Instructional Content
Instructional Goal
Students will be able to engage in a deep-dive into their reading by leveraging digital tools to annotate text, thus expanding comprehension and synthesis of a variety of text types.Annotation procedure:
- Students are assigned a Newsela article, posted in their Schoology course. Each individual student has access to articles at their lexile level. The teacher may select a lexile level for students, or individually assign levels based on student need using the assignment features of Schoology. Students will upload the article from their Schoology course into their (SSO login) Google Drive.
- Next, using the Kami plug-in for Google Drive, students are able to annotate the text. The teacher provides annotation symbols, questioning strategies, and a rubric to guide this work.
- Students also have the option of printing the article and adding annotations directly on paper.
- Students submit the annotations in their Schoology course for teacher feedback. Students may submit into Schoology by attaching their articles by a link or by installing the Google Drive app. They may also turn in any paper articles they were working on.
- The annotation teaching strategy can be used to enhance a wide variety of lessons across multiple content areas. We will reflect on what some of those might be at the end...
Task Force Recommendations and ISTE Standards
- Personalized Learning (TFR 3) - Using Newsela to annotate, students may share content but read at their own lexile level. Newsela also allows them to select articles of their own interest while still practicing annotation strategies. This is Universal Design for Learning at its core.
- Learning Management System Integration (TFR 4) - Both Ms. Washington and Ms. Flowers utilize the organization, submission, and feedback features that Schoology offers in conjunction with their annotation strategies, allowing students equity of access but also personalized content.
- Knowledge Constructor (ISTE 3) - Whether annotating digitally or on paper, students who engage in this strategy are constructing knowledge as they employ effective research strategies to “collect and analyze data to identify solutions and make informed decisions.”