[etni] Re: New Module B
- From: "Rivka Lewenstein" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> (Redacted sender "rlewen@xxxxxxxxx" for DMARC)
- To: "noelbd@xxxxxxxxx" <noelbd@xxxxxxxxx>, "etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2015 07:06:25 +0000 (UTC)
Let me try to give a brief summary of the Module B literature component. Note
that I do NOT work for the Ministry, but I have spent the last few months
writing a book for the Module B literature program (currently in the middle of
the evaluation process by the Ministry - really hoping that we get approval by
the end of April) so I certainly hope that I'm familiar with the requirements
:-)
Module B is a log, not an external test. Students must study two short stories
and one poem. The short stories can (and should) be abridged and / or
simplified. They must be at least 900 words long. The poem may NOT be abridged
/ simplified and it may not be a poem written for children / by a children's
poet (e.g., Shel Silverstein). There is no minimum length, but of course there
needs to be enough "meat" for students to talk about.
The key components of the teaching program are the same as the key components
for Modules D and B, albeit on a much lower level: Pre-reading, Basic
Understanding (which includes vocabulary), Analysis (which includes basic
analysis questions, HOTS, and basic literary terms), Bridging Text and Context,
Post-reading task, and Summative Assessment (a test), as well as a Personal
Response at the end of each year. The key, as I said, is to do at the students'
level without insulting them. That's why I worked hard to find pieces for my
book that would be interesting and make students talk / think, but not
overwhelm them. I introduced the HOTS with the help of visual aids, and also
gave ideas for using multimedia (youtube clips) for introducing the HOTS. I
gave a variety of post-reading task options so that students could work to
their strengths (drawing, computers, music, etc.). I also used the pieces as a
springboard for reviewing basic language and vocabulary concepts.
The testing demands are really reasonable, I think: Basic Understanding
(including vocabulary) and Analysis. There is no Bridging question on the
test!!! The only thing about the summative assessment that I found challenging
was the requirement to have 6-8 BU questions and 4 analysis questions. For a
short poem, that's really hard, because there's not THAT much to ask on a
really short poem that three-point students can deal with (taking into account
that I didn't want to repeat questions that were asked in the unit). But other
than that, I do think the requirements are appropriate to three-pointers.
As to pieces, there is an initial list of approved pieces (from books already
published) in the document whose link I listed below. At the moment, there
isn't much there (no approved poems, and only stories from published books,
which makes sense since you need to know exactly which simplified version you
can use). However, anyone can send pieces to Bari Niremberg for approval - she
is really wonderful to work with. Of course, I made sure that all the pieces
that I wanted to put in my book got approved before writing the units (there
are 5 short stories and 3 poems in the book, so that teachers can choose the
pieces they like best and which best suit their class), but those are not yet
on the list. (The short stories won't be on the list till the book is
published.)
For more information, here is the Ministry document that describes the main
components of the Module B
literature:http://cms.education.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/072E4999-2B61-4A96-993E-424FA9103A9A/194210/ChangesLiteratureSept91.pdf
I don't know when samples will be released - I hope soon!
I honestly do believe that literature can be effectively taught at the
three-point level, so long as you choose suitable pieces, give lots of
scaffolding (glossing of difficult vocabulary into Hebrew / Arabic, questions
that students can deal with, a memorable and not overwhelming introduction of
the HOTS), and introduce it as something exciting, not something that we just
need to do to pass the Bagrut exam. I'm sure that some (many?) three-point
teachers will disagree with me and tell me that I am being too naive, but this
is based on my own experience with teaching weaker students.
Hope this helps,Rivka
\Hi all,
1. WHO knows something solid about the new Module B?
2. What pieces do you recommend for really weak students?
3. When will there be sample tests \ questions?
4. Are externi students expected to do a log or will there be an external
test???
Looking forward to your replies.
Noel
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