ÁNGELA MARÍA MEDINA RUIZ
INSTITUCIÓN EDUCATIVA VIDA PARA TODOS
MARCH 2011
CONTEXT:
Vida Para Todos is the result of a combination of three sections: Hogar Antioquia School (created in 1971), Las Estancias special school (created in 1999) students who have special needs studied there, nowadays this school is called Vida para Todos and they receive regular kids; and the third school is Sor Maria Luisa Coubrin High school (created in 1970). Sor Maria Luisa Coubrin section was founded by "Madres Vicentinas" with the aim to support people who are poor, besides they follow the philosophy of San Vicente de Paul. This school is located in "comuna 8", Caicedo neighborhood. Near the school there are a church, the house of culture and a soccer court. This neighborhood has many social problems like violence, drugs, family breakdowns e.t.c. Besides the students belong low stratums.
Vida Para Todos is the result of a combination of three sections: Hogar Antioquia School (created in 1971), Las Estancias special school (created in 1999) students who have special needs studied there, nowadays this school is called Vida para Todos and they receive regular kids; and the third school is Sor Maria Luisa Coubrin High school (created in 1970). Sor Maria Luisa Coubrin section was founded by "Madres Vicentinas" with the aim to support people who are poor, besides they follow the philosophy of San Vicente de Paul. This school is located in "comuna 8", Caicedo neighborhood. Near the school there are a church, the house of culture and a soccer court. This neighborhood has many social problems like violence, drugs, family breakdowns e.t.c. Besides the students belong low stratums.
It is a coeducational institution. Vida Para Todos mission is to give to each student academic and ethical teaching for them in order to face their lives. Vida Para Todos aims to help students to develop capacities to adapt themselves in the society. As well as providing different alternatives to overcome problems in order to transform their realities.
Dress code:
The school has four floors. On the first floor, in the middle of the school, you can find the basketball and soccer court all in one. Around the court are the coordination office, the science lab, the computers room, the restaurant and the bathrooms. On the second floor there are the teacher´s office, the principal´s office and 6 classrooms. On the third floor there are the audiovisual room and 12 classrooms. On the fourth floor there are six class rooms. .
In the afternoon schedule there are twenty teachers; two English teachers belong to this team. Teachers are good partners, but among the principal, coordinators and teachers there is a communication problem, so we have to have meetings very often. Nevertheless, we try to have a human vision of the situations.
Parents do not like to go to the school, even when we provide the grades to the students they do not come, also when we need a parent to talk with about the student process they do not attend the school.
The curriculum is based on the Classical Humanism approach, the teacher is the center and it is a content-based curriculum. English is taught in a structural syllabus based on grammar, also we use the Reconstructionism approach where their process is very important and teachers assign them specific goals.
Parents do not like to go to the school, even when we provide the grades to the students they do not come, also when we need a parent to talk with about the student process they do not attend the school.
The curriculum is based on the Classical Humanism approach, the teacher is the center and it is a content-based curriculum. English is taught in a structural syllabus based on grammar, also we use the Reconstructionism approach where their process is very important and teachers assign them specific goals.
In conclusion, I can say that the syllabus is notional - functional. For English classes we have dictionaries that teachers and students can use and few grammar books that can be only used by teachers, but are not available for the kids.
In each classroom there is a TV set that does not work and there is a classroom with video beam and a plasma TV.
I studied Modern Languages in UPB. I got my bachelor degree in 2004 and I began to work as an official teacher last year, I teach from ninth to eleventh. I want to be a different kind of teacher who is worried about the human being and the relationships among them.
I studied Modern Languages in UPB. I got my bachelor degree in 2004 and I began to work as an official teacher last year, I teach from ninth to eleventh. I want to be a different kind of teacher who is worried about the human being and the relationships among them.
How I can be a better person in my job? I expect students to love English so that they be able to express their thoughts in a wider point of view.
MAIN OBJECTIVE:
To improve students English learning from simple readings to complex readings.
To improve students English learning from simple readings to complex readings.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
- To help students make sense of the importance of the language.
- To reassure, entertain, inform, arouse curiosity and inspire.
- To associate reading with pleasure.
- To create background knowledge.
STARTING POINT
I have realized that in the school students have to think about their own reality, for that reason I wonder what I am teaching because they need to look their context with a different point of view, they need to change their way of thinking. That is why in the survey I asked for their interests and how I can be a better teacher with a new proposal like this.
Through reading aloud I can understand their way of thinking and show them that we can be different people, also we can stop repeating our way of living. In the survey results we can see their likes and their own proposal:
I have realized that in the school students have to think about their own reality, for that reason I wonder what I am teaching because they need to look their context with a different point of view, they need to change their way of thinking. That is why in the survey I asked for their interests and how I can be a better teacher with a new proposal like this.
Through reading aloud I can understand their way of thinking and show them that we can be different people, also we can stop repeating our way of living. In the survey results we can see their likes and their own proposal:
SURVEY RESULTS
Based on the survey results I realized that 87% of the students are interested in learning English through a Reading Aloud project, besides the 90% of the students are interested in reading. The texts they are interested in are:
- Tales 40%
- Music 20%
- Comics 18%
- Thriller 8%
- Poetry 8%
- Love 6%
They are interested in reading authentic material because they want to have a real contact with the target language for that reason they do several proposals like:
- Begin with simple material (articles)
- Watch movies related with the topic of the reading
- Listen to music that they know and learn the lyrics
- Read tales with drawings (more drawings than text)
- They want nowadays topics that made them reflect on their daily life
Based on their proposals they want to do activities like:
- Writing their own lyrics.
- Doing dramatizations.
- A handbook that includes all the process in reading (the original text, drawings, and what they produce based on the reading aloud topic).
- Making a newspaper.
- Wirting a diary.
- Making handcrafts.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND:
STRATEGIES TO UNDERSTAND THE TEXT:
1. Make predictions: Predictions encourage active reading and keep students interested, whether or not the predictions are correct. Incorrect predictions can signal a misunderstanding that needs to be revisited.
STRATEGIES TO UNDERSTAND THE TEXT:
1. Make predictions: Predictions encourage active reading and keep students interested, whether or not the predictions are correct. Incorrect predictions can signal a misunderstanding that needs to be revisited.
- Look at the pictures, table of contents, chapter headings, maps, diagrams, and features. What subjects are in the book?
- Write down predictions about the text. During reading, look for words or phrases from those predictions.
- While reading, revise the predictions or make new ones.
2. Visualize: Many students think visually, using shapes, spatial relationships, movement, and colors, and can benefit greatly from this strategy. Activities:
- Imagine a fiction story taking place as if it were a movie. Imagine the characters' features. Picture the plot in time and space.
- Imagine processes and explanations happening visually. Use nouns, verbs, and adjectives to create pictures, diagrams, or other mental images.
- Use graphic organizers to lay out information. Make sketches or diagrams on scrap paper.
3. Ask and Answer questions:
- Before reading, think about the subject based on the title, chapter heads, and visual information. Make note of anything you are curious about.
- While reading, pause and write down any questions. Be sure to ask questions if there is confusion.
- Look for the answers while reading. Pause and write down the answers.
- Were all the questions answered? Could the answers come from other sources?
4. Retell and Summarize: Relating the text in students' own words clears up language issues. Retelling challenges them to aim for complete retention. Summarization allows students to discriminate between main ideas and minor details.
5. Connect the text to Life Experiences, other texts or Prior Knowledge: Connecting a text to students' experiences and knowledge helps students personalize the information. It also helps students remember information when they link it to their lives. Activities:
5. Connect the text to Life Experiences, other texts or Prior Knowledge: Connecting a text to students' experiences and knowledge helps students personalize the information. It also helps students remember information when they link it to their lives. Activities:
- Is the subject familiar? Do the characters resemble familiar people? Have you learned about the concept from school, home, or other experiences?
- Is the style or genre familiar? Does it resemble other texts? Television shows, movies, and games can be considered "texts."
- Write down similarities between the current text and experiences, knowledge, or other texts.
6. Word Attack strategies: Word-attack strategies help students decode, pronounce, and understand unfamiliar words. They help students attack words piece by piece or from a different angle. Activities:
Use Picture Clues
- Look at the picture.
- Are there people, objects, or actions in the picture that might make sense in the sentence?
Sound Out the Word
- Start with the first letter, and say each letter-sound out loud.
- Blend the sounds together and try to say the word. Does the word make sense in the sentence?
Look for Chunks in the Word
- Look for familiar letter chunks. They may be sound/symbols, prefixes, suffixes, endings, whole words, or base words.
- Read each chunk by itself. Then blend the chunks together and sound out the word. Does that word make sense in the sentence?
Connect to a Word You Know
- Think of a word that looks like the unfamiliar word.
- Compare the familiar word to the unfamiliar word. Decide if the familiar word is a chunk or form of the unfamiliar word.
- Use the known word in the sentence to see if it makes sense. If so, the meanings of the two words are close enough for understanding.
- Reread the Sentence
- Read the sentence more than once.
- Think about what word might make sense in the sentence. Try the word and see if the sentence makes sense.
Keep Reading
- Read past the unfamiliar word and look for clues.
- If the word is repeated, compare the second sentence to the first. What word might make sense in both?
Use Prior Knowledge
- Think about what you know about the subject of the book, paragraph, or sentence.
- Do you know anything that might make sense in the sentence? Read the sentence with the word to see if it makes sense.
Reading Aloud Strategies
The human brain naturally looks for connections between old and new information. Additionally, studies have shown that the brain processes information most efficiently in chunks. Graphic organizers complement both of these processes by helping students:
- Visually sort new information into familiar categories
- Analyze the relationships between old and new information
- Create a simple structure for thinking about information in new ways
- Review concepts and demonstrate understanding
Graphic organizers can be used in all phases of learning from brainstorming ideas to presenting findings.
When using graphic organizers with early readers, teacher guidance may be necessary. As readers progress, they may benefit from completing the organizers independently (the brain remembers best when personal creativity has been invested in the exercise). To facilitate the learning process, encourage the use of a variety of mediums, including colored markers, crayons, and pencils. If possible, it benefits students to have the graphic organizers reproduced on colored paper. Give students as much freedom as possible to create and complete their organizers.
Primary Graphic Organizers (K-2)
- Ask and Answer Questions: Condense and categorize questions and answers about a subject. - KWL Chart: Organize information according to what students know, what they want to know, and what they learn from reading a select text. - KWLS Chart: Organize information according to what students know, what they want to know, what they learn through reading, and what they still want to know. |
Reading Comprehension Skills |
Intermediate Graphic Organizers (3-6) |
- KWL Chart: Organize information according to what students know, what they want to know, and what they learn from reading - KWLS Chart: Organize information according to what students know, what they want to know, what they learn from reading, and what they still want to know |
Vocabulary |
Word Meaning Map I: Record and define elements of words Word Meaning Map II: Record, define, and apply elements of a word |
UNIT PLAN:
TOPIC | CLASS | STORY | READING STRATEGY | ACTIVITES | ASSESMENT |
General Presentation | 1 and 2 | http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/AntGra.shtml | Reading Aloud: Make predictions Visualize Ask and Answer questions Retell and draw the story Connect the story with the real life | Drawing and writing | Establishing classroom rules. |
MYSELF AND MY CONTEXT | 3 | Franklin goes to school | Shared reading | Dramatization | Introducing yourself |
FAMILY | 4 | I love Sundays | Ask and Answer Questions | Family tree | Describing the family |
FRIENDSHIP | 5 and 6 | Song: “Umbrella” Rihanna | Reading aloud | How to write a letter Write a letter to a one friend you do not like too much and express your point of view about respect and tolerance. | cryptogram |
SCHOOL | 7 | http://www.offthemark.com/school/school04.htm | Create your own comic taking into account: opinions, fantasy and reality, problems and solutions. | Crossword |
