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