Writing to Learn Blog

I learned some valuable insights about these writing strategies. All five strategies were new to me and I can see the benefits with using each one. The first writing strategy I worked with was the Metacognitive Journal using the Vacca and Vacca article. This was a great way for me to create a list of what I thought was important. For example when they state, “When teachers integrate writing and reading, they help students use writing to think about what they will read and to understand what they have read.” I think this is so important because teachers need to see how these two academic areas are interwoven.  To ensure that students comprehend the text they can use writing to map out their ideas and thoughts along the way. There are several metacognitive journals to choose from. In my classroom, I would like to incorporate the activity sheet that says, “I got stuck when…, so I…, I learned…” This would be an activity I would use with my higher guided reading groups on a complex text. This activity would open the doors for conversation to take place about what reading strategy they could be using when they get confused about something in the text. They can also help one another to think about what they can do to help with their understanding of the reading. This would support the students in becoming strategic readers.

                                                       

I think the GIST strategy is a helpful approach to having students think about what they have read. The idea of this strategy is for students to divide a text into smaller parts. The students read the first selection and write a summary using 20 words or less, then after reading the second section they must write another 20 word or fewer in a summary. This continues until all sections have been read. The students’ goal is to then write a summary of the entire text in 20 words or less. I believe this would be a great approach to reading and writing in intermediate, middle, and high school. This would have the students think about the important aspects of the writing piece in order to write their extremely short summary.  After reading the Writing Next article the most important theme to me was the different recommendations the authors Steve Graham and Dolores Perin provided.  I used the GIST strategy using 20 words to summarize the article. It is as follows:  ‘Elements of effective writing: strategies, summarizing, collaboration, goals, processing, sentence combining, prewriting, inquiry, models, process writing approach, and content.’

As Dr. Manderino explained in his webcast, writing to learn allows students to reflect on what they know and the learning that is taking place. With this said, students are able to demonstrate their knowledge and comprehension of the text. I believe that all these writing strategies would encourage students to read at a deeper level and to be active participants in the reading process in order to complete reading activities successfully.

In my first grade classroom, I think good writing is a slow and steady progression throughout the year. The process begins with the students being able to write and not focusing on their writing conventions at this time. As they become more familiar with the writing process, they can then begin to focus on their writing conventions. The last step in the writing process is having students connect the fluidity and mechanics into their independent writing. I think good writing instruction has to include a read aloud, demonstrating valuable skills and techniques. The students need to view authors as mentors. The teacher then needs to model this skill and allow students time to try the skill independently. Writing time also needs to incorporate time for collaboration and conferencing.        

Class of April 10^th – Makeup Blog

While listening to last week’s recording, I found many useful strategies in teaching vocabulary in my classroom. The first presentation on Vocabulary Rich Classrooms I found very interesting. I liked that the group of presenters informed us that we need to use sophisticated language with our students to ‘add significant breadth to students vocabularies’.  Using sophisticated words will help students develop and grow more sophisticated vocabularies. We also need to be scaffolding our vocabulary terms as well. I enjoyed how the group gave the example of scaffolding by changing ‘weather watcher’ to ‘meteorologists’.  The Marzano’s 6 Steps strategy would be very beneficial for all students. The activity sheets that go along with this strategy would support the understanding of the key vocabulary terms being taught. I think the aspects of drawing a picture, writing their own meaning, discussing the opposite meaning, and using the word in a sentence gives the students the opportunity to gain a stronger comprehension of the word.

Marzono’s 6 Steps

1. Give a description, explanation or example (don't tell definition)

2. Have students restate and write the description in their own words

3. Students draw pictures, symbol or graphics that it represents

4. Regularly use the term in classroom activities

5. Ask students to use the word when talking to each other

6.  Regularly play games with academic vocabulary

The fly swatter game would be a fun and exciting for students. Having students come up to the board and ‘swat’ the word when the definition is read is an interactive approach to having students demonstrate their understanding of the vocabulary word.

The second group of presenters discussed the importance of close reading and creating dependent questions. The students need to show evidence from the text to support their claims from the books they are reading. Text dependent questions need to be asked by using the text and using their background knowledge, and not by looking outside the context of the book. I enjoyed the example the group showed on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Showing us text-dependent and non-text-dependent questions made it clear on what specific type of questions we should be asking our students to draw evidence from a text.  When the group was showing us the activity about figurative language, I liked how they would have the students find the figurative language used in the reading, label them and then change it to make their own figurative language terms to replace the original terms. This would allow the students to demonstrate their understanding, along with taking ownership of the activity. In my fourth grade classroom last year we completed something similar to the first part of the activity. With my class, I used the song ‘Fireworks’ by Katy Perry. The students were able to listen to the song (which they loved) and find the figurative language terms used within the song. I set the purpose for my students to find those figurative language terms. Below you will find the activity pages, which can also be found at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Firework-by-Katy-Perry-Song-Lyrics-Poetry-Terms-Figurative-Language-111909

As Dr. Manderino was discussing teacher questions it made me think of the questions I ask my students and the questions I have them ask. In my first grade classroom we are continually asking questions about the text. We ask questions before, during, and after the reading. In fourth grade last year, I had my students ask green, yellow, and red light questions. The green light questions are those questions that could be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, yellow light questions could be answered by information found in the text, and red light questions would make the students infer the text.  These different levels of questions showed the students the different type of questions they could be asking as they read. Here is the activity sheet I used with this strategy.  

            
                  Encourage Students in Classroom Discussions
           
            There are many ways to encourage discussion in the classroom setting. In the article Discussing Shiloh: A conversation beyond the book, Lane W. Clarke takes a deeper look in the discussions that happen during literature circles. She gives some excellent ideas on how to improve literature circles and the conversations that happen during this time. She says teachers should address gender roles. She states, "By purposefully choosing books to be read in literature groups, I was able to raise student awareness about how they enacted gender roles and how stereotypes influenced their own interactions." Clarke also says we should videotape our students’ discussions and have them watch themselves to see who is talking more and who is silent. I think this would be a valuable way for the students to visually see themselves as participates in their conversations. 

            I know I fall victim during classroom discussions by leading my students too much towards the answer I want or talking too much. However, I should be allowing more time for student conversation to take place. As Vacca and Vacca state, "The talk that students engage in during class discussions supports content literacy and learning in powerful ways." In the same article Vacca and Vacca discuss 'turn-taking' and the drawbacks to this approach. They point out this approach is not built for discussion, rather the teacher asking questions, students responding, and teacher providing feedback. In my first grade classroom I use the approach ‘turn and talk’ several times a day. The students are assigned a talking partner during our whole group reading time. They sit next to their partner and when I ask a question or want the students to share their thinking on a book I say, “Turn to your partner and discuss.” The students know to turn only to their partner and discuss what was asked. After about 30-45 seconds we come back together as a class and I call on two or three students to share their or their partner’s thinking. This gives each student a chance to talk about their thinking, even if they can not share it with the class. I also often times allow my students to ask questions to their partners and then we discuss those questions as a class. I find that turn and talk activities work very well in science and social studies class. The students enjoy discussing the information with their partner and then coming back together as a class and talking about their conversation.

         Another approach to encourage discussion in the classroom setting is through a discussion activity called ‘The Wingman’. This activity focuses on those students who are reluctant participants in classroom and group discussions and is geared more for middle and high school students. Below you will find a video that demonstrates how this approach is used in an English classroom.

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/strategies-for-engaging-students

Using Multiple Text in the Classroom

            In any classroom, at any grade level, it is essential for educators to be aware of the different text types that support student learning. We need to use more than just fiction and nonfiction books to teach our students the concepts within the disciplines. We need to be teaching our students through videos, newspaper articles, recipes, poetry, websites, etc. Printed text cannot be the end all and be all.  As Dr. Manderino stated in his video from the summer reading conference, literacy is essential in all disciplines.  Whether the students are in a history, math, or science class they are expected to read, write, think, listen, and speak. I enjoyed how Dr. Manderino shared that teachers need to pull a variety of text types into the classroom setting and that we as teachers are just one of many resources students should be learning from.

            I found Megan Shedd’s article entitled, Using Multiple Texts to Guide Children’s Learning very insightful. Shedd stated, “When helping children look for information in a nonfiction book, the teachers model how to flip through the pages, looking for photos and captions, text boxes, and diagrams. This lets the children learn about, use, and enjoy each type of text.” (Article found at http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/article/multiple-texts)

            With the Common Core State Standards now in play in all school districts students are now being held to a higher standard. Students need to be able to justify their answers to show their comprehension of the text. It is stated within the State Standards that students need to be exposed to different media formats. We need to move our students away from answering basic leveled questions and more to the inquiry and argumentative approach. Providing students with resources and opportunities to showcase their knowledge with this approach to higher level thinking will create students that can look at any text and be able to critically think about the information presented.

            In my classroom I try to incorporate as many text types that I can in conjunction to the concepts that are being taught. I often use short educational videos and clips that support the concept we are learning in social studies, science, and math. I also do a pair share using a fiction book with our nonfiction books, so the students can relate the concepts in an easier and more interesting format. Each week in computer lab we play educational games, centered around the topics we are learning.

            Currently, in my first grade class we have begun to learn about life in the desert. For the past week we have read a variety of fiction and nonfiction books about plants, animals, and the climate and completed activities based around the books. The next part of the unit will be devoted to having the students research one desert plant or animal. The students will be provided with books, videos, and website articles to find their information. They will need to find information about what their animal eats, looks like, where is lives, and an interesting fact they learn. They will be working on these projects with a partner to read and find the needed information. This will give the students an opportunity to collaborate with their peers.   

Topic: Frogs

Informative:

Frogs by Nic Bishop

 Qualitative:

The qualitative measure of this book is at an interest level of a third through fifth grade student. The book is developmentally above first grade, which I teach. However, I would only use a few pages to expose the students to the photographs, rich information, and vocabulary. Some vocabulary words that are introduced though the use of this text are swamps, toads, damp, and amphibian. On each page valuable information is in a larger, bold font. This is an advantage for the students to see what the author views as the most essential facts. The large, bold font stands out as soon as you turn the page, making it easier to read the text. There are also captions for each picture depicting what type of frog or toad is photographed and an interesting fact about that particular amphibian.

Quantitative:

The quantitative measure of this text is lexile level of 890L and grade level equivalent to 5.7.  This book's interest level is for students in third though fifth grade. Most sentences are longer in length exposing the student to a complex text that is full of valuable information.

Reader/Text Factors:

First grade students would enjoy the layout of this book and the photographs that are shown. The students would be exposed to this text after building some background knowledge on frogs. They would be familiar with the different parts of the frog and how they differ from toads. The students would also be able to clearly see what the author views as important from the large, bold print that is used.

  

  

Fictional:

 Wide-Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner

                                                     

Qualitative:

The qualitative measure of this book is for students who are kindergarten to second grade. The students are exposed through this book to what frogs eat, along with other animals that live in the same habitat. It explains how the frog has a sticky tongue and can catch flies as it hops into the pond. This is a pop-up book and shows the illustrations coming out at the reader. This will pull the students into the story making them want to continue reading.

Quantitative:

The quantitative measure of this book is grade level equivalent to 2.6 and has a lexile measure of 310L. This book is developmentally appropriate for students who are in kindergarten through second grade. The sentences are shorter in length and the pop-up features make this book perfect for the younger reader.

Reader/Text Factors:

In first grade students have a science unit on frogs and this book will help to introduce the topic. The students would enjoy the different pages providing a variety of pop-up illustrations. This would also help motivate them to continue to learn about frogs and their life cycle.

Informational:

 From Tadpole to Frog by Wendy Pfeffer 

                                                     

Qualitative:

The qualitative measure of this book is for students who are kindergarten to second grade. Through this book students are shown illustrations of the habitat of a frog, along with what they eat, the dangers they face, and the life cycle they transition through. A few vocabulary words that are in this book are hibernate, tadpole, hatch, and gills. The illustrations will help provide the students with what it looks like during the different stages of a frog’s life and where it lives during the year.

Quantitative:

The quantitative measure of this book is grade level equivalent to 2.0 and has a lexile measure of 520L. This book is developmentally appropriate for students who are in kindergarten through second grade. The sentences are short and each page only contains a few details about frogs.

Reader/Text Factors:

The students will have background knowledge of a frog and the different stages it goes through from tadpole to adulthood. The information in the book goes into detail for the students to fully grasp where the frogs live and the names of each of their developmental stages. From the illustrations and information they will learn about frogs from this book will allow them to take what they have learned and transfer that knowledge to other books about frogs.

  

Vocabulary

            Through these texts the students will be exposed to a wide variety and rich vocabulary. From our reading The Challenge of Challenging Text written by Shanahan, Fisher, and Frey state, “Student’s ability to comprehend a piece of text depends on the number of unfamiliar domain-specific words and new general academic terms they encounter.” This unit will lend itself to the students tapping into their prior knowledge of certain key vocabulary words, but will also expose them to new vocabulary words centered around a frog’s life. With the informational texts the students may need to be guided in learning and understanding the key vocabulary words presented in the book. The students can use contextual clues to help comprehend words, look at illustrations, or activate their prior knowledge on the topic for the words being read.