Core State Standards
Assignment: Literature Review Step II
Completing a literature review requires higher-order and critical thinking skills. In a literature review, you extract themes and key information and synthesize them to illustrate your point. In Discussion 2, you selected four articles about a topic, you then organized the information about the four articles by identifying and summarizing them. In essence, you completed the first step of a mini literature review. In this Assignment, you complete the next step of a mini literature review by critically analyzing the information you have gathered.
In Discussion 1, you answered the question: What information is available on the issue and what does it say? In this Assignment, you want to answer questions such as: What themes can I identify? How does this information relate to the issue I am exploring? What information is most important, and why? What problem(s) related to the issue the author address? What problems still need to be addressed?
To prepare for this Assignment, review the required readings (e.g., APA readings) related to literature reviews. Be sure to review the rubric for this assignment to understand how the literature review will be evaluated.
By Day 7 of Week 5 Submit a 4- to 5-page literature review based on the four articles you collected. Be sure your literature review reflects the questions posed in the opening paragraphs of this Assignment.
NOTE: This assignment is based on a Case Study that we’ve been studying: Case Study for Issues in K-12 Education. Scenario: Your state is considering a required set of education standards that all schools must adopt. You have been nominated to serve on the statewide committee to inform the legislature as to which standards, if any, should be adopted. You will have the opportunity to take a stand on the following issue; does a set of required standards improve or limit education for all students (e.g., general education students, special education, English language learners, gifted learners) in state schools?
I chose to argue that common core state standards (CCSS) improve education for all students in state schools. However, it is the implementation of the standards that is the problem. I’m a special education teacher (DeKalb County School District in GA) so I like choosing articles about the CCSS and students with disabilities. I also like to focus on what the literature is saying about the role that teachers play in the implementation of the standards and how the teachers are prepared to carry out the implementation of the CCSS (professional development). Furthermore, I like to focus on what the articles are saying about modifying the curriculum for students with disabilities and how students with disabilities are being tested in regards to CCSS.
