Tech - Student of the Week

Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning disability that is much more complex then I thought before reading the article, Dyslexia and the brain. I always thought that dyslexia was when people confused letters within words. Little did I know, the letter confusion is primarily in the early stages of learning how to read and write, as children get older the disability grows to difficulty with words and sentences. I also thought that once a person with dyslexia was aware that they had the learning difficulty that they could improve and in some cases over come the disability. Instead, it was brought to my attention that children with dyslexia continue to have difficulties into adolescents and adulthood.

After reading this article, I am seeing many similarities between a student in my main placement and the specific behaviors mentioned in the article. This student was behind in so many subjects that he is now receiving title one services. It makes me wonder if he could possibly be dyslexic. In the article it mentions that children with dyslexia show two obvious difficulties, they will not be able to read as many of the words in a text as average readers and they show decoding difficulties. I see both of these symptoms in the student I spoke of above.

It's encouraging that with all of the brain studies that they seem to be getting close to being able to screen people for the learning disability. The fMRI machine, although not feasible would be beneficial to those with learning difficulties and save years of hardship on the students that are affected by dyslexia. Once a teacher is aware that a student is dyslexic they are able to adapt their teaching methods for these students and they can teach the skills that will hopefully benefit the child.

Monitoring Independent Reading

I have always wondered how you can hold students accountable for the reading they are doing during sustained silent reading time in the classroom. When observing students during silent reading I always notice a handful of students that are always staring at the wall. I remember being one of these students when I was in elementary school. I was always distracted by other people in the classroom and never used the assigned reading time wisely.

I observed a wonderful program in my dyad placement this year called R.A.H. R.A.H. stands for Read At Home. The students were required to read a certain amount of pages per quarter and journal about what they were reading. Every Monday the students were to sign in their journals and be ready to conference with a parent volunteer. The parent volunteers were there to meet with the students and insure that they were comprehending the book being read. This was a time for the students to recap what the book was about and the parents to help the students think deeper into what they were reading by asking questions. Although RAH was meant for at-home reading I see it being a useful tool in the classroom too.

Routman has a great idea of keeping a reading record of what books she has read. I think combining the reading record idea with the R.A.H journals would be a way of holding the students accountable to actually reading during SSR. At the end of silent reading, having the students draw or write in their journal about what they just read would keep them on task and would be an easy way for the teacher to assess and evaluate the students reading progress.

Comprehension

If we want readers to be critical thinkers, inquirers, and problem solvers, we need to introduce them to challenging, interesting texts (Routman, 118. Students are much more interested in reading content that they want to read about. I think a good teacher knows their students interests, in knowing those interests it’s important to find reading material that makes a connection for the student of fun and learning. Having the students reading material that interests them will hopefully increase their comprehension.

When I have the opportunity to read with younger children I frequently have them stop and retell me what they just read. Usually they are able to recall the events that just occurred but not always. In the event that they do not comprehend what they are reading I often wonder if the book level is just not appropriate for the child. Like Routman suggest, it helps the younger students to take a “book walk” or survey the text before they begin to read. Having the student’s first look through the text and the illustrations lets them have an idea of what the book will be about. Then they are able to read and confirm their predictions or learn through comprehension that they were incorrect.

Ensuring Excellent Readers

Regie Routman has a great list of things to do to ensure that students become good readers. I have been able to see most of the list in action within the classroom but I would like to see how to evaluate students on a more regular basis. I find that time becomes an issue with this expectation. The struggling students are worked with on a regular basis and they are the ones that really need the extra time. I would like to know how to evaluate and challenge the students who are above average and give them equal time to ensure that they do not become bored with reading.

As I have observed many, many classrooms this year, one part of the classroom always catches my eye, the class library. Yes, every school has their big library but I am constantly amazed at the collection of books within the classrooms. In every classroom I have been in there are at least (usually more) two bookshelves filled with an array of books. Some are more organized than others, which I see being an important part of having a classroom library.

The class I am in for my main placement has an amazing library. Each basket is labeled with the author of the books or the subject/content of the book (like animals, holidays,etc). This way if the students enjoys reading a certain authors books, say Kevin Henkes, then they know to go directly to the basket with his name on it and find one that appeals to them. The students are allowed to check out books from the classroom library once a week and then a few students are in charge of returning the books to the correct baskets once they are returned.

Giving students time to read is also very important. I sometimes question the silent reading time that the students are given and wonder how to hold them accountable for their readings. I tend to see students day dreaming during reading time instead of them investing their time actually reading.

Spelling

In the first grade that I am currently working with there have been many discussions about spelling between my MT and me. We have discussed wether spelling tests should be given to the students or not. My master teacher does not administer spelling tests and says that there is no evidence that says spelling tests make the students better spellers. Reading the Templeton article brings some light to that statement. The article stresses the importance of the students learning patterns in spelling and therefore once they learn the patterns they will then be able to improve spelling.

I have observed a different first grade class which administers spelling tests every Friday. The only difference about this spelling test is that the students are able to self-select their words. The beginning list is compiled of site words that they should know but most are the words that are hard to decode through letter sound (they are spelled differently then pronounced). Once the students have mastered the words they are allowed to move onto a different list that progressively gets harder. The only problem with this is that I don't see the patterns within words being taught.

I tend to lean on the side that says that spelling tests are important and sometime repetition in practice can stick with the students. I like the idea stated in the article about if you choose to test students that you need to be teaching the patterns found in words. Once the patterns are learned then the meaning of the words can become the focus.

At the beginning of the year I was able to assist my MT in the qualitative spelling inventory of her students. The inventory told us so many interesting facts about where certain students in the class were. Are there a variety of inventory tests? This allowed us to not only see which level they would be in writing but had some connections with their reading level as well.

Mini Lessons

After reading Routman chapter 7, she says that mini lessons are taught into our students' intentions. During a writing unit, you should focus on what the students need to learn. By observing their work you can shape the lesson based on what is best to further and stretch their thinking. Throughout my time in my dyad placement I have seen this method time and time again. I actually taught a mini lesson for their writing unit on memoirs. I had started out planning my lesson on the bad words of literature (word to avoid when writing), but after observing their writing I thought it would be more helpful for the students to learn how to use a thesaurus first. That way later when they learned about words to avoid in writing they would have a resource for new words. I was pleasantly surprised to see the students use my lesson in their writing. Mini lessons are incredibly important for the simple fact that they expand on the writing lesson that the students are working on.

Hallelujah for raising the expectation for spelling :) I know I have written about spelling in previous blogs but it's refreshing to know that it's being talked about. I must say that I am surprised at some of the spelling mistakes that students in sixth grade are making. I am wondering when spelling became less important in schools. It seems like the good old fashioned spelling tests are gone...maybe they should come back. I talk about this with my adult friends often, and we all think it is "interesting" when we get an email or other various messages from other people and simple words are misspelled. It does lead you to make impressions on the person. I understand how teachers don't want to interfere with students writing BUT can't you look at students work to get an idea of which words to "practice" with the class. I like the idea of word walls; I have also seen personal word books that the students keep at their desks which are full of words (alphabetized) that they can refer to.

Why Blog?

Blogging is just one of the inexpensive, semi-risk free technology tools that are available to us. We are constantly on the search for ways to include parents, and make them aware of what we are doing in the classrooms and this just seems like a simple way to connect the classroom to our community. Setting up a blog is quick and easy (and free), and I think the privacy feature allows a sense of security. With technology growing so rapidly we are doing a disservice to our students by not teaching and allowing them to explore on computers. I could see having a classroom blog and having the students be in charge of updating it. Just like there are classroom jobs like holding the door, or passing out paper, I think it would be a neat experience for 2 students a week to work together and write a blog on different things they learned that week, or experiences in the classroom that they had. It's exciting to thing of all the possibilities that technology in the classroom could allow.

Geoffrey Canada

As an assignment for our families class we were told to watch the videos of Geoffrey Canada when he came to Seattle to speak about Solid Ground (Building a Community to end Poverty). I found him very inspirational to listen to. To know that he came from poverty and is so determined and dedicated to his project/dream of ending poverty. It's interesting, you always hear that the children are our future, yet you never see people willing to do anything to change the path that we have been on for so many years. What is happening in education is obviously not working, although I think there are some great ideas and projects that have been attempted it just never seems like there is follow through. I think that the idea Canada had about starting the charter school in Harlem (The Harlem Children's Zone) was planned for success. The idea of being with the children from birth to college helps teachers guide the students so they don't get lost in the crowd shuffling from school to school. After reading Whatever It Takes by Paul Tough, it makes you want to get involved and make a difference especially for the students/families who are stuck on the poverty road. All it takes is determination (the rest comes after).

One experience that Canada shared in the videos was that he remembered the day his mom told him that Superman was not real. Even though he was living in poverty and violence, finding out that Superman wasn't real was scarier than anything else. It was a terrifying moment because he then realized that nobody was coming to save him. He lost hope that there was a way out of what he was living in. How sad! I want to change that, so children aren't loosing hope but being able to see that there is away out and that they are in control of their destiny.

Week 10

Teaching Writing and Assessments

I found the section on aiming for fluency in Writing Essentials full of useful ideas. If we expect our students to become fluent writers then they must practice, practice, practice. In the classes that I have observed many of them use free writes everyday. The student’s benefit from these exercises, you can see the growth by keeping samples of their writing. I like the prompted writing too because I think for certain students, they can’t think outside of the box and being prompted allows them to think about different subjects (or styles of writing). Obviously students will do better on tests when they are not surprised with content so making sure they are writing everyday is a great idea.

As far as testing students, I think that as long as students are prepared and know what is coming they are more likely to succeed. For assessing students I also like the idea of having students assess themselves. I have seen this in a few classrooms and notice that students are usually brutally honest about what they are doing right or wrong. Having students assess their own work opens up communication between the student and the teacher. It helps the student focus on certain aspects of their work that they need to improve or get help on.

Week 8

Week 8

This weeks reading is going hand in hand with my dyad placement. Our sixth grade class has been working on different genres in reading and writing. The class started reading memoirs and then experienced writing a memoir. Now they have moved on to mysteries and they have a writing activity that goes along with this genre also. I found the framework for teaching writing genres on page 196 of Writing Essentials very useful. I like the idea of finding out what the students know about the different genres and then you could pick a few different types to focus on. The students definitely benefit from being able to read actual books that reflect the genre being talked about. It allows them to see different approaches to the literature.

On page 200, Routman talks about letter writing and how there is no substitute for an actual letter. With the internet being more prevalent these days students are more likely to know how to send a letter via email and not through the good old fashioned post office. I remember in high school we had a lesson on letter writing. Every student was to think of a business that they liked (Nike, GAP, etc.), we then wrote the business a letter saying what we like about their clothes, or products that they made. It was a fun way to learn the importance of letter writing. In fact, many of the students in the class received letters back from the company with either gift certificates or coupons for their store.

In both of the situations that I talked about above, there has been an introduction done by the teacher. On page 222, Routman talks about doing a shared writing to engage students and also show students what is expected of them. This ties back to the optimal learning model. Once the writing has begun, then I like the idea of students conferencing with each other and helping edit each others work.

Week 7

I found a great paragraph in the chapter, Finding Your Voice, in Lamott pg. 199. I think it can be difficult for people, especially children, to find their own voice. Lamott says, "...the truth of your own experience can only come through in your own voice....You cannot write out of someone else's big dark place; you can only write out of your own. Sometimes wearing someone else's style in comforting, warm, pretty and bright...".

When you are young, most children are in the process of finding themselves. Many look to peers or other classmates to see what characteristics they like that they possess. It is so important to stress to children that each and everyone of them is important in their unique way. Trying to be someone else is not going to work in the long run. The grass is always greener until you get there, then you realize it's not your grass and everyones grass has brown spots somewhere.

Week 5

I am glad that on pg. 55 of Writing Essentials, the issue of spelling correction has been brought up. Like I have said in previous blogs, I think that phonetic spelling is helpful is the early writing stages. Once students have established the idea, I think it is time to help correct misspelled words. The example on page 55 was of a second grader's letter to a grandparent and I absolutely think that the spelling should be corrected (how else do students learn?). My main placement is in a first grade classroom and there are a handful of students in there that could benefit from being corrected on their spelling. It is almost a disservice to them to continue to let them make educational guesses and not correct their spelling, maybe not so much grammar, but definitely spelling.

I agree with needing to raise expectations in school, and as a teacher I also think it is part of our job to see which students are ready to move on and which students need more time where they are at. Neither level is right or wrong, but every student needs to be pushed to achieve greatness in school (even with a little help on the side). The parent co-op in Edmonds where I am in my dyad placement has this attitude for their students. Every student is taught to a high standard and if they fall behind programs are set up for those who need the extra help. The help may be before or after school and I have even seen groups (such as math help) set up and run by teachers during recess time. They are under the impression that all students can and will succeed. There is no room for failure and mediocrity is not an option. I am not trying to say that we should have unattainable goals for students but I think too often we may not push students enough. I think that with the right material each and every student can succeed.

Bird By Bird

I find it funny that the book, Bird By Bird, was written about how to be a good writer. I guess I was expecting the book to be boring and strictly educational. To say the least, I was pleasantly surprised to relate many of the stories to my own life. I felt the urge to recommend this book to my friends for an inspirational read. I especially liked on page 18, when E.L. Doctorow was quoted by saying, “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” I think in life, people are always trying to see the road ahead instead of concentrating on what is in front of them.” Another great quote was on the next page, when her father was talking to her brother about the bird project, “just take it bird by bird”. At this point in the teaching program, I feel like this is great advice (when we are all feeling overwhelmed). Everything will fall into place if we just take it day by day.

Concentrate on telling the truth, nobody wants to hear lies. Get over your perfectionism. Writing is like watching a Polaroid develop…you can’t. I don’t feel like writing is my strong suit, and looking at the rules of writing I now know why. I break all the rules. I try and force topics when I write, and then I try to perfect what I have done. When I write I want the instant gratification of the end result, I don’t want to go back and edit and revise. I never feel confident with my writing. In chapter 3 of Writing Essentials, it stresses the importance of seeing yourself as a writer. If you plan on teaching your students how to write they need to see you as an example. It was somewhat of a relief to see the part about letting your students see you struggle. I think it's important for students to see adults make mistakes. Nobody is perfect (because we are all letting go of perfectionism...) and if students see you make mistakes, it helps them feel safer in their learning environment.

Doris Day

Goofy Movie

Phonemic Awareness

Here is my opinion on students who spell phonetically (or use invented spelling). I think through experience phonetic spelling is part of learning our language and writing. Phonemic spelling is important to start with, but once it is obvious that students have phonemic awareness there needs to be a transition to start correcting the spelling. Letting this type of writing continue seems like a disservice to students, especially when they are asking how certain words are spelled. Just like language, I think the earlier students learn to spell correctly the better spellers they will continue to be.

My main placement is in a first grade classroom. We started off writer's workshop this year drawing pictures and then writing a phonetic sentence that explains the picture. As you circulate the room and certain students need help spelling a word, it's hard to have them sound out the sounds correctly and still come up with the wrong answer. The English language has so many rules that don't make any sense, it's hard to think that correcting students at an early age couldn't help later.

In other words, I think that "invented spelling" helps students grasp the main ideas of reading and writing, but if left for too long I think it could definitely hinder language development.

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Random Note:

I observed a Kindergarten a few days ago at my dyad placement. I watched the students explore words throughout the classroom. The teacher had them concentrate on finding a certain letter ("T") in words that were anywhere in the room. Once they found a word with a "T" in it they copied the word on a piece of paper. This was letting them explore words, one of the kids had a realization that he actually had a T in his name (by looking at his name tag). While this small group went on a letter hunt, another small group worked on rhyming words. But the teacher made the activity hands-on working with rubber stamps. The students had to find two stamps that rhymed and then stamp their paper. All throughout this activity you hear the students saying the words out loud so they could hear if the words rhymed or not.

BEDUC 409B Week 2

BEDUC 409B

The Sulzby & Teale article stresses the importance of early (birth-14 months) introduction to literature. I strong agree with the importance of early learning. From personal experience with my daughter, I saw first hand how easy it was for her to learn letters, writing, and reading at a very young age. She also had two years of preschool, which focused on building the skills to become a literate child. When my daughter entered Kindergarten, I was flabbergasted at the wide range of learners. On one end of the spectrum you had the students who could already read and at the other end of the spectrum were the students who didn’t even know their ABC’s.

One part of the article that stood out to me was: We should be teaching reading and writing to all children in day care facilities, in child development centers, in Head Start programs, in preschools, in pre-kindergarten programs, and in kindergartens. (Page 5)

In the Ivey article, The Intermediate Grades, I was struck by the part that talked about how 62% of the students like read-a-louds. Students get interested and want to read on. In the sixth grade class that I am in the teacher does read–a-louds everyday. They are reading The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, I am amazed at the enthusiasm the teacher has when reading it. Every student in the class has their nose an inch from the book and you can see the excitement building within. The students are excited for this part of their homework and I can bet mostly because the teacher makes the book come alive.