Friday, August 28, 2009
Group B Vignette Blog
Integrated Language Arts Work Groups and NCTE/IRA standardsView the NCTE/IRA vignettes at your level in the pdf standards handbook and then post entries on Class Blog Engage in an online discussion group on our class blog. 1)propose “meaty” fat questions to discuss,2) make connections to your teaching and work with students, and how the standards play out in your classroom, 3) make connections to your work 4)Please respond to two of your classmates’s entries in your study group.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hello friends!
ReplyDeleteHello ladies
ReplyDeletehey, where's annie?
ReplyDeleteWhere is your post?
ReplyDeletehello! i can't wait to vignette with you girls! hahaha
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteyou will learn to love (read: deal with) with my barbie moments.
ReplyDelete.
ReplyDeleteHi Ladies! Just thought I would get us going with the blog. While reading the first Vignette the environment was most interesting to me. As I have started my new year I have really focused on creating a noncompetitive environment where kids will want to take risks - and be the better for it. I only hope that throughout the course of this year my students will be sharing and helping each other as much as they do in this classroom. I am currently focusing on the appropriate language that students can use during interactions and building a sense of community.
ReplyDeleteIn Vignette 3 I was excited to see the integration of community, technology, reading, and research. I thought there were many benefits to this - the students were creating a sense of community, belonging, and empowerment. As a teacher this type of teaching is exciting but also scary. For a unit like this I would need to release some of my control over the students and at this point in my career I feel it is possible. As a younger teacher I would have been worried that students weren't really working or that is wasn't helping them reach the state testing benchmarks. Through my experiences and studies I now know that is not true.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts about vignette 1 were that the teacher obviously has spent conciderable time setting up an environment where 26 first graders listen to each other's ideas and are active participants in their learning. It is possible! I always find that this is hard for children because they want to say what they are thinking and then move on. Teaching discussion prompts and active listening are crucial. They convey to students that they must share their ideas, but also listen to others to deepen their own understanding. This is essential in the real world!
ReplyDeleteI'm responding to Molly's comment about vignette 1----I agree with you Molly focusing on appropriate language and building a classroom community are essential in creating a true learning environment. They are worth the effort...especially at the beginning of the year. I know that you always create this environment in your class...even with the most challenging students! ALL students are valued in your class! I had a question concerning the "noncompetitive, risk-taking enviroment" for you ladies...Do you feel that CMT geared activities detract from this this type of environment?
ReplyDeleteVignette 2 was interesting to me because I always find it tedious and hard to get students to revise their work. The two students, Maya and Katherine as well as the whole class, were completely enthralled in revising their story. It became a classroom of authors, valuing each other's feedback. This vignette made me think of Lucy Calkins because she also suggests using drama for students to rehearse and revise their stories. I plan on trying this out this year with my active students! (that's all of them!) As I think of how to guide my students to do this in partners in a controlled fashion, do you have any suggestions for me ladies?
ReplyDeleteVignette 3 proves that when students are given choices and are invested in their learning, they can produce superb work. Again Molly I agree with you. This type of instruction is scary and means giving up teacher control. I am not quite sure how I would handle this...I would feel that I would need to be with all the groups to answer questions. Can we somehow incorporate this kind of inquiry into our science units?
ReplyDeleteKathleen I agree that the science unit is the place to start this inquiry. Not only is it one of the few flexible times of the day but it is also the one with the most real world connection that our kids will understand.
ReplyDeleteIn planning out science for the year I began thinking more about this student choice idea. In this inquiry I think a scaffolded release of responsibility will be best for our kids and ourselves. At the beginning of the year I would give minimal choice to feel out the process and hopefully by the end of the year students will be able to guide their own project and learning.
ReplyDeleteKathleen I agree with your comment on vignette 2. I also reminded me of Lucy Caulkins and I think you would handle it beautifully in your classroom. With our classes this year (we teach third grade together) I see us doing a lot of instruction in small group to differentiate in some major ways (we have a lot of different levels) so perhaps only a small group will benefit from this type of activity at certain times. I have already found myself using different techniques with only small groups instead of whole class instruction because of the various needs.
ReplyDeleteHi Ladies! Thanks for paving the way with your insightful (per usual) comments and questions. I would like to first respond to some of the comments you have already made, then ask a few of my own. Thanks for bearing with me while I still have no Internet at home!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Molly's first blog about Vignette 1, I agree that building positive relationships and a non-threatening environment is imperative prerequisite of academic learning. I have found that team-building activities, emphasizing students' talents, and setting a positive tone from the moment my students walk through the door by greeting them and connecting with them help springboard students to the academic learning we need to get to. One thing I tried this year too was eliminating desks and replacing them with tables. I wasn't sure if I would like this set-up, and I was really nervous about it. SO far, I have found it really does promote the problem-solving and collaboration that were apparent in Vignette 5, as the students have been sharing their ideas, asking questions of each other, and revising their thinking as they write. I wonder how I can build on this early momentum to scaffold students to higher levels of success as collaborators, independent thinkers, and revisers.
ReplyDeleteMolly, I had a really strong reaction to your post about Vignette 3 regarding the mixed emotions of excitement and fear that teachers face when they rely less on planned, sequential curriculum related programs, and more on student-based inquiry that involves technology, reading, research, and relevant community issues. I, like you, feel genuinely enthused when I read about teaching anecdotes like Vignette 3, but I do not yet trust myself to develop into this kind of teacher. I worry that my instincts or intuition about what or how to teach in this way will not lead my students to the highest levels of learning possible, or that my own knowledge of how to synthesize content, resources, materials, and student interests is not strong enough to sustain this. Do you think it is possible for teachers to develop into this role over time? I also sometimes worry about when or how to fit this type of instruction, which is at odds with what we are expected to do, within the day or confines of a school year. How are you planning to pace your science to allow for inquiry-based instruction?
ReplyDeleteKathleen, you brought up a great question about whether the CMTs generate unhealthy student competition that can undermine the risk-free environments that we try to structure. I do think the way that we are being asked by principals (well, at least our principal at my school) to display individual students' scores on "CMT-like" assessments outside of our classrooms on public data walls can incite competition, especially because students can easily figure out each other's assigned number that is used in lieu of names. I think that overemphasis on peer competition on the teacher, students, or school's part could be very damaging for many children. However, do you think that some degree of self-competetion can be a healthy thing?
ReplyDeleteI loved reading Vignette 1 because I identified with the way the teacher encouraged problem-solving and a variety of strategies to determine the unknown word "Snowballs." I strive to create an environment, both social and academic, where students are encouraged to think independently to solve their problems and to value a variety of approaches to any dilemma. It is so important to teach children how to think, rather than what to think, and these vignettes all offer solid proof that this can be done.
ReplyDeleteI always get excited after reading examples of teachers implementing meaningful, rich, context-based language and literacy instruction, such as the Elementary Vignettes we just read. This is the type of teacher I would like to become, and I was reminded of that this past summer in our courses and this weekend as I read these Vignettes. However, my enthusiasm is always tempered when the reality of the day-to-day demands of teaching in our district sets in each year. How can I develop into this kind of teacher when principals require all teachers in a grade level to compartmentalize their instruction, teach each "subject" at the same time every day, demand complete fidelity to a scripted reading program, and require that all lesson plans for all instruction be based on pre- and post- testing for every CMT strand-aligned objective?
ReplyDeleteYes, I just ranted! I feel better.
Annie, your last posting could not have been more aligned with my own thoughts. So far through the courses in our sixth year program, I have felt renewed enthusiasm for teaching as we learn what exemplar educators do and what researchers have proved are effective teaching strategies. As I relate this information to my own classroom and teaching, I realize that many elements are contrary to what we are expected to do! It is a constant...at times, uncomfortable balance. I wish we had more autonomy in that respect.
ReplyDeleteAnnie, in response to teaching students in more of an inquiry fashion by incorporating student choice, I would say that my approach would probably change as I am teaching in response to student need. However, I envision the following: teaching the science units as directed, but maybe combining some less important lessons...somehow to "buy time" that would be necessary for this type of instruction. Then I would probably group the students in heterogenous groups (last year I would have done homogeneous groups with more support given to my lowest group by the special education para). I would then offer a list of choices that the students could choose to research and bookmark websites to explore....So in short, highly scaffolded, but also choice!
ReplyDeleteVignette 4:
ReplyDeleteVignette 4 reminded me of my classroom this year because I have a large population of ELL students. I think it is really important to validate a child's home language to be able to connect to them, promote awareness of differences, and allow students to participate using their own background knowledge. As we know, it is also easier to learn new content information for ELL students when they connect it to their native language or find cognates. Although a child's native language can make learning English hard (oftentimes they are not reading on grade level..), it is also a gift. Students should be shown how to use their native language to enhance their English skills in reading. I also think it is important for parents to realize the importance of their child knowing two languages...which brings me to my question for you lovely ladies, How do I bridge the language barrier with many of my students' parents and encourage them to come into my classroom without feeling uncomfortable?
Vignette 5:
Vignette 5 offers a small snapshot of a child during writers' workshop who has selected her own topic and uses writing for real, authentic purposes. It reminded me of Vignette 1 because there is an established culture of learners in this classroom who care about learning. It is clear that Katelyn, not Mr. J. is the author and ultimately has the power to make decisions about her writing. I think that instructionally Mr. J. can teach Katelyn that revision can consist of changing a piece of writing to another type of writing, in this case a letter to a poem. He might also want to expose her to the different types of writing and their purposes so that she could select what form of writing she wanted to use based on the purpose. It is clear that Katelyn has a lot of autonomy during the writer's workshop, do you think it is too much independence?
Kathleen, it was comforting to hear that you are experiencing, but positively handling, the limitations on your autonomy by being creative with your time. I think I am still learning how to thoughtfully integrate and balance the demands placed on us with all of the new ideas I want to try. THe science units could definitely be streamlined to allow for more inquiry-based ventures. WHat time of year would you begin to do this?
ReplyDeleteVignette 4 also reminded me of how important it is to use the background knowledge that students do possess to bridge them to understanding of new/unfamiliar concepts. It was really important for that teacher to realize that her students were confused by the words "crow" and "roach", and to address that confusion by adjusting her instruction. Too often, the pressure of time can compel a teacher to rush through concepts that students still havent connected to. THis vignette is a strong reminder that reading is a process of connecting the new to the known, and that students who do not speak English as a first language especially need to feel validated with the connections they make in their own language.
ReplyDeleteKathleen, I too, struggle with making school and our classroom a comfortable place for the parents of ELL students. I try to personally invite (via phone) every parent to Open House during the first or second week of school, and that has seemed to help build the beginning of a positive relationship. Maybe you might ask the student to tell you a few words in their native language that you might use with the parent in communicating positive behavior or classroom stories about their child. Also, you might invite those parents in to use an artistic skill...like book binding a class set of narratives. Just some thoughts....
ReplyDeleteI LOVED vignette 5, mostly because the writing that the student was doing was personal and inspired...it was such a beautiful letter/poem. Also, I liked that the teacher allowed for discussion during writing time. In the past, I have required that the room be silent while I conduct individual conferences, but now in the light of the benefits of collaborative learning, I see that a classroom can have a busy sound, but still be quite productive.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of autonomy, I thought the level of independence was appropriate if the purpose was to self-select a topic during writing time. It seems like the teacher has modeled how to generate interesting, personally relevant topics and sustain writing in regards to them. It does seem like this student could be more flexible or receptive to the comments of her audience. Maybe recording her voice on a tape and listening back may help her hear the letter from her audiences' perspective.
While I strive to have independent writers like this student, I have often struggled in the past with elevating students to this level of autonomy. Even after brainstorming self-selected topics to write about, and conducting mini-lessons on "small moments", my students always seem stuck when I give them this much autonomy during writing time. They also tend to rehash the same stories about a birthday, Chuck-E Cheese, or a tag game at recess. I really try to find the spark in each of their stories, but sometimes i feel like I am hearing the same story over again. Is this because I have not tapped into topics that inspire me when I model for the class? I wonder what my thoughts will be when we begin reading about the Writer's Notebook.
Vignette 5:
ReplyDeleteI would like to respond to both of you on this. I felt that Katelyn may have needed more exposure to different types of writing so that she could see how poetry conveys emotion in a different way than letters. I know in my own writing lessons I tend not to branch out into things like poetry because I get so focused on gammer and sentences. This year in both reading and writing I have tried to set a focus for thinking how authors think, and I hope this will encourage my students to try new writing.
I also would like to comment on the autonomy you both discussed. For some reason this year perhaps it is starting these grad. classes, I have become hopeful. I feel that as we become more and more experienced and comfortable with the curriculum the freedom for autonomy will come. I feel much more flexible with the materials this year, perhaps it is the new principal or my familiarity with the content/materials in third grade. I don't want you both to feel too confined in your teaching. You are both wonderful teachers and as we become more confident and aware that we are doing the right things (i.e. taking these courses) the students will learn and will therefore do better on our tests without the drill we often fall back to out of fear.
ReplyDeleteVignette 4:
ReplyDeleteIn my last comment I need to agree again (surprise, surprise) that it is important to validate the first language of your students. Annie I love the activities you incorporate and will try some out! I also see a link to the lower students in my room this year. It is valuable for me to find some way to validate each of their contributions, as with ELL learners. They may not be exactly on the mark but I do my best to find something to compliment in their sharing or classwork. So far I noticed everyone contributing in some way in my room!
Vignette 6:
ReplyDeleteHelping reluctant readers to find interesting stories is extremely important for their reading development. By fourth grade, and I find third grade, it is imperative that the students read to learn instead of learn to read. The more they read the more experiences and words they will come into contact with. I find that I need to read a variety of children's literature so that I will know what to recommend to my students. Individual conferences are definitely a way to get kids interested in reading, along with reading a variety of genres aloud to the class.
Vignette 7:
ReplyDeleteI rely on discussions of reading strategies to tell me what my kids are doing while they are reading. I also love the discussions because it shows the students they really do use different strategies. I unfortunately have many students this year who cannot follow along to a discussion in small or whole group. I have been trying to think of ways to use visuals in my discussions, I can only think of writing on chart paper, unimaginative I know. Any other suggestions from my wonderful colleagues?
Molly, I wanted to respond to several of your posts, which I thought were so relevant to my teaching so far this year, too! I had a connection to what you said about transitioning your students from learning to read to "reading to learn." I recently administered and scored the reading attitude survey (which my students absolutely loved!) and interestingly, 100% of the class indicated that they either liked or loved learning new information from reading. They also indicated that the stories that I was reading aloud to them and providing during SSR were okay, but could be better. I plan on using this information to adjust my teaching by making sure to provide more nonfiction texts for their SSR time and to read more of that variety of genres you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteMolly, in response to your group of students who cannot attend to discussion of reading strategies, I just wanted to brainstorm a little bit! Are these students able to attend to read-alouds/think-alouds? Because, I have found that my contextualized use of comprehension strategies during read-aloud has been far more effective than the decontextualized strategy use I was teaching in a reading workshop format last year. I find that my students understand more about strategy use when they have a spontaneous reaction to a text and I provide time to expand on or discuss their thinking.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I can see how struggling readers need that extra support with even having those intial reactions to a text...In that case, I remember reading in one of our texts about a reading strategy think-aloud game that pairs of students play while they take turns reading. Every time Partner A thinks out loud in response to the text, the two partners refer to a set of index cards with strategies printed on them, and work together to identify which reading strategy was used. Partner A then gets 1 point for their think-aloud strategy, and it is Partner B's turn. I wonder if such a game that involves collaboration and peer discussion might be more motivating to the struggling readers. Hopefully they will learn to build conversations with text and eventually recognize when they are doing so.
You may even want to have them "talk back to their books" on a tape recorder, then listen back and identify all of the strategies they used.
Hmmmmm....
Vignette 6 is a testament to the power that a teacher's enthusiasm towards reading, as well as knowledge of individual students' interests, can have on motivation to read. In my classroom this year, I helped recommend a reading book for every student to take home, and they seemed to appreciate the guidance I gave them based on my developing knowledge of their interests. Most students took my suggestion and are enthused about the Reading At Home program they are involved in this year.
ReplyDeleteDespite my support, there is one student in my class who is really standing out right now in terms of being a reluctant reader. An ELL student, this child selects books frenetically and discards them with frequent abandon. Noticing this, I tried to pinpoint this students' interests, but she tells me she doesn't have any. Although she initially gets excited about books I recommend for her, she then dismisses them with comments like "I already read this before" or "I don't think I'll like this after all". She really reminds me of thestudent in Vignette 6 because I have also heard her mention not liking to read. I am officially stumped about what to do to encourage her growth as an independent reader. Any suggestions chickies?
In Vignette 7, I like how the teacher encouraged reflection of reading strategy use at the end of the reading class. The discussion was student-led and involved actively listening and building on what other students had shared about their strategy use. I think that this can be done in elementary and primary classrooms as well. Students love sitting in the author's chair during the sharing component of SSR, and often make spontaneous comments about their reading that generate further student discussion and feedback. So many times, I think students use strategies but are not even aware that they are doing so; I find that student-led discussions help children to build that metacognitive awareness. They also learn that reading is more than just saying words on a page, and how to value the range of reactions that reading can inspire.
ReplyDeleteMy responses to you lovely ladies...I have a lot to blog about due to your insightful comments...
ReplyDeleteMy lovely Annie:
Response to vignette 5
I think that modeling writing about small moments in your life is the best way to encourage a variety of topics in personal narratives. Also, have you tried generating ideas by using feelings or the first time/last time they did something? Those stories are usually varied... I had a student write about the first time he tried vegetables! If this fails, I model revising a story about Six Flags or Chuckie Cheese (from a previous year) to make it about a small moment...not the whole entire day! These stories end up being unique in the end.
Response to vignette 6:
As far as your reluctant ELL reader...does she speak Spanish? There are some books that are written in SPanish and come with an English copy as well. I have some if you need to borrow. Other suggestions would be for a peer to recommend a book to her (with your guidance beforehand). She might take a peer recommendation versus a teacher one. My last suggestion deals with Dr. Weiss' class...maybe it would be more appropriate for her to read her dictated texts! I would be interested to see how this works out for ya. Just some ideas...
Reponse to vignette 7
I'll keep this one simple: I AGREE 110%
To my equally lovely MOlly-
ReplyDeleteResponse to vignette 5
I loved your idea about focusing on how writers think. I think this instruction will be apparent in the quality of your students' writing! Are you going to use the same texts that you read aloud? I think you mentioned this idea, I think its a good one-it shows students that you can read for a variety of purposes...as a reader and as a writer...I also liked your comment about validating each child as a member of the classroom. Sometimes particular students seem to dominate the class and it is important to remember that all children have something to offer..I know you do this!
Response to vignette 6:
I loved your idea about exposing students to a variety of genres...I have also made this a goal of mine. I make myself accountable by tracking the genres I have shown the students on a bulletin board! It is a great visual representation of all genres and how they are related.
Response to vignette 7
Here are some suggestions for you Molly about teaching the reading strategies (take em or leave em :) )
-Keep a chart saying "Excellent readers..." and track what you have taught them everyday. You can refer to this chart when discussing books such as during share time in readers' workshop.
-Have students write the name of a strategy on an index card and draw a picture that is representative of the strategy to them. You can do the same and hold them up during your think alouds (as mentioned in class).
My contributions:
ReplyDeleteVignette 6:
The teacher in this classroom shows her knowledge of literacy instruction when she is able to recommend an excellent book to hook a reluctant reader. This recommendation obviously left an impression on him because he remembered reading the book several years later. I find this is hard to do with some students...I have a large classroom library, but perhaps I need to spend a considerable amount of time reading the books so that I can become familiar with them...I have spent a lot of time organizing them by level and genre in hopes that it would guide students to find books they are interested in.
Vignette 7:
I was impressed by the way that the students in this vignette were aware of the strategies they used and their usefulness depending on what type of text they are using. This made me realize that I don't emphasize when to use a particular strategy instead of another. I could probably model this thinking during my read alouds. This year, I think I will be able to identify and instruct students that over-rely on a particular strategy...especially through individual conferencing which I am focusing on before I start guided reading groups.
Very strong in-depth discussion focusing on important ideas and issues related to your own teaching realities. I like how you responded and shared your ideas with each other.
ReplyDelete