Week 3: Assignment#1 -- Video review

• How does this activity engage students who are at different levels of literacy development?
• During her explicit phonics lesson, how does Ms. Perez support students' problem-solving skills?
• Based on what you saw in the video, what are the different ways that shared reading can be used to promote literacy? 

The activity provides students a great opportunity to engage in a group activity where they are guided in sounding out words as a group, thus relieving pressure from the individual. Ms. Perez actively and consistently assesses students’ abilities and provides them –as a groups, as well as individually- with the opportunity to participate in the instruction.  When a student gives an incorrect answer she uses that particular instance as a teaching moment rather than engaging in a behavior that could affect the child’s confidence/spirit towards the work being done. A good example of this was when the male student confused the pronunciation of dot with bot she guided the student with the correction pronunciation and helped him identify his mistake by confusing the b sound with the d sound.  In a group setting and an activity that is visually appealing students are able to participate no matter what reading level they are at.  There was also an appropriate entry level to the lesson.

• Why does she think it's important for students to verbalize their strategies? What else do you notice about how she helps students build meaning in text?

Ms. Perez says that the more kids verbalize, the more they internalize. In the video we could see the strategy in action when she noticed students struggling through a word, and then having them verbalize their strategy to solve their challenge. In order for them to have a balanced signaling system, she helps them develop the skills necessary for building meaning in text. She covered one of the words, in this case it was rainy, and by reading the rest of the sentences they had to figure out, with some prompting, what the missing word may be. This is great since if they review words they cant read or understand, but they nevertheless are trained to use clues from the rest of the text to try and develop stronger meaning.

•  How does Ms. Perez organize her classroom to support a wide range of learners?  How are reading and writing connected in classroom activities?

The students were broken into groups on the same reading level. Each station had a different activity. Some students worked on site words, some students read independently and took notes, other students used the computers while other students worked with the student teacher. Reading and writing are connected in Ms. Perez classroom by allowing students to take notes while they read and answer questions while they are reading independently.  Additionally, reading and sounding out words helps students become better writers in general.  

• How does Ms. Perez organize her classroom to support a wide range of learners?

 Ms. Perez provides many different literacy centers around her classroom to give students  a chance to practice their skills  at  levels different.  Examples include the word wall, a phonemic awareness activity (sorting pictures with rhymes), she provides her gifted students books on at a higher level with extended activities, and folders with previously read works so  that children who are slower readers can practice with familiar texts.

• How does Ms. Perez use ongoing individual assessment to guide her instruction? How can the class profile be used to help group students and differentiate instruction?

Ms. Perez uses data from assessments in order to plan accordingly.  She is aware that that each child is placed at a particular level, and needs differentiated instruction to meet his/her needs. She uses her assessments to gage the children’s needs and guide her lessons. The chart that she displays is a great example of how a teacher provides a few baseline goals to create expectations and goals from the beginning of the year.  

• How can ongoing assessment be integrated into your own classroom practice?

  The use of checklists for understanding, exit tickets, quizzes, and informal discussions can be used by the teacher to assess students throughout the school year.  Assessments (such as baselines, midterms, and even finals) for can help assess student’s progress throughout.  Peer assessment and self assessment are also great tools for students to continuously assess themselves and each other, giving students more independence and accountability, as well as helping students keep track of their growth and development.

A Bear of a Poem: Reflection

     I must confess I have bit of trouble taking a look at a literacy lesson, for much younger kids, and breaking down the various components that make it sucessful in such setting. That's because my experience has been mostly in high school and middle school, while teaching Social studies!
However, I found the activities in Mrs. Wilhelm's lesson rather coherent and creative. Using the power of poetry in the lesson really brings a challenge that can be fun, will reinforce many of the skills we have discussed (in previous post) are important for literacy and gives students opportunities to be creative individuals, something we lack so much in many of our curriculums.
     If there was one think I would like to add to this lesson, is a reflective piece where students shared input on each other's work. I think would reinforce the idea of thinking as writers and readers, and would allow students to -perhaps- get constructive feedback. This, of course would require some training and prior to....  I would definitely like to add a couple of components to the  lesson to encourage students to move around somewhat.  Adding kinesthetic component would really help engage those students who benefit from such experiences. Lastly, I would love to add a technological piece into the lesson to make it more interactive and lively. This could be in the form of a task where they would read their final product into a video camera, or create a performance where they interact with their edited work.

Practices in the Classroom: Reflection

     This post is a reflection on the video Practices in the Classroom: Becoming Readers and Writers, from the Annenberg Learner's multimedia resources.

     Watching the video was a pleasurable experience, as I faced a very clear picture of what a good learning environment should look like in a classroom. There was quite a great spirit from the beginning of class and the teacher really embraced the community in a way that the students will learn to feel confortable with each other.  Sheila Owen’s acceptance and embrace of student’s diversity really impressed me in many levels. It is my belief –and conviction- that an effective educator must learn about and embrace the community being serviced.

      As far as her teaching strategy in regards to information and processing, I found that her use of gradual release of responsibility really guides students through a process that enforces information in a gradual, responsible and sensible way, allowing all students to absorb information at a steady pace. This no doubt creates a learning environment that is appropriate, effective and sensible.

Week 2: Assignment 1-- Reflection on ELA instruction

        ELA instruction is based around 5 components: reading, writing, language, speaking and listening. The reading portion of the standards focuses on the appropriateness of text complexity for each grade and the ability to make sense of text and connect it to other texts.  The writing portion of the standards focuses on students' ability to successfully write argumentative pieces, informative texts, and narratives.  The focus is on these skills in addition to the traditional teaching of the writing process. The speaking and listening portion of the standards focuses on students' ability to make presentations which will ultimately prepare them for college and careers.  The language portion of the standards focuses on grammar and the appropriate use of academic vocabulary.

 

     These 5 components are intertwined so that each year students are expected to gradually have a more sophisticated and deeper understanding or each and all. The importance and continuity of these components are based around the other subjects as well As students progress in their studies, the other subjects become more challenging expecting students to have practiced (essentially, mastered) skills on the various components through the work accomplished in ELA so they may effectively accomplish and succeed in their work with other subjects when the time comes.

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