EDRD 7718 Module 1

Exploring Literature PowerPoint

       In order to increase student word knowledge, it is vital that we increase the amount of time students read on a daily basis to give them more experience with vocabulary. The PowerPoint gives examples of activities we could do that would assist in making our students proficient readers. Activities that involve stretching words, blending sounds and asking the students to say words without specific parts of the word would build phonological awareness. I really liked the phonics activity within the PowerPoint because it was transformed in to a card game. The student was asked to sound out the nonsense words and then whoever's card was higher would get the cards. To increase a student's fluency, you could allow a child to read a passage and write down the mistakes that were made throughout the reading. Once the child has completed the student and the teacher will discuss the mistakes that were made. It is also important to show the students vocabulary in passages in order for the students to get used to using context clues.

Expository Texts PowerPoint

      This PowerPoint was very interesting to me because this topic was actually something that I experienced for myself this past semester. The thought that text organization is something that students do not understand blew my mind because in my mind it was something that just made sense. I was very wrong. I quickly realized, much like I read in the passage, that students need to understand the different patterns of expository text as well as their signal words. The students need to be familiar with sequence, comparison, descriptions, cause/effect and problem/solution. Using graphic organizers to teach these to students would be very each beneficial because the students would be able to dissect the passage in pairs or individually. However, when first beginning the lessons regarding each of these aspects it is important that teachers model how to find and recognize them.

Vacca Reading Chapter 14

      Before beginning to read Expository Text, it is important that we not only focus on the process in which the students read through the text, but teachers also need to put an emphasis on the content that is within the particular passage. The content in text books can be very complex especially if students do not have any prior knowledge on the topic. As teachers there are specific questions that we need to ask ourselves about the text before we expect our students to understand the content: How difficult is the text to understand? How usable is the text? and How interesting is the text?. Vacca describes "usable" as meaning how well the text is organized and "interesting" means how easy is the text to relate to. There are actually specific formulas that educators will use that base the readability off of sentence length and word difficulty. I know for personal experience that some of the books that I have had to study from in college were vary hard for me to understand due to the proficient vocabulary. Therefore, it is not a far fetched idea that children would experience the same frustration I felt while taking my undergrad classes. However, instead of strictly focusing on textbooks, teachers could also begin to implement the use of trade books. Trade books are texts that focus in on one subject matter and will go in to more depth.  Also reading textbooks along with trade books allow the students to see the same vocabulary in a different setting or book which will allow for the students to potentially gain more understanding of the needed vocabulary. Vacca describes the benefits of combining literature and trade books as "intense involvement", "schema building", "abilities and interests", and "vocabulary building". 

EDRD 7717 Module 8: Reading Responses

Video Analysis

      As I have been stating from the beginning of the course watching videos about other people's classrooms and teaching strategies is my makes em feel as if I have entered that classroom - or in this case a program. This video was describing the Reading Recovery program and all that this program in tells. The video did describe the program, but it was not very specific as to the teaching strategies. I was hoping that this video would give me more insight into the teaching part of the program, but I was disappointed to find out that it didn't. However, the video did talk a lot about the how the teachers become certified to teach the Reading Recovery program. I loved that the teachers had to attend a class once a week in order to talk about the things that they had experienced as well as learning more and more about the teaching strategies themselves. As much as I love learning new strategies, it would be much more effective if I could see these various strategies at work. The teachers in this program were actually able to watch tutoring sessions through a one-sided mirror where they could see a teacher and a student in an actual tutoring session. This would be amazing to be a part of. I would definitely be interested to learn more about the actual teaching strategies. 

"Factors Involved in Reading and Writing Difficulties"

      This PowerPoint made me feel as if I was back in my undergraduate program, which is not a bad thing, but these concepts were things that we discussed daily. There are a lot of different variables that could effect a child's reading and writing progress, and some were discussed within this PowerPoint. There are cognitive factors, visual processing deficits, language factors, social/emotional factors, physical causes and educational factors that could impede the progress of a child. I actually had a child who we thought was just on the lower end of the students when in actuality we found out that he was having hearing difficulties. He just happened to go to a check-up where they did a hearing test and he failed. After he had tubes put in his ears, it was as if he were a brand new child! It was an amazing turn around. 

  

EDRD 7717 Module 7: PowerPoints

Perspectives of the Learning Process 

      In order to understand how students feel about reading and writing instead of sitting down and having a formal interview with the students, this PowerPoint explains that it would be more beneficial and the students would open up more if we had a simple laid-back conversation with the students. As well as talking to the parents, we could also send home parent questionnaires. This is actually something I have determined that I would do every year because it is nice to have the parents point of view. The questionnaire I use also asks the parents what I could do best to make their child comfortable and this is something that is very important to me. Asking these questions also allows the parents to know that I am going to do whatever I can to make their child feel at home in my classroom. We also have a school questionnaire that each teacher fills out on the each of her students that will go to the next teacher. This questionnaire discusses the students reading level, any struggles, potential behavior problems, and even gives a place where we can suggest that students not be placed in the same class together. 

Comprehension Evidence and Strategies

      This PowerPoint discussed the causes of difficulties with reading comprehension problems, reading difficulties, background knowledge activation, knowledge of text structure, retelling, and cognitive monitoring. All of these common difficulties can be helped through teacher or parent modeling. We need to teach and show the students how to read effectively in order to accomplish all of the above strategies. Before we even begin to read, we must go though the pre-reading process where we inspect the title page and pictures throughout the book. Especially when reading to or with children we must make sure that the children are familiar with the topic being discussed or else they will have no understanding of the information they are supposed to be comprehending. Once the child begins to understand the topic even if they have never experienced it then they would be able to make their own life connections to the topic in order to personally make sense of the content. Once we finish pre-reading, it is important to teach children the importance of questioning throughout the text. Students can make their own predictions while also asking self-monitoring questions about what has already happened. This makes the students think about what they are reading instead of simply reading the text to read. 

Classroom Instruction That Works 

     This PowerPoint discussed different things that will build student comprehension and reading confidence. Students could use various graphic organizers to assist them with questioning, predicting, and summarizing a text. When a child has something they are supposed to fill in such as a graphic organizer it allows them to really think about the text as well as allows them to mentally organize the information they are being fed. It would also be beneficial for the students if we use activities such as Think-Pair-Share, Slate work, ball toss and Numbered Heads Together to allow the students to talk about their ideas with other people. It is also vital that we give the students the confidence they need in order to become successful readers. Some children have the tools they need they just are not confident in their ability because they put too much pressure on themselves. So, this PowerPoint also discussed tactics such as positive reinforcement and Effort and Achievement Charts that will allow the students to keep up with their own progress. 

      

EDRD 7717 Module 6: Opitz Scenario Discussions

      Sally, a first-grader, really knows her letters and their corresponding sounds but is not able to put these letters together to form words, and is therefore unable to recognize many sight words. Considering that Sally has the phonics portion down pretty well I believe that it is not important to begin working with vocabulary and sight words. I would talk to Sally's parents about reading books outloud to her but also allow her to see the words as they are being read. It is important to read simple books at first and then begin to build up because the point is for Sally to begin to recognize the words her parents are speaking. It would also be helpful if she could point to the words as her parents read them. Then allow and encourage Sally to do the same but she will read the text to her parents. This is something that can be done in class as well. We could also work with Sally on sight word flash cards, and again begin slow and build from there.
      Bob, a sixth-grader, began as a strong read, but is now struggling in all subject areas and it is taking him much much longer to get his work done. I believe that this is due to a disconnect between his ability to read and his ability to comprehend, therefore we need to begin to work on his comprehension skills and various strategies that he could begin to use when reading. Even though he is older it would still benefit Bob if we were to involve him in a read aloud think aloud because then he would be able to see the words being read as well as how to go about questioning and predicting while reading. If he stops to ask himself questions it will help him to remember what sorts of things he should be looking for throughout the text. It would also benefit him if we provided various graphic organizers so that he could fill in the appropriate areas while he is reading because this aspect will really make him focus on  the content within the text.
      Mary Beth, a fourth-grader, is a student who would rather rush through her reading to get it done instead of reading for acuracy and understanding. I believe that it would highly benefit Mary Beth  if she were able to have a few one on one sessions with her teacher because the teacher could record segments of her reading in order to play them back to Mary Beth. The importance of understanding rather than speed really needs to be emphasized in this situation and by recording Mary Beth she will be able to go back and find her own mistakes. If this is also done the teacher will also be able to determine if Mary Beth is making the same mistake everytime she reads different text and if that is the case then the teacher can take corresponding action. Since Mary Beth really does not like to be wrong it is important that this is done in a manner that will not embarrass her and that is why I suggested one-on-one time. Also, allowing Mary Beth to find her own mistakes will also take away from her embarassment because she corrected herself essentially.
      Alan, an eighth-grader, does not seem to have a problem with reading; he is simply struggling with his ability to remember what he is studying and reading. The first thing that can be done on a daily basis is memory strengthening excersizes such as the Word Concentration activities suggested on page 325. If done religiously his ability to truely concentrate and remember his infomration will improve. It may also benefit Alan if he takes notes while he is reading because this way he is having to read the information and then put it in his own words throughout the reading process. He could make an outline of the information or he could make different kinds of graphic organizers depending on the subject at hand. Asking questions during class and while he is reading is also something that will benefit his understanding.
      Matt, a second-grader, is struggling with reading unknown texts.  It is important to understand that his self-esteem is already suffering, so there is no need to make working with him something that is known by everyone. Matt needs to learn other ways of decoding what he is reading as apposed to the age old "sound it out" strategy. This will just take a lot of practice using context clues and breaking the word up into readable groups. He can work on this at home and with his teacher when reading with them one-on-one.
     

EDRD 7717 Module 6: Video Analysis

Why I Flipped My Classroom

      I have always been very interested in a flipped classroom, but I have never truely understood how they worked. I feel as though this video was short and to the point which made it a lot easier for me to begin to understand this concept. This seems like a great idea, but I feel like I still have so many questions that I would not feel comfortable enough to put this into action in my classroom. This is definitely something I would like to see in actions such as review the materials and tools that will be used at home to learn the information and then what exactly goes in to the planning for classroom time. Would the materials and tools used at home be a PowerPoint with the information? An interactive website? A video recording of me teaching the information? This video definitely left me hangin as far as drawing me in but not giving me near as much information as I may have wanted, so I think I am going to look more in to this concept on my own time. 

Differentiated Instruction  

      Differentiated Instruction is the way in which we teach children and this is best done when we keep the students' specific learning style in mind when creating lessons. There are a few questions that we need to ask ourselves when trying to plan for our students such as "How can you diagnose your students' needs accurately and practically?", and "How can you provide learning opportunities that increase the likelihood or student success?". As we begin to answer these questions we also need to make sure that our lessons are flexible in nature, challenging (working within our students' Zone of Proximal Development), and that we encourage student response. Differentiated Instruction should be student led because the students should have options as to how they want to learn and how they want to express what they have learned. It also builds off of the students varying academic levels because the students are able to work at their own pace in order to get the most out of their method of learning.

Using Assesment to Improve Instruction

      When most people think "assessments" they may automatically think about vairous high stakes tests that are given to students by the state. These tests are looked at as ridiculous and when we talk about the results of our students on a test like these we usually determine that we know they can test better, but these shorts of tests are difficult to take. However, there is so much more to assessment then these state administered tests such as the ones that we give on a daily basis in our classrooms that true show us our students strengths and weaknesses. I love Mr. Moore's quote of "good assessment tasks are interchangebale with good instructional tasks". By this he means that we already ask our students questions throughout the extent of a lesson and use the information we gain to further help our students. This is an assessment. We use the information that we gain from our students to determine if we can push them a little further if we need to take a step back. In order to truely reach our children we must understand where they are starting from as far as prior knowledge is concerned as well as determining how well they are understanding the new information because those two factors will shape our future instruction.

EDRD 7717 Module 6: PowerPoint Analysis

Reading Strategies

      Comprehension is something that is vital to reading because what is the purpose if we do not understand the text. Therefore, teaching comprehension strategies needs to be something that is done everyday. The first thing mentioned in the PowerPoint was a word wall and these can be very out-dated or more for decor if not used properly. A word wall contains current content vocabulary words, high frequecny words, and key concepts, however it needs to be put somewhere where the children can see it at all times. These words should also not stay the same throughout the year, there should be no more than five words added to the wall each week for the students to begin to learn and recognize. It is also important that the wall just not sit there- it needs to be put to use and pulled in to lessons and games. There were a few mentioned in the PowerPoint that sounded very interesting and like something the students would enjoy: "Guess the Word" which is a game where the students need to guess the word with five given clues, "WORDO" which is a game that is much like BINGO but using the word wall words, and various forms of word sorts such as putting the words in different categories. 

      Another reading strategy mentioned was a Think Aloud and that is where a teacher models how to read a story. The teacher will read a book out loud to the class or small group stopping periodically to ask questions about the book, reread misunderstodd sections again, figure out unknown words and make predictions on the upcoming events of the story. If this is something that is done religiously then the students will begin to pick up these strategies and do them on their own and eventually subconsciously. Doing these reading strategies will make the student think about what they are reading while they are doing so.

      The rest of the PowerPoint was devoted to different types of graphic organizers that will allow the child to organize their thoughts and questions in a written format. One of the ones mentioned was a KWL which is something I have personally been doing for a long time even when I was a student. With these, the child will be able to figure out what he/she already knows, what questions they have on the topic and then once they finished they will fill in what they learned through the reading whether it is answering their questions or adding in new information. This chart can also be extended to be a KWHL or a KWWL which incorporate how they could their information or where they found their information. Anticipation guides allow the students to activiate their prior knowledge or gain background knowledge on the information they are about to read so that what they are reading makes sense. 3-2-1, RAFT and Column Notes are always ways to express the students' understanding of the text after they have read the information.

Assessment of Cognitivie, School, and Home Factors

    This PowerPoint was pretty interesting to me especially because the third grade students in Forsyth County Actually take a test called the CogAT which is a Cognative Abilities Test to determine which students are eligible for the gifted program. This test was very similar to the most popular test mentioned in the PowerPoint called the Wechsler Scale because it tests the students verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and processing speed. However, something that I had thought of when my students were taking this test was that I have some low readers who are actually very smart, so this test would not acurately show their intelligence. There are lots of different assessments to can be done but they all show different aspects of one's intellegence. The Stanford-Binet test needs to be administered by a trained examiner and assesses "fluid reasoning, knowledge, quantitative reasonging, visual-spatial processing, and working memory". The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test is exactly what it sounds like- the students will match a picture with a vocabulary word that describes it. This test is more focused to shy, introverted students. There are also listening, memory and word recognition tests.  

EDRD 7717 Module 5: Video Analysis

       Whenever we grade something in our heads we have a set of criteria we think the assignment needs to meet and when this criteria is written out in a weighted format it is called a rubric. Rubrics allow teachers to grade each student on a consist ant basis because the student's success is determined by the level they meet. This is also a great way to allow students and parents to see why the student received the grade they did on a specific assignment or project.