Journals and Checking for Understanding in ELA

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Journals and Checking for Understanding in ELA

• Mary Duhart-Toppen

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Why use journals in the classroom?

• clarifies thinking and understanding
• illustrates what students know
• cultivates the important skills of verbal and
  written communication
• Checking for Understanding, Fisher Frey
• Chapter 4

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Journals in ELA

• Formative assessment
• Strategic mini-lessons on skill and craft
• Quickwrites (initial responses or prewriting)

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Checking for Understanding
Oral Language Questions
Accountable Talk (23) Noticing Nonverbal Clues (24) Value Lineups (25) Retellings (26) Think-Pair-Share (30) Misconception Analysis (32) Whip Around (34) Response Cards (46) Hand Signals (48) Audience Response Systems (52) ReQuest (53) Socratic Seminar (54)
Writing Projects and Performances
Interactive Writing (61) Read-Write-Pair-Share (64) Summary Writing (66) RAFT (67) Readers Theater (80) Multimedia Presentations (82) Electronic and Paper Portfolios (83) Graphic Organizers (87) Inspiration (88) Foldables (91) Dioramas (91) Public performances (95)
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Journal Requirements

• Every subject requires a journal, especially the
  core areas.
• The composition notebooks are the preferred means
  for journals.
• Every journal must have a table of contents.
• Every entry must be dated.
• Consistent use of journal must be evident.
• Authentic writing is preferred to glued in
  worksheets.
• Work in journal must be complete.
• Journals only go home when students have to study
  for a test.
• Reflection of learning must be evident.
• Journals must have teacher feedback.
• Monday Memo 9

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Lesson Figure 19
Deconstructing the TEKS
Grade TEK
Kindergarten 5th grade Figure 19DF
6th grade 8th grade Figure 19DF
9th grade 12th grade Figure 19AB
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Objective

• The student will make inferences and
  connections in a variety of texts using analysis
  tools and questioning.

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Responding to a Quote

• Mini-lesson Response format
• choose a quote from the list
• compose a response to the chosen quote using the
  specified format
• share your response with a partner
• discuss class responses

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Novel excerpt The Pearl

• Background
• 1st draft reading and discuss
• 2nd draft reading dialectical journal and
  review
• Discussion

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Poem A Poison Tree

• Mini-lesson TPDASTT
• Poem analysis using TPDASTT
• Discussion

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Expository TextLotto Winner Dead?

• Mini-lesson Nonfiction Hexagonal
• 1st draft reading
• 2nd draft reading hexagonal

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Assessment

• Formative
• Summative OER

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Checking for Understanding
Text Strategy for C4U
Quote
Novel excerpt
Poem
News article
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Debrief

• TEKS Deconstruction
• Lesson Planning
• Focus/Objective
• Questioning
• Checking for Understanding
• Journaling

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• Questions
• Comments
• Exit Slips