PRIMALS 7–10

Pedagogical Retooling in Mathematics, Languages,

and Science for Grades 7–10 Teachers

Session 4
UTILIZING DISCIPLINARY LITERACY IN attaining
independent reading and writing

(Adapted from Strategies in Science Disciplinary Literacy:

Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information, a Trainer’s
Training Resource Package by Ma. Luisa Bustos-Orosa, PhD)

Learning Action Cell Session Guide

English 7–10

Prepared by:
MARCIA CECILIA ALMARIEGO-ATOK
Master Teacher I
Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science
Division of City Schools- Valenzuela
Department of Education- National Capital Region
Objectives
During and at the end of the session, teachers should be able to:
1. explain the limitations of lectures in engaging students in learning;
2. describe the underlying strategies in close reading in understanding disciplinary texts;
3. recognize the need for instructional scaffolding in involving the students in cooperative
learning activities;
4. point out the strategies which attract students in writing activities that enhance
increasingly complexity and competency of disciplinary learning;
5. schematize ways to scale up and scale down reading and writing strategies which fit the
type of learners.

Key Understandings

1. During reading, students monitor understanding by questioning, thinking about, and

reflecting on the ideas and information in the text.
2. After reading, students: reflect upon the ideas and information in the text, relate what they
have read to their own experiences and knowledge, clarify their understanding of the text,
and, extend their understanding in critical and creative ways.
3. Instructional scaffolding is a process through which a teacher gives supports to students in
order to enhance learning and aid in the mastery of tasks.
4. The goal of instructional scaffolding is to lead the reader towards independent reading.
5. Student-centered learning encompasses methods of teaching that shift the
focus of instruction from the teacher to the student.
6. Generating and asking questions about the text is central in comprehending text.
7. Close reading is a thoughtful, critical analysis of a text that focuses on significant details or
patterns in order to develop a deep, precise understanding of the text’s form, craft,
meanings, etc.
8. Integral to close reading is the process of asking and answering text-dependent questions.
9. A comprehensive approach to teaching literacy needs to ensure that throughout the course
of the day and week, students have the opportunity to work with different peers in a range
of different sized-groups.
10. Writing activities can be used throughout the literacy and inquiry-based teaching process.
11. Writing activities are used to guide students in organizing and comprehending complex
texts.

Materials Time Allotment

Two (2) Hours
Activity Sheets
PowerPoint Presentation
Projector
Laptop
Alignment to the PPST
Manila Paper/ Cartolina
 Adhesive Tapes Domain 1
Art Materials Strands 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, and 1.7
LAC videos

References

Barton, M. & Jordan, D. (2001). Teaching Reading in Science: A Supplement to Teaching

Reading in the Content Areas Teachers’ Manual (2nd Edition). Washington DC:
MCREL and ASCD.

Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2014). Content Area Vocabulary Learning. The Reading Teacher, 67(8),
594–599.

Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2013). A Range of Writing Across the Content Areas. The Reading
Teacher, 67, 2, 96-101.

Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2015). Teacher Modeling Using Complex Informational Texts. The
Reading Teacher, 69, 1, 63-69.

Fisher ,D. & Frey, N. (2014). Scaffolded Reading Instruction of Content-Area Texts. The
Reading Teacher, 67, 347-351.

Lapp, D. et al. (2013). Students’ Close Reading of Science Texts. The Reading Teacher, 67,
2, 109-119.

Neufeld, P. (2005). Comprehension Instruction in Content Area Classes. The Reading

Teacher, 59, 4, 302-312.

New York Department of Education. (2000) Literacy Across the Curriculum: Problem-solving
strategies for the New York State Learning Standards.

Perin, D. (2015). Chapter 12: Teaching Secondary Students to Read and Write in Science.
Fundamentals of Literacy Instruction and Assessment (Edited by Hougen, M.).
Baltimore: Brookes Publishing House.

Rojas, V. (2007). Strategies for Success with English Language Learners. Virginia, USA:
ASCD.

Tang, K.; Tighe, S., & Moje, E. (2014). Chapter 3: Literacy in the Science Classroom.
Teaching Dilemmas and Solutions in Content-Area Literacy Grades 6-12 (Edited by
Smagorinsky, P.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin: A Sage Company.

Van Zee, E. et al. (2001). Student and Teacher Questioning During Conversations about
Science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38, 2, 159-190.
Procedure
Introduce the session by saying: “Good ________ everyone. I am _____________________
of _______________. Welcome to an exciting LAC Session 4. Our topic for today is “Utilizing
Disciplinary Literacy in Attaining Independent Reading and Writing”. Our resource person for
this session is Dr. Ma. Alicia Bustos-Orosa from the De la Salle University-Manila. Before we
start, let us take note of the following session’s objectives:

During and after the session, the participants should be able to:

1. explain the limitations of lectures in engaging students in learning;

2. describe the underlying strategies in close reading in understanding disciplinary texts;
3. recognize the need for instructional scaffolding in involving the students in cooperative
learning activities;
4. point out the strategies that enhance increasing complexity and competency of
disciplinary learning which attract students in writing activities
5. schematize ways to scale up and scale down reading and writing strategies to fit the
different types of learners.

(Note to the facilitator: Say: Is this true in your classroom?

1. Students seldom read hard bound books?
2. Students appreciate more reading wattpads, manga, fashion
magazines than reading newspapers, science magazines, texts
embedded with numbers, figures, statistics, historical maps,
graphs, and dates?
3. Students have a hard time comprehending science-based,
historical-based, mathematics-based and current events-based
texts?

(Note to the facilitator: First, let the class read the above-mentioned session objectives from
the PowerPoint presentation. Then, introduce the activity, and guide
them in accomplishing their respective task. Lastly, distribute the Job
Title Strips, Manila paper, permanent markers, adhesive tapes, and
activity sheets: Boracay, goodbye?

Activity (20 minutes)

Motivation: Differentiated Multi-Disciplinary Group Dynamics:
Buzz Session: Boracay, goodbye?

Objective: To make participants realize why disciplinary literacy is important.

Directions: Group the class into five (5). Have participants read the Activity Sheet about the
Boracay Island and a news feature about it below. Then, ask the participants to pick a job from
the list given. Their task is to report to the community what environmental problems had
happened to Boracay Island. Based on their chosen job, what insights can they share with
other people? For example, if one was a scientist, how would he/she communicate about
Boracay’s environmental problems in a scientific way? As a blog writer, how would he/she
write about the problem for the people to understand? Or as an economist, what would he/she
communicate about the island’s environmental problems?

(Prepare Job Titles on strips of paper:

Economist, Scientist, Blog Writer, Utility Man, Historian, and a Resort Business Owner.)

Reading Texts: Boracay Island

From the Philippine Statistics Authority

A vast clear blue sea, powdery white sand, and rays of yellow sunshine is the perfect
combination that entice tourists to the world-renowned Boracay Island, notwithstanding the
many other activities and services, such as snorkeling, island hopping, boat sailing, spa and
massages resorts, and many more, which excite the adventurous spirit or tired soul. It’s no
surprise, therefore, if this beach capital of the Philippines has never been failed by tourists for
the last 10 years.

Revenue wise, in 2010, Boracay generated Php14.33 billion from 779,666 visitors. This
translates to an average of Php 39.26 million per day. Compared to the previous year, tourist
receipts grew by 20.03 percent, second highest rate of increase so far in the 10-year period
from year 2001.

Table 1. Visitor Arrivals and Receipts in Boracay Island (Department of Tourism)

Year Visitor Arrivals % Earnings in Pesos

Change
Foreign Domestic Overseas Total
Filipinos
2001 76,475 188,332 0 264,807 15.21 4,868,053,003.80
2005 155,744 321,893 21,820 499,457 16.49 9,181,717,813.80
2008 197,376 404,807 32,080 634,263 6.29 11,659,910,434.20
2010 278,531 474,097 27,038 779,666 20.03 14,332,911,944.40

Environmental issues have been hounding Boracay for 20 years

Inquirer Research April 04, 2018

Coliform bacteria scare and other environmental issues have been hounding Boracay Island in
Aklan province over the past 20 years, mostly blamed on inadequate septic and sewage
systems.

Because of the drop of tourist arrivals in 1997 due to the increase in coliform levels, Boracay
built a potable water supply system, sewage treatment plant and solid waste disposal system
that was run by the Philippine Tourism Authority.

Seven years later, in 2004, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
reported that the coliform crisis persisted as not all businesses on the island comply to the
sewage system.

At that time, only 50.5 percent of hotels and restaurants and only 24.9 percent of the house-
holds had installed pipelines connecting to the centralized sewage treatment plant that began
operations on the island in 2003.

In 2009, after waters off Boracay were contaminated with fecal coliform generated by human
wastes, Boracay Island Water Co. won the contract for the project to give Boracay improved
supply of potable water and efficient sewage system.

Analysis (15 minutes)

(Note to the facilitator: Based on the sharing of insights earlier, let us answer the following
questions as the varied reflections of the class:

Guide Questions for class interaction:

1. Was the activity fun?
2. What are the challenges that you encountered during the activity, say you are a
teacher, and say you are a student? Cite at least three.
3. What could be the most effective way to address each of the challenges? Cite one
and expound.
4. How would you make this activity appropriate for your learners? You may scale it up
or scale it down.
5. What do you think are the distinctive characteristics of this activity in relation to the
session’s topic.

(Note to the facilitator: Explain the rationale behind this session, especially the necessity to
employ and develop disciplinary literacy for the students. Also, show
the video/PPT).

Abstraction (55 minutes)

(Note to the facilitator: Say: “ Let us all be all ears and all eyes in the video presentation of
Dr. Ma. Luisa Bustos-Orosa, after viewing, we will engage in the
discussion of the enumerated questions below:

Pre-viewing Questions

1. What is disciplinary text?

2. What is disciplinary literacy?
3. What are the kinds of disciplinary texts?
4. What are the different strategies in understanding disciplinary texts?
5. What are the strategies in Pre-reading, During Reading and After Reading activities?
6. Define:
5.1. Structural Scaffolding
5.2. GRRIF
5.3. Explicit Literacy
5.4. Close Reading
 5.5. TDQs
5.6. Collaborative Learning
5.7. Explicit Vocabulary Teaching
7. How to engage the students in reading disciplinary texts?
8. What are the reading and writing connections?
9. What are the strategies in structured writing?
10. Why is there a paramount need for the teachers in the different subject areas to
teach reading and eventually develop literacy amongst students?
11. Why is there a need for the teachers to employ the art of questioning during
classroom discussions?

Viewing Session

Title: “Utilizing Disciplinary Literacy in Attaining Independent Reading and Writing”

Resource Person: Dr. Ma. Alicia Bustos-Orosa, PRIMALS 7-10 National
Training of Lead Trainers

Discussion
(Note to the facilitator: After watching the video, let the participants process the information
they gathered by answering the Pre-Viewing Questions presented earlier.)

Reflection Questions

Let the participants share insights to the following questions:

1. Does this session change your views about the importance of disciplinary literacy?
2. What are your realizations about disciplinary literacy?
3. What are your discoveries about disciplinary literacy?
4. How does this session change your point of view as a teaching-and-learning facilitator?
5. How will you apply the knowledge that you have gained from this session to solve the
reading-and-understanding gap of the different types of students.
6. How will you apply the understanding that you have acquired from this session to solve the
writing struggles of the various types of students.

Application (30 minutes)

Note to the facilitator: Discuss to the class the general instructions for the DGD. The facilitator
can pick one activity for the group. The class may be divided into smaller groups.

Procedure in the Differentiated Group Dynamics:

1. Divide the class into five (5) groups.
2. Distribute the Differentiated Activity Sheets:
2.1. (Group 1) Affix and Fix
2.2. (Group 2) TDQs (Railroad Cat)
2.3. (Group 3) Learning Log-STROMPTS / Word Sort
2.4. (Group 4) Role Cards/ Paragraph Frame
2.5. (Group 5) Quick Writes and Structured Note Taking/ Micro-themes
3. Let them take note of the feature/s of their own work and the feature/s of the work of the
other group.
4. Let the group or (a) representative/s of the group present their work in front of the class.
5. Ask a representative of each group to:
5.1. Activity: Think, Write, Rise and Share (TWRS)
(First, distribute three (3) colour-coded sheets of paper leaf to each group. Next,
tell the class to write the insight/s on them about the session. Let the group paste
the leaves on the “Tree of Wisdom”. Then, have volunteer/s from each group to
share the group’s insights to the class.)

Guide Questions:
5.1.1. How could the knowledge learned be helpful in developing independent
readers and writers?
5.1.2. What are the challenges the group thinks will hinder or slow down the
attainment of the ultimate goal of this LAC session, which is developing
independent readers and writers?

Complete this: Think about:

5.1.2.1. I have learned from this session that…
5.1.2.2. I realize now that teachers ....
5.1.2.3. I am still not so sure about ....
5.1.2.4. I am so sure about…

Closing
Note to the facilitator: Say, before we end our LAC session today, let me share with you a
quote from Marie Clay (1993, 2005), “The ultimate goal of the teacher is to help foster in
children a self–extending system whereby children are independent readers whose reading
and writing improve whenever they read and write.”
 ACTIVITY SHEETS
Session 4: Utilizing Disciplinary Literacy in Attaining Independent Reading and Writing

ACTIVITY NAME: Affix and Fix

ACTIVITY: STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS: Affixes + Meaning+ Scaling Up and Down

No. Prefix Meaning Affixed Word Sentence

1. aer- oxygen

2. iso- the same

3. haem- blood

4. peri- around

5. troph- nourishment

6. hydr- water

7. proto- first

No. Suffix Meaning Affixed Word Sentence

1. -old resembling

2. -on a unit

3. -ose carbohydrate

4. -ject to throw

5. -ward in certain direction

6. -sion state or being

7. -ary of or relating to
 ACTIVITY SHEET
Session 4: Utilizing Disciplinary Literacy in Attaining Independent Reading and Writing

ACTIVITY NAME: Boracay, goodbye?

Boracay Island
From the Philippine Statistics Authority

A vast clear blue sea, powdery white sand, and rays of yellow sunshine is the perfect combination that
entice tourists to the world-renowned Boracay Island, notwithstanding the many other activities and
services, such as snorkeling, island hopping, boat sailing, spa and massages resorts, and many more,
which excite the adventurous spirit or tired soul. It’s no surprise, therefore, if this beach capital of the
Philippines has never been failed by tourists for the last 10 years.

Revenue wise, in 2010, Boracay generated Php14.33 billion from 779,666 visitors. This translates to an
average of Php 39.26 million per day. Compared to the previous year, tourist receipts grew by 20.03
percent, second highest rate of increase so far in the 10-year period from year 2001.

Table 1. Visitor Arrivals and Receipts in Boracay Island (Department of Tourism)

Year Visitor Arrivals % Earnings in Pesos

Change
Foreign Domestic Overseas Total
Filipinos
2001 76,475 188,332 0 264,807 15.21 4,868,053,003.80
2005 155,744 321,893 21,820 499,457 16.49 9,181,717,813.80
2008 197,376 404,807 32,080 634,263 6.29 11,659,910,434.20
2010 278,531 474,097 27,038 779,666 20.03 14,332,911,944.40

Environmental issues have been hounding Boracay for 20 years

Inquirer Research April 04, 2018

Coliform bacteria scare and other environmental issues have been hounding Boracay Island in Aklan
province over the past 20 years, mostly blamed on inadequate septic and sewage systems.

Because of the drop of tourist arrivals in 1997 due to the increase in coliform levels, Boracay built a
potable water supply system, sewage treatment plant and solid waste disposal system that was run by
the Philippine Tourism Authority.

Seven years later, in 2004, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) reported that
the coliform crisis persisted as not all businesses on the island to the sewage
system.

At that time, only 50.5 percent of hotels and restaurants and only 24.9 percent of the households had
installed pipelines connecting to the centralized sewage treatment plant that began operations on the
island in 2003.
In 2009, after waters off Boracay were contaminated with fecal coliform generated by human wastes,
Boracay Island Water Co. won the contract for the project to give Boracay improved supply of potable
water and efficient sewage system.
 The Railroad Cat 1

om was more than just a black cat. He had never seen a kitchen nor climbed a back yard

T fence. He had never stayed in a barn nor stuck his head in an empty food can. He was, in
fact, a railroad cat and lived in Junction City.
All day and all night Tom listened to the roar and noise of trains. He loved the loud blasts of
engine whistles and the sounds of bells and horns. He even enjoyed the ringing of bells at night.
The sounds and smells of trains were what Tom lived for.
Many times Tom sat in the freight house and made believe he was sleeping. Secretly he was
watching the men as they placed large boxes of fish on the moving conveyor belt. Other times
he saw milk cans or maybe boxes of apples placed on the conveyor belt.
These different things moved down the conveyor belt from the old freight house into the
freight cars. The conveyor belt was something like the moving stairs in a large city store. Tom
never tired of watching the freight moving to and from the freight house and the cars.
One afternoon, just for fun, Tom jumped on the conveyor belt and rode it into a car. This
was his first conveyor belt ride. He liked it and he did it again and again.
The men enjoyed Tom’s trick so much that one fellow took a picture for the Junction City
newspaper. The men cut the picture out of the paper and tacked it up. Tom became a hero.
From that day on, Tom had the run of the Junction City freight house. Whatever he did was
all right with the men. In fact, sometimes they threw him a fish from a broken box. Tom
enjoyed being a hero.
One hot June afternoon Tom grew sleepy as he watched freight moving on the conveyor
belt.
Just then a chipmunk jumped from the top of the freight house. He landed right in the
middle of the conveyor belt and rode into the freight car.
Tom forgot about being a hero. His half-closed eyes flew open and, like a shot, he took off.
Things happened so fast the men didn’t see either Tom or the chipmunk. The freight car door
was looked, and Tom and the chipmunk were both trapped inside together.

I
behind.
n a second, Tom saw that he was locked in. He yowled and yowled. But it was too late;
the freight was moving. The men couldn’t hear Tom. Soon Junction City was left far

For two days and nights Tom and the chipmunk were trapped in the car. Tom and the
chipmunk raced all around the car, first one way and then another. Once Tom almost cornered
him, but the chipmunk always got away. It was a wild contest.
At last the freight train stopped in a yard. At once, Tom yowled and yowled. He was still
yowling when the door was unlocked.
Before Tom could get away, one of the men picked him up. Tom liked being petted, but he
was very hungry and wanted food more.
“So your name’s Tom,” said the man, as he read the tag on Tom’s neck—” “Tom,
Pennsylvania Railroad is a big company, but some day before long we’ll learn where you’re
from.”

1
Winston Basic Reader, Level 4-12. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
 “So your name’s Tom,” said the man, as he read the tag on Tom’s neck—” “Tom, Pennsylvania
Railroad is a big company, but some day before long we’ll learn where you’re from.”
By now Tom no longer thought about the chipmunk. All he wanted was food and to go back to
Junction City. Tom wished he had one of the fish the Junction City men used to give him.

T he engineer—for that’s who the man was—carried Tom into the station. “You need some
food,” he said to Tom. “I’ll have the cook get you some milk and fish.”
“Oh, boy!” thought Tom. “Fish at last!” Tom ate until his sides were round and hard. He nosed along
the engineer’s leg to say “thank you,” and pushed the door open to go out.
“Better stay inside,” the engineer called after Tom. “A real storm is coming.”
The next day it was still raining. The railroad yard was covered with water. When the engineer returned,
he climbed up into his engine and found Tom waiting for him.
“So you want to ride with me, Tom,” said the engineer. “We’ll be out all night, but I’ll be glad to have
you for company.”
As the freight moved out on the main line, the storm grew worse. The rain beat down and the wind
whistled and blew. The smoke from the engine was all around them.
“This is a blinding storm,” the engineer said to Tom. “I can hardly see twenty yards ahead.”
So much rain had come down that the water rose quickly in the rivers. The countryside was covered
with water.
The large engine bounced along, pulling its many freight cars. The smoke blowing back seemed almost
to hide the engine.
Suddenly, Tom let out a loud yowl.
“Hungry again?” shouted the engineer.
In reply, Tom yowled again. Then he jumped up on the seat with the engineer and yowled again, louder
than ever.

S omething’s wrong,” the engineer shouted to the fireman. “Tom isn’t hungry. See his hair standing
up. He’s warning us about something.”
“Maybe it’s the river up ahead,” replied the fireman. “Tom may be yowling to warn us.”
“I’m stopping,” shouted the engineer.
Fire flew from the wheels as the train ground to a stop. Clouds of smoke covered the engine like a
heavy fog. The engineer jumped down and ran to the front of the train. Then he let out a cry.
He was standing on the edge of the big river. “There is no bridge!” he shouted. “The high water has
washed it away!”
The other men crowded around.
“Fellows, that cat saved our lives!” the engineer shouted over the roar of the water.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he replied, in a hollow voice, “that Tom started yowling just before we got here. If he hadn’t
acted so excited—well, I never would have stopped in time. The rain and smoke were all around and I
couldn’t see.
“How could Tom tell the bridge was down?” asked the fireman.
“I don’t know,” replied the engineer. “But I’ve been told that cats can hear very well. Perhaps the
wheels made a different sound on the rails.”
“Why a different sound?” asked one man.
“The rails were broken at the edge of the river,” the engineer said. “This might have caused the engine
to make a strange noise in Tom’s ears.

P apers all over the country carried the story. Once more Tom was a hero.
The railroad men at the Junction City yard saw Tom’s picture and read the story. And soon the great
hero was on his way home to Junction City.
Everything was ready for Tom’s big welcome home. The conveyor belt was clean and bright. The
freight house was covered with flags. The Junction City band headed a large parade. Nothing was too
good for the cat who had saved a train. Tom, the hero, had the biggest “Welcome Home” party any cat
had ever had.
As for the chipmunk, he was never seen again.
 ACTIVITY SHEET: TDQs (The Railroad Cat)
Session 4: Utilizing Disciplinary Literacy in Attaining Independent Reading and Writing

Text-Dependent Questions (TDQs)

“Right There” Questions

Ask for explicit information drawn from the text itself

Text Structure Questions

Look at how the text and its component parts are arranged.

Sequence Questions
Identify and analyze the steps in an explanation or argument.

Clarification Questions
Ask for further explanation of particular portions of the text.

Paraphrasing Questions
Request condensed summaries of particular passages.

Inferential Questions

Solicit conclusions that stem from evidence within the text but not
explicitly stated.

_______________________________________________________________
 ACTIVITY SHEET: WORD SORT
Session 4: Utilizing Disciplinary Literacy in Attaining Independent
Reading and Writing

Word Sort- Sheet 1

thermal photography hydrogen

thermometer aerosol hydra

geology microcosm glucose

geography microscope fructose

photosynthesis endocrinology sweeteners

 Word Sort -Sheet 2

Relates Which Means Which words

to words belong here?
belong
here?
Earth Small

Heat Water

Light Carbohydrate

Oxygen Inside
 THINK LITERACY: Cross-Curricular Approaches, Grades 7-12
O ACTIVITY SHEET: ROLE CARDS
Session 4: Utilizing Disciplinary Literacy in Attaining Independent Reading and
Sample Role Cards for Information Circles
The Wordsmith
· Today you are the Wordsmith. Your job is
to read and view your information text and
keep track of new and interesting
words/phrases that you discover.
· Select six interesting words/phrases.
· Use a dictionary to record the meanings
and be prepared to share your findings in
discussion/information circle.
The Questioner
· As the Questioner you will have the
opportunity to probe the information you
read and view with a critical eye.
· Record questions you have as you read
the text.
· Review your questions; select your best
six and share at discussion circle.
Note: Vary your questions, using the
question starters - who, what, when,
where, why and how.
The Illustrator
· After completing your reading/viewing,
your task today is to think of a way to
record the key ideas you discovered in a
visual format. You are the Illustrator!
· Try a chart, graph, sketch, web, cartoon,
diagram or a combination of visual
formats.
· Prepare to present your visual record to
the group.
Adapted from InfoTasks for Successful Learning. Pembroke Publishers, 2001
20
Student Writing
Resource
The Data Digger
· Today as the Data Digger you are trying
to uncover information to help your group
find the answer to our class question.
· Record your discoveries in point form on
index cards or sticky notes.
· Review your data and select the most
relevant to share in discussion/information
circle.
The Reflector
· Today you will be asked to make personal
connections to the information you are
reading and viewing.
· Consider:
- Is this important? Why?
- Do you agree or disagree? Why?
- What is your opinion?
· Record your thoughts and share them at
the discussion circle.
The Moderator
· As Moderator, you have read/viewed your
information text. Your task today is to
keep the conversations flowing in your
group.
· Encourage others to comment and ask
questions.
· If your group is straying off topic remind
them of the inquiry question(s).
· Remind the group to fill out their learning
logs.
17
 ACTIVITY SHEET: WRITING PROMPT
Session 4: Utilizing Disciplinary Literacy in Attaining Independent Reading and Writing

18
 ACTIVITY SHEET: QUICK WRITES- STUCTURED NOTE TAKING
Session 4: Utilizing Disciplinary Literacy in Attaining Independent Reading and Writing

19
20
 ACTIVITY SHEET: LEARNING LOG- STROMPTS
Session 4: Utilizing Disciplinary Literacy in Attaining Independent Reading and Writing

21
 ACTIVITY SHEET: MICROTHEME
Session 4: Utilizing Disciplinary Literacy in Attaining Independent Reading and Writing

22
 ACTIVITY SHEET: PARAGRAPH FRAME
Session 4: Utilizing Disciplinary Literacy in Attaining Independent Reading and Writing

23
EEG signals accurately predict autism as early as
3 months of age
Early diagnosis by 'digital biomarkers' may allow early intervention, better outcomes
Date: May 1, 2018
Source: Boston Children's Hospital
Summary:
Autism is challenging to diagnose, especially early in life. A new study shows that inexpensive
EEGs, which measure brain electrical activity, accurately predict or rule out autism spectrum
disorder in infants, even in some as young as three months.

Autism is challenging to diagnose, especially early in life. A new study in the journal Scientific
Reportsshows that inexpensive EEGs, which measure brain electrical activity, accurately predict or
rule out autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in infants, even in some as young as 3 months.

"EEGs are low-cost, non-invasive and relatively easy to incorporate into well-baby checkups," says
Charles Nelson, PhD, director of the Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience at Boston Children's
Hospital and co-author of the study. "Their reliability in predicting whether a child will develop
autism raises the possibility of intervening very early, well before clear behavioral symptoms
emerge. This could lead to better outcomes and perhaps even prevent some of the behaviors
associated with ASD."
The study analyzed data from the Infant Sibling Project (now called the Infant Screening Project), a
collaboration between Boston Children's Hospital and Boston University that seeks to map early
development and identify infants at risk for developing ASD and/or language and communication
difficulties.
William Bosl, PhD, associate professor of Health Informatics and Clinical Psychology at the
University of San Francisco, also affiliated with the Computational Health Informatics Program
(CHIP) at Boston Children's Hospital, has been working for close to a decade on algorithms to
interpret EEG signals, the familiar squiggly lines generated by electrical activity in the brain. Bosl's
research suggests that even an EEG that appears normal contains "deep" data that reflect brain
function, connectivity patterns and structure that can be found only with computer algorithms.
Bosl's computational algorithms analyzed six different components (frequencies) of the EEG (high
gamma, gamma, beta, alpha, theta, delta), using a variety of measures of signal complexity. These
measures can reflect differences in how the brain is wired and how it processes and integrates
information, says Bosl.

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Geostrategy Platform
(From the World Economic Forum, May 1, 2018)

Social media is a nearly ubiquitous aspect of everyday life, with political and social implications that
societies are only now starting to approach.

With an estimated 3.8 billion Internet users worldwide, new media in the form of Web 2.0
applications and their user-generated content increasingly rival traditional media as the means of
circulating and gathering information.

Central to the power and importance of social media is its visuality and the speed with which
content can circulate.

Researchers and policymakers, however, have primarily focused on the political implications of
social media in terms of promoting revolutionary change (e.g. the optimism around the ‘Arab
Spring’), as a tool of radicalization (e.g. concerns about recruitment to terrorist organizations such
as the Islamic State group) or as a resource for disseminating information and the challenges this
poses to states.

What is the Water Cycle

(https://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclesummarytext.html)

A quick summary of the water cycle

The water cycle has no starting point. But, we'll begin in the oceans, since that is where most of
Earth's water exists. The sun, which drives the water cycle, heats water in the oceans. Some of
it evaporates as vapor into the air. Ice and snow can sublimate directly into water vapor. Rising air
currents take the vapor up into the atmosphere, along with water from evapotranspiration, which is
water transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil. The vapor rises into the air where cooler
temperatures cause it to condense into clouds. Air currents move clouds around the globe, cloud
particles collide, grow, and fall out of the sky as precipitation. Some precipitation falls as snow and
can accumulate as ice caps and glaciers, which can store frozen water for thousands of years.
Snowpacks in warmer climates often thaw and melt when spring arrives, and the melted water flows
overland as snowmelt. Most precipitation falls back into the oceans or onto land, where, due to
gravity, the precipitation flows over the ground as surface runoff. A portion of runoff enters rivers in
valleys in the landscape, with streamflow moving water towards the oceans. Runoff, and
groundwater seepage, accumulate and are stored as freshwater in lakes. Not all runoff flows into
rivers, though. Much of it soaks into the ground as infiltration. Some water infiltrates deep into the
ground and replenishes aquifers (saturated subsurface rock), which store huge amounts of
freshwater for long periods of time. Some infiltration stays close to the land surface and can seep
back into surface-water bodies (and the ocean) as groundwater discharge, and some ground water
finds openings in the land surface and emerges as freshwater springs. Over time, though, all of this
water keeps moving, some to reenter the ocean, where the water cycle "ends" ... oops - I mean,
where it "begins."

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BIOGRAPHY of JOSE CRUZ
(https://www.scribd.com/document/268849375/Famous-Filipino-Scientists-and-Inventors)

Jose Cruz was born on September 17, 1932. He was elected as Academician (Corresponding
Member) in 2003. He finished B.S. Electrical Engineering at the University of the Philippines in
1953, M.S. Electrical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1956 and Ph. D.
Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois, 1959. In appreciation of his scientific and technological
contributions to electrical engineering through the progress of several methods for the
understanding study of dynamic systems with respect to parameters variations; founding of the idea
comparison sensitivity matrix that captures the result of feedback on shifting the influence of
parameter distinction on system output errors in multi-variable feedback system; and the
preservation of system optimality for a range parameter standards even when the feedback control
structure is set.

He implement the Master of Engineering programs in several association of engineering schools he

helped to expand; the appointment of many ESEP scholars in PhD. sandwich programs in the US
and the agreement for short stay and observations to the US by officials and scholars from the
engineering faculty of different universities in the Philippines. With all that, Dr. Jose Cruz has
enormously contributed to the development of the quality of engineering education in the
Philippines.

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