Field+Test

Instead of completing an actual field test of these lessons, I decided to contact some colleagues that I have worked with in the past or am currently working with to get some feedback on ways to improve the lesson or ways in which they could use one of these lessons in their classroom or school setting. I contacted each one by email. The following is their responses:

High School Media Specialist - Linton, IN
I asked Joan to look over the lesson plans and particularly pay attention to the collaboration aspect of each lesson plan. She was a classroom teacher before becoming the media specialist, so I know she would think of other collaborative opportunities beyond my ideas.

**Sent:** Monday, November 01, 2010 10:18 AM **To:** Porter, Kim **Subject:** Collaboration Suggestions Gentry just completed a habitat project. The students created a habitat for an animal, then gave a brief presentation about their animal. They had to answer these questions: Where does the animal live? What does it need to live? How does it eat? How does it communicate? (with humans and other animals)
 * From: ** Warrick, Joan
 * First Grade Ideas:**

The high school agriculture class could also be a resource.

This would provide the opportunity to teach the Inspire site and search strategies for that site. Students could also create a Back In Time newspaper and write articles. Students could create pamphlets/brochures giving information to the public about Yellow Fever.
 * Seventh Grade:**

What I checked looks really good. I added some ideas ONLY because you asked me!

2nd grade teacher - Crothersville, IN
In my email to Cassondra, I asked her to focus on the first grade unit and see what she could do to adapt it for a second grade unit. I really like some of the activities she came up with. These activities show an increased level of learning from that of a first grader, which is all part of helping the student become an expert.

**Sent:** Wednesday, October 27, 2010 7:38 PM **To:** Porter, Kim This is a great lesson. I might even use some of this in my room because we actually do a farm unit. Except we don't do very many cool things like this.
 * From: ** Cassondra Dixon

In my second grade classroom, after having my students choose their books and read them, I would have the students use the internet to research farm animals. I would then have them write a paper about their farm animal. We could also do the virtual field trip,but my students could have questions that they have to answer during their field trip. They could turn these in for a grade. I could have the groups of lit. circles make their own matching games with the word of farm animals/names of babies to play versus using pictures. When traveling to a real farm, the students could do a barnyard treasure search: using clues about things on the farm they have to locate them on the farm. Also, while at the farm, the can milk a cow or feed some of the animals. The students could also write their own fiction farm story as a whole class as well as draw a picture of their favorite farm animal and why. They could also write a farm poem.

8th grade Language Arts teacher - Linton, IN
For Belinda, I asked her to focus on the 7th grade unit to see what could be applied to an eighth grade unit. I really like the she included some standards for eighth grade. I also really like the social activity ideas that she presented. I think holding conversations is an excellent way for students to learn and become experts.

**Sent:** Wednesday, October 27, 2010 2:02 PM **To:** Porter, Kim So far from what I’ve seen, I’ve been very impressed! The only thing I’ve questioned so far…….Grade 7, day one has them recalling,etc, when do they read the book?
 * From: ** Sanders, Belinda


 * //__My Response:__ I emailed back to Belinda and told her that she brought up a great point. I am going to make a note in my overview of the unit that the students will be reading the assigned chapters as homework.//**

**Sent:** Wednesday, October 27, 2010 4:06 PM **To:** Porter, Kim 8th grade standard 8.3.8 talks about contrasting points of view. I was wondering about assigning different groups to read books written from different points of view (1st person, 3rd person limited, and 3rd person omniscient), then have them do an activity, maybe act out a small section of the book to show how their point of view provided incite that another view would not have displayed. Also 8.5.3 deals with research (thus the project I will be doing soon) so they could research the author or other books written by the author. 8.3.7 has the students analyze a work of literature showing how it reflects the heritage, traditions, attitudes and beliefs of the author, so that could be incorporated. 8th grade standards mention similes, metaphors, idioms and analogies a lot, so some activity could be incorporated to find those in the book they read. The reading groups could then be broken down, putting a couple from each group together to form new groups 8.3.5 “identify and analyze recurring themes (such as good vs. evil) that appear frequently across traditional and contemporary works if you had let them read both types of books.
 * From: ** Sanders, Belinda

7-12 Special Needs Teacher, Bloomfield, IN
I asked Brittany to focus on the 7th grade lesson plan to see what would need to be adapted to fit the seventh grade students in her classroom. She was very positive to the fact that the literature circle is a great way to get her students involved some way. Here is her response.

Hey Kimberly! I'm finally getting to your lesson plans!! Right off the bat, I was trying to picture the particular 7th & 8th graders that I have in class completing the brochure assignment. The first challenge I could see, for students with disabilities, would be the inability to use a computer program to create a brochure. One very simple accommodation, initially, would be for the students to be able to create a brochure with paper and pencil (or markers). I know you're using the Literature Circles, which would mean that the students are working in a group. However, allowing the identified students to create brochures in this manner would allow them to contribute to the group, where as they might not participate much if given no choice other than to use a computer program. Then, once they've created one by hand, they could use it to help the rest of the group create one on the computer.
 * From: ** Brittany Nicholson [mailto:BNicholson@bsd.k12.in.us]
 * Sent:** Tuesday, November 02, 2010 10:05 AM
 * To:** Porter, Kim
 * Subject:** Re: Grad help! 2

The same accommodation could be made to the newsletter assignment. Again, I'm using the students I have this year as a litmus test and I know this would be a way for them to get very involved in the projects, giving them a sense that they contributed to the finished product.

The vocabulary activities are already modified very well for students with disabilities. (good job!) The "Fever" questions sheet might be difficult for identified students to read and come up with written answers for. However, completed in a group setting, other group members could assist with the reading/comprehension of the questions and in supplying quality answers with correct spelling/punctuation.

Hope this helps! You're lesson plans and activities are great and very conducive to incorporating students with needs!!