The schools we have. The schools we need.

In the Allington article there was a specific point that stuck out to me. The article suggested that schools should have longer blocks that can focus on one certain subject rather than short blocks that causes the teacher to skip around and not focus as much on the fundamentals of the lesson. I completely agree with this idea. If a student doesn't understand a math lesson, but then has to move on to an English lesson, then they will become behind. However, if the teacher had more time to efficiently teach a lesson and allow enough time to ensure every student  has a proper amount of time to ask questions and work on practice problems, then not as many students would fall behind. I remember when I was in middle school and I was struggling in English. It seemed like every time I began to understand, it was time to switch to a different subject. I believe it may be hard to change a school to this type of schedule, but I am interested if any schools do something similar.

Assessment and Differentiating Instruction for Diverse Readers

I read chapters 10 and 11 in Classrooms that work. I really liked how the chapter on assessment gave ideas of what NOT to do first. Sometimes it is easier to know what you should be doing if you already know what you shouldn't be doing. Assessment is not standardized test scores, but it is collecting and analyzing data about the students to determine how they are performing and growing as a student. I also really enjoyed reading about differentiation in the classroom. Students all learn on different levels and certain methods of teaching effect some students differently than others. The book recommended using partners, group structure, one on one and so on. It is very important to remember that every child learns differently and the only way to target each child is to teach in a variety of ways!

Check out this awesome clip!
Differentiated Classroom

Guided Reading

I found my Guided Reading article at http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/guided-reading-primary-classroom. First you want to place your students into small groups that are made up of about the same level of reading. As the children progress you can switch their groups around. The article gave three steps to guided reading.

1. Before reading make predictions about the book, pick out words to discuss the meaning, and talk about WHY you are reading the particular book.
2. During reading guide the students in a way that allows them to review their mistakes and try again. You need to allow that wait time to see if they will recognize their own mistakes.
3. After reading provide praise for their strength in reading.

I like the idea of small groups because I think it allows the children to read in a more relaxed environment. I know I make less mistakes when I have less pressure on me and having a classroom of eyes on you can be a little intimidating!

What in the world could this word mean?

I really enjoyed reading the articles. It brought to light a concept that I hadn't really taken the time to notice. In the article by Yopp and Yopp they stated that, "printed texts-including children's books- contained more rare words than language used in adult and children's television programs and adult conversations." I always thought that children would learn more by listening to people talk, but I realized that is not always the case. In fact, just from reading these articles every week I have added new words to my vocabulary. It is so important for children to read because they are actively learning new words. If there is a word they are unsure of they can use context clues to help figure it out. I thought the idea of 10 important words interesting. I remember when I was in middle school and my teacher would have us read selections about a particular topic. She would then have us pick out the most important words and discuss the meaning of the text. She taught us this method to help us in the reading comprehension part of our TCAP tests. I still use the idea to a certain extent today.

Comprehension

                                                    Do you Comprehend??

I really enjoyed reading about the many different ideas that can help students comprehend stories better. In the article by Gill, she mentions giving the students time to form predictions about the story before they begin to read. I think this is a great idea because it keeps the reader more aware and interested as the read the material. Another wonderful idea was the Mind Movies, mentioned in the Gregory article. It seems like such an interactive, fun and cheap way to really encourage the students to use their knowledge to make predictions about a story. I would love to incorporate this idea into my reading lessons!!

Building Vocabulary

In the Blachowitz and Fisher article one teacher described her use of a word wall. It provided the students with a place that they could write new words they had been introduced to and allow the other students to enjoy them as well. I thought this was a great idea for improving vocabulary. Another great idea I loved was in the Lane and Allen article. I thought Ms. Barker provided such a great way to learn vocabulary through the Weather Watcher idea. Students always enjoy feeling as though they have a special role in the classroom and the idea of getting to report the weather to the classroom was a very creative and fun way to increase the feeling of having a special role! When I was in middle school the principal would announce a word of the day. The teachers would write the new word on the board each day and we would go over the definition. Usually, one of the words would end up used as a bonus question on an exam. I think they had a good idea trying to increase our vocabulary, but the way they did it was boring and and did not stick in our minds. This is why I especially like the idea of weather watcher and the word wall!

Below is an example of a teacher using a word wall:

WORD WALL

Phonemic Awareness and Phonics

I really enjoyed reading both of the articles. In the article by Clark, it talked about coaching as a highly effective technique. I remember when I was in kindergarten and my teacher would make us sound words out. Still to this day if I have a problem pronouncing a word I will cover up the parts I don't know and say the part I do know out loud. I loved reading the article by Yopp and Yopp. It had such creative ideas for implementing phonemic awareness. All of the books paired with activities were so neat! I really like the idea of using play toys for the students to get interactive with at play time so they could retell the story. I think it is very important to encourage learning even during play time.
Activity