Differentiated Response to Literature Marcie Griffith [email protected].

Differentiated Response to Literature

Marcie [email protected]

Overview

• Rationale

• Thinking Tools

• Understanding Response to Literature

• Character Analysis – Change over time– Impetus/origin for change

Rationale

• Increasing emphasis on high-stakes assessments

• Students need framework to develop higher-order thinking skills

• Thinking tools help students to analyze literature in greater depth

Kaplan’s Layered Curriculum Approach

Dimensions of Depth & ComplexityLanguage of the Discipline: Indicates identification and usage of appropriate language relative to the discipline.Details: Indicates elaboration and description of an idea or event.

Patterns: Indicates recurring elements or repeated factors of an idea or event, as well as the order of events. Identify & predict.Trends: Indicates identification of changes throughout a period as well as the factors, influences & forces. Note causality & predict.Unanswered Questions: Indicates unclear ideas & information as well as what is unknown, unexplored, unproved. Identify & guess.Rules: Indicates organizational elements relevant to curriculum. Note order, determine relevance, organize, & identify learnings.Ethics: Indicates possible rights & wrongs of an event, idea, or issue. Reflection on bias, prejudice, discrimination. Draw conclusions, argue, and prove with evidence. Big Idea: Indicates a generalization, principle, or theory about the curriculum being studied. Identify theory, state principle.Over Time: Indicates a change over time where changes are identified and causality examined. Predict, order, & sequence.Points of View: Indicates multiple perspectives. Examine ideas and events from different perspectives. Think like a . . . Interdisciplinary Connections: Indicates a connection between the curriculum under study and other. Associate, integrate, & link.

CONTENT IMPERATIVE

ICON DEFINITION

ORIGIN THE BEGINNING, ROOT, OR SOURCE OF AN IDEA OR EVENT

CONTRIBUTIONTHE SIGNIFICANT PART OR

RESULT OF AN IDEA OR EVENT

CONVERGENCETHE COMING TOGETHER OR MEETING POINT OF EVENTS

OR IDEAS

PARALLEL

IDEAS OR EVENTS THAT ARE SIMILAR AND CAN BE COMPARED TO ONE

ANOTHER

PARADOXTHE CONTRADICTORY

ELEMENTS IN AN EVENT OR IDEA

An Effective Response to Literature…

•Tells more than the story by explaining why the author wrote the passage

•Shows that the writer has thought about more than just the plot of the passage

•Gives details that support the writer’s interpretation of the passage

•Reports the details of the passage accurately and in a logical order

Importance of Chunking Instruction

Written Response to Literature Starts with Understanding the Story

• Modeling throughout is essential!– Students must be taught explicitly

• Decode prompt– What is being asked?

• Discussion– Ideas flow from discussing from open-ended

questions – Facilitates sophisticated thinking

An Effective Prompt:• Open-ended • Requires greater depth in thinking• Helps student relate/make connections to text • Can be supported with evidence from text• Facilitates exploration and expression of

alternative/multiple perspectives• Generates interest and leads to further

unanswered questions/discussion

Prompts for Formal Testing

Four distinct types:

•Experiential•Aesthetic •Cognitive•Interpretive

Experiential PromptsTap into prior knowledge/experience, text to life or

text to text connections

• How does (character) remind you of someone you know?

• How does (character) remind you of some other character you have met in a book?

• Although this story takes place a long time ago, why does it still seem so real as we read it today?

• How can you relate this story to your own life?

Aesthetic PromptsPromote emotional interactions with text

• How does this story make you feel?• How would you feel if you were (character) in this

situation?• How did you feel about what was happening to

(character)?• What would you say to (character) to help ease

his/her pain?• How did you react to (character’s) attempt to____?

Cognitive Prompts

Encourage problem solving, predictions, and making inferences about characters/plot development

• What do you think will happen to (character)?• If you were (character) what would you do in this

situation?• What advice would you give (character) at this point in

the story?• Why do you think the author titled this story ___?• What did you think about the character’s plan to

____?

Interpretive PromptsBig idea, message, moral/values, higher level reasoning

• What meaning/message does the story have for you?

• Why do you believe (character) did or did not make the right choice?

• What do you think the following words mean? (quote text)

• What kind of person do you think (character) is? How do you know?

Backward Planning Template

Story Title/ Author:

Type of Prompt:

Response Prompt:

Discussion Questions: 1. 2. 3.

Cognitive Activities to Support Understanding Thinking Tools/Graphic Organizers/Thinking Maps

Scaffolds to Support Written ResponseModel writing, Essay structure, Sentence starters

Backward Planning TemplateStory Title/ Author: Giving Tree

Type of Prompt: Interpretive Prompt

Response Prompt: In the Giving Tree, the Tree is very generous to the boy. Explain why you think The Tree did, or did not do the right thing?

Discussion Questions: 1. Why do you think the Tree was so generous with the boy? 2. Is it always right to be overly generous? 3. What were the consequences of the Tree giving the boy everything he wanted?

Cognitive Activities to Support Understanding: Thinking Tools- Thinking Maps- multi-flow map

Scaffolds to Support Written Response:Model writing, Essay structure, Sentence starters

Character Analysis Using Change Over Time

Character Traits: Personal Qualities That Help Define a Character

Determined

Greedy

Perplexed

Timid

Character Trait

Thoughts/Beliefs

Words/Dialogue

Actions/Behavior

Interactions

Character Trait

Humble

Thoughts/Beliefs

Words/Dialogue

Actions/Behavior

Interactions

Thoughts/Beliefs

Words/Dialogue

Actions/Behavior

Interactions Character

Trait

Humble

“Anyone could have done it.”

“I’m no hero.”

Thoughts/Beliefs

Words/Dialogue

Actions/Behavior

Interactions Character

Trait

Humble

“Anyone could have done it.”

“I’m no hero.”

Wouldn’t take sole credit for the success of his team.

Character Trait

Thoughts/Beliefs

Words/Dialogue

Actions/Behavior

Interactions

Eyes to the ground

Character Trait

Thoughts/Beliefs

Words/Dialogue

Actions/Behavior

Interactions

Eyes to the ground

I’m afraid to meet new people.

Character Trait

Thoughts/Beliefs

Words/Dialogue

Actions/Behavior

Interactions

Eyes to the ground

Speaks softly to the teacher

I’m afraid to meet new people.

Character Trait

Thoughts/Beliefs

Words/Dialogue

Actions/Behavior

Interactions

Eyes to the ground

Speaks softly to the teacher

I’m afraid to meet new people.

Shy

2nd Grade

2nd Grade

Origin of the Change

Students to identify the impetus for the change

An Angel for Solomon Singer

The origin started when Solomon Singer saw the sign of the cafe’ , because he always felt he was moving west. The café

was called, Westway Café.

Both Sides of the Fence by Teresa Bateman

(7th Grade State Writing Test Prompt in 2006)

“In Both Sides of the Fence, the character of Alberto changes dramatically. Use details from the narrative to explain what lesson

Alberto learns and how he learns it.”

Connection to self

Author’s purpose

Analysis of how Alberto changed throughout the story

Greedy & Insecure

Ashamed

Alberto changed when he went to confront Juan about the apples. Juan explained that his wife had used the apples to make Alberto a cake and thanked Alberto for being so generous. Alberto realized he had been very wrong about Juan.

Reading ResponsesTHINKING about what you read

The purpose of responding to what you read is to make connections with the text and yourself (your thoughts, beliefs, experiences, etc.). Build these sentence starters, or your own, into paragraphs. Explain your thinking. I wonder …(why…) (how…)I wonder what would happen if…What if…I thought…I wish…I felt…Maybe…I was reminded of…If I had been…I can’t believe…I really like…It bothered me when…I was surprised…I know the feeling…I was confused when…It was funny when…It was scary when…I learned…I love the way…I like the idea…My favorite part…The author…I began to think of…I really can’t understand…I never thought about…I think the author…I could picture_________, because….

The author is telling us – “Don’t be greedy or else towards the end of your life, you’ll resent yourself”.

Understanding Theme & Writing a Thesis Statement

Theme •Big Idea in the story

Thesis Statement •Summary of the argument/analysis that is to follow•One to two sentences in length•Organizes and develops argument

Common Themes in Literature• Courage/ Bravery• Kindness • Honor• Perseverance• Compassion• Acceptance• Hope• Friendship• Loyalty• Good vs. Evil• Belonging

• Commitment• Prejudice• Betrayal• Survival• Jealousy• Trust• Leadership• Values• Honesty• Challenges• Peace

• Jealousy• Trust• Leadership• Values• Challenges• Loneliness• Diversity• Sacrifice• Forgiveness• Grief/ Loss• Love

Sounder Themes•Hope•Growth/Change•Courage•Importance of family•Loss HOPE

Key Words to Starting a Thesis:

Subordinating Conjunctions:

Through AlthoughWhile BecauseAfter OnceThough Since

Student Thesis Statement Examples•While Tanya was thinking negative thoughts, with time her hasty conclusions showed her that something that seems boring or upsetting, may be really cool if you look at it with a different perspective.

•Through Tanya’s experience with the family reunion, the author shows how things aren’t always what they seem.

•Through Manuel’s embarrassment at the record getting stuck during the talent show, Gary Soto shows that you should not let distractions or disruptions keep you from reaching your goal.

The Synthesis of Components Becomes the Response to Literature