The times that I have spent the most alive as a learner are when I have been an active participant, actually 'seeing' the things that I have learned about. I was inspired to be a history major in college by time that I spent in concentration camps in Poland and Germany-- really feeling the atmosphere, taking it all in, etc. Back in the US, for me, this meant going to the US Holocaust Museum in DC on a regular basis--- I needed to actually see pictures and experience the subject matter more deeply in order to stay grounded in it and reprioritize my learning again. I wrote a my undergrad thesis on a Holocaust-related topic, and spent many hours pouring through research articles, documents from the post-war trials, and so on. I often had to remind myself to put what I was reading into the context of what I had seen with my own eyes, to make it real. I feel like this can be very much the case with the learning that our own students do... if they can't relate what they are learning to their own life, and if they do not find it personally applicable, it's much easier to forget what they have learned and just move forward. We need to provide them with a context in which to file the information and knowledge that they have gained, to answer that question of 'Why am I learning this?'
This quote made me think a lot about those experiences I had in the camps-- and the fact that, in those times, I really did feel that I was 'living more fully than during the rest of life'. Because of the subject matter, it was not a particularly happy feeling of being 'alive' but it was a very real, strong feeling. There's something about an experience of that depth and intensity that really gives you a new appreciation for the things you are learning in a lecture, in a classroom, in another time and place. It was a very humbling experience and I consider myself fortunate to have been able to experience learning in such a hands-on way.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Course 109- Writing
QQC
Q:
I'm still trying to find my bearings with Spelling. I was glad to have Peggy in my room last week to check out how I was teaching spelling, but totally bummed when my students still did NOT do well on the spelling test that week. I don't want to lower my expectations to give them easier words, especially since I know the other first grade class is making an okay average with the same words. So, I've been wondering what's going on with my teaching that is impeding their learning... what are they missing that they need? How can I explain things better to them.... which leads me to my question that I still have on the spelling instruction portion of writing instruction. This article talked about teaching students to monitor and check their own spelling (p. 135), but how? I have them switch papers before they hand their papers in to me sometimes. They are set up at table groups with High-Med-Med-Low, so in theory, they should be getting extra support. But so many of them are phonetic spellers that they think 'in' really is the way to spell 'and', or 'hows' truly is the way to spell 'house'. I encourage them to read the room, use their word wall... and am instituting vocab sheets in writing folders for my bottom 4 or 5 kids per class. Still, when checking their spelling, it is only my highest 10 (Spartans) and maybe highest 2 (Highlanders) that can catch and correct the majority of spelling mistakes. I guess what I'm trying to ask is... How do I do a 'monitor and check' in spelling without pulling out dictionaries or wasting time for my ELLs, lower kids, etc? How can I make the spelling check work for them during or at the end of writing workshop?
Q:
"Under the modeled writing method, the most teacher-directed approach, the teacher writes in front of the students, creating the text, and controlling the pen. Even more importantly, the teacher constantly "thinks aloud" about writing strategies and skills. This approach allows students to hear the thinking that accompanies the process of writing. Those thoughts may address choosing a topic, organizing your ideas, using a plan to write your rough draft, removing repetitive information or proofreading to fix grammar."
I pulled this quote out to remind myself to do this more. I'd say I think aloud maybe only once or twice per week when writing. I'm better about doing it when writing than reading too, so that's not a particularly great sign. I NEED to do this more... I often model 'mistakes' to make sure that they catch them too, and to remind them to reread each sentence to make sure it makes sense. I need to do this more in both areas as we move into narrative writing-- I know it's crucial to their development as writers, but also important as a think-through and a re-tell of the directions for my ELLs.
C:
I think it's especially beneficial for me to spend some time reading about and working on Writing Strategies, and I appreciated having differentiated readings this week. Several veteran teachers told me, going into this year, that writing was a place where they really struggled their first year. As a result of having that information, I've tried to make it something that my students do every day (I think we've only not written twice this year so far), but at the same time, I know that I'm not giving them ENOUGH instruction in writing. It's happening, but not at the depth I want it happening-- and that is totally a result of me not knowing enough and not using my resources enough. I've finally started instituting Step-Up to Writing (although last week it was a lame, somewhat halfway attempt) and I'm planning on spending more time on writing in December... this is an area where I plan on working with my mentor teachers a lot. Writing is both rewarding and challenging for me-- for some students, I'm seeing so much more progress in reading than writing, and the opposite is happening as well. For my ELLs, it's frustrating to see parts of speech all mixed up, yet phonetic spelling on target.
On another note, it was great to go back through and read something from the TFA literature that we had this summer. Honestly, I don't remember all too much from what we read.... mostly because I was reading it on a cross-country flight where the idea of being a teacher in four months was really, really abstract and still didn't seem all that possible. It was so much more applicable now.
Q:
I'm still trying to find my bearings with Spelling. I was glad to have Peggy in my room last week to check out how I was teaching spelling, but totally bummed when my students still did NOT do well on the spelling test that week. I don't want to lower my expectations to give them easier words, especially since I know the other first grade class is making an okay average with the same words. So, I've been wondering what's going on with my teaching that is impeding their learning... what are they missing that they need? How can I explain things better to them.... which leads me to my question that I still have on the spelling instruction portion of writing instruction. This article talked about teaching students to monitor and check their own spelling (p. 135), but how? I have them switch papers before they hand their papers in to me sometimes. They are set up at table groups with High-Med-Med-Low, so in theory, they should be getting extra support. But so many of them are phonetic spellers that they think 'in' really is the way to spell 'and', or 'hows' truly is the way to spell 'house'. I encourage them to read the room, use their word wall... and am instituting vocab sheets in writing folders for my bottom 4 or 5 kids per class. Still, when checking their spelling, it is only my highest 10 (Spartans) and maybe highest 2 (Highlanders) that can catch and correct the majority of spelling mistakes. I guess what I'm trying to ask is... How do I do a 'monitor and check' in spelling without pulling out dictionaries or wasting time for my ELLs, lower kids, etc? How can I make the spelling check work for them during or at the end of writing workshop?
Q:
"Under the modeled writing method, the most teacher-directed approach, the teacher writes in front of the students, creating the text, and controlling the pen. Even more importantly, the teacher constantly "thinks aloud" about writing strategies and skills. This approach allows students to hear the thinking that accompanies the process of writing. Those thoughts may address choosing a topic, organizing your ideas, using a plan to write your rough draft, removing repetitive information or proofreading to fix grammar."
I pulled this quote out to remind myself to do this more. I'd say I think aloud maybe only once or twice per week when writing. I'm better about doing it when writing than reading too, so that's not a particularly great sign. I NEED to do this more... I often model 'mistakes' to make sure that they catch them too, and to remind them to reread each sentence to make sure it makes sense. I need to do this more in both areas as we move into narrative writing-- I know it's crucial to their development as writers, but also important as a think-through and a re-tell of the directions for my ELLs.
C:
I think it's especially beneficial for me to spend some time reading about and working on Writing Strategies, and I appreciated having differentiated readings this week. Several veteran teachers told me, going into this year, that writing was a place where they really struggled their first year. As a result of having that information, I've tried to make it something that my students do every day (I think we've only not written twice this year so far), but at the same time, I know that I'm not giving them ENOUGH instruction in writing. It's happening, but not at the depth I want it happening-- and that is totally a result of me not knowing enough and not using my resources enough. I've finally started instituting Step-Up to Writing (although last week it was a lame, somewhat halfway attempt) and I'm planning on spending more time on writing in December... this is an area where I plan on working with my mentor teachers a lot. Writing is both rewarding and challenging for me-- for some students, I'm seeing so much more progress in reading than writing, and the opposite is happening as well. For my ELLs, it's frustrating to see parts of speech all mixed up, yet phonetic spelling on target.
On another note, it was great to go back through and read something from the TFA literature that we had this summer. Honestly, I don't remember all too much from what we read.... mostly because I was reading it on a cross-country flight where the idea of being a teacher in four months was really, really abstract and still didn't seem all that possible. It was so much more applicable now.
Course 109- Strategies that Work
"Reading is Thinking" and "Reading is Strategic" QQC
Q:
One thing I noticed in the 'Reading is Thinking' reading, that struck me right off the bat, was how well the students were able to make connections to things they had read in the past. This seems to be a major challenge for my students, and I think it's something cognitively that I just don't quite understand in them yet. While my students *might* sometimes refer back to a book that they have read over and over again, they generally can't tell you what book they read for their Reading Packet the night prior. They' haven't made those connections and remembering details from specific stories seems to be a major challenge for them. How do you foster this in first graders? On the one hand, I want them to remember details so that they come to have 'favorite books' as part of the 'good readers ___' strategies from Debbie Miller's Reading With Meaning. On the other hand, they simply need to improve their skills in this area, since passing the DRA Level 4 and beyond requires correctly sequencing details from the short stories they have just read. It's a skill that is definitely stronger in some kids than in others, and it's one that I want to find strategies to improve. The 'Reading is Thinking' article got me thinking... but most of the strategies in terms of making connections seemed more applicable to older kids. How do I get those connections into my first graders? I already do the sticky-note method, and I have just initiated 'Reading Logs' for my students to rate their favorite books and from which I will display 'Class Favorites'... but on a more basic level, what activities can help students fine-tune these skills?
Q:
"Like writing, reading is an act of composition. When we write, we compose thoughts on paper. When we read, we compose meaning in our minds. Thoughtful, active readers use the text to stimulate their own thinking and to engage with the mind of the writers. Readers construct and maintain understand by merging their thinking with the text." (p.21)
This quote stood out to me since it is a connection that I often try to make with my students. We talk a lot about how writing and reading are so, so linked. I stress the importance of being good writers to try to get them to place themselves in both frames-- as a writer who is getting better and better each day, but also as a reader who improves their writing by reading it, if that makes any sense. We talk about the balance of reading and writing and how very connected they are. This quote puts it in a more theoretical framework, but it's an idea that I'd really like to share with my students and that I will incorporate into one of my mini-lessons during an 'Editors Workshop'.
C:
This article was so, so dense with so many strategies that I can work into my instruction. Some I remembered from having read Debbie Miller's book.. and I think I need to go sift through that again to see how she managed to apply the higher-level comprehension piece to first graders. I'm only imagining that if this is a lot for MY brain to process right now, it's also overwhelming for my students. One thing that I took away from both this article and from our professional development day with Judy Miller is that I need to make a tracking system for comprehension on my assessment wall. I've got spelling, sight words, reading levels, guided reading groups, a record of their oral reading behaviors... and essentially no way to track comprehension beyond an occasional writers workshop piece that ties in. If I'm going to sort this all out in a way that works for my mind, I always have to put it in a format that they can understand. I want them to work hard for goals in Reading Comprehension, and work hard to 'master' the strategies that are SO important in their development as a reader.
Q:
One thing I noticed in the 'Reading is Thinking' reading, that struck me right off the bat, was how well the students were able to make connections to things they had read in the past. This seems to be a major challenge for my students, and I think it's something cognitively that I just don't quite understand in them yet. While my students *might* sometimes refer back to a book that they have read over and over again, they generally can't tell you what book they read for their Reading Packet the night prior. They' haven't made those connections and remembering details from specific stories seems to be a major challenge for them. How do you foster this in first graders? On the one hand, I want them to remember details so that they come to have 'favorite books' as part of the 'good readers ___' strategies from Debbie Miller's Reading With Meaning. On the other hand, they simply need to improve their skills in this area, since passing the DRA Level 4 and beyond requires correctly sequencing details from the short stories they have just read. It's a skill that is definitely stronger in some kids than in others, and it's one that I want to find strategies to improve. The 'Reading is Thinking' article got me thinking... but most of the strategies in terms of making connections seemed more applicable to older kids. How do I get those connections into my first graders? I already do the sticky-note method, and I have just initiated 'Reading Logs' for my students to rate their favorite books and from which I will display 'Class Favorites'... but on a more basic level, what activities can help students fine-tune these skills?
Q:
"Like writing, reading is an act of composition. When we write, we compose thoughts on paper. When we read, we compose meaning in our minds. Thoughtful, active readers use the text to stimulate their own thinking and to engage with the mind of the writers. Readers construct and maintain understand by merging their thinking with the text." (p.21)
This quote stood out to me since it is a connection that I often try to make with my students. We talk a lot about how writing and reading are so, so linked. I stress the importance of being good writers to try to get them to place themselves in both frames-- as a writer who is getting better and better each day, but also as a reader who improves their writing by reading it, if that makes any sense. We talk about the balance of reading and writing and how very connected they are. This quote puts it in a more theoretical framework, but it's an idea that I'd really like to share with my students and that I will incorporate into one of my mini-lessons during an 'Editors Workshop'.
C:
This article was so, so dense with so many strategies that I can work into my instruction. Some I remembered from having read Debbie Miller's book.. and I think I need to go sift through that again to see how she managed to apply the higher-level comprehension piece to first graders. I'm only imagining that if this is a lot for MY brain to process right now, it's also overwhelming for my students. One thing that I took away from both this article and from our professional development day with Judy Miller is that I need to make a tracking system for comprehension on my assessment wall. I've got spelling, sight words, reading levels, guided reading groups, a record of their oral reading behaviors... and essentially no way to track comprehension beyond an occasional writers workshop piece that ties in. If I'm going to sort this all out in a way that works for my mind, I always have to put it in a format that they can understand. I want them to work hard for goals in Reading Comprehension, and work hard to 'master' the strategies that are SO important in their development as a reader.
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