Unit Lesson Plans • Student Work • Other Support Materials & Resources

Materials I Developed

• Technology Survey (pdf)
  I constructed this survey in Word and gave it to the students to complete confidentially before I began implementing my unit plan. This allowed me to assess the level of technology the students had available to them at home and adjust my lessons accordingly.
  
• Author Scavenger Hunt (pdf)
  When I first began the unit, I made this sheet using Word and search engines on the Internet to find and evaluate websites I could construct questions from and allow the students to visit these sites. This provided the students with the opportunity to become familiar with the basic use of the laptops while learning about Jerry Spinelli, author of the unit book Loser.
  
• Author Scavenger Hunt Answer Key (pdf)
  I created this to easily provide a means for correcting the students' completed sheets.
  
• KWL chart (pdf)
  I created the chart using a table and created a watermark using an image of the book. I completed the chart using a student laptop and the data projector to display it to the class and ask for student input. The class completed the first two columns about halfway through the book, and we returned to the last column after finishing the book.
  
• Language Arts PowerPoint
  I created this presentation at home and brought it in to school to project from my cooperating teacher's laptop. The presentation provided a vocabulary review/preview for the book and also a review of parts of speech the class had been studying, using excerpts from the book. It served as an extension into the language arts curriculum and is an example of my competence using such programs.
  
• Kidspiration Timeline Checklist (pdf)
  This checklist was created as a means of assessing the timelines created by the students. It allowed me to informally evaluate what the students accomplished and how much assistance they needed.
  
• Venn Diagram (pdf)
  This was completed by me in front of the class using the data projector after students worked independently to create their own written Venn diagram. I transferred ideas to this Venn diagram in Kidspiration to spark discussion while providing a visual aid to record a variety of responses.
  
• "Three Pluses and a Wish" (pdf)
  This assessment tool was introduced to me by a presenter at a Wayne State seminar, Dr. Gerald Oglan. I feel it is a great strategy to use because it requires students to admit what they learned (three pluses) and also gives the teacher ideas for improving their teaching (a wish).
  
• Evaluation Essay (pdf)
  The book Loser, by Jerry Spinelli provided Literature Circle questions at the end. I frequently referred to these for discussion and lesson ideas. For the end of unit assessment, I chose to allow the students to write an essay using one of the two provided evaluation-level questions.
  
• Evaluation Essay Rubric (pdf)
  This rubric I created to guide myself while grading the essays and to give the students a clear understanding of what was expected in their essays. As with the rest of my teacher-constructed, typed documents, I created this in Word.

Note: Images used in these files were borrowed from Discovery School's Clip Art Gallery and Microsoft Office Clip Art.

Emily A. Gregory
Student Teaching

Wayne State University
Arno Elementary School
Allen Park, Michigan
5th Grade Reading
Unit Topic: Loser, by Jerry Spinelli

Exhibits
Unit Lesson Plans
Materials I Developed
Student Work
Other Support Materials & Resources