I poetry October 14, 2010
I plan to use poetry as a lesson and method of assessment in my IDP unit. It was important for me to gain knowledge and do some research on the topic so that I am able to teach more effectively about poetry, as well as understand the importance of ipoems in the classrooms. From viewing the powerpoint on ipoems I was able to see that the importance of poetry, in particular ipoems, is that it gives students a format to transform the knowledge that they have learned and gained about a particular subject or idea.
In this sense, I plan to use ipoetry when covering the main topic of the North Carolina Mountains, while learning about North Carolina in the fourth grade. The students in my fourth grade classroom will be given an opportunity to research and gain information and facts about the Mountains of North Carolina and some natural resources found in the mountains. I plan to use ipoems as their summative assessment, after gaining knowledge and information about their subject, they will then create an ipoem from the perspective of the subject they have chosen. This is a good way to see if children have gained the knowledge that is needed about a particular subject or idea.
Through reading the results of 2nd-4th grade students and ipoems they were able to conclude that students were able to write with more emotion, vivid imagery, and precise word choice when they were given the assignment to create an ipoem. Not only is this allowing students to express themselves using factual information but it also help students develop a better understanding about the subject or idea, as well as gives them the chance to put some emotion and thought into their writing, along with vocabulary and word choice. The powerpoint also stated that students gain a deeper understanding of their subject, through ipoems. I feel as though ipoems would greatly benefit a child because they are given free reign to elaborate on their subject and use their own ideas to do so.
In reading the powerpoint I was very interested to see the different in the vocabulary from before and after. A lot of the students work was almost empty with litter vocabulary. It was so neat to see the difference in the amount of vocabulary and the larger vocabulary choice that was seen in the students work after wards.
After reading this powerpoint and connecting it to the ideas and goals that I have for my IDP unit, I am very excited to use this form of poetry with my students. I feel as though they will gain a great deal from ipoems. They will be able to research information on the mountains of North Carolina and take their information in one form and transform it into another form. In this process I believe that they will gain a great deal from this transformation into the form of an ipoem. I am also excited to see the development of vocabulary that the students will learn from this activity. I cannot wait to use this with my students and see the amount that they learn from ipoems.
Seals October 11, 2010
4th Grade.
Goal 1: The learner will make observations and conduct investigations to build an understanding of animal behavior and adaptation.
Objective 1.03: Observe and discuss how behaviors and body structures help animals survive in a particular habitat.
What are seals classified as?
Answer: A seal is a mammal.
What helps seals swim?
Answer: Their smooth gray skin.
What do seals eat?
Answer: Seals eat small fish and squids.
Where do seals live?
Answer: Seals live in the Atlantic Ocean
Who are seals hunted by?
Answers: Seals are hunted by the magnificent killer whale.
What makes seals different from dolphins?
Answer: Seals are different from dolphins in that they do not have fins like dolphins and seals can live on land and in water.
Reciprocal Reading VS Discussion Director October 4, 2010
Reciprocal reading is used while children and the teacher are reading a book together. The reciprocal reading idea is used to help students build an understanding of what they are reading and helps them to think on their own. The idea of reciprocal reading breaks the class up into groups of four. Each person in the group is given a particular job: summarizer, questioner, clarifier, and predictor. In these groups the students will read a book, while assuming their roles during the reading. The summarizer will summarize what was just read. The questioner will ask questions about the selection. The clarifier will clear up any questions or confusion that someone might have from the reading. The predictor will predict what might happen next, or what they author might discuss next in the reading. Following the discussion the students in each group will then change roles. This activity allows the students to gain knowledge and comprehension on what they are reading using their own questions, responses, and ideas. Reciprocal reading is similar to the discussion director in the roles that are assumed while doing these activities but the discussion director is simply one person rather than a group of people with different roles.
The discussion director activity is a job that one person in a group takes on to help discussion following a book. The discussion director is in charge of getting the conversation going. They will ask questions like who, what, when, where, why, about things that they read in the book. It is one particular persons job to make sure that everyone in the groups understands what they have just read, and are comprehending the reading. They come up with all different kinds of questions that deal with every aspect of the reading to help the other students know and understand what they have just read. The purpose of the discussion director is to aid in conversation and to ensure that the group is comprehending the readings.
These two concepts and activities are similar, but the roles are a little different. I like the idea of both of these activities. I remember doing reciprocal reading when I was going through grade school. I always enjoyed these activities because we were able to answer questions, summarize, and clarify what we have read so that we are able to understand it more clearly and comprehend what we have read. I plan to use these activities in the classroom some day so that my students gain knowledge and comprehension from their readings, through their own topics, conversations, and ideas.
Vocabulary September 30, 2010
After reading, “Breaking Down Words to Build Meaning: Morphology, Vocabulary, and Reading Comprehension in the Urban Classroom,” I was able to understand the importance of a meaning or meanings behind each word. This article, along with the vocabulary instruction handout, and the vocabulary activities in the multi-text unit each go along with one another. As a student reads, it is important for them to be able to break down a word into the different meanings found in the word, in order to come up with a meaning for the whole word. If students learn how to do this and are able to do this it will build their comprehension with words. I remember using methods to break down words that I did not know the meaning of. Through that process I was able to learn a great deal more about a word than I had started with. It is important as a classroom teacher, for me to teach students how to do this, so that they can use it while they are reading. If a child stumbles upon a word they are unfamiliar with, they can use roots, suffixes, prefixes, and find words they are more familiar with to help them put together a meaning of the whole word. It is important, on my part, to be able to teach children how to do this so that they in turn can figure words out on their own.
After understanding the importance of breaking words down to help with vocabulary understanding and comprehension, I was able to connect the idea with the vocabulary handout and vocabulary activities from the Multi-text unit. Being able to break down a word will help the student know more about each word, and know more words; a student’s comprehension and knowledge will help me figure out what Tier each child falls under when it comes to vocabulary. From gaining knowledge on the tier that each child falls under, I will be gaining knowledge for myself on which types of words a child feels comfortable with and from that I can challenge them so that they gain more knowledge and comprehension through activities. An activity, such as the one found in the multi-text unit, allows a student to take a word they are unfamiliar with, break it down, learn more about that word, which will in the end give the student more knowledge and they will be able to store the knowledge.
I remember doing activities using vocabulary words in Elementary School. The words that I was able to remember and store, and go back to, were the words that I had during a fun and intriguing activity that I participated in. I think it is very important to first asses a student and find out where they are most comfortable, because you do not want to have a child in a frustrational level. Then you teach students how to break down words, so that they are able to learn for themselves how to find a meaning of a word without looking it up, by simply breaking the word up, and using definitions that are already known. Lastly, activities that are used to engage the students and motivate them to learn, will allow them to use what they have learned and grown from there.
Vocabulary is very in the Elementary level. It leads to a better understanding, more skill, and better comprehension while reading. Vocabulary is a huge part of reading. Understanding vocabulary and how to find meaning through vocabulary will allow a child to excel in reading and writing. It is a building block to many other subjects.
Multi-text/Reading Assessment/Integrating Instructional Level SS Trade Books September 23, 2010
I read the article, “Integrating Instructional-Level Social Studies Trade Books for Struggling Readers in the Upper Elementary Grades.” I found myself very interested in this article because of the story that was told in the beginning. I always knew that there were going to be differences between the children that I will be teaching and their academic level and scores, but I was unaware of how much of a difference it is for a while who is a struggling reader to take part and participate in the readings that the rest of the class are doing.
It is so very important to do the reading assessment, in order to asses a child’s reading abilities and grade level. I could see how frustrating it would be for a child to “read” on 5th grade reading level with the rest of the class, while the child typically falls on a 3rd or 4th grade reading level. The child will be falling behind on all reading skills because they are at the frustrational level of reading. Assessing a child’s reading level is the first and most important thing.
Following the assessment the teacher can select texts that go along with the lesson, unit, or subject that is to be covered by the class; but in this case the text will be on each child’s reading level. This will ensure that all students are learning and gaining the knowledge needed through a multi-text unit. Not all books have to be the same for a multi-text unit. This article shows the importance of Social Studies trade books. Social Studies trade books are offered on many different reading levels, and provide the teacher with a large selection of books to read while covering Social Studies topics.
After reading these articles on a Multi-Text Unit, Reading Assessment, and Integrating Instructional-Level Social Studies Trade Books, I have come to realize that they each go hand in hand with one another. You must first assess each child to gain perspective on their reading level, then select Social Studies trade books to go along with the unit or section you will be covering, and lastly incorporate these books into a multi-text unit; so that every child is learning the same concepts and ideas while being able to read on a level that is understandable and comprehensive to them.
Shared Readings September 23, 2010
After reading the article, “Shared Readings: Modeling Comprehension, Vocabulary, Text Structures, and Text Features for Older Readers,” I was able to understand the importance of modeling reading to my future students. I knew that there was always positive outcomes from modeling reading. From my previous reading courses I have learned that there is an increase in comprehension and vocabulary through modeling. What I was unaware of was that you were able to model reading into upper elementary grades. I always had the idea that during kindergarten and 1st grade it was ideal to model reading; but after these grades, when children became more literate in reading they would be left to read on their own or with a group. I did not realize that I could still model reading, and it was still considered a positive thing to do even in the upper elementary grades.
When doing shared readings, teachers have the opportunity to show students their enthusiasm when it comes to reading. They are also able to show students how to interact with the text. I feel as though a child could learn a great deal by simply watching and listening to me read a book. They could understand fluency, how to read without spaces, how to get into the book, and how to give the book personality depending on what each person feels should go along with the book. Modeling for students I feel is very important because they get a sense of understanding about how to read and how to interact with their own texts, while gaining knowledge in many other areas. Students will learn a great deal of vocabulary and could really get involved with the reading if I was to simply ask them questions to get them thinking and to get them involved.
Shared reading and modeling reading is a very important concept. After reading this article I have come to understand that the importance does not just lie in the lower elementary grades, but even up into the upper elementary grades. I plan to read to my students, and model the correct way to read, and how to get involved and interact with the readings. I feel as though a child could learn a great deal from watching me model reading and in turn could have the same outcome and the same desire and love for reading that I plan to show them.
Pirate Unit September 16, 2010
I am very excited to learn more about the Pirate Unit. I think this unit will be very appealing to children and they will be excited about it as well. I like the idea of putting the Pirating things in a notebook, especially leaving the alphabet with spaces in order to kids to fill out new vocabulary words about pirates and sailing that they will be learning throughout the books. I believe that reading both fiction and non-fiction will allow the students to be engaged as well allowing them to learn factual information about Pirates and sailing. I also really like the idea of DED (double-entry diaries), this process gives students the opportunity to write down important quotes, factual information, or summary; while given another column to reflect their ideas and thoughts about their findings. As discussions and readings go on the students can always look back at their DED and see what they have written down, and add to if needed. This helps them learn on their own and find answers on their own. It is also good to allow your students the opportunity to do research on a particular pirate, so that they become aware and knowledgeable on how to do research on a particular person or place. I especially like the idea of using the graphic organizers, or the data retrieval chart, I remember using these in elementary school when reading books in class; I think this particular activity is much better than what I remember in elementary school. I think the students will really enjoy making their own “wanted” poster, it gives them the chance to be creative while using information that they have found in their readings. All four activities, I feel, would be very engaging for students and I think that they would really like them and put forth effort into their findings and activities. I realize and understand the importance of gearing lessons towards 21st Century learners; as I was reading the article on “Internet Workshop and Blog Publishing,” I was able to relate to much of the article. From my own personal experience I can see the importance that internet plays in my life. I am constantly researching and using internet sources to write papers and aid me in much of my homework. Allowing students to use the internet and learn and develop an understanding of the internet, websites, searches, etc, while learning about a particular unit or lesson idea would greatly benefit them. I know of many different websites that help in education and I’m sure there are so many out there that even I am unaware of. As a future teacher I see the importance in integrating technology into a unit. It is my job to find available, related resources for the students to be able to access in doing research, they must then conduct their research and in most cases presentations would be beneficial to the rest of the classroom. Students can also be involved with making blogs, so that the rest of the class can see the information and be able to comment on the information gained by other students. This will allow the students to learn from each other, while learning for themselves how technology works. After reading this article I can see how beneficial internet workshops would be in a classroom. It gives students the ability and opportunity to do their own research, learn about technology while still covering a classroom topic, and be able to share with others what they have learned. Anything that students have worked with and learned in the internet workshops can easily be changed into written and oral presentations and assignments. I feel as though this gives students endless possibilities, hands-on activities, and the chance to learn on their own and do their own research and investigations. I really liked being able to see a sample of the internet workshop, what the students came up with, and their final product. It is so intriguing to me to see what kids can come up with and how they can learn and grow by using different ways of teaching and researching. I cannot wait to get started on the Pirate lessons and get more in depth with the different activities that can be used in this unit.
Poetry September 8, 2010
After reading, “Love That Dog,” and “All the Small Poems,” I have come to realize that poems have no specific form. They do not have to rhyme, they do not have to have structure. I love reading poems because to me it is simply someone’s thoughts about anything. In “All the Small Poems,” there were poems about so many different things. There were poems about bees, flowers, cows, and so many others. This idea took me back to the notebooking entry from this week, which talks about allowing the students to pick a noun and write about it. Students could be writing poetry about the noun that they chose. In the book “Love that Dog” the student doesn’t think that he knows anything about poetry. Come to find out he was writing poetry all along. There is no structure and specific rules for writing poetry. I feel as though children would love to know that they are writing poetry and it would make them feel good about their writing. I plan to use the idea of allowing them to pick a noun and writing about it, after discussing and reading several poems from the book “All the Small Poems,” because this gives children an idea of poetry simply using an animal, a sound, a flower, or even a food. Poetry can be for everyone.
