ED 620 Module 4
Text Citation or Link
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Rationale for Choosing
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Text Frame(s)
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Strategies Used and Resource
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Guided Thinking Example
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Answers the frequent student question,
“When are we ever going to use this?” Shows how chemistry relates to
real-world applications. Everyone has used paper before and by reading the
article, we can see how science and technology have propelled our world forward.
The article would be good to read after doing an experiment on redox reactions
to solidify and wrap up the learning or even before starting the redox unit
to generate discussion about the topic.
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Goal/action/outcome
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KWL/KWLS (McLaughlin, p. 78)
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The great thing about the articles from the Science
News for Students website is that at the end of every article, there is a list
of vocabulary words, and their definitions, straight from the article called “Power
Words.” One great strategy a teacher can use is frontloading the student
learning by giving this “Power Words” vocabulary list before reading the
article. Instead of the teacher having to search for the words herself, the
website makes it easy by providing the word list already in the dictionary
format. There are several ways to present the vocabulary words to the students.
My initial thought was to have the students discuss the words and then use a
dictionary to find the true definition of the words and compare to the
definitions given at the end of the text. (Assuming that some students will
know some of the words and other students will not know any of the words, the
students will learn from each other through their discussion of the vocabulary,
first in small groups and then sharing out to the entire class.) I could hand
out note cards and have the students make flash cards for the vocabulary words.
By writing them down, the students will reinforce their knowledge of the words.
To incorporate technology, the students could enter the words into a website
like “Quizlet.com” to create virtual flash cards and complete online activities
such as spelling tests or definition/word match-ups. However, after this week’s
readings and video watching, I think it is a better idea to try to find visual
images of each vocabulary word so that the students can make a clearer
connection to the words before they read the meanings, especially helpful for
visual learners. Students could also use the Quizlet website to find their own
online images to match up to the definitions that they enter into the site.
The particular article that we chose, “Rewritable
Paper: Prints with light, not ink” initially seemed like a very interesting and
engaging article. The readability score is 6.5 so sixth graders who are on
grade level should find the reading comfortable. However, the article is also appropriate
for older students who can supplement the article’s low reading level by doing
more advanced critical thinking activities such as combining reading strategies.
The fact that we all use paper for some reason or another makes the article relatable
in a personal way for almost everyone and the article is especially relevant to
the chemistry classroom because redox (reduction and oxidation) reactions make
up a unit in the chemistry curriculum. I can see how a teacher could either end
the unit with this article after having the students conduct a redox experiment
in class or even begin the unit with the article to initiate discussion about
redox reactions. The current events-nature of the article supports real-world
application of chemistry, which students might not always be able to see
through typical classroom activities. Students often ask, “When will we actually
use the information we are leaning in class?” By reading the article, the
students no longer have to ask that question and they can see how chemistry is a
valuable tool in our lives which can support growth in the area of technology.
KWLS
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Topic:
Rewritable Paper
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K
(What I know or think I know)
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W
(What I want to know)
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L
(What I learned)
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S
(What I still want to know)
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I
have heard of rewritable discs (CD-W), but never of rewritable paper.
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How
does one print with light on paper?
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Areas
on the paper change from blue to clear based on whether the molecules of the
dye lose or gain electrons.
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I
have heard of making homemade invisible ink using lemon juice and then
applying a heat source to make the writing appear.
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How
is rewritable paper similar to vanishing/invisible ink? Do they use similar concepts?
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The
article does not address this, but after doing further research, I learned
that acid/base reactions (what causes invisible ink to work) are not the same
as redox reactions. Acid/base consist of switching atoms, but no electrons
are gained or lost, unlike redox reactions where elections are gained and
lost. So no, they do not use similar concepts.
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How is rewritable paper similar to vanishing/invisible ink? Do
they use similar concepts? (See “L” section to left)
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I
know that lasers are sometimes used to etch words into strong surfaces.
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How
long does the rewritable paper last – forever or does it have a finite life
span?
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One
can reuse the rewritable paper for up to 20 times.
Each
image lasts for two days. However applied heat will speed up the erasure
process (5 minutes at the right temperature), if people want to reuse the
paper right away.
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Redox
reactions, also known as reduction and oxidation reactions, are a major part
of basic chemistry class.
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The
chemical in the paper undergoes a color change, which is the reduction and
oxidation (redox) reaction.
Oxidation
steals one or more electrons from a molecule.
Reduction,
the opposite of oxidation, results in the addition of one or electrons.
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What
is the paper made of? Is it wood or some other substance?
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The
“paper” from the study consisted of a clear plastic, but one could use other
material such as glass or traditional paper made from wood pulp. The only
condition is that the material contains the redox dyes and other chemical
components.
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What
tool will the user need to use in order to get the letters that they want to
show up on the paper?
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To
print, scientists use a sort of stencil made of the “paper” atop a clear base
attached to the words or image they desire to transfer onto the “paper.” Then
they expose the covered surface to ultraviolet (UV) light. The light ignites
a reduction reaction on sections of the paper where there is no printing. The
light removes color from those sections.
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What
ramifications will this concept have on the public?
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By
using rewritable paper, the world could save a considerable amount money and greatly
reduce the amount of waste dumped in landfills. Diminished paper usage could
promote forest preservation as well as lower the amount of chemical
pollutants.
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When
will the rewritable paper be available to the public?
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There
is still a long way to go before the rewritable paper is available to the
public.
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Specifically,
when will the rewritable paper be available to the public?
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As I read the article, using the K-W-L technique (what I know, what I want to know, and what I learned), it still seemed very confusing at times to try and visualize what exactly the scientists did to make the rewritable paper work as well as to understand the actual chemistry behind the concept. In hindsight, I think I would be more likely to assign my students the “Photographs of the Mind” technique (or possibly even combine this technique with KWL) for this particular article. The “Photographs” technique would force the students to really think about the underlying science and how the scientists use it to implement the rewritable paper. The “Photographs of the Mind” strategy requires that readers divide the text into four sections and draw images for each of the four sections of the text. I think creating and seeing the images of how everything fits together would further solidify understanding of the concept of redox reactions, especially for middle school students who might have less prior knowledge about the subject.
I did find some value in using the KWL technique,
however. I like that the strategy forces the reader to take time before reading
to stop and brainstorm about everything she already knows about the topic (accessing
prior knowledge). (McLaughlin, 2015) I found that I knew
very little about the topic before reading, but I was able to express that in
my KWL chart. The next great aspect of the KWL guided reading strategy is that the
reader must consider and ask herself what she might like to know about the
topic. This sets up a purpose for the reading and helps to maintain focus
throughout a long text. Finally, after the reading, the KWL technique allows
the reader to come back and describe the information that she learned from the
text, by listing it in the “L” (what I learned) section. In doing so, the
reader can glance over the whole chart and analyze how what she thought she
knew before the reading compares to what she actually gleaned from the reading.
The KWL technique is adaptable to the KWDL (D = what I
did, L = what I learned) and the KWLS technique which I used. The KWDL
technique proves extremely helpful in science classes where students conduct a
laboratory experiment. The “what I did” component compels students to think
critically about how they carried out their experiment. I preferred to use the
KWLS strategy instead of the basic KWL technique for this particular article because
I liked the fact that the “S” (what I still want to know) will serve to
generate discussion in the classroom. Students may determine that even after
reading the article they still have unanswered questions. The discussion can
lead the reader to make inferences about what they think are the answers to their
questions. Any strategy that leads the students to think critically is good.
Students may have different perspectives on the possible answers to the lingering
questions and can enlighten each other by sharing these insights. After the
discussion, students can take it a step further and do more research to find out
the answers that still plague them or see how well their peers’ explanations
matched up to actual research in the scientific field.
What I found while completing my KWL chart is that the
reading caused me to ask more questions, which also helped solidify
understanding.
The
text frame for the KWL reading strategy is “goal/action/outcome.”
Before they even get to frame the text, students must first determine where
they are and assess what they already know. (“K”) Students set a goal by asking
themselves what they want to learn (“W”) in the KWL chart. Students then take
action by reading the text for the purpose of answering their pre-written
questions. The “outcome” aspect of the text frame is when the student discovers
what she actually learned and how it relates to what she thought she knew
before the reading.
Chapter 5 of our weekly reading from
the McLaughlin text explains the KWL strategy as a multiple-pronged approach
which commences with teacher modeling of the process with a short, introductory
text. Then, revisiting the technique by having the students work in small
groups using a different article (as we did for our ED 620 assignment) and
guiding the students through discussion after they complete the KWL chart together.
Finally, allowing students to work independently on yet a different text to
implement the strategy. Upon completing the practice step on their own, they summarize
their learning and share their findings with a partner. (McLaughlin, 2015) After the class works through the
entire process together, we can all reflect on how the KWL technique has
enlightened us in our more thorough comprehension than just reading without a
guided reading strategy. We had the chance to ask ourselves questions, check
and summarize the text.
After finishing this exercise as a class, we could guide the class to use the Cornell note-taking strategy on the third text they read, just as Mr. Randy Clyde did in the “Close Reading” video. (San Bernadino City Unified School District, 2014) . Students should have an easy time writing Cornell notes since they completed most of the work in their KWL chart. The more times that the students revisit the text, the more familiar they become with the material, making the work easier and increasing their vocabulary and higher-level thinking skills. In addition, they get extra practice with the reading strategies. All of this makes for a stronger reader because of the
self-awareness and self-analysis.
References
Buehl, D. (2014). Classroom Strategies for
Interactive Learning (4th ed.). Newark, DE: International Reading
Association.
Cortright, D. D. (2012). Making Science Relevant with
Current Events. Retrieved from The Teaching Channel:
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-science-with-current-events#
Kowalski, K. (2015, January 15). Rewritable paper:
Prints with light, not ink. Retrieved from Society for Science & the
Public- Student Science:
https://student.societyforscience.org/article/rewritable-paper-prints-light-not-ink?mode=topic&context=104
McLaughlin, M. (2015). Content Area Reading: Teaching
and Learning for College and Career Readiness. Upper Saddle River:
Pearson.
San Bernadino City Unified School District. (2014,
September 16). Close Reading of Informational Science Text. Retrieved
from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_7MY8khBag
My teammate Amanda Slonaker read the same article using the "Bookmarking" Technique. http://amandasteachingjourney.blogspot.com/2015/02/rewritable-paper-prints-with-light-not.html. While my other teammate, Christine Betley, read the same article using the "Anticipation guide" strategy. http://chesapeaceful.com/2015/02/22/framing-our-reading-part-2-guided-thinking-2/
