Journaling

Chapter 9 of Vacca, Vacca, Mraz’s “Content Area Reading”, was very informative and provided great examples for educators to implement journals into a classroom.

I have used journals in my classroom since I started teaching. They vary from grade to grade, but the practice of using journals is a great learning tool. It also is helpful in meeting curriculum and common core goals.

Students are able to write down what the think, see or feel about a subject. Their writing is authentic and will often revolve around subjects that interest them. Journaling fosters thinking and learning in many different ways. Journals provide students the opportunity to reflect on both their thinking and what we are learning. It keeps them engaged and makes them aware of the interconnection between their own thoughts and they are learning.

Journaling can take place in the morning, a very busy time in an elementary classroom, to settle student’s thoughts. It can take place at the end of the day to revisit our learning. It can revolve around a subject taught, or it can be a “free-write.” Some teachers often provide prompts to help several students get started. Journal writing is a teaching tool that fits well into all classrooms. It doesn’t take very long and the rewards are exponential. Having students’ “journal” is a great way to have them self-direct and share their own learning.   It is very satisfying for me as a teacher when a student asks to stand up in front of their peers and share their journal.

“Frank Sent This..”

More on Guided Reading…

I have tried MANY different ways to group my students for guided reading groups. I finally found one that I love! I have one poster for each reading group. Students write the title of the book we are reading on a sticky note and place the sticky note on the poster. I then place a picture of each student where it says, “starring” on the poster. This easily helps me keep my groups flexible because I have a piece of sticky tac on the back of their pictures. So anytime a child is switching groups, I just pull off their picture and stick it to a different group. This also takes the emphasis off the level of the book and focuses on the story we are reading for the week. A few of my guided reading table “must have’s” are:

-Enough copies of the book for every student

-Pencils and sticky notes for the students to write their thoughts and connections

-“Whisper phones” that my husband made from PVC tubing.

-Tap Lights for students to “tap on” after a partner has read. They do this to ask questions or check for understanding by retelling what they heard.  No one else can speak if you have tapped the light on. (They LOVE this!)

-Dry erase boards and markers for quick mini- lessons

-Eager readers and me!

Guided Reading

This blog is in response to chapter 7, of “Content Area Reading,” by Vacca, Vacca, Mraz, titled Guided Reading Comprehension. I implemented guided reading into my classroom my first year of teaching. However, I never said I was good! Looking back, I was actually quite horrible. My college classes did not prepare me for implementing guided reading into my classroom. It certainly did not prepare me for what to do with the rest of the class. My lack of knowledge about quality literacy instruction was a huge wakeup call for me. I am so grateful to the reading teacher that was working at my school at the time. She was extremly helpful. She came into my room daily, first to help with leveling the students. (Another thing my college classes did not prepare me for.) Secondly, she helped me by modeling small group guided reading lessons, and worked with me to create meaningful and engaging activities for the other students to be working on. At the time, I felt embarrassed. I felt self- conscious that I didn’t know what to do. In retrospect, it was one of the best things that could have happened to me as an educator. Our schools are filled with professionals…a teacher should take advantage of the people and resources offering their help.

Paperless Classroom?

In reading the Personal Learning Networks, by Richardson and Mancabelli, I was transfixed by the thought of a paperless classroom. It certainly sounds attractive from an ecological standpoint. Saving trees has been a shared worldwide concern for many years. Trees have always been necessary in improving the human condition. Trees produce oxygen, clean our air, control soil pollutants, conserve energy and increase property values! There are no negatives to saving trees. Electronic text would save money, not only paper cost, copy machine costs, book costs, it would also save time in preparing individual hand written report cards. Additionally, it would alleviate a considerably amount of correcting. I would spend less time trying to read student’s illegible handwriting! No longer would I have to collect sheets of paper assignments, only to come across one without a name.

Electronic classrooms sound very attractive at first glance. However, what is the trade-off? In a primary classroom, paper is an essential element that has very distinct advantages.  Students haven’t fully mastered their fine motor muscles. Handwriting is a skill that a computer cannot substitute for. Also, young learners often need paper to illustrate their thoughts to inspire their writing. Furthermore, a computer often spell- checks a written piece, not allowing a student to self-check or practice the writing process. This is especially true in math. Pupils are given problems to work out and solve. They are required to show all of their mathematical thinking with pictures and words. This would be impossible in a paperless classroom. Another concern I have, aside from teacher training is functionality. There are too many obstacles in getting access to sites/app, with safety filters etc. blocking much of the features of the app, making the whole process frustrating.   This would be especially true in a primary classroom with one teacher and 26 hands in the air!

While we each have our own views on the advantages and disadvantages of a “paperless classroom,” it does seem to be the way education is heading.

Diversity in the Classroom

I thought chapter 3, Culturally Responsive Teaching in Diverse Classrooms, of Vacca, Vacca, Mraz’s “Content Area Reading”, was very informative. It provided great examples for educators to implement and provide a culturally responsive curriculum.   Culturally responsive instruction is becoming a necessary piece of our ever changing and diverse classroom. Labeling items in your class in both English and student’s native language, providing students with multicultural books and allowing opportunities for hands-on classroom experiences are only a few suggestions included in this chapter. Inviting family or members of the community to share their knowledge and talents can help students make meaningful connections as well as build a community of learners. I believe it is a teacher’s responsibility to provide all of their students an equal opportunity to succeed. Implementing culturally supportive classroom activities is an important building block for the success of students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

http://education.byu.edu/diversity/activities.html

Standardized Tests

While reading chapter 4 of Content Area Reading, by Vacca, Vacca and Mraz, I connected with the Standardized Testing section. In my second grade classroom, I see first hand students are being tested to death. Our STAR standard based assessments are mandated and given. Students are ranked according to their “first” score in the testing window. RTI (Response To Intervention) and future testing is then determined to show growth, or lack thereof. One disturbing piece is the students “first” attempt at the test could be overly biased due to multiple factors, too many to list them all. For example, I have seven-year-old students that come to school having not eaten dinner or fed breakfast. Some have not slept because their parents were fighting all night. Furthermore, I have students that have not been identified for Special Education services yet, as well as, students that have extreme behavioral and attention issues. Both tend to push any button on the screen to just be done with the computer-generated test. I also have students that just cry because “it’s just too hard.” Some of my students, because of the low range of their score in Reading and Math need to take this test every week in both subjects. Each test takes up to 20 to 25 minutes. That is almost an hour of missed instructional time for these students, as well as, all of my students. I cannot teach anything new because they will miss that lesson, as well.

Grades 3-6 in my school will be spending the next 4 weeks taking the PARRC test. This is not including the months prior of countless hours preparing for this test. Students and teachers alike have been reviewing test taking strategies and questions, attending meetings and examining data. We have also been working on student’s lack of keyboard and mouse skills. In my opinion, this instructional time could have been better spent. Education should not equal “test prep.” Standardized testing is narrowing and controlling our curriculum. In many districts, standardized exam results have become the single most important indicator of school performance. As a result, students, teachers and administrators feel anxiety and enormous pressure to ensure test scores consistently rise.

Hence, resulting in the manipulation of the curriculum to match the test. My purpose as a teacher is to ensure my student’s are happy and successful in school, and in life. I do not believe that their performance on a standardized test alone is a valid or reliable indicator of what they know and have learned. In addition, I believe excessive testing undermines a teacher’s ability to produce innovators and critical thinkers.

Just saying…

Don’t Go Crazy!!

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/project-based-learning-getting-started-basics-andrew-miller

The Crazy Professor Reading Game

Just happened across this cool video on Edutopia! Definitely going to try this in my classroom.

11 Alternatives to “Round Robin” (and “Popcorn”Reading)

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/alternatives-to-round-robin-reading-todd-finley

AND…. The Crazy Professor Game!

Chris Biffle’s Crazy Professor Reading Game video (start watching at 1:49) is more entertaining than home movies of Blue Ivy. To bring the text to life, students . . .

Read orally with hysterical enthusiasm
Reread with dramatic hand gestures
Partner up with a super-stoked question asker and answerer
Play “crazy professor” and “eager student” in a hyped-up overview of the text.

PBL-PROJECT BASED LEARNING

With much trepidation, I read the third chapter of the PBL Starter Kit.  Having never heard of PBL, never mind crafting and producing one is creating much anxiety for me.  I struggle with the concept of implementing a project that is not in my district’s “scope and sequence.” I am also concerned with my principal’s views on how this will be aligned to my curriculum, especially with PARCC testing weighing so heavily on everyone’s minds.  On paper, the concept of PBL sounds wonderful and fascinating.  I would relish in the opportunity to introduce projects within an intermediate or high school level subject. I teach second grade and the constraints of my curriculum and age of my students is worrisome. However, I am willing to give it a chance.   I am hoping for a wonderful experience and believe in empowering students to be in charge of their own learning.  On page 39 of the PBL Starter Kit, there is a section titled “Recommended Scope for your First Project.”  They advise, 2 to 3 weeks in duration (10-15 hours of class time), 1 curricula area, limited complexity and classroom based.  This modest approach is exactly what I needed to read to alleviate much of my apprehension. I think I can do this with success!