What I have learnt from the course

view my Prezi here:
https://prezi.com/view/luucGyDaJ85nOi70QGrc/

KWL charts

KWL charts are a great way to engage students in a lesson. They can be used with any lesson ranging from literature, science, history and almost everything in between. Students can be asked to share out loud or to quietly fill out a KWL chart. When working with KWL charts, students are given an opportunity to share prior knowledge on a given topic, they then ask or write down questions about the things they would like to learn during the lesson and at the end of the lesson the students can refer back and fill out all the information that was new to them during the lesson. KWL charts can serve as great introductions to lessons as well as to a wonderful and effective conclusion to a lesson.

Scholarly articles on KWL charts:
1.https://www.nbss.ie/sites/default/files/publications/kwl_comprehension_strategy_handout__copy_2_0.pdf

2.http://www.natefacs.org/Pages/v30no2/v30no2Alshatti.pdf

Lesson plan using the KWL strategy:
http://www.readyhoustontx.gov/schoolready/pdfs/ReadyHou_LessonPlans_2-3.pdf

Week 10- ELL Comprehension Strategies

View my Comprehension Strategies here:
http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cbf6hs6Wko

Week 9- Comprehension lesson

View my lesson plan here:  https://docs.google.com/a/nyit.edu/document/d/1o7d9HlGGPIOiTUi3I_8rhLMc_o1x6VIwmlcyaCUwIzU/edit?usp=sharing

Keystone Assignment

View my Unit Plan here:
https://docs.google.com/a/nyit.edu/document/d/1FRGGJawSf4GSMVgQUXoLohC3Gh_yEka9sFaD3EHX-Ks/edit?usp=sharing

View my Rubric here:
https://docs.google.com/a/nyit.edu/document/d/1TM3uLenzr5Koja2gReK16BykX6rqQyQo9HnCYo6iPdA/edit?usp=sharing

ELL Case Study

View my ELL case study here:
https://docs.google.com/a/nyit.edu/document/d/1e15PH3MnFjeMBTnn62Rbid2KQQBNMx1q4J1dVWOBse4/edit?usp=sharing

Running Record Assignment

View my lesson plan and reflection here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19EJNyGhtfMzOE0gMXc1O-9gdMYKr2Rf43eSFik9uu-8/edit?usp=sharing

Word Study and Fluency Chart

Fluency and Word study part 2

3 levels of words, which ones to teach

The 3 levels of words are 1.Familiar words- words that we all know and use and do not have to be taught 2. words that appear often- these words come up in text or conversation often enough that we do want our students to know the meaning and how to use these words. 3. These are the highly technical words that are not often used and therefore we do not focus on teaching the meaning of these words.

Teaching students to chunk words in order to decode meaning:

Students can be taught to chunk words by a. checking to see if any part of the word is familiar to them  b. by  drawing clues from text content c.by using the strategy of onset and rhyme to break apart a word and seeing if they can figure any part of it. We teach students these strategies during any actual reading activity rather than giving a separate lesson, this way we model good reading and understanding strategies.

Incorporating word study in my classroom:

I would use words that students find in text to teach vocabulary rather than using a vocabulary book or planner. This way students see that the words they are learning are actually used in everyday conversations rather than being abstract words. I would also teach students to encode and decode words using onset and rhyme- using larger units in the word rather than teaching a letter by letter strategy, this would help students with fluency.

Fluency and Word Study part 1

Ensuring that struggling readers have proper text:

By teaching students proper strategy on how to choose books that are level appropriate to them you can ensure that they are reading level proper text. Also, giving students access to books they can actually read  and are of interest to them would keep them reading and encouraged. With independent reading time, students have a chance to read books that are on their level.

Environments with opportunity to read:

Providing students with a large classroom library that is well organized according to topics can encourage students to read because they will find books that are of interest to themselves. Creating a peaceful environment where students have some quiet time to read will also encourage reading.

Modeling Fluent Reading:

Teaching students using Read aloud, allows teachers to model fluency in reading. Teachers can show intonation, sarcasm, the use of different voices or tone of voice. By modeling poor reading fluency and asking students to point out what is missing, students can realize and understand the importance of fluent reading. Pointing out to students what it entails to be a fluent reader such as Smoothness, correctness and the use of expression can also build an awareness of fluency.

2nd Grade lesson plan- Whales and Fish

Here is the link to my lesson plan:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yY4-Zm6EH5C9m2zhNkn2jg09lNw5xNQFkXtG6mVeNL0/edit?usp=sharing

Phonics Lesson

here is the link to view my phonics lesson plan
https://docs.google.com/a/nyit.edu/document/d/14LGROGViliitE55WlkyD7XPlfJPEu--36MjOmS2dPeM/edit?usp=sharing

Mini lesson based on running record

When doing a running record on a second grade child it was obvious that this child was struggling with the consonant digraph “ch”. The child would continuously repeat this sound as “k”. This mini lesson is focused on teaching the “ch” sound.

Objectives:

·         Students will learn how to recognize and pronounce consonant digraphs ch

·         Students will be able to read and spell simple words with the ch sound

Procedure

1.      Say, “Today, we are going to learn about a special pair of letters called digraphs. A digraph is two letters that make just one sound.”

2.      Ask students to say these words with you and to notice where they place their teeth and tongue when they start the words: chick, children, cheese. Children should respond that front teeth are together and their tongue is behind their teeth when they start to say these words."What are the two letters that tell you to make the sound with your teeth together and tongue behind your teeth?" (ch)

3.      Review the concept of digraphs by asking, "How many letters make a digraph?" (two) And how many sounds do the two digraph letters make? (one

Evaluation:

1.      Students read all the words on Mini-Charts without assistance

2.      Students correctly produce the sounds of the consonant ch

Running Record - Student analysis

It is apparent that the child reading the text "Whales and Fish" has satisfactory comprehension skills as she did get distracted a bit while reading and yet had clear insight to what she read. The child is also able to self correct after quickly realizing that a phrase she has read makes no sense with the passage. She does tend to add a "d" to some words which can hinder understanding of stories due to confusion with tenses. Overall the child is a fluent reader with good phonemic awareness.

Assessment Questions

1.    1.   Ms. Perez begins her lesson with shared reading. Shared reading allows weaker student follow along as they listen to their peers reading and they just fill in the words that they are familiar with. This helps the students feel safe in their classroom. Shared reading is followed by a phonics lesson. During the phonics lesson Ms. Perez promotes problem solving by switching the first sound in a word Ms. Perez shows her students how to use what they already know to figure out something new, in this case a new word.

2.   2.    Ms. Perez wants her students to verbalize the method they use for reading because the more you verbalize the better you can learn and internalize. Ms. Perez helps her student build the meaning in text by having them predict what might happen in the story, to figure what word would make sense in the sentence and by reviewing what happened in the story.

3.   3.    Ms. Perez organizes her classroom to support a wide range of learners by implementing different learning activities that are set up based on the variety of reading levels in her classroom. Reading and writing are connected for students who are more advanced in reading. These students are taught to take notes on the book that they have read and then they compose a little book.

4.     4.  Ms. Perez uses ongoing individual assessments in her classroom to keep tabs on her student’s levels and progress. When the assessment is complete Ms. Perez knows what skills her students have and what needs to be worked on. By using a class profile it is very clear to see which students are on the same level and they can then be grouped to work together. 

Lesson Plan Critique

Carolyn Wilhelm, a teacher in grade K-2 sets up her lesson using the 5 components of the ELA format.

Reading: Carolyn uses an all-time children’s favorite book to read aloud to her class. Her students then share their thoughts and connect the book that was read to them to another form of literature which is being taught to them and they will be able to identify as “Found Poetry” later in this lesson. All this takes place during the first session of the Found Poetry lessons.

During the Second session the focus is shifted to Writing; Students plan their own Found Poem and then share notes to come up with the best beginning for their poem. Students continue to share phrases and words until all students have shared a line and the poem is complete.

The third session has Carolyn handing out a printed copy of the poem. The students are encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings about the poem. Students then communicate their lines and make necessary changes and adjustments to their poem. Students are prompted on how to create a good oral presentation. Here the focus is on Language, speaking and listening.

During the fourth and final session the students present their work to family, friends and/or other classes. Students also relate to the audience how they have created this poem.

When reading through Carolyn Wilhelm’s lesson it struck me as being a wonderful and exciting learning experience for the children. The students are taught to communicate with one another and together create a poem and eventually a presentation which they can really claim their own. Unlike students who are given a poem to read aloud, these students wrote the script for their presentation all by themselves. This makes the children feel proud and accomplished. By creating a small presentation the children are also learning some basic skills of public speaking, during session 3 Carolyn prompts her students on how to create a good oral presentation this way the students will be more confident with their presentation and they will feel good with their work.

Reflection of Video- Ms.Owen

The fact that Ms. Owen follows the same literacy routine every day, as well as her encouragement to the students to speak in their native language very likely contributes to the fact that her pupil’s look so comfortable and happy to be in her classroom. Ms. Owen follows a four step process to get the children more involved in the reading while taking herself more and more out of the picture. The process is started with read aloud in which Ms. Owen reads to the students, she reads books that would otherwise be too hard for them to read on their own and in this way she also models language and vocabulary. Read aloud is then followed by shared reading in which Ms. Owen reads together with the students bringing on their involvement a bit more while she slightly pulls back. During guided reading the students are doing much of the work on their own while Ms. Owen is at their side to prompt and encourage them. Lastly the students do some independent reading while Ms. Owens role is reduced to observing.

Ms. Owen follows a similar routine when it comes to the writing process. During interactive writing the students “share the pen” with the help of Ms. Owen as well as fellow classmates the students write together.  There is also independent writing in which the students express themselves and show their progress.

Ms. Owens belief in her students is remarkable. By viewing every student as a reader and writer from day one, Ms. Owen certainly instills in them the confidence and self-assurance they need in order to grasp the complex concepts of reading and writing.

ELA instruction includes 5 components: Reading, writing, speaking, listening and language. In grades K-5 these skills are all taught by one teacher as opposed to grades 6-12 these skills are taught by an English language arts teacher as well being incorporated into history/social studies, science, and technical subjects thus students learn to integrate language into the real world.  Reading is focused on comprehension which includes making connections and being aware of the text and its content. Writing is the ability to respond to different texts using basic skills such as planning, revising, editing and publishing. Other skills are more defined based on text type. With speaking and listening the students are required to evaluate what they hear, and learn to communicate properly. The fifth component of ELA is language; language involves grammar and vocabulary of written and oral language. These 5 ELA components are in place to help students integrate and use the knowledge they have in their daily lives and in the world we live in.