Pins Of The Week
4 months ago
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
March 10, 2010
Vocaroo...we love you! What a quick way to make a recording--totally INSTANT! I could totally see this being used by students to practice fluency...even non-ELL students! This particular recording is a book I read called, The Crayon Box That Talked, by Shane DeRolf. I used this book for a lesson which I taught my first graders in my Dyad placement during fall quarter. It's a sweet story about diversity--how everyone is unique but that altogether we make the picture complete! After the readaloud, we had each student color a giant crayon and then we glued a (face) photo of that student onto the crayon. The kids loved the book--and I do, too!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Saturday, February 20
The Hudson et al. article about dyslexia and brain research tells us that, "Without intense intervention, low motivation may develop as students try to avoid a difficult and painful task. (p. 512)" As I read about differences in brain activity among students with RD, I am reminded that students who have been identified with some kind a reading disability really need to be informed about how they "simply process language differently than their peers. (p. 512)" These students may experience tremendous emotional burdens because they struggle where their peers do not. If we can tell them that "research shows..." that their reading may be improved with some good hard work (the intervention), they may be more motivated to do what needs to be done. Even teachers need to hear, "research shows...", in order to gain more confidence in helping individual students. Educators need to know that intervention can't wait because of paperwork or getting the "right" number of approvals.
This ties in with the Mesmer et al. article which urges more immediate interventions. The RTI approach steers educators away from the discrepancy model for identifying students with disabilities; supporters of RTI claim that it would resolve the problem of "waiting to fail." As stated above, motivation for these struggling learners is already waning. The longer they have to wait for some support, the likelier it is that the "failure" factor increases. Ann Van Cotthem's blog about RTI supports my understanding as well. We would all like to know that it is possible for all students to have quality learning opportunities in schools.
I am hopeful that as more brain research makes its way towards the "powers that be, we will eliminate the time "spent admiring the student's reading problem" and get on with helping those students achieve success in learning and in life.
This ties in with the Mesmer et al. article which urges more immediate interventions. The RTI approach steers educators away from the discrepancy model for identifying students with disabilities; supporters of RTI claim that it would resolve the problem of "waiting to fail." As stated above, motivation for these struggling learners is already waning. The longer they have to wait for some support, the likelier it is that the "failure" factor increases. Ann Van Cotthem's blog about RTI supports my understanding as well. We would all like to know that it is possible for all students to have quality learning opportunities in schools.
I am hopeful that as more brain research makes its way towards the "powers that be, we will eliminate the time "spent admiring the student's reading problem" and get on with helping those students achieve success in learning and in life.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Friday, February 12
I was glad that Regie Routman devoted an entire chapter to creating an "outstanding" classroom library--bravo! Throughout my observations of various classrooms this past year at my placement schools, I have to say my first impressions often entail whether or not I see an inviting reading area in the classroom. Some have "it;" some are sorely lacking. In Gladwell's book, Outliers, and in other research about determining the success of young students, we learn that the presence or availability of books in homes is one of the key factors. Some homes simply do not have a lot of books lying about; some families don't take their kids to the public libraries. The classroom may be the primary place some kids have access to books. I have lots of fond memories of books as a child, and I can recall the joy of being faced with a plethora of books and knowing I had freedom to choose what I wanted to read. The library was this way for me, and so were many classrooms. Literacy and language are so crucial to all other subjects at school; it's no wonder that this should be a visible, accessible part of students' learning environment.
I liked Routman's suggestion that kids help set up the classroom library so they have ownership and so they can jointly become excited about all the possiblities! I also agree that we should not accentuate leveled reading with distinct labeling, etc. Choice is so very important to young readers. If a teacher can help kids understand how to pick "just-right" books, there should be no need for categorizing by level. And let's hear it for offering magazines and comic books! I grew up on comic books well before I became an avid reader of "real" literature. Parents mostly agree--just get my kid into books somehow...whether it's Captain Underpants, Walter the Farting Dog, Twilight, or Sports Illustrated...interest in reading is gradual--sometimes painstakingly slow. Written text is abundant all around us; let's expose kids to the variety and hook them into reading by letting them steer the way.
I liked Routman's suggestion that kids help set up the classroom library so they have ownership and so they can jointly become excited about all the possiblities! I also agree that we should not accentuate leveled reading with distinct labeling, etc. Choice is so very important to young readers. If a teacher can help kids understand how to pick "just-right" books, there should be no need for categorizing by level. And let's hear it for offering magazines and comic books! I grew up on comic books well before I became an avid reader of "real" literature. Parents mostly agree--just get my kid into books somehow...whether it's Captain Underpants, Walter the Farting Dog, Twilight, or Sports Illustrated...interest in reading is gradual--sometimes painstakingly slow. Written text is abundant all around us; let's expose kids to the variety and hook them into reading by letting them steer the way.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
February 6, 2010
Routman and Cooper were oh-so-similar with their strategies to help with comprehension, I wanted to see who published their list first…it was Regie Routman (2003). Cooper et al. published their article about helping students construct meaning in 2009. Their list was nearly identical to Routman’s. It’s a great menu of options for helping our students.
For myself, being the dreamer that I am, I need to highlight or take notes while I read school books or articles. Otherwise, I nearly always need to go back and re-read to grasp key material. And, like kids, it helps if I have some questions to reflect on while I read.
In my 6th grade class, the teacher creates a weekly organizer for students. It provides kids with daily assigned reading and questions about that reading; most questions pertain in some way to their understanding of the text and relate to several of the items in our strategies lists (e.g. prediction, making connections, identifying main ideas). This has worked very well since the start of the year. It makes reading more manageable for the students by breaking it down into sections. The teacher also provides extensions for kids who work ahead.
I like Cooper’s addition of “evaluating” as a strategy. I think this is another important component of a student’s understanding of their reading by requiring them to make judgments about what they read. By letting kids express opinions about their learning, we are saying that we value their opinions and the life histories that they bring to the group and as individuals. Evaluating is also important as it helps develop students’ critical thinking.
March 12: In responding to Cara Byrne's blog I was drawn to re-reading my own blog here about comprehension. Cara wrote about the value in informal reading conferences. The one-on-one approach is idea for working with students to determine personal reading goals. However, while you (the teacher) are trying to meet with individuals, we also need to have students work on different strategies in reading which will highlight where they might need further assistance. For me--it is the reading packets. They become a great source of conversation when meeting with individuals. We can sit together (teacher and student), read through their responses, and talk about where their strengths and their struggles lie!
For myself, being the dreamer that I am, I need to highlight or take notes while I read school books or articles. Otherwise, I nearly always need to go back and re-read to grasp key material. And, like kids, it helps if I have some questions to reflect on while I read.
In my 6th grade class, the teacher creates a weekly organizer for students. It provides kids with daily assigned reading and questions about that reading; most questions pertain in some way to their understanding of the text and relate to several of the items in our strategies lists (e.g. prediction, making connections, identifying main ideas). This has worked very well since the start of the year. It makes reading more manageable for the students by breaking it down into sections. The teacher also provides extensions for kids who work ahead.
I like Cooper’s addition of “evaluating” as a strategy. I think this is another important component of a student’s understanding of their reading by requiring them to make judgments about what they read. By letting kids express opinions about their learning, we are saying that we value their opinions and the life histories that they bring to the group and as individuals. Evaluating is also important as it helps develop students’ critical thinking.
March 12: In responding to Cara Byrne's blog I was drawn to re-reading my own blog here about comprehension. Cara wrote about the value in informal reading conferences. The one-on-one approach is idea for working with students to determine personal reading goals. However, while you (the teacher) are trying to meet with individuals, we also need to have students work on different strategies in reading which will highlight where they might need further assistance. For me--it is the reading packets. They become a great source of conversation when meeting with individuals. We can sit together (teacher and student), read through their responses, and talk about where their strengths and their struggles lie!
Monday, January 25, 2010
January 24, 2010
Another "catchup" blog...this time about Routman's "Top Five" things to do to create successful readers. Difficult to choose just one, as they are all connected. What I predict will challenge me most as a teacher is: "Teach strategies students need to know to process and understand text." Kids are not equally fond of reading. For some--reading comes easy and is very enjoyable. For others, they struggle to get through assignments and can't comprehend the enjoyment factor (life my own son). In my main placement, the teacher creates a weekly reading packet broken down by daily reading and short writing responses. I have seen that students respond well to this manageable approach to required reading.
Within the daily assigned reading, students are asked to make choices within a table with headings such as comprehension, learning target, vocabulary. I'm sure my teacher spends a lot of time creating these packets. But she does this because she knows her group of learners, and she wants them all to be successful. She also provides a final section called extensions. This can be completed by those students who work ahead of the daily schedule; it's a "challenge" section. Most of our students aspire to reach this section.
With this packet, the teacher can easily monitor who is on schedule and who is struggling. She often has one-on-one chats with students about their personal goals to fulfill the responsibilities of the assignment (reading packet). This ensures that students don't fall too far behind. This, of course, ties into Routman's fifth item of evaluating students.
The "Put Reading First" report addresses the importance of text comprehension. My teacher's strategy to help students is similar to the graphic or semantic organizer strategy described in this section. Again--it makes comprehension more manageable--for all level of readers within a classroom.
I don't think students often realize the painstaking efforts teachers make to help them learn. The reading packet my teacher uses is invaluable. It helps those students who find it difficult to reflect and write about their reading. And it's ideal for those students who enjoy accomplishing "to-do" lists of work. A big hope is that all students can look at reading as something to enjoy and relate to in relation to their own lives. How they "digest" reading as kids will inevitably reflect in who they become as older readers--in school and in their personal lives.
March 12...a note about a comment I made on Steve Rencher's blog:
Steve's discussion of chatting informally with kids about books makes me think about the value of conversation. Kids can pick up on so much if they are willing to verbalize their thoughts about what they are reading. Steve's passion for books and the way in which he shares this with young readers is a huge step towards kids being able to digest their reading better!
Within the daily assigned reading, students are asked to make choices within a table with headings such as comprehension, learning target, vocabulary. I'm sure my teacher spends a lot of time creating these packets. But she does this because she knows her group of learners, and she wants them all to be successful. She also provides a final section called extensions. This can be completed by those students who work ahead of the daily schedule; it's a "challenge" section. Most of our students aspire to reach this section.
With this packet, the teacher can easily monitor who is on schedule and who is struggling. She often has one-on-one chats with students about their personal goals to fulfill the responsibilities of the assignment (reading packet). This ensures that students don't fall too far behind. This, of course, ties into Routman's fifth item of evaluating students.
The "Put Reading First" report addresses the importance of text comprehension. My teacher's strategy to help students is similar to the graphic or semantic organizer strategy described in this section. Again--it makes comprehension more manageable--for all level of readers within a classroom.
I don't think students often realize the painstaking efforts teachers make to help them learn. The reading packet my teacher uses is invaluable. It helps those students who find it difficult to reflect and write about their reading. And it's ideal for those students who enjoy accomplishing "to-do" lists of work. A big hope is that all students can look at reading as something to enjoy and relate to in relation to their own lives. How they "digest" reading as kids will inevitably reflect in who they become as older readers--in school and in their personal lives.
March 12...a note about a comment I made on Steve Rencher's blog:
Steve's discussion of chatting informally with kids about books makes me think about the value of conversation. Kids can pick up on so much if they are willing to verbalize their thoughts about what they are reading. Steve's passion for books and the way in which he shares this with young readers is a huge step towards kids being able to digest their reading better!
January 24, 2010
I'll talk here about Cambourne's Conditions of Learning. I appreciate seeing these conditions modeled frequently in my main placement. My supervising teacher creates the environmental conditions essential to literacy learning.
With regard to language immersion, students in our class are accustomed to the routine of discussion, whether it is via individual response, small groups, or whole group discussion. They are also constantly exposed to written text as my teacher successfully incorporates an interdisciplinary approach to her teaching. Students are often asked to respond to teaching with quick writes and/or journal entries. This ties into how the teacher demonstrates her assignment and her expectations. I have to mention that here is where a teacher's love of learning shines powerfully. Students will recognize a teacher's enthusiasm for learning. If they respect that teacher, students gain confidence as they try out what the teacher asks of them. A really good teacher will also empower his/her students with managing the choices they need to make to be successful in their learning.
Practice, practice, practice...students should be given lots of opportunities to use what they learn--and across the curriculum. And it's the teacher's responsibility to provide a safe environment in her classroom to allow students to try things out, make mistakes. In my 6th grade class, the teacher has taught the students the value of sharing their mistakes. During math, after a mini-lesson, and after small group work sessions of math problems, students are asked to share their findings on the Active Board. She praises not only the correct answers--but also demonstrations by students of how they made errors in their work. Chances are someone else made the same error; everyone learns from this sharing.
Finally, students of all ages (even us "older" ones!) appreciate feedback. Sometimes we are asked to reflect upon ourselves or our classmates. Sometimes the teacher evaluates our understandings. Whatever form it takes--it gives us constant affirmation of our accomplishments. An example from my placement classroom: Buzz Time. Kids form small groups of 2-4 students each. They share what independent reading they have done for the week by way of responding to a prompt. Examples: "I was most surprised when..." or "I can relate most to the character of..." They report on a classmate's response. This way, students are sharing in each other's self-reflections of reading. Fun--and very engaging!
With regard to language immersion, students in our class are accustomed to the routine of discussion, whether it is via individual response, small groups, or whole group discussion. They are also constantly exposed to written text as my teacher successfully incorporates an interdisciplinary approach to her teaching. Students are often asked to respond to teaching with quick writes and/or journal entries. This ties into how the teacher demonstrates her assignment and her expectations. I have to mention that here is where a teacher's love of learning shines powerfully. Students will recognize a teacher's enthusiasm for learning. If they respect that teacher, students gain confidence as they try out what the teacher asks of them. A really good teacher will also empower his/her students with managing the choices they need to make to be successful in their learning.
Practice, practice, practice...students should be given lots of opportunities to use what they learn--and across the curriculum. And it's the teacher's responsibility to provide a safe environment in her classroom to allow students to try things out, make mistakes. In my 6th grade class, the teacher has taught the students the value of sharing their mistakes. During math, after a mini-lesson, and after small group work sessions of math problems, students are asked to share their findings on the Active Board. She praises not only the correct answers--but also demonstrations by students of how they made errors in their work. Chances are someone else made the same error; everyone learns from this sharing.
Finally, students of all ages (even us "older" ones!) appreciate feedback. Sometimes we are asked to reflect upon ourselves or our classmates. Sometimes the teacher evaluates our understandings. Whatever form it takes--it gives us constant affirmation of our accomplishments. An example from my placement classroom: Buzz Time. Kids form small groups of 2-4 students each. They share what independent reading they have done for the week by way of responding to a prompt. Examples: "I was most surprised when..." or "I can relate most to the character of..." They report on a classmate's response. This way, students are sharing in each other's self-reflections of reading. Fun--and very engaging!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Two of Everything
Last Tuesday, December 1, me and my dyad partner (Heba) led a short math lesson in our first grade class. The lesson included a read-aloud of a children's book called, Two of Everything--A Chinese Folktale, written by Lily Hong. Following the story, I created a practice activity to teach them about doubling numbers--or counting the same number twice. I showed our students a big pot--my "magic pot!" I also showed them a basket of various small items. Unbeknownst to the kids--I also had the same number of same items hidden on the bottom of the pot. As was told in the story--every time I put items in the pot--I could pull out double the number of items--magically! We did this several times. Each time, I asked the students..."If I put in this number of items...how many will I pull out? (Answer: double the number)Most of the kids were in total awe and were also able to guess the correct number outcomes. I felt like a magician! There were a few boys who kept creeping closer to the pot...they guessed that I already had those items on the bottom of the pot.
I loved this activity. I can't believe I just thought of it that morning. It was great to see the kids so engaged and having fun and doing math all at the same time.
For a wrap-up, and to see if kids "got" the concept of doubling, we asked them to complete a worksheet: a picture of a big pot. They had to draw items (two equal sets) in the pot and fill in the blanks of a picture sentence...___ plus ___ = ___ (something like that). The kids were able to use their imaginations in choosing what they wanted to see doubled. We walked around visiting kids during this time and made sure they understood the doubling idea...Most got it!
I loved this activity. I can't believe I just thought of it that morning. It was great to see the kids so engaged and having fun and doing math all at the same time.
For a wrap-up, and to see if kids "got" the concept of doubling, we asked them to complete a worksheet: a picture of a big pot. They had to draw items (two equal sets) in the pot and fill in the blanks of a picture sentence...___ plus ___ = ___ (something like that). The kids were able to use their imaginations in choosing what they wanted to see doubled. We walked around visiting kids during this time and made sure they understood the doubling idea...Most got it!
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