Integrated Language Arts Work Groups and NCTE/IRA standards
View 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.
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I heart kathleen and molly.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Courtney Stone. I teach kindergarten at Pitkin Elementary School. This is my first year teaching kindergarten. I have taught first grade for two years previously. I am looking forward to working with you Jane and Carrie!
ReplyDeleteHi everyone...I am now computer savvy...right!
ReplyDeleteHey group A...yahoo!
ReplyDeletethis is crazy....
ReplyDeleteIn regard to Vignette One, I feel that the teacher really did a great job of keeping the discussion noncompetitive and nothreatening. I truly allowed the students to take risks even if they weren't sure if they were right. The teacher accepted all guesses and answers. All of the students seem engaged and excited about the discussion. I think that the teacher could keep a clipboard with her, and just jot down some anecdotal notes in regard to the student questions and response. She can later use this information to guide and drive her instruction. My question is, how is the teacher being sure that all of the students are participating and or understanding? Is it okay for little Joe in the back to just listen and not respond or ask any questions? Is there a follow-up activity that goes with this lesson to check for understanding?
ReplyDeleteI have taught first grade in the past, and so I know what it is like to have 20 first graders on the carpet...at times it can be very difficult. I was amazed at how well the children were listening and responding. The teacher must have spent a great deal of time early in the year to get this going. It is such a vital part to the success in the classroom. I am teaching kindergarten now, and I am trying to establish a positive and safe classroom environment as well. It really sets the tone for the rest of your year!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Vignette Two I was amazed at the problem solving skills of the 6, 7, and 8 year olds. It was vital to the students success to allow them to share and receive feedback from their peers. The students actually relied on their peers responses and used them to make their story better. Often times, its a teachers instinct to step in to try to help the students to a conclusion, but we often need to take a step back and allow the students to figure it out on their own. The teacher must have modeled a lot of the behaviors that she/he desired to see early in the year. He/she also must have allowed the students time to practice the desired behaviors/skills. This reminded me of my Writers Workshop last year in a way. I was having trouble with the sharing/feedback component early in the year. Yet, through a lot of modeling and time for the students to practice in a safe environment the students really took off. It was amazing to witness their growth and listen to their suggestions for their peers. Modeling is so important!
ReplyDeleteVignette 1:
ReplyDeleteIt was evident that the teacher spent time encouraging a classroom environment that encourages sharing and risk-taking. The ideas shared by the students also demonstrated their knowledge of how to figure out unknown words; all of which were on-target.
The fact that there were 26 students in the class and that the teacher was able to have such great control demonstrates her strong ability to keep her students' interest and she probably spent much time in the beginning of the year to establish rules and routines.
The teacher can have a record-keeping system for recording anecdotal notes about her observations from whole groups activities. She can use these recordings to help plan small group instruction and conferencing.
One question I have: the students seemed to share many ideas in a question-response fashion. Could the teacher instead have the students participate in partner talk to encourage participation from all students? She could observe these conversations and therefore get more information from more students?
Vignette 2:
ReplyDeleteWhat impressed me most was the students' ability to work so well independently. The teacher allowed them to problem-solve to arrive at the answer to their story. She did not jump in, tell them it couldn't work and give them the response, which some teachers tend to do too often.
The literacy environment in this classroom was also impressive. The two girls were not afraid to share their draft in front of the class and the other classmates did not tease them when their story was unclear. There was mutual respect.
I liked that the girls used drama to figure out their problem they were having with their story. Oftentimes, students are not encouraged to use other modalities (like in this story with acting out the scenario and the artistic drawing of the map) to help them with writing.
One question I have: Because the students in this class range in ages from 6-8,(which can be grade 1 through early grade 3) how does the teacher plan group projects like this one? Does she mix ages or keep them the same?
In response to Courtney regarding V1:
ReplyDeleteIt seemed to me that the purpose of this lesson was for the teacher to see if students could problem-solve an unknown word and make reasonable predictions.
I think it might be ok if not all students participate. Students who are listening to the responses of others can also be learning. This can be true especially of ELL learners and below-grade level readers. The teacher could reference this lesson, with the suggestions she wrote on the chart, in a small group lesson with students.
I wonder now how I can use the techniques displayed in these two vignettes in my teaching?I thought that the teachers in both situations allowed a lot of risk taking strategies with the children. They also allowed some physical activity for the kinesthetic learners especially the teacher in the rural school where the girls acted out the circle path of the animals in the story. What good ideas! I believe that some children need different modalities in order to learn and explore literacy.
ReplyDeleteVignette 1 illustrated the techniques of a patient teacher when she allowed the two children to figure out the compound words and make predictions.I agree with Carrie that ELL students can benefit from techniques illustrated by these teachers.
ReplyDeleteVignette 2 allowed more kinesthetic movement in order to explore problem solving techniques and Courtney is right that this is awesome for such young children!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading Vignette 3. It was amazing to me that elementary school students can be so innovative in their research techniques. I would like to focus on the question of how this was integrated langauge arts and interdisciplinary activity. First, I thought that the students going above and beyond by doing research in the library was great. They combined Social Studies with Language Arts by visiting the local library, finding printed pamphlets, intervewing reporters, etc.. If students were to do this in real life...what a lifelong learning experience this could be!
ReplyDeleteVignette 4 showed that students like Keoni can benefit from when teachers use the native language to call up experiences with language in order to teach English Language Arts. It was interesting how Keoni could relate the sounds of all of the words beginning with "C". It seemed that the teacher provided an opportunity for him to participate at his own level.
ReplyDeleteHow does East Hartford focus on this emergent literacy? I think our district does focus on the emergent readers. I see this everyday in my teaching as I enter different classrooms as a resource teacher!
Vignette 5 focused on the third grader, Katelyn writing a letter to her mother during writer's workshop. First of all, it made my think that this promotes such sweet writing. That child wrote from her heart.
ReplyDeleteIf the teacher, Mr.J was asked by Katelyn to assist with the spelling corrections, it would be a great time to expand her knowledge by suggesting the use of a dictionary, or computer technology programs in order to increase her independence.
What really impressed me about all of the vignettes was how innovative the teaching assignments were! They were not only tailored to a lesson, they seemed to be able to expand the knowledge base of all learners.
ReplyDeleteIn response to vignette 6, I was impressed with the way the teacher helped this unmotivated student. She really personalized the selection of the book, Skinnybones by telling Mike (the student)that this book reminded her of him because she knew that he liked baseball. She began reading the book with him and then...he ws hooked. It was a touching follow-up that Mike came to visit her classroom four years later to recall the time they read Skinnybones together. I thought that she made him a lifelong reader. I wonder how I can help students become lifelong readers? What strategies for motivation would be effective for that reader who is positive that they can't read or don't want to read?
ReplyDeleteVignette 7 showed a teacher who clearly demonstrates to the students some effective strategies for understanding text. She asks them to picture the story in their mind, or put themselves in the place of the character in the story plot. Some students are stuck on only one strategy. If this happens to my students, I like to try to get them to expand their thinking. I use pictures and reminders to use a certain strategy such as discussing what a certain character might be feeling.
In response to Vig. 3 I was amazed at the work that the fifth graders were able to complete. They used so many different sources and media to complete this project. These are skills that students need to learn and be able to use later in life and it is wonderful that they are being introduced to these students at such an early age. Many of these skills must have been introduced earlier in the year or in earlier grades, because away from working with the librarian, they seemed to complete many of these activities without any assistance. I do not remember using these skills at such an early age. I agree with Jane in that activities such as these encourage children to be such lifelong learners. This activity mirrors the "real-world" in such a way that it is exciting and innovative for these students to learn about, discuss, and present.
ReplyDeleteI truly enjoyed reading Vig. 4 because I am now teaching kindergarten and so I felt as if I could relate to this vignette. It is so important to use the langauge experience approach with emergent readers, because it helps them to realize that their ideas and thoughts can be transcribed into words and they are meaningful. It also builds on and reinforces the concepts about print and increases their oral language. I really like how the teacher made the connection to the child's native language and validadted it for the student. Through making that validation and connecting it back to the learning, the child feels more comfortable about sharing and feels safe. It is great that the teacher recognized that. I love how Keoni was able to circle the letter C's and make the connection to the classmates name. It shows that Keoni is internalizing initial consonants (what they look like and the sound associated) and is able to apply it to different situations. I think that East Hartford's Kindergarten curriculum does a pretty good job focusing on emerging literacy. There is a big focus on concepts about print, letter/sound associations, real alouds, and increasing oral lanangage in the beginning of the year. Then everything builds upon these big skills later in the year.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jane's posting on Vig. 4 I agree as well that the teacher did a great job of allowing Keoni to participate at his level. In every classroom, there are students at so many different levels and it is so important to try to involve all students. And by allowing them to particiapte at their level, they feel successful and want to participate again.
ReplyDeleteIn Vig. 5, I liked how Katelyn choose to do a piece of writing that was meaningful to her. This is one aspect of Writer's Workshop that I really like, the aspect of student choice. I think that we get much better writing from students when they have a choice about what to write about. There is no limit on the type of writing that they choose to do.It could be a letter, story, poem, pamphlet, or survey; it doesn't matter as long as it is meaningful to the student. I also liked how Katelyn was talking about her letter with her peers and making connections about the milkshakes. In addition to this, maybe the teacher could incorporate a sharing component where the students get feedback on their piece from peers. This could help Katelyn to edit her piece as well. Katelyn was caught up on the spelling component, which many students are, however there is much more to the editing piece than just spelling. It seems that Katelyn does know to use an exclamation point when she says something that she is excited about or a point that she really wants to get across. The teacher can also teach her ways to make the same point but using different words instead of using the same words over and over again. Jane, I like your idea about having Katelyn use a computer to type her piece and that might help her to not be so worried about the spelling.
ReplyDeleteVignette 3:
ReplyDeleteWhat I liked most about this activity was that it was about a real-world concern in the students' town. The teacher used this topic to appeal to student's affect and get them motivated. They participated in many activities; writing, researching, note-taking, interviewing, presenting and debating. Because the topic was one that concerned the student's welfare, they really got involved in this entire process. I think that this activity was very effective because it allowed the students to become involved in an important issue while engaging them in many literacy activities.
Vignette 4:
ReplyDeleteIt seemed clear that Keoni's teacher respected her student's native background as she let Keoni make text-to-self connnections. This made him feel that the experiences he shared in Hawaiia were appreciated. Also, the students were able to learn more about coyotes by listening to him.
The teacher asked an open-ended question regarding the similarities of the words coyote, roach and crow. This kind of questioning will allow for more thoughtful thinking and varied responses, which, in turn, can lead to more learning.
Since our school district is in the process of pacing the prioritized State Standards as part of our curriculum, I do feel that they are starting to appreciate the developmental process of emergent learning.
Primary teachers have a great responsibilty with teaching young students about literacy while making it enjoyable.
Vignette 5:
ReplyDeleteKatelyn was given the opportunity to write about something important to her- how her mother took care of her when she was sick at home with strep throat. Providing students with choice can be very powerful for them when writing. It allows students to focus on the content of the writing while expressing their voice.
Katelyn needs to understand that correcting spelling alone is not the only way to edit and revise writing. While she does have a few spelling errors, her phonetic spelling is easliy readable. Possibly a more important focus for her is her attention to punctuation (question marks, exclamation points, periods).
Mr. J can use this piece of writing to confer with Katelyn and provide assistance with her punctuation errors. If he notices this as a class-wide need, he could make it a teaching point in some minilessons.
Very strong connections to one's won teaching. Good job on this!
ReplyDeleteIt would have been a stronger discussion with more of this and more give and take across vignettes. Perhaps providing more info about a particluar vignette instead of saying "in vignette 1". Group members may not remember exactly what vignette 1 entailed and to what you were referring.
What is the difference between editing and revision? How difficulty is it to get k and gde 1 students to revise? Why is an audience important to the revision process?
In response to Professor K. I feel that the difference between editing and revising is that when you are editing you are fixing the grammar such as correcting spelling, fragments and fixing run-ons. Whereas, revising includes moving/ordering ideas, adding details, and changing word choice and sentence structure. Editing is done after the revisions have been made. I find it extremely difficult for grade k and one students to revise. Often times, it take them so long to get an idea onto the paper that editing/revising piece never gets completed. Also, in these grades the idea is for children to use phonetic spelling so I always struggle with whether or not to correct their spelling at this age. I usually make sure that their sight words are spelled correctly and I usually let the other words go if they are spelled phonetically. I truly struggle with the revising and editing piece with the young guys and am very open to suggestions. How do other people do it? Audience is an extremely important piece to the revision process because it allows the student to hear what they wrote out out loud and for others to be able to make suggestions. Sometimes having somebody else hear it helps, because you as the writer may not pick up on things that they may.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Vig. 6 when the teacher and Mike made a connection with the book Skinnybones, it really made me think about how important a child's interests are when reading. Children are bound to become more involved with a story that they are familiar with the theme or are interested in the topic. The teacher did a great job of considering the child's interests and then finding a book that fit. In the beginning of the year, I always send home a student interest survey for parents to complete with their child and send back to school. I use this survey at times to help children find books that fit their interests and I also use it when choosing books to do guided reading groups with. This is a great way to better get to know your students and fit their interest with their reading. I feel that there needs to be a good balance between teachers choosing titles for their students and students choosing their own books. The students need to learn that they are not always going to get a choice about what they read, so I feel that teachers should choose books for them sometimes (guided reading, literature circles) but they should also get a choice (SSR).
ReplyDeleteIn response to Vig. 7 I was amazed with the responses that the students gave in regard to their use of reading strategies when reading different texts. Often times the children are able to use different reading strategies, but it is hard to verbalize what they are doing. The students were right, one reading strategy doesn't always work for everybody for every text. Sometimes you need to use more than one strategy as well. It is important for the children to talk about it and share because it allows the other students to hear what is working or not working for others and it also might make them more comfortable to share in future situations. Many times in the younger grades, I have students who over-rely on the pictures. In this case, I will cover the picture and it forces them to use another strategy. Children will use the strategy that is most comfortable for them, however sometimes if you force them to use a different one they are able to.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Vignette 6:
ReplyDeleteIt is important for teachers to know about her students' interests. We must take both their cognitive and affective domains into consideration. This is just what Miss J did. She knew that Mike was a reluctant reader. She also knew about his interest in sports. She also didn't just hand him the book and tell him to read. Instead, she took the time to read aloud to him and he read aloud to her.
This experience was so powerful for Mike that he returned to visit Miss J three years later.
Miss J understood that it was an appropriate time for her to step in and choose a book for Mike. At that point, if left to choose on his own he probably would've said that there aren't any good books for every book he pulled from the class library.
This example was an excellent one because it shows the impact a teacher can have on a student when she shows she cares about her students- their learning and feelings.
In response to vignette 7:
ReplyDeleteI felt this lesson was effective because right after the teacher's minilesson, the students were able to practice using the modeled strategy. The teacher reading silently also is a great role-model for students. it is important that students see their teachers as readers. During sharing, the students' responses allowed for informal assessment of the their use of the strategy and how it did/did not help. It also allowed the other students in the class hear how this strategy can help in other ways.
When students are asked to read next time, they may remember the experiences shared by Marco and Jennifer. It was important for all of the students to hear that good readers use a variety of strategies when trying to comprehend text.
I have one question: Before having the students practice the strategy independently at their seats, should she have asked the students to use the strategy through guided practice first, then move to independent practice?
Response to Dr. Kurkjian and Courtney:
ReplyDeleteDr. Kurkjian- The difference between editing and revising- Editing is when a writer makes corrections to capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar and usage. It is done after revising.
Revising, on the other hand, encompasses all other corrections made to a writing piece such as changing word choice, content, arrangment of ideas, etc.
Courtney- I also found it difficult to have grade K and 1 students participate in these writing process steps. Through revision I would encourage my students to revise word choice. In minilessons I would teach the students about "juicier" words. For example, we would create a chart for juicier words other than said. So when a student used the word said repeatedly in a piece of writing, I would ask them to refer to our chart to choose other words for said. With editing, I usually focused on correct use of punctuation and capital letters.