Resource Evaluation

     In our literacy class, we worked on the skill of evaluating a resource in our content areas. This included several aspects of the text we chose, such as the reading purpose, organization of the text, language, readability, clarity, intended audience, and more. After examining these factors, we dove into how to best guide students in reading such a text. We looked at challenges students may face in reading this text and how to address those ahead of time to prepare students to read and learn from it. To view my resource evaluation, click on this link here.
     I chose a passage from an algebra textbook that introduced slope, types of slope, and the slope formula. I chose this because as a student I was often confused by the language within this topic. I often got undefined slope and zero slope mixed up, and I remember being rather confused at the word "rise" and "run". This passage had several devices to help students within the way it is organized. It has important vocabulary words highlighted and it gives examples and graphs next to each new piece of information so students can better visualize the concepts.
     The strategies I came up with to teach this text can be found in the chart at the bottom of the document linked above. I'd start by having a discussion with students about how to identify important pieces of information within a reading and about how some vocabulary within this passage can be found in various other contexts. During reading, students would take notes, then afterwards we would review them and decide together what is and is not important to write down from this passage. We would also create a chart together to help students organize the new language found in the reading. Students would do several activities, (as specified in the chart) in which would help to deepen their understanding of the reading.
     The performance criterion that is most relevant to this assignment is 8.1: Candidates use a variety of instructional strategies to make the discipline accessible for diverse learners. This applies to the resource evaluation assignment because we are practicing ways to make a reading assignment more accessible for different types of learners. In the text I chose, students are able to use the organization of the text, the colors, and diagrams to help them identify important information and see concepts more clearly. This is something that will ease the process a bit for ELL students and for students below grade level. This organization is the most important aspect of the reading for students to notice and for me as the teacher to evaluate.
     Through this assignment I have learned about some ways diverse learners can be accommodated for through reading assignments. In my mini lesson I extended this idea by summarizing my first lesson into a note sheet for students who need help with these note taking and reading skills. I recognize that not all students are at the same place with reading, and this resource evaluation helped me to see strategies to use to make reading accessible for students.