Maria Inquiry2, Part A

Inquiry Two, Part A:

Discuss Your Target Area and ‘Core Practice’ for Guided Lead Teaching

Talk with your MT about your idea, and use the information you gained from Inquiry One to respond to the following guiding questions listed below.  Email your responses to your instructor before our Week 4 class (September 26) AND post them on your book club blog:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.    <!--[endif]-->Describe your target area for guided lead teaching.

After discussing where my class will be during my guided lead teaching my mentor wants me to focus on phonics and phonemic awareness.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.    <!--[endif]-->Approximately how much time per day is allotted for your instruction in this area?

I will be teaching ten lessons throughout the three week period. For each lesson I will plan a literacy center and a short whole group lesson before reading street officially starts. Literacy centers last about 12-13 minutes for each center and I will have about twenty minutes for my whole group lesson.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.    <!--[endif]-->Which Common Core State Standard(s) will you work toward?

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.2a Recognize and produce rhyming words.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.2d Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words.¹ (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.3a Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.    <!--[endif]-->How will teaching in this target area provide opportunities for students to learn important content and/or skills that relate to their lives?  In what ways does this learning include learning literacy, learning about literacy, and/or learning through literacy?

Phonological awareness and phonics are foundational skills children need to be able to learn how to read and write. Without knowing that a word is made up letters and each letter has a sound, a child is not going to be able to blend or be able to read. If a child does not know how to read it not only negatively affects their experience in school, but out as well. Reading is everywhere and being a literate person is an important skill to have everywhere you go.

When children are learning letter sounds and how to rhyme they are learning skills of literacy. While doing so they are learning about literacy because they are getting a firmer picture of what literacy entails. Lastly they are learning through literacy because the lessons I will plan to help in becoming more phonologically aware will utilize literacy not only in the form of books, but of picture cards, technology, ect.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.    <!--[endif]-->What types of classroom talk take place within this target area? To what extent is the talk teacher-led, student-led, or focused on higher-level thinking? What norms for interaction would you like to build within your classroom as you teach in this target area (e.g., see ideas in Chapter 6 of Strategies that Work, the Berne & Clark 2008 article, or draw from some of the readings done in TE 402 on classroom talk)?

Classroom talk my class could engage in within this target area is discussions. A class can discuss why a word rhymes with another word and what patterns all of the words have. In addition, we can talk about the differences between words that start with the same letter, but have different sounds. I think whenever students (especially a Kindergarten class) are looking at something they have learned and are finding patterns or differences they are completing a higher level task. While I think that some of our discussions will be teacher-led I also think that student led discussions and thinking could easily be incorporated. However, I will have to act much like the teacher in the Berne and Clark where she guided the students in their first discussions. She did not give the students the answers, but asked questions that got them to think deeper.

Therefore, since I want to incorporate classroom talk through my target area it will be especially important that my students understands the norms of a discussion. They need to know that I do not have to talk every time after a student makes a comment and that it is important to be respectful and allow everyone a chance to share if they would like.

There are different types of

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.    <!--[endif]-->Which ‘core practice’ do you want to work on developing/improving as you teach in this target area (refer to document “Resources for Developing Core Practices”)? How will focusing on this core practice contribute to your own professional learning?

The core practice I am focusing on is, ‘explicit teaching and authentic application activities: print concepts and phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and word identification.’ Focusing on this core practice will help me in my professional teaching because it will allow me to practice teaching students’ authentic lessons. I believe students learn best when they are taught explicitly and are given authentic experiences to coincide with what they are learning. Focusing on this core practice will give me the experience and practice I need in doing this.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->7.    <!--[endif]-->What resources within the community, neighborhood, school district, school or classroom do you have to work with in this target area?

Within this target area I could utilize the community and neighborhood. Students come across words and letters all around them. To make lessons truly authentic I could incorporate meaningful words that they have seen before (example: stop or Meijer). Within my school I will utilize my teacher as a resource and the Reading Street curriculum book. My teacher is one of the best resources I have. She may have hands on materials I could use to make my lessons authentic. In addition, the Reading Street textbook will be important because while I will make my lessons unique, it is important that I am sticking to the target goals of the district mandated curriculum.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->8.    <!--[endif]-->What additional resources do you need to obtain?

As of now I cannot think of any additional resources I may need. However, I am sure they will come up as I continue planning my lesson.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->9.    <!--[endif]-->How will you pre-assess your students in your target area?

I recently created an anecdotal assessment binder. Each student has their own page where I can take notes on my observations. As a pre-assessment, I will take anecdotal records on phonics and phonological awareness skills that I observe.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->10. <!--[endif]-->What else will you need to find out about all students in your class to help you develop lesson plans for your Guided Lead Teaching?

I think it would be useful to think more about each of my students’ learning styles. For some students I observed that when the room is quiet they are able to think and work better. For others I can see that movement motivates them to listen and learn. I think knowing the specific learning styles of all students in my classroom will help me as I develop my lesson plan because I will be able to plan and cater to their needs ahead of time.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->11. <!--[endif]-->What else do you need/want to learn about the ‘core practice’ to support your planning and teaching?

I have some ideas of how I can make my lessons very authentic, but I how to learn about more ways in which I can do that.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->12. <!--[endif]-->What concerns, if any, do you have about planning and teaching your unit?

I am worried about the time I have to complete my lessons. I know that our schedule is laid out to the tea during our literacy block because there are a lot of things to get to during that hour. This is especially true starting next week when my class will be broken up into their ‘best fit group.’ 

Allison's Inquiry 2 Part A

My focus for guided lead teaching will be both phonics and phonemic awareness.  These fit under the target area of Acquisition, Use, and Assessment of Foundational Skills.

 

 

We do daily literacy centers for approximately 45 minutes.  I will plan one literacy center for each day.  Also, I will lead a short large-group lesson every day.  In turn, about 1 hour will be spent on instruction in this area.

 

RF.K.2: Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes:

RF.K.3: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words

 

Teaching in this target area will provide students to become readers and spellers, which is an essential skill needed to function in society.  Every day, students will encounter times when they need to read and/or write, so it is essential for them to learn about phonics and phonemic awareness.  This target area includes learning literacy because the students will learn the basics of literacy, such as letter names and letter sounds.  Also, this target area includes learning about literacy because the students will learn about how our language is composed.  For example, they will work on the ability segment a word into individual sounds.  Finally, this target area includes learning through literacy because the students will learn the basic skills that will allow them to read and write, and people gain knowledge about our world by reading and writing about it.

A lot of classroom talk takes place within this target area, especially when the students are reading and writing.  For example, during read-alouds, sometimes my MT or myself will stop at a word and ask the students what they think the word says.  Then, we will ask the students to explain their thinking.  Or, we may model how to sound out a word while reading aloud.  When the students are reading independently, we encourage them to segment the sounds in the word, and then blend the sounds back together.  Also, when the students are writing in their journals, we help them segment the sounds in words to discover how to spell the words.  Additionally, we play several games and complete activities that involve letter recognition (both uppercase and lowercase), and letter-sounds.  Finally, we spell out certain words to the kids when directing them.  For example, my MT will say, “Put your hands in your l-a-p, lap.”  The talk in this target area is mostly teacher-led, as you can tell from the above examples.  Also, this talk is sometimes lower-level (e.g., letter recognition), while other times it is more higher-level (e.g., finding strategies to read unfamiliar words).  However, in Kindergarten, this lower-level talk is essential because we are teaching our students the very basics of English, such as the alphabet.  When teaching in this target area, I would like to build a norm in the class in which many students get a chance to share their ideas with the class.  This way, the students will learn from another, as well as from their teachers.

I would like to work on developing the core practice of explicit teaching and authentic application activities.  Focusing on this core practice will contribute to my own professional learning by allowing me to create purposeful lessons that can be applied to the students’ lives, both inside and outside of school.

Reading Street curriculum/books, leveled readers, SMART Board, document camera, listening center, ABC posters, phoneme posters, journals, classroom/school library, Handwriting Without Tears curriculum, computer lab, COWS (Computers on Wheels), computer software (e.g., Tumblebooks), classroom manipulatives in phonemic awareness/phonics, Title I Reading Specialist, RTI coach, and librarian

 

I still need to obtain information about teaching Web sites/books that provide ideas for engaging lessons in my target area.

I will have the students read from a list of 2 and 3-letter words.  I will assess the students individually.  This will allow me to see where the students are at, as far as combining letter recognition with letter sound correspondences.  We have already done assessments on letter identification (upper and lower case) and letter sound knowledge for each student.

I need to find out how each student learns best, so I can provide effective lessons for all of my students.

I need to learn how to apply this core practice in a way that all of my students are engaged.  This way, all of my students will be provided with authentic and engaging opportunities to learn these essential skills.

I am concerned about balancing our Reading Street curriculum with my lessons.  While I may be using pieces of Reading Street, I will be doing a lot of supplementing with my own lessons/ideas.  Also, I am concerned about connecting my lessons together so they create a cohesive unit.

Brianna Brandt- 12 Questions Post

Brianna Brandt

Inquiry Two, Part A:

Discuss Your Target Area and ‘Core Practice’ for Guided Lead Teaching

Talk with your MT about your idea, and use the information you gained from Inquiry One to respond to the following guiding questions listed below.  Email your responses to your instructor before our Week 4 class (September 26) AND post them on your book club blog:

1.     Describe your target area for guided lead teaching.

My target area is going to be phonemic awareness. Each week I will be introducing some letters of the alphabet and working on the sounds they make and also looking at words that have that letter in them. We will be following the Treasures literacy curriculum as a guide but I will also be including activities of my own.

2.     Approximately how much time per day is allotted for your instruction in this area?

We have a block of time 1 ½ hours long to include math and literacy in each day, so my literacy lessons will typically be about 45 minutes long.

3.     Which Common Core State Standard(s) will you work toward?

I will be working towards the phonological awareness standard RF.K.2- Demonstrating understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds. Also I want students to learn how to read common high-frequency words by sight, which is part of standard RF.K.3 which involves phonics.

4.     How will teaching in this target area provide opportunities for students to learn important content and/or skills that relate to their lives?  In what ways does this learning include learning literacy, learning about literacy, and/or learning through literacy?

This area is very important because it is teaching my kindergarteners the most basic parts of speech that they must build upon in order to learn about others parts of literacy and create their own writing.  Phonemes and letter sounds are the only way for students to learn about literacy, since they can then learn about how different genres sounds and the types of information they can get out of reading. They use phonemes to learn about literacy because letter sounds are the first step in learning how to read/write. And they are important to learning through literacy, because if they cannot read, then they cannot get information from anything written.

5.     What types of classroom talk take place within this target area? To what extent is the talk teacher-led, student-led, or focused on higher-level thinking? What norms for interaction would you like to build within your classroom as you teach in this target area (e.g., see ideas in Chapter 6 of Strategies that Work, the Berne & Clark 2008 article, or draw from some of the readings done in TE 402 on classroom talk)?

I think that there will be a lot of teacher-led talk but I would really like to include student’s ideas as much as possible and leads them to a higher thinking, doing things like going over a letter sound then making a list of what words they can come up with that have that sound in the beginning and then, after practice, other places in a word. I liked the discussion that went on in the Berne and Clark article and know from experience kindergarteners can respond to each other about a story or question, it just takes practice, and I would like to try and include that in my unit and lessons as well.

6.     Which ‘core practice’ do you want to work on developing/improving as you teach in this target area (refer to document “Resources for Developing Core Practices”)? How will focusing on this core practice contribute to your own professional learning?

I want to work on acquisition, use and assessment of phonological sounds, that practice most closely relates to the unit I will be working on and I think that it will be really beneficial to me to learn better and newer techniques for doing this effectively since I prefer to work with younger grades and some of the other practices, although important, are things my current students be doing later in the year and it would take a lot of practice for them to do them efficiently right now.

7.     What resources within the community, neighborhood, school district, school or classroom do you have to work with in this target area?

One way that we fit letter sounds into the school day is while they are eating breakfast we put on a video about letter sounds, it is a cartoon and the kids love to shout out what sound each letter makes once it tells them initially. We have reading assistants for students who need extra help that will be available after the MEAPS. We also have a speech teacher in our school, a library, computer lab, literacy specialist, ELMOs in each classroom and classroom libraries. From the district students can get free eyeglasses if they need them and also get internet for only $10 a month to use in their home.

8.     What additional resources do you need to obtain?

For some of the books the students need to read to practice these letters and sight words, some of the books are missing, so we need to somehow find enough of these books so that every student has their own to practice with.

9.     How will you pre-assess your students in your target area?

I am going to try and pull students aside to finish everyone’s kindergarten test that we gave some in the begging of the year to see who recognizes their letters and I would like to also ask them if they know what sound each letter makes.

10.  What else will you need to find out about all students in your class to help you develop lesson plans for your Guided Lead Teaching?

I will need to find out how much the few students who already know most of their letter sounds do know so that I can develop a way to still challenge them while teaching the others the basic letter sounds.

11.  What else do you need/want to learn about the ‘core practice’ to support your planning and teaching?

I would just like to learn about new ways to help students achieve these core practices that are efficient and to learn about new ways to assess these practices I am using so I can see which ones are the most beneficial.

12.  What concerns, if any, do you have about planning and teaching your unit?

I am mainly just concerned about making sure all of my students are challenged, especially the higher achieving ones, since there is a very large gap between the students who have practiced these things and the ones who have not.

Maria's Initial Post Week Three

Whole-class sharing is a strategy I will need to develop because I have not seen it done in the way Routman describes, nor have I experienced it during my elementary years. The only way I have seen this done is when students read their word. The teacher has never made it a learning opportunity, but rather practice in public speaking. According to Routman, the purpose of a whole-class share is to celebrate a student’s writing and give him or support when moving forward (p. 207). I believe this is exactly the positive support Kindergarteners need as they begin writing. Routman wrote a translation of a Kindergarten class doing this, but the one thing I noticed was that the teacher was doing most of the talking. In fact, the translation did not include any other student offering praise or suggestions. Routman said that students should be able to respond to their peers writing (p. 207). I am curious as to how much the listening students should be involved in the process.

Whole-class sharing will also bring about dilemmas. I have never had to balance a curriculum like Reading Street and my own lessons. I am worried about integrating the two so I can include things like whole-class sharing. More specifically, I fear that there will not be enough time to successfully complete them. However, it is comforting to hear Routman state that a great deal of teaching happens through whole-class sharing (p. 211). Like a lot of things I think it will just take practice hybridizing Reading Street and outside strategies. I just wish I could watch it done first before I try it out myself since I am a visual learner!  

Allison's Week 2 Initial Post

In my internship this year, one of the professional dilemmas I am anticipating that I will need to manage is constructing a relevant Language Arts curriculum for my students.  I made a text-to-self connection with the Kersten and Pardo article because the school in the article used a basal reading program that was scripted for the teachers, and did not involve higher-order thinking for the students.  My school uses a basal Langauge Arts curriculum as well.  At Cornell (actually, in all Okemos Public Schools elementary schools), we use Reading Street as our Language Arts curriculum.  I have heard a lot of positives and negatives when it comes to the Reading Street curriculum.  For example, I have heard it is a good program because it covers a wide range of Language Arts topics (e.g., writing, reading, spelling, etc.).  However, one of the biggest complaints I have heard is that it is scripted, so it leaves the teacher with no room to add any part of themselves into each lesson.  Over the summer, I took home some of the teacher edition books to look at, and I was overwhelmed with what they expect Kindergarten students to complete in one week of instruction.  In addition, certain aspects of the curriculum do not seem relevant in the lives of my Kindergarten students.  For instance, sitting for long periods of instructional time without participating in engaging activities is not developmentally appropriate for a Kindergarten student.  Therefore, I connected with the two teachers in the article because they did not find that the basal Language Arts program their school would be using was relevant in the lives of their students, when it was used in isolation.  In turn, the two teachers finessed or hybridized their basal Language Arts curriculum to best meet the needs of their students, and to make the curriculum relevant to their students.  While each teacher went about this a different way, they still stuck to the school's mandate of using the basal reading program, while incorporating other important Language Arts aspects into their curriculum as well (they made the curriculum their own).  Going into the second week of school, we have not started doing anything with the Reading Street curriculum yet, but I am imagining that my MT and I will have to finesse or hybridize the curriculum so our students benefit from a Language Arts curriculum that is relevant to the lives of our students.  While Reading Street forms a good foundation for a Language Arts curriculum, it should not be used as the only aspect of the Language Arts curriculum.

Also, I am anticipating the dilemma of constructing a relevant Language Arts curriculum for my students because of their opportunities to question what we are reading.  In the textbook, the authors discussed asking questions as one comprehension strategy.  They mentioned that Kindergarten students ask many questions without raising their hands.  Yet, they also said schools do not encourage students to ask questions, so the students lose their curiosity as they get older (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007, p. 17-18).  I put a star by this in my textbook because I have already seen this in my classroom.  So far, during read alouds, my students blurt out questions or comments that they are curious about as I am reading a story.  However, when they do this, I tell them it is important to question or think about what they are reading, but I say they need to keep their thoughts to themselves because it disrupts the other students from listening to the book.  I know it is very relevant for my young students to be able to ask their questions or share their comments for a story we are reading as a class, but I am not sure how to have them do this in a way so they do not disrupt their peers.  I will have to work with my MT on this specific comprehension strategy, in terms of modeling and allowing the students to use this strategy.  The book provided some solutions that allow students to talk about the text without disrupting the class.  The idea that really stood out to me was the "turn and talk" strategy.  In this strategy, the students are given times periodically throughout a read aloud to turn to their neighbor and share their thoughts, questions, feelings, and so on (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007, p. 54).  I have tried this strategy before, but never during a read aloud.  The last thing I want for my students is to not have the opportunity to share their thoughts/questions because I want them to remain curious.  Therefore, I want our Language Arts curriculum to be relevant to them in that it plays into their curiosities and encourages them to be curious.