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EDCE 660

Integrating, Implementing and Adapting Outstanding Literacy Practices for Educators: Using Community Resources to Enhance Classroom Learning

Using Community Resources to Enhance Classroom Learning

PLN 33 introduces PLN’s research-based frameworks, The Four Lenses of Learning and The Five Reading Writing Talking Processes, demonstrating a variety of practical strategies that encourage student engagement (typically taught in PLN’s foundational PLN 1 course) while encouraging the utilization of community resources to stretch learning beyond the classroom walls. This course, which can be adapted for a range of educators PreK-12 and to meet the needs of students with varied learning styles, involves partnerships between PLN, a community resource (i.e. a museum, zoo, hospital, theater, etc.) and local school systems.

While the objective of this course is to teach PLN’s research based frameworks and outstanding classroom practice across the curriculum linked to the State Standards, the course is taught around the specific content determined collaboratively between PLN and by the community partner; for example, a museum or zoo exhibit, a dance, theater or musical production or a hospital program. Using the community resource content, facilitators demonstrate PLN strategies and explore the connections to the PLN frameworks using Before/During/After (BDA) lesson demonstrations that integrate literacy across the curriculum around the community resource theme. During the course and as a final classroom project, teachers develop curriculum plans integrating the exhibit content, PLN frameworks, and The State Standards using outstanding classroom practices.