I found the information in this module very interesting because comprehension is so key in reading and maintaining reading. We should all be in a constant state of learning and growing vocabulary should be part of that process our entire life. The strategies to better comprehend information were helpful in searching for new ways to better serve my students and make a difference in their reading. Many of the organizers I already use in my classroom, as well as, some drawing ideas. I really like the ReQuest Procedure because it puts learning back into the hands of the students, as well as, the responsibility to learn.
I believe that other students in some ways can be better teachers than the teacher when it comes to comprehension of information. Instead of being talked at and to, they are able to share their ideas in more of a forum to their classmates and have classmates do the same to them. Learning should be fun and the text interesting. As a teacher, I must be willing to step put beyond what is comfortable to me and find ways to make information stick to my students.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Module #4
I have come to find that this "blog thing" isn't so bad. I really love the way that I am able to express myself through text and words; moreover, I enjoy knowing that others carry the same burdens, hardships, and trials through education. Building vocabulary for students is something not only that they should be doing, but that I should as well. Words I use in conversation should be pivital points where students begin to wonder what in the world I am talking about!
The most interesting things that I thought most would apply to activating the kinds of knowkedge and vocabulary for my students were the Semantic Web and the Mapped Questions. The Semantic Web is similar to a Circle Graph that use regularly in my classes. It's simple and students can easily remember what they drew. My students make vocabulary cards, stat cards on key terms or people (goodness we study lots of people, places, and things) and the students have enjoyed not only their art work on one side, but "who" that person, place,or thing really was/is.
I love reading a unit and seeing the ways that I am already putting to use some of these strategies. Students with learning disabilities really do well well with activities and new vocabulary when they can connect to it. This chapter and resources showed the connection that is crucial for students through text and comprehension, and most importantly, the role that I play in all of this!
The most interesting things that I thought most would apply to activating the kinds of knowkedge and vocabulary for my students were the Semantic Web and the Mapped Questions. The Semantic Web is similar to a Circle Graph that use regularly in my classes. It's simple and students can easily remember what they drew. My students make vocabulary cards, stat cards on key terms or people (goodness we study lots of people, places, and things) and the students have enjoyed not only their art work on one side, but "who" that person, place,or thing really was/is.
I love reading a unit and seeing the ways that I am already putting to use some of these strategies. Students with learning disabilities really do well well with activities and new vocabulary when they can connect to it. This chapter and resources showed the connection that is crucial for students through text and comprehension, and most importantly, the role that I play in all of this!
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Module #3
Being that I do not teach elementary school, I never really have thought much about the stages of reading or learning to read. It is perfectly normal for me to believe that everyone had the same up bringing as others, where parents read books and told stories to them. As a teacher I know that is not how all children are brought up. I have found that since I have started this class I counciously have begun to try to understand my students and the barriers that have kept them from being proficient readers, and moreover, how I can help urge students to move beyong a basic proficiency.
My first steps toward better literacy in my classroom has been reading passages with my students to show the importance of reading with my students. I have begun to look for primary sources that have more basic language so that students can begin the process of decoding through context clues, but I have also started stopping more regularly throughout the text and have questioned students about the text. What is the text saying? Who or what is involved in the text? Trying to find ways to relate the text with real-life situations..... This is not always that easy!
I also know that in the tenth and eleventh grades students should have a larger vocabulary, but it is unsafe to assume this. Word Walls, while as a new teacher I thought these were silly, really make a difference for student's vocabulary through referring back to those words throughout a lesson, but also by leaving them posted, students have the opportunity to use them and revisit them often. In other words, the words are not just here and gone. I believe this models good vocabulary and an expanding vocabulary. Last year in my US History class, we were in a unit discussing WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Watergate, Kennedy, Truman, Nixon, etc. I played the song "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel. Students liked the beat. Next I played the song with the music video...they liked the images that they saw and began to notice "history" we had been discussing. After the unit was finished, I played the song again and gave the students a lyrics sheet. It was amazing! Students had to underline the words they recognized throughout the unit and even sang along. I loved the way the students were able to connect with the text historically, and this gave them a new way to synthesize material! By posing questions and clarifying information we are allowing a safe place for students to learn and grow.
Text is definitely more than words on a page, but it can also be a song in our heart and words we pen. Our students today need more than one mode to understand and consider text. Students have so many resources at hand to use to research and enjoy, yet it doesn't seem that we as schools are taking advantage of the technology available as we should. Just as the podcast I listened to stated that " students must write to learn," teachers must to willing to go the extra mile for the best of readers and the lowest of readers. Just because a student or adult is a fluent reader definitely does not equate a comprehender.
Lastly, as a child I was in one school system K-2, then moved to another Georgia system for 2-5. I never remember learning phonetics, yet I was a good reader. I do remember moving and the talk about phonetics confused me. I tried to catch on, but never really understand because my original school learned by sight words. I encourage kids to sound-out words as they stumble across them. I do the same with spelling, encouraging kids to sound out a word instead of me giving a spelling. It works for some, yet we have a long way to go! As I gave the WTW spelling test to Thomas (9 years old), I really began to see for myself, as I checked his words during the assessment, the way he heard me "pronounce" them was not always the way he heard them. It was eye opening for me! We as teachers must do our best to push students to their best, from emergient to proficient, and use multi-modal resources to make them the best they can be and to make the most of the resources we have!
My first steps toward better literacy in my classroom has been reading passages with my students to show the importance of reading with my students. I have begun to look for primary sources that have more basic language so that students can begin the process of decoding through context clues, but I have also started stopping more regularly throughout the text and have questioned students about the text. What is the text saying? Who or what is involved in the text? Trying to find ways to relate the text with real-life situations..... This is not always that easy!
I also know that in the tenth and eleventh grades students should have a larger vocabulary, but it is unsafe to assume this. Word Walls, while as a new teacher I thought these were silly, really make a difference for student's vocabulary through referring back to those words throughout a lesson, but also by leaving them posted, students have the opportunity to use them and revisit them often. In other words, the words are not just here and gone. I believe this models good vocabulary and an expanding vocabulary. Last year in my US History class, we were in a unit discussing WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Watergate, Kennedy, Truman, Nixon, etc. I played the song "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel. Students liked the beat. Next I played the song with the music video...they liked the images that they saw and began to notice "history" we had been discussing. After the unit was finished, I played the song again and gave the students a lyrics sheet. It was amazing! Students had to underline the words they recognized throughout the unit and even sang along. I loved the way the students were able to connect with the text historically, and this gave them a new way to synthesize material! By posing questions and clarifying information we are allowing a safe place for students to learn and grow.
Text is definitely more than words on a page, but it can also be a song in our heart and words we pen. Our students today need more than one mode to understand and consider text. Students have so many resources at hand to use to research and enjoy, yet it doesn't seem that we as schools are taking advantage of the technology available as we should. Just as the podcast I listened to stated that " students must write to learn," teachers must to willing to go the extra mile for the best of readers and the lowest of readers. Just because a student or adult is a fluent reader definitely does not equate a comprehender.
Lastly, as a child I was in one school system K-2, then moved to another Georgia system for 2-5. I never remember learning phonetics, yet I was a good reader. I do remember moving and the talk about phonetics confused me. I tried to catch on, but never really understand because my original school learned by sight words. I encourage kids to sound-out words as they stumble across them. I do the same with spelling, encouraging kids to sound out a word instead of me giving a spelling. It works for some, yet we have a long way to go! As I gave the WTW spelling test to Thomas (9 years old), I really began to see for myself, as I checked his words during the assessment, the way he heard me "pronounce" them was not always the way he heard them. It was eye opening for me! We as teachers must do our best to push students to their best, from emergient to proficient, and use multi-modal resources to make them the best they can be and to make the most of the resources we have!
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Module #2
Common language, understanding of vocabulary, and good grammar use are all intrical parts of reading; yet, it has been my experience within my district that many students lack the foundation needed to be a "master" of the English language. I found it extremely interesting in the podcast I viewed that language and vocabulary building are so important. As I say this, what I am trying to say that it is something that has always come very easily for me. I was the child of teachers, and reading was a common practice in my home and everyone read. I read books,magazines, and the subjects were varying. As a book became more complex so did the urgency to complete the book and understand what I read. Given this, each day I take for granted the ability to read well, that is until I hear some students stumble over words on a third grade level, students that will not even attempt to sound a word out, and subject-verb agreeing is no where to be found.
The podcast and readings point out many ideas that we as teachers forget. As a high school teacher I assume students can read, yet everyday I am amazed at the response I get to reading. I believe in letting students figure some things on their own, and search and discovery teaches good critical-thinking skills. I find that I have become the reading/writing teacher beyond being the Civics/ World History/ US History teacher. I was able to take away from the readings that I still have the opportunity to make a difference for students that are not the best readers by simply reading with them. I must find resources that are interesting to the students, plus something that they can connect to in the read world and in everyday activities. My students have been talking about Crime this week in Civics, and I have found it facinating that the students are so interested in crime, crime rates, and effects of crime. I see their eyes light up as they read through scenarios in Think-Pair-Share groups, and I see and hear their comprehension through the questions they ask one another. The light bulb is on, and it's getting brighter!
Back to foundations- what about the second-language learners? I know the immediate need with primary English learners, but what about Ozvaldo that is from Mexico? He has little background in Spanish, and he is thrown into a classroom with students that don't speak English well. How does he grow and learn? How do you pull that student out to work on basics and throw new vocabulary at them that is even more foreign? I loved the podcast I watched at the point of new vocabulary for students. Even though it was slightly elementary, flashcards with pictures and an explanation of what the words may be extremely meaningful. As an example, a picture of a liberty bell and also sharing the meaning of "liberty." I loved it!! I try often to pair stronger students with weaker students, and also not make it seem like they are being stuck with the job of teaching. It seems certainly less intimidating when children are able to speak one-on-one about a subject, and it makes sense. In the past, I have had a Spanish teacher read the test in Spanish to see if conceptually it makes more sense , and that has been a great help as well.
I believe that something that really helps ALL students focus is a standard, which sets the learning goal for the day. Students that seem to not do as well can refer to the basic standard on the board and see the "I CAN" statements to help focus. The standard shows a student exactly what is expected by stating short statements about that particular subject. It narrows the point of reference into manageable parts. I also use a Word Wall to reinforce language of the standard and try to refer back to that Word Wall often during the lesson and review. It is my hope that the Word Wall, just in placement around the room, will help students to remember important sections of the standards we cover. Moreover, when the Wall is taken down, students can imagine it being their and can possibly review information in their mind once focussed.
Learning has not changed much over the years, but teaching style has! It is my hope that lieteracy improves simply because teachers are willing to learn as well. We, as teachers, need to show the importance of reading, that their teacher reads, and we are NEVER too old to learn. Even as adults our experiences and background helps to determine how we deal with others. Am I as a teacher willing to make changes within myself to make literacy a priority? Do I have what it takes through knowledge, patience, and perspective to embrace a variety of techniques to make subject matters more clear to ALL students? I truly want "All Children to Read!"
Monday, September 2, 2013
Learning Module #1
As I read through chapter one of the text I was really struck by the amount of diversity that exists in classrooms around the world today. Children come from all walks of life, and the culture and environment that they bring with them makes teaching an extremely unique experience on a daily basis. We all know that literacy matters, and even when a child cannot read, they are surrounded by graphics in industry- billboards, internet, logos- that they associate with so many different things. It always amazes me that a child that cannot read, just through association, like what they like to eat, knows a McDonalds sign, or even a gas station sign.
Reading through this chapter not only showed the different approaches to teaching reading but also how in the last 60 years that two views have bounced back and forth among teachers. All recognize the componets of reading like word recognition, phonemes, comprehension, and fluency; moreover, the stages of growth through reading and how this must take place in order to progress in literacy. I guess its the movements that have changed, yet they are all working toward the same goal. Differentiation techniques are probably one of the most important ideas in the entire chapter, and that as we as educators, by aligning our instruction to the needs of our children, will also help the slower and faster learners. Challenging both reader types, including the intermediate reader, is the key, and differentiation brings that to the classroom.
Though I am not sure which of the movements in reading is the best choice, I do know that reading in general stirs the imagination and brings a side of creativity that a video game or conversation cannot. Reading enhances our critical thinking ability and helps a reader to learn how to read the context around a passage and figure it out based on clues.
This text, along with the other articles I read, helped me to come full-circle in the fact that though reading may come easily for some, it does not for others. My ESOL/ ELL readers may never have the same experience reading as I do or may never have the sense of passion that another may have. The ESOL student may never see the text come to life or know the importance of reading for their children. My best guess is that as an educator I must begin the process, even as a high school teacher, to push students to see literacy and reading in through whichever source they will read. Facebook, texting, Instagram....all of these may not be the type of reading we may want for our students, but whatever image can be created through technology and words can be used to describe it and can possibly change the reading-life of a child!
As I read through chapter one of the text I was really struck by the amount of diversity that exists in classrooms around the world today. Children come from all walks of life, and the culture and environment that they bring with them makes teaching an extremely unique experience on a daily basis. We all know that literacy matters, and even when a child cannot read, they are surrounded by graphics in industry- billboards, internet, logos- that they associate with so many different things. It always amazes me that a child that cannot read, just through association, like what they like to eat, knows a McDonalds sign, or even a gas station sign.
Reading through this chapter not only showed the different approaches to teaching reading but also how in the last 60 years that two views have bounced back and forth among teachers. All recognize the componets of reading like word recognition, phonemes, comprehension, and fluency; moreover, the stages of growth through reading and how this must take place in order to progress in literacy. I guess its the movements that have changed, yet they are all working toward the same goal. Differentiation techniques are probably one of the most important ideas in the entire chapter, and that as we as educators, by aligning our instruction to the needs of our children, will also help the slower and faster learners. Challenging both reader types, including the intermediate reader, is the key, and differentiation brings that to the classroom.
Though I am not sure which of the movements in reading is the best choice, I do know that reading in general stirs the imagination and brings a side of creativity that a video game or conversation cannot. Reading enhances our critical thinking ability and helps a reader to learn how to read the context around a passage and figure it out based on clues.
This text, along with the other articles I read, helped me to come full-circle in the fact that though reading may come easily for some, it does not for others. My ESOL/ ELL readers may never have the same experience reading as I do or may never have the sense of passion that another may have. The ESOL student may never see the text come to life or know the importance of reading for their children. My best guess is that as an educator I must begin the process, even as a high school teacher, to push students to see literacy and reading in through whichever source they will read. Facebook, texting, Instagram....all of these may not be the type of reading we may want for our students, but whatever image can be created through technology and words can be used to describe it and can possibly change the reading-life of a child!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)