T HINK LIT ERACY: Cross-Cu rri cular App roach es, Grades 7- 12

CONTENTS GRADES 7 AND 8 DRAMATIC ARTS Reacting to Reading: Responding to Text (Graffiti) Developing and Organizing Ideas: Adding Details Pair Work: Think/Pair/Share

2 6 10

DANCE Reading Different Text Forms: Reading Literary Texts Writing for a Purpose: Using Templates Pair Work: Take Five

14 18 22

GRADE 9 DRAMATIC ARTS Engaged in Reading: Visualizing Generating Ideas: Rapid Writing Small-Group Discussions: Jigsaw

26 30 36

DANCE Getting Ready to Read: Extending Vocabulary (Creating a Word Wall) Developing and Organizing Ideas: Adding Details Oral Communication: Presentation Modelling

40 46 52

GRADE 10 DRAMATIC ARTS Engaging in Reading: Reading Between the Lines (Inferences) Writing for a Purpose: Writing an Opinion Piece Whole-Class Discussions: Discussion Etiquette

58 62 68

DANCE Reading Different Text Forms: Reading Graphical Texts Revising and Editing: Asking Questions to Revise Writing Small-Group Discussions: Group Roles

72 76 80

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T HINK LIT ERACY: Cross-Cu rri cular App roach es, Grades 7- 12

Reacting to Reading: Responding to Text (Graffiti) DRAMATIC ARTS Grades 7 & 8: Role on the Wall

I believe that we need to provide opportunities for students to engage in language learning opportunities in which they have a certain amount of power and control. We need to structure various drama contexts in which students have opportunities to talk and write about something of significance. - Kathleen Gould-Lundy Graffiti is a collaborative learning strategy that can be used before or after an assigned reading. Here you can see how it might be used after reading to have students write in role as a character from the text. The strategy involves students working in groups to generate and record ideas on chart paper. The teacher sets up as many chart pages as there are groups. On each chart page, the teacher writes a topic related to the assigned reading. The groups travel in rotation from chart to chart, writing responses to the topic in and out of role and responding to comments previously written by other groups.

Purpose •

Provide an opportunity for students to make a personal connection to a topic or unit of work by expressing their opinions, demonstrating their understanding of the assigned text and making connections to their prior knowledge and experience.

Payoff Students will: • • •

connect their personal knowledge and experience with a curriculum topic or issue. expand their understanding of the reading by seeing and hearing ideas and opinions of others. use a sample text as the basis for writing in role as a fictional character.

Tips and Resources • • • • • • •

Randomly assign roles in small groups (have the students number off from 1-5 if you would like students to be working in five groups). After grouping the students, assign a particular role (e.g., recording, reporting, displaying work) to each number. Rotate the roles as the students continue with the exercise. In the version of graffiti described here, each group uses a different coloured marker so that everyone can identify the group that made each contribution to the charts. Each group travels to each chart in a circular fashion until they arrive back at their own chart. The rotation and recording aspect of this strategy should take about 15 – 20 minutes. Allowing groups too much time at a chart won’t leave anything for subsequent groups to write. Subsequent groups should put checkmarks beside points that they agree with, write disagreements beside points they do not agree with, add new information and ideas and/or place question marks beside points on which they require clarification. For step-by-step instructions on leading the class through the graffiti strategy, see Teacher Resource Graffiti Strategy – Procedure fo