1. English Language Arts - Grade 6: Analyze selected passages and correctly name and identify all literary devices.
  2. In terms of Readiness
    1. Student 1 - Pre-Teaching
      1. Revision Games
      2. Mini-Quiz / Revision
        1. Can be done using Survey Monkey
        2. YouTube video quiz on literary devices in songs
    2. Student 2 - Imaginative
      1. Observational Checklist
      2. Journaling
        1. Use WordPress for them to blog using Grammarly then evaluate their essays for use of literary devices
  3. In terms of Learning Profiles
    1. Student 1 - Audiovisual Learner
      1. Listening to Invited Speakers
        1. Invite a famous local author to speak about literary devices in their work or a local artist to talk about their inspirations and what their art alludes to
      2. Watching Videos
        1. YouTube video lesson on literary devices
    2. Student 2 - Tactile-Kinesthetic Learner
      1. Drama
        1. Create a play or rap to perform to the class
      2. Object Game
        1. Create literary devices about selected objects linking them to the five senses.
          1. Sèvres porcelain vase in deep purple
          2. Maker: Ernest Chaplet (French, Sèvres 1835–1909 Choisy-le-Roi)
          3. Date: ca. 1891
          4. Culture: French, Choisy-le-Roi
          5. Medium: Porcelain, brass
          6. Dimensions: confirmed: 20 11/16 × 9 3/4 × 9 3/4 in., 18 lb. (52.5 × 24.8 × 24.8 cm, 8.2 kg)
          7. Classifications: Ceramics-Porcelain
          8. Credit Line: Robert A. Ellison Jr. Collection, Purchase, Acquisitions Fund; Louis V. Bell, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, and Rogers Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest; and 2011 Benefit Fund, 2013
          9. Accession Number: 2013.480
          10. Eg. Imagery and Hyperbole: As I carefully picked up the delicate and precious Sèvres vase to examine it more closely, its rich deep purple color enveloped me and I was transported back to the lush blackberry fields of my childhood.
  4. By: Roberta Porter
  5. In terms of Interests
    1. Student 1 - Boy
      1. Music (Reggaeton)
        1. Identify literary devices used in English reggaeton song lyrics
      2. Soccer
        1. http://www.totalsportek.com/highlights/real-madrid-vs-barcelona-full-match-replay-video/
        2. Analyze soccer commentaries on the radio for literary devices
          1. Eg. Commentators Nick Barnes & Mike Ingham
    2. Student 2 - Girl
      1. Nature (Wildlife)
        1. Create literary devices inspired by nature
      2. Swimming
        1. http://zacharyorthodontics.com/swimmers-calculus-is-not-advanced-math/
        2. Analyze swimming commentaries for literary devices
  6. REFERENCES
    1. Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Initiative. (2017). English Language Arts: College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading, Grade 6. Retrieved on January 19th, 2017 from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/SL/7/
    2. Aronson, Elliot. (n.d.). The Jigsaw Classroom. Retrieved 2017-02-07 from https://www.jigsaw.org/index.html
    3. McCarthy, John. (2014-07-23 updated 2015-08-28). Differentiated Instruction – 3 Ways to Plan for Diverse Learners: What Teachers Do. Edutopia. Retrieved 2017-02-07 from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-ways-to-plan-john-mccarthy
    4. McCarthy, John. (2014-07-29). Differentiated Instruction – 15+ Readiness Resources for Driving Student Success. Edutopia. Retrieved 2017-02-07 from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-readiness-resources-john-mccarthy
    5. McCarthy, John. (2014-08-13). Differentiated Instruction – How Learning Profiles can Strengthen your Teaching. Edutopia. Retrieved 2017-02-07 from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/learning-profiles-john-mccarthy
    6. McCarthy, John. (2014-08-25). Differentiated Instruction – Learner Interest Matters: Strategies for Empowering Student Choice. Edutopia. Retrieved 2017-02-07 from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-learner-interest-matters-john-mccarthy
    7. McCarthy, John. (2015-01-15). Learning Profile Cards. Opening Paths: Creating Solutions to Empower Learners. Retrieved 2017-02-06 from http://openingpaths.org/blog/2014/01/learning-profile-cards/
    8. McCarthy, John. (2015-01-16 updated 2016-07-18). Differentiated Instruction – 100+ Tools for Differentiating Instruction Through Social Media. Edutopia. Retrieved 2017-02-07 from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-social-media-tools-john-mccarthy
    9. NWEA. Dyer, Kathy. (2012). Classroom Techniques: Formative Assessment Ideas 2 through 6. Retrieved on January 26th, 2017 from: https://www.nwea.org/blog/2012/classroom-techniques-formative-assessment-idea-number-four/
    10. Porter, Roberta. (2017-01). 5 SMART Objectives: for an English Language Arts Common Core Standard. Retrieved 2017-02-07 from https://magic.piktochart.com/output/19615685-5-smart-objectives
    11. Sternberg, Robert J. (1997-03). How Children Learn – What Does It Mean to Be Smart? Educational Leadership. pp. 20-24. Vol. 54. No. 6. Retrieved 2017-02-07 from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar97/vol54/num06/What-Does-It-Mean-to-Be-Smart%C2%A2.aspx
    12. Subban, Pearl. (2006). Differentiated instruction: A research basis. International Education Journal, 2006, 7(7), 935-947. Monash University. pearlsubban@iprimus.com.au. Shannon Research Press. http://iej.com.au. Retrieved 2017-02-07 from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ854351.pdf
    13. Teaching Channel, The. (n.d.). Daily Assessment with Tiered Exit Cards. Retrieved on January 26th, 2016 from: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/student-daily-assessment
  7. Tools for Getting to Know Your Students
    1. Learning Profile Cards
      1. Use a survey to create a learning profile card on each student
        1. Academic Interests
          1. Math, English, Spanish, History, Geography, Art, Music
        2. Extracurricular Interests
          1. Soccer, Swimming, Dancing, Robotics, Hiking, Martial Arts
    2. Exit Tickets
      1. Evaluation of students' readiness
      2. http://leaderpost.com/news/saskatchewan/election-notebook-unprecedented-number-of-voters-cast-ballots-at-advanced-polls
    3. Task Cards
      1. Differentiation by Product: Provide students with several different task options for an assignment.
        1. Eg. Create a video, write a song, interview an author
  8. SUMMARY
    1. Learner Profiles
      1. It is important to identify students’ learner profiles because we all learn in different ways. Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences propounded this theory and is now well-supported by decades of research. Furthermore, it has been proven that the more varied the inputs and the more time spent on a task, the greater the mental absorption of that content. In other words, although many learners may prefer a specific method of teaching (their learner profile), we all benefit from having the same material presented to us in different ways. John McCarthy (2014) gives an inspiring example of trying to cook salmon using only a recipe based on text versus using a recipe containing both pictures and video. It is obvious that the pictures and video help one in the successful execution of this task. For this reason, the strategies I selected for catering to audiovisual and tactile-kinesthetic learners include: listening to an invited speaker, watching a lively video, creating their own drama production, and playing an object game where they link literary devices to objects around the classroom. Most sixth grade students are very energetic and need constant stimulation. I believe these tools of differentiation in terms of process will ensure they learn the topic being covered.
    2. Learner Interests
      1. Learners’ interests are also important because interest is directly connected to motivation (Brown, 1987). An issue many teachers have is how to motivate their students. Well, the answer is: by igniting their interests. If one looks at the strategies I have chosen, it is obvious that any interest can be linked to the subject being taught. For example, “What does soccer have to do with teaching literary devices in English class?” The idea is that if the teacher searches for a way to connect the students’ interests to the content, it can be done. The strategies I suggested of analyzing soccer or swim-meet commentators’ transcripts or radio transmissions for literary devices will require some work on the part of the teacher to find some acceptable match transcripts in English, but it is possible. I am no expert at soccer, but I do know that the purpose of the commentator’s monologue is not just to interpret to spectators what they are seeing, it is also to evoke emotion in them (say excitement, or enthusiasm) and this means that there will be literary devices used in their commentary. In terms of the strategy of using students’ interest in music to promote learning, the teacher’s task is much easier because songs are explicitly language-based. Sports and music are some of the most common youth interests in pre-teens, which is one of the reasons I outlined strategies related to these here.
    3. Learner Readiness
      1. Learner readiness is an area that is a bit more controversial. Some teachers feel that they should not have to be teaching material to students that they should already know. Nevertheless, the fact is that most education is additive; it is therefore impossible to teach something new if students are starting from an unstable base. Since teachers’ main objective is to achieve permanent learning in their students, teachers must be prepared to receive students with various readiness levels. As outlined above with learning profiles as a general rule: the greater the time spent on a task, the greater the resulting learning. This means that if a teacher has to use the readiness strategy of pre-teaching some content, although it may initially appear to be a waste of time, it will soon be obvious that students who already know the content also benefit from the review of the topic. Teachers may be surprised at the number of questions that arise from students during such a revision or pre-teaching session. Similarly, interactive mini-quizzes can be used as a means of simultaneously evaluating students’ readiness and filling in their learning gaps. An observational checklist is a tool that the teacher can use to ensure that all students have grasped the key concepts and skills. For example, this checklist can be completed by the teacher whilst marking homework on an assignment. The last learner readiness strategy I highlighted here is journaling. Pupils who are timid may not be as involved in full class activities. Sometimes journaling could be a way for them to release their fears and express themselves freely. The advantage of this activity is that it can also be done using technology. The teacher can set guidelines on the content of the blog or journal and then check learner readiness based on those criteria.
    4. Getting to Know Students
      1. Teachers can use various strategies for getting to know their students. A common and simple tool is to create learner profile cards where the information on each student is collected through a student-response questionnaire. Often, the teacher will end up with better data on the child than the school administration office (John McCarthy, 2014). Task cards can be used to provide students with three or four options in how they submit the assignment. Nevertheless, differentiation is not just about differentiating in terms of process (how the lesson is taught) or product (the assignment format). It is also about differentiating in terms of content and the learning environment. Of course, it is not always possible for a teacher to vary the content, unless a skillset is being taught. For example, the skill of analyzing a literary text can be applied to various contents, but the content requirement of knowing and identifying literary devices is restricted to one content (literary devices) although it can be learned through various processes (e.g. videos, music, sports commentaries, etc.). In terms of the learning environment, many lessons can be taught just as well outside as inside a classroom. Moving about and changing the setting may be especially beneficial to kinesthetic learners, though as we have seen all learners also benefit from multiple formats and settings.
  9. Summary
  10. Objective #3
  11. References