What is content literacy? Content literacy to me means being literate in a content area. This is different than content knowledge. Being content literate means having the skills and strategies to be able to read and write and talk about a topic beyond just stating facts. Having content literacy across all content areas enhances a child’s desire to learn and become a more independent student and a lifelong learner. Having deeper conversations can lead to more authentic learning and students becoming more “content literate.”
Example of lesson To have a deeper understanding of embryology, students needed to understand the vocabulary associated with the study of life cycles. Before introducing vocabulary, students turned and talked about what they thought a life cycle was. After sharing what their group discussed, our class came up with a list of vocabulary words that we thought would increase our knowledge of the stages of an animal’s life cycle. Students created flip books to show their understanding of life cycle vocabulary, including pictures, written definitions, and the word used in a sentence. We also used flocabulary to review vocabulary. Students also created life cycle charts from a variety of animals after reading nonfiction books about the animal.
After observing our chicks hatch, students collaborated to create a powerpoint using Google Slides to show understanding of a chick’s life cycle. Students included photos, observations, charts and facts from research to show the development of a chick’s life cycle. Some students added animal sounds. Some added movement. Student groups shared their knowledge of a chick’s life cycle with their classmates and families.
Reflection I think this unit was successful, however, if I were teaching embryology now, I would use flipgrid to enhance the unit. I would (or have my students) pose a question for their classmates to respond to by creating short videos. I think flipgrid would have improved the unit by getting the students to talk more about embryology, and what they had observed when the chick’s hatched.
Curriculum Standards2.L.1 COMPARE life cycles of different animals such as, but not limited to, mealworms, ladybugs, crickets, guppies or frogs2.SL.1a Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and large groups.2.RI.2.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Example of lesson To have a deeper understanding of embryology, students needed to understand the vocabulary associated with the study of life cycles. Before introducing vocabulary, students turned and talked about what they thought a life cycle was. After sharing what their group discussed, our class came up with a list of vocabulary words that we thought would increase our knowledge of the stages of an animal’s life cycle. Students created flip books to show their understanding of life cycle vocabulary, including pictures, written definitions, and the word used in a sentence. We also used flocabulary to review vocabulary. Students also created life cycle charts from a variety of animals after reading nonfiction books about the animal.
After observing our chicks hatch, students collaborated to create a powerpoint using Google Slides to show understanding of a chick’s life cycle. Students included photos, observations, charts and facts from research to show the development of a chick’s life cycle. Some students added animal sounds. Some added movement. Student groups shared their knowledge of a chick’s life cycle with their classmates and families.
Reflection I think this unit was successful, however, if I were teaching embryology now, I would use flipgrid to enhance the unit. I would (or have my students) pose a question for their classmates to respond to by creating short videos. I think flipgrid would have improved the unit by getting the students to talk more about embryology, and what they had observed when the chick’s hatched.
Curriculum Standards2.L.1 COMPARE life cycles of different animals such as, but not limited to, mealworms, ladybugs, crickets, guppies or frogs2.SL.1a Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and large groups.2.RI.2.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.