I'm aware of some things

Though I have enjoyed poetry since I was young, I've enjoyed writing poetry since about middle school. I try to encourage students to craft what they want to say. But I also encourage them to like what they write, even if it's hard to write it. My first experience with this concept came during a class from the Colorado Writing Project. The following poem came about form an exercise. Though the poem has no resemblance to the initial writing I did, it was the prompt, "Why do you think it's beautiful?" that  led to me internalizing my ideals of beauty.

 The Clothesline

Fabrics weighted down by water,

Heavily tugging on sagging wire

Gripped by

Two old women, stooped from years of use,

Sentinels of evidence that some things in life

Really are simple.

I think this connects back to running through fabrics or making a house in the midst of the hanging laundry. I really like the way clotheslines look.

I Like This

I enjoy learning. Like many people in education, I like classes that support my instruction as well as my own personal growth. Often times though, class assignments feel too hoop like. Here is a paper I really enjoyed writing while I had to really think about what is expected and what I wanted to say.

Dear Shel Silverstein,           

  Your books keep disappearing from my classroom shelves! And they were hardbacks ($$) too! Some of those copies were my own children’s books. My own kids are a little peeved with me but understand why your funny words disappear from my classroom shelves. I used a poem of yours yesterday to teach inference. You know, the one that goes like this:

"Teddy said it was a hat,

So I put it on.

Now dad is saying,

"where the heck's the toilet plunger gone?" -Shel Silberstein (Hat, Where the Sidewalk Ends,1974).

  I loved the little picture accompanying the poem but didn’t have the book (it was borrowed) so kids heard me recite. I think you would be proud, except when I laugh during my recitation, which I didn’t this last time. The kids did though. Some knew the poem and the picture! Everyone got the poem, thought not at the same time. I could see awareness spread across their faces … the awareness, the disgust (surprisingly, not from boys), and the potty humor. Oh Shel, why when I write to you do I want to put exclamation points at the end of every sentence!? Even though you are no longer with us, I imagine you are smiling at the thought of a teacher writing a dead person a … letter, diatribe, a note. I am a rambler, but with you, it is all okay.

Miss you,

Kristie

(At my school, the kids call all adults by their first name)

 The books really do disappear. Because Shel Silverstein was so comfortable with writing, his writing, children all over the world can learn, enjoy, laugh, and maybe even reflect on who they are. What did he do exactly? He wrote with children in mind. He wrote what he wanted.

 Though I would share with Mr. Silverstein my use of his poem for teaching inference I would not share what went down the second week of school. The three advisors (what we call teachers at the Open School) from IA (intermediate team) wanted to do the formulaic “I Am” poem. It was reasoned that it was going to be displayed with each students’ poster to express who they are, a sort of “get to know you.” Yes, I agreed and acknowledged I had done the “I Am” for a number of years as a third grade teacher. It was always for a Christmas present, fixed neatly next to a silhouette of the student. Laminated, of course.

  I struggled with this assignment but then saw through the can of worms. I am …the newbie on the team. I have my opinions and I would have to roll them out slowly to be heard. Well, the slow boat attitude sailed as I encounter conferencing with students. It felt so wrong. I thought about the purpose of this assignment and asked the team if I could put a line from a poem by Tennyson that states, “I am a part of all that I have met” in the middle of the stapled works, and they thought that was cool. It helped me justify this most inauthentic poem for some reason.

  My conscience was not only struck by learned textbook readings, but from conferences with students. Not only were they uninterested in slapping down the prescribed descriptors with the nauseating repeater line, I am, this was the third time for the sixth graders! Yikes! I encouraged them that they were different people then they were a year ago. Some kids fell for that. A few asked if they could just copy their poem from last year. I swear.

  We watch authentic writing fly off the bookshelves then ask kids to write formulaic writing and expect... what? Results? Good writing? Great insight?

  Ah ha, but insight must come from within. From research collected by the National Writing Project and Carl Nagin (2006, p.22), they found, “The very difficulty of writing is its virtue: it requires that students move beyond rote learning and simply reproducing information, facts, dates, and formulae.”

  With personal narratives now on the menu, this advisor promotes “recent writing research, they [teachers] begin to direct children to write to real audiences, such as classmates, and teachers, for feedback and evaluation regarding successive drafts”(Nagin, 2006, p.31). The conferences have been exhilarating, frustrating, demanding, and influential. Not one question of, “Can I copy?” or “Can I be done?” Students are asked to tell their story. Their story. They are asked why did they pick this particular story to tell or any variety of questions to explore their source of insight. Students are asked to inquire of their own minds and some one is interested. Some one is listening. Student and teacher, work out the kinks of writing, the difficulties, in thoughtful but necessary ways (p.37). Still, always for this advisor, Shel Silverstein is whispering down from writer’s paradise, “Oh let them say it the way they want to.”

Reference

National Writing Project & Nagin, C. (2006). Because writing matters: improving student             writing in our schools. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass.

  Silverstein, S. (1974). Where the sidewalk ends. NY, New York.Harper and Row.

Webpage

https://sites.google.com/a/jeffcoschools.us/kristie-and-bryan-s-web-page/

Bryan really gets the credit for getting this going. The goal is to have the students take-over the maintenance and fill in with news articles. We'll continue to communicate our views on what's going on but look forward to a more collaborative approach to the traditional newsletter.

Trip Journal

Open School classes take lots of trips. Starting at grades 1,2,3 multi-age of course, trips are typically one nighters twice a year. By the time the kids get to 4,5,6 they are true troopers. We went to Glenwood Springs. My first Open School trip experience. I wrote about our hike to Hanging Lake. All students brought a trip journal and as a class wrote some topics. Bryan and I wanted to allow for narrative as well as observational writing.
9/14/11 Here's my narrative.

It's only one mile. Straight up. As I struggle for air I find I am thankful I can climb. It's simply gorgeous. Sedimentary stairs, and walls of centuries past and pressed. Trees taking advantage of the shade and water. Algae and moss doing the same. I know some Native American girl must have imagined it her mansion. I climb. Some students lagging, other urging me on. This is school on a Tuesday. I keep on. Wondering if I'm still in Glenwood, I could swear I stumbled upon an ancient civilization. Earth dumped earth or did man dump earth. Need air and water, like algae, I have no roots. Woozey from the view, I stumble a bit. I'm tired and it's a long ways down from where I'm standing. The crash of more water into a turquoise lake. Like a postcard it's a view. Kids are calling me. Kristie see this, Kristie did you see that. Kristie, Kristie, Kristie, it's Open School and the kids are STILL excited. As they should be. I want to come back and do it all again. Maybe I want to come back with forty-seven kids. Time to head back through ancient Glenwood. I'm a time traveler. I'm a teacher. What a trip.

Emails

I just can't get into FB! I like getting emails through FB but I don't really have time nor inclination to "hang" with it. Email, I do like. A big mode of communication I have come to appreciate. My son, Luke, and I have exchanged a few over the course of our educations. Here are a couple of "communications" that warm my heart.

Luke Edwards wrote:

I got my final back today, 245 / 250! I attache the final copy in case you care to read (hopefully I was able to clarify areas that were vague).
Thanks for the editing help.

Also, this is my first block of classes where I got an A in each class!

Can't tell you how much I am looking forward to a little break from school...
<Virtualization_final.doc>
You are so welcome! I was so intrigued by your paper so it made reading easy. I must say it is so wonderful to see you using that fabulous brain of yours in a way that makes you excited about learning. I know school can be tough but you have such a great attitude. Congrats on the all A's! Working full time, being a husband and a father all while going to school will only make you stronger as a person. Your father and I are so proud of you. Enjoy your well deserved break. I know I am.
Love,
Mom

On the funny side:

Ola Madre,

Your paper was very interesting to read, unfortunately, I could not see the pictures because you use a *cough*cough* crapintosh. It appears as though the files you are using are TIFF formats which are very large in file-size (making your paper almost 10MB in size, way bigger than it should be). I'll do some research and see if I can find you a free program that will compress your images into JPG files which will cut the overall size of the file by 80% and make it readable by just about any word-document-reader. Other than not being able to see any images (except the papers written by children), I thoroughly enjoyed your paper!

Oh my dear son,

Aside from the ever-so-not-veiled reference to my computer, I agree I need to learn more. I've already learned that jpeg is much smaller than a pdf. I used the picture of Orin looking at you right after his birth for my page eight! I got a perfect score because the info was good but I intended to work that picture in no matter what. You were not raised to be prejudice, did an apple smack you in the head?
Love,
Mom


Luke wrote back that, no, he was not raised to be prejudice nor was he raised to accept some foolish media something or other. It was well said. Don't have it in my files. Wish I did. email, go figure.

Working on Communicating with Parents

There is so much of this type of writing that goes into the beginning of the year. My teammate and I decided to shelve this for conferences and discuss classroom content at the moment. This "Letter of Interest" was in my files and I have no idea where it came from but seem to fit what we needed to communicate at some point.

Letter of interest

All the assessments work together to give me a picture of a students challenges and areas of strength in learning. Using a variety of comprehension, oral language, fluency, vocabulary, as well as predictive assessments allow me to provide effective/flexible groupings for discussion and learning.

I’ve used data to adjust my instruction. DIBELS and DIBELS Progress Monitoring help me with a part of the puzzle of instruction and students needs. DRA II incorporates comprehension and fluency information. I2a helps to get a picture of what kids already know and facilitates the differentiation of a class.

A Favorite Poem

Anne Sexton

Words

Be careful of words,
even the miraculous ones.
For the miraculous we do our best,
sometimes they swarm like insects
and leave not a sting but a kiss.
They can be as good as fingers.
They can be as trusty as the rock
you stick your bottom on.
But they can be both daisies and bruises.

Yet I am in love with words.
They are doves falling out of the ceiling.
They are six holy oranges sitting in my lap.
They are the trees, the legs of summer,
and the sun, its passionate face.

Yet often they fail me.
I have so much I want to say,
so many stories, images, proverbs, etc.
But the words aren't good enough,
the wrong ones kiss me.
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
but with the wings of a wren.

But I try to take care
and be gentle to them.
Words and eggs must be handled with care.
Once broken they are impossible
things to repair.

I Started ...

I've started a list of idioms or just groups of words I like. In a book about song writing, I read where Paul Simon said he'll put words together without concern for meaning, he just really likes the way they work together such as: "the boy in the bubble and the baby with the baboon heart."

My writer's notebook is really several hard copies (because I have to write when it's in my brain or I forget) and lots of folders on my computer. Some hard copies have been put into my computer but these types of lines are spread out!

Tickle in time

Soul of discretion

No accounting for taste

Pandora’s box

Drinking something to : delight the senses

Smoking …                           dull the senses

Talking  …                           confound the senses

More Unfinished Business

Short Stories On Teaching

Walking into the classroom I realized the severity of my decision to be a teacher. Did I really have to teach kids to read? Shouldn’t all fifth and sixth graders know how to read? The question never crossed my mind and I’m a sure professor in my reading minor brought it up. Didn’t they? I simply couldn’t remember.

Modeling

 Brave Bella

Aunt Kristie wanted to spend the day with Bella. She asked Bella if she would like to go to an indoor pool and go swimming or go to the zoo. Bella chose the pool. It was a date.

This is an example of a starter or story idea. The story may "come out" at some point but it's in my journal. I like the title. So I wrote it first. I model my own idiosyncratic approach, or thinking, to writing and ask students to think about their ways they access ideas and to be sure to pay attention. Otherwise, it's easy to forget what popped into our heads.

Narrative

After using several mentor text for personal narrative, Patrica Polacco, for one, I knew I had to model what I expected from kids.  If I am going to asking students to write from a personal experience, then my anchor text was going to be from my own experience. I wanted to teach "Diving-in" as a way to begin a narrative, while also modeling a "seed story."

"Bella, Bella come here. You want to see a bear?' I whispered. Bella whispered loudly, "Yes!" Her mother, Molly looked worried and  said, "Yes, no, I don't know." We were the stragglers of a mile hike to a huge rock to take a family picture. Little Bella, only three years old, did pretty well but was getting tired. Bella had been dragging a large bag of Dorito's which her mother brought to keep 'Bells' happy. She needs her snacks. There we were in Moraine Park in Rocky Mountain National Forest, along a trail that parallels a river, trying to keep Bella moving when I spotted a bear cub. As Bella and Molly came around a large bush, we saw another bear cub catch up to the first and playfully swat at its back. We were transfixed. Our distance felt safe, about 75 feet on a well traveled trail. The bear cubs turned away from us and headed towards the stream when suddenly a mother bear came lumbering along, following her cubs. A thought struck me. Bears have great sense of smell, I looked down at the open bag of Doritos and suddenly 75 feet didn't feel so safe. Molly and I looked at each other and the bag. We smiled when the bears continued to head towards the river. The rest of the family was sad they didn't get to see the bears. We're glad we lived to tell them about it.

Writier's Notebook

Beginning writer's workshop. It was important to me because I know the environment can be so critical to having conversations around writing. Though creating a safe environment was foremost on my mind,  communication the importance became a challenge. Not sure why. When I approached my teammate, he was very open to the steps necessary to create the environment. He got it. He asked me to take "lead" in developing a writer's workshop.
After the workshop began, with mini-lesson and discussions with students about the atmosphere we desired and the way we wanted to converse with each other, the realization came that I needed to write.

Blog #10 Homework Structure

 Rationale/purpose for giving homework:

Students need opportunity to practice what they are learning and provided support for independent work.

What will constitute meaningful homework?

Homework will be comprised of various opportunities to expand and explore learning in all subject area.

It is not the same week to week, but will consist of thoughtful attention to needed practice dependent upon the learning of the week. Mutual agreement will be set according to student or group needs and desire to meet proficiencies.

Reading Objective: to increase strategies and metacognitve awareness in personal choice in reading.

Students will be reading a variety of genres throughout the year. Students will determine their choice for independent reading based on interest and level. Furthermore, students will set goals to accomplish each week in reading and record their goals and observations in reading journals.

Writing Objective: to increase vocabulary usage, craft writing, grammar constructs necessary to explain ideas, explore personal writing genre or communication.

• Students will be writing to increase vocabulary. Specific words and activities may change according to the subjects covered. Example: For the purpose of explaining a science concept vocabulary list may consist of 5 to 10 words for the week with a choice of strategies to increase comprehension.
• Practice recording crafts based on observations will be practiced independently throughout the school year dependent upon the genre of writing that is being addressed in class. Example: Students would observe and record in their writing journal the five senses that are experienced in the kitchen or at a sporting event.
• Free choice writing to explore class learning or the thoughts on writing that are relevant to the growth of the writer.
•  

Math Objective: to increase language, concepts, and explore mathematical thinking

• Consist of fact practice including choice of online, written, or games played.
• Depending upon the concepts covered, math homework will be to support in class concepts with practice and specific due dates will be required. The time frame supports group discussion, correction, and readdressing of concepts as needed. Dates and assignments will be recorded in planners with any necessary modifications.

Science/Social Studies objective vary and are:

• Dependent upon the concepts covered in class, homework is time extended to reduce complexity (look up examples of class stratification from other cultures on the internet) or increase applicability (e.g. time to color a map)

Homework communication:

• All homework and due dates will be recorded in student planner and on master board in classroom as well as online week to week.
• Any online learning may be sent as an attached document where such learning in applied (e.g. spelling practice and vocabulary)
• Student needs and considerations of the desired outcome of the student will be addressed at the time of the assignment.
• Time frames will be mutual agreed upon by all members of a group, or between teacher and student.
• Questions or concerns may be addressed as needed by contacting me via email or checking the class website where homework assignments will be posted.
• Please be aware that students may pursue a personal goal that will be recorded in their planner but not necessarily reflected on the homework website.
• Homework that is to be evaluative will be done through the students portfolio or survey via anecdotal notes or teacher/student conference.

Blog #9 Graphic Organizers

For non-fiction I use a wide variety of organizers from sequencing, cause and effect, main idea and supporting detail are a few. But the one I’ve attached is an analogy chart that would work great comparing and contrasting non-fiction concepts for example “cycles” such as a life cycle and the water cycle.

Character maps are great for fiction. I’ve had book groups pick a character to explore and then share their ideas throughout the story. My example is in word and can be manipulated, because I think the boxes are to small. A journal could also be used with the web titles. In fact, as the school year moves along, I draw the organizer on my chart paper and the students use their journals. Saves paper.

The poetry tree organizer would be used to record poetic devices. While immersed in poetry reading this organizer could be used later for ideas in writing. This can also be manipulated to record specific devices such as simile or color words. I’ve also included a senses chart. This can be used in narrative writing as well.

The last attachment "Graphic Organizers for Reading" is 36 pages of various organizers. They are pdf so they cannot be manipulated, however, there are some great organizers for complex reading strategies.

Blog #8 Sheltered Lesson

     Sheltered lessons provide the teacher with a wide variety of strategies to help students construct meaning. Because "language varies according to context in which it occurs" (Gibbbons, 2002, p.13)  ELLs need scaffolding to support the two ways language is learned. Linguistic (stored as sentences) and non-linguistic (stored at mental images or sensations) representations help students to think about information (Hill & Flynn, 2006). Understanding the need to shelter a lesson based on what's going on in the mind of the learner is important because too often fluency is interpreted as understanding. In other words, just because a student "sounds" like they are fluent does not mean they are fully comprehending a concept (Gibbons, 2004), (Freeman & Freeman, 2004).

Qualities of a Sheltered Lesson:

Before Reading

Teacher explicitly states verbally and in writing:

• Goal
• What they want the student to know and be able to do.
• Reviews reading strategies students will use.

Strategies to develop context:

• Connect background knowledge
• Preview key vocabulary
• Preview story: book walk: summarizing main idea
• Charts & organizers
• Relates to students background knowledge through personal stories and experiences,
• group discussion
• Provides artifacts
• Use student's first language

During Reading

Teacher and students:

• Clarifies and explains relevant cultural connections
• Group discussion
• Read aloud
• Teacher read aloud uses slower speech and clear pronunciation
• Explicitly states reading strategies needed for comprehension and how to use them
• Scaffold strategies by reminding, encouraging, and reviewing
• Wait time
• Reinforce key vocabulary
• Connections: personal, text to text, teacher scaffolds connections

Post-Reading

Teacher and Students:

• Review vocabulary
• Clarification
• Hands on activities
• Connections
• Visualizing
• Questioning
• Written response
• Engaged in discussion

Reflections for Teacher and Students:

Background on targeted strategy reviewed. Diary board includes review with notes on questions and confusions. Post-it notes to facilitate all sorts of strategies including written response.

My Own Reflections

I appreciated the background from the reflection video! From my experience, all the strategies listed and used are what good guided reading instructions look like. Time is an issue. I believe the time is well worth taking and is essential to all students' learning but imperative to the ELL. I loved the Diary Board and use something similar called the parking lot. It's a big black paper with spots numbering the amount of students in class (so that I can see if some choose to skip participation). Students can park with post-its.

References:

     Freeman, D. & Freeman, Y. (2004). Essential linguistics : what you need to teach reading, ESL,
spelling, phonics, and grammar. Portsmouth, NH. Heinemann

     Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: teaching second language learners

in the mainstream classroom. Portsmouth, NH. Heinemann.

     Hill, J. & Flynn, K. (2006). Classroom instruction that works with English language learners. Alexandria, VA. ASCD.

    

Blog #7 Word Recognition and Spelling

Katie is a first grader and Estella is third grader, in my class. Estell has shown growth this year on DRA2, DIBELS, and the Running Record I administer, supposedly at a DRA Level 16. The Mondo levels are inconsistent or idiosyncratic with what our staff is familiar. A constant concern is the high level vocabulary. Predator is in the first grade guided reading book. Yet, neither students tested missed the word. They both new it. Estella was familiar through her own guided reading and oral language. Katie was familiar from a silly song the students learned in shared reading, thus  seeming to support the graphophonics theory of subconscious acquisition (Freeman & Freeman, p.152). Estella substituted the word clod for cloud. I would support using the spelling strategy of sorting vowels. Furthermore, I would like to try a more difficult level for Estella to see if I can find patterns in here reading. I would also like to use a text with which I'm familiar with. I was not particularly comfortable with my tracking as I rushed to get the students tested. Though repeats are not counted against the score, Estella, repeats often. I suspect it is to make sure it is making sense as here slow fluency may make meaning more challenging for her. Actually, there are so many things I will do differently next year with spelling. I've learned so much and all students will benefit from the strategies I've learned. Estella was given a list each week to memorize. The words were taken from lists of rules, math, social studies, and science. We just didn't spend much time on them. The program Katie's class uses is Fundations. It works with words by categorizing, substituting, and dictation. Spelling test are involved and take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes. They do render a great deal of information and only administered every 3 weeks or so. Over the last 7 years as a third grade teacher, I've noticed that the students come as great spellers, indeed, all three third grade teachers agree on this. But this year I told my teammates that I was really having to spend time on thinking skills. I completely identified with the quote from the teacher, Vivian, (Freeman & Freeman, p. 150) and that "constructing meaning" as words are learned would be most beneficial.

I must say I agree with the articles and text I’ve read, that it is important to be comfortable with the running record. I can’t say why administer Running Records went by the wayside but it did. I can’t say I don’t assess often, I do. But, I am realizing the value. The first articles I found, “How Do We Know Johnny Can Read?” Evaluates the use of Running Record as a pilot assessment for first graders, from Central School District. The plan was to have teachers trained to use running records to adjust strategies and increase reading speed. The idea was to be able to ensure their assessments were giving the teacher the information they needed. The second article is helpful for guiding information to relate to parents, “Parents and Children Reading and Reflecting Together: the Possibilities of Family Retrospective Miscue Analysis.” The author looked at how teachers could inform parents so that miscues analysis information is understood by parents and then parents are given strategies to work with their child in the home. Apropos to what I'm learning.

References:

  Freeman, D. & Freeman, Y. (2004). Essential linguistics : what you need to know to teach reading, ESL, spelling, phonics, grammar. Portsmouth:NH. Heinemann.

  Kabuto, B. (2009). Parents and children reading and reflecting together: the possibilities of family retrospective miscue analysis. The Reading Teacher, 63(3), pp. 212–221.

International Reading Association. DOI:10.1598/RT.63.3.4 ISSN: 0034-0561 print / 1936-2714 online.
 
  Yates, S. & Nagel, S. (1997). How do we know Johnny can read? Thrust for Educational Leadership, 10552243, Feb/Mar97, Vol. 26, Issue 5. EBESCOhost. online

Blog #6 Learning vs Acquisition

The students:

L          look up words in the dictionary to write definitions

L           practice sounding out words

L           read in round robin fashion

L           correct peers when they make a mistake

L           divide words into syllables

L           ask teacher how to spell any word they don’t know

L/A      identify words on a big book page that start with the same sound

L /A     write rhyming poetry and then discuss different spellings for the same sound

L/A       group cards with classmates’ names by a criterion on such as first or last letter

L/A       on a worksheet, draw a line from each word to the picture that starts with the same sound

A          make a Venn diagram to compare two stories

A          read a language experience story they have created with the teacher

A          work in pairs to arrange words from a familiar chant into sentences

A          make alphabet books on different topics

The teacher:

L         make sure that students read only books that fit their level

L         has students segment words into phonemes

L        uses decodable text

L         uses a variety of worksheets to teach different skills  

L         conducts phonics drills

L/A     teaches Latin and Greek roots

L/A     preteaches vocabulary

L/A     chooses predictable texts

L/A     asks students to look around the room and find words starting with a certain letter

A        set aside time for SSR (sustained silent reading) each day

A        has students meet in literature circles 

A        write words the students dictate for a story and has students help with the spelling of difficult words

A         teaches students different comprehension strategies

A         does a picture walk of a new book

A         does a shared reading with a big book 

               I must admit I'm not sure about a number of these. For instance, setting aside time for SSR is a slippery slope for acquisition. Is there choice? Or is it just read anything silently?  I think teaching Latin and Greek roots could be helpful for making language-culture connections but redundant without a context. Using a decodable text for the purpose of teaching a poor reader a genre such as mysteries could be beneficial for the reader. Venn diagrams, on the other hand, may need to be discussed and probably shouldn't be used as just a worksheet or seat-work. I had a student I needed to get to trust me to write the words as he thought they were spelled. At the beginning of the year he came up to me every few seconds! But when were writing letters I gave spellings such as” Colonel." Looking around the room to find a certain letter can be helpful for alliteration – a craft!

 

Week 2 Blog #5

The two books I reviewed are Picnic at Mudsock Meadow by Patricia Polacco and Crickwing by Janell Cannon.

These are both authors I use extensively for mentor text. Patricia Polacco for narrative writing and Janell Cannon for crafts, specifically speaker tags, e.g."growled" for "said." Though I use all sorts of strategies for reading, writing conference, math, science, and social studies I have never considered the limited learning from mentor text my teaching is providing for the ELL.

I think Polacco does a wonderful job bringing her own culture into her stories.  She writes from personal memories and there is an authenticity about the experiences that support modeling narrative personal stories. The uniqueness of Polacco's characters may support ELL connections if they can connect to the vocabulary at some level. However, the descriptive writing is high level vocabulary-for third graders. Leer, convincing, mortified not to mention the idioms such as "mad as the dickens." I do take time to clarify or check for understanding when I think that students may not understand fully but that's where my considerations end. Considering my ELL student, this year, wrote a wonderful personal narrative, I believe it was more the oral sharing of stories that directed her accomplishment. Mudsock Meadow takes place in a rural setting that may need to be explored as an authentic setting. Foods such as "wienie" for wienie roast and activities like pumpkin carving or seed-spiting-contest may be a mystery. So idiomatic language, vocabulary, setting, and even the speaker tags are decidedly challenging from a teaching perspective for mentor text. Providing opportunity for connections and oral discourse or "group talk" (Gibbons, 2002) for types of entertainment that are unique to individuals is a great way to support schema. Furthermore, depending on one's perspective such as a person with a city living experience, her books support inclusive cultural experiences (p. 10) that can be further explored among the students.

Crickwing teaches a universal moral (kindness vs self-pity) with insects. Again, as I viewed this much used mentor text from the ELL perspective, the high level vocabulary leaped out at me. Depending on the stage of the ELL "exposing them to words beyond their current repertoire" (Hill & Flynn, 2006) helps promote fluency. I do think the variety of speaker tags offers an opportunity for the students to act them out. For instance, "What does 'growled' sound like. Thus offering scaffolding for all learners and visualizing and mimicry through kinesthetic learning for ELL to boot. With this book I have the students act out mood and behavior from the text so it is a consideration for all students but a tremendous benefit for ELL students. As students' expressive vocabulary in writing builds, so does their comprehension in reading. By students acting out speaker tags, orally sharing similar feelings and experience, repeated readings and a word wall with the speaker tags listed support the ELL student.

Summing up, I view  these text in a different light that suggests I need to think about the adaptations necessary for learning and effective communication. I would not suggest abandonment of the text because of the highlighted difficulties. I think abandoning a text is problematic thinking if there is a way to connect a student to the deeper meaning found in a book.

References:
  Gibbons, P. (2002). Saffolding language, scaffolding learning: teaching second language learners in the mainstream classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
  Hill, J. & Flynn, K. (2006). Classroom instruction that works with English language learners. Alexandria,VA: ASCD.

Week 2 Blog #4

The book I chose to read is Love in the Time of Cholera or, in Spanish, El amor en los tiempos del cólera, a novel by Gabriel García Márquez. This may be cheating, a bit, since I've read nearly all of Marquez's books, though it was always in English. I've always wanted to try reading in Spanish since a Spanish professor, years ago, said I should try because somethings always lost in translation. Wow, I should have thought about what that professor was trying to encourage me in is exactly what I need to learn to minimize lost translation for students. I know I need to support students language for comprehension and learning, but what of the "richness of the culture" they are immersed in yet kept from because the text is too difficult?
I'm nowhere near done but will pick away. I keep a book of 500 Spanish verbs nearby and this helps tremendously! I have some familiarity having taken Spanish in middle, high school, and college. Unfortunately, I don't get the opportunity that I would like to speak Spanish. And when I do (on a visit to Mexico City four years ago) I feel incredibly frustrated. 
When I read in Gibbons (2002) that ELL students have been said to sound rude or abrupt, I can relate, I'm sure I sound abrupt, but everyone I've ever encountered in my travels or speaking with ESL parents have been too polite to to say otherwise.
As I tried to read, I skipped constantly to words that were familiar. I was so frustrated that I could not remember the meaning of common verbs. I read and reread out loud to hear the sounds and see if they would spark a recollection of meaning or connection. I think I also have a hint of shame that I struggle so.
I scaled back to a children's book Abuela by Arthur Dorro. It is a children's picture book, though it too is above my level. I formed meaning from words that are similar to English such as observaría for observation.
As a teacher, I need to do more to break down concepts or find leveled text for science and social studies concepts. Guided reading and reading rotation is well supported with buddy reading, listening post, and small group intervention. For my student that does not read in Spanish, I think I'll read Abuela with her and together see if she can help me with the meaning.

Blog #3 Oral Language and the Reading Process

This has been my year for exploring the oral language connection to reading. Because of the reading program, Mondo, I have been engaged in learning and practicing strategies that support oral language development. Because of my own awareness, I've found myself asking students to engage in more conversation than ever. Furthermore, I implore students to define their ideas rather than letting them default to the "I can't remember" when they are just not sure how to say what they want to say. I've noticed a difference in student articulation and patience with each other because they've learned that others do care what they have to say and want to understand. There seems to be a difference in student's wanting to be understood. This all takes time and in past years I've pushed aside oral learning for more product outcome, i.e. paperwork. As the research is just now reaching teacher's in our school, well, last two years, I'm seeing a certain change in mentality concerning the feel of a classroom or "hum" and the acceptance if not expectation for oral language to be present. The "slow down" dialogue referred to by Gibbons(2002) is not new but I needed a reminder, and our ESL coach talked about the positive effects for our ELL students. I've observed a difference for all students. The biggest push for me is to engage students in more pair and share. It's become habitual in most classrooms in our school and the surprise is that teachers are surprised that students are engaged in their discussions and just visiting. It now, all seems so obvious.

Blog #2 Writing Instruction Reflection

From what I can remember as a student, writing was topic oriented and up to us to put in voice. I engaged in a middle school essay competition but was plagued by insecurity when my teacher told me to edit. I really could not see what was wrong with what I had written. Grammar was not ingrained! I've always enjoyed writing and reading poetry and still do, most likely because of the "freedom" I feel.

As a teacher, my world changed by participating in The Colorado Writing Project I & II.  The empathy and understanding I gained through the experience has been invaluable as an instructor and an adviser to my students. The knowledge to support student literacy with mentor text, modeled writing, and conferencing has transformed students before my eyes. From not wanting to write to not wanting to stop. Not all but most value their writing. I look forward to encouraging students who want to value the power of their ability to relate with their words in a thoughtful, cohesive, and interesting way. I don't really see the students' writing as standard or non-standard, partial to proficient, etc. but more as the writing of their time at that moment. I want to know what they want to say, and I want to help them say whatever that may be. I want to be the instructor I wanted.

Blog #1 Literacy Philosophy

This week our team (3rd grade) received our CSAP scores! Not a great week to ask about philosophy because the scores went down. Pretty good drop too! My teammate saw the greatest drop so it stings a little. I so dislike that what we do comes down to the CSAP scores but, at my school anyway, it does. As my teammate complied with my request for a discussion about our literacy philosophies we both agreed it is in a state of constant transition. This year the emphasis is on allowing more choice when students are doing seat work. Furthermore, discussion or oral language is now imperative to students meta cognitive process and language development. Less worksheets. So figuring out how to allow for discussion time while individual work and guided reading are supported as well, is a more recent value. We agreed that consistent guided reading schedules allowed us to meet the needs of the individual better. Where finishing a lesson, that may have been too long to begin with, is not the goal. Components of shared, oral, guided are vital and one is not necessarily more important than the other.