Question 1

Question One: Describe in general how you currently develop curriculum.

When I develop a unit like my sample unit on Speak, I begin by reading the book once all the way through. Then I read it again more slowly and write down vocabulary words that I think the students might struggle with that I find important for them to know at this juncture (I can’t use all the words they don’t know; it would be too overwhelming, so I typically have 40-80 words per text.) While I am doing the second reading, I start jotting down notes on what strikes me about the book—symbols, themes, motifs, connections that the kids might be able to make to the text. I will usually do a third reading at which time I develop guided reading questions. I also research the novel to see what other people have done. I am a big supporter of not reinventing the wheel for everything. Typically, I find ideas that I think are interesting and then adapt them for my classroom. For instance, for my Speak unit, I found a research project about rape. It required the students to research several components (avoidance, self-defense, and post-rape response/help) develop a pamphlet and a poster and then present them to the class. In addition to covering this topic, I also assign to the various groups bullying and depression. I also have speakers come to my class to discuss rape and depression. I think they are important topics that the students need to get real information about because, unfortunately, many of them will have to deal with these issues over the course of their lives. I also think of a variety writing assignments based on the book and making connections to it. Furthermore, I find outside texts to bring in and use with the class. This year, I used an excerpt from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. While we were reading it in class, the students were actively looking for examples of literary devices and participating in an oral quiz, and then they compared and contrasted Maya Angelou’s experience with Melinda’s. Every year, I tweak it a little bit and make changes based on the needs of the students and what else is happening in the students other classes, especially if they have a second English class. I cover all of the strands of the NJCCCS for Language Arts Literacy over the course of reading and discussing the novel.