| Center
for Gifted Education Language Arts Materials
Effective November 1, 2007, there will be an increase in the cost of all materials available for purchase from the Center.
The Language Arts materials developed at the Center
include literature units, Navigators
to accompany a variety of novels and picture books,
and Jacob’s Ladder, a series
for reading comprehension skills.
William and Mary Literature
Units
To order one or all of these units for review
or purchase, contact Kendall/Hunt Publishing at www.kendallhunt.com.
| Title |
Description |
Grade Level |
| Beyond Words |
This literature unit, organized around the
study of figurative language, explores the idea
that language can change the way we think about
the world by creating new images and connections
in our minds. The unit uses poetry and picture
books as the basis for analyzing different types
of figurative language, including simile, metaphor,
and personification, and gives opportunities for
students to create their own literary images.
In addition, the unit introduces students to persuasive
writing and to advanced word study, as well as
providing an opportunity for students to explore
how language changes over time in their families
and their culture.
2001 Winner of a National Association
for Gifted Children Curriculum Division Award
for Outstanding Curriculum |
1 - 2 |
| Journeys and Destinations |
This unit uses an inquiry-based
approach to investigate literature in an interdisciplinary,
multicultural curriculum. The guiding theme of
this unit is the recognition of change as a concept
that affects people and their relationships to
the world around them. An open-ended approach
to the discussion process is emphasized in the
search for meaning in literature selections such
as Aesop’s fables, The Green Book,
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, and
"The Ugly Duckling." Vocabulary development,
writing activities, oral communication, research,
and reasoning are integrated into the unit.
1998 Winner of a National
Association for Gifted Children Curriculum Division
Award for Outstanding Curriculum |
2 - 3 |
| Literary Reflections |
While all four language arts strands of literature,
writing, language study, and oral communication
are integrated into this unit, the core of the
unit involves students interacting with literature
while enhancing reading comprehension and textual
analysis skills. The literature selections, including
The Secret Garden and world class short
stories by such authors as Tolstoy and Singer
serve as a basis for discussion.
2000 Winner of a National Association
for Gifted Children Curriculum Division Award
for Outstanding Curriculum
|
4 - 5 |
| Patterns of Change |
The concept of cyclic patterns of
change was chosen as the unifying theme for this
unit. Selected literary works deal with cycles in
nature, knowledge, history, and human life. Students
are introduced to some of the important approaches
and ideas of literary criticism. Students are encouraged
to use journals, literature webs, essays, and visual
projects to organize and express their ideas about
various literary selections. Works studied in the
unit include Conrad’s My Daniel, “The
Helpful Badger” by Lawrence Yep, and poetry
by Dickinson, Sandburg, Angelou, and Shakespeare. |
4 -6 |
| Autobiographies |
In this unit, students study the concept of
change by reading autobiographies of writers and
by looking at change in the lives of writers and
other artists. As they examine life stories and
self-portraits, they study literature and examine
works of art from various cultures. In order to
gain insight into the development of talent, students
are encouraged to explore their own identities
as talented learners through discussions, research,
oral presentations, and reflective writing. Autobiographical
writings from authors including Beverly Cleary,
Eloise Greenfield, Isaac Singer, and Lawrence
Yep are explored.
1997 Winner of a National Association
for Gifted Children Curriculum Division Award
for Outstanding Curriculum |
5 - 6 |
| Persuasion |
This unit highlights elements of
persuasion, especially as it relates to oral communication.
Students must cite passages from literature to defend
their points of view in discussion as well as in
written arguments. Literature selections such as
"The Valiant," "The Pied Piper of
Hamelin," and the Declaration of Independence
frame the basis for exploring the reasoning process
through analysis and interpretation. Opportunities
are presented for impromptu, informative, and persuasive
speeches, debate, small and large group discussion,
and critical reasoning. Persuasive writing, reasoning,
research, and language study are included throughout
the unit. |
5 - 7 |
| The 1940s: A Decade of Change |
This unit looks at the historical events and social
issues of the 1940s through the literature of the
decade, including novels, short stories, poetry,
essays, letters, and newspapers. Numerous opportunities
for reading, writing, listening, linguistic competency,
and speaking are incorporated into the unit. Each
student is required to pose a hypothesis and conduct
research concerning some issue of significance that
arises from the literature that is studied. Students
make both a written and an oral presentation of
their research. The unit is rich in materials that
highlight the concept of change, including works
such as Hersey's Hiroshima, The Diary
of Anne Frank, and Spiegelman's Maus II. |
6 - 10 |
| Utopia |
This unit provides an overview of
utopia as seen by various individuals, groups, and
countries and gives students an opportunity to examine
why ideas about utopia undergo change. Through the
study of literature, art, music, and other classroom
activities, students learn about the search through
the ages for utopia and the struggles to grasp and
maintain it on both personal and societal levels.
Exploring utopia through personal dreams and goals
allows students to analyze the literature they read
more thoroughly throughout this unit. Literature
selections include Orwell’s Animal Farm,
Lowry’s The Giver, “The Man
That Corrupted Hadleyburg,” by Twain, and
poetry by Cavalli and Enzensberger. |
7 - 9 |
| Threads of Change in 19th Century American
Literature |
This unit uses literature of the 19th century
to explore five historical movements: romanticism,
transcendentalism, abolitionism, industrialism,
and feminism. Each of the five "isms"
has its own "literature box" containing
appropriate documents to serve as a resource for
teams of students. The “isms” are investigated
as change agents in American life through the study
of key writings of the period. Literary works studied
in the unit include Twain's The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn, Melville's Billy Budd,
Sailor, Hawthorne's "Dr. Heidegger's
Experiment," and selected Poe short stories. |
7 - 11 |
| Guide to Teaching a Language
Arts Curriculum for High-Ability Learners |
This teacher's guide contains important
information for the implementation of the accompanying
units, all organized around the concept of change.
The guide provides the design specifications used
in the development of the units, criteria for assessing
language arts curriculum, and a section on monitoring
language arts classrooms to ensure faithful implementation
practices. |
K - 12 |
| Libraries Link Learning: Program and Curriculum
Resource Manual for Use with At-Risk Gifted Children
|
The purpose of the Libraries Link Learning project
was to provide teachers and librarians with tools
for identifying at-risk gifted learners and strategies
for developing sound programs to serve them. The
manual describes an eight-session, literature-based
curriculum for young, at-risk gifted learners that
connects literature, writing, and bookmaking. (Authors:
Linda Neal Boyce, Jane M. Bailey, & Joyce VanTassel-Baska)
(1990)
|
K - 2 |
| Change Through Choices |
Choices and the consequences of
choices that people make have an important impact
on life and the success of individuals. This unit,
designed for high-ability students, focuses on catalytic
choices that determine change in a variety of situations.
Rich in content, the world literature chosen can
be analyzed and synthesized for depth in understanding
cultural similarities and differences. This unit
attempts to give the student a chance to question
real world choices and problems and decide what
valuable lessons can be learned through careful
individual examination of options. (Author: Felicia
Dixon) (1997) |
10 - 12 |
Questions
and Answers about Using the William and Mary Units
We have been teaching the William
and Mary units for several years. How do we keep the concept
of change from getting stale and kids from being bored
by the same activities?
Kids bring something new to the process every year and
change in their own understanding of the concept and the
related lessons, so it's useful to go through again and
see how they themselves have grown in their thinking.
Also, different nuances of change and how the generalizations
are developed and applied can be emphasized from year
to year. For example, the concept development activity
can focus on changes in the individual in Autobiographies,
or on changes in society in Persuasion, etc.
The activity could also focus on specific forms of change,
such as changes that happen in cycles in Patterns
of Change. Students who have experienced multiple
units and remember the generalizations from the start
of the unit can review the generalizations and try to
find new examples to support them, rather than reconstructing
the generalizations. Some lesson reintroducing the concept
and the generalizations should be done at the beginning
of every unit, but modifications of the sorts listed here
can be done to keep the activity fresh for students who
have experienced multiple units. Also, some teachers have
suggested moving additional concept development work to
the end of the unit for more experienced students, to
enhance metacognition about unit learning.
Books which are listed in
your units are out of print. What do we do?
We tried to ensure when we went to commercial publication
with Kendall/Hunt that all the books were in print and
available, but some have since gone out of print. We
recommend making use of public libraries, used book
stores, etc. Plus, in many cases there is a group of
books from which to choose -- teachers can decide to
use only those that are readily available for now.
Is the grammar packet the
same or different in every unit?
There are two different grammar packets, one of which
was originally written for upper elementary and one
for middle school. The elementary one appears in Literary
Reflections, Autobiographies, and Persuasion.
The MS one is in 1940s and Threads of Change.
If students have done one of the packets in a previous
year, we recommend giving them the pretest anyway to
see if they have maintained mastery and then teaching
or having them work independently with any sections
needing additional attention. Also, the grammar section
can be used as a resource by students, and the grammar
skills should be continually reinforced with the brief
grammar activities within lessons and through a language
study learning center. School districts may also decide
to give the middle school packet early to students who
have mastered the elementary packet.
What dictionaries should be
used to support the vocabulary study?
All dictionaries are NOT created equal! It's important
to keep in mind that the purpose of the vocabulary web
is not to develop dictionary skills, but to develop
vocabulary skills. It is more important to have a few
good dictionaries in a classroom to be shared by students
as they work with the vocabulary web than to have a
class set of weaker dictionaries. The vocabulary web
requires that a dictionary provide etymological information
on words -- stems, word origins, etc. The more of this
information that is provided, the better. The units
list the dictionaries we recommend in the resource section.
Since the publication of the units, additional resources
have become available on line -- for example, students
can access Merriam-Webster entries on line at www.m-w.com,
and the American Heritage is one of the dictionaries
used as a resource at www.dictionary.com.
For teachers of primary students, also consider the
option of excerpting relevant definitions from the recommended
dictionaries for students to use rather than confronting
them with dictionaries they can't lift. Once again,
the purpose is not to find out if they can use guide
words, etc -- although that is an important skill to
learn -- access to the entries is the important thing.
Why doesn't the writing rubric
address mechanics?
The units are not focused on usage, punctuation, spelling,
capitalization, or other details of mechanics. Our intent
in using the rubrics for the writing pre- and post-test
is to measure student growth in terms of persuasive
writing. Certainly, it is important for students to
develop good mechanics in their writing, and other writing
activities throughout the units emphasize the writing
process, including careful editing. However, we did
not make it a focus of the rubric because it is not
the purpose of the test. Teachers may decide to grade
the tests for mechanics, but we would encourage this
part of the grade to be considered separately from the
rubric score so that you may appropriately measure their
growth in persuasive writing.
How do I get students to read
their peers' work critically instead of them just saying
"My friend's paper is excellent, of course!"
In the middle school units, we added "accountability"
pieces to the self and peer writing assessments within
the units. For example, if students are saying their
peer's main idea is clear, they are asked to state the
main idea on the form. If they are saying strong vocabulary
is used, they are asked to list a few effective words
and phrases. These more specific requirements for peer
editing can also be asked of elementary students that
teachers feel are prepared to handle them.
For people still using old
versions of the units -- how different are the K/H versions
of the units from the older versions?
The K/H versions represent a significant amount of revision
from previous versions of the units. Among the important
revisions: (a) a stronger emphasis on direct teaching
of the reasoning model and a more explicit connection
of it with the writing model; (b) additional discussion
questions for all short literature pieces; (c) an additional
culminating lesson that asks students to tie their understanding
of the concept of change very directly to the literature
pieces of the unit in an original persuasive writing
piece; (d) suggestions for learning centers in all units;
(e) all short literature pieces collected into a student
reading packet -- some pieces included in previous versions
were removed from the units if we were unable to obtain
permission to reprint; (f) a clearer sense of vertical
articulation of strands across the units. These were
the primary areas of revision, but careful attention
was given to every lesson in every unit. We recommend
that teachers at least examine the new units if possible;
if sections you liked from the old version have been
removed, you may of course still choose to use some
aspects of the old units or a combination of both. Please
also note that teacher responses and student data were
taken into account in the revision, so we feel the new
units represent ideas from real use as well as our own
ideas on curriculum development.
Our school district does not
want to use a particular book. What do we do to replace
it?
The books in these units were very carefully
chosen according to specific criteria, and we feel that
they are thought-provoking and important books for high
ability students to read. We strongly recommend that
teachers read all the literature pieces carefully before
teaching them and that school districts examine the
texts according to their literature approval policies.
In cases in which a book has already been banned from
a school district, we recommend that teachers examine
the list of criteria for literature selection given
in the Guide to Teaching a Language Arts Curriculum
to find a replacement title.
Can I use these units with
my students that are not identified as gifted? It seems
that a lot of the activities in these units would be good
for all kids.
We feel that the organization of the units and
several of the teaching models included may be effective
with students other than high-ability groups. We have
several sites in which teachers use all of the models
with all of their students to some degree. If teachers
are going to try to use the models with all students,
we recommend that they (a) use the Literature Web but
different literature selections with average-ability
students, (b) use extra reinforcement for the reasoning
model, (c) vary the prompts for writing and the requirements
for writing format (paragraph, essay, etc), (d) allow
gifted students to work together in groups for group
activities rather than making small groups heterogeneous.
What's the time frame on the
units?
We estimate that full implementation would be
40-50 hours of instructional time, ideally spread across
a semester of the school year. The units can constitute
a significant portion of a language arts program for
high ability kids in a district, supplemented by other
strong materials for the other portions of the year.
In addition, we recommend using the teaching models
beyond the context of the units -- it may even be useful
to introduce some of the models before you start the
units so that students are familiar with their use before
they are faced with them all at once!
Is professional development
related to the units available?
Professional Development opportunities related
to the Center's curriculum are available periodically
at the College and may also be arranged for local school
districts through our curriculum consultant program.
Contact the Center for more information.
Navigators
A Navigator is a collection of questions and activities
intended to support group or independent study of a
selected novel or picture book. The Navigator series
was developed by the Center for Gifted Education at
The College of William and Mary as a language arts resource
for teachers and students.
Novel studies should encourage advanced readers to
develop their skills at analyzing and interpreting literature
through structured questions and activities that highlight
themes and concepts, literary elements, and real world
connections contained within the books. In addition,
novel studies are opportunities for students to develop
their own vocabulary and writing skills by exploring
and emulating the language and style used by authors.
Navigators available for purchase through the
Center for Gifted Education. Click here for the order form.
| Title |
Author |
Suggested Grade
Levels |
| Jumanji |
Chris Van Allsburg |
Grades 1-3 |
| The Garden of Abdul Gasazi (NEW) |
Chirs Van Allsburg |
Grades 2-3 |
| Charlotte’s Web |
E. B. White |
Grades 3-4 |
| Sarah, Plain and Tall |
Patricia MacLachlan |
Grades 3-4 |
| Talk About a Family (NEW) |
Eloise Greenfield |
Grades 3-4 |
| The Abracadabra Kid (NEW) |
Sid Fleischman |
Grades 4-5 |
| Bud, Not Buddy (NEW) |
Christopher Paul Curtis |
Grades 4-5 |
| The Egypt Game |
Zilpha Keatley Snyder |
Grades 4-5 |
| Everything on a Waffle |
Polly Horvath |
Grades 4-5 |
| Shiloh (NEW) |
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor |
Grades 4-5 |
| Stone Fox (NEW) |
John Reynolds Gardiner |
Grades 4-5 |
| Snow Treasure |
Marie McSwigan |
Grades 4-5 |
| Bridge to Terabithia (NEW) |
Katherine Paterson |
Grades 4-6 |
| Number the Stars |
Lois Lowry |
Grades 4-6 |
| A Year Down Yonder |
Richard Peck |
Grades 4-6 |
| The Great Gilly Hopkins |
Katherine Paterson |
Grades 4-6 |
| A Girl from Yamhill (NEW) |
Beverly Cleary |
Grades 5-6 |
| Sarah Bishop |
Scott O’Dell |
Grades 5-6 |
| Little by Little (NEW) |
Jean Little |
Grades 5-7 |
| Little Women |
Louisa May Alcott |
Grades 5-7 |
| Tuck Everlasting |
Natalie Babbitt |
Grades 5-7 |
| Walk Two Moons |
Sharon Creech |
Grades 5-7 |
| The Dark is Rising |
Susan Cooper |
Grades 6-7 |
| Breath |
Donna Jo Napoli |
Grades 6-8 |
| A Day of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw (New) |
Isaac Bashevis Singer |
Grades 6-8 |
| The Giver |
Lois Lowry |
Grades 6-8 |
| The Invisible Thread (NEW) |
Yoshiko Uchida |
Grades 6-8 |
| The Pearl |
John Steinbeck |
Grades 6-8 |
| Summer of My German Soldier |
Bette Greene |
Grades 6-8 |
| Call of the Wild |
Jack London |
Grades 7-10 |
| The Day They Came to Arrest the Book |
Nat Hentoff |
Grades 7-10 |
1984 (NEW) |
George Orwell |
Grades 9-12 |
| Henry IV, Part 1 |
William Shakespeare |
Grades 9-12 |
| Hamlet |
William Shakespeare |
Grades 9-12 |
| Twelfth Night |
William Shakespeare |
Grades 9-12 |
Navigators Available Online
Several Navigators are available online at no
charge:
| Title |
Author |
Suggested Grade
Levels |
An Angel for Solomon Singer
pdf
version (full Navigator) |
Cynthia Rylant
|
Grades 2-3 |
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
pdf
version (abbreviated version)
|
Roald Dahl
|
Grades 3-5 |
The Door in the Wall
pdf
version (abbreviated version) |
Marguerite de Angeli |
Grades 4-6 |
Who Really Killed Cock Robin?
pdf
version (full Navigator) |
Jean Craighead George |
Grades 3-5 |
Underrunners
pdf
version (full Navigator) |
Margaret Mahy |
Grades 3-6 |
The Trumpeter of Krakow
pdf version (full Navigator) |
Eric P. Kelly |
Grades 7-11 |
A Teacher’s Guide to Using Navigators
Click
here to download "A Teacher’s Guide to
Using Navigators"
Jacob's Ladder
Reading Comprehension Program
Intended as a supplement to the William & Mary
language arts units for young students, Jacob's
Ladder targets reading comprehension skills in
high ability learners. In the form of three skill ladders
connected to individual readings in poetry, myths/fables,
and nonfiction, students move from lower order, concrete
thinking skills to higher order, critical thinking skills.
For example, Ladder A moves students from Sequencing
to Cause and Effect to Consequences and Implications.
| The skill ladders in
Jacob's Ladder correspond with the higher level,
critical thinking skills targeted in the William
& Mary language arts units; both are based on
Paul's
(1992) Reasoning Model. |
Jacob’s Ladder
is a learning journey for students which begins
with targeted readings from fables, myths and
nonfiction sources and moves through an inquiry
process from basic understanding to critical analyses
of the texts read. There are three levels available
that are targeted to students in 3rd grade, 4th
grade, and 5th grade, but can be used at different
grade levels depending on student ability.
The units are designed to enhance reading comprehension.
Tasks have been organized by skill ladders with
questions and activities within each. Ladder rungs
are organized to increase complexity in intellectual
demand. The skill ladders in Jacob's Ladder correspond
with the higher level, critical thinking skills
targeted in the William & Mary language arts
units; both are based on Paul's
(1992) Elements of Reasoning model.
This guide provides teachers with an explanation
of the nature and substance of supplementary tasks
in reading comprehension that will help prepare
students for their state assessment tests. At
the same time these tasks will move them from
basic reading comprehension to more critical reading
behaviors. Also included are an overview of the
goals and objectives of Jacob’s Ladder tasks
and implementation suggestions.
Ladder A
Sequencing
Cause and Effect
Consequences &
Implications |
Ladder B
Details
Classification
Generalization |
Ladder C
Elements
Inference
Theme/Concept
|
|
Grades 3-5
(Levels I, II, and III)
|
Internet Resources
for the Language Arts
Dictionary.com - www.dictionary.com
This website provides standard definitions as well as
links to Thesaurus.com and other reference materials.
This site also features other language dictionaries
and a Word of the Day. The Language Resources contains
a Grammar Usage and Style section that is also helpful
for understanding how words are used.
Merriam-Webster
OnLine - www.m-w.com
This website provides both free and premium services
involving dictionary and thesaurus searches. This site
also features a Word of the Day, Word Games, and Word
to the Wise, a brief column that addresses the use of
language in everyday life.
Origin of Words
and Names - www.krysstal.com/wordname.html
This link is to a specific page within a website that
addresses several topics, including Language and Linguistics.
This page discusses the origin of words as well as the
origin of names and surnames.
Bartleby.com - www.bartleby.com
This web site provides free access to a variety of references,
from dictionaries, encyclopedias, and thesauri. Bartleby
also includes a search engine for literature, verse,
and quotations.
|
