You are a teacher at an early learning center that serves  children from infancy through early elementary (K–3) age. You have a  passion for children’s books and have worked hard to educate yourself on  the characteristics of quality children’s literature

Overview

For this Performance Task, you will develop a PowerPoint Presentation  on evaluating quality children’s literature and demonstrating and  evaluating a quality read-aloud presentation for young children.

 Instructions

Before submitting your Assessment, carefully review the rubric. This  is the same rubric the assessor will use to evaluate your submission and  it provides detailed criteria describing how to achieve or master the  Competency. Many students find that understanding the requirements of  the Assessment and the rubric criteria help them direct their focus and  use their time most productively.

PowerPoint Presentation on Quality Children’s Literature and Quality Read-Aloud Experiences

Scenario

You are a teacher at an early learning center that serves  children from infancy through early elementary (K–3) age. You have a  passion for children’s books and have worked hard to educate yourself on  the characteristics of quality children’s literature across multiple  genres. To communicate your love of books and reading to the children  you work with, you have also developed your skill and talent for reading  aloud to children. Through tone, cadence, animated expressions,  enthusiasm, or even earnest solemnity, the artistry of storytelling can  create a unique shared experience while nurturing positive dispositions  toward reading and language learning. 

With this knowledge and experience in mind, you decide to share  what you have learned about quality children’s literature and quality  read-aloud experiences with your colleagues through a PowerPoint  Presentation in two parts.

• Part One recommends quality fiction and nonfiction books across  multiple genres for a specific age group, and explains information and  examples for evaluating children’s literature based on guidelines for  quality; 
• Part Two features an audio recording of up to 10 minutes of you  reading aloud a quality fiction or nonfiction book and explains how to  evaluate the read-aloud experience based on criteria for engaging  children and celebrating the joy of reading.

Note: For this Assessment, you will need to choose a  target age group (e.g., infants/toddlers; preschoolers) for your  presentation. Select the age that interests you most, with which you  have the most experience, and/or that is most appropriate for specific  books you would like to feature in your presentation.

PREPARE FOR PART ONE OF YOUR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION 

• To complete this assessment, you will read a book aloud to a child  or small group of children. Think about a child or small group of  children you know (relatives, friends’ children, etc.) who are in one of  the target age groups below: 
  • Infants and toddlers
  • Preschoolers
  • Kindergartners
  • Early elementary (first, second, and/or third graders)
• Identify four children’s books appropriate for your target age group: 
  • Two or three fiction books, each representing a different genre (e.g., fantasy, folklore, realistic fiction);
  • One or two nonfiction books, each representing a different genre or  topic (e.g., biography; informational book on a specific theme, such as  animals, families, different cultures).
• Evaluate each book using the resource “Ten Steps for Reviewing Children’s Books” at https://www.uua.org/files/documents/derman-sparkslouise/1206_233_review_books.pdf and other appropriate criteria from any of the other resources provided in Topic 1, Activities 2 and 3, of this Competency.
• Ensure that the four books you select represent the following: 
  • Each book meets guidelines for quality, including two specific examples you can explain in your evaluation;
  • Each book is characteristic of the specific genre;
  • Each book has qualities that make it a good choice for promoting  children’s positive dispositions toward reading and language learning;
  • At least one book is an excellent choice to read aloud for Part Two of your PowerPoint Presentation. Note:  In making your selection, keep in mind that your audio recording of the  story should not be more than 10 minutes, in order to successfully  embed the recording in your PowerPoint document. You are encouraged to  time yourself in a practice reading of a story before you select it.  Many picture books and other types of books for young children of 32  pages or less should fit within the time limit. If you select an  information book with sections or a chapter book for primary-grades  children, you might choose an especially appealing section or chapter to  read aloud. Be sure that the portion you read makes sense to the  listener and lets you do your best job reading aloud.
• Take notes on your own tips for identifying quality children’s books  for your target age group, and aim to have at least three tips to  feature in your presentation.

PREPARE FOR PART TWO OF YOUR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

• Choose one book to read aloud from among the four books you have  selected in your Part One preparation. Be sure that your selection can  be read within the 10-minute limit for an audio recording in a  PowerPoint document.
• Aim to read the book to the child or group of children identified in Part One. Important Note:  If you do not have a child/group of children with whom you can share  this book, prepare to read it aloud as you would if you were sharing it  directly with children.
• Review the resource “Read-Aloud Criteria: Tips for Developing a Great Read-Aloud Experience” document. Note:  You will find directions for how to make a recording of your story  using the audio feature in your MAC or PC version of PowerPoint.
• Consider how you will apply these criteria to the read-aloud book.  Keep in mind that the magic of a quality read-aloud experience is not  achieved without thoughtful effort on the part of the reader. Telling a  tale—particularly when reading it—requires an actor’s touch and a  reader’s love of words and story. Bringing a story alive is more than  proceeding from beginning to end. It is achieved through the skill with  which the reader sets a tone that matches the text and feel of a story,  lingers over a phrase, and brings characters to life through voice and  expression. With all that in mind: 
  • Set two goals for yourself to meet in creating your read-aloud presentation.
• Create an audio recording of yourself reading your selected book.  Your final saved recording should be embedded directly in your  PowerPoint document.
• Listen to and evaluate your recording using the “Read-Aloud  Criteria” document. Take notes and include an explanation of the  following: 
  • How well you met your goals for your read-aloud presentation;
  • At least two strengths of your read-aloud presentation;
  • At least two examples of what could be better/more effective;
  • At least two strategies to apply to improve your read-aloud presentations.   

DEVELOP YOUR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION: PART ONE AND PART TWO 

Using the PowerPoint Presentation Template, create Part One and Part  Two of your presentation consisting of 16 slides, plus the title slide,  which is provided for you. As needed, use the “Notes” section of the  slides for additional room to provide the required information about the  books and read-aloud presentation that you have evaluated.

• Title Slide: “Evaluating Quality Literature and Quality Read-Aloud Experiences for Young Children” 
• Part One Introduction: Quality Literature for Young Children (1 slide) 
  • Identify the age group you are addressing;
  • Explain three key criteria that you used to select books for your target age group.
• Part One 4 Featured Books (8 slides/2 slides per book)
  For each of the four books you have selected and evaluated: 
  • Identify the title, author, and genre;
  • Briefly summarize the book’s key characters, events, and/or themes;
  • Explain how the book is characteristic of the specific genre;
  • Explain why the book is an appropriate choice for your target age group;
  • Explain your evaluation of the book based on quality standards,  including at least two examples of how the book is free of  misinformation and stereotypes identified in “Ten Steps to Reviewing  Children’s Books”;
  • Explain how this high-quality book can support positive dispositions toward reading and language learning in young children.
• Part One Summary (1 slide) 
  • Explain your three top tips for evaluating quality children’s literature for your target age group.
• Part Two Introduction: Quality Read-Aloud Experiences for Young Children (1 slide) 
  • Identify the book you selected to read aloud;
  • Explain three qualities that make the book a good choice to read aloud.
• Part Two: The Read-Aloud Presentation (1 slide) 
  • Make an audio recording of your read-aloud presentation that will be embedded in this slide;
  • Explain two goals that you set for yourself in creating this read-aloud presentatio
• Part Two: Evaluation of the Read-Aloud Presentation (2 slides)
  Evaluate your read-aloud presentation to explain: 
  • How well you met your goals for the read-aloud presentation.
  • At least two strengths of the presentation;
  • At least two examples of what could be better/more effective about the read-aloud presentation;
  • At least two strategies to apply to improve your read-aloud presentations.
• Part Two Summary (1 slide) 
  • Explain at least three reasons why reading aloud to children can  promote positive dispositions toward reading and language learning.
• References (1 slide) 
  • Cite all resources used in creating Parts One and Two of your PowerPoint Presentation in APA style.

SUBMIT YOUR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION