Some Thoughts

What makes writing memorable? Is it the conventions? These are the questions Routman reminds teachers and students to ask. While proper conventions are important to help the reader, the inspiration does not come from punctuations. Routman highlights the importance of the impact of words on the reader and the way the language is used (p.239). Lamott also shares in the intrigue of the words in her chapter, Finding Your Voice. “And the truth of your experience can only come through in your own voice. If it is wrapped in someone else’s voice, we readers will feel suspicious...” (p. 199). Combining Routman and Lamott’s views it is easy to see where standardized assessments falls short and where the teacher’s role becomes important in teaching kids about what good writing really means.

Digital Storytelling

I very much enjoyed writing a literacy vignette and then digitizing the story. I discovered something new with this assignment: I really like using technology! I found myself having fun learning how to play with the special effects of transitions, music, and voice over. This didn’t seem like homework to me after I had gotten started. I had a light bulb moment. I had always wanted to learn how to add pictures and music, but by forcing myself to also add my own voice from my writing gave it a personal touch and more meaning. I wish I had more time to play and work on it. Even though I had some trouble spots with volume and editing, I discovered something new that I didn’t know I could do, and may have found a new hobby.

I would also like to give my students lots of opportunity to discover interests they never thought they had. This also challanges teachers to find variety in lesson plans to develop different skills and exposure to a lot of different types of areas like technology and art. I can see students being very engaged with this type of assignment. Instead of an over focus on correctness with conventions, allowing students to read their writing and then listen to themselves can be an awakening and motivating facet for showing students the most memorable piece in their writing: the story, flow, word choice, and the message.

Reflecting

Our Autumn quarter is almost over and I can just taste winter vacation!  I have done more reflection on what I'm thinking and learning than I ever did in my entire life.  I absolutely see its benefits and how it enhances the learning experiences, helps put things altogether, but me thinking about my thinking is also exhausting. Ann Lamott's book Bird by Bird has helped me out a lot this quarter.  I try and do little by little.  This is a tip I plan on giving my students.  Just writing for ten minutes and putting my thoughts on paper with out worrying about conventions has helped me get things done.  And our snow days has helped too!

Big Ideas

There were a lot of big ideas I learned this week about teaching kids literacy. Here are a few:

- Reading is about comprehension in text
- Build on background knowledge
- Kids need to know word in speaking vocabulary for them to read the word
- Reading is a problem solving activity

For literacy class this week we read “What Kind of Text—For Whom and When? Textual Scaffolding for Beginning Readers” by Kathleen J. Brown. It is a good resource article on deciding which reading level kids were in and some book recommendations that would be good for each level. The article also talked about how texts can be used as a teaching tool for scaffolding. Scaffolding is important because “it helps learners accomplish what they are almost but not quite, able to do independently” (p.292). Scaffolding relates to a big idea we learned in class on building background knowledge. Working with our kindergarten and 2nd grade buddies I can see where showing kids where they are successful and building on their prior knowledge gradually can help with their confidence as readers. I am reminded that it is not always trying to read harder books. Therefore understanding how books flow and read with the types of words used is important as a teacher.

The 2nd grade buddy I am working with is a strong reader. It nice to see the correlation with the concepts we are learning in class and seeing them in practice. While my buddy was reading the only words she self-monitored were words that were unfamiliar to her in her reading vocabulary. New words included interrogation, groused, and agile. In addition, my 2nd grade buddy was able to self-monitor, self-correct, and cross check the words: regal, persistence, and handkerchief. She used graphophonic (letter-sound) mostly to figure out the words she did not know.

In class we talked about the Read Well program and then the next day, I was also able to observe a first grade literacy circle using Read Well. The children were learning how to focus their reading by pointing their finger throughout each sentence. I heard the teacher say, “remember to read the whole word.” The teacher and student part seemed to go well and the kids I observed were successful in this practice. I also watched the teacher hand out small slinky's to the kids to help them stretch out sounds of words and then bring them back.

As I watched the first graders in their literacy circles, I was also reminded of how short their attention spans were and how easily it was for them to get side-tracked. What’s the best way to handle this during reading so the teacher does not have to repeat directions over and over?

Sharing in the Writing Process

I recently watched a revise summary lesson given by my master teacher in a fifth grade class, and I thought it was a great example of shared writing. The method was called “Steps up to Writing.” I also learned a few new acronyms. IVF (topic sentence) stands for identify topic, vivid verb, and finish thought. TEDS (active verbs) stands for tells, explains, describes, and shows.

The students were given a handout with a summary of a story they had read. Students will understand how to edit and make sentences clearer for reader by looking for changes in verbs and/or adding more description was the objective of the lesson. The process involved taking a look at each of the four sentences in the summary and writing the first words of each sentence, locating the verb, and finding any dead or boring words. Examples of dead and boring words included “stuff” or “thing.”

As the teacher went through each sentence, she asked her students to think of ways to make the sentence more active for the audience. It was nice to hear students share their thoughts aloud on how they would spice up the paragraph. For example, instead of “The boy thinks,” one student raised his hand and said, “how about instead of the boy, we could change it to, the infamous youngster thinks…” My dyad partner and I were impressed with the creativity. This exercise related to what Regie Routman writes on page 85 in Writing Essentials, “The desire to share ideas and words is the impetus behind writing development.” I can also see how shared writing could tell a teacher strengths a student may have and in this case, strong in ideas. The students were also able to see the fun in editing and descriptions. This lesson was very engaging for the students and many volunteers wanted to share in the revision. At the end of the lesson, the teacher reminded the students that sometimes it does not take very much editing and revision to change and make a summary more appealing for the reader.

I never thought about doing a shared writing with students. I thought teachers should prepare in advance and show students the finished product. But, now I see its importance. There is value in showing the thinking process, thinking on your feet, scratching out material you don’t like, and the act of grabbing a dictionary to check spelling in front of students. Using a dictionary is part of being a resourceful writer and when teachers model this, grabbing a dictionary to check spelling or word use becomes part of the norm. Students can then understand that when they start writing it does not have to be perfect the first time around. Shared writing allows for mistakes and revisions.

Learning from my Experiences

Experiences and often mistakes are great grounds for learning.  This seems to be the case for me this past week as I video taped my first lesson, worked with my K buddy for the last time, and tried to figure how to use math manipulative's to add and subtract fractions.  New experiences sometimes takes us out of our comfort zone, but often brings us the most growth.  I sure cannot wait until my comfort zone expands and the tools in my "teacher tool box" (term my mentor teacher uses) becomes plentiful.

I recently did my very first lesson on homophones for their, there, and they're.  It is amazing what you can learn from a thirty minute lesson!  Below are a list of things I learned in just thirty minutes:

1.  Teacher should be at the front of the line if you want more control and so kids remember to be quiet in the halls.  If students are noisy while walking in line, the teacher can than stop the kids and remind them, "voices off."  (I was in the back of the line and the kids walked into the classroom loudly.  My master teacher and field instructor were there to witness this for me and let me know the best strategy to handle this.)

2.  Try to be more cognizant of what is going on in the back of the classroom.  As I watched my video taped lesson, there were girls in the back of the classroom waiving and smiling to the camera.  I laughed when I watched the tape, but I was totally unaware of their actions.  Changing position of instruction can help kids in the back of the room to pay better attention.

3.  Be aware if some students do not have a partner or neighbor to share their responses with.  Instead of "partner," use "turn to a neighbor" or "turn to someone next to you."

4.  During direct instruction, stick to your question.  During my lesson I asked a question and received a comment that did not relate to the question I asked.  I was advised to stop the student for the moment, and address her comment after my question has been answered first.  This helps with my train of thought and also acknowledges what I asked, and makes the presentation clearer for the rest of the class.  Some teachers also asks students to sign language what they want to share when they raise their hand: A for answer, C for comment, and Q for question.

5.  When working with kids using a white board, remind kids about white board etiquette.  Using a white board is a privilege and not for doodling, etc. For students that need think time, it is a good idea to have students turn over their white board at their desk.  This gives those students who need a little more process time, less pressure to write and answer so fast.  Then by the teacher prompt of "1,2,3, reveal" each student can hold up their white board by their heart, and then also share with their group or the rest of the class. 

6.  Never talk over students. 

7.  Don't forget a good closure for your lesson.  Leave students with something to think about.

"Shitty First Drafts"

There were lots of things that resonated with me while reading Anne Lamott's book, Bird by Bird.  The chapter entitled, "Shitty First Drafts" made me laugh and also forced me to take a lighter perspective when it comes to writing.  Writing doesn't have to be perferct, especially our first time around. 

Anne's writing is simple and clear.  She is honest in her writing voice which is something I appreciate.  Her experience and tips on writing makes me look at writing from a different angle - a better angle.  Becoming a general education teacher forces you to love and enjoy all subjects.  Reading articles from authors who are passionate about their subjects, helps me see the value in being enthusiastic about all subjects and its importance when reaching kids.  When I see or read someone passionate about what they are doing it also makes me passionate. 

There is a risk factor when it comes to writing.  "Write down all the stuff you swore you'd never tell another soul," says Lamott on page 5.  As a reader, yes, I want to read juicy details.  But, as a writer, why would I want to share my deep dark secrets?  That's a tough one and a tough place for most people to risk exposing their real stories.  It seems however, the real stories is what touches people, and in the bigger picture of things, your real story, and often times the most painful, can be the most beneficial to help someone.  Often times you find out your not alone in your journey.  But, someone has to be willing to write the story first.  

Lamott also says writing is about tell the truth and to keep your reader in mind when writing.  I had forgotten to keep the reader in mind.  We are learning that in our classrooms we need to create a culture where kids can feel safe and take risks in their learning.  It only make sense that this risk extends to writing.  Funny but also true, when you first start to write a draft, if you think "shitty first draft," most people I think will be able to say, "well, sure, I can do that."  This idea helps put thoughts and the thinking on paper without the pressure of over-thinking.  Teachers cannot use these specific choices words to explain this concept of what can help them start to write, but we can certainly take that idea and make it kid-friendly.  Maybe, "poopy first draft?"  I'll still be thinking of a kid-friendly slogan.

On page 28 Lamott writes, "Perfectionism mean that you try desperately not to leave so much mess to clean up.  But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived."  This relates to other ideas we are learning in teaching: active learning and making subjects relatable to our students' lives.  I also like the passage Lamott shares on what to do when you hear chatter, or distracting thoughts.  She describes pretending the person is a mouse.  "Pick it up by the tail and drop it into a mason jar" (p.27).  It is nice to know that even published authors need to have strategies that help them clear the negativity and distractions so writing can become fun and focused.

Bird by bird or little by little or just lighten up, are good reminders when we feel we have a duanting task in front of us.  Do a little or a short assignment everyday puts things in perspective.  We all need a little perspective in our life.  Now, how do we share this with our students?

Writing Essentials by Regie Routman helps relate this perspective to kids and our classroom.  "We are overfocused on procedures, processes, genres, and testing and underfocused on thinking, communicating, inquiring, and exploring language" (Routman, p.5).  Routman and Lamott have similar themes when they talk about writing, however the way it's expressed is different.

I like Routman's point that, "Too many of our students find writing painful, and much of that pain comes from too much concern with correctness at the expense of enjoyment.  Enjoyment and writing have not coexisted, and they must do so if all our students are to become proficient writers" (p.18).  Teachers need to show kids how writing can be fun and celebrated.  In the same way we need to see the brilliance in our students writing and examine our own beliefs.  Just like Lamott's message for adult writers, Routman writes the improtance of teachers to taks risk and share something perosnal.  Let students see the actual process and stumbles even teachers make when they write.  I said the same thing in the paragraph above about how it was nice to see even published authors have their messes when it comes to writing.  Both teachers and students (everyone) often need reminders that nobody is perfect. 

Good writers are also good readers - both Lamott and Routman make this connection a main point for their audience.  Writing and reading go hand-in-hand and it's better to have fun and see the enjoyment and perspectives in both.

Letters Represent Sound

It was a lot of fun meeting and reading with our Kindergarten buddies. As I read through chapter one through three in our Fox text, I was able to see some connections between the readings and the first day experience in kindergarten. I really enjoyed seeing how “rubber band stretching” helps children hear sounds in words in actual practice in the classroom with the word: mop. Clapping to bring the letters back together and saying the word is a nice visual and great way to tie the concepts together. I do not remember using this technique in my own elementary school experience, but it makes sense that by elongating the sound of letters, it enforces the concept of teaching kids how “Letters represent sound.”

During the getting to know our kindergartener introduction piece, I was able to see “the strategy of associating meaning with the print in our everyday surroundings” (chapter 3) into practice. When my partner and I asked our kindergarten buddy, what is your favorite television show? She said, “Scooby Doo.” She drew this below:

When we asked, what does your drawing mean? She said, “Shaggy.”

When we asked, what is your favorite food? She said, “eggs.” She drew this below:

In my main placement, another child in first grade drew the letter M on his mother's shirt in one of his illustrations.  I was able to infer and also confirm by asking that his mother worked at McDonalds.

During the reading aloud section to our kindergarten buddy, this young girl was very excited for us to read the story, Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret Chodo-Irvine because she was already familiar with the story. When I asked her what the title of the book was, she said, “She gets dressed.” This relates to the section in our Fox text book describing “the strategy of inferring meaning from illustrations.” This was also a good example showing how young kids love to read books over and over again. Our K buddy was very eager to tell us what would happen next in the story which was a good indication of comprehension.

Also during the read aloud, our K buddy recognize the word, “no” in the text. However when I showed her the word “no” in a different book and a different font, she hesitated and was not sure. It is interesting how different fonts and unfamiliar context can change a child’s perception of a word. I never thought about the different visual display of letters before in teaching children to read.  There is more going on than what I thought when it comes to understanding and assessing where children are in their reading ability and helping them build on their skills.  It was nice the text provided sample activities to help with kids' phonemic awareness.  I am eager to see how my K buddy does while I administer the Emergent Literacy Profile Record during our next meeting. 

Fall in Love with Books Again and Again

Our first day of class made me realize again how much reading can be fun and be an adventure with the right book. Fall in love with books again and again could be a theme from our reading this week and our class session.

It was fun to see our class share in our favorite and not so favorite books that we remember. A key theme I saw is the emotional connection the stories had for people. When I see someone have a good emotional connection to a book, it makes me want to read the book too. Teachers’ enthusiasm for reading and writing can have enormous influence our students.

One example I thought our professor displayed very well in class is the description of our text books. She showed how each book could be a valuable resource to our professional career. There was thoughtfulness in the selection of the books we needed in class, and it was nice to see and feel because as we all know, books can be very expensive. However, if we know why we need a particular text, our purchase seems more worthwhile. This is a good example for our own classes. We need to share why we want the class to read or listen, and why reading is worth their time.

The concept of introducing a book is a good main point to remember. Why are we reading this text? Why have you chosen to read this book to the class? Is there a listening purpose? I never asked these questions before when I thought of a read aloud, but now I see their importance. Is there a connection piece to the story and the students?

I like the actual simulation of a read aloud we did in our first class session with the story of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. I learned a lot from the modeling done and it made me think about my own experience. In my main placement, one of the routines I started doing is the read aloud section. The first grade class is reading Magic Tree House chapter books. I have only been stopping to tell the kids meaning of vocabulary words that I think they may not know. The kids have a very hard time sitting still for twenty minutes of story telling. I now see the importance of stopping places and having good questions to ask along the way. I can see how this will help with their attentiveness, comprehension, thinking, and listening skills. My concern for first grade is the outbursts and getting their attention back to the story. After you ask a question and tell the kids to tell their partner their answer, how do you get that excitement to calm down and be focused again on the teacher again more easily? Sometimes students are so eager to share how the story relates to their life. When I let one share, then a sea of hands goes up because they want to share too. Then I have to rein them in again. How do I make stopping and going back to the story transitions more fluid?

Another key important point I learned is finding great books to read to kids. It is stressed very clearly the incredible value of knowing your students. Some of the hooks for reading are the reading level piece and also the interest piece. I have a more appreciation for librarians now that this has come to my attention. As I began this week looking at kindergarten books, I was reminded of how enjoyable children’s books and the pictures of these stories could be. It is exciting to know that as teachers we have the ability to be a part of a child’s literacy experience, be a part of their favorite stories, and promote the love and value in reading they can use the rest of their lives.

Music During Independent Work Time

In my dyad placement, the teacher often plays calming piano music during individual work time. She said she uses it as "white noise" because when it is super quiet, you can hear everything. She also uses it during assessment time.

I just realized how calming music can be again, and I've even started playing calming piano music while I do my own work. Oh, the power of music!

Here's one I found on YouTube that's nice:

To Go Along with My Blog Title

Autumn quarter begins!

A parent reminded me at Meet and Greet to, "Keep your eye on the prize."