Early Planning

My collaborative partner, Jeff, and I met in the local public library where we were kindly granted use of a beautiful conference room with wireless, electricity, a large table and comfy chairs. We had already come to consensus on the Romeo and Juliet unit for 9th grade which Jeff already teaches but would like to “tweak” in certain areas. This particular unit would take 4-5 weeks to teach, and he likes to do it during the 2nd trimester of the year so one particular section falls around Valentine’s Day. We spent a lot of time looking at the daily lesson plans and Jeff described many other activities which he pulls in to enhance them. I was very impressed with his ideas and suggestions and feel that it would be very appealing to this year’s incoming 9th grade class.

I found out that this unit is part of an educational package of copyrighted material which was purchased by our school. Jeff uses the main outline of it, but does not follow it by the letter. We will not be able to post any of this material because of copyright. An hour and a half into the session, we finally got around to what he expects of me only to discover that he wants my role to be that of a resource person rather than a collaborative instructional partner. He is not willing to put much more time or effort into this as it is his summer vacation (a feeling which many teachers share, and understandable so). This was totally unexpected to me, though, and I must admit that I was surprised. After thinking about it for a few days, I cannot help but agree with Dr. Kumasi’s statement, “Welcome to the real world of school librarianship!” Although I was expecting this to be a full in-depth collaborative unit, the teacher was not planning it that way. I will just have to be content that a small step was taken on the road to improved collaboration and that I am helping a teacher teach.

The culminating project will be a newspaper created by each student in “Elizabethan Era” style containing various articles about the life and times of William Shakespeare, the theater, Romeo and Juliet and their families, and articles which would be of interest considering the time period. Jeff would like me to do specific lessons with the 9th graders about plagiarism, citations, and references (which he wants added as an extra sheet to the end of their newspaper). He would also like me to coordinate use of the media center for a few days during the unit to allow for some special group activities which work better in a larger space. At this point, it sounds like my functions in this collaborative endeavor would be coordination and cooperation (according to Montiel-Overall’s “Teacher and Librarian Collaboration Model”).

In looking specifically at what Jeff has asked me to teach, I think that the following 21st Century Learning Standards would fit best with lessons on plagiarism, giving credit to others’ works through proper citations, and creating a reference page:
Skills 3.1.6 - Use information and technology ethically and responsibly.
Actions 2.2.4 - Create a simple research plan with a specific deadline.
Responsibilities 1.3.1 – Respect copyright/intellectual property rights of creators and producers.
Self-Assessment 1.4.4 – Seek appropriate help when it is needed.

My initial thoughts on assessment are that I will probably assess the lessons that I am doing (which probably will not be in the form of a letter grade), and Jeff will assess everything for his English class.

Jeff and I get along very well and enjoy “book talking” back and forth. We talked easily about this unit and probably would have gone on longer if the library wasn’t closing for the evening. I must admit that I came into this project with different expectations than what he had, though. I think our main roadblock is the time period in which this collaborative effort falls, since he indicated that he would be willing to do more if it was during the regular school year instead of summer vacation.