3) Collaborative Teaching and New Levels of Textual Analysis

"Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean."

—Ryunosuke Satoro, short story writer

“Interpretation is the revenge of the intellectual upon art. ”

― Susan Sontag, writer and filmmaker

LESSON ONE: PREVIEW OF OUR NEW UNIT

Objective: By the end of class, you will be able to... design a web page that uses multimodalities to deconstruct rhetorical devices in an essay.

Let's Get Started! Mini-Lesson: Activating Prior Knowledge---

What is Collaborative Teaching?

Co-teaching is a term that means you will join other students in a small group, and each of you will plan a lesson around an essay. Your will choose one selection from a below, and you will plan a 5-10 minute lesson. Each member of the group will be assessed individually around criteria in a rubric, and each member of the group will offer a distinct lesson in analytical and multimodal categories. While each student will present her or his lesson individually, the group planning will allow for a cohesive and clear transition from student to student within the group.

Texts we'll read to prepare for co-teaching:

The Chosen, by Chaim Potok [narrative structure]

“Take in the State Fair,” by Garrison Keillor [rhetorical devices]

"Scattered Inconveniences," by Jerald Walker [language of interpretation]

"Mother Tongue," by Amy Tan [more language of interpretation practice]

"Under Water," by Anne Fadiman [modeling multimodal instruction and multiple levels of textual analysis]

Surprise!

Afterward, You Have a Task

Please open up the tab to your homework reading: "Take in the State Fair," by Garrison Keillor.

Here is a list of Rhetorical/ Language Devices you'll need.

Here is the document on which you register your rhetorical device. (F Period)

Here is the document on which you register your rhetorical device. (G Period)

Then you'll develop a very short presentation that models the use and significance of your chosen Rhetorical Device in Keillor's essay. You must create a new page on your personal Google website, titled, "Take in the State Fair," and you must use two or more modalities to represent your thinking. If you'd like to attempt to incorporate a modality but don't know how use that feature of the Google Sites, just ask Dr. Carolyn. Go!

Homework: Finish your "Take in the State Fair" web page. Be ready to share in a Roundtable at the beginning of our next class.

LESSON TWO: SCAFFOLDING OUR READING COMPREHENSION REPERTOIRES

Objective: By the end of class, you will be able to... infuse a new level of textual analysis into your reading comprehension repertoire.

Let's Get Started! Please open up your personal Google website page, titled, "Take in the State Fair," in which you used multiple modalities to represent your thinking. You'll be sharing among your classmates in a Roundtable. Post-Roundtable discussion. Use this Google Doc: "Take in the State Fair" Template: Rhetorical Devices Roundtable.

Afterward, a Hint: Ways to Present Ideas via Google Sites

Next: Mini-Lesson--- The Language of Interpretation: An Introduction to Sociocultural Analysis

Go to the Quizlet page Dr. Carolyn created for the "Language of Interpretation" terms and definitions. Play, explore, learn.

Homework: Please read "Scattered Inconveniences," by Jerald Walker. [Note: There's a PDF at the bottom of this page, if you can download it. Otherwise, you'll need to read it in The Writer's Presence. pg. 251.] .Be ready to apply The Language of Interpretation to this essay during our next class.

LESSON THREE: REVEALING OUR WORLDVIEWS THROUGH A LANGUAGE OF INTERPRETATION

Objective: By the end of class, you will be able to... apply a language of interpretation to an essay as a new level of textual analysis in order to expand your initial response and your worldview.

Let's Get Started!

Surprise! (not really)

Please open up a copy of "Scattered Inconveniences," by Jerald Walker. Next, we'll engage in a BrainWriting Activator.

And we'll review our previous deconstruction strategies:

Narrative structure: One group of students writes in core elements of the Freytag Pyramid.

Rhetorical Devices: Another group of students applies at least five rhetorical strategies to the story.

After revisiting your BrainWriting Activator, the narrative structure elements, and the rhetorical devices, now it's time to rethink your original assumptions about the essay. Go to the Quizlet page Dr. Carolyn created for the "Language of Interpretation" terms and definitions to help with your language choices.Write one synthesis sentence that captures the essential ideas that Walker is trying to impart in the story. Afterward, we'll have a full class sharing session.

Homework: Read "Mother Tongue," by Amy Tan

LESSON FOUR: LANGUAGE AS AN INDICATOR OF CULTURE

Objective: By the end of class, you will be able to... deconstruct an essay about the intersection of language and culture through a prescribed Language of Interpretation.

Let's Get Started! Summarizer: Based on the various brainstorming, writing, and discussion learning events we’ve shared about "Scattered Inconveniences," create an Word Schema Map that captures what you determine to be the most important concepts in “Scattered Inconveniences,” by Jerald Walker. Create a new page on your personal Google website, and create a digital Word Schema Map. Categorize your ideas from the large, organizing ideas to lower levels of support.

Word Schemas/ Concept Maps

Next, let's take a reading check of "Mother Tongue," by Amy Tan.

Afterward, use the Language of Interpretation to create as many sentences as time allows that capture Tan's more important social and cultural messages in "Mother Tongue." Use small white boards to challenge each other to define and share ideas and constructs.

Preview: Tomorrow's modeling of five co-teaching lessons from Dr. Carolyn

Homework: Read "Under Water," by Anne Fadiman.

LESSON FIVE: DR. CAROLYN'S FIVE SAMPLE PLANS TO MODEL CO-TEACHING

Objective: By the end of class, you will be able to... distinguish how elements of a rubric can be brought to life via collaborative teaching

Let's Get Started! Reading check for "Under Water," by Anne Fadiman

Dr. Carolyn provides a model of how to "co-teach" the lesson through the essay, "Under Water."

Here is her advanced planning: Excerpts and Deconstruction.

Here is her lesson plan.

Here is her Prezi.

Homework: Please review this list of essays. You will negotiate with your small group to choose one to teach. Also, prepare any questions for Dr. Carolyn about her decision-making process as she designed her five lessons.

LESSON SIX: BEGINNING THE PROCESS OF COLLABORATION

(A Two-Day Lesson Plan)

Objective: By the end of class, you will be able to... negotiate with a group of students around decision-making.

Let's Get Started! We'll begin by looking over Dr. Carolyn's five lesson plans for the "Under Water" essay. Be ready to ask any questions for Dr. Carolyn about her decision-making process as she designed her five lessons.

Then, discuss your homework---- to review this list of essays and negotiate with your small group to choose one to teach.

Please sign up for the Co-Teaching Dates.

Each student needs to create a new personal Google website page, titled, "Collaborative Teaching." Remember to disallow comments.

Please review the Rubric for Co-Teaching.

Have fun planning for your co-teaching! Watch an inspirational video here to get started.

Narrative Structure

Here is a PowerPoint as a review of the Freytag Pyramid about plot development. Here is a website with a review of the Elements of Plot Development.

AP Rhetorical Strategies

Here is the PDF with all the AP Rhetorical Strategies from which you can choose.

The Language of Interpretation

Go to the Quizlet page Dr. Carolyn created for the "Language of Interpretation" terms and definitions.

Glossary of Instructional Strategies and Graphic Organizers

Go to this Glossary of Instructional Strategies document for many, many ideas about teaching a concept--- or go to this list of graphic organizers to get ideas about how to give others an opportunity to interact with your lesson!

Homework: 1) Plan your own lesson within your group's collaborative teaching day. 2) Read the upcoming essays; be ready to take a reading check. Check the schedule for readings here.

LESSON SEVEN: SELF-REFLECTIONS

Objective: By the end of class, you will be able to... consider our Collaborative Teaching unit in its parts by reading, previewing, reviewing, and/ or reflecting.

Let's Get Started! Please conduct a self-assessment as to where you are within our Collaborative Teaching unit.

Have you read the remaining essays? Check the schedule for readings here to be sure you're done.

If you have not presented yet, are you ready? Use this time to discuss plans with your group and to refine your own design. With this additional planning time, Dr. Carolyn expects that your group will have no overlap.
If you have presented, you should use this time to complete the Co-Teaching Self-Reflection. It will be due after all presentations are completed. Here is the rubric for you to review. If you do complete it ahead of time and would like Dr. Carolyn to grade it, please enter your name on the schedule posted on the bulletin board next to the technology stand.

Decide the areas on which you need to focus. Please do not compete work for other classes during this time, however.

Additional Sources

11 Tips for Working Successfully in Virtual Groups

20 Collaborative Learning Hints

Interview with Garrison Keillor

Your Brain on Metaphors article

"Forward: to The Best American Essays 2007, by Robert Atwan

"Going Green but Getting Nowhwere," by Gernot Wagner

"The Elusive Big Idea" by Neal Garber

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