To help prospective secondary teachers (PSTs) integrate literacy skills into their content-area lessons, I planned and facilitated a two-part lesson on secondary literacy instruction. As described in my previous post, the first part of the lesson sought to provide PSTs with an understanding of two important concepts: content-area literacy and disciplinary literacy. In the second part of the lesson, which is the focus of the current post, PSTs used what they had learned about content-area literacy and disciplinary literacy to participate in a text-based Socratic seminar consisting of three activities:
- reading and annotating an article on the two concepts
- discussing and analyzing the merits of each concept
- drafting an argumentative essay on one of the two concepts
General Information
| Specifications |
| Title. “Perspectives on Secondary Literacy Instruction” (Part Two) Content. Literacy Practices and Instruction (Adolescent/Adult) Duration. 70 minutes |
| InTASC Standards |
| 5(n). The teacher understands communication modes as vehicles for learning [and] for expressing learning. 4(j). The teacher understands concepts, assumptions, debates, processes, and ways of knowing central to the discipline s/he teaches. |
| Objectives |
| By the end of this lesson, prospective secondary teachers (PSTs) will be able to: 1. List 2-3 characteristics of content-area literacy and disciplinary literacy. 2. Decide which perspective is more appropriate for their content area. 3. Justify their choice with evidence from the focal text and one other source. |
| Assessment |
| PSTs will be asked to do the following assessment tasks: 1. Create a T-chart with 2-3 characteristics of each perspective. (Obj. 1) 2. Contribute to the seminar discussion in two or more ways (e.g., summarizing ideas in the text, citing evidence from the text, citing evidence from other sources, asking questions). (Obj. 1, 2, 3) 3. Draft an essay in which they identify a perspective, explain why they chose it, and support it with evidence from the focal text and at least one other source (e.g., anecdote, standards). (Obj. 1, 2, 3) |
| Arrangement |
| The image below represents the classroom arrangement for this lesson. Each PST will receive a playing card that serves to identify his/her team, position, and partner. PSTs with Heart cards will sit at the center and PSTs with Diamond cards will sit on the sides. PSTs will be seated in numerical order (e.g., Ace/1, 2, 3) as shown below. When asked to pair up, each PST in the center section will “turn and talk” to his/her counterpart in the side section (e.g., 2 of Hearts pairs with 2 of Diamonds). This arrangement will greatly reduce transition time. |
Lesson 2 Procedures
| Introduction |
| Entry & Seating. As PSTs enter the classroom, the teacher will (TTW) ask them to take the top card from the stack and sit in the section that corresponds to the suit and number on the card, as shown above. Focus Attention. TTW ask PSTs to hold up their cards. She will scan the room to ensure that everyone has a card and is seated in the correct location. If changes are necessary, TTW make them immediately. Prior Knowledge. PSTs will create a T-chart with content-area at the top of one column and disciplinary at the top of the other column. Then, they will list 2-3 characteristics of each literacy perspective. TTW will ask PSTs to share their answers with the class and to add any ideas they omitted from their T-chart. Connect to the Lesson. TTW summarize the two perspectives in a sentence or two and explain that this lesson will help PSTs deepen their understanding of and think critically about the two perspectives. Objectives & Agenda. TTW share the three-part agenda: (1) annotating and reading an excerpt, (2)taking part in the seminar discussion, and (3) drafting a response to the guiding question (TBA). Then, she will state the objectives that PSTs should expect to achieve: (1) identify characteristics of content-area and disciplinary literacy, (2) decide which one is more appropriate for their content area, and (3) justify their choice with textual evidence and evidence from another source. |
| Lesson Body |
| Seminar Reading. TTW will distribute copies of a 1,000-word excerpt from “Content Area Reading: A Case for the Radical Center.” PSTs will use their knowledge of content-area literacy and disciplinary literacy, along with any helpful resources (e.g., notes, T-chart), to understand the claims regarding each perspective. While reading, they will: (1) underline/highlight important points about each perspective, (2) write their thoughts and interpretations in the margins, and (3) list any questions that come to mind (to raise during discussion). TTW emphasize that PSTs should be prepared to address the focal question, Which perspective seems more valid, content-area or disciplinary literacy, and why?” Seminar Discussion. TTW go over the discussion procedure, distribute the evaluation form, which lists the types of contributions participants can make, and describe the performance expectations. Before beginning the first quarter, she will reiterate the focal question. 1st Quarter. The Hearts will participate in the discussion for 4 minutes. During this time, the Diamonds will observe their partner on the Hearts team and fill out the evaluation form. They will add a tally mark and verbatim evidence each time their partner contributes to the discussion. When the timer sounds, the Hearts will turn and talk to their partner on the Diamonds team. The Diamonds will summarize their partner’s contributions and make at least one suggestion for the 2nd quarter. 2nd Quarter. The Hearts will participate in the discussion for 4 more minutes and the Diamonds will complete their evaluations. When the timer sounds, the Hearts will turn to their partners to get a summary of their contributions during the 2nd quarter and a general evaluation of their performance. Half Time. The Hearts and Diamonds will switch seats and roles with their partners. 3rd Quarter. The Diamonds will participate in the discussion for 4 minutes. During this time, the Hearts will observe their partner on the Diamonds team and fill out the evaluation form. As noted above, they will tally each contribution and supply verbatim evidence. At the buzzer, the Diamonds will turn and talk to their partner on the Hearts team, who will summarize their contributions and make at least one recommendation. 4th Quarter. The Diamonds will take part in the discussion for 4 additional minutes, and the Hearts will complete their evaluations. When the timer sounds, the Diamonds will turn to their partners to discuss their contributions during the 4th quarter and their overall performance. After the discussion, TTW lead a whole-class brainstorming activity in which PSTs reiterate reasons for supporting each perspective, and indicate which perspective they favor. At this point, PSTs typically indicate that a new perspective, which integrates elements from both perspectives, is the best option. Seminar Essay. PSTs will draft an essay in which they respond to the question, “Which perspective–content-area literacy, disciplinary literacy, or a combination of the two–seems most appropriate for teaching within your content area?” They will be expected to write a thesis statement and at least two paragraphs in which they explain and defend their selection with evidence from the focal text and one other source. (Because the methods course requires many formal writing assignments, I do not require PSTs to revise and resubmit in-class essays such as this one. However, I do provide written feedback on in-class essays, which is intended to prepare them for successful completion of the formal writing assignments.) |
| Closure |
| Objectives. TTW revisit the objectives from this lesson and the previous lesson. Activity. PSTs will select two sentence starters from a Daily Dozen board and complete them using what they learned in the previous lesson and this lesson. They will write their responses on a post-it note, and affix the post-it note to a closure chart. The following are a few of the sentence starters: _____ is problematic because _____. I will use _____ by doing _____. _____ is effective because _____. After PSTs have posted their responses, TTW call upon 5-6 at random and ask them to share one of their two. Connections. As a last step, TTW remind PSTs that they will begin planning their lessons in the next few days. With that in mind, they should review the literacy resources on the CMS, including documents from the gallery walk, because they will be expected to incorporate literacy activities in a manner that is representative of the skills and ways of thinking within their content areas. |
Tracey Kumar 
One thought on “Lesson Plan for a Text-Based Socratic Seminar (Part Two)”