Language - California State University, Northridge



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|(1) Writing in your subject: Students learn to write by writing. Research indicates that students write more when using a computer |

|than when writing by hand. |

| |

|Develop a computer-based writing assignment relevant to the theme of your portfolio. |

|Explain how this assignment will promote writing skills through the use of computer based resources. |

Drawing a “Life Map”

Language Arts

Grade 9

Students create “life” maps” of their lives. They use their life maps as graphic organizers for writing their autobiographies.

Objective: Students create a life map to use as a graphic organizer for writing an autobiography. Students can use pictures (symbols) to represent events and goals in their lives.

Material Needed

a sheet of white drawing paper

colored pencils, markers, and other drawing supplies

The Lesson

In my class, I use this "life map" activity as a prewriting exercise. My students' life maps serve as graphic organizers that they use as they write their autobiographies. This activity could also be used successfully as a standalone activity.

Before the Lesson 
You might prepare a sample "life map" that illustrates your own life. A life map is a series of symbols that represent important things/events or goals in your life.

On my life map, I drew a set of bells to represent the day I got married. I drew an apple to represent day I became a teacher…

In other words, a life map is a "symbol timeline" of your life. There are no words on a life map -- just pictures/symbols and arrows. Arrows connect the symbols in the sequence they happened in your life.

If you create a life map of your life you will be able to share it with students; it will serve as a model they can use as they create their own life maps.

Teaching the Lesson 
As mentioned above, I use this lesson as a prewriting exercise to having students write their autobiographies. For that reason, I have already read aloud to students a couple autobiographies so they understand the concept of an autobiography. You might begin this lesson by reading aloud an autobiography, or a chapter from one.

Talk about some of the important events that the author shared in the autobiography about his or her life.

Discuss with students the kinds of important events that they might tell about if they were to write their autobiographies. Have students share those "most memorable" or "most important" events from their lives. Write the events on a sheet of chart paper as students call them out. Some of the events students might share include…

their birth

a special trip

a favorite meaningful thing/object they received from someone special

the first time took a step/learned to walk

a time they hurt themselves

a very funny event

a time they cried

the first bike ride

a memorable/favorite book

joining Little League

a hospital stay

the first plane flight

a day they met someone famous

a death in the family

their first dog

their first time at a pro football game The list could be endless. That's fine! The more ideas that are shared, the more likely students will be reminded of the most important events in their young lives.

Once you have a list (at least 15-20 ideas is good), review the list with the students and talk about a picture or symbol that might represent each of the events that has been shared. For example…

their birth (a rattle or a pacifier)

their first step (a baby shoe)

a time they hurt themselves (a bandage)

their first bike ride (a bike)

joining Little League (a baseball and a mitt)

a hospital stay (a thermometer, the kind that takes your body temperature)

the first time they flew in a plane (a jet)

the first time they went to a pro football game (a football helmet)

Next, have students come up with eight (the number might vary by grade level) "most important" events in their lives. They can draw from the list they and their classmates created, or they can use events that were not shared before. Then students need to decide on the eight symbols that represent their chosen events on their life maps. Encourage students to choose a variety of events/symbols. The events should span their lives and the symbols should represent a variety of accomplishments, interests, activities, and experiences. Students might draw their symbols, cut the symbols out of magazines, search online for an illustration that can be used as a symbol, take a photograph… All that appears on the students' life map are

their names,

their symbols, and

arrows to connect those symbols in the order they happened.

There are no words on a life map.

When students have created their life maps, you might set aside time for them to share them with their classmates.

Students' life maps can serve as a graphic organizer they can use as they write their autobiographies. Each event/symbol will serve as a "chapter" in their autobiography. That symbol can also appear as an illustration for that chapter in their book. The chapters follow the sequence of events in their lives/life maps.

Assessment

Did students follow directions?

Did students choose a variety of events and symbols to represent important moments in their lives?

Did students take care in creating their life maps? Were illustrations neatly drawn?

How does this assignment promote writing skills through the use of computer based resources?

Students can use search resources from the internet in looking for information about family roots. Thye can also use computer based resources to find illustrations for their symbols on the graphic organizer.

After designing their graphic organizer, they will draft, edit, and finalize their autobiography.

|(2) Editing: Research indicates that students edit and revise more when writing on a computer than when writing by hand. |

| |

|Use the footnote feature to identify all of the mistakes you can find in this document without the aid of a grammar checker, and |

|repeat with the aid of a grammar checker. |

Errors I found without the use of a grammar checker.

The causes of the Revolutionary Warr[1] was that the the[2] English put tacks in their tea. Also, the colonists would send their parcels through the post without stamps. During the War[3]. the Red Coats and Paul Revere was throwing balls over stone walls. The dogs were barking and peacocks crowing. Finally the colonists won and no longer had too pay for taxis[4] . delgats[5] from the original 13 states formed an Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were towo[6] singers of the Declaration of Independence. Frankin[7] declared[8] "A horse divided against itself cannot stand." Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead. Soon the Constitiion[9] of the united states [10]was adopted to secure domestic hostility. Abraham Lincoln became America's greatest Precedent. Lincoln's

mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which[11] he built with his own hands. Lincoln said,: [12]"in onion there is great strength."[13]

Errors I found with the use of a grammar checker.

The causes of the Revolutionary Warr was that the the English put tacks in their tea. Also, the colonists would send their parcels through the post without stamps. During the War. the Red Coats and Paul Revere was throwing balls over stone walls. The dogs were barking and peacocks crowing. Finally the colonists won and no longer had too pay for taxis . delgats from the original 13 states formed an Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were towo singers of the Declaration of Independence. Frankin declared "A horse divided against itself cannot stand." Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead. Soon the Constitiion of the united states was adopted to secure domestic hostility. Abraham Lincoln became America's greatest Precedent. Lincoln's mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which he built with his own hands. Lincoln said,: "in onion there is great strength."

The causes of the Revolutionary War were that the English put tacks in their tea. In addition, the colonists would send their parcels through the post without stamps. During the War the Red Coats and Paul Revere were throwing balls over stonewalls. The dogs were barking and peacocks crowing. Finally, the colonists won and no longer had too pay for taxis. Delegates from the original 13 states formed a Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franking declared, "A horse divided against itself cannot stand." Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead. Soon the Constitution of the United States was adopted to secure domestic hostility. Abraham Lincoln became America's greatest Precedent. Lincoln's mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin, which he built with his own hands. Lincoln said, "In onion there is great strength."

[14] Franklin (Misspelled)

[15] , (Needs and comma)

[16] House (wrong word used)

[17] Constitution (Misspelled)

[18] United States (Capitalize)

[19] Sentence does not make sense

[20] , (Needs a comma)

[21] Sentence does not make sense

[22] (Wrong use of punctuation)

[23] Union (Wrong word used)

A War (Misspelled)

B The (Double word)

D Fragment

E The (Capitalize)

F Space between word and period

G Delegates (Misspelled)

H Two (Misspelled)

I Franklin (Misspelled)

J Declared (Misspelled)

K Constitution (Misspelled)

L Not Capitalized

M Needs comma

N Punctuation Problems

|What kinds of errors are generally not detected by the software? Give examples. Would you encourage your students to use a |

|grammar/style checker? If so, explain how it might be best employed. If not, explain why not. |

Undetected errors would be for homophones such as: their, there, they’re; to, too; which and witch, etc. The spell and grammar checker identifies misspelled words but does not

Identify syntax errors. Other error not found on spell check would be for conjugated words. If the word is spelled correctly but is in error syntactically the spell check feature would not find it.

|(3) Analysis of your textbook: Readability is a measure of the comprehensibility or understandability of written text. There are |

|many methods and formulas for determining readability and the related reading age. Teachers should be aware of the readability |

|level of their text as well as the reading level of their students. |

| |

|Scan three or more paragraphs from your textbook into a word processor file using OCR software. Perform a document check and |

|readability estimates on the text and include the results in your portfolio. |

Klondike Gold Rush

Yukon Territory 1897

The Klondike gold rush began in July of 1897 when two ships docked in San Francisco and Seattle carrying miners returning from the Yukon with bags of gold. The press was alerted and papers carried the story to the masses.

Soon, miners of all shapes and sizes, called “stampeders”, were on their way to the gold fields. Within six months, approximately 100,000 gold-seekers set off for the Yukon. Only 30,000 completed the trip.

Most stampeders knew little or nothing about where they were going, so pamphlets were available to help them on their way. Many of the pamphlets contained little or no real information and made outrageous claims of wealth to be had by everyone. Outfitters sprang up overnight that were happy to sell the stampeders whatever they needed to get started. This included food, clothing, tools and camping, mining and transportation equipment. Helping the outfitters in this regard were the Northwest Mounted Police who required all stampeders to have one years supply of goods before they allowed them across the border into Canada. This was roughly one ton of goods per person. Towns such as Seattle made fortunes outfitting the miners.

|According to the computer-generated readability estimates, does this text appear to be appropriate for your students? Explain. |

|(Note: In some programs, document analysis appears at the end of a grammar check). |

Yes, this passage is appropriate for 9th and 10th grade general education students. The passage came from a Literature textbook for 10th grade students. According to the statistics, reading ease (49.5) appears to be in the average range.

|(4) Equations: Many teachers have the need to incorporate equations into handouts, tests and notes. Equation editors allow you to |

|make equations and then export them as graphics to word processors. |

| |

|Use an Equation Editor to create two or more complex equations from your discipline. If your discipline does not use many |

|equations, you may select from the following list. |

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|(5) Word relationships : English dictionaries contain more than 250,000 words, while Spanish dictionaries contain approximately |

|100,000 words, and most other languages have far fewer. English has an extensive vocabulary and many synonyms. This can cause |

|difficulties for English learners. An electronic thesaurus may be used to help students understand the complex relationship within |

|the English lexicon. |

| |

|Using a thesaurus, paraphrase the preamble of the Constitution. Include at least ten logical substitutions for the original words. |

|You may use the built-in thesaurus (Tools/Language/Thesaurus) in Word or Internet resources such as Merriam Webster's Dictionary & |

|Thesaurus, or Roget's Thesaurus. Describe (with an example) how you can use a thesaurus when trying to explain the meanings of |

|difficult words to your students |

Preamble: We the Citizens of the United States, in Order to shape a more perfect Union, institute Justice, insure familial Tranquility, provide for the widespread defense, support the universal Welfare, and protect the Blessings of freedom to ourselves and our Posterity, do decree and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

|(6) Mastering Content Vocabulary: Although modern English has the largest and most complex lexicon of any language in history, the |

|meanings of many words can be determined if one knows the common prefixes, suffixes and root words. Knowledge of such morphemes is |

|particularly useful for English learners who face the formidable challenge of mastering English vocabulary, with all of its many |

|nuances. According to Richard E. Hodges of the University of Puget Sound ("Improving Spelling and Vocabulary in the Secondary |

|School; 1982, p 30) ,“If you were to examine the 20,000 most used English words, you would find that about 5,000 of them contain |

|prefixes and that 82 percent (about 4,100) of those words use one of only fourteen different prefixes out of all the available |

|prefixes in the language.” Thus, if students master these prefixes, they will know clues to the meanings of thousands of words." |

|*TPE-tip. TPE 7 requires teachers to "implement an instructional program that facilitates English language development, including |

|reading, writing, listening and speaking skills" You may wish to develop a root-word bank for the subject you teach and show how it|

|facilitates vocabulary development (TPE-7) |

| |

|Identify five words commonly used in your subject. Identify one or more prefixes, suffixes or roots from each. Use an online |

|dictionary to identify 5 or more other words in the English language that use these morphemes as per the example. When searching, |

|you will need to use standard wildcards: *=multiple characters; ?=single character. |

|Root |Meaning |Five or more related words that share this root |

|dict- |tell, pronounce |dictator (one whose word is law), diction (enunciation), edict (a formal |

|(from dictionary) | |pronouncement or command.), dictum (an authoritative, often formal |

| | |pronouncement), dictate (to say or read aloud to be recorded or written by |

| | |another) |

|Communicate |With/ together |commutable  Subject to alteration or change |

| | |community   A group of people living in a particular local area |

| | |communize  Make Communist or bring in accord with Communist principles |

| | |commuter   A passenger train that is ridden primarily by passengers who |

| | |travel regularly from one place to another |

| | |- commuter train commutate  Reverse the direction of (an alternating |

| | |electric current) each half cycle so as to produce a unidirectional current |

|disability |Not- non- |disability   The condition of being unable to perform as a consequence of |

| |Undo, reverse, do the |physical or mental unfitness |

| |opposite |disaccord   Be different from one another |

| | |disadvantaged   Marked by deprivation especially of the necessities of life |

| | |or healthful environmental influences |

| | |- deprived |

| | |disaffirm  To refuse to confirm; to annul, as a judicial decision, by a |

| | |contrary judgment of a superior tribunal |

| | |disadvantaged Marked by deprivation especially of the necessities of life or|

| | |healthful environmental influences |

| | |- deprived |

|experience |out of, former |experience   The accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct|

| | |participation in events or activities |

| | |expended   Having all been spent |

| | |- gone, spent |

| | |expedite   Speed up the progress of; facilitate |

| | |expedition  A military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in |

| | |a foreign country |

| | |- military expedition, hostile expedition |

| | |expel (expelled,expelling)  ik'spel |

|introduction |Into, not |introduction The first section of a communication |

| | |introgression (genetics) the introduction of a gene into another species or |

| | |complex, e.g. by introit  A composition of vocal music that is appropriate |

| | |for opening church services |

| | |introject  (psychoanalysis) a parental figures (and their values) that you |

| | |introjected as a child; the voice of conscience is usually a parent's voice |

| | |internalized |

| | |introjection  (psychoanalysis) the internalization of the parent figures and|

| | |their values; leads to the formation of the superego |

|subject |Under, beneath |subject  The subject matter of a conversation or discussion |

| | |subjection  Forced submission to control by others |

| | |- subjugation |

| | |subjoin  Add to the end |

| | |subjunctive  A mood that represent an act or state (not as a fact but) as |

| | |contingent or possible |

| | |- subjunctive mood |

| | |sublimated Passing or having passed from the solid to the gaseous state (or|

| | |vice versa) without becoming liquid |

| | |- sublimed |

|English has acquired words from many languages as seen in this story. It is helpful to show students these foreign words and |

|cognates so they can better understand the historical relationship between English and other languages and look for cognates when |

|learning new terms. Translate 5 or more words from your discipline into each of four languages using Sherlock, Logos or other |

|resources. Include the translations in your portfolio. Identify cogantes and explain how you can use them to help students master |

|English. |

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|Pronunciation |Definitions |

|[pic] |

| |special | |designed for a particular purpose Example: You can get a special program to do that. | |

| | | |Dutch: speciaal | |

| | | |French: spécial(e) (-aux) | |

| | | |German: speziell | |

| | | |Italian: speciale | |

| | | |Spanish: especial | |

| |education | |instruction (in something specific). | |

| | | |Dutch: onderricht (het) | |

| | | |French: enseignement (m), instruction (f) | |

| | | |German: (Aus)bildung (f) | |

| | | |Italian: istruzione | |

| | | |Spanish: educación, enseñanza | |

| |learning | |knowledge gained through study. | |

| | | |Dutch: kennis, de geleerdheid (de) | |

| | | |French: savoir (m) | |

| | | |German: Bildung (f) | |

| | | |Italian: apprendimento | |

| | | |Spanish: conocimientos, enseñanza | |

| |disability | |a condition, such as a physical or mental handicap, that results in partial or complete | |

| | | |loss of a person's ability to perform social, occupational or other everyday activities.| |

| | | |Dutch: handicap (de) | |

| | | |French: handicap (m), infirmité (f) | |

| | | |German: Behinderung (f) | |

| | | |Italian: handicap | |

| | | |Spanish: invalidez, discapacidad, minusvalía | |

| |handicap | |a physical or mental disability that results in partial or total inability to perform | |

| | | |social, occupational or other normal everyday activities. | |

| | | |Dutch: handicap (de) | |

| | | |French: handicap (m) | |

| | | |German: Behinderung (f) | |

| | | |Italian: handicap | |

| | | |Spanish: impedimento físico | |

|One way to interest students in the significance of words is to have them study the meaning of their own names. Identify the |

|meaning of five common first names of students in your class. |

ADELA   f   English, Spanish, Polish, Romanian

Originally a short form of names beginning with the Germanic element adal meaning "noble"... [more]

KEATON   m   English

From a surname which was derived from a place name meaning "shed town" in Old English.

GLORIA   f   English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese

Means "glory" in Latin... [more]

MARY   f   English, Biblical

Usual English form of Maria, which was the Latin form of the New Testament Greek names Μαριαμ (Mariam) or Μαρια (Maria) (the spellings are interchangeable), which were from the Hebrew name מִרְיָם (Miryam)... [more]

MARTIN   m   English, French, German, Scandinavian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Hungarian, Bulgarian

From the Roman name Martinus, which was derived from Martis, the genitive case of the name of the Roman god MARS... [more]

|(8) Communicating with English Learners and their families: Southern California is home to a very diverse population, many of whom |

|are immigrants from non-English speaking countries. Translation programs can help break down some of the language barriers between |

|teachers, their students, and the families of these students. |

| |

|Use translation software (such as Sherlock, or AltaVista Translation Service) to translate a simple document |

|from your class into one or more languages spoken by students in your class. If possible, show this to someone who is fluent in |

|English and the language into which you have translated it, and explain any potential problems. |

Your free translation

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[1] War (mis-spelling)

[2] the (Two)

[3] During the war

[4] taxis .

[5] delegats

[6] towo

[7] Franklin

[8] declared

[9] Constitiion

[10] united states

[11] cabin which

[12] Lincoln said.:

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