Module 6: To Theme and Beyond

Focus Areas:	Profundity and Comprehension
Materials needed:	Materials provided by ISD or site: · MLPP · Handouts developed by the ISD · Sign-in sheets, name tags and evaluations · A-V equipment, usually an overhead and a VCR (If you need anything else, call the curriculum office of the hosting district to make arrangements.) · Flip chart · Colored markers, crayons or pencils · Glue sticks	Materials to be brought by the presenter: · Book to be read aloud Examples: Elmer, Molly Lou Mellon · Large model of the cross text matrix (attachment 9) · Large models of attachments 10 and 11 · Profundity R Us booklet
Review of Module: (15 Minutes)	ü Share retelling samples with your case study child. Discuss with a partner what the sample tells you about that child’s ability to retell. · Discuss the retelling sample in relation to your case study child’s writing sample. ü Practice ORR Lesson 3
Profundity (50 Minutes) Profundity (continued) (50 Minutes)	ü Establish need for the Profundity Scale by explaining the ELA Assessment Plan for 2003 (attachment 6-1). Emphasize ü the following; · thematic focus · higher order thinking skills · the last writing prompt requires expository writing using the compare and contrast format · students will need to “identify with” the theme to do well ü Make sure you make a pitch for the fact that the thinking students will do as the result of the Profundity Scale is a life skill and that it implicitly addresses Michigan Frameworks standards 1,3,5,8, 11 and 12, and explicitly addresses standards 9 and 10. ü You may introduce the concept of universal theme at the beginning or end of attachment 6-1 by showing attachment 6-2 (possible universal themes and a list of themes and accompanying books). ü You can then use the Everything a student needs to know to do well on the ELA 2003 handout (attachment 6-3) to reinforce the need for students to think up to and including the theme level. Statements 4,5,6,7,and 8 are clearly addressed when using the profundity scale. ü Explain attachment 4. Have participants generate examples from their own lives. (Refer back to Activity in Module 2-Reading That Changed Your Heart and Mind) ü Using the narrative profundity scale (attachment 5), explain the definition. Have the participants get in small groups and either walk around the room or through the hallways as they socially construct meaning for themselves, about the Profundity Scale, through conversation. Using the expository scale, explain the definition. · Explain the difference between narrative and expository, in narrative you are looking for those enduring themes concerning the human condition, in expository you are looking for theories or principle that can be generalized to understand how related theories or principles work. ü Share the question stems related to the profundity scale (attachment 6-6). Have someone read a good book aloud to the group. In small groups have the participants come up with questions for each of the planes and an abstract universal truth. Then have two groups combine to share their questions and then ask each group to share their abstracted universal truth to the entire group. · If their truth could be more abstract demonstrate how they could keep making it more abstract. · Finally have them talk about how the conversation they just had is different than the conversation their students have either in small groups or as an entire group. ü Share the question stems for abstracting, analogizing, and transforming (attachment 6-7). Discuss how these three strategies are going to help students make that leap from identifying a theme to identifying with a theme so that they can then relate the theme to their own lives.
BREAK (15 Minutes)
Comprehension -Strategies for the classroom (90 Minutes) Comprehension (continued) -Strategies for the classroom (90 Minutes)	ü Pre-Kindergarten through first grade (participants can try this in small groups or you can demonstrate whole group) · Use the KLP repeated readings strategy to model and share the profundity scale with students. After the first reading, discuss the actions of the main character. After the second reading, discuss why the character acted the way they did. After the third reading, discuss whether it was right or wrong to behave that way and what forces would have made the character behave they way. After the fourth reading, discuss how your students are like the main character and not like the main character then discuss the universal truth of the story. ü Second through third grade participants can do this in small groups or as a whole group, it depends on the materials you have available. · Use retellings to help you get your students to think about the planes of the Profundity Scale. First read a book aloud. Have the students complete a written retelling. Glue the written retelling onto the center of a large piece of paper. Begin using the Profundity Scale by having the student s circle one of the main character’s actions. Then take a red marker, crayon, or pencil and draw a line from the action out onto the large sheet of paper and draw a speech bubble. In the bubble write why the character did what he did. Then take a blue marker, crayon, or pencil and draw a line from the red bubble to the blue speech bubble. In the blue bubble write whether it is right or wrong to behave that way and why. Then take a green marker, crayon, or pencil and draw a line from the blue bubble to a green speech bubble. In the green bubble write the motivation behind the character’s actions. Repeat that procedure with 2-3 more actions. · Now, draw a two-column graph in orange. On one side write how you are like the character and on the other side explain how you are not like the character. Think about how you behave or think when making the comparison. Next draw a large brown bubble. In that bubble write what you think is the universal truth of the story. Finally, draw a black box. In the black box tell how you can use the universal truth in your own life. · Your can now use this information to help children write to a prompt that may be similar to the final prompt of the ELA 2003. Prompt: How does what you feel about the theme compare to how the character in the story feels about the theme? Give specific examples from your life and the story to make your point. · The writing should be representative of the expository comparison/contrast format. It should summarize what the writer feels or thinks about the theme. It should then summarize what the character feels or thinks about the theme. The writing then should show how the writer and the character differ from each other or are similar to each other using specific examples. Finally, the writer should come back to the theme in a closing statement. ü There is a graphic organizer (attachment 8) included that could also be used similarly. ü Briefly explain the Profundity “R” US booklet. ü Also included is a miniature version of a cross text matrix (attachment 6-9) that incorporates the Profundity Scale. Two thematically linked texts are analyzed as a group. After that portion is completed, the matrix is examined for similarities and differences. The lessons learned column is examined to find the common lesson learned. Then the information can be used to further analyze the text by using attachments 6-10 and 6-11. This is followed by writing to a prompt as explained above. ü Finally, if there is time, the 7 major comprehension strategies (attachment 6-12) should be identified and explained. Choose 1 or 2 that you are comfortable demonstrating. ü Explain the strategy posters, bookmarks and assessment as needed.
Assignment (10 minutes)	ü Try one of the comprehension strategies out in your classroom. Be prepared to show student samples, explain how you presented the strategy and fill out an analysis information sheet (to, with and by). Describe how effective you think the demonstration was.
3 hours	Total Class Time