I watched a few of the Reading Rocket videos about intervention and prevention.
One thing that I really learned from the videos was about progress monitoring. With progress monitoring, the teacher is "testing" the students to find out where they are with their learning and trying to find their problem areas. This is so helpful for teachers because it lets them know what they need to work on more in the classroom and also lets the teacher know what groups she needs to pull and work with.
I also learned about the progress monitoring groups. I never realized that once you do your progress monitoring, the students' results puts them into a group. The groups are benchmark group which are the students who are on grade level, the strategic group which are the student below grade level, and the intensive group which are the students that are even farther below grade level.
The strategic group is a group of students that you as the teacher would give a new strategy to and implement new strategies with to get them up to grade level. This group just needs a little extra time working on the material and maybe a new or different strategy to use with the material.
The intensive group is the group that needs to be serious pulled aside and worked with one on one as much as possible. It is important for this group to learn as many different strategies as possible that will help them grasp the material.
Another video that I watched was about Tier 1differentiation. With this video they stressed the importance of getting those students who need help, the help as soon as possible. It suggested that as early as kindergarten getting those students the extra help, even if it was just extra time on assignments or even pull out during the day with another teacher. In my pre-k class I have 2 students that are already on tier 2 or 3 based on their physical needs and based on the information coming from their personal speech therapy sessions. Since they already had this material and strategies had already been in place, we can skip a tier with them.
With just a little help, students on tier 1 can improve dramatically.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Blog 5
In this blog we are supposed to talk about transistional readers. While I have not worked with students in this stage often, I do have personally experience seeing how students cope with this stage. During the summers I keep 3 kids. I used to also pick them up from school for about 2 years before I finished college and get a real job. One of the 3 is a now 10 year old girl with ADHD, and through the years I have seen her struggle with reading constantly. She is not on grade level with her reading and it is incredibly frustrating to her, especially since her younger brother is reading grade levels ahead of her.
Over the years, she had gotten a lot better with her reading skills and is still working on getting on level. In the summer I take all three of them to the library and get books once a week. They also participate in the reading program at the library. Even with the incentives given by the library, it is hard to keep her motivated. She is quick to give up and would rather listen to me read to her instead of trying on her own.
With students in the transitional stage, it can be a frustrating time for them. It is important for them to feel supported by their teacher. It is the teacher's job to constantly find and give them new strategies to use.
Over the years, she had gotten a lot better with her reading skills and is still working on getting on level. In the summer I take all three of them to the library and get books once a week. They also participate in the reading program at the library. Even with the incentives given by the library, it is hard to keep her motivated. She is quick to give up and would rather listen to me read to her instead of trying on her own.
With students in the transitional stage, it can be a frustrating time for them. It is important for them to feel supported by their teacher. It is the teacher's job to constantly find and give them new strategies to use.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Blog 4 EDRD 6950
For our learning module 4 I watched the video "Building Oral Language" on the "Teaching K-2 Reading". In my module I wrote mostly about the centers that the kindergarten teacher uses in her classroom. I loved that she had theme based centers, and that the centers enrich the learning going on during the week.
In pre-k we are required to switch out things in our atleast 5 of our centers every month or so. We also have to fill out a form everytime we add something or switch something out. As a grade level at my school, we all switch things out at the end of every month. So around the end of the month we have to start thinking about what we are going to be teaching and what we want to put into our centers. For October, we are working on fall/leaves, spiders, scarecrows, bats, and pumpkins as our weekly themes. So I added corn kernels with spider rings to my sensory table, file folder games with pumpkins to my math center, books on our theme and fall themed file folder games to my reading center. In the writing center I added word cards with matching pictures for the students to write the words on papers for their parents or friends.
In order to enhance the student's learning, we have to make the learning fun and include it throughout the day. By having the centers that my students spend an hour at each day include things that we are talking about, the students are getting hands on experience with the material.
In pre-k we are required to switch out things in our atleast 5 of our centers every month or so. We also have to fill out a form everytime we add something or switch something out. As a grade level at my school, we all switch things out at the end of every month. So around the end of the month we have to start thinking about what we are going to be teaching and what we want to put into our centers. For October, we are working on fall/leaves, spiders, scarecrows, bats, and pumpkins as our weekly themes. So I added corn kernels with spider rings to my sensory table, file folder games with pumpkins to my math center, books on our theme and fall themed file folder games to my reading center. In the writing center I added word cards with matching pictures for the students to write the words on papers for their parents or friends.
In order to enhance the student's learning, we have to make the learning fun and include it throughout the day. By having the centers that my students spend an hour at each day include things that we are talking about, the students are getting hands on experience with the material.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Blog 3
Word sorts have completely changed my lesson plans. I honestly didn't think I woud be using them with my students since they are so young. But now I do one everyweek.
Obviously we start small with pre-k kids. We have only done four letters so far but the kids love. We started with the letters "B" and "M" and we do not even use the written word. I show the students the different pictures that go with the letters we are doing. We do the same letters for two weeks so that the students become very familiar with the letters and their sounds. After doing four letters in two separate word sorts, I do all four letters together with the students as a kind of review.
The kids love it and are getting really good at. And it definitely improves my lessons and ability as a teacher.
Obviously we start small with pre-k kids. We have only done four letters so far but the kids love. We started with the letters "B" and "M" and we do not even use the written word. I show the students the different pictures that go with the letters we are doing. We do the same letters for two weeks so that the students become very familiar with the letters and their sounds. After doing four letters in two separate word sorts, I do all four letters together with the students as a kind of review.
The kids love it and are getting really good at. And it definitely improves my lessons and ability as a teacher.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
EDRD 6950 Blog 2
Giving the spelling inventory was an interesting experience. It was the first time I had given it, and I definitely learned some things and learned what I would do differently next time.
For one thing, I would definitely do this as a small group assessment, and not as a whole group. Probably over a weeks time, just rotate through the students until everyone has taken the inventory. With a smaller group, it is easier to make sure everyone is keeping up with the inventory and it keeps the distractions to a minimum.
Also I would definitely take the students out of the room if it was possible, and take them somewhere quiet without a lot of activity going on. I took my five "borrowed" students into the hallway and it turned out to be really busy that day since it was Grandparents' week.
Grading the inventory was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I was really worried about it at first.
For one thing, I would definitely do this as a small group assessment, and not as a whole group. Probably over a weeks time, just rotate through the students until everyone has taken the inventory. With a smaller group, it is easier to make sure everyone is keeping up with the inventory and it keeps the distractions to a minimum.
Also I would definitely take the students out of the room if it was possible, and take them somewhere quiet without a lot of activity going on. I took my five "borrowed" students into the hallway and it turned out to be really busy that day since it was Grandparents' week.
Grading the inventory was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I was really worried about it at first.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Chapter 1
In our first chapter of "Words Our Way", we pretty much just get an overview of words sorts and what they are. Which is helpful since I have never seen them or heard of them until this class.
As a pre-k teacher I work with students in the emergent stage of reading. They come to my class with the most basic knowledge. Some do not even know how to write their name.
In my classroom, we are starting to focus on the alphabetic part of the word study. We work mainly with teaching the alphabet and working on the sounds that the letters make. Young children, especially pre-k students, love to play. And as teachers we are encouraged to teach students in an active kinesthetic way. Word sorts are one way to do that. It involves the students manipulating cards rather than sitting still and being told what to do.
"Telling is not teaching". I loved that quote because it is incredibly true. We can not just tell the students what we as teachers know, but we have to show them and let them learn themselves. A lot of stuff in pre-k is centered around exploring and learning on their own. With word sorts, students could have a large control over their own learning. They are able to make decisions and practice on their own, building their confidence and knowledge. In my own personal classroom, I would use a very basic word sort, with pictures instead of words, and allow the students to sort those cards in whatever way they think off. This promotes individuality and fosters a sense of exploration in the students.
For Learning Module 1, I watched a video on spelling and writing. Here are my notes from the video:
Reading Rockets Writing and Spelling Video
Introduction: Writing and Spelling
•Writing is inseparable from reading and spelling.
1.Need to the ability to read and spell in order to write effectively
2.Spelling helps us see the patterns in our language
3.Good spellers become faster, more fluent readers because spelling helps us see how words are built
Spelling Patterns
•R.I.S.E: Reading Initiative for Student Excellence
1.Every morning, students across all grade levels regroup together for a 90 instructional reading time
2.Groups of students are based on their reading achievement, so students are ability grouped for more specialized instruction
3.Students are using word studies in order to understand spelling patterns, to help them become better readers.
4.Large group word sort together as a class to “check for understanding” throughout the room, before letting the students do individual word sorts
Invented Spelling
•When students spell a word in their own way, that is invented spelling
•This method of spelling gives the teacher a greater insight into the child’s thinking
1.Problem areas for the children’s reading, shows up first in their writing, in more dramatic fashion.
2.Unconventional spelling is not always a sign of trouble
3.Practicing invented spelling helps the child build letter/sound connections
•“Spelling is a puzzle”
1.Once you learn the rules of spelling, everyone can solve the puzzle
2.Spelling inventively lets the students practice their phonemic awareness
In my classroom, we are starting to focus on the alphabetic part of the word study. We work mainly with teaching the alphabet and working on the sounds that the letters make. Young children, especially pre-k students, love to play. And as teachers we are encouraged to teach students in an active kinesthetic way. Word sorts are one way to do that. It involves the students manipulating cards rather than sitting still and being told what to do.
"Telling is not teaching". I loved that quote because it is incredibly true. We can not just tell the students what we as teachers know, but we have to show them and let them learn themselves. A lot of stuff in pre-k is centered around exploring and learning on their own. With word sorts, students could have a large control over their own learning. They are able to make decisions and practice on their own, building their confidence and knowledge. In my own personal classroom, I would use a very basic word sort, with pictures instead of words, and allow the students to sort those cards in whatever way they think off. This promotes individuality and fosters a sense of exploration in the students.
For Learning Module 1, I watched a video on spelling and writing. Here are my notes from the video:
Reading Rockets Writing and Spelling Video
Introduction: Writing and Spelling
•Writing is inseparable from reading and spelling.
1.Need to the ability to read and spell in order to write effectively
2.Spelling helps us see the patterns in our language
3.Good spellers become faster, more fluent readers because spelling helps us see how words are built
Spelling Patterns
•R.I.S.E: Reading Initiative for Student Excellence
1.Every morning, students across all grade levels regroup together for a 90 instructional reading time
2.Groups of students are based on their reading achievement, so students are ability grouped for more specialized instruction
3.Students are using word studies in order to understand spelling patterns, to help them become better readers.
4.Large group word sort together as a class to “check for understanding” throughout the room, before letting the students do individual word sorts
Invented Spelling
•When students spell a word in their own way, that is invented spelling
•This method of spelling gives the teacher a greater insight into the child’s thinking
1.Problem areas for the children’s reading, shows up first in their writing, in more dramatic fashion.
2.Unconventional spelling is not always a sign of trouble
3.Practicing invented spelling helps the child build letter/sound connections
•“Spelling is a puzzle”
1.Once you learn the rules of spelling, everyone can solve the puzzle
2.Spelling inventively lets the students practice their phonemic awareness
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