strategies — whole range, defined, examples, tools
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/readquest/strat
http://www.sarasota.k12.fl.us/sarasota/interdiscrdg.htm
Graphic organizers
http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/index.html
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/srubrics.htm
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr1grorg.htm
http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-6286.html
http://www.wm.edu/TTAC/articles/learning/graphic.html
http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic73.htm
http://www.chapman.edu/soe/faculty/piper/teachtech/graphicorganizers.htm
http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/ieo/bibs/graphsec.html
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 55
Developing Comprehension Through Questioning
Questions are probably the most important tool in an educator’s toolkit. Questions are often
used to assess student understanding, but they are equally important in helping to shape literacy,
comprehension and thinking skills. DYS teachers can develop literacy and thinking skills by:
⇒ Using different levels of questions (Bloom’s
Taxonomy)
⇒ Using more open-ended questions
⇒ “Slicing” difficult questions
“Once you have learned to ask questions —
relevant and appropriate and substantial questions
— you have learned how to learn and no one can
keep you from learning whatever you want or need
to know.”
Neil Postman and
Levels of questions: Questions come in many
Charles Weingarten
on facts to complex questions that require
very analysis and application. By varying the types of questions we ask – with any activity – we
help young people build different types of thinking skills.
We often talk about three types of questions:
1. Literal – questions that are answered in the text (“Right there”)
2. Inferential or Interpretive – questions that require a stuent to combine information
from the text with information they know from elsewhere (“Author and me”)
3. Critical / Applied – questions that ask the reader to go beyond the material – for example,
to make a judgment or to apply the information to a new situation (“On my own”)
Teachers (and our textbooks) tend to ask literal-level questions, especially of students we think
are struggling. This often keeps comprehension at a surface, or literal level. We can deepen
understanding by using inferential and applied questions.
A system for organizing questions and thinking skills is Bloom’s Taxonomy.1 This is a hierarchical
system of ordering thinking skills from lower to higher, with the higher levels including all of the
cognitive skills from the lower levels. Bloom’s levels are:
Knowledge - Remembering previously learned material, e.g., definitions, concepts, principles,
formulas.
Comprehension - Understanding the meaning of remembered material, usually demonstrated
by explaining in one’s own words or citing examples.
Application - Using information in a new context to solve a problem, to answer a question, or
to perform another task. The information used may be rules, principles, formulas, theories,
concepts, or procedures.
Analysis - Breaking a piece of material into its parts and explaining the relationship between
the parts.
Synthesis - Putting parts together to form a new whole, pattern or structure.
Evaluation - Using a set of criteria, established by the student or specified by the instructor, to
arrive at a reasoned judgment.
Following (Box 9) are key words and sample questions for each level. Try to vary the level of
questions you ask.
14
Benjamin Bloom (ed)., Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Handbook I Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co., 1956.
56 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
BOX 9: Levels of Questions – Bloom’s Taxonomy15
Level 1: Knowledge - exhibits previously learned material by recalling facts, terms, basic
concepts and answers.
Key words: who, what, why, when, where, which, choose, find, how, define, label, show, spell,
list, match, name, relate, tell, recall, select
Sample Questions: What is . . . ? How is . . . ? Where is . . . ? When did _____ happen? How did
______ happen? How would you explain . . . ? Why did . . . ? How would you describe . . . ? When
did . . . ? Can you recall . . . ? Can you list three . . . ? Which one . . . ?
Level 2: Comprehension - demonstrating understanding of facts and ideas by organizing,
comparing, translating, interpreting, giving descriptions and stating main ideas.
Key words: compare, contrast, demonstrate, interpret, explain, extend, illustrate, infer, outline,
relate, rephrase, translate, summarize, show, classify
Sample Questions: How would you compare . . . ? contrast . . . ? How would you rephrase the
meaning . . ? What facts or ideas show . . . ? What is the main idea of . . . ? Which statements
support . . . ? Can you explain what is happening . . . what is meant . . .? What can you say about . . . ?
Which is the best answer . . . ? How would you summarize . . . ?
Level 3: Application - solving problems by applying acquired knowledge, facts, techniques
and rules in a different way.
Key words: apply, build, choose, construct, develop, interview, make use of, organize, experiment
with, plan, select, solve, utilize, model, identify
Sample Questions: How would you use . . . ? What examples can you find to . . . ? How would
you solve _______ using what you have learned . . . ? How would you organize _______ to show .
. . ? How would you show your understanding of . . . ? What approach would you use to . . . ?
How would you apply what you learned to develop .. ? What other way would you plan to . . . ?
What would result if . . . ? Can you make use of the facts to . . . ?
Level 4: Analysis - examining and breaking information into parts by identifying motives or
causes; making inferences and finding evidence to support generalizations.
Key words: analyze, categorize, classify, compare, contrast, discover, dissect, divide, examine,
inspect, simplify, survey, take part in, test for, distinguish, list, distinction, theme, relationships,
function, motive, inference, assumption, conclusion
Sample Questions: What are the parts or features of .. . ?
How is ___ related to ___? Why do you
think .? What is the theme . . . ? What motive is there . . . ? Can you list the parts . . . ? What
inference can you make . . . ? What conclusions can you draw . . . ? How would you classify . . . ?
How would you categorize . . . ? What evidence can you find . . . ? What is the relationship
between . . ? What is the function of . . ? What ideas justify .. ?
15
Reference: Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking, based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, developed by Linda G. Barton.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 57
BOX 9: Levels of Questions – Bloom’s Taxonomy Continued
Level 5: Synthesis - compiling information together in a different way by combining
elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions.
Key Words: build, choose, combine, compile, compose, construct, create, design, develop,
estimate, imagine, invent, make up, plan, predict, propose, solve, suppose, discuss, modify,
change, improve, adapt, minimize, maximize, elaborate, test, change
Sample Questions: What changes would you make to solve . . . ? How would you improve . .?
What would happen if . . . ? Can you elaborate on the reason . . . ? Can you invent . . . ? Can you
propose an alternative . . . ? How would you adapt ________ to create a different . . . ? What
could be done to minimize (maximize) . . . ? What way would you design . . . ? How would you test
. . . ? Can you predict the outcome if . . . ? What facts can you compile . . . ?
Level 6: Evaluation - presenting and defending opinions by making judgments about
information, validity of ideas or quality of work based on a set of criteria.
Key Words: award, choose, conclude, criticize, decide, defend, determine, dispute, evaluate,
judge, justify, measure, compare, mark, rate, recommend, select, agree, interpret, explain,
appraise, prioritize, opinion, support, importance, criteria, prove, disprove, assess, influence,
perceive, value, estimate, influence, deduct
Sample Questions: What is your opinion of . . . ? Why was it better that . . . ? How would you
prove . . . ? disprove . . . ? Can you assess the value or importance of . . . ? What would you
recommend . . . ? How would you rate the . . . ? What would you cite to defend the actions . . . ?
How would you evaluate . . . ? How could you determine . . . ? What choice would you have
made . . . ? What would you select . . . ? How would you prioritize . . . ? What judgment would
you make about . . . ?
58 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
f. Using Writing to Learn: Reflection and Journals16
“Reflection” refers to any process that a person uses to think critically about their experiences.
Writing, reading, speaking, listening, discussing, and presenting are all possible tools for reflection.
And reflection can be used with any class, activity, club, or experience.
It is in the act of reflecting that a person processes the experience, forms understanding and
knowledge from the experience, extends that understanding to other situations, and comes to
“own” the experience and the learning. For example, we are bombarded with experiences and
bits of information every day, most of which we ignore or attend to in a cursory way. It is those
experiences that “draw our attention,” cause us to “sit up and take notice,” or make us
“step back and think” that we learn the most from.
Reflection can be used to:
⇒ help young people think critically about their experiences
⇒ help them make personal connections to their experiences and to their learning
⇒ guide the learning process and deepen or extend the learning that takes place
⇒ integrate activities with academic content and learning standards
⇒ cause youth to think about and internalize the skills they use (such as interpersonal skills;
planning skills)
⇒ provide a tool for youth to use to self-assess (e.g. what they are learning; what they find
difficult; how their group is functioning; etc.)
⇒ help teachers and staff assess student engagement, learning, or group process
Reflection activities and strategies have always been used in education. The kinds of activities and
questions most suited to our types of activities have been largely developed out of the community
service-learning movement.
Students can reflect silently, verbally, or in writing. We recommend youth programs use journals
for reflection as an integral part of the activities. Youth can discuss their reflections and then write
ideas in their journals.
Journals
Personal reflection involves young people making personal connections with their experiences.
This does not require any type of writing or presenting (since personal reflections are meant for
the student only) but writing or discussing should be encouraged since it forces students to
process their experiences more than just thinking does.
Adapted from Diehl, W.A., Grobe, T, Lopez, H., and Cabral, C (1999) Project-Based Learning: A strategy for Teaching and Learning.
Boston: Center for Youth Development and Education, Commonwealth Corporation.
16
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 59
Keeping a personal journal in which youth are asked to reflect regularly is one way to structure
this type of reflection (and a way used often in afterschool and community service-learning programs).
These personal journals are a place for students to simply capture their experiences and responses
to those experiences, without regard for mechanics or specific learning outcomes.
Another type of journal is a learning journal. This is a place for youth to reflect on their experiences
(e.g. work experiences, recreation, a specific class, etc.) and articulate how those experiences help
them learn, expand, reinforce, or apply specific learning standards and/or life skills.
Learning journals can include:
⇒ Descriptions of the experiences, research, or other tasks done
What happened?
⇒ Reflection on what was learned from the experiences
What did I learn?
⇒ Reflection on how that learning relates to formal learning in school
How does this relate to what I learned in school?
⇒ Reflection on where else in life the youth sees an application of this learning
How does this relate to my life?
As part of the learning journal, students can also assess themselves, their learning, and their
group participation (reflect on working habits, group participation, progress on tasks, improvements
to be made, places where teacher help is needed, questions that need answering or clarification,
etc.).
A third type of journal, which can be kept by individual students or by a group, is the project
journal. This journal is used to document the progress of a project or activity, capture and
describe learning that takes place, pose questions and concerns that arise, and reflect on the
group’s process.
One important note:
Youth need to be informed from the outset about whether their journals and other reflections will
be seen by other youth and/or staff. Even when youth know their entries may be reviewed by others,
they should have the choice to not share (especially entries in personal journals). One way to do this
is to have them fold back any page they do not want someone else to read. It is very important
that the staff or other youth honor that request. This is a crucial point because a climate of trust
needs to exist for youth to take part in serious and extensive reflection.
60 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Writing in ELA Classroooms
In addition to using writing as part of the learning process, learning to write various types of
compositions, essays, stories, and poems is a critical part of literacy in the DYS classroom.
Extended Composition Assignments17
Students need to write frequently in a variety of forms and for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Just as they learn about the different genres of literature, they also learn that different purposes
of writing, such as for persuasion or narration, entail different modes of thinking and expression.
Students learn to write well when they are taught strategies for organizing a first draft, writing
successive versions, revising, and editing. They learn to polish their compositions by reorganizing
sentences or paragraphs for clarity, adding or deleting information, and finding precise words.
They learn to correct grammar, spelling, and mechanics. Collectively, these steps are sometimes
referred to as “the writing process” and often take place over several sessions or days. By critiquing
one another’s work, students discover how composing differs from conversing and how composing
is a craft that can become an art.
The Five-Paragraph Essay
A key type of writing – and one that is assessed on the MCAS and other assessments – is the fiveparagraph essay. This is usually a persuasive or a descriptive essay. For example, students may be
asked to explain why a character in a novel acted in a certain way, or to compare two characters in
a play, or to determine what the theme of a short story is.
In a persuasive essay, the writer attempts to provide the reader with solid proof which will make
the reader agree with the opinion of the writer. The art of persuasion is complicated; the writer
must understand and appreciate other’s opinions, yet be skilled enough to manipulate the reader
into both reading and accepting his/her opinion.
In a descriptive essay, the writer attempts to provide the reader with the kinds of main ideas and
details that will enable the reader to experience (see, hear, smell, feel, etc) what the writer is
describing.
These essays generally are very structured. They contain five paragraphs (unless the directions
allow for more.) They include an introduction, three (or more) paragraphs of proof, elaboration,
or description, and a conclusion.
Because of the importance of this type of essay on standardized tests, it is recommended that DYS
teachers work with students on this type of writing. Many of the DYS facilities now have MCAS
preparation books and writing resources that include instruction and practice in this type of
writing.
17
Adapted from the June, 2001 version of the Massachusetts ELA Frameworks.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 61
2. Use of Differentiated Instruction18
Differentiating instruction is a key strategy to modify our curriculum so it meets the wide range
of needs, skills, learning styles, and interests of students in our DYS classes. It means providing
multiple ways for students to take in information, make sense of ideas, and express what they
learn. In other words, differentiated lessons provide different avenues for students to acquire
content, process or make sense of ideas, and develop products that demonstrate the degree to
which they have mastered the learning objectives.
Differentiation is rooted in quality teaching and requires teachers to use their creativity and an
expansive instructional toolbox to meet students’ learning needs. There are four different ways
we can adjust the curriculum or instruction to meet varying needs:
1.
Content – what we teach and what we want students to learn (the “input”). While we
want to maintain the same learning standards for all students, we can get at that standard
using different types or levels of materials and instruction.
2.
Process – the activities through which students process or make sense of the content.
For example, a learning activity can be adjusted by having students choose which of two
or more approaches they wish to do.
3.
Product – how students demonstrate and extend what they have learned (the “output”).
There are many options for how a student can demonstrate learning (see the list in Box
10).
4.
Learning Environment – the classroom conditions and use of outside resources that
support the learning.
Characteristics of Students as Learners
As you plan curriculum and instruction for the diverse DYS student population, consider three
major aspects of the learner:
1.
Cognitive Readiness – a student’s starting point with regard to the learning objectives.
This is based on the student’s prior knowledge and skills. You can assess the level of
readiness through pre-assessment activities at the beginning of the unit.
2.
Interest – contexts or topics that the student finds motivating and appealing. Modifying
curriculum or instruction for students based on interest frequently involves giving them
choices.
3.
Learning Profile – incorporates learning styles, multiple intelligence preferences, and
other factors of personality, including ethnic and gender issues. Each student has his/her
own unique make-up as a learner. Tapping into this profile can motivate the learner and
accelerate the learning.
Portions of this section were adapted from The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners, by C. Tomlinson, 1999, and
Differentiation in Practice: A Resource Guide for Differentiating Curriculum, by C. Tomlinson and C. Eidson, 2003. Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
18
62 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
How Do We Differentiate Curriculum and Instruction?
A teacher differentiates curriculum and instruction by:
adjusting the Content, the Process (or Activity), the Product (or Assessment), and/or the
Learning Environment
making the adjustments based on differences in students’ Cognitive Readiness, Interests,
or Learning Profile
This interaction is outlined in the Tables below.
Ideas for Differentiating CONTENT
Student Characteristic
Strategies
Cognitive Readiness
• Use texts at various reading levels.
• Use audio-taped or video materials.
Have some students do reading aloud for weaker
students.
• Provide graphic organizers of other note-taking guides
to support students’ comprehension of content
material.
Interest
• When possible, pick topics based on students’ interests.
• When appropriate allow students to choose a topic of
study (i.e. this poet, or this author; or, this example of
figurative language).
• Allow students to choose various poems, short stories
or titles in various genres.
Learning Profile
• Present material in visual, auditory or kinesthetic
modes when possible.
• Present the content in a variety of ways that will also
tap into students’ multiple intelligence preferences.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 63
Ideas for Differentiating PROCESS (ACTIVITIES)
Student Characteristic
Cognitive Readiness
Strategies
• Develop tiered activities (at different levels of difficulty but
focused on the same learning objectives). Bloom’s Taxonomy
can provide the verbs to adjust the tasks making some
more complex than others.
• Vary the pacing of student work.
• Group students either by similar strengths, or mix the
groups to allow student to help each other.
• Provide more support for some students (i.e. vocabulary
support lists, outlines or use of notes, etc.).
• Use a “jigsaw” method of cooperative learning (students
specialize in aspects of a topic they find interesting).
• Have students choose an activity from a provided list or
set of centers.
Interest
Learning Profile
• Students can work alone or with another student.
• Students can complete the task using a style they prefer.
Ideas for Differentiating PRODUCT (ASSESSMENT)
Student Characteristic
Strategies
Cognitive Readiness
• Develop tiered rubrics, keeping the same criteria, but
adjusting the weighting of each criteria.
• Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to adjust the product options
based on complexity (tiering the final product).
• Provide some students with modifications related to
their learning needs (open note, more time, research
support….).
Interest
• Allow students to choose the format or medium to
satisfy the guidelines of the final product (see Box 10).
• Allow students to select special topics of interest to
highlight in their final product.
Learning Profile
• Provide options for the product that are aligned with
various Multiple Intelligence preferences.
• Allow students to work alone or with a partner.
• Allow some students to demonstrate learning at the
concrete level, and encourage others to be more abstract.
64 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Characteristics of a Differentiated Classroom
Teachers begin where students are (honoring students’ cognitive readiness).
Teachers engage students in instruction through different learning modalities (referring to
Interests and Learning Profile).
A student competes more against himself/herself than others. All students are measured as
individuals against a set of standards.
All students are doing engaging and challenging work. All students at all levels do critical
thinking and problem solving; students with lower readiness levels are not simply given
packets of review material.
Teachers provide specific ways for each individual to learn. The teacher uses strategies from
his/her instructional toolbox to support and encourage learning.
Teachers use classroom time and space flexibly. When appropriate, some students use a
computer, some pair with other students, and on occasion students are given extra time to
complete work.
Teachers use data and are diagnosticians, deciding on the best possible instruction for each
student. Teachers get to know their learners as much as possible and provide
accommodations accordingly.
Basic “Rule of Thumb”
Be clear on the essential questions, key concepts, and important learning standards that give
meaning and structure to the mini-unit or lesson you are planning.
Consider: What is important for every student to know, understand and be able to do, and
how will you differentiate the curriculum and instruction to promote their achievement of
these learning objectives?
APPLICATION: INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES
Are you currently using a variety of activities to teach your students? Why
is it important to do so?
Taking a lesson you do with students (or plan to do with students), come
up with 3 additional activities you could do to teach the same content.
Make the activities appeal to different learning styles or intelligences.
Taking the same lesson, what could you do to build on or incorporate
students’ real-life experiences into the lesson? Focus on literacy.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 65
Box 10: Written, Oral and Artistic Products and
Performances for Differentiation19
Play
Oral
Announcement
Artistic
Art show
Other
Carnival
Announcement
Poem
Audiotape
Assembly
performance
Community
awareness
Anthology
Press release
Campaign
speech
Banner
Community
service
Autobiography
Public relations
plan
Challenge
Bulletin board
Contest
Bibliography
Proposal
Debate
Cartoon
Dance
Book
Publication
Debrief
Chart
Database
Brochure
Questionnaire
Dialogue
Collage
Election
Business card
Research paper
Discussion
Collection
Field trip
Conjecture
Review
Interview
Comic book
Fundraiser
Text
Set of
instructions
Lecture
Construction
Game show
Critique
Set of questions
Mediation of a
dispute
Computer
graphic
Garden
Crossword
puzzle
Scrap book
“Meeting of the
minds”
Costume
Gift
Debate
Script
Monologue
Dance
Hypercard
Essay
Story
Music
Decoration
Instrument
Experimental
record
Survey
Newscast
Diagram
Invention
File cards
Test
Oral exam
Diorama
Jewelry
Game
Text
Display
Oral report
Meal
Grant proposal
Textbook
Oral
interpretation
Drawing
Microcosm
Written
Advertisement
Adapted from Diehl, W.A., (2005) Building Literacy Competencies in Alternative Education Settings. (Developed for U.S. Department
of Labor). Boston: Center for Youth Development and Education, Commonwealth Corporation.
19
66 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Box 10: Written, Oral and Artistic Products and
Performances for Differentiation
Written
Oral
Artistic
Other
Multimedia event
Handbook
Time line
Panel
Filmstrip
Interview
Translation
Play
Floor plan
Museum
Journal
Travel log
Poetry reading
Graph
Nature trail
Letter
Travel guide
Presentation
Hierarchy
Log
Web pages
Quiz show
Impersonation
Public relations
Marketing plan
Workout plan
Rap
Map
Puppet show
Magazine
Work plan
Sermon
Mime
Puzzle
Memo
Worksheet
Skit
Mobile
Sale
Newsletter
Song
Model
Scrimmage
Newspaper
Speech
Mural
Shadow box
Notebook
Teaching lesson
Painting
Simulation
Notes
Tour
Photographs
Spreadsheet
Pamphlet
Trial
Poster
Store
Plan
Translation
Pottery
Time capsule
Scrapbook
Web/Internet
Product redesign
Sculpture
Story board
Note: Many of these products can fall into more than one category. For purposes of economy,
we list each in one category only.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 67
3. Attention to the Diversity of our Population
The DYS population is diverse in many ways – racially, ethnically, economically, and educationally.
DYS students are diverse in their background knowledge, interests, aspirations, learning styles,
multiple intelligences, social-emotional strengths and challenges, and other areas. We need to be
sensitive towards and build on all these types of diversity.
Our desire is to promote an understanding of diversity as it applies to all aspects of these
students’ lives. When educators are sensitive to issues related to tolerance they are better able
to foster environments that promote an understanding of differences and are powerful places for
learning. The selection of topics and resources that are relevant to their own lives and experiences
and not culturally biased is especially important. By striving to expose them to both their own
ethnic, cultural, histories, home life settings/styles as well as others beyond their own life experiences
we are sure to broaden their perspectives about the world around them and their place in it.
In this DYS manual, we focus on three areas of diversity. These are areas in which DYS has a
disproportionately high percentage of youth:
a) Students fromdiverse racial and ethnic backgrounds
b) English learners
c) Students with special needs
Who are DYS youth?
The DYS system serves approximately 9,000 students per year, with roughly 1,500 students
enrolled at a given time. DYS committed caseload increased 107% between 1992-2002.
DYS students in the detained population are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
82.5 % percent male and 17.5% female.
37% white, 25% African American, 27% Latino, 3% Asian, and 8% other.
Between 10 and 19 years old, with an average age of 15 years, 4 months at initial commitment.
On average, approximately 17 years old.
Placed in DYS custody for as little as one day to as long as several years.
Nearly 12% indicted as Youthful Offenders and committed to DYS until the age of 21.
Many DYS students have had a history of delinquency prior to placement in DYS:
• Nearly half of DYS committed youth were place in out-of-home residential placement by
another agency prior to commitment.
• Nearly 75% of DYS committed youth were adjudicated delinquent (found guilty of a crime)
and placed on probation at least once prior to their commitment to DYS.
68 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
DYS students are a diverse group of young people who face many academic challenges:
• Approximately 45% of the DYS committed population has been identified as qualified for
special education services.
• A large majority are 2 to 4 years below grade level.
DYS students also face also face a number of social and emotional challenges:
• 20% of committed DYS students take psychotropic medications.
• In only one of seven cases were the juvenile’s biological parents married and living together
at the time of their child’s commitment to DYS.
• More than 50% of the biological mothers and fathers of the DYS committed population had
not completed the 12th grade.
• More than half of the committed population have received services from the Department
of Social Services prior to commitment. 75% of committed girls have had DSS involvement.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 69
a. Teaching Students from Diverse Racial and Ethnic Backgrounds
Below are several key elements of a classroom environment which promotes high achievement for
a diverse student population:20
High Expectations
Low expectations are a major contributor to the achievement gap. Teachers must be willing to
internalize the belief that all students can achieve mastery of challenging material. When this
belief system is active in a classroom:
• Students are taught challenging, rigorous curriculum, and work with material that requires
the use of higher order thinking skills.
• Teachers persist in helping students meet standards by changing instructional approaches
to meet the needs of each student.
• Teachers adopt a “no excuses” policy for their students and for themselves.
• The culture of the school reflects the belief that all children can learn to high levels.
• Teachers provide specific and timely feedback to students about their work.
Culturally Relevant Instruction
To be effective with students from diverse backgrounds, it is important that instruction be culturally
relevant. In such settings:
• Teachers and other school staff learn about the cultural norms and family history that
influence students’ learning and behavior in school.
• The principles, theories, and concepts taught in schools use information, illustrations and
examples from students’ cultures.
• Culturally meaningful instructional materials are used. Print media written by and about
people of color are available and used in instruction.
• Learning activities are connected to students’ family and community experiences.
Caring Relationships
Caring relationships between teachers and students are integral to academic success. In effective
classrooms:
• Teachers express interest in students as individuals.
• Student progress and accomplishments are celebrated.
• Staff share information (as appropriate) to help teachers develop an understanding of each
student.
• Routines and procedures are clear and consistent.
Resources
• Delpit, Lisa. Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflicts in the Classroom. New York, New
York: The New Press, 1995.
• “Strategies for Working with Diverse Learners,” Mongtomery County Public Schools. http:/
/www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/development/documents/diversity/diversity_article.pdf
20
Excerpted in part from “Strategies for Working with Diverse Learners,” published on the Montgomery County Public Schools website:
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/development/documents/diversity/diversity_article.pdf
70 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
b. Teaching English Learners
A growing number of young people in the DYS system are English Learners. Nationally, this
group of students is the fastest growing segment of the school-age population.
English Learners are a diverse group with varied levels of English fluency and reading ability in
other languages. Many need extra support to be successful in English language arts.
English Learners in DYS face a number of special challenges in this area, including:
• Unfamiliarity with words, expressions, cultural references (fables, nursery rhymes, popular
media)
• Unfamiliarity with rules of English grammar (order of nouns and adjectives, verb conjugation)
and the irregularity of English phonics
• Fear of looking foolish in front of peers because of their limited English skills
Some ways to help English Learners develop literacy:21
• Emphasize new words and present them in context.
• Model activities (do them yourself first) to help students learn new material.
• Make connections between students’ prior experience and new material.
• Use graphic displays (pictures, charts, labels) and real world objects to help English Learners
understand the material being taught.
• Have English Learners work in small groups with other students
• Give English Learners plenty of opportunities to practice listening, reading, speaking, and
writing.
• Make sure that the material taught – and the language used to teach it - is appropriate for
the students’ level of English fluency.
• Use a number of different ways teach a concept.
• Use of a variety of question types, including those that promote higher level thinking
skills.
• If possible, allow for clarification in students’ native language.
• Help students become aware of their own learning process.
Resources:
• Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol: www.siopinstitute.net See especially Making
Content Comprehensible for English Language Learners: The SIOP Model, Second Edition.
Allyn & Bacon, 2003.
• Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL): www.tesol.org
• National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition www.ncela.gwu.edu/
• National Center for ESL Literacy Instruction,“English Language Instruction for Incarcerated
Youth,” www.cal.org/caela/digests/incarcyouth.htm
21
Selected strategies from Making Content Comprehensible for English Language Learners: The SIOP Model, Second Edition. Allyn & Bacon,
2003, and “A Framework for Teaching English Learners,” WestEd Regional Educational Laboratory, 2005.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Instruction 71
c. Teaching Students with Special Needs
Approximately 45% of DYS students have special education needs. Regular education teachers
have an important role to play in meeting the needs of these students.
Special Education rights and process.
In Massachusetts, the special education system is based on the federal special education law, the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), in combination with the state’s special education
law (MGL c. 71B).
Students are guaranteed a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment,
and receive education designed to meet their unique needs through the implementation of an
Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
After a student is assessed as having special needs, an IEP team is formed to write the student’s
plan. Once the team has completed the IEP and it has been approved by the parent (or guardian,
or surrogate parent), it is implemented by the student’s school. The plan is reviewed by the IEP
team at least once a year and is revised if necessary.
The IEP must establish annual goals for the student, broken down into short-term objectives or
benchmarks. The goals may address academic, social or behavioral needs, relate to physical needs,
or address other educational needs. Some students have what is known as a “504 plan,” which is
a plan for students who have disabilities which do not interfere with their ability to progress in
general education.
The role of the regular education teacher:
• Participate in the IEP team and contribute your knowledge of the student’s progress and
needs to the process of developing and revising the student’s plan.
• Work with the education liaison to obtain a copy of the student’s IEP.
• If the student does not have an IEP and you feel that he or she has special needs, work with
your school director and the parent or guardian to begin the evaluation process.
• Modify your instruction to meet the goals stated in the IEP.
• Coordinate your teaching with the Special Education instructor.
• Seek out professional development to help you understand the special needs of your
students.
• Support the student with good teaching strategies.
• Be an advocate for the student to ensure that he/she receives appropriate support.
Resources:
• “Guide to the Individualized Education Program,” Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services, U.S. Department of Education, July, 2000.
• “A Parent’s Guide to Special Education,” The Federation for Children with Special Needs
and the Massachusetts Department of Education.
• Massachusetts Department of Education. http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/
• Federation for Children with Special Needs. http://www.fcsn.org
72 Instruction - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Assessment
Assessment is a critical part of the education process. It is the “deliberate use of many methods
to gather evidence to indicate that students are meeting standards.” (Wiggins & McTighe, 199822)
There are four types and uses for assessment in ELA programs in DYS:
screening / placement in appropriate materials or classrooms
diagnosis of specific reading or writing problems
progress towards learning standards
Remember the “Goldilocks”
final attainment of learning standards
Principle of Assessment:
Screening / placement: These assessments are important
1. Not too hard
in helping a teacher know, in at least a broad sense, where a
2. Not too easy
student is in terms of ELA knowledge and skills. These
3. Just right
assessments are typically brief to administer, easy to score,
and produce a general score or grade equivalency. They are
usually norm referenced, meaning they gauge how a student does in relation to the average or
“norm” student at different levels (for example, how your student compares with the “average”
10th grader). One example of this type of assessment that is used in some DYS programs is the
Woodcock-McGrew-Werder Mini Battery of Achievement, or MBA. Other batteries of tests,
such as the American Guidance Services’ GRADE (Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic
Evaluation), also used in DYS programs, include a locator or screening test.
While the results of these tests are broad and often do not measure such important variables as
interest and background knowledge, they are helpful in planning instruction, especially when a
student newly arrives in a DYS classroom. Knowing, for example, that a student is reading at the
fourth grade level helps a teacher pick appropriate reading materials and assignments.
There are also informal ways to make certain instructional decisions about students. For example,
there are ways to match students with appropriate reading materials (see the section “Matching
Students with Materials” in Part 4: Instruction).
Diagnostic: While placement tests give a teacher a place to start, the results usually don’t tell
enough about a student’s specific skills to inform instruction. Sometimes records from a student’s
previous schooling (including IEPs) give such information, but often these records are nonexistent or arrive well after the student has started in a class. Diagnostic tests are designed to
give a teacher specific information about strengths and weaknesses of learners. For example,
GRADE gives information about “sentence comprehension,” “paragraph comprehension,”
“vocabulary,” and other areas, as well as information about question and passage types. Other
more diagnostic tests can identify specific skills (“finding the main idea,” “making inferences,”
“using the context for new words,” etc.). As a rule, the more diagnostic information a teacher
wants, the longer and more detailed the test.
22
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998) Understanding by Design. New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Assessment 73
Diagnostic tests and results are especially helpful in the Title 1 and ESIS classrooms and for
students with learning disabilities. Because these tests can point to specific skill deficits and
strengths, they are most often used with individual or small-group work that focuses on remediating
skill gaps.
In the ELA classroom, teachers should continually use informal methods – observations, examination
of student work, discussions, student reflection, and others – to make diagnostic decisions about
student skills and gaps.
Progress: Assessing student progress towards the learning goals and standards that you have
set out is the most important use of assessment in the classroom. In the DYS classroom, instruction
should be designed with the end-goal – the learning standards – in mind. Hence, in the DYS miniunits and lessons, teachers are encouraged to first identity what students should know, understand,
and be able to do as a result of instruction, and then map those to Massachusetts learning
standards. All the activities and projects done in the mini-unit are then designed to help students
reach the standards. The activities and projects also serve as assessments of student progress
and help the instructor make instructional decisions and modifications.
There are a range of methods to assess progress, from the traditional (quizzes, reports, checklists)
to such methods as portfolios, conferencing, learning logs, graphic organizers, and student reflections
(see Box 11). In fact, anything a student produces as part of working on a mini-unit can be used
to assess progress. At its best, this type of assessment is “embedded” in the learning itself.
Final Attainment: Mini-units are designed with a final product or performance in mind. This
final product is used to demonstrate the learning that has taken place. While traditionally, final
exams or major papers were used for this purpose, more real-life performances or products can
give a much better indication of what students know and are able to do. These real-life or
authentic products are usually assessed using a rubric (see next section).
In addition to classroom assessments of learning attainment, tests such as the MCAS and the
GED are also designed to measure learning against a set of standards. There is a section on the
MCAS at the end of this part.
APPLICATION ACTIVITY: Assessment
Make a list of at least 5 ways you use assessment in your classroom
Which type of assessment is most useful for students in DYS
settings? For teachers?
Why might a teacher need excellent skills in informal / progress
assessment to produce successful outcomes for students in DYS
classrooms?
74 Assessment - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
1
Box 11: Sampling of Assessment Tools
Use this chart to track the types of assessment you use.
7
ASSESSMENTS
USED TO
DATE
# OF TIMES
“Traditional”
Multiple choice test or quiz
True/false test or quiz
Fill in the blank
Label a diagram, map, etc.
Matching
Short answer
Oral questioning
Skills test (e.g. typing skills; language skills)
“Products” and “Performances”that
are assessed for learning
(e.g. with rubrics)
Research report
Oral presentation
Debate
Science lab demonstration
Competition (e.g. athletic competition)
Musical, dance, or dramatic performance
Interview
Science fair (or similar demonstration)
Concept map
Figural representation
Essay, story, poem
Newspaper, advertisement other media
Writing portfolio (or other portfolio)
Web page or other internet product
Observations and “Process” techniques
that are assessed for learning
Observing students
Learning logs
Diary or journal
Process folio
Think aloud
“Show your Work”
English Language Arts Instructional Guide -Assessment 75
Using Rubrics
Rubrics are one of the most common tools for ‘authentic assessment.’ Authentic
assessment refers to methods of measuring learning which correspond as closely as possible to
real world experience. It was originally developed in the arts and apprenticeship systems, where
assessment has always been based on performance. The instructor observes the student in the
process of working on something real, provides feedback, monitors the student’s use of the
feedback, and adjusts instruction and evaluation accordingly. Authentic assessment takes this
principle of evaluating real work into all areas of the curriculum.
A rubric is a tool which is particularly useful in assessing student knowledge, skills, or applications
on performances (such as a speech, debate, or Powerpoint presentation) or products (such as a
written paper, the results of a project, or a portfolio of work). A range of examples are given in
Box 10, in the section on differentiation.
Rubrics should be one part of the whole teaching and learning process in the DYS classroom.
Students themselves can become involved through both peer and self-assessment using rubrics.
As students become familiar with rubrics, they can also assist in the rubric design process. This
involvement empowers the students and as a result, their learning becomes more focused and
self-directed.
The advantages of using rubrics in assessment are that they:
• allow assessment to be more objective and consistent
• focus the teacher to clarify his/her criteria in specific terms
• clearly show the student how his or her work will be evaluated and what is expected
• promote student awareness of the criteria used in assessing peer performance
• provide useful feedback regarding the effectiveness of the instruction
• provide benchmarks against which to measure and document progress
The Basics of Rubrics
Rubrics are scoring guides used to evaluate the quality of students’ constructed responses (as
opposed to multiple-choice, matching or similar teacher-constructed choices for responses). A
rubric has three essential features: criteria (or standards) being assessed, quality definitions, and a scoring
strategy.
Criteria or standards are learning outcomes that the student is demonstrating through the
work. In the DYS mini-unit and lesson framework, these would be the objectives (what
students should know, understand, and be able to do) and / or the corresponding learning
standards from the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework.
o For example, a unit on To Kill A Mockingbird might include as an outcome: “The student
will be able to show and discuss character development in the novel.” In judging a
paper the student wrote, one criterion would be: “Understanding of character
development in the novel.”
76 Assessment - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
o
o
The criteria or standards used should match the learning goals.
The criteria used should be limited at any one time to five to seven.
Criteria or standards vary from rubric to rubric, even within the same mini-unit,
depending on the learning being assessed.
o For instance, when evaluating a written composition on To Kill A Mockingbird, a
teacher who was stressing the literary and structural aspects of the book could
use criteria such as “understanding character development,” “understanding use
of foreshadowing,” and so on. The same teacher, if he or she were stressing the
writing process, might use criteria such as organization, mechanics, word choice,
and use of supporting details.
The criteria or standards can either be given equal weight or be weighted differently.
o For instance, the teacher doing the unit on To Kill a Mockingbird might give
equal weight to each of the writing criteria (organization, mechanics, etc.), but
give greater weight to the criteria that have to do with literary understanding
(such as character development).
o Weighting should reflect what is stressed most in terms of learning during the
mini-unit or lesson.
Quality definitions describe the way that differences in students’ responses are to be
judged.
o For instance, if mechanics is a criterion, the rubric may indicate that to earn the
maximum number of points for mechanics, a composition should contain no
mechanical errors. Or if understanding character development is a criterion, the
rubric may indicate that the response has to accurately describe at least 5
examples from the novel to earn the maximum points.
o The rubric must provide a separate description for each scoring level (e.g. a 1-4
scoring guide). See the example on the next page, Box 12 and the example
used for the MCAS, Box 13.
o There are many choices for labeling each level. For example:
- Advanced…Proficient….Needs Improvement…Failing (or Warning). These
are the MCAS categories.
- Needs Improvement...Satisfactory...Good...Exemplary
- Beginning...Developing...Accomplished...Exemplary
- Needs work...Good...Excellent
- Novice...Apprentice...Proficient...Distinguished
- Numeric scale (ranging from 1 to 5, for example)
English Language Arts Instructional Guide -Assessment 77
A scoring strategy may be holistic or analytic.
o In a holistic strategy, the scorer takes all of the criteria into consideration but
aggregates them to make a single, overall quality judgment. So the composition
on To Kill A Mockingbird might receive a single score of “4” (or “Proficient”). See
the example from the MCAS, Box 13.
o In an analytic strategy, the scorer gives criterion-by-criterion scores. So each of
the criterion on the composition is given a separate score (see Box 12).
o Most commonly, a scorer gives a rating for each criterion and then also gives a
total score (usually by adding up the criterion scores).
78 Assessment - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Box 12: Sample Rubric for Written Assignments23
Mastery - 4
Proficient - 3
Capable - 2
Emerging - 1
Topic/Idea Development
Topic/Idea Development
Full topic/idea
development;
focused on the
topic and task;
purposeful,
complete, coherent;
demonstrates a
thorough
understanding of
the content
Moderate topic/
idea development;
coherent but
somewhat
incomplete or
unfocused;
demonstrates a
good
understanding of
the content
Limited topic/idea
development;
some coherence
but superficial
and/or unfocused;
demonstrates
some
understanding of
the content
Weak topic/idea
development; no
coherence;
demonstrates
little
understanding of
the content.
Score:
Adequate,
relevant details
but could use
more
Basic supporting
details but
insufficient to
make the point
or complete the
picture
Limited or weak;
little or no
attention to
details
Score:
Moderate
organization;
beginning, middle,
end; transitions
are apparent but
some/all need
some work
Limited
organization;
structure
apparent but
some/all
components
need some work;
one or more
components
need substantial
work
Weak
organizations; a
clear logical
structure is
missing; needs
substantial work
Score:
Details
Strong details
(e.g., facts
examples,
anecdotes,
statistics,
opinions, reasons,
sensory details)
Organization
Logical
organization;
strong beginning,
middle, and end;
good transitions
23
Adapted from a number of existing rubrics used in Massachusetts DYS and Diploma Plus workshops.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide -Assessment 79
Box 12: Sample Rubric for Written Assignments Continued
Use of Language/Voice
Effective use of
language;
appropriate to
the task/audience;
precise,
expressive,
descriptive,
engaging,
compelling voice
Appropriate use
of language; lacks
some qualities in
level 4;
sometimes
mechanical
Limited topic/idea
development;
some coherence
but superficial
and/or unfocused;
demonstrates
some
understanding of
the content
Simplistic or
inappropriate use
of language; lacks
precision,
descriptiveness,
energy; lifeless,
mechanical, or
forced
Score:
Standard English Conventions
Topic/Idea Development
The writing and
The writing and
reading flows well; reading flows; any
sentences and
errors in
structure do not
paragraphs are
well-constructed, interfere with
varied in
communication;
structure, and
some variation or
interesting
sophistication of
structure
Errors or
awkwardness of
structure are
sufficient to
interfere
somewhat with
flow and
communication;
little or no
variation of
structure
Errors or
awkwardness of
structure
seriously
interfere with
flow and
communication
Score:
Too many errors;
errors interfere
somewhat with
communication
Little control;
errors seriously
interfere with
communication
Score:
Little control;
errors seriously
interfere with
communication
Score:
Grammar & Usage
Demonstrates
control of
grammar
Few errors;
errors do not
interfere with
communication
Mechanics: Punctuation, Capitalizations, Spelling
Few errors; errors Too many
Demonstrates
do not interfere errors;errors
control of
with
interfere
mechanics
communication
somewhat with
communication
80 Assessment - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
MCAS Assessment
In the previous Box, a scoring guide and examples of student work from the MCAS were used
to illustrate holistic scoring.
This section describes the overall 7th and 10th grade MCAS in ELA24 . The MCAS is the
assessment that Massachusetts students need to pass to graduate from high school. It is a final
assessment of performance on the Framework learning standards.
The 2004 ELA MCAS Test for 7th Grade
Format:
1 five-paragraph composition
1 poem followed by 4 multiple choice questions and 1 open-response question
4 long reading passages followed by an average of 8 multiple choice questions and 1
open-response question.
Content:
5 out of 40 questions dealt with Language. The remaining 35 questions dealt with
Reading and Literature.
Strands 8 (“Understanding a Text”) and 13 (“Nonfiction”) were predominant. The long
answer sections were evenly divided between fiction and non-fiction readings (two each).
The 2004 ELA MCAS Test for 10th Grade
Format:
1 five-paragraph composition
1 poem followed by 4 multiple choice and 1 open-response question
5 long reading passages followed by an average of 7 multiple choice questions and 1
open-response question.
Content:
5 out of 40 questions dealt with Language. The remaining 35 questions dealt with
Reading and Literature.
Strands 13 (“Nonfiction”) and 15 (“Style and Language”) were predominant. The long
answer sections were evenly divided between fiction and non-fiction readings (two each).
24
Many other state tests, as well as the new GED, follow a similar format of multiple choice questions, open responses, and essays.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide -Assessment 81
How Open-Response Questions are Scored:
Open-response questions require students to generate, rather than recognize, a response.
Students can respond correctly using a variety of strategies and approaches. MCAS scoring
allows for students to receive credit for different strategies and approaches.
Responses to the open-response questions are scored using a scoring rubric for each question.
MCAS scoring guides indicate what knowledge and skills students must demonstrate to earn 1,
2, 3, or 4 score points. Answers to open-response questions are not scored for spelling,
punctuation, or grammar.
The example below is a rubric used to score an open-response question from the 2004 7th
Grade ELA test dealing with a species of Antarctic fish. Number of points awarded are listed at
left.
7th Grade MCAS Open-Response Scoring Rubric
4 Response is a complete, clear, and accurate explanation of why ice is the key
word in the article. Relevant and specific textual information, presented
through direct quotation, paraphrase, or a combination of both methods, is
included in the response.
3 Response is a fairly complete, clear, and accurate explanation of why ice is the
key word in the article. Relevant but often general textual information,
presented through direct quotation, paraphrase, or a combination of both
methods, is included in the response.
2 Response is a partial, possibly unclear, explanation that, in attempting to
explain why ice is the key word in the article, offers either a mix of accurate
and inaccurate information or simply a piece or two of accurate information by
itself. Some relevant but general and vague textual information, presented
through direct quotation or paraphrase, is included in the response.
1 Exhibiting varying degrees of clarity, response is a minimal explanation that, in
attempting to explain why ice is the key word in the article, consists of largely
inaccurate information, a general statement about ice, or a few snippets of
detail. Little, if any, relevant textual information (either through direct
quotation or paraphrase) is included in the response.
0 Response is incorrect, irrelevant, or contains insufficient information to show
any understanding of why ice is the key word in the article.
The example below is a rubric used to score an open-response question from the
2004 10th Grade ELA test dealing with the Gettysburg Address. Number of points
awarded are listed at left.
82 Assessment - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
10th Grade MCAS Open-Response Scoring Rubric
4 Response provides an insightful answer that shows how the Gettysburg
Address meets the definition of a classic eulogy. Relevant and specific
references from the Gettysburg Address support the response.
3 Response provides an adequate answer that shows how the Gettysburg
Address meets the definition of a classic eulogy. Relevant but often general
references from the Gettysburg Address support the response.
2 Response provides a partial answer that shows how the Gettysburg Address
meets the definition of a classic eulogy. Some relevant but general and vague
references from the Gettysburg Address or the article support the response.
1 Response provides an answer that indicates little understanding of how the
Gettysburg Address meets the definition of a classic eulogy. Few or no
relevant references from the either the Gettysburg Address or the article
support the response.
0 Response is totally incorrect or irrelevant.
How Student Compositions are Scored:
Student compositions are independently scored by two scorers on the following criteria:
• Topic Development, based on a six-score point scale, with students receiving 2 to 12
points (the sum of scores from each of the two readers).
• Standard English Conventions, based on a four-point scale, with students receiving 2 to 8
points (the sum of the scores from each of the two readers).
Rubrics / Scoring Guides for Student Compositions
Topic/Idea Development
Score
6
5
4
3
2
1
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Description
Rich topic/idea development
Careful and/or subtle organization
Effective/rich use of language
Full topic/idea development
Logical organization
Strong details
Appropriate use of language
Moderate topic/idea development and organization
Adequate, relevant details
Some variety in language
Rudimentary topic/idea development and/or organization
Basic supporting details
Simplistic language
Limited or weak topic/idea development, organization, and/or details
Limited awareness of audience and/or task
Limited topic/idea development, organization, and/or details
Little or no awareness of audience and/or task
English Language Arts Instructional Guide -Assessment 83
Standard English Conventions
Score
x
4
3
x
x
2
x
x
11
x
x
Description
Control of sentence structure, grammar and usage, and
mechanics (length and complexity of essay provide opportunity
for student to show control of standard English conventions)
Errors do not interfere with communication and/or
Few errors relative to length of essay or complexity of
sentence structure, grammar and usage, and mechanics
Errors interfere somewhat with communication and/or
Too many errors relative to the length of the essay or
complexity of sentence structure, grammar and usage, and
mechanics
Errors seriously interfere with communication AND
Little control of sentence structure, grammar and usage, and
mechanics
WEBSITES FOR RUBRICS AND ASSESSMENT
A good website for assessment instruments, including rubrics:
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
Northwest Regional Education Lab’s Toolkit is designed to assist classroom teachers to become
better assessors of student learning. Includes information about and examples of rubrics:
http://www.nwrel.org/assessment/toolkit98.asp.
The Learning Tree (Assessment of problem based learning)—Gives teachers ideas for implementing
a variety of strategies for assessing student learning in project based learning:
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/clrit/learningtree/PBL/ webassess/WebAssessmentHome.html
Scores of rubrics at the Staff Room for Ontario’s Teachers:
http://www.odyssey.on.ca/~elaine.coxon/rubrics.htm.
Scores of rubrics at Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators:
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/assess.html.
For assessment instruments: http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
GED 2002 Resource Center: http://www.acenet.edu/calec/ged/2002_resources_R.html
Rubistar—Helps teachers develop and customize rubrics for learning activities:
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/
Other rubric-generator sites:
http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/
http://teachers.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/general/
http://www.4teachers.org/projectbased/checklist.shtml
http://www.theeducatorsnetwork.com/utt/rubricteachnology.htm
84 Assessment - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Box 13: Example of a Holistic Scoring Guide (from the MCAS)
On the 2003 10th Grade MCAS, students read a selection about one man’s
colorblindness.
The students were then asked to “Explain how the author uses humor to show how
comfortable he is with his colorblindness. Use relevant and specific information from
the selection to support your answer.”
The scoring guide used was holistic (i.e. one overall score was given).
Score
4
3
2
1
0
Description
Response is a complete, clear, and accurate explanation of how the
author uses humor to show how comfortable he is with his
colorblindness. Relevant and specific textual evidence, presented
through direct quotation, paraphrase, or a combination of both
methods, is included in the response.
Response is a fairly complete, clear, and accurate explanation of
how the author uses humor to show how comfortable he is with
his colorblindness. Relevant but often general textual evidence,
presented through direct quotation, paraphrase, or a combination
of both methods, is included in the response.
Response is a partial, possibly unclear, explanation that, in
attempting to explain how the author uses humor to show how
comfortable he is with his colorblindness, offers either a mix of
accurate and inaccurate evidence or simply a piece or two of
accurate evidence by itself. Some relevant but general and vague
textual evidence, presented through direct quotation or
paraphrase, is included in the response.
Exhibiting varying degrees of clarity, response is a minimal
explanation that, in attempting to explain how the author uses
humor to show how comfortable he is with his colorblindness,
consists of largely inaccurate evidence, a general statement about
the author’s humor, or a few snippets of detail. Little, if any,
relevant textual evidence (either through direct quotation or
paraphrase) is included in the response.
Response is incorrect, irrelevant, or contains insufficient evidence
to show any understanding of how the author uses humor to show
how comfortable he is with his colorblindness.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide -Assessment 85
Box 13: Example of a Holistic Scoring Guide (from the MCAS)
Examples of student work include:
Score Point 0: In this passage the author, Joe Rogers, explains the different types of
colorblindness. He states that in should be among the disabilites, but if its put with disabilites
won’t that make more of a unsafe enivornment for those already on disabilites, and anything else.
Colorblindness isn’t a disability, it’s a gene that’s passed down through the generations. Many
people don’t have a problem with having something wrong with them. Why should we?
Score Point 2: In the passage Yellow skies, Blue Trees the author uses humor in
this passage. “When I bought my house a few years back, I assumed the living
room walls were white. A visitor told me they were, in fact, quite pink that I was
more or less living inside a bottle of Pepto-Bismol.” And another humorous line is
“At night, from a distance, I can’t tell a green signal from the glow of a street
light. My confusion can make for some adventurous driving.” Those are some
humorous stories he has had from being colorblind.
Score Point 3: The author uses humor by giving examples of situations
that he’s been in that are comical in relation to somebody who is not
color blind and in relation to himself. By making the reader laugh and
by using up-beat everyday language the Author shows that he is
comfortable with his life-long diagnosis (unless he goes to get it fixed,
which is highly unlikely from the description of the procedures). One
example that is quite humerous is when he finds out that his living room
is pink. He decided to get it painted. In his description of getting it
painted he also uses comfortable humerous writing. Such as the painters
recomendation of “Something he called eggshell.” Another example is
“That sort of thing.” By describing his experiences in everyday unformal
language he shows his comforte. He also adds humor to this experience
when he says it was a “Great amusement for my color-visioned friends.”
This shows him comfortably relating to those who can not see color.
Another good example of his humor is whe he says that he wouldn’t be
able to tell which side was which on a battlefield. By itself, it isn’t funny
because the reader feels sorry for him, but when “I would not be your
man” is added it becomes humerous because it shows his comfort.
Humor is a great literary tool for expressing human emotion.
86 Assessment - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
APPENDIX A-1
MINI-UNIT TEMPLATES
AND SAMPLES
Mini-Unit Overview
Unit Title:
Duration:
Theme:
Unit Objectives: By the end of this mini-unit, students should:
KNOW (factual information, basic skills)
UNDERSTAND (big ideas, concepts)
And therefore be able to DO (final assessment, performance, measurement of objectives)
These learning objectives are tied to the following Learning Standards:
Pre-Assessment: How will you determine students’ readiness for this unit? What data
will you collect? What survey of prerequisite learning will you use—KWL charts, journal
prompts, oral survey, etc.?
Resources and Materials: What resources will you use? Be sure to consider differences
in students’ reading levels, readiness to learn (prerequisite learning), interests (choices),
and style of learning (multiple intelligences, auditory, visual, kinesthetic, etc.).
Outline of Lessons: Lesson tasks and activities to support students’ achievement of
learning objectives, in following stages:
Introductory- Lesson which stimulates student interest in the topic and motivates students
to participate in the project.
Instructional- Lessons in which students make meaning of content information and begin
to demonstrate, through on-going assessment, what they know and understand.
Culminating- A final assessment in which students demonstrate their level of achievement
with regard to the learning objectives.
Reflection: After the mini-unit is completed, make note of adjustments you would make
when using this unit again.
88
Lesson Plan Form
Mini-Unit Title:
Lesson Stage (circle one): Introductory / Instructional / Culminating
Learning Objectives for this Lesson: Summary of what students should KNOW,
UNDERSTAND, and be able to DO by the end of this lesson. This should come from the
mini-unit overview, and therefore be linked to learning standards. This is a short statement
you should post for students so they know the learning expectations for the lesson.
Lesson Details: Describe the steps of the lesson including grouping of students,
materials and resources being used, tasks assigned to students, methods of differentiating
the lesson based on learner differences (cognitive readiness to learn, interests, and learning
style).
Lesson Reflection:
How do you know if the students accomplished the learning objectives for this
lesson?
If you were to repeat this lesson what would you adjust / modify?
What do you need to modify in the next lesson as a result of this lesson?
Other thoughts:
89
Mini-Unit Overview
Designer’s Name: David Hantman
Unit Title: Understanding Poetry
Duration: 3-5 days
Unit Objectives:
After fininshing this lesson, students will be able to idenfify ten figures of speech from any poem
they are given.
KNOW
1. Students will know ten to twenty important vocabulary terms which are useful in
understanding and writing poetry.
UNDERSTAND
1. Students will understand how to read poetry.
2. Students will understand more of the poetry they read.
3. Students will understand how sentences are built.
DO
1. Students will be able to write about poetry and write their own poems using these
technical devices.
2. Students will be able to analyze a poem through technical language.
Learning Standards: These learning objectives are tied to the following standards:
Standards 24 (Research): Students will gather information from a variety of sources, analyze
and evaluate the quality of the information they obtain, and use it to answer their own
questions.
Standard 25 (Evaluating Writing and Presentations): Students will develop and use appropriate
rhetorical, logical and stylistic criteria for assessing final versions of their compositions or
research projects before presenting them to varied audeinces.
Pre-Assessment:
“Literary terms” and “figurative language” are written on the board. The teacher asks students
whether they know what the terms mean and if they can give examples. This allows the teacher
and students to assess what students know and need to know. It is important to emphasize that
these technical devices are used in music as often as they are used in poetry and prose.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Appendix A-1 Mini Unit Templates & Samples 90
Outline of Lessons
Lesson One: Introductory
This lesson opens by the teacher reading a Langston Hughes poem. I recommend “50/50” or
“Madam and the Rent Man” because they are funny and used a variety of language. The meaning of
the poems should be discussed as well as why they work. I accompany the poems with a short one
page biography of Hughes, which is read aloud.
The teacher should introduce at least three poems by the same author to show how poets use a
variety of literary devices and forms.
Each literary device applicable to the poem should be pointed out by the instructor.
Another possible introductory activity involves a T chart for literal and figurative language (attached).
Lesson Two: Instructional
“Man the stations!”
Materials needed: masking tape, copies of figure of speech definition/example from The Reader’s
Handbook or similar hand out, a poem that has a variety of figures of speech by Langston Hughes
is recommended.
Place a copy of the definition of a figure of speech on each of ten desks. Hand out copies of a poem
that contains a number of figures of speech.
Students move from desk to desk deciding whether the figure of speech at their table is in the
poem.
If the figure of speech is found within the poem the student writes down the example and moves
on to the next station.
If the figure of speech at their table is not in the poem, the student writes down the word’s
definition.
Lesson Three: Instructional
Lesson Two should be continued the next day. Some students will lag, but with a little encouragement
they can usually figure out whether the figure of speech fits.
7491 Appendix A-1 Mini Unit Templates & Samples English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Lesson Four: Instructional
Teachers have a variety of options once the literary terms have been found. One activity my
students enjoyed was reading three or four poems out loud and calling on students to identify
the terms orally. If the lesson is successful students should be able to identify the terms in any
poem given to them. This gives them a sense of reward and realization that they have learned
something they can apply.
If the teacher can find a radio-edited rap, metaphors and similes can be identified in this way.
The rapper Common uses a lot of figurative language.
Lesson Five: Culminating activity
Student are now ready to write their own poems using 3-5 literary devices they have been
studying.
Reflection:
This is an excellent lesson for classes that have a variety of skill levels. Adolescents who have
more schooling will receive enrichment and reinforcement. Students unaware of these figures
of speech will gain important tools for comprehension of both prose, poetry, and music.
For additional ideas for poetry units and lessons, see the following website:
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rayser3/poetry.htm
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Appendix A-1 Mini Unit Templates & Samples 92
T-chart
Literal
Figurative
7493 Appendix A-1 Mini Unit Templates & Samples - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Mini Unit Overview: To Kill A Mockingbird
Designer’s Name: Donna Cohen
Unit Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
Duration: 30+ days
Unit objectives:
Students will be able to:
a) Identify central themes
b) Identify elements of character development
c) Write reflectively
d) Make predictions
KNOW
1. Students will know key historical facts about the Depression.
2. Students will know about race relations in the South during the 1930’s.
UNDERSTAND
1. Students will understand how characters are developed in the novel.
2. Students will understand the central themes of the novel.
3. Students will understand differences between their childhood and childhood during the
Depression.
DO
1. Students will be able to discuss the differences between their childhood years, and growing
up during the Depression.
2. Students will be able to answer questions about at least one of the central themes in the
novel.
3. Students will be able to show and discuss character development in the novel.
4. Students will be able to write reflectively on various subjects in the novel, using quotations
from the novel, or situations from the novel, which back up the student’s opinion.
5. Students will be able to make predictions about the plot or about the characters.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Appendix A-1 Mini Unit Templates & Samples 94
Learning Standards: These learning objectives are tied to the following standards:
Language Strand:
Standard 1: Discussion. Students will use agreed-upon rules for informal and formal discussions
in small and large groups.
Standard 2:
Questioning, Listening and Contributing. Students will pose questions, listen to
the ideas of others, and contribute their own information or ideas in group
discussions or interviews in order to acquire new knowledge.
Standard 4: Vocabulary and Concept Development. Students will understand and acquire new
vocabulary and use it correctly in reading and writing.
Reading and Literature Strand:
Standard 8: Understanding of a Text. Students will identify the basic facts and main ideas in a
text and use them as the basis for interpretation.
Standard 9: Making Connections. Students will deepen their understanding of a literary or
non-literary work by relating it to its contemporary context or historical background.
Standard 11: Theme. Students will identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of theme in a literary
work and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
Standard 12: Fiction. Students will identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the structure and
elements of fiction and provide evidence from the text to support their
understanding.
Standard 15: Style and Language. Students will identify and analyze how an author’s words appeal
to the senses, create imagery, suggest mood, and set tone, and provide evidence
from the text to support their understanding.
Composition Strand:
Standard 19: Writing. Students will write with a clear focus, coherent organization, and sufficient
detail.
Standard 23: Organizing Ideas in Writing. Students will organize ideas in writing in a way that
makes sense for their purpose.
7495 Appendix A-1 Mini Unit Templates & Samples - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Outline of Lessons:
Lesson One: Introductory
It is essential that the students have background knowledge about the Depression years.
First, complete the worksheet “Growing up in the East in the 2000s.” Each student completes
their own, then they are encouraged to share their answers.
Next read “Interview: Growing Up White in the South in the 1930s” and Growing Up Black in
the 1930s in McCulley’s Quarters, Alabama.”
As a class, compare all three articles.
When the students have a clear understanding of the differences in time periods, go over the fact
that we do not currently use the language that is used in the book because it is offensive. It is,
however, the language that was used in the 1930’s. We discussed the importance of reading this
story “with a 1930’s brain.” Emphasize that when reading this book a mature and thoughtful
attitude is necessary. Review these points at various times during the reading of the novel.
Instructional Lessons:
Have the students kept a reflective writing journal. First, go over the “Reflective Journal Guidelines”
(see Appendix A-2, “Comprehension Tool: Reflective Journal”) and made sure that the students
understood not only the expectations, but why they are keeping such a journal. When doing the
first writing assignments, reread the guidelines with them to be sure they understand the activity.
Instead of having the students write after every chapter, have them write after a chapter that the
class has much discussion about or one that obviously caught their interest. This may mean that
your different classes write about different chapters since one class may delve more into a chapter
than another. When they write about a chapter that is discussed at length, they are more able to
express themselves and feel more confident in their writing.
This novel can be read with students who test at various reading levels, from 4.5 through high
school. You may choose to do all of the reading aloud yourself. This may be useful because the
language in the book is difficult, and it allows you to read it in the “matter of fact” way it is written
by the author. It also allows you to easily stop to discuss or explain a point as you are reading. It
may be important to stop and summarize as you go along.
Usually in a forty-five minute period you should be able to get through a minimum of half of a
English Language Arts Instructional Guide Appendix A-1 Mini Unit Templates & Samples 96
chapter, sometimes a full chapter. Wherever you leave off, have the students make predictions
about might be coming next. They may become very skilled at making predictions and explaining
why they think something would happen next.
Make time for class discussions, based on interest they express in different elements of the novel,
such as plot, characters, setting (historical context). Your discussions may focus around the
characters, their motivations for their words or actions and identifying whether or not this was a
growth in the character or typical behavior.
You may also want to discuss the importance of the time period of the novel to the characters’
actions. Students may come to see very clearly that the time period is essential in order to
understand the characters, their motivations for their actions, and their language.
Culminating Activities
Two final projects are shown below. One is more “traditional” and for students functioning on a
higher level. The second is appropriate for the lower level students. You may allow them to work
on their projects both in class and outside of class. You may decide to allow students to work
together if they want to, and to help each other.
When you complete the novel you can bake a “Depression Cake” – that is, a cake without butter,
milk or eggs. Be sure to stress why the ingredients missing in this cake were expensive and hard
to get during the Depression. This is a fun activity, and it is an opportunity to pull in lifeskills and
math as well. Be forewarned, it doesn’t taste great!
When you finish the novel you may want to show the movie version. Hold a class discussion
about the differences in the movie from the novel (there are many major differences). Have them
vote on which they enjoyed more, the movie or the novel, and explain their preferences.
Assessment
1. Reflective writing journals. These are assessed based on signs of understanding of the text,
ability to express their opinions, feelings, and other reactions to the text. Assess especially
the ability to substantiate opinion with supporting facts. A description of this tool is in
Appendix A-2.
2. Class discussion. This is assessed based on frequency and quality of participation, ability to
communicate clearly and respectfully.
3. Final written project. These projects are graded using the rubric shown below.
7497 Appendix A-1 Mini Unit Templates & Samples - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Reflection
When I began this unit, I was unsure whether or not the lower level students would follow the
story, and whether or not the students as a whole could truly appreciate the themes and characters.
As I went along, I found that the more we reviewed the characters, the better they understood
the story. Next time I do this novel, I am going to create a character sheet for each of the main
characters, and have the students keep track of their actions and specific significant quotes as we
read. In doing so, the character development piece will be more visual and easier to see when
working on their final projects.
I would also spend more time on the activity comparing the novel to the movie, and would do a
more formal compare/contrast activity, rather than only having a class discussion.
Final Project – Lower Level
Choose one of the following assignments:
1. Write a letter to your favorite character. Tell the person why you want to meet them, what
they’ve done or said they touched you in some way, and why you think you could be
friends.
2. Choose two quotes from the book that really “speak” to you and explain why you chose
those quotes. Be sure to use quotation marks and note who is doing the speaking.
3. Sketch out a design for a poster promoting the movie version of the book
4. Write a short poem relating to the book.
Final Project – Higher Level
Choose one of the following assignments:
1. Begin your essay with this quote from the novel, which represents a central idea of To Kill a
Mockingbird:
“Atticus was right. One time he said ‘you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes
and walk around in them’.”
Use examples from the text to support this idea.
2. To Kill a Mockingbird is known as a “coming of age” novel. In it a character grows from childhood
to young adulthood. Focus on Jem Finch and use examples from the text to show how he is
transformed from a child to a young man.
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Appendix A-1 Mini Unit Templates & Samples 98
3. Other characters in To Kill a Mockingbird are transformed by the novel’s events. Discuss at least
two other characters and how they grow and change as the story unfolds.
4. To Kill a Mockingbird was written during the Civil Rights Era, and author Harper Lee grew up
witnessing racial injustice. Why do you think she wrote the novel?
5. In To Kill a Mockingbird, how is Mayella Ewell both a victim and a perpetrator of ignorance?
Grading rubric:
All questions are answered thoroughly
Thoughts are well organized and backed up by actions of the characters
Quotes are incorporated
Sticks to text; does not assume characters have a life outside of the text
Avoids ‘I’ or talking to reader directly (‘you’)
Rubric is a 1-3 scale with 15 being the highest total possible.
14 - 15 Points = A
12 - 13 points = A
11 points = B+
10 points = B
9 points = B8 points = C+
7 points = C
6 points = D
5 or fewer points = F
99 Appendix A-1 Mini Unit Templates & Samples - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
Reflective Journal Writing Topics
Chapter One
Discuss the three main characters you have met so far: Scout, Jem and Dill.
You could include: Whether they are they likeable or not - why or why not; what they have done
that made you laugh; what have they done that made you roll your eyes; how their life is different
from a child’s life today; whether they are people you would be friends with or not, etc.
Chapter Two
Discuss Scout’s experience in school.
You could include: Specific event(s) that took place and how you felt about them; how Scout’s
school experience compares with yours at the same age; what aspects of early education are
better or worse today than in 1930, etc.
Chapter Three
Choose one:
1. You have now met Atticus, (Scout and Jem’s father). Describe what type of man he is.
2. You have now met Calpurnia. Describe what type of woman she is.
You could include: Whether you like or dislike the character and why or why not; what specifically
did they say or do that made you feel a certain way; your own experience with somebody similar
to Atticus or Calpurnica, etc.
Chapter Four
Comment on the children acting out Boo Radley’s story.
You could include: The children’s fascination with Boo, why you think they chose to play this game
and whether it was okay for them to have done it; Atticus’ reaction to the children; your own
experience with pretend play as a child, etc.
Chapter Five
Discuss Miss Maudie’s and Atticus’ feelings toward Boo.
You could include: How they feel about him; how you know that they feel that way; what they tell
the children about him; your own experience with rumors, etc.
Chapter Six
The children’s obsession with Boo Radley reaches new heights. Discuss.
You could include: What they did; why you think they continue to be so intrigued by Boo Radley;
your own experience with a person you may not know well but with whom you are intrigued
because of something you heard about them, etc.
74 English Language Arts Instructional Guide Appendix A-1 Mini Unit Templates & Samples 100
Chapter Seven
Nathan Radley cements the hole in the tree where Boo is leaving gifts. Discuss.
You could include: Why you think Nathan did this; the children’s reaction; how do you think Boo
feels; your own experience trying to make a new friend and having somebody step in and prevent
that friendship, etc.
Chapter Eight
Choose one:
1. Discuss Miss Maudie’s reaction to the fire. Include at least one quote.
2. You could include: How does this add to the description of what type of person she is, what
do you learn about other characters from this incident, do you think you would react the
same way or differently, etc.
Chapter Nine – Part One up to: “Then Christmas Came and Disaster Struck.”
Comment on the conversation between Scout and her father.
You could include: Quotes that were especially meaningful to you, with an explanation as to why
you chose them; Scout’s behavior when being goaded into an argument; what this tells you about
the type of man Atticus is; whether you think you would do as Atticus is doing, back in the 1930’s,
etc.
Chapter Nine
The chapter ends with Scout telling the reader, “…and it was not until many years later that I
realized he wanted me to hear every word he said.” Discuss this.
You could include: The reaction of Francis to Atticus defending Tom Robinson; how Uncle Jack
handled Scout; the conversation between Uncle Jack and Atticus at the end of the chapter; your
feeling toward the characters at this point in the story, etc.
Chapter Ten
What do you learn about Atticus in this chapter?
You could include: Facts are learned about him; what his actions tell about him (when confronted
with Tim Johnson); what you think of him and why, etc.
Chapter Eleven
Explain the words and actions of Mrs. Dubose.
You could include: How Jem and Scout reacted to her; how Atticus reacted to her; what you
discover about her at the end of the chapter; if you ever had experience with an adult like this, etc.
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Chapter Twelve
Describe Jem and Scout’s church experience with Calpurnia.
You could include: Lula’s reaction to the children vs. the rest of the congregation; what the
service was like; the collection for Helen Robinson; your own religious experience as compared to
theirs, etc.
Chapter Thirteen
Discuss Aunt Alexandra.
You could include: What she thinks is important in life; how the children react to her; how she
affects the family; whether you find her likeable or not (explain), etc.
Chapter Fourteen
Dill ran away, and Scout considered running away – but for different reasons. Discuss.
You could include: Why each wanted to run away; Jem’s reaction to finding Dill under the bed as
opposed to Scout’s reaction; whether you think either child had a good reason for running away,
etc.
Chapter Fifteen
This is a turning point in Jem’s growing up. Discuss.
You may include: What were the men doing at the jail; what the relationship is between Jem and
Atticus in this chapter; what did Scout do that had a huge effect on what happened; whether you
think Scout knew what she was doing; what do you think you would you have done had you been
Atticus in that situation, etc.
Chapter Sixteen
The trial is to begin. Discuss all of the preliminaries leading up to the trial.
You may include: The townspeoples’ attitudes; what is the atmosphere like; what the courtroom
setting is like; what you know about the judge, etc.
Chapters Seventeen and Eighteen
Which way are you leaning so far, in the trial, and why? Use quotes from the book to explain your
position.
Chapter Nineteen
At the end of this chapter, Dill and Scout have to leave the trial. Explain the difference in how each
child reacts to what is happening in the courtroom.
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You could include: What you think the lawyer’s attitude is toward Mr. Robinson is during questioning;
which child you relate to more and why, etc.
Chapter Twenty
Choose at least five sentences from Atticus’ speech that touch you in some way. Explain what
they mean, and why you find them important. Try to relate them in some way to a lesson you have
learned in your life.
Chapter Twenty-One
The verdict is in. Write an account of what you think went on in the jury room, including who
said what in order for that verdict to have been reached.
Chapters Twenty – Two and Twenty – Three
In this chapter you have the opportunity to really get to know Atticus. Describe him.
You could include: What you think of him; whether you agree or disagree with anything specific
that he has said, etc.
Chapter Twenty – Four
Discuss the ladies’ missionary circle.
You could include: What their intention was in getting together; what they talked about and what
are their opinions; whose opinions do you agree or disagree with and why, etc.
Chapter Twenty – Five
Discuss this quote from Scout: “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom
Robinson, but in the secret court’s of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the
minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.”
You could include: What she means and whether you agree or disagree; whether this could this
have had a different outcome if the trial occurred in the north; could this have had a different
outcome if the trail occurred today, etc.
Chapter Twenty – Six
Why do you think the author brings Adolph Hitler into the story?
You could include: Parallels between what was happening in Europe with the Jews and the U.S.
with the African Americans, quotes from Scout that clarify the issue, who you agree with and why,
etc.
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Chapter Twenty-Seven
Discuss how the town has changed since the trial.
You could include: Whether you see any foreshadowing by the author; if you saw the town change
for the better or for the worse; what you learn about how the townspeople felt about the Ewell
girl bringing charges against Tom Robinson, etc.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Discuss the foreshadowing in this chapter. Also, what do you think happened to Jem and Scout?
You could include: Quotations from the book the foreshadow a problem brewing; a prediction of
what you think will happen next; discuss a time that you may have felt something was going to
happen, etc.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
In this chapter, Scout gives her version of what took place. Pretend that you are Heck Tate and
write the police report.
You could include: A brief description of the characters involved; a step-by-step description of
what she said happened; your own interpretation of what happened, etc.
Chapter Thirty
Discuss this interaction between Scout and Atticus:
Atticus: “Scout, Mr. Ewell fell on his knife. Can you possibly understand?”
Scout: “Yes Sir, I understand. Mr. Tate was right.”
Atticus: “What do you mean?”
Scout:
“Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?”
You could include: What Scout means by her last sentence; how this conversation relates to the
title of the novel; how is this related to one of the themes of the novel, whether you agree or
disagree with Scout and why or why not, etc.
Chapter Thirty-One
Scout finally meets Boo and spends a short time with him. Discuss how she behaves.
You could include: How she treats him; what she says to Atticus about him on the very last page
of the novel; Atticus’ response to her; how you think you may have felt if you were Scout, etc.
74 English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Appendix A-1 Mini Unit Templates & Samples 104
APPENDIX A-2
SAMPLE TEACHING TOOLS
VOCABULARY TOOL: Concept/Definition Map25
What is it? This tool is aimed at helping readers build their vocabulary. Using this map, readers
identify new vocabulary terms, gain an understanding of these words by identifying their definitions
and characteristics, and provide examples of ways to use the words. This tool allows readers to
learn new words by truly “breaking them down.” This strategy can be used with any new topic
that is being introduced, whether in an ELA class or another setting. When using this tool, it is
important to ensure that students have some initial successes so that they feel comfortable using
the technique with more difficult vocabulary.
How do I use it? To use this tool, follow the steps below:
1. Introduce concept maps by showing one which is already completed using a word that all
readers will know. For examples of concept maps, see the websites below. Point out that
the center of the map has the word, and that surrounding boxes provide a definition of the
word, examples of uses of the word, and characteristics of the word. For this introductory
example, choose an example that is easy for you to explain.
2. Go through the example with your group and be sure they are clear on how to use the map.
3. Give each student a blank copy of the map and have them fill it in with a word that they
already know and feel comfortable using.
4. Have students read, and give them several blank copies to use as they encounter new
vocabulary. Provide dictionaries for students to use when encountering new words. You may
want to provide a list of the more difficult vocabulary words prior to each new chapter or
reading. This lets the readers know that you expect certain vocabulary to be new for them.
5. Have students share new vocabulary they’ve learned in small groups or with the entire
group.
6. Do this activity on a daily or weekly basis. Provide positive feedback often.
7. Create a huge poster that might be called “We Mapped the Unknown!” which shows the
new vocabulary students have learned.
Concept map resources:
• http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/readquest/strat/cdmap.html (includes a template which
you can download and use)
• http://www.graphic.org/concept.html
• Concept web generator: http://teachers.teach-nology.com/web_tools/graphic_org/
concept_web/
Reference: Nagy, Williams. Teaching Vocabulary To Improve Comprehension. Newark, DE:
International Reading Association, 1988.
25
Thanks to David Axelrad for writing the description of this tool.
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VOCABULARY TOOL: Frayer Model26
What is it? This tool is used to help readers develop their vocabularies by learning think about
similarities and differences between new and familiar words. Using this tool requires readers to
identify new terms, list characteristics, and give examples and “non-examples” of ways in which
the word may be used. New information is often best learned by identifying how it is similar and
different to familiar information, and this tool provides a framework for that process. This tool can
be used in any learning setting to address important concepts and new vocabulary.
How do I use it? To use this tool, follow the steps outlined below:
1. Introduce this tool by showing an example you created using the template on the following
page. Use a word all students know, such as “friend” or “car,” and illustrate what kinds of
information would fit in each of the four boxes. You may want to break the “characteristics”
box into “essential characteristics” and “non-essential characteristics.” Ask students to
identify the difference between examples and “non-examples.” You may need to go through
these categories several times before it becomes clear. Do this with at least two or three
simple words.
2. Have students read a passage and complete a blank copy of this chart using a word that is
familiar to them. Have that word on the board or already placed in the center box for the
group, and highlight information in the passage that they will need to complete the chart.
Students should simply identify and place each highlighted piece of information in the
appropriate box. You may want to allow them to work in pairs to build their confidence.
3. Once the students have completed the form, review their answers with the entire group.
4. Give out several blank copies of this chart, and allow students to try doing some on their
own. This should only be done after they have worked on several examples with your
supervision, and you believe that they are capable of completing these charts as they
encounter new vocabulary on their own. This will build their confidence before they
encounter more difficult terms.
5. You may want to create a box in which all new charts can be placed. You can then pull
words from this box to assess mastery at any time you think is appropriate. Provide
positive reinforcement for students who accurately complete charts for newly acquired
vocabulary terms.
Frayer Model resources:
http://www.santarosa.k12.fl.us/opd/ReadingContentArea/onlinestratdetails.cfm?ID=40
http://homepage.mac.com/johnevers/Media/What%20is%20the%20Frayer.pdf
Reference: Frayer, D., Frederick, W.C., and Klausmeier, H.J.(1969) A Schema for Testing the
Level of Cognitive Mastery. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Center For Education Research.
26
Thanks to David Axelrad for writing this description.
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Frayer Model
Definition
Characteristics
Word
Examples
Non-Examples
English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Appendix A-2 Sample Teaching Tools - 107
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VOCABULARY TOOL: Summary Frames27
What is it? A summary frame works with any text that defines a concept. By teaching young
people the frame, you are teaching them to ask a series of questions when they encounter a
text that defines a concept.
How do I use it? To use this tool, follow the steps outlined below:
1. Pick a reading selection with a key concept to use as a model. Go over the series of
questions and model how to answer them using the reading selection.
2. Repeat this modeling several times, until you think the students have the idea.
3. Have the students practice with a “think-aloud.” Coach them as necessary.
4. Have the students complete a definition frame on their own. Assess their learning.
The Definition Frame: (for texts that define a concept)
1) What is being defined?
(e.g., NBA point guards)
2) To what general category of things does the item belong?
(basketball players)
3) What characteristics separate the item from other things in the general
category?
(speed, passing ability, smaller size, dribbling ability, leadership, inventiveness, bring ball up the
floor, call plays, similar to quarterback in football)
4) What are some types of classes of the thing being defined?
(John Stockton, Steve Francis, Stephon Marbury, Jason Kidd)
5) What is a good summary?
(NBA point guards are the players on a basketball team primarily responsible for bringing
the ball up the court, setting up the play, and distributing the ball to their
teammates. They tend to be smaller and faster than most basketball players.)
27
Thanks to Bayard Klimasmith for developing these ideas and writing this description.
108 Appendix A-2 Sample Teaching Tools - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
VOCABULARY TOOL: Vocabulary Notebook
What is it? A vocabulary notebook develops students’ vocabulary by allowing them to record
and explore new words. It also allows them to compare different uses of the word as they
encounter it in different contexts.
How do I use it? To use this tool, follow the steps outlined below:
1. Provide students with a notebook which they can use to record new vocabulary. You may
want to have them organize it alphabetically.
2. To introduce this tool, model an example of the steps below using a familiar word, and then
have students practice once on their own. Then review their work in small groups or as a
class.
3. Have students read on their own and complete an entry for their words they choose.
Make dictionaries available for this exercise.
4. As students read in different contexts, have use their vocabulary notebooks to record and
explore new words.
Initial encounter: When students encounter a new word or phrase, they
complete the following steps:
•
•
•
•
•
Write the word and date first encountered.
Describe context of initial encounter.
Explore, discuss, and begin to formulate a definition related to that context.
List examples generated from personal experiences and prior knowledge.
List non-examples generated from personal experiences to show what the
word is not or how it differs from other closely related words.
• Write a definition in their own words; compare with dictionary or glossary.
• Develop appropriate graphic organizers, such as word maps, attribute
charts, and comparison diagrams.
• Create visual association drawings, if appropriate.
Additional encounters: When students encounter the word or phrase again in
a different context, have them do the following:
•
•
•
•
Write additional date(s) encountered.
Describe context of new encounter and compare with previous
contexts.
Explore, discuss, and begin to formulate a definition in new context(s)
and relate to previous definition(s).
Add to and revise work done (listed under Initial Encounter).
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COMPREHENSION TOOL: K-W-L (Know – Want to know – Learned)28
What is it? K-W-L exercises are a simple way to help students record what they already know
and what they learn about any topic to be covered. K-W-L activities give youth the opportunity to
state:
• what they KNOW before they begin any new learning
• what they WANT TO KNOW or learn.
• what they have LEARNED after the reading or activity has taken place
K-W-L combines three elements of effective teaching: building on background knowledge, asking
questions to guide new learning, and reflecting on what is learned.
How do I use it? To use this tool, follow the steps outlined below:
1. Pass out a blank K-W-L chart before you begin a lesson or new reading. A template for this
exercise is on the following page.
2. Introduce the topic which is covered in the lesson, and have students write the topic at te
top of the chart.
3. Before starting the lesson, ask each student to fill in the first two columns (“What I Know”
and “What I Want to Know”) about the topic. You may want to ask the students to share
their responses in small groups or with the whole class.
4. Complete the activity or reading and have students fill in the third column (“What I
Learned”) with as much information as they can. Note: If the lesson lasts more than a day,
allow time for students to fill in parts of the “What I Learned” column each day.
5. After filling in information in the “What I Learned” column, have students share what they
have learned. Have them discuss what is similar and different in their responses.
6. As a follow-up step, you might want to compile all the information that has been learned
and make an overhead or large chart that shows all the learning.
Resources for K-W-L:
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr2kwl.htm
http://www.educ.state.ak.us/tls/frameworks/sstudies/part4a15.htm
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/readquest/strat/kwl.html
KWL templates: http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/graphic_org/kwl/
References:
Ogle, D. S. (1986). KWL group instructional strategy. In A. S. Palincsar, D. S. Ogle, B. F. Jones, & E. G.
Carr (Eds.), Teaching Reading as Thinking (Teleconference Resource Guide, pp. 11-17). Alexandria,
VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Ogle, D.M. (1992). KWL in action: Secondary teachers find applications that work. In E.K. Dishner,
T.W. Bean, J.E. Readence, & D.W. Moore (Eds.), Reading in the content areas: Improving classroom
instruction (3rd ed., pp. 270-281). Dubuque, IA: Kendall-Hunt.
28
Thanks to David Axelrad for writing this description.
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K-W-L
Topic
KNOW
WANT TO KNOW
LEARNED
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COMPREHENSION TOOL: SQ3R29
What is it? SQ3R is a tool that has been proven to significantly increase reading comprehension
among readers of all levels. The method requires the reader to follow five simple steps that take
place before, during, and after a reading has been completed. This method can be used for short
articles, short stories, and longer works of fiction and non-fiction. This strategy can easily be used
in a work or recreational setting as well.
How do I use it? To use this tool, follow the steps outlined below:
1. The S stands for survey. Students skim through the material that you want them to
learn to get a general idea of what the material is covering. In this step they simply survey
the passage.
2. The Q stands for question. After the surveying stage is complete, students write a few
questions that they think will be answered by reading this text more carefully. If each person
writes 3-4 questions, you will have a terrific collection from which to choose.
3. The first R stands for read. After the questions have been written down, students
conduct a more careful reading. During this stage, it is important that students are in a
place that is conducive to reading – one that is quiet and has few distractions.
4. The second R stands for recite. After a careful reading has taken place, students try to
say out loud or recite the answers to the 3-4 questions that they prepared during the
survey stage. Remind students that they may not be able to answer all their questions on
their first try.
5. The third R stands for review. After they have tried to answer their own questions
from the reading, student now have the opportunity to go back though the reading and
review the material closely to find answers to questions they still have. This stage is often
done by allowing students with similar questions to work in pairs or small groups.
6. You may want to finish this activity by making a large poster of the most common and
important questions and answers that came out of this reading.
7. Congratulate the group on their new learning and good reading skills.
SQ3R resources:
http://www.accd.edu/sac/history/keller/ACCDitg/SSSQ3R.htm
Reference:
Robinson, Francis Pleasant. (1970) Effective Study (4th ed.). New York: Harper & Row.
29
Thanks to David Axelrad for writing this description.
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COMPREHENSION TOOL: Activating Prior Knowledge30
What is it? What learners know prior to a lesson influences what they perceive and, thus, are
able to learn. This tool uses this principle to help students activate their prior knowledge before
a lesson begins.
How do I use it? To use this tool, follow the steps outlined below:
1. Give learners a preview of the lesson so they are exposed to the information before
they “learn” it.
• Before watching a film, reading a book, or introducing a brand new set of content or
skills, give learners a preview “tour” of what they are going to experience. (e.g., “Today
we are going to watch a film about a young man who overcame his family’s history of
poverty to become one of the most important manufactures of airplanes in the United
States. He had to shake a drug addition, fight through the grief of his mother’s death
from cancer, survive on the front lines in WWI, until he finally went to college, where
he learned about machinery.”)
• Flip through a book together looking at the chapter headings, illustrations, and table of
contents.
• Talk through a preview (e.g., “Today we are going to learn three techniques for looking
at figurative language in poetry.”).
2. Ask inferential questions that encourage learners to fill in missing information from
what they already know or what they can expect to learn. Students can try to answer the
questions before, during, and after the lesson.
3. Provide students with “advance organizers” that provide a structure for understanding
the concepts or skill that they are to learn.
• Tell a story that illustrates what they are about to learn or can serve as a metaphor for
understanding new concepts.
• Create a diagram or graphic organizer that illustrates what learners will gain from the
lesson.
• Compare the new lesson to something they already know.
• Use K-W-L charts (see earlier section).
Resources on activating prior knowledge:
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr100.htm
http://reading.indiana.edu/ieo/digests/d61.html
30
Thanks to Bayard Klimasmith for developing these ideas and writing this description.
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COMPREHENSION TOOL: Question-Answer-Detail
What is it? This tool helps students use questions to deepen their comprehension.
How do I use it? To use this tool, follow the steps below:
1. Before reading or any new activity, the teacher (or the students themselves) pose
questions. Use the table below to organize these questions.
2. They then read or complete the activity specifically to answer the question and to find
one to three supporting details. Use the table below to organize the answers.
An important part of this strategy is asking questions at different levels. Different types of
questions are shown in the table below.
Question 1
(or literal question)
Answer
Details
Question 2
(or inferential question)
Answer
Details
Question 3
(or evaluative question)
Answer
Details
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COMPREHENSION TOOL: Read Aloud / Think Aloud
What is it? Read Aloud / Think Aloud is a way to teach reading comprehension by modeling and
talking-through strategies used by good readers. It also allows the teacher to do frequent and
accurate checks for understanding while providing the reader with the opportunity to develop
reading and critical thinking skills in a safe and controlled environment. When using this tool, the
teacher reads aloud to an entire group, periodically pausing to talk about a particular strategy she
is using. Then, after several demonstrations, students practice their own reading skills by reading
aloud and talking about their use of the same strategy. The teacher coaches, as needed. Generally,
it is best to have readers in the group volunteer to read aloud and think aloud. This helps to
establish a safe place where all readers can read without fear and with total acceptance
from the group. The leader should decide when and if to allow students to be the readers. Over
time, all students can be encouraged to read aloud / think aloud.
How do I use it? To use this tool, follow the steps below:
1. Give out the reading that you intend to complete as a Read Aloud / Think Aloud.
2. Give out any vocabulary that the readers will encounter before doing the reading. This
vocabulary should include clear and simple definitions and context sentences, and it should
be reviewed before the reading begins.
3. Also before reading, you should have marked several key places where you would like to
stop the reading and discuss the specific reading strategy you are modeling. You should try
to mark places that would lend themselves to modeling as well as to an interesting
discussion that can be related to the lives of the youth.
Reading strategies you might demonstrate include:
o Using existing knowledge to make sense of new information
o Asking questions about the text before, during, and after reading
o Drawing inferences from the text
o Monitoring comprehension
o Determining what is important
o Synthesizing information to create new understanding
o Using “fix-it” strategies when meaning breaks down
Make a connection between the text and: your life; your knowledge of the
world; another text
Make a prediction
Stop and think about what you have already read
Ask yourself a question and try to answer it
Reflect in writing on what you have read
Visualize
Use print conventions (headings; italicized word; etc)
Retell what you’ve read
Reread
Notice patterns in text structure.
Adjust rate – slow down or speed up
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COMPREHENSION TOOL: Venn Diagram
What is it? Venn diagrams enable students to organize and understand similarities and
differences visually. The Venn diagram is made up of two or more overlapping circles. It is often
used in mathematics to show relationships between sets.
How do I use it? In literacy/language arts,Venn Diagrams are useful for laying out similarities
and differences in characters, stories, poems, etc. They are frequently used as a prewriting
activity to enable students to organize thoughts or textual quotations prior to writing a
compare/contrast essay.
A
B
C
Resources for Venn Diagrams:
Templates for two circle Venn diagrams:
http://www.glc.k12.ga.us/passwd/trc/ttools/attach/stu/venndiag.dot
http://www.educationworld.com/tools_templates/D_venn2_2.doc
Template for three circle Venn diagram:
http://www.educationworld.com/tools_templates/D_venn3_2.doc
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COMPREHENSION TOOL: Non-Linguistic Representations31
What is it? One of the best ways to learn and store knowledge is to through non-linguistic
representations such as pictures, diagrams, graphic organizers, movement, or models. Research
indicates that asking learners to draw a picture of what they know or “act it out” not only
stimulates brain activity, but also increases the depth of their understanding and their ability to
apply what they learn to new situations. This ability is crucial in literacy development and worth
practicing for both reading and non-reading activities.
How do I use it?
representations.
Use any of the following tools to have students create non-linguistic
Flow charts, timelines, and cause and effect diagrams
• Encourage young people to convert oral or written instructions into a flow chart. (e.g.,
“On a piece of paper show me the first step to developing your film. What do you do
after that?”).
• Write out a timeline to explain the sequence of events that led you to make a decision.
• Use a cause and effect diagram to explain the impacts of life-style choices.
Concept webs and visual brainstorms:
• Use a concept web to explore the connections between a new concept and the learner’s
prior knowledge.
• Encourage young people to explain their actions making by diagram illustrating all the
influences on their thinking.
• Use Inspiration Software (http://www.inspiration.com/) to create diagram or help learners
explain their thinking.
Pictures:
• Encourage young people to represent their ideas in the form of pictures or diagrams.
• Use diagrams to explain a solution to a problem or field position in a sport (this comes
naturally to coaches of sports).
Skits, role-plays, and other imagination games:
• E.g., “In the book we just finished, Bill made bad choices that landed him in jail. Prepare
two skits: one that shows what happened, and another that shows a happier ending.”
• E.g., “As I am reading this section of the biography, close your eyes and imagine how it
felt to be Malcolm. What does he see when he walks outside? What does he smell?
What is the temperature of the air? How does that make his body feel?”
Models:
• E.g., “Use the blocks, paper, and art supplies to recreate a the scene in the book when
Malcolm confronts William.”
E.g., “Use bottle-caps to demonstrate three options for our zone offense.”
31
Thanks to Bayard Klimasmith for developing these ideas and writing this description.
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English Language Arts Instructional Guide - Appendix A-2 Sample Teaching Tools
117
COMPREHENSION TOOL: Reflective Journal
What is it? A reflective journal is a place where readers record their thoughts and feelings
about what they read. It allows students a number of ways to “make meaning” from a text. It also
allows a teacher to assess students’ understanding of what they have read and their ability to
draw connections to other reading or their own experience.
How do I use it? To use this tool, follow the steps below.
1. Provide students with notebooks (bought or made) to use as their journals.
2. Explain that after each reading (either in class or as homework), students will be
expected to write a response in their journals.
3. Provide students with a list of journal writing prompts, such as:
This character reminds me of (name of person you know) because...
This character reminds me of myself because...
This character is like (name of character) in (title of book) because…
I think this setting is important because....
This scene reminds me of a similar scene in (title of book) because…
I like/dislike this writing because...
This part is very realistic/unrealistic because…
I think the relationship between ______and ______ is interesting because...
This section makes me think about ______________, because...
I like/dislike (name of character) because...
This situation reminds me of a similar situation in my own life. It happened when...
If I were (name of character) at this point, I would...
I can’t believe...
I wonder why...
I noticed...
I like the way the author...
I felt ______ when...
I wish that....
4. Explain that you will be reading these journals and that you will be looking for signs that
they have understood what they have read, as well as to hear their opinions, feelings, and
other reactions to what they have read. Explain that this is a place to practice thoughtful
writing and expand on their ideas. Note that when students express an opinion it is
important that they explain why they hold this opinion.
5. Advise students that there is no “right”” or “wrong” response, unless there is obvious
intent to be rude or hurtful. Explain that you are looking for their personal opinions and
that it is okay for them to differ from other students in their interpretation of the material.
6. Read students’ journals periodically and write responses to their comments. Use these
journals to help you gauge the effectiveness of your teaching.
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74 118 Appendix A-2 Sample Teaching Tools - English Language Arts Instructional Guide
APPENDIX A-3
READING LISTS
Fiction List32
Note: Some pieces of literature of interest to adolescents have story lines which may raise sensitive issues for some DYS
residents. Issues of special concern are those containing graphic language regarding violence or abuse. It is imperative
that a teacher read a selection before using it instructionally with students. If a teacher feels that a book may raise
sensitive issues with students he or she should notify the clinician in advance, so that they can work together to use the
literature in an emotionally safe environment.
Almond, David
Skellig (fantasy, mystery)
Michael, whose life has taken some unhappy turns, retreats into the garage of his new house and finds a mysterious
stranger.
Alphin, Elaine Marie
Counterfeit Son
When serial killer Hank Miller is killed in a shoot-out with police, his abused son Cameron adopts the identity of one
of his father’s victims in order to survive.
Alvarez, Julia
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents (teen issues)
Story of a family arriving in the U.S. from the Dominican Republic.
Before We Were Five (historical fiction)
As life in the Dominican Republic becomes increasingly dangerous, Anita must struggle to overcome her fears and
eventually leave all that she once knew behind.
Anonymous
Go Ask Alice (teen issues, Classic)
This classic traces a teen girl’s life as it spins out of control.
Anderson, Laurie Halse
Speak (teen issues)
A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda’s freshman year in high school.
Catalyst (teen issues)
Eighteen-year-old Kate, who sometimes chafes at being a preacher’s daughter, finds herself losing control in her
senior year as she faces difficult neighbors, the possibility that she may not be accepted by the college of her choice,
and an unexpected death.
Atwater-Rhodes,Amelia
Demon in My View (fantasy)
Seventeen-year old Jessica Allodola discovers that the vampire world of her fiction is real when she develops
relationships with an alluring vampire named Aubrey and the teenage witch who tries to save Jessica from his
clutches.
In the Forest of the Night (fantasy)
Risika, a teenage vampire, wanders back in time to the year 1684 when, as a human, she died and was transformed
against her will.
Shattered Mirror (fantasy)
As seventeen-year-old Sarah, daughter of a powerful line of vampire-hunting witches, pursues the ancient bloodsucker
Nikolas, she finds herself in a dangerous friendship with the two vampire siblings in her high school.
Avi
Nothing But the Truth (teen issues)
A ninth-grader’s suspension for apparently refusing to be patriotic highlights miscommunication and misperceptions
of the same event.
List compiled by William Diehl and Mary Lou Reid, with selected books from a list compiled by the National Center on Education
and the Economy.
32
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120
Bauer, Joan
Hope Was Here (teen issues)
When sixteen-year-old Hope moves from Brooklyn to Wisconsin to work as a waitress and cook in the Welcome
Stairways diner, she becomes involved in a campaign to oust the town’s corrupt mayor.
Rules of the Road (teen issues)
Sixteen-year old Jenna comes of age while driving the elderly owner of a chain of successful stores to Texas.
Thwonk (fantasy, teen issues)
A cupid doll comes to life and offers romantic assistance to AJ, a teenager suffering from unrequited love.
Bechard, Margaret
Hanging Onto Max (teen issues)
When his girlfriend decides to give their baby away, seventeen-year-old Sam is determined to keep him and raise
him alone.
Bennett, James
Squared Circle (sports)
A high school sports star gets a scholarship to college and finds the transition difficult.
Block, Francesca Lia
Baby Be-Bop (teen issues)
Issues around being a gay adolescent are addressed.
Violet & Claire (teen issues)
Two friends struggle with their differences, set against the glittering backdrop of Hollywood.
Brashares, Ann
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (teen issues)
During summer break, four friends each embark on adventures.
Brown, Claude
Manchild in the Promised Land (Classic)
Burgess, Melvin
Smack (teen issues)
A glimpse into the lives of teens who want to escape their often dysfunctional families and descend into the
abyss of drugs.
Cadnum, Michael
Rundown (mystery)
Intriguing story of deception, jealousy, and a lesson learned the hard way.
Redhanded (sports)
Stephen’s chance to make it to the big boxing tournament is to go along with the dangerous plan of a local
tough guy.
Breaking the Fall (realistic fiction)
Desperately trying to hold together his disintegrating life, Stanley allows his friend Jared to draw him into a
dangerous game of fear.
Edge (realistic fiction)
Zachary, living with his divorced mother in California, finds violence gradually invading his life and making
significant changes in his day-do-day existence.
Carter, Alden
Bull Catcher (sports)
A deeper look at sports, competition, and what it takes to succeed.
Chbosky, Stephen
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (teen issues)
Funny, touching novel about a “normal” teenager - not popular, not geeky, just himself.
Cole, Brock
The Facts Speak for Themselves (teen issues)
Thirteen-year old Linda gradually reveals how her life with her unstable mother led to violence.
Coleman, Evelyn
Born in Sin (realistic fiction)
Living in a housing project with drug dealers as neighbors, Keisha is determined not to let her future be dictated
by her meager circumstances.
Fiction
Collier, James
My Brother Sam is Dead (Revolutionary War historical fiction)
Coman, Carolyn
Many Stones (realistic fiction)
A murder in South Africa and subsequent dedication of a memorial provide the backdrop of this story. Printz
Honor Someone Like You (teen issues)
Sixteen-year-old Haley experiences loss and the strength of relationships.
This Lullaby (teen issues)
The story of a girl who believes her heart is made of stone - and the boy who proves her wrong.
Truth About Forever (realistic fiction)
Sixteen year old Macy stays in control - good grades, perfect boyfriend, always neat and tidy - and tries to fake
her way to normal.
DeFelice, Cynthia
Under the Same Sky (realistic fiction)
Joe narrates a well-paced story that illuminates the need for understanding, tolerance, and discussion of the role
and rights of migrant workers in the United States
Deuker, Carl
Heart of a Champion (sports)
Seth faces a strain on his friendship with Jimmy, who is both a baseball champion and something of an irresponsible
fool.
On the Devil’s Court (sports)
Struggling with feelings of inadequacy and loss of control, seventeen-year old Joe attempts to make a trade.
Painting the Black (sports)
Remy’s life is changed when a star athlete moves in across the street.
DiCamillo, Kate
Because of Winn-Dixie (realistic fiction)
All good things happen to India Opal Buloni because of her ugly dog.
Draper, Sharon
Romiette and Julio (teen issues)
Same themes as the classic with interracial romance.
Tears of a Tiger (teen issues)
A teen deals with the DUI death of her best friend.
The Battle of Jericho (teen issues)
A high school junior and his cousin suffer the ramifications of joining what seems to be a “reputable” school
club.
Ferris, Jean
Bad (realistic fiction)
Dallas is sentenced to six months in a rehabilitation center after robbing a store when her father refuses to
allow her to come home.
Love Among the Walnuts (realistic fiction)
A family becomes a victim of a vicious plot by greedy relatives.
Of Sound Mind (realistic fiction)
Theo finds support from a new student when he is tired of dealing with his family’s problems.
Flake, Sharon
Begging for Change (realistic fiction)
Teenage Raspberry Hill tries to sort out her confused feelings of disgust, shame, and love for her homeless, drug
addicted father and worries that she may have inherited his lying and stealing ways.
The Skin I’m In (realistic fiction)
Thirteen-year-old Maleeka, uncomfortable because her skin is extremely dark, meets a new teacher with a
birthmark on her face and makes some discoveries about how to love who she is and what she looks like.
Fleischman, Paul
Seedfolks (realistic fiction)
People of varying ages and backgrounds transform a trash-filled inner-city lot into a productive and beautiful
garden and in doing so are transformed themselves.
Whirligig (realistic fiction)
Brent finds forgiveness and atonement as he builds whirligigs in memory of the girl whose death he cause.
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Seek (realistic fiction)
Rob becomes obsessed with searching the airwaves for his long-gone father when he is assigned to write his
autobiography.
Breakout (realistic fiction)
After spending seventeen years bouncing among foster homes, smart, sharp-tongued Del fakes her death and
leaves both herself and L.A. behind.
Flinn, Alex
Breathing Underwater (realistic fiction)
An exploration of an abusive relationship between two high school students from the perspective of the abuser.
Breaking Point (realistic fiction)
Novel about trying to survive social and moral landmines of high school.
Nothing to Lose (mystery)
Story of the memories of an abusive stepfather and a helpless mother.
Fox, Paula
The Slave Dancer (Pre Civil War historical fiction)
Frank, E.R.
America (realistic fiction)
America, a part-black, part-white, part-anything boy who spent many years in institutions for disturbed, antisocial
behavior, tries to piece his life together.
Life is Funny (realistic fiction)
The lives of a number of young people of in different races, economic backgrounds, and family situations living in
Brooklyn, New York, become intertwined over a seven year period.
Friction (realistic fiction)
When a new girl starts rumors about Alex’s favorite teacher, Alex is not sure how to act around him.
Gaines, Ernest
A Lesson Before Dying (realistic fiction)
About a man sentenced to die for a crime he did not commit and about a young man who visits him in his cell.
Giles, Gail
Shattering Glass (realistic fiction)
A story about the use and abuse of power as experienced by five high school males.
Going, K.L.
Fat Boy Rules the World (realistic fiction)
300 pound Troy gets a new perspective on life when a homeless teenager who is a genius on the guitar wants Troy
to be a drummer in his rock band.
Golding, William
Lord of the Flies (Classic)
Griffin, Adele
Amandine (realistic fiction)
During her first week at school, shy, plain Delia does not anticipate the dangerous turns her new friendship will
take.
Sons of Liberty (realistic fiction)
When Rock helps his friend Liza run away from home, he wonders whether escaping from his own troubled
family would be an act of patriotism or of treason.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson
Among the Hidden (science fiction)
Luke lives in isolation and fear that he will be discovered as an illegal third child.
Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphey (realistic fiction)
A tenth grader writes about her life spinning out of control.
Leaving Fishers (realistic fiction)
Dorry finds herself immersed in a religious cult from which she must struggle to extricate herself.
Turnabout (science fiction)
After participating in a flawed scientific experiment to reverse the aging process, the main characters face the
fear of being unable to take care of themselves as they grow younger.
Fiction
Hesser, Terry Spencer
Kissing Doorknobs (realistic fiction)
Increasingly strange compulsions begin to take over Tara’s life and relationships.
Hinton, S.E.
The Outsiders (Classic)
That Was Then, This is Now (Classic)
Hobbs, Will
Downriver (realistic fiction)
Rebellious teenage members of a wilderness survival school team abandon their adult leader.
Jason’s Gold (historical fiction)
Jason embarks on a 5,000-mile journey to strike it rich.
Maze (mystery)
A fourteen-year-old foster child escapes to a wild animal sanctuary.
Holt, Kimberly Willis
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (realistic fiction)
Thirteen-year-old Toby and his best friend Cal meet the star of a sideshow act, a 600 pound boy.
Ingold, Jeannette
The Window (realistic fiction)
A girl survives the car crash that killed her mother by discovering her inner strength.
Jenkins, A.M.
Breaking Boxes (realistic fiction)
Two boys become unlikely friends after being suspended from school for fighting, making them question their
beliefs and what friendship is all about.
Johnson, Angela
First Part Last (realistic fiction)
Bobby’s carefree life changes forever when he becomes a father and must care for his baby daughter.
Johnson, Scott
Safe at Second (sports)
Major league dreams glimmer for a high school senior and his sidekick.
Kehret, Peg
I’m Not Who You Think I Am (mystery)
Fast-paced thriller about a girl who is abducted by her birth mother.
Keys, Daniel
Flowers for Algernon (Classic)
King, Stephen
Pet Semetary (mystery thriller)
A cult classic horror story.
Klass, David
You Don’t Know Me (realistic fiction)
Fear and uncertainty cause the main character to stumble as he negotiates his way through significant issues.
Klauss, Annette
Blood and Chocolate (fantasy)
A beautiful werewolf must decide where she belongs in the world of humans.
Koertge, Ron
The Brimstone Journals (realistic fiction)
In a series of short interconnected poems, students reveal violence existing and growing in their lives.
Where the Kissing Never Stops (realistic fiction)
A high school junior finds support in dealing with his issues after meeting a new girl.
Stoner and Spaz (realistic fiction)
A troubled youth with cerebral palsy struggles toward self-acceptance with the help of a drug-addicted young
woman.
Konigsburg, E.L.
Silent to the Bone (realistic fiction, mystery)
When Branwell loses his power of speech because of a trauma in his life, his friend tries to uncover the truth.
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Korman, Gordon
No More Dead Dogs (realistic fiction)
For expressing his true views about an assigned novel, an eighth-grade football hero earns a detention that
takes him off the team and plunks him in the auditorium viewing a production about the book.
Son of the Mob (realistic fiction)
Vince Luca is just like any other high school kid, except his dad happens to be the head of a powerful crime
organization.
Lawrence, Iain
The Smugglers (historical fiction)
Seafaring book set on the Cornish coast 200 years ago.
Leavitt, Martin
Heck, Superhero (realistic fiction)
When life stops making sense, 13-year old Heck retreats into his drawings, learning that compassion is a
superpower, and that asking for help can be the most heroic act of all.
Lee, Harper
To Kill a Mockingbird (Classic)
Levenkron, Steven
The Luckiest Girl in the World (realistic fiction)
A pressured teen finds only one way to cope with a broken home and a powerful, demanding mother.
Lipsyte, Robert
The Contender (sports)
A Harlem high school dropout uses the boxing ring to figure out life.
Lowry, Lois
The Giver (science fiction)
Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by
only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.
Number the Stars (Classic)
Lynch, Chris
Gold Dust (historical fiction, sports)
Richard befriends a Caribbean newcomer, introducing him to baseball, hoping it will win him acceptance in his
racially polarized Boston school.
Iceman (sports)
A ruthless hockey player, prone to violence on the ice, tries to reconcile his own needs with those of his
parents.
Mackler, Carolyn
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things (realistic fiction)
Feeling like she does not fit in with the other members of her family,Virginia tries to deal with her self-image, her
first physical relationship and disillusionment with some people closest to her.
Martinez, Victor
Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida (realistic fiction)
Manny relates his coming of age experiences as a member of a poor Mexican American family in which the
alcoholic father only adds to everyone’s struggle. National Book Award.
Marsden, John
Checkers (realistic fiction, mystery)
A teenage girl succumbs to tremendous media pressure that preceded a family scandal.
Letters from the Inside (realistic fiction)
A relationship by correspondence intensifies as terrible problems are revealed.
So Much to Tell You (realistic fiction)
A mysteriously disfigured girl who refuses to speak, reveals her thoughts and feelings in a diary.
Tomorrow When the War Began (survival, series)
Seven teenagers return form a camping trip to discover that their country has been invaded.
Mazer, Norma Fox
When She Was Good (realistic fiction)
The death of her abusive, manipulative older sister prompts seventeen-year-old Em to remember their unpleasant
life together, with their parents and then later on their own.
Fiction
McCormick, Patricia
Cut (realistic fiction)
A story about a young girl so seriously lost in life that she begins to harm herself.
McNamee, Graham
Hate You (realistic fiction)
A lesson in forgiveness and acceptance.
Acceleration (realistic fiction)
One teen’s self-conscious yet fast-paced journey into the mind of a cold-blooded killer, and the resulting
manhunt that will thrill readers.
Myers, Walter Dean
Fallen Angels (historical fiction)
A seventeen year old spends a devastating year on active duty in Vietnam.
Hoops (sports)
A professional player, forced to quit basketball because of a point shaving scandal, hopes to prevent other
young athletes from repeating his mistake.
Monster (realistic fiction)
A sixteen-year-old records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom as he tries to come to terms with the
choices he has made.
Scorpions (realistic fiction)
A teen becomes caught in gang life.
Nixon, John Lowery
Who Are You? (mystery)
Murder and an art career.
Nolan, Han
Born Blue (realistic fiction)
Janie was four years old when she nearly drowned due to her mother’s neglect. Through an unhappy foster
home experience, and years of feeling that she is unwanted, she keeps alive her dream of someday being a
famous singer.
Dancing on the Edge (realistic fiction)
A young girl from a dysfunctional family creates for herself an alternative world which nearly results in her
death but which ultimately leads her to reality. National Book Award.
Newfield, John
Boys Lie (realistic fiction)
A teen fights against gossip in school and proves that she’s not the person everyone thinks she is.
Oates, Joyce Carol
Big Mouth and Ugly Girl (realistic fiction)
A story of family and friendship, loyalty and betrayal.
Orr, Wendy
Peeling the Onion (realistic fiction)
A girl survives an auto accident in more ways than one.
Paulsen, Gary
Brian’s Return (realistic fiction)
54 days in the wilderness makes it difficult to return to civilization.
Peck, Richard
A Long Way From Chicago (realistic fiction)
A boy recounts his annual summer trips to rural Illinois with his sister during the Great Depression to visit their
larger-than-life grandmother
A Year Down Yonder (realistic fiction)
During the recession of 1937, fifteen-year-old Mary Alice is sent to live with her feisty grandmother in rural
Illinois.
Peck, Robert Newton
A Day No Pigs Would Die (historical fiction, Classic)
Maturity comes early to a Vermont farm boy who learns to do what needs to be done.
Extra Innings (sports)
A story about a sixteen-year-old baseball fan.
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Pennebaker, Ruth
Don’t Think Twice (realistic fiction)
Anne learns who she is as she makes a decision of whether or not to give up her baby for adoption.
Conditions of Love (realistic fiction)
A teen comes to terms with her volatile emotions and changing relationships.
Peters, Julie Ann
Define “Normal” (realistic fiction)
Two very different girls discover who they are through a forced friendship.
Philbrick, Rodman
Freak the Mighty (realistic fiction)
Two friends discover that when they combine forces, they make a brilliant team.
Plum-Ucci, Carol
The Body of Christopher Creed (realistic fiction, mystery)
A high school junior struggles with doubts and questions surrounding the disappearance of a class outcast.
Whatever Happened to Lani Garver?
Lani helps Claire get control of her life at the risk of his own.
Qualey, Marsha
Close to a Killer (mystery)
A book-loving teen hunts for a beauty shop killer.
Quarles, Heather
A Door Near Here (realistic fiction)
Four siblings struggle to maintain a semi-normal home life when their single mother’s alcoholism becomes
debilitating.
Rapp, Adam
33 Snowfish (realistic fiction)
A homeless boy, running from the police with a fifteen-year-old, drug-addicted prostitute, her boyfriend, and a
baby, gets the chance to make a better life for himself.
Rawls, Wilson
Where the Red Fern Grows (Classic)
Reynolds, Margaret
It Happened to Annie (realistic fiction)
A fourteen-year-old gets pregnant, has the child and confronts dilemmas.
Too Soon for Jeff (realistic fiction)
A scholar/athlete gets his girlfriend pregnant and now has no chance for college.
Rosoff, Meg
How I Live Now (futuristic fiction)
A disillusioned 15-year-old moves to London to escape her stepmother only to find her life devastated by the
start of a war. Printz Award.
Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter (series)
Sachar, Louis
Holes (realistic fiction)
As further evidence of his family’s bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley is
sent to a hellish correctional camp where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
Shusterman, Neal
Downsiders (science fiction/fantasy)
An exploration of the two worlds of New York: the above-ground bustling city and the below-ground, dark
Downside.
Full Tilt (science fiction/fantasy)
When sixteen-year-old Blake goes to a mysterious, by-invitation-only carnival he somehow knows that it could
save his comatose brother, but learns that much more is at stake if he fails to meet the challenge.
The Schwa Was Here (realistic fiction)
Schwa is an average kid who hangs on the periphery of the crowd and longs to be noticed and included, not
simply ignored.
Fiction
Shange, Ntozake
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf (realistic fiction)
Classic about being of color and female.
Shea, Pegi Deitz
Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl’s Story (realistic fiction)
Mai finds life in America complicated and confusing. Ultimately, she will have to reconcile the old ways with the
new and decide what kind of woman she wants to become.
Sheldon, Dyan
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (realistic fiction)
A teen wins the school’s drama crown with her lead in Pygmalion, but life is not all roses.
Simmons, Michael
Pool Boy (realistic fiction)
When his father is arrested for insider trading and his family loses all their money, Brett takes a job as an
assistant to a pool cleaner is his former neighborhood and learns some valuable life lessons.
Somes, Sonya
What My Mother Doesn’t Know (realistic fiction, prose)
Sophie describes her relationships with a series of boys as she searches for Mr. Right.
Soto, Gary
Nickel and Dime (realistic fiction)
The story of three dispossessed men in Oakland, CA, on the margins of society.
Buried Onions
Spinelli, Jerry
Stargirl (realistic fiction)
A story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love.
Maniac Magee
Steinbeck, John
Of Mice and Men (Classic)
The Pearl (Classic)
Sun, John
Finding My Hat (realistic fiction)
A story of Jin-Han and his Korean family’s search for their place in America.
Tashjian, Janet
The Gospel According to Larry (realistic fiction)
A loner-philosopher wants to make a difference in the world.
Multiple Choice (realistic fiction)
Monica tries to break free from all of the suffocating rules in her life by creating a game.
Taylor, Mildred
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Classic)
Watsons Go To Birmingham (Classic)
Temple, Frances
A Taste of Salt (historical fiction)
In the hospital after being beaten by Macoutes, seventeen-year-old Djo tells the story of his impoverished life
to a young woman who, like him, has been working with the social reformer Father Aristide to fight
repression in Haiti.
Tomey, Ingrid
Nobody Else Has to Know (realistic fiction)
Grandfather takes the blame for his grandson’s terrible car accident.
Trueman,Terry
Stuck in Neutral (realistic fiction)
A story of hope, fear, and a mutual quest for understanding.
Cruise Control (realistic fiction)
The complex portrayal of a family dealing with the heartbreak of a disability.
Veciana-Suarez, Ana
Flight to Freedom (realistic fiction)
This informative novel incorporates historical facts of Cuban exiles in Miami: their portrayal of loss, longing,
and the hope of starting a new life.
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Walker, Alice
The Color Purple (Classic)
Weaver, Beth Nixon
Rooster (realistic fiction)
On a small Florida orange grove in the 1960s, Kady Palmer is burdened with a hardscrabble life in a tiny
house where she struggles with family class and the harsh environment.
Weaver, Will
Striking Out (sports)
Life and a relationship with his family begins to change as Billy begins to play baseball.
Farm Team (sports)
Billy finds himself in charge of running the family farm while trying to do what he loves most: play baseball.
Hard Ball (sports)
Continuing life lessons are learned on and off the baseball diamond.
Williams, Lori Aurelia
Shayla’s Double Brown Baby Blues (realistic fiction)
As she tries to help, Shayla painfully learns that friendship has its limits and the maturity she longs for
comes with a price.
Velda, Vivian Vande
Never Trust a Dead Man (fantasy, mystery)
A humorous, fantastical mystery.
Werlin, Nancy
Black Mirror (mystery)
Frances uncovers surprising truths about her boarding school’s charitable group.
Killer’s Cousin (mystery)
David is forced to face his past as he learns more about his strange cousin Lily.
Locked Inside (mystery)
Marnie must rethink her idealized relationship with her mother and her own sense of who she is.
Wittlinger, Ellen
Hard Love (realistic fiction)
Sixteen-year-old John meets an unusual girl after starting to publish a zine in which he writes his secret feelings.
Long Night of Leo and Bree (realistic fiction)
A boy, tormented by his mother’s insane accusations and his own nightmares, changes after spending a long
night with a girl he kidnaps.
Razzle (realistic fiction)
When his retired parents buy a group of tourist cabins on Cape Cod, fifteen-year-old Kenyon Baker’s days are
filled with work until he becomes friends with an eccentric girl.
Wolff, Virginia Euwer
Make Lemonade (realistic fiction)
Story of a 14-year old girl who helps a struggling teen mother.
True Believer (realistic fiction)
LaVaughan, the main character, encounters obstacles in her relationships.
Woodson, Jacqueline
If You come Softly (realistic fiction)
After meeting at their private school in New York, fifteen-year-old Jeremiah, who is black and whose parents are
separated, and Ellie, who is white and whose mother has twice abandoned her, fall in love and try to cope with
people’s reactions.
Hush (realistic fiction)
Toswiah Green’s life ended the moment her policeman father decided to testify against a fellow officer, leaving
her to wonder who she is now.
I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This (realistic fiction)
Two young teenage girls resist the bigotry in their school and sorrow in their families to help each other find
the strength to go on.
Yolen, Jane
The Devil’s Arithmetic
Fiction
Yolen, Jane & Bruce Coville
Armageddon Summer (realistic fiction)
Fourteen-year-old Marina and sixteen-year-old Jed accompany their parents’ religious cult, the Believers, to await
the end of the world atop a remote mountain, where they try to decide what they themselves believe.
Zindel, Paul
The Pigman (realistic fiction)
Two high-school sophomores from constricting, unhappy homes and looking for a way out of emptiness meet a
lonely old man with an awful secret.
129
Memoir, Biography, Autobiography
(and a few other non-fiction)
Note: Some pieces of literature of interest to adolescents have story lines which may raise sensitive issues for some DYS
residents. Issues of special concern are those containing graphic language regarding violence or abuse. It is imperative
that a teacher read a selection before using it instructionally with students. If a teacher feels that a book may raise
sensitive issues with students he or she should notify the clinician in advance, so that they can work together to use the
literature in an emotionally safe environment.
Alvarez, Julia
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent
Fifteen tales vividly chronicle a Dominican family’s exile in the Bronx, focusing of the four Garcia Daughter’s rebellion
against their immigrant elders.
Angelou, Maya
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
The remarkable black woman from Arkansas captures a youth filled with disappointment, frustration, tragedy and
finally hard-won independence.
Aron, Paul
Unsolved Mysteries of American History: An Eye-Opening Journey Through 500 Years of Discoveries,Disappearances, and
Baffling Events
Beals, Melba Patillo
Warriors Don’t Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock’s Central High
The author forcefully recalls how, at age 15, she and several other black teenagers were chosen to integrate Little
Rock’s Central High following the passage of Brown vs. Board of Education.
Bell, Karen Magnuson
Fire in Their Eyes: Wildfires and People Who Fight Them
A dramatic account of the training and work of a firefighter as well as the role of fire in the natural world.
Bitton-Jackson, Livia
I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust
When Nazis invaded her Hungarian home, 13-year old Elli is shipped to a concentration camp, where she is selected
for work and survives.
Bolton, Ruthie Mae
Gal: A True Life
Born in 1961 to a thirteen-year-old mother in South Carolina, Ruthie Mae Bolton endured abandonment, abuse, and
loss.
Brabner, Joyce and Harvey Pekar
Our Cancer Year
A re-creation of the awful year when she became involved in a complicated project, and he undertook grueling
chemotherapy for cancer.
Burroughs, Augusten
Dry: A Memoir
The story of one man trying to out-drink his memories, outlast his demons, and outrun his past.
Running with Scissors
When his violent, nearly homicidal parents, divorce, Augusten lives with his mother, a confessional poet battling a
mental illness.
Canfield, Jack
Chicken Soup for the Soul (series)
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul (series)
Chang, Pang-Mei Natasha
Bound Feet and Western Dress
A dual memoir that braids the story of Chinese-American Pang-Mei’s own search for identity with the tale of her
great-aunt, who was born at the turn of the century.
130
Memoir, Biography,
Autobiography
131
Cisneros, Sandra
The House on Mango Street
A series of vignettes about a young girl growing up in the Latino section of Chicago.
Cleary, Beverly
The Girl from Yamhill: A Memoir
Cleary’s memoir is acute, especially for some growing up pains, ending with a description of the determination
and hard work it took to leave home and find her own way.
My Own Two Feet
The author’s unsentimental recollections of herself as a student in the Depression, a librarian and a newlywed
are told humorously and candidly as she struggles for independence.
Collins, Ace
Blackball Superstars: Legendary Players of the Negro Baseball Leagues
Readers will come to realize why these talented men were constantly on the move, the prejudice they faced,
and how they were denied a chance to compete.
Cooper, Amy
Coloring Outside the Lines: A Punk Rock Memoir
A fascinating look at the early 80’s Punk Rock subculture and an incredibly candid look into the lives of the
people who held it together.
Corrigan, Eireann
You Remind Me of You
Struggling for years with eating disorders, in and out of treatment facilities, Corrigan is teetering on the brink of
no return as she wends her way through profoundly difficult times.
Cormier, Robert
I Have Words to Spend: Reflections of a Small Town Editor
A window into the life of Cormier, we find out about his childhood memories, favorite movies, family interactions,
and travels.
Crutcher, Chris
King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography
Tough and tender reminiscences focus primarily on family, social, and school conflicts, but lessons derived from
his career as a teacher, therapist, and writer are also described.
Dahl, Roald
Boy: Tales of a Childhood
The author provides a glimpse into where he got some of the plot ideas and inspirations for his most popular
books from his eccentric upbringing.
Denenberg, Barry
Voices from Vietnam
An impressive array of personal narratives and histories of the Vietnam War chronicling the U.S. involvement,
which stretches from the late 1940’s to 1975.
Donofrio, Beverly
Riding in Cars with Boys: Confessions of a Bad Girl Who Makes Good
An outrageous and touching memoir is about becoming middle-class and compromises made between being
your own person and fitting into society.
Dumas, Firoozeh
Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America
A story of identity, discovery and the power of family love as the author and her family balance the comedy of
her family’s misadventures with the more serious prejudices they face.
Duncan, Lois
Chapters: My Growth as a Writer
The author recounts the experiences from her childhood, adolescence, and marriage which have been
incorporated into her fictional stories and poems.
Elders, Joycelyn, and David Chanoff
Joycelyn Elders, M.D.: From Sharecropper’s Daughter to Surgeon General of the United States of America
Elders remounts her many accomplishments, focusing on her transformation from a poor black girl to a
medical scientist.
Filipovic, Zlata
Zlata’s Diary:A Child’s Life in Sarajevo
Memoir, Biography,
Autobiography
Fradin, Dennis Brindell, and Judith Bloom Fradin
Ida B. Wells: Mother of the Civil Rights Movement
An outspoken journalist who never softened or compromised and who lashed at blacks and white with equal
fervor at any sign of accommodation to racial inequity.
Frank, Anne
The Diary of Anne Frank
The classic - both in memoir and in play form
Freedman, Russell
Martha Graham: A Dancer’s Life
Graham managed to turn the dance world on its tutu with her innovative approach to movement and teaching
and her clear understanding that feelings are not always graceful, but always intense.
Babe Didrickson Zaharias
Freedman demonstrates Zaharias’s role as a challenger not only of sporting records, but of cultural assumptions
about class and gender as well.
The Life and Death of Crazy Horse
Combines the life and personality of the great Lakota warrior with the dramatic narration of the bloody conflict
that ended only with the forced settlement of the last free Native American nation.
Friedman, Lita
Mary Robinson: Fighter for Human Rights
Born and raised in Ireland, Robinson embraced the notion of social justice early in her career and fought for it
around the world.
Fritz, Jean
Homesick: My Own Story:
Fritz draws the reader into scenes from her youth in the turbulent China of the mid-twenties.
Gantos, Jack
Hole in My Life
The author relates how, as a young adult, he became a drug user and smuggler, was arrested, did time in prison,
and eventually got out and went to college, all the while hoping to become a writer.
Gill, David Macinnis Gill
Graham Salisbury: Island Boy
Gottlieb, Lori
Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Self
Once she achieves her stick figure, Lori really sees herself for the first time in a restaurant mirror and decides
then and there to bring herself back from the brink of starvation.
Greenwood, B.
The Last Safe House: A Story of the Underground Railroad
Hickam, Homer H.
Rocket Boys: A memoir
After watching the Soviet Satellite Sputnik, Sonny and his teenage friends took their future into their own hands,
changing their lives and their town forever.
Hirsh, Karen D
Mind Riot: Coming of Age in Comix
Funny, spirited, and honest portrayals of young adult life.
Hurston, Zora Neale
Dust Tracks on a Road: An Autobiography
An unrestrained account of the rise from childhood poverty in the rural South to prominence among the
leading artists and intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance.
Jiang, Ji-Li
Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution
In 1966, twelve-year-old Ji-li had everything. But that year China’s leader, Mao Ze-dong launched the Cultural
Revolution, and Ji-li’s world began to fall apart.
Jimenez, Francisco
The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child
A perfect portrayal of an immigrant child’s view of leaving Mexico for California to pursue a better life.
Breaking Through
An exploration of the prejudices and challenges migrants face while also relaying universal adolescent experiences
of school, dances, and romances.
132
Memoir, Biography,
Autobiography
133
Jones, Jasmine
Coach Carter
Coach Carter’s determination to adhere to his convictions puts his philosophy and his players’ trust to the
ultimate test.
Kaysen, Susanna
Girl Interrupted
A startling account of Kaysen’s two-year stay at a Boston psychiatric hospital.
Kerr, M.E.
Me, Me, Me, Me: Not a Novel
The author recounts escapades from her own teenage years and reveals how many of those real-life people and
events served as springboards for the fictional characters and plots in her young adult novels.
Kimmel, Haven
A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland Indiana
Kimmel takes readers back to a time when small-town America was caught in the amber of the innocent
postwar period- people helped their neighbors, went to church, and kept barnyard animals in their backyards.
Kingston, Maxine Hong
The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts
A Chinese American woman tells of the Chinese myths, family stories and events of her California childhood
that have shaped her identity.
Krakauer, Jon
High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places
For generations of resolute adventurers, Mount Everest and other great peaks have provided the ultimate
testing ground for the pursuit of excellence and a quest for self-knowledge.
Lanier, Shannon, and Feldman, Jane
Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One American Family
Lanier sheds light not only on his own heritage but also on the understanding and pride that emerge when
family history is explored.
Lauck, Jennifer
Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found
Written from the viewpoint of the child, Lauck’s memoir recounts a childhood troubled by an unending string
of upheavals and heartbreaks, yet Lauck’s lack of self-pity transform it into an odyssey of endurance and
transcendence.
Lipsyte, Robert
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Hercules in America
An even-handed account of the life of the champion body builder turned movie star who was raised to win at
any cost.
Jim Thorpe: Twentieth Century Jock
Thorpe uses the story of “perhaps the greatest all-around male athlete in American history” as a lens through
which to examine the effect of racism on Native Americans.
Little, Jean
Little by Little: A Writer’s Education
A book whose focus is on the durability and inspiration to be found in a solid family commitment and the
individual’s spirit on hard work and determination.
Mathabane, Mark
Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Balck Youth’s Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa
In stark prose, Mathabane describes his life growing up in a nonwhite ghetto outside Johannesburg.
McKissack, Patricia
Young, Black, and Determined: A Biography of Lorraine Hansberry
Readers can drink in the whole civil right history of much of the last century and an in-depth treatment of
Hansberry’s major play, along with her fascinating life.
Myers, Walter Dean
Bad Boy: A Memoir
Myers paints a fascinating picture of his childhood growing up in Harlem in the 1940’s and his everyday struggle
for survival.
Memoir, Biography,
Autobiography
The Greatest: Muhammad Ali
An introduction to Ali’s life from his childhood to the present day, focusing on his career and the controversies
surrounding him.
At Her Majesty’s Request: An African Princess in Victorian England
Biography of the African princess saved from execution and taken to England where Queen Victoria oversaw
her upbringing and where she lived for a time before marrying an African missionary.
Malcolm X
Opdyke, Irene Gut and Jennifer Armstrong
In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer
Recounts the experiences of the author who, as a young Polish girl, hid and saved Jews during the Holocaust.
Orgill, Roxane
Shout, Sister, Shout: Ten Girl Singers Who Shaped A Century
A lively collective biography presents one female singer from every decade of the twentieth century, each
chosen for her music, her story and her claim to represent the times in some sense.
Paulsen, Gary
Guts
The author relates incidents in his life and how they inspired parts of his books about the character, Brian
Robinson.
Rosen, Michael
Shakespeare: His Work and his World
After opening with a briskly dramatic account of the famous overnight removal of an entire London playhouse,
Rosen looks at medieval theater, then leads a high-energy tour through Elizabethan culture and daily life.
Ryan, Terry
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less
While her sometimes abusive husband drank away a third of his weekly pay, Ryan kept her family afloat by
entering every contest she came across.
Santiago, Esmeralda
When I Was Puerto Rican
A lyrical memoir of Santiago’s childhood on her native island and of her bewildering years of transition in New
York City.
Schwager, Tina and Michele Schuerger
Gutsy Girls: Young Women Who Dare
The authors profile 25 young women between the ages of 14 and 24 who have demonstrated considerable
mental and physical courage in pursuit of personal challenges.
Smith, Lissa
Nike is a Goddess: The History of Women in Sports
In a series of 13 original narratives, top female athletes capture the profound changes women’s sports have
undergone and pay tribute to the remarkable athletes who led the way.
Spinelli, Jerry
Knots in My Yo-Yo String: The Autobiography of a Kid
From first memories through high school, including first kiss, first punch, first trip to the principal’s office, and
first humiliating sports experience, this is not merely an account of a highly unusual childhood.
Stewart, Mark
Derek Jeter: Substance and Style
The profile of the young superstar shortstop, which unfortunately only takes the reader through the 1998
season.
Teague, Allison
Prince of the Fairway: The Tiger Woods Story
An accurate and clearly written look at Tiger Woods’ short life and rise to becoming a golfing phenomenon,
highlighting the importance of family and integrity.
Time Magazine
Bridges and Borders: Diversity in America (American History)
Vancil, Mark
For the Love of the Game, Michael Jordan
Jordan traces his ascension from college star to the object of worldwide adoration.
134
Memoir, Biography,
Autobiography
Wiesel, Elie
Night
An autobiographical narrative, in which the author describes his experiences in Nazi concentration camps.
Winnick, Judd
Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned
Pedro taught the world that those afflicted with AIDS could live and love nobly with intelligence, humor, and
great humanity.
Yen Mah, Adeline
Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter
A riveting memoir of a girl’s painful coming-of-age in a wealthy Chinese family during the 1940s.
135
Short Story Collections
Note: Some pieces of literature of interest to adolescents have story lines which may raise sensitive issues for some DYS
r language regarding violence or abuse. It is imperative
residents. Issues of special concern are those containing graphic
that a teacher read a selection before using it instructionally with students. If a teacher feels that a book may raise
sensitive issues with students he or she should notify the clinician in advance, so that they can work together to use the
literature in an emotionally safe environment.
Appelt, Kathi
Kissing Tennessee and Other Stories from the Stardust Dance
Graduating eighth graders relate the stories of love and heartbreak that have brought them to the magical Stardust
Dance.
Alexie, Sherman
The Toughest Indian in the World: Stories
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
Almond, Steve
My Life in Heavy Metal
Twelve passion-fueled stories that take a clear-eyed view of relationships between young men and women who have
come of age in an era without innocence.
Armstrong, Jennifer, ed.
What a Song Can Do: 12 Riffs on the Power of Music
A dozen perspectives on music’s life-altering possibilities that will speak to teens on a very personal level.
Bauer, Marion Dane
Am I Blue? Coming Out of from the Silence
Each of the stories honestly portrays its subject and theme - growing up gay or lesbian or with a gay or lesbian parent
or friend.
Book, Rick
Necking with Louise
Seven short stories, all written by Book, that explore deeply affecting and unexpected experiences.
Barrett, Peter, ed.
To Break the Silence
Thirteen short stories, some of which have been previously published, that explore the human experience.
Blume, Judy
Places I Never Meant to Be
Stories by twelve authors whose works have been censored. Touches readers and invites them to think.
Bode, Janet
Trust and Betrayal: Real Life Stories of Friends and Enemies
Through real life stories, young adults can learn how to deal with the ups and downs of fitting in, getting out, and
making the right choices about friendships.
Brooks, Bruce
Boys Will Be
Twelve stories written by a male for males, with hope that females will read and understand guys, too.
Brooks, Martha
Traveling on into the Light
A collection of short stories which focus on difficult journeys teens take on their way to adulthood.
Bruchac, Joseph
Flying With the Eagle, Racing the Great Bear
Sixteen rich, thought-provoking Native American tales, showing a reverence for nature and a desire for magic and
adventure, associated with rites of passage from a variety of tribal nations.
136
Short Story
137
Cart Michael, ed.
Love and Sex: Ten Stories of Truth
Ten very different stories that dramatize how varied and complex the intersections of love and sex are.
Necessary Noise: Stories About Our Families As They Really Are
Ten stories by different authors that provide some illuminating and surprising answers to the question: What
does family mean today?
Tomorrowland
Ten different authors tell stories about the future, exploring themes as diverse as love, hate, the environment,
prisons, cults, disease, and the fate of the human race.
Cofer, Judith Ortiz
An Island Like You
Twelve stories about people caught between their Puerto Rican heritage and their American surroundings.
Conford, Ellen
Crush
Coville, Bruce
Odder Than Ever
Nine wildly strange, wonderful tales all written by Coville, meant to move and entertain teen audiences.
Half Human
A collection of stories about such creatures as mermaids and centaurs, who are part-human and part-animal,
and their struggles to understand their true identity.
Crutcher, Chris
Athletic Shorts
Six stories, all told by Crutcher, capture the world of real teenagers who face challenges and do their best no
matter what.
Duncan, Lois, ed.
On the Edge
Twelve stories show teens on the edge and on the brink in ways more emotional than physical, as told by
twelve outstanding authors.
Trapped!
Thirteen stories of characters who are mentally, physically, and emotionally trapped in situations that draw
upon the best and worst of the human spirit.
Night Terrors
Ehrlich, Amy
When I Was Your Age, Volume 1
Ten stories told by writers who locate their stories in the time and space of their own childhood.
When I Was Your Age, Volume 2
A second group of ten stories by authors that chart a clear and certain path through the forest of human
differences
Flake, Sharon G
Who Am I Without Him?
A collection of short stories about teenage girls and the issues they must deal wit in their relationships with
boys. Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award.
Frausitino, Lisa Rowe, ed.
Dirty Laundry
Eleven original stories by various authors explore secrets hidden in families, touch the reader in a place close
to home and offer insights into even the most ordinary family.
Gallo, Donald, ed.
Destination Unexpected
Ten different authors tell tales about journeys that provide the backdrop to discovering surprising things about
the world and themselves.
Join In: Multiethnic Short Stories
A mix of seventeen short stories that reflect young adult views from a variety of ethnic backgrounds on
friendship and prejudice, expectation and disappointment, happiness and pain, connection and confrontation.
No Easy Answers
Sixteen short stories about teenagers who find themselves in situations that test the strength of their character
and ability to do the right thing.
Short Story
On the Fringe
Eleven stories that show outsiders taking center stage, and the constant struggle of popularity, nonconformity,
hate, and acceptance.
Short Circuits
Thirteen stories terrify and horrify teen readers, as well as offer relief.
Sixteen
Sixteen respected novelists with reputations for speaking to young adult concerns and interests provide something
for everyone.
Time Capsule
The setting for these ten stories spans the twentieth century, yet the themes are timeless.
Ultimate Sports
Sixteen original sports stories take the reader into the heart of the sporting experience.
Visions
Nineteen stories by different authors range the spectrum of teenage interests.
Howe, James
Color of Absence
Twelve stories about loss and hope that is born through change.
13: Thirteen Stories about Being 13 by 13 Different Authors
Sometimes touching, sometimes funny, sometimes disturbing look at characters who are trying to make sense of
the world.
Jones, Diana Wynne
Firebirds: An Anthology of Original Fantasy and Science Fiction
A sparkling range of contemporary speculative fiction, from dark humor to high sword and sorcery to traditional
ballads.
Mazer, Anne
America Street: A Multicultural Anthology of Stories
Fourteen stories by some of the best American writers who explore the complex experience of growing up in
our diverse society.
Going Where I’m Coming From: Memoirs of American Youth
Fourteen autobiographical narratives, accounts of journeys of self-discovery, are shared by some of America’s
finest writers.
Working Days
Short stories about teenagers at work.
Mazer, Harry, ed.
Twelve Shots
A riveting collection of stories that explores the emotion driven world of guns and how they impact our lives.
Myers, Walter Dean
145th Street Stories
Ten stories of life in Harlem illustrating the lives of people who experience every mood from fear to despair, from
hilarity to joy.
Orringer, Julie
How to Breathe Underwater: Stories
Orringer delves into the complex lives of girls and young women, discovering passionate and disturbing feelings,
an intense struggle to make sense of the world of adults, and a determination to survive.
Palacios, Angentina
Standing Tall: The Stories of Ten Hispanic Americans
Stories of influential and important Hispanic-American women and men from very different backgrounds and
times who made history.
Paulsen, Gary
Shelf Life: Stories By the Book
Ten short stories in which the lives of young people in different circumstances are changed by their encounters
with books.
Rochman, Hazel and Darlene Z. McCampbell
Who Do You Think You Are? Stories of Friends and Enemies
Fifteen diverse and distinguished writers explore the complexity and joy of friendship.
Leaving Home
138
Short Story
139
Stories about departing form familiar worlds and discovering new ways of being.
Shusterman, Neal
Mindquakes: Stories to Shatter Your Brain
A spectacular collection of stories that are by turns terrifying, comic, darkly inventive, thought-provoking, and
always just slightly off-center.
Mindtwisters: Stories to Shred Your Head
Eight stories that deal with the bizarre and the supernatural.
Singer, Marilyn
Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls
Eleven different authors tell stories about girls who made difficult choices.
Face Relations: Eleven Stories About Seeing Beyond Color
Collection of eleven short stories, many by well-known writers for young adults, which explores issues of racial
identity and race relations in contemporary U.S. high schools.
I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion
In these twelve brushes with religion, written by leading young-adult authors, teens from a wide range of beliefs
search for answers to the hard questions of faith at crucial points in their lives.
Soto, Gary
Baseball in April and Other Stories
A fine collection of stories that offers a different cultural perspective about feelings common to all teenagers,
written with tremendous insight into the process of growing up.
Local News
A collection of thirteen short stories about the everyday lives of Mexican American young people in California’s
Central Valley
Help Wanted: Stories
Twelve stories of teens all caught up in the difficulties of figuring out what it means to be alive.
Thomas, Rob
Doing Time: Notes from the Undergrad
Ten stories of seniors at Robert E. Lee High who do community service in very different ways, learning not all
life’s problems can be solved quickly.
Weiss, M. Jerry and Helen S.
Big City Cool
Fourteen compelling stories about young people from all backgrounds who make their way in this interesting
and risky world.
From One Experience to Another
Fifteen award-winning authors for young adults draw upon their own experience to create fictional stories that
explore adolescence.
Lost & Found
Eight stories told by authors who write for adolescents take a look at their own life experiences for inspiration
to create fiction.
Yep, Laurence
American Dragons: Twenty Five Asian American Voices
The writers in this anthology represent just a portion of the diversity of theme and talent among Asian American
writers.
Yolen, Jane
2041: Twelve Short Stories About the Future by Top Science Fiction Writers
Twelve fictional stories about school life, fads, inventions, and cultural activities in the future.
Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast: Stories
This collection of short stories is a good introduction to various types of fantasy.
Poetry Collections
Note: Some pieces of literature of interest to adolescents have story lines which may raise sensitive issues for some DYS
residents. Issues of special concern are those containing graphic language regarding violence or abuse. It is imperative
that a teacher read a selection before using it instructionally with students. If a teacher feels that a book may raise
sensitive issues with students he or she should notify the clinician in advance, so that they can work together to use the
literature in an emotionally safe environment.
Aguado, Bill
Paint Me Like I Am: Teen Poems from WritersCorps
Young people have a lot to say about race, drugs, abuse and self-image as seen in these honest and sometimes raw
poems written by teens who have taken part in a writing program run by a national nonprofit organization.
Alarcon, Francisco and Maya Christina Gonzalez
From the Bellybutton of the Moon and Other Summer Poems
A bilingual collection of poems in which the renowned Mexican American poet revisits and celebrates his
childhood memories of summers, Mexico, and nature.
Laughing Tomatoes and Other Spring Poems
A bilingual collection of humorous and serious poems sketch family, nature, and celebrations.
Iguanas in the Snow and Other Winter Poems
This celebration of winter is an ode, as well, to San Francisco, a city where people are bridges to one another and
a multiplicity of languages are heard.
Angels Ride Bike and Other Fall Poems
Poems in Spanish and English combine with large, vivid pictures to relate a wonderful story celebrating the daily
encounters of city life.
Appelt, Kathi
Poems from Homeroom: A Writer’s Place to Start
A wonderful collection of Appelt’s poems for young adult readers, accompanied by fascinating accounts of how
and why the poems came to be, along with writing exercises to inspire readers to create their own accessible
poetry.
Blaustein, Noah
Motion: American Sports Poems
These poems rescue sports from our society’s focus on superstars, multimillion-dollar contracts, and gold medals
to capture champions and losers, competitors, and spectators.
Carlson, Lori
Cool Salsa
A spirited, significant collection of 36 poems successfully celebrate the particular experience of growing up Latino
in the United States.
Cisneros, Sandra
Loose Woman: Poems
A candid, sexy, and wonderfully mood-strewn collection of poetry that celebrates the female aspects of love.
Cotner, June
Teen Sunshine Reflections: Words for the Heart and Soul
Thoughts and poems that are meant to help the reader through the tough times, offering encouragement during
challenges and inspiration to reach goals.
Dakos, Kalli
If You’re Not Here, Raise Your Hand: Poems About School
An illustrated collection of poems about a variety of elementary school experiences.
Fletcher, Ralph
Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem from the Inside Out
A concise, nuts-and-bolts guide to creating poetry.
140
Poetry Collections
141
Relatively Speaking: Poems about Family
A collection of poems that describe the experiences and relationships in a close-knit family.
Buried Alive: The Elements of Love
A collection of poems about young love and all of its complications.
I Am Wings
Written from the point of view of a smitten young man, these 33 short, free-verse poems narrate the ups
and downs of a teen romance.
Franco, Betsy
You Hear Me: Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys
Through these mostly free-verse lines, the hopes, dreams, fears, and desires of young men from different
cultures and backgrounds shine through in words that are openly honest.
Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writings by Teenage Girls
A collection of poems, stories and essays written by girls twelve to eighteen years of age and revealing the
secrets which enable them to overcome the challenges they faced.
George, Kristine O’Connell
Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems
Middle school, with all its trials, tribulations, and triumphs, is portrayed humorously and poignantly through
the eyes of one girl.
Glenn, Mel
Class Dismissed! High School Poems
Seventy poems about the emotional lives of contemporary high school students
Class Dismissed II: More High School Poems
The subjects of these poems are fictional adolescents based on actual student that cut to the bone of
adolescent life.
Foreign Exchange: A Mystery in Poems
The tale is presented by its cast in a series of free verse conversations or ruminations, as young people
describe their personal worlds, older adults express a range of attitudes toward teenagers, and nearly
everyone holds stereotypical views.
Giovanni, Nikki
Blues for All Changes
Fifty-one poems challenge the fates and invoke the precarious state of our environment and other topics
seminal to one of our most compassionate, outspoken observers.
Love Poems
More than twenty new poems center around the power theme of love.
Gordon, Ruth
Pierced by a Ray of Sun: Poems About the Times We Feel Alone
This collection presents mood poems about differences and feelings, using a diverse range of contemporary
voices to present many different viewpoints about modern times.
Graves, Donald and Paul Birling
Baseball, Snakes and Summer Squash: Poems About Growing Up
The author takes an unsentimental look at his childhood in this collection of poems for young people.
Jan Greenberg
Heart to Heart
Forty-three poets choose a piece of modern art and write a poetic response to it.
Herrera, Juan Felipe
Laughing Out Loud, I Fly
A series of poems in both English and Spanish celebrating the author’s childhood.
Holbrook, Sara
I Never Said I Wasn’t Difficult
The collection depicts the thoughts of teenagers and their outlook on everything from boring school to
overreacting parents.
Hopkins, Lee Bennett
Opening Days: Sports Poems
A collection of eighteen poems about various sports including baseball, skiing, karate, and tennis.
Poetry Collections
Janeczko, Paul B.
Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets
Letters of advice from 32 of today’s best poets for teens are accompanied by their poems.
Poetspeak
A collection of 148 poems on a variety of topics by 62 modern poets who provide commentary on their
individual works.
The Place My Words Are Looking For
Thirty-nine United States poets share their poems, inspirations, thoughts, anecdotes, and memories.
Johnson, Dave
Movin’: Teen Poets Take Voice
An anthology penned by teens who participated in poetry workshops at the New York Public Library focusing
on real-life subjects.
Koertge, Ron
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup
When a fourteen-year-old baseball player catches mononucleosis, he discovers that keeping a journal and
experimenting with poetry not only helps fill the time, but it also helps him deal with life, love, and loss.
Korman, Gordon
The D-Poems of Jeremy Bloom
A collection of poetry held together loosely by a narrative involving a year in poetry class.
The Last Place Sports Poems of Jeremy Bloom
The poetry, all about sports, actually provides examples of many different forms: haiku, concrete poetry, quatrains,
and couplets.
Levy, Constance
Splash! Poems of Our Watery World
Water runs through our lives; it is, in fact, essential to all life. It takes many forms: It can be the liquid that
quenches our thirst, the rain that pours from the sky, or the juice of a ripe tomato.
Morrison, Lillian
Way To Go!
Morrison describes the sports enthusiast’s spirit and determination to try again.
Nelson, Marilyn
Fortune’s Bones: The Manumission Requiem
This volume sets history and poetry side by side, and combined with the author’s personal note on inspirations,
creates a unique amalgam that brings the past to life.
Nye, Naomi Shihab
What Have You Lost?
From 140 contemporary poets, Nye gathers observations, ruminations, and informal prose comments on the
theme of loss.
Come With Me: Poems for a Journey
Nye challenges readers with a range of her own poems, linked thematically as an investigation of journeys to
inner spaces as well as literal journeys to real and imagined places.
This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from Around the World
A poetry anthology in which 129 poets from sixty-eight different countries celebrate the natural world and its
human and animal inhabitants.
The Space Between Our Footsteps
100 poets from 19 different Middle Eastern countries share their innermost feelings about place, family, war, and
peace.
Okutoro, Lydia Omolola
Quiet Storm: Voices of Young Black Poets
A collection of sixty-one poems celebrating the African diaspora through the eyes of youths of African descent
from the United States and around the world.
Rosenberg, Liz
The Invisible Ladder: An Anthology of Contemporary American Poems for Young Readers
This anthology combines modern poetry with commentary by the poets and photos of them as children and
adults.
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Poetry Collections
Sones, Sonya
Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy
In a sequence of short, intense poems based on the author’s own experiences, a 13-year-old girl suffers through
her shifting feelings about her sibling’s mental illness.
Soto, Gary
Junior College: Poems
This book of poetry is both a place for discovery and an exploration of how discrimination limits one’s potential
for growth.
Turner, Ann
Poems of First Love
Thirty-six ultra-short, free verse poems trace a teen’s relationship during one school year from first blush to
intense crush to melancholy memory.
Vecchione, Patrice
Whisper and Shout: Poems to Memorize
A collection of poems on different subjects and in different styles, that lend themselves to memorization.
Von Ziegesar, Cecily
SLAM
An introduction to slam type of poetry, filled with everyday emotions.
Watson, Esther Pearl
The Pain Tree
A collection of poetry culled from teen Web sites and magazines that address a wide range of emotions while
coping with the trials of growing up, sometimes under less than ideal circumstances.
Worth,Valerie
All the Small Poems and Fourteen More
A virtual catalog of brief meditations on little earthly wonders form amoeba to zinnia.
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