Week+6+-+Inferring+Meaning

Inferring Thematic Meaning // Narrative: // Learning to interpret diverse story elements is another task specific strategy and will be useful to students for inferring the stories thematic meaning (TLA, 135). Because the students have worked for the last month and a half on characterization, vocabulary, perspective taking, predicting outcomes and setting they are ready to finally learn strategies to interpret and ultimately infer meaning. Specifically, they have used the tools of talk, writing, journals, and drama; they have even taken a field trip to garner information to build prior experiences and knowledge to assist them with reading complex text. Many of the assignments they have undertaken were achieved collaboratively with classmates, family members, and whatever home experiences they offered to make the assignments more engaging. Essentially, by bringing the home life, community and school together we were able to paint a picture as to the benefits of the relationships between animals and people. Thus, while reading the text the students were given the proper tools to read the text, and infer meaning and now to make value assumptions according to the underlying purpose of it. The diaries, journals, various reflection summaries on what they read in the text, as well as their experiences from the visit to Mill Creek Farm, and enactment corresponded to get them prepared to do their final project. In the final project the four important events from each section read in the text, their reflection from their trip, other summary reflections with their spin on perspective taking, outcome predictions plus actual ending will go into the final project. Per Ms. Amanda, they were instructed to bring in magazines, color markers, and pictures of horses if they consider themselves not to be artistic for illustration purposes. They will be directed on how the possible order of the book will be constructed, but the summary captions will be chosen by them. Here is where the school, community, and their home environment will come into play again for this assignment because we will surprise them with pictures of themselves, and family members with an actual horse on the horse farm. Their storyboard will be made up of four frames they choose by using the four important events the pulled out of the text. These along with a few summaries, their story about if they owned a horse farm and the reflection of the trip will make up the story board comic book anthology with their prediction and photo as the end page, middle page, or ending. They are now ready to encounter text and infer meaning because at this stage of our lessons they will have learned to take a stance and to make their own interpretations. This was done by having them to go through the procedures being out and stepping into, being in and moving through, stepping back and rethinking, and stepping out and objectifying the text (Langer). It is at this point too that we have reached our goal to make literature engaging and to facilitate the students reading of dense text by giving them the necessary strategies warranted, and the tools to implement them. Making them aware of how these type texts are to be critically assessed, analyzed, interpreted, and their meaning inferred from their perspective and not that of the instructor. This is the ultimate goal of reading literature for them to acquire as Carol Jago asserts in **__With Rigor For All; Teaching the Classics to Contemporary Students__** “A deep literacy” which she believes is imperative to them making sense of the world in which we live (7). Students will be able to infer stories’ thematic meaning (TLA, 135) Students will determine the main idea or essential message in grade-level text through inferring, paraphrasing, summarizing, and identifying relevant details LA.5.1.7.3
 * Objectives: **

Old magazines Markers Construction paper Blank white paper Old cereal boxes News paper Glue or glue sticks Tape Pictures from field trip Stapler Crayons (Monique)
 * Process for Students: ** Students will be given construction paper, and blank paper to glue onto it to begin creating their storyboards. They will then divide the blank sheet of paper into fours squares using a ruler. At this point they will retrieve their curriculum unit file folders and begin to sort out material for use. Then, they will arrange their summaries and reflections, as well as their prediction, and actual outcome reflection paper in the order they want their books to read. This should be in accordance with how they interpreted the main text The Black Stallion’s main occurrences to be rendered. Once they have determined the order for their stories they will create the final three ending pages. One will consist of their predicted outcome summary, and the second page will be for the summary of how the book actually ended. If they choose to switch the order then that is fine as well. The last page will consist of the summary reflection of their field trip to Mill Creek. It is at this time when we will surprise them with the photo of themselves at the retired police farm with their family members to insert into their anthology. The final phase of this project will be of them later in the week creating drawings, using magazine pictures or coloring book depictions to use for their illustrations. We decided to use the various media text, and photos, news papers, and cereal boxes, to allow the students the opportunity to integrate home, school, and the community to further solidify the competencies acquire in this unit (Langer). Thereby, having them to understand the empirical relationship with animals is extended beyond the text, and has social gratification as well. Also, ESOL and lower ability level students will benefit from the various visual tools readily accessed for their use. For those who cannot or do not wish to draw we are using the magazines, and coloring books to facilitate their production of the final project. The newspaper is for those who do not know how to type or prefer not to type. They will also be given the option to use the tool of writing if they feel that best suits their purpose; we want them to have complete agency because at this point the project is theirs.
 * Process for Teachers: ** We will basically assist students with scaffolding them for a cohesive flow pattern to their stories. This will occur as we ask them questions like, “How do you think your story board should start?” “Are you envisioning the sequence of events that occurred in the text here?” We will also praise their efforts as we walk around and monitor their tasks. If they need assistance we will help them remain in full control by making sure they have exhausted their efforts to use their own judgment of how their book should flow.
 * Introduction: ** I will first talk to them about how we make inferences all the time when watching movies. Some of us I will tell them react by shouting at the actors because we have prior knowledge about how this story/narrative will go. While there are those of us who give our predictions to televisions during commercial we infer or interpret based upon what we know and have experienced how the end will turn out. We are convinced that because of these prior experiences that this scene will turn out that way because we have guessed what the underlying “theme”, idea, or point of view is. This is the same approach we have been leading up to with the various lesson plans you have done over the last six weeks. We wanted to show you how the relationship that Alec is having with the black endowed him with values intrinsic of someone who has good moral standards. Not just anybody can treat the black with all the love and care that Alec did. We also wanted you to experience some of what this character felt by allowing you first hand experiences with the animal he cared so deeply for in the main text. Now, you are ready I will tell them to apply all of the strategies by utilizing the tools we gave you to illustrate in your storyboards how you envision what you have interpreted this book to mean. This will be tangible evidence that you got the point of this book, and have learned that a relationship with an animal is beneficial to humans for many reasons. It helps us to care for others, we will learn to be more patient, and because animals cannot talk we can even be tolerant of people who have disabilities. We will comprehend that their many ways to communicate with someone and the main way to start is through exhibiting love, kindness, and compassion. That is what we hope you got through this experience and that you will use what you have learned by reading this text not only in school, but as you go through life. I then talk to them about how we want them to begin their project. I will model, as well as Ms. Amanda putting together our rendition of story board first by putting two large squares onto the chalkboard/dry erase board. Afterward, we will break the boxes up into four squares to demonstrate to them what we want them to do after they have glued, taped or stapled the blank page to the construction paper. Then, we will take turns writing into the second box what we feel is an important occurrence from our main text **__The Black Stallion__**. If the summary paragraph calls for a setting we will tell them that you can draw it, use magazine or coloring book depictions, or they can make a collage of images to represent what they interpreted that event to mean in the text. After we finish with each square we will tell them about how we would like in last three pages, but again they may choose the order we will only suggest how we think the order should go. We will sit at various tables guiding and facilitating the students’ efforts while maintaining an atmosphere conducive for creativity by even playing music softly. We will ask if anybody has any questions, and also allow them to put questions into their books about something that is puzzling them to be discussed during our whole class instruction time.
 * Closing/Summation: ** We will open the floor for any final questions for completion of the storyboard comic book anthology, and begin to gather items for cleaning up our areas. We will let the class know that we will attempt to finish our project by the end of the week as we complete all of our activities in the curriculum unit with this last lesson on Thematic Meanings.
 * Activities: ** We will continue throughout the week to work on our final lesson for our curriculum unit in determining thematic meanings in narratives (TLA, 135). We will ask the students to recall their experiences with the main text, the movie, the poem, and the Mills Creek farm field trip, and think about what important thing the animals were doing or trying to accomplish. In other words, what did their actions mean? And did it help or hinder their purposes in the story? They could then write a reflection, summary, or poem of what they recalled from the stories. We will also ask them to interview a family member or friend about a family pet and tell them a story about a specific memory they had good or bad. They will bring those stories in to talk about in their mini discussion groups. The assignment will be extended with them choosing a group members story to interpret. Another activity will be to have them recall the black’s reaction to Napoleon, and to write a paper on the best friend they ever had and why. The last activity will consist of them creating a story about their experience at the horse farm, but tell it from the horses’ perspective. This means they will give the horses a personality in their story and talk about how they felt to have these human beings called “students” come to visit them. The final two days will be devoted to completing the storyboard comic book anthology, and discussing other ways to extend what we have learned through our experiences in reading **__The Black Stallion__.**
 * Assessment: ** The storyboard comic book anthology will depict if the students have grasped the concept of constructing a story world through envisionment. Also, the anthology will show who was able to make intertextual links, take different perspectives, entertain alternate hypothesis, and ultimately to infer meaning. It will also serve as a tool for a final assessment that they have met the competencies and state standards for these lessons, and used for grading purposes for the entire unit. If some of these strategies were missing, and a student does not possess all or more than three quarters of the information required to complete their story board then that probably may have failed to make proper enquiries. During discussions students are able to recount factual information from the text, and are engaged in the lesson.
 * Self Assessment/Evaluation Plan: ** I wonder did I do enough to engage the students in the lesson. So, I will give the students an opportunity to evaluate my processes to determine how the lesson went to them. I feel like I could have asked more questions to find out if everyone’s comprehension was on the same level. Did I do enough to modify my lessons for ESOL students or those of lower level proficiencies? Maybe I could have had conference time to address the concerns of some students. As a group I could have done a little more facilitating and guidance in my efforts to induce participation. Because some people did not have as much information in their final project this tells me that I should have not only assignment reading checks (Jago), but had them to sign off on them. Finally, did we spend enough time with each component to make sure that every competency was not only met but ingrained so that they can use these strategies across the curriculum (Langer)? Maybe next time we should extend the unit to a full two months, and even incorporate a few more field trips that tie in with our theme to give the students a broader perspective, and more experiences. I do know that I will provide an opportunity for choice next time and I will allow the students to choose their main text and supporting text for a unit series. Overall, I believe the unit was successful and worked cohesively with our goals to engage the students, and lead them to making interpretations and to ultimately infer meaning from dense text. We have proof of these occurrences in their myriad summary reflections, diaries, journals, and the level of participation in our discussions mini, and whole class. Everyone did not get the point of all of the assignments but for the most part, everyone participated and did at least produce some tangible aspect of what they gleamed from their reading of **__The Black Beauty.__** Finally, their anthologies too are tangible evidence that social relationships are important for student’s to be able to succeed at home, in school and in their communities, and they will have something to share about their experience with literature for not only them to see but others as well.
 * Material: **