As an educator, you will be using children’s literature in your classroom to serve many purposes, such as teaching particular content, developing specific skills, and addressing cross-curricular needs. For this task, think broadly about the role that children’s literature can play in helping children understand how the literature that they are exposed to can be applicable and pertinent in helping them understand math, science, history, geography, etc. in different ways. You will analyze the way in which children’s texts promote cross-curricular understanding and appreciation. Your focus will be on how children’s literature can be used to foster conversations and connections and what practices or guidelines you can take forward with you into your own classroom.

Note: Do not use the following types of children’s literature for this task: books written by celebrities; books based on comics, cartoons, toys, athletes, or celebrities; books with religious instruction; or activity-type books. Do not use multiple books written by the same author, even for different genres. Do not use books of the same sub-genre, even for different age categories.

Requirements:

A. Identify three high-quality children’s books from any genre that demonstrate features of excellence for literary content and promote a cross-curricular learning experience.

Note: You should identify a total of three books from three different genres (e.g., poetry and verse, folklore, fantasy, science fiction, contemporary realistic fiction, historical fiction, biography/memoir, nonfiction) appropriate for the age and grade ranges within the elementary classroom.

B. Create an original lesson plan that promotes a cross-curricular learning experience, using the three books identified in part A, ensuring that the lesson plan includes each of the following:

• identification of general information (e.g., lesson title and subject, topic, grade level, instructional setting)

• identification of state(Texas) core curriculum/student achievement standards

• identification of lesson objectives (should be measurable: condition, behavior, and criterion)

• identification of materials/resources for students and teacher

• description of prerequisite skills or connections to previous learning (i.e., What previously learned skills are necessary for students to be able to participate in and benefit from the planned lesson?)

• explanation of presentation procedures for new information, guided practice, independent practice, and culmination

• description of technology use for teacher and/or student

• explanation of assessment

Note: You may use the attached lesson plan template or any other lesson plan template of your choosing. In addition to the template, your task may require you to incorporate additional elements. Be sure to review all materials carefully.

1. Explain the modifications to your lesson plan that are necessary to address the needs of English language learners (ELL).

a. Provide course source material or other academic research to support your explanation from part B1.

2. Explain the modifications to your lesson plan that are necessary to address students with special needs, identifying the exceptionality.

a. Provide course source material or other academic research to support your explanation from part B2.

3. Discuss a scaffolding technique that could be included in the lesson plan to better meet diverse learner needs.

a. Justify the scaffolding technique discussed in part B3.

Note: You may discuss more than one scaffolding technique, but be sure to justify all techniques discussed.

C. Identify one quality children’s book with controversial cultural or social representations that pose a challenge for teaching that specific book in a K–8 classroom.

Note: This book must be a different book from what you selected for parts A and B. This book can be from any category or genre of children’s literature.

1. Identify the specific genre of the selected book.

2. Summarize the selected book (suggested length of 2–3 sentences).

3. Analyze how the content of the selected book poses a challenge (e.g., overgeneralizations about a specific cultural identity) for teaching that specific book in the elementary classroom.

a. Provide one specific example from the selected book that supports your analysis from part C3.

i. Justify the example you selected in prompt C3a using scholarly research.

b. Explain how a teacher could address the challenge from part C3 by using a cross-curricular connection (suggested length of 2–3 paragraphs).

Note: Be sure to cite any images or illustrations you used in your task. Provide a full, APA-formatted reference citation for each book. Citations for illustrated books should include the name of the illustrator with the full reference according to APA style guidelines.

D. When you use sources, include all in-text citations and references in APA format.

Note: For definitions of terms commonly used in the rubric, see the Rubric Terms web link included in the Evaluation Procedures section.

Note: When using sources to support ideas and elements in an assessment, the submission MUST include APA formatted in-text citations with a corresponding reference list for any direct quotes or paraphrasing. It is not necessary to list sources that were consulted if they have not been quoted or paraphrased in the text of the assessment