WEEK 12: Metacognition & Comprehension

1) Good readers:
-make predictions
-make inferences
-ask themselves questions relating to the text

2) To develop good comprehension, teachers need to teach students comprehension strategies such as:
-building vocabulary
-enagage students in discussion through writing, reading, vocabulary, etc
-building knowledge base because comprehension goes further through that

3) In order to help struggling readers, teachers need to:
-motivate their students
-using themselves as an example

Some ideas that struck out to me in this video is the childrens use of vocabulary. I saw children who used words such as "inference" and that was something new. They were able to make predictions and that was something that was interesting.  To make meaning as students read, reacting to the text, applying background knowledge are components students need to learn. Teaching could happen through small groups, one-to-one goes a long way in teaching comprehension strategies. This was something that I can implement in my classroom. Coaching was something that was repeated over and over again and it is something teachers need to apply. Modeling is another practice that is crucial. Students look to  teachers to grow in their reading. Reading and word knowledge building is one that we need to use to connect text. Ideas that I can use to help struggling readers include reading during breaks and recesses once in a while in-order for them to have more time to read. I think one of the main things struggling readers need to see is that reading can be relevant to their lives. Encouraging them to read texts that they have an interest in and can relate to. If they see that, students will read more often. There are so many benefits to that, such as building their vocabulary, expanding their knowledge and background, etc.

Dibels in comparison with the QRI-5

These two fall under the category of assessments but they differ from each other in various ways. DIBELS focus more on the different areas of reading, such as fluency, language, sound recognition, etc. The DIBELS is one that is technical when it come to time. There are sixty second intervals that make time more definite. The fast pace of this assessment makes tha grading a little confusing. The plus side of this is that it is technologically advanced because it can be done in pom-pilot which is nice. There are different activities as well which are geared towards the individual student. The QRI-5 is something that I feel that I can use because it doesn't go directly to the student's level usually but starts two levels below the grade level. This boosts up the student's confidence and starts off well. QRI-5 focuses on the reading comprehension. The scoring is a lot simpler and time is not a big concern. It has a set format, that makes it easier to assess students.

WEEK 8: Effective Writing

Certain compounds of effective writing include proper use of grammar, whether they be exclamantion points, periods, etc. Another way is through expository essays that need a certain style of writing. Teachers need to be flexible so that students have their own writing time to write about their personal experiences. Some ways I can do that is by planning to end my lesson for the day early so that students have time left in their period to do their personal writing. Making connections through different subject areas can include their specific interests such as science if they are into insects or nature. We can do a lesson about culture and they can geographically show and talk about where they're from which incorporates social studies. They can journal on a specific topic in this area too. This works closely with their personal experiences as well. Students works help teachers to know what they are interested in. To work with students and to be open about what we as teachers can learn about them, from them, opens up a different line of communication. Effective writing includes room for students to be creative under proper guidelines. I really liked the aspect of publishing students works because this gives them confidence since their work is placed in such high status. I would love to do something like that to promote them to publish their own books. Since I'm specializing in Secondary English, this requires students to expand and be more descriptive in their writing. If not a book, even a story of their personal life can be included in a book together. There is this move called Freedom Writers where the teacher built relationships with students from a low-class neighborhood. She embedded into them that each one of them had a story to share while they were in highschool. She had them write their own stories and at the end, she published their work. This transformed their lives because they realized they are to be taken seriously and they have a voice to share. To have an impact like that to these students is something we as future educators need to strive for. We need to instill confidence in them so that they can leave with the knowledge that they are valued.

QRI 5

The young girl was in the third grade and you can tell she is pretty smart. The assessment started off with QRI 5 for the 1st grade to establish confidence and moved onto the 2nd grade after. In her first assessment, she skipped over some words but she had the prior knowledge to answer for the narrative. The second one, she was a little discouraged because she didn't know how to pronounce certain words. With some help, she can gain self-confidence and apply herself better.

WEEK 6: COCA

COCA was meant to help with the process of reading comprehension. Reading comprehension is very important in schools these days because the majority of the students are losing interest or need help in this area. There are books such as Salmon and Dragon files that are used for assessment.COCA is a great asset for teachers to work one on one with the students. Using our inidivual knowledge about our students we can use different books to gear their interests. One of the aspects that distincts COCA from other programs is the fact that students are to fill the blanks in the story. This helps it to be open and for the students to use their own understanding of the material to make their conclusion. This also helps for the teacher to know whether or not the student understands the material. This is something I would like to use in the future because it is a creative way to gather students interest and gets the material across.

What are some other ways we can use creativity in reading comprehensions?

WEEK 5: Christopher Myers: A Writer's Story

I really enjoyed this video. I liked the fact that Christopher Myers, a children's author came to speak to the students at P.S 304 because he's someone they look up to. He made it a point to say everyone has a story to tell. He was able to bring them confidence by using his personal experiences from his childhood, such as his neighborhood, individualism, etc. He used aspects such as his big feet, height, hair, being the youngest in class, all to differentiate himself from his classmates and that is something he appreciated as he grew up. It shocked me to see the young boy's response to Christopher Myers' question about Anthony. He said Anthony could fix his problem by having plastic surgery and that was really sad because we can tell how fast these kids are growing up nowadays.

Question: What are some ways that you can encourage students to be proud of who they are?

Question

If the outcome assessment reports that students are not learning, do you think districts really make it a point to change their instruction? If yes, in what ways?