Teaching Native American Folktales to Improve English Language Skills
Planning effective English language arts lessons many times includes focusing on multiple literacy skills, aligned to state or national standards, while incorporating interesting, student-centered materials. When focusing on reading, it is essential to model metacognitive strategies, before, during, and after reading, including relevant vocabulary. A book walk is a powerful pre-reading strategy that can be used at all elementary grade levels. This strategy exposes students to a new piece of literary or informative text, while predicting text content and exploring vocabulary.
Throughout this course you will be creating a literature unit based on one piece of grade-appropriate literature (fiction or non-fiction) that includes all areas of reading development. Select a piece of literature suitable for the students in the “Class Profile.” ( I have attached this document)
For this assignment, use the “COE Lesson Plan Template” (I have also attached this document) to create a lesson plan that incorporates a book walk,
Incorporate the following into your lesson plan:
Objectives aligned to state or national grade-appropriate vocabulary and reading standards
Content-specific vocabulary development
Technology or multimedia that supports developmentally appropriate, engaging instruction
Pre-reading strategies and activities
During reading strategies and activities
Post-reading activities and strategies
Assessment aligned to learning objectives, that is engaging for student and provides meaningful feedback
Differentiation to meet particular learning differences or needs
In addition, rationalize your instructional choices in a 250-500 word reflection, including how you will apply your findings to personal professional practices related to instruction and differentiation in the English language arts classroom.
Use 2-3 resources for this assignment.
Teacher Candidate Name:
Grade Level:
Date:
Unit/Subject:
Instructional Plan Title:
Lesson Summary and Focus:
The Circle of Life and the Clambake is an interesting American folktale that explains the importance of natural resources and self-dependence via a story of the Wampanoag people and their dependence on the giant Maushop (Bruchac, 2022). This story will help students understand native American folk culture and the value of biodiversity; additionally, this simple text will enhance the vocabulary and reading comprehension of the pupils belonging to different non-native ethnic persuasions.
Classroom and Student Factors/Grouping:
Classroom demography, ethnic diversity, students' behavioural responses and environment play a vital role in selecting, planning, and teaching a piece of literature. This class is multiethnic and socially diverse as it comprises Hispanic, African American, Asian, and native white students with highly varied reading performance levels and English learning capabilities. Not all of them have Internet access at home; additionally, most students' non-native ethnicity impedes their practical English language learning activities.
National/State Learning Standards:
The National and State standards of language teaching demand that students read a wide range of English texts to develop an in-depth understanding of American culture and social norms and ethics. Additionally, they require students to employ various learning strategies, including the book walk strategy, reading comprehension, learning of the connection between sound and letter, understanding of the sentence structure, and use of varied strategies to write, read, and speak English language (NCTE / IRA Standards for the English Language Arts, 2022). The text to be used for this lesson planning is very suitable for developing the language learning skills in non-native students required by the National and State Standards. Based on these standards, a student’s reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities are judged via various performance indicators listed below:
* Interpretive communication: ability to recognize and learn common English words via reading or gestures
* Presentational communication: the ability to express ideas using writing and speaking techniques, including self-introduction in English
* Interpersonal communication: ability to communicate using written and spoken forms of language communication
Specific Learning Target(s)/Objectives:
The aim of teaching this specific native American folktale is to develop the following learning skills in the students of various ethnicities:
* To be able to read simple English language text and understand commonly used vocabulary
* To be able to make contextual and linguistic interpretations of the folktale
* To use the text and vocabulary to understand the specific cultural and social makeup
* To use common vocabulary to communicate verbally or in written form using the English language
* To make an understanding of the English language in a specific American cultural context
* To identify the significance of plants, animals, and non-living things for the survival of life
* To be able to describe the process of the circle of life
* To learn the significance of self-reliance and independent working
* To relate the process of “Appanaug" to the survival of life on earth and the specific American context
* To be able to express their point of view about “self-reliance” in written and spoken modes
Academic Language
The following academic and content-specific vocabulary will be taught in this lesson to enhance students' spoken and written language skills with a specific focus on non-native students.
* The Medicine Circle: this term signifies the interrelation between living and non-living things in this world. It describes how people use natural resources to produce goods and earn comfort. Using simple examples from everyday life showing how people obtain their livelihood, one can teach students the importance of interdependence between living and non-living things.
* The Wampanoag: using pictures and describing cultural context, students will be made aware of the nature of this specific native cultural group
* Maushop: the name of the giant will be explained as a metaphor that signifies excellent power and an impediment to human self-reliance
* Kehtean: the name of this deity will be explained metaphorically as the representation of the omnipotent God. this name will be used to explain the religious beliefs of the Wampanoag
* The Rock People: this term will be explained by informing them about the role of non-living things such as a rock in maintaining the life on earth
Resources, Materials, Equipment, and Technology:
The following resources will be utilized to teach this piece of literature:
* Bruchac, J. (1995). Native plant stories. Fulcrum Publi...