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.