Good morning, all! Alison has done a wonderful job creating our website! We are both excited to collaborate with our districts and work with teachers. Alison and I have just completed another week of LETRS training in Oklahoma City and are ready to get back in our assigned schools.
Many times I am asked how to integrate literacy into content classrooms. I had the opportunity to visit a classroom at Olive recently who did just that. This teacher began her fourth grade math class by reading a Shel Silverstein poem entitled "Smart," which focused on a boy swapping money with other people based on the number of coins he received when swapping rather than the actual value of the money for which he swapped. After reading the poem to the students, the teacher reread the poem and discussed the content of the poem. During the poem, she also clarified the meaning of phrases, such as "red in the face" and "too proud to speak." Following the review of the poem, students were given a copy of the poem and money. In small groups, students reenacted the poem sequence, trading money with each stanza. The students were actively engaged in both the poem and the concept of trading money. After small group work for about 15 minutes, students came back to whole group instruction, and the class figured out how much the boy lost. When doing this, the teacher asks different ways to make certain amounts of money. As an example, when the boy was given four nickels, the teacher asked how much four nickels was worth, as well as what other coins could you use to make 20 cents. This teacher did a great job incorporating literature into her math class!
Reply
Leave a Reply.
Author
I am an Instructional REAC3H Coach working under the direction of the Oklahoma State Department of Education.