Rational/Purpose for Homework and Independent Work:
The purpose behind giving students homework is that it gives students the opportunity to practice skills, review, prepare for new information, and apply what they have learned (Hill & Flynn, 2006). If the teacher has provided clear directions for the assigned homework the student should be able to complete it independently with only minimal support from parents. According to Hill and Flynn parents can provide support by providing a place, time, and the resources necessary for their child to engage in homework, but if additional support is needed in completing the assignment, either the directions were not clear, or the homework has not been assigned to meet the needs of the student. (2006, p. 78). As children advance more homework is assigned and they become more responsible for elaborating and practicing beyond the school day.
What Constitutes Meaningful Homework?
For homework to be meaningful students should be able to complete it independently while parents and teachers support by providing feedback to enhance the student’s ability to both practice and apply what is being taught in the classroom. In addition, not all students are given the exact same homework because of their different needs. Hill and Flynn (2006) state that ELL students do not need to have the same homework as English-speaking students because that might mean they are practicing unfamiliar skills or incorrectly practicing them. Therefore, “students should be given homework that requires them to use what they already know or what they are learning” (p.79). As a result, the language, expectations, and purpose of the homework being assigned needs to be clear for it to be meaningful. Finally, giving students the opportunity to discuss the homework being assigned will clear up any misconceptions, questions students may have, and give students multiple explanations and visuals of what the homework should look like when completed.
Intended Objectives for Students:
The objectives of homework should be specific to the learning targets of the skills being targeted in any given grade level. Learning targets need to be posted in the classroom for students to read and discuss. Once students understand that they are to master the learning targets and the purpose of the assignment most likely they will be able to become successful when practicing and applying the content being taught to them.
The homework assignment that I have designed is a Reading and Writing notebook. Students will be asked to respond to text that is assigned at home. In Reading, students will be asked to enhance their comprehension skills through reading text and responding with connections, images, inferences, summaries, questions, and critical thinking skills as they are interacting with the passage that are assigned. A separate tab for vocabulary will also be included in the notebook for students to add new vocabulary words as they are reading. Another notebook will serve as the Writing notebook and will be a tool where students can write to an audience such as myself, their parents, or another student. The interaction through writing encourages students to communicate with others and gain feedback on their thinking. Furthermore, the Writing notebook will contain tabs for powerful words, sentence starters, grammar/punctuation, and a place for stories, responses, and other pieces that students compose.
Providing Specific Feedback:
Providing feedback to students within the notebook itself is crucial. Students need to know and understand that the thinking they are illustrating is being valued and deserves to be celebrated. The way I will provide feedback to my students is that I will write in each student’s notebook to assess their learning of the skill being taught. I will comment by explaining what I notice they did well, offer suggestions for improvement, and at times ask students questions next to their entries to encourage them to expand their thinking.
Another way I will provide feedback is by conferring with students weekly both in reading and writing so we can discuss strengths, improvements, and assess whether or not the notebook is meeting their needs and purpose of mastering the learning targets and objectives. I will confer one-on-one with students and also allow them to discuss their thinking, writing, and learning with other students in the classroom so they can see and hear other examples of homework from their peers in the classroom.
Finally, I will make a rubric with my students to allow both my students and I to assess their reading and writing responses in their notebook. The reason I will have them help me create the rubric is so they will take a sense of ownership and have a clear vision on what their homework needs to look like before it is turned in. Weekly, I will have students complete the rubric themselves, and I will provide feedback of whether I agree or disagree with their self-assessment. Together we will look through examples of entries I have collected throughout the year and practice assessing the entries so students can see a variety of styles and work from other students. Providing students with examples will lay the foundation for what is expected.
Please see the examples below of the Reading Response and Writing Response rubric for both notebooks.
Using Technology in the Communication Process:
The role of technology is important when assigning homework to students. At the beginning of the year a conference should be held with parents so teachers can explain expectations of homework to the parents of the students. Providing conferences gives parents the opportunity to ask questions they might have regarding homework assignments. In addition, a class blog or web page would be valuable for parents to be able to log on and see what the weekly assignments are on a daily basis. Parents that do not have access to technology will be provided with a daily newsletter that allows them to read what is assigned and write any comments or questions they have regarding the homework that is assigned. These newsletters can be kept in a composition notebook and travel back and forth with the child.
References:
Hill, Jane D., & Flynn, Kathleen M. (2006). Classroom Instruction that works with English Language Learners. Alexandria, VA. ACSD.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Fiction vs. Non-Fiction
When comparing Fiction and Non-Fiction texts I found many differences and similarities between the two. While using a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast I wrote down that Fiction gives students the opportunity to read a story and watch characters develop through a setting, plot, problem, climax, and conclusion. Fiction text also has many purposes for the reader. Readers can be entertained, learn valuable life lessons, and interact with text to make connections to their own lives. Non-Fiction in contrast includes features of text that differ from Fiction. In text books, or other Non-Fiction children’s books students will find a Table of Contents, Glossary, Index, Tables, Graphs, Maps, and even Photographs. Furthermore, Non-Fiction is written for the purpose of informing readers, teach them something new, and allow them to add the new information they learned to their background knowledge. When focus is on the language of the text, Fiction offers students with more figurative language aspects, while Non-Fiction introduces students to a wide variety of vocabulary, facts, and information that are essential to understanding the topic being read.
While both Fiction and Non-Fiction are engaging for readers they both also allow students to interact with text and build upon their comprehension strategies of questioning, inferring, determining importance, visualizing, summarizing, and making connections. Both Fiction and Non-Fiction also teach the reader the different features of text that the author provides. We encourage our students to explore a variety of mentor texts of both Fiction and Non-Fiction so they can learn how to become writers themselves of their own genres they want to produce.
Fiction texts give ELL students support by providing a brief introduction of what the story is about or about the author. Giving students opportunity to preview the story will give them a vision for what the story is about. In addition, the title of the Fiction book as well as the chapters can lead ELL students to make predictions while previewing the text. Overall, I believe Non-fiction text features provide more support for ELL students.
Non-fiction text features support ELL students by providing clear visuals. The glossary also allows students to look up the definition to gain meaning of the vocabulary that could be complex. By providing meaning the ELL student can make sense of the topic being researched. The Table of Contents also allows ELL students to go through text in a sequence. Having the text in a certain order makes it easy to follow and comprehend.
In conclusion, both Fiction and Non-Fiction texts provide students with rich reading experiences that engage their interest. As a 2nd grade teacher, I have found that when taking a reading inventory my students are more interested in reading and writing Non-Fiction than they are Fiction. I believe that this is so because they are able to connect with the real life features that the text provides. It is rewarding to see students create their own Non-Fiction books and take on the challenge of determining what facts are important to make note of, and how they can make their book appealing to the reader. The craft of making the Non-Fiction books was challenging for my students, but once they mastered all of the steps necessary there was nothing more exciting for them than to share the book that they were the author of with friends and family.
While both Fiction and Non-Fiction are engaging for readers they both also allow students to interact with text and build upon their comprehension strategies of questioning, inferring, determining importance, visualizing, summarizing, and making connections. Both Fiction and Non-Fiction also teach the reader the different features of text that the author provides. We encourage our students to explore a variety of mentor texts of both Fiction and Non-Fiction so they can learn how to become writers themselves of their own genres they want to produce.
Fiction texts give ELL students support by providing a brief introduction of what the story is about or about the author. Giving students opportunity to preview the story will give them a vision for what the story is about. In addition, the title of the Fiction book as well as the chapters can lead ELL students to make predictions while previewing the text. Overall, I believe Non-fiction text features provide more support for ELL students.
Non-fiction text features support ELL students by providing clear visuals. The glossary also allows students to look up the definition to gain meaning of the vocabulary that could be complex. By providing meaning the ELL student can make sense of the topic being researched. The Table of Contents also allows ELL students to go through text in a sequence. Having the text in a certain order makes it easy to follow and comprehend.
In conclusion, both Fiction and Non-Fiction texts provide students with rich reading experiences that engage their interest. As a 2nd grade teacher, I have found that when taking a reading inventory my students are more interested in reading and writing Non-Fiction than they are Fiction. I believe that this is so because they are able to connect with the real life features that the text provides. It is rewarding to see students create their own Non-Fiction books and take on the challenge of determining what facts are important to make note of, and how they can make their book appealing to the reader. The craft of making the Non-Fiction books was challenging for my students, but once they mastered all of the steps necessary there was nothing more exciting for them than to share the book that they were the author of with friends and family.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Sheltered Lesson
During the lesson on inferences Mrs. Krauss sheltered the lesson by using three very important phases. Sheltering the lesson made it comprehensible to the ELL students in the class and provided her students with meaningful connections to the book Esperanza Rising. The three phases she used are as follows.
Pre-Reading
Before the lesson Mrs. Krauss explicitly explained the lesson, content, objectives, and what was expected of the students. The directions were stated both verbally and they were also written for students to see. She reviewed the reading strategies she had previously taught to students and discussed key vocabulary that was essential to understanding the book. Mrs. Krauss wrote the vocabulary words down, said each one aloud, and provided context with the use of pictures for students to look at. She also sheltered the lesson by providing synonyms so students could connect to what was meaningful to them.
Students previewed the chapter and Mrs. Krauss used a graphic organizer to connect to their own learning. She also suggested using the title and having students work in groups to make predictions, ask guiding questions, and have students reflect on how the story might look like in their own culture.
During Reading
Since the book referenced the birthday song, "Las Mananitas" students were asked to explain the song, and talk about birthday celebrations in their culture. This allowed students to make connections. Then while reading the story aloud so ELL students could see and hear the words at the same time, she made sure to go slow so they could understand, while reminding them to use their comprehension strategies to enhance acquisition.
Mrs. Krauss reminds students to use their background knowledge and context clues the author describes to infer. Repetition was often used during the lesson for second language learners. Providing repetition increases engagement and allows students to interact with the text. If students were not able to connect with the text it is okay for the teacher to point connections out to allow them to connect on their own.
Post-Reading
During this stage of the lesson Mrs. Krauss reviewed the strategies, vocabulary, and content along with the goals and objectives. Then students were asked to work independently with text and find three post-its in the pages of their reading to connect to background knowledge, question, and visualize.
Reflection
During the reflection of the lesson Mrs. Krauss spoke about what inferring was and mentioned it was a more challenging comprehension strategy to teach to ELL students. On the diary board students posted their work so the students could see what questions, images, and inferences other students had. She stated that before each lesson she has students write down their questions that confused them in the reading the night before so she can help them connect. They were also encouraged to explain what the text reminded them of and explain their background knowledge.
Conclusion
Sheltering a lesson provides students with the tools and modifications they need to become successful readers. It is important that while sheltering the teacher provide lots of modeling to demonstrate to his or her students what the goal of the lesson needs to look like and sound like. Wait time is crucial for ELL students so they have time to process and respond. Overall, I learned how to strengthen my own teaching practices by watching this video. Although, it was rewarding to see that some of these tools I already have been using in my classroom and now I can build upon my practices to meet the needs of all ELL students as well.
Pre-Reading
Before the lesson Mrs. Krauss explicitly explained the lesson, content, objectives, and what was expected of the students. The directions were stated both verbally and they were also written for students to see. She reviewed the reading strategies she had previously taught to students and discussed key vocabulary that was essential to understanding the book. Mrs. Krauss wrote the vocabulary words down, said each one aloud, and provided context with the use of pictures for students to look at. She also sheltered the lesson by providing synonyms so students could connect to what was meaningful to them.
Students previewed the chapter and Mrs. Krauss used a graphic organizer to connect to their own learning. She also suggested using the title and having students work in groups to make predictions, ask guiding questions, and have students reflect on how the story might look like in their own culture.
During Reading
Since the book referenced the birthday song, "Las Mananitas" students were asked to explain the song, and talk about birthday celebrations in their culture. This allowed students to make connections. Then while reading the story aloud so ELL students could see and hear the words at the same time, she made sure to go slow so they could understand, while reminding them to use their comprehension strategies to enhance acquisition.
Mrs. Krauss reminds students to use their background knowledge and context clues the author describes to infer. Repetition was often used during the lesson for second language learners. Providing repetition increases engagement and allows students to interact with the text. If students were not able to connect with the text it is okay for the teacher to point connections out to allow them to connect on their own.
Post-Reading
During this stage of the lesson Mrs. Krauss reviewed the strategies, vocabulary, and content along with the goals and objectives. Then students were asked to work independently with text and find three post-its in the pages of their reading to connect to background knowledge, question, and visualize.
Reflection
During the reflection of the lesson Mrs. Krauss spoke about what inferring was and mentioned it was a more challenging comprehension strategy to teach to ELL students. On the diary board students posted their work so the students could see what questions, images, and inferences other students had. She stated that before each lesson she has students write down their questions that confused them in the reading the night before so she can help them connect. They were also encouraged to explain what the text reminded them of and explain their background knowledge.
Conclusion
Sheltering a lesson provides students with the tools and modifications they need to become successful readers. It is important that while sheltering the teacher provide lots of modeling to demonstrate to his or her students what the goal of the lesson needs to look like and sound like. Wait time is crucial for ELL students so they have time to process and respond. Overall, I learned how to strengthen my own teaching practices by watching this video. Although, it was rewarding to see that some of these tools I already have been using in my classroom and now I can build upon my practices to meet the needs of all ELL students as well.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Running Records and Miscue Analysis
This week I had the opportunity to assess two ELL students. One student’s first language was Spanish and the other student's first language was Chinese. Even though both students were fluent in English I noticed some patterns when analyzing their running records, which need attention. The Spanish-speaking student had lots of visual miscues involving incorrect use of vowel sounds. He would say, “come” for “came,” and “wint” for “went.” This tells me that this child needs more phonics instruction with the vowel sounds. Having difficulty with vowel sounds is an error that many first grade readers all struggle with, so I did not think this was an error that had much to do with his first language. To help him enhance his phonemic awareness I would have him write the word on a white board, run his finger underneath the word, and read the word a loud. Then, I would have him read the word in the sentence so he would gain meaning in text. I would also prompt him before reading and tell him that he has an important job. That job is to read the word and look at all of its’ parts, especially the vowels. Telling him this would prompt him to focus his attention on reading through the word very carefully. Another miscue I noticed him making was that he pronounced the double ‘l” sound in the word “called” like the “y” sound in the word “yellow.” This was an error that reflected his knowledge of his first language because the double “l” sound does sound like the “y” sound in Spanish. To guide his instruction I would use several pictures paired up with words that have the double “l” sound and together I would explicitly teach him what sound the double “l” sound makes in English. I would also select texts that include the double “l” sound. While he was reading, I’d confer with him and listen for his ability to pronounce them correctly. Together we would make a plan on how he could remember how to pronounce words that include the double “l.”
The second student I observed was a more fluent reader and her first language was Chinese. Her miscues included inflectional endings. She would often leave them out. For example, she would say, “puddle” instead of “puddles,” I noticed that she also had a lot of meaning and visual miscues. I found this interesting because she did a good job of crosschecking, had great comprehension, and read with 91% accuracy. I think a lot of the words she missed were not in her vocabulary. Just like many 1st grade readers, some words are not in their vocabulary and they do not have enough background knowledge to understand some of the words they read. To assist this student and enhance her vocabulary I would make sure that the books I read with her had rich book introductions. Words that I would think were not in her vocabulary I would tell her those words and ask her if she could tell me what the word meant. As we came to the unknown words in text, I would explain the meaning, and show her a visual so she could associate meaning with the word she was trying to read. Allowing her to talk about what these unknown words meant and associate them with a picture might increase her background knowledge and help her obtain a more rich vocabulary.
The articles I read this week allowed me to reflect on my own teaching and stress the importance of analyzing running records to help guide instruction. One article focused on giving ELL students texts that were culturally relevant and explained that students who are able to read texts at an independent or instructional level most likely were given a text that was culturally relevant and included vocabulary that was already in his or her vocabulary. The other article I read spoke about “following” a child and how teachers “follow” a child by using a running record to observe a child’s learning, determine next steps, and provide instruction based on the child’s needs. Furthermore, the article discussed the importance of teachers looking for patterns while analyzing the running record to inform teaching. This article allowed me to reflect on how purposeful I am when assessing students. It also reminded me just how important continuous assessment is with each and every one of my students.
Ebe, A. E. (2010). Culturally Relevant Texts and Reading Assessment for English Language Learners. Reading Horizons, 50(3), 193-210. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Estice, R., & Reading Recovery Council of North America, C. H. (1997). Using Patterns of Responding to "Follow the Child."Running Record, 9(2), 1,6-7,12-13. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
The second student I observed was a more fluent reader and her first language was Chinese. Her miscues included inflectional endings. She would often leave them out. For example, she would say, “puddle” instead of “puddles,” I noticed that she also had a lot of meaning and visual miscues. I found this interesting because she did a good job of crosschecking, had great comprehension, and read with 91% accuracy. I think a lot of the words she missed were not in her vocabulary. Just like many 1st grade readers, some words are not in their vocabulary and they do not have enough background knowledge to understand some of the words they read. To assist this student and enhance her vocabulary I would make sure that the books I read with her had rich book introductions. Words that I would think were not in her vocabulary I would tell her those words and ask her if she could tell me what the word meant. As we came to the unknown words in text, I would explain the meaning, and show her a visual so she could associate meaning with the word she was trying to read. Allowing her to talk about what these unknown words meant and associate them with a picture might increase her background knowledge and help her obtain a more rich vocabulary.
The articles I read this week allowed me to reflect on my own teaching and stress the importance of analyzing running records to help guide instruction. One article focused on giving ELL students texts that were culturally relevant and explained that students who are able to read texts at an independent or instructional level most likely were given a text that was culturally relevant and included vocabulary that was already in his or her vocabulary. The other article I read spoke about “following” a child and how teachers “follow” a child by using a running record to observe a child’s learning, determine next steps, and provide instruction based on the child’s needs. Furthermore, the article discussed the importance of teachers looking for patterns while analyzing the running record to inform teaching. This article allowed me to reflect on how purposeful I am when assessing students. It also reminded me just how important continuous assessment is with each and every one of my students.
Ebe, A. E. (2010). Culturally Relevant Texts and Reading Assessment for English Language Learners. Reading Horizons, 50(3), 193-210. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Estice, R., & Reading Recovery Council of North America, C. H. (1997). Using Patterns of Responding to "Follow the Child."Running Record, 9(2), 1,6-7,12-13. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Learning vs. Acquisition View
The students:
A- make a Venn diagram to compare two stories
A- read a language experience story they have created with the teacher
A- work in pairs to arrange words from a familiar chant into sentences
A- make alphabet books on different topics
L- look up words in the dictionary to write definitions
L- practice sounding out words
L- read in round robin fashion
L- correct peers when they make a mistake
L- divide words into syllables
L- ask teacher how to spell any word they don’t know
L- identify words on a big book page that start with the same sound
L- on a worksheet, draw a line from each word to the picture that starts with the
same sound
L /A- write rhyming poetry and then discuss different spellings for the same sound
L/A- group cards with classmates’ names by a criterion on such as first or last
letter
The teacher:
A- set aside time for SSR (sustained silent reading) each day
A- has students meet in literature circles
A write words the students dictate for a story and has students help with the
spelling of difficult words
A- teaches students different comprehension strategies
A- does a picture walk of a new book
A- does a shared reading with a big book
L- make sure that students read only books that fit their level
L- has students segment words into phonemes
L- uses decodable text
L- uses a variety of worksheets to teach different skills
L- conducts phonics drills
L/A- teaches Latin and Greek roots
L/A- preteaches vocabulary
L/A- chooses predictable texts
L/A- asks students to look around the room and find words starting with a certain
letter.
Reflection:
According to Freeman I viewed the learning view as providing instruction for students that gives them opportunities to learn each part of the language-the pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. In contrast our reading describes the acquisition view as more of an authentic approach to teaching language. Students are given purposeful instruction that gives them opportunities to understand, speak, read, and write language in a variety of settings that results in a deeper comprehension. Those activities that I labeled L were those that were less engaging and oral or written. Those that I labeled A I felt were activities that allowed students to make more sense out of language and take their oral language to a new level. Finally, those activities I labeled L/A were activities that I believe could be labeled both because they were rich in comprehension, but yet served to also break apart language into simple pieces for the learner.
References:
Freeman, D., and Y. Freeman.(2004). Essential linguistics: What you need to know to teach: reading, ESL, spelling, phonics, grammar. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
A- make a Venn diagram to compare two stories
A- read a language experience story they have created with the teacher
A- work in pairs to arrange words from a familiar chant into sentences
A- make alphabet books on different topics
L- look up words in the dictionary to write definitions
L- practice sounding out words
L- read in round robin fashion
L- correct peers when they make a mistake
L- divide words into syllables
L- ask teacher how to spell any word they don’t know
L- identify words on a big book page that start with the same sound
L- on a worksheet, draw a line from each word to the picture that starts with the
same sound
L /A- write rhyming poetry and then discuss different spellings for the same sound
L/A- group cards with classmates’ names by a criterion on such as first or last
letter
The teacher:
A- set aside time for SSR (sustained silent reading) each day
A- has students meet in literature circles
A write words the students dictate for a story and has students help with the
spelling of difficult words
A- teaches students different comprehension strategies
A- does a picture walk of a new book
A- does a shared reading with a big book
L- make sure that students read only books that fit their level
L- has students segment words into phonemes
L- uses decodable text
L- uses a variety of worksheets to teach different skills
L- conducts phonics drills
L/A- teaches Latin and Greek roots
L/A- preteaches vocabulary
L/A- chooses predictable texts
L/A- asks students to look around the room and find words starting with a certain
letter.
Reflection:
According to Freeman I viewed the learning view as providing instruction for students that gives them opportunities to learn each part of the language-the pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. In contrast our reading describes the acquisition view as more of an authentic approach to teaching language. Students are given purposeful instruction that gives them opportunities to understand, speak, read, and write language in a variety of settings that results in a deeper comprehension. Those activities that I labeled L were those that were less engaging and oral or written. Those that I labeled A I felt were activities that allowed students to make more sense out of language and take their oral language to a new level. Finally, those activities I labeled L/A were activities that I believe could be labeled both because they were rich in comprehension, but yet served to also break apart language into simple pieces for the learner.
References:
Freeman, D., and Y. Freeman.(2004). Essential linguistics: What you need to know to teach: reading, ESL, spelling, phonics, grammar. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Adult Publication: The Game of Numbers By: Nick Murray
My husband Nic is a financial representative for Northwestern Mutual and one of 
several books that he has read to extend his knowledge in the industry is called The Game of Numbers by a well known author on the subject of financial advising, Nick Murray. The book is primarily about the many different types of prospecting done by financial advisors, which is easy for most adults to understand. However, within the text there are many financial concepts and terms that are beyond my comprehension. An example of this is where Nick Murray explains to a prospect how to calculate his retirement needs based on the amount of annual income per year, number of years that income is required, the assumed rate of return, including inflation while accounting for limiting risks such as market risk, inflation risk, tax risk, and life span risk. Gibbons states that it is important for teachers to teach students to comprehend the value of learning by doing and enhance their comprehension by providing concrete experiences (2002, p. 49). To help myself comprehend the example above I started to think about my mother retiring and needing a certain amount of money to live off of each year, and the fact that my mother is in good health and can live another 25 or 30 years. Making this concrete connection to my mother’s real life situation helped me comprehend Nick Murray’s calculation of retirement income needs.
My purpose for reading The Game of Numbers is that I lack background knowledge in financial concepts and I feel I should have some level of understanding of what my husband Nic does each day and how he makes a difference in one life at a time. I went back to where Nick Murray describes the variety of different risks in calculating retirement needs and I associated the meaning of each word with prior knowledge. For example I associated market risk with the stock market, inflation risk with prices I pay for goods, tax risk with paying taxes, and life span risk with knowing that I could live longer than expected.
In closing, this task was difficult for me. I chose not to pick a text in another language, but rather an adult publication that to me was very foreign and challenging to understand. Identifying effective reading strategies to help ELLs comprehend is vital. “An ESL reader’s failure to activate an appropriate schema during reading may result in various degrees of non-comprehension” (Carrell, 1984, p.333). Literature argues that background knowledge of text has a major impact on whether or not a reader can comprehend text (Anderson& Pearson, 1984; Bransford, Stein & Shelton, 1984; Kintsch & van Kijk, 1978; Wilson & Anderson, 1986). Thus, it is imperative for English as a second language (ESL) students’ schema to be activated and build schema is essential to help them become successful readers and writers. To help ELLs learn new information it is very important to find out what they already know which demands specific preparation to find out what their previous educational experiences were.
Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: teaching second language learners in the mainstream classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Navarro, A. M. (2008). Building Schema for English Language Learners. Online Submission, Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
several books that he has read to extend his knowledge in the industry is called The Game of Numbers by a well known author on the subject of financial advising, Nick Murray. The book is primarily about the many different types of prospecting done by financial advisors, which is easy for most adults to understand. However, within the text there are many financial concepts and terms that are beyond my comprehension. An example of this is where Nick Murray explains to a prospect how to calculate his retirement needs based on the amount of annual income per year, number of years that income is required, the assumed rate of return, including inflation while accounting for limiting risks such as market risk, inflation risk, tax risk, and life span risk. Gibbons states that it is important for teachers to teach students to comprehend the value of learning by doing and enhance their comprehension by providing concrete experiences (2002, p. 49). To help myself comprehend the example above I started to think about my mother retiring and needing a certain amount of money to live off of each year, and the fact that my mother is in good health and can live another 25 or 30 years. Making this concrete connection to my mother’s real life situation helped me comprehend Nick Murray’s calculation of retirement income needs.
My purpose for reading The Game of Numbers is that I lack background knowledge in financial concepts and I feel I should have some level of understanding of what my husband Nic does each day and how he makes a difference in one life at a time. I went back to where Nick Murray describes the variety of different risks in calculating retirement needs and I associated the meaning of each word with prior knowledge. For example I associated market risk with the stock market, inflation risk with prices I pay for goods, tax risk with paying taxes, and life span risk with knowing that I could live longer than expected.
In closing, this task was difficult for me. I chose not to pick a text in another language, but rather an adult publication that to me was very foreign and challenging to understand. Identifying effective reading strategies to help ELLs comprehend is vital. “An ESL reader’s failure to activate an appropriate schema during reading may result in various degrees of non-comprehension” (Carrell, 1984, p.333). Literature argues that background knowledge of text has a major impact on whether or not a reader can comprehend text (Anderson& Pearson, 1984; Bransford, Stein & Shelton, 1984; Kintsch & van Kijk, 1978; Wilson & Anderson, 1986). Thus, it is imperative for English as a second language (ESL) students’ schema to be activated and build schema is essential to help them become successful readers and writers. To help ELLs learn new information it is very important to find out what they already know which demands specific preparation to find out what their previous educational experiences were.
Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: teaching second language learners in the mainstream classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Navarro, A. M. (2008). Building Schema for English Language Learners. Online Submission, Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Review of Children’s Books
The two children’s books I selected were called Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood by Mike Artell and Amelia Bedelia Under Construction by Herman 
Parish. The first book I chose is another version of the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. Instead of a wolf and little girl in the story there is a duckling that was referred to as Petite Rouge Riding Hood and her Grand-mere who was the Alligator. In the mid-1750’s a group of French-speaking people lived in an area of Canada knows as French Acadia, which was then ruled by the English government. In the beginning of the story there is a glossary of the words that children will encounter as they read. Next to the word it gives the meaning in English. I thought that having these words was a great way to discuss the vocabulary before reading the story. Challenges that ELL students or English-speaking students might face while reading this book is the accent in which it is read. Some of my highest students who are reading above grade level could not even read the book until I was able to read it a loud to them. We are currently doing a genre study on Fairy Tales and this was a book that I read a loud in Language Workshop. My students loved it, but they needed to hear it being read first in order to be able to read it on their own. Another challenge that ELL students might face is the missing letters, which are essential to be there for the word to be pronounced correctly. For example instead of the words “of and this” it reads “An’ some uh dis boudin” which means, “and some of this Cajun sausage.” ELL students or English speaking students would have difficulty reading these phrases because they are used to seeing “of” and “th” instead of “uh” and “dis.” Third, the story has many vocabulary words that are in French such as “adieu” meaning “goodbye,” “pirogue” meaning “a narrow, flat canoe that is pushed or paddled through the bayou, marsh, or swamp,” and “maisoui” meaning “yes.” Not only are these words tricky, but also I found myself having to refer back to the glossary while reading to make sure my students knew what I was referring to. The good thing about this story was that while reading the majority of the text is in English and using context clues gave a good idea of what the word meant in the story. Finally, even though the story is a different version of Little Red Riding Hood the story takes place in a swamp instead of the woods and the characters are different. I think ELL students who were not familiar with the story Little Red Riding Hood might become confused with what a swamp is and while reading they could lose meaning by not having enough background knowledge.
I would help ELL students comprehend the Fairy Tale by using a graphic organizer to compare and contrast what is different between the Little Red Riding Hood and Petite Rouge Riding Hood. I would also put the French words on note cards and accompany them with pictures so that each time I read the word or they read the word they could associate the new vocabulary with an image.
The second book I chose was Amelia Bedelia Under Construction. Amelia Bedelia
books include lots of idiomatic expressions that can be challenging for ELL students to understand. For example, the story reads, “I am expecting.” “Expecting what?” said Amelia Bedelia. “An addition,” said Mrs. Hardy. “I can help,” said Amelia Bedelia. “I am pretty good at math.” The word addition has two different meanings. It could mean adding another person to the family, or like Amelia Bedelia thought a math term. Throughout the story Amelia Bedelia thinks that words mean different things. For ELL students this could be challenging to understand because words have multiple meanings. To help I would give students the opportunity to hear, say, and read the words in different meaningful contexts. The article we read this week suggests this technique and I would also explain the vocabulary explicitly by acting out the words, through pictures, or verbal explanations. Another challenge in this story is the vocabulary. Since the family is building a house and needs marble counter tops Amelia Bedelia thinks she needs to put real marbles on the counters and does not understand what kind of marble the characters are referring to. Not only do words have multiple meanings in the story, but also the figurative language is evident throughout the story. To scaffold for my learners I would use pictures, demonstrations, and verbal explanations since they would not be able to infer meaning through the context clues provided. Third, the plot of the story is difficult and could result in a loss of meaning for ELL students. I would provide my students with a story map that they could use to help them identify the parts of the story. I would also make some sequence cards with pictures from the story that they could use to practice putting the story in order and telling a partner the story a loud before completing the story map organizer. Finally, I think ELL students would have difficulty reading some of the names in the story phonetically such as Amelia Bedelia, Eddie, and Andrew. The “ia” “ie” and “ew” chunks can be difficult to read. To help, I would write these names on a white board for students before reading the story and introduce the names before reading. I would also teach them the sounds of “ia” “ie” and “ew” using words they are familiar with so they will be able to associate the sounds with another word they are already able to recognize.
Overall, I enjoyed this task because it opened my eyes to what ELL students experience everyday while reading in the classroom. My own students were also able to identify with the challenge of not understanding a book and not being able to read a book until they were taught how. After being able to listen to the fairy tale, and practice reading it on their own, they loved it, and wanted me to read it again and again. They could connect to the challenges that ELL students face every day while learning English and that was rewarding to see!
Parish. The first book I chose is another version of the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. Instead of a wolf and little girl in the story there is a duckling that was referred to as Petite Rouge Riding Hood and her Grand-mere who was the Alligator. In the mid-1750’s a group of French-speaking people lived in an area of Canada knows as French Acadia, which was then ruled by the English government. In the beginning of the story there is a glossary of the words that children will encounter as they read. Next to the word it gives the meaning in English. I thought that having these words was a great way to discuss the vocabulary before reading the story. Challenges that ELL students or English-speaking students might face while reading this book is the accent in which it is read. Some of my highest students who are reading above grade level could not even read the book until I was able to read it a loud to them. We are currently doing a genre study on Fairy Tales and this was a book that I read a loud in Language Workshop. My students loved it, but they needed to hear it being read first in order to be able to read it on their own. Another challenge that ELL students might face is the missing letters, which are essential to be there for the word to be pronounced correctly. For example instead of the words “of and this” it reads “An’ some uh dis boudin” which means, “and some of this Cajun sausage.” ELL students or English speaking students would have difficulty reading these phrases because they are used to seeing “of” and “th” instead of “uh” and “dis.” Third, the story has many vocabulary words that are in French such as “adieu” meaning “goodbye,” “pirogue” meaning “a narrow, flat canoe that is pushed or paddled through the bayou, marsh, or swamp,” and “maisoui” meaning “yes.” Not only are these words tricky, but also I found myself having to refer back to the glossary while reading to make sure my students knew what I was referring to. The good thing about this story was that while reading the majority of the text is in English and using context clues gave a good idea of what the word meant in the story. Finally, even though the story is a different version of Little Red Riding Hood the story takes place in a swamp instead of the woods and the characters are different. I think ELL students who were not familiar with the story Little Red Riding Hood might become confused with what a swamp is and while reading they could lose meaning by not having enough background knowledge.
I would help ELL students comprehend the Fairy Tale by using a graphic organizer to compare and contrast what is different between the Little Red Riding Hood and Petite Rouge Riding Hood. I would also put the French words on note cards and accompany them with pictures so that each time I read the word or they read the word they could associate the new vocabulary with an image.
The second book I chose was Amelia Bedelia Under Construction. Amelia Bedelia
books include lots of idiomatic expressions that can be challenging for ELL students to understand. For example, the story reads, “I am expecting.” “Expecting what?” said Amelia Bedelia. “An addition,” said Mrs. Hardy. “I can help,” said Amelia Bedelia. “I am pretty good at math.” The word addition has two different meanings. It could mean adding another person to the family, or like Amelia Bedelia thought a math term. Throughout the story Amelia Bedelia thinks that words mean different things. For ELL students this could be challenging to understand because words have multiple meanings. To help I would give students the opportunity to hear, say, and read the words in different meaningful contexts. The article we read this week suggests this technique and I would also explain the vocabulary explicitly by acting out the words, through pictures, or verbal explanations. Another challenge in this story is the vocabulary. Since the family is building a house and needs marble counter tops Amelia Bedelia thinks she needs to put real marbles on the counters and does not understand what kind of marble the characters are referring to. Not only do words have multiple meanings in the story, but also the figurative language is evident throughout the story. To scaffold for my learners I would use pictures, demonstrations, and verbal explanations since they would not be able to infer meaning through the context clues provided. Third, the plot of the story is difficult and could result in a loss of meaning for ELL students. I would provide my students with a story map that they could use to help them identify the parts of the story. I would also make some sequence cards with pictures from the story that they could use to practice putting the story in order and telling a partner the story a loud before completing the story map organizer. Finally, I think ELL students would have difficulty reading some of the names in the story phonetically such as Amelia Bedelia, Eddie, and Andrew. The “ia” “ie” and “ew” chunks can be difficult to read. To help, I would write these names on a white board for students before reading the story and introduce the names before reading. I would also teach them the sounds of “ia” “ie” and “ew” using words they are familiar with so they will be able to associate the sounds with another word they are already able to recognize.
Overall, I enjoyed this task because it opened my eyes to what ELL students experience everyday while reading in the classroom. My own students were also able to identify with the challenge of not understanding a book and not being able to read a book until they were taught how. After being able to listen to the fairy tale, and practice reading it on their own, they loved it, and wanted me to read it again and again. They could connect to the challenges that ELL students face every day while learning English and that was rewarding to see!
Friday, May 13, 2011
The Relationship Between Oral Language and the Reading Process
Children begin reading first by developing oral language that consists of both listening and speaking. After obtaining the ability to listen and speak children later learn to read and write. These five elements (speaking, listening, reading, writing, and thinking) all continuously develop together. A child who develops a good listening and speaking vocabulary has formed many concepts and ideas, which is known as prior knowledge. As teachers, once we understand how these elements work together we then can develop an effective literacy program for our students. Oral language is also essential to develop comprehension. The oral language a child develops helps a child to construct meaning, interact with text, and associate meaning with text. Children acquire oral language through experiences and interactions with others. It is important that all schools build literacy experiences around the language the child has developed to successfully establish a connection between oral language and reading.
Writing Instruction Experiences
As I reflect on my writing experiences growing up I believe I was instructed in more of a traditional way. I remember copying my spelling words multiple times in my composition notebook and every day we would have two sentences to correct. We had to copy the sentence and then edit them with a red colored pencil to make it correct. Sometimes punctuation was missing, capitals, or words were misspelled that we had to correct. I also remember a significant amount of time was spent on handwriting practice from learning print, cursive, and even calligraphy. Writing instruction was also traditional. My teachers would give us writing prompts and we had to write a story. Sometimes we would write other genres such as poetry, but usually we were asked to write to a specific prompt, which did not allow room for any creativity.
As a 2nd grade teacher I believe in Process Writing. The school in which I teach at believes in the philosophy of the Comprehensive Literacy Model by Linda Dorn. I use a variety of mentor texts in Language Workshop to teach my students the craft of writing. We have written Fairy Tales, Non-Fiction, Personal Narratives, Poetry, How-To Paragraphs, Persuasive Pieces, and Fiction just to name a few. Within each genre study I use the mentor texts to help teach the genre my students are to write. Between genre studies my students also get to write creatively about any topic they want to. Sometimes they even buddy write. In my Writing Workshop I use my mini-lessons to help model what is expected of my students. As my students write, I also confer with them because it is essential that they get to read their writing a loud and talk through their pieces of writing with someone else; whether it’s with me or another child. Like David and Yvonne Freeman I believe that the Process Writing approach “creates conditions for authentic written responses and helps students express themselves in writing” (2002, p. 29). Furthermore, more than just the teacher views the draft. Child, teacher, and additional peers respond to the drafts that are written. The following link is a website called Writing Fix that I use to help me select mentor texts for mini-lessons in my Writing Workshop. I have also attached a link that was just recently introduced to me. With 21st century learners it is important that we provide students with the opportunity to authentically write using computers too. They can use this kid’s blog to write to their relatives, teachers and classrooms all over the world.
http://writingfix.com/6_traits/voice.htm#mentor_text
http://kidblog.org/home.php
As a 2nd grade teacher I believe in Process Writing. The school in which I teach at believes in the philosophy of the Comprehensive Literacy Model by Linda Dorn. I use a variety of mentor texts in Language Workshop to teach my students the craft of writing. We have written Fairy Tales, Non-Fiction, Personal Narratives, Poetry, How-To Paragraphs, Persuasive Pieces, and Fiction just to name a few. Within each genre study I use the mentor texts to help teach the genre my students are to write. Between genre studies my students also get to write creatively about any topic they want to. Sometimes they even buddy write. In my Writing Workshop I use my mini-lessons to help model what is expected of my students. As my students write, I also confer with them because it is essential that they get to read their writing a loud and talk through their pieces of writing with someone else; whether it’s with me or another child. Like David and Yvonne Freeman I believe that the Process Writing approach “creates conditions for authentic written responses and helps students express themselves in writing” (2002, p. 29). Furthermore, more than just the teacher views the draft. Child, teacher, and additional peers respond to the drafts that are written. The following link is a website called Writing Fix that I use to help me select mentor texts for mini-lessons in my Writing Workshop. I have also attached a link that was just recently introduced to me. With 21st century learners it is important that we provide students with the opportunity to authentically write using computers too. They can use this kid’s blog to write to their relatives, teachers and classrooms all over the world.
http://writingfix.com/6_traits/voice.htm#mentor_text
http://kidblog.org/home.php
Philosophy about Teaching Literacy
I had the opportunity to interview my Literacy Coach Josie Adler at my school. Josie came to Douglas County School District from Virginia. She used to be the reading coach for the entire district and found her home at Renaissance Magnet School where I teach. Josie has been a Reading Recovery teacher and continues to touch many of our struggling readers lives each and every day. I have known Josie for almost 4 years and she has taught me a lot about literacy and about what it takes to teach struggling readers. Josie believes in lots of modeling.Students need to both see and hear what they are expected to do. She also believes that students learn best with mentor texts. Using a mentor text in a mini-lesson engages students, and shows them the craft of a variety of authors.Conferring with readers and writers is very high on Josie’s list. Talking with students about what they are reading, instructing them, and taking advantage of teachable moments is essential. Student’s needs to be engaged in guided reading groups, literacy centers, literature discussion groups, and independent reading and writing. Finally, Josie believes in ongoing assessment. She says, that we need to make sure we are not only administering assessments, but that we involve the child, and evaluate their growth continuously throughout the year. Her famous words are “As teachers you need to be insistent, persistent, and consistent!” Josie Adler is a leader with a wealth of knowledge, that I hope to one day obtain. She is a true example of what a literacy teacher and coach needs to provide her students with in order for them to grow as readers and writers and reach their highest potential.
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