Reading the Signs

In Chapter 4 of A Fresh Look at Writing, One point the author made that I found particularly interesting and relevant to my field experience was having the children in younger grades make signs. By understanding the function of a sign, and asking the students to recognize signs they see around them, the teacher is showing the importance of communication through text. Letters and symbols are a means of communicating ideas. This little activity in section 4.3 shows how effective it can be. In my field experience the kindergartners are learning how to write. My case study teacher has done a great job to encourage and actively listen to the students while they work. I found what the article talks about drawing to be very true. For some students, it is the only way they know how to communicate ideas right now. Other students are beginning to match pictures with labels, and some more advanced students are writing sentences. I like how the author mentions “reading my world” as a strategy in writing. Having students relate to personal experiences in their everyday life, and sharing your own stories is a great way to start conversation. Conversation is also a good way to get older students thinking about their writing. The author also mentions the importance having the child listen to themselves. A great time for this is during a conference with a student. In the article it mentions that conferences should be 80 percent talk from the student and 20 percent from the teacher. The point of the conference is to have the children teach you about what they know so you can more effectively guide their learning.

In chapter 7, Conditions for Effective Writing, the author discusses the importance of time and necessary conditions for writing. Having students write every day will keep them in a “constant state of composition.” Having to many gaps between writing and stopping will stunt any growth the child may gain from writing consistently. By organizing the classroom day efficiently for time, more writing will be fit in. This author goes as far to say that the students should walk in the door in the morning and go straight to writing. Another point the author makes is about choice. Having the student pick their own topics and allowing creativity from experience. One example of this is the story about the little girl writing a story about a fox. She was in bed and saw a beam of light come through a crack in her door from the hall light; her cat squinted when the light hit its eyes. At this point she was proactively thinking about her writing and used this experience to spark an idea. It is also mentioned that students need to hear responses from other people than just the teacher. Having peer reviews allows the student to think critically about their piece. A part of this peer review also incorporates a sharing of what they have learned about their own writing. Because I am going to be a future teacher I want to be a good model for my students, create an environment that is comfortable, set up the room efficiently, and most importantly make sure my students are writing at least once a day. This article gave some very interesting insight on how to teach writing, and the possibilities are endless when the students start to live like writers. 

Inventive Learning

Every Mark on the Page: Educating Family and Community Members about Young Children’s Writing, by Kate Cusumano, was a great read. I really found some useful information on every page of the article. By showing a sample of a student’s writing and going through how she examined it in steps, I was able to understand and learn from reading the article. The author mentions the importance of having parents and community members, and teachers on the same page when it comes to writing in the lower primary grades. I have always thought that correcting young writers and forcing them to re-write drafts of their writing was detrimental to learning. I did not realize that it would stunt growth. She mentions that it is common for parents to worry and show distress when their child does not spell words correctly, or invents their own spelling of words. One parent, she explained, thought that her student was having mini seizures. I have learned that it is my job as a future educator to educate parents and community members about the importance of never forcing the child to spell everything perfectly, and to always encourage and support the child at that the level developmentally they are at. I like her description of what writing at a young age really is, that writing is a system of symbols that shows meaning. If a child tests out and experiments with the rules of writing they are more likely to make meaningful connections with mistakes and inventions of spelling. The child who drew the American flag picture used the picture to present a part of the story, and I think it is so important to recognize that drawings are a type of writing. Children in kindergarten and in first grade use this as a way of symbolizing meaning. This is something that not many people think about when looking at writing samples.

As a future teacher this issue is something I need to consider. This article provided a nice list of things to do when having conferences and I really like the idea of show-casing previous students’ writing samples as a means of calming parent’s concerns. Families should know that every child is different and making them write or constantly expecting perfection will only make the child dislike writing and feel like they are never good enough. Reading to children, keeping journals, or even making personal word dictionaries, like mentioned in the article, are all great ways to incorporate writing into daily routine. This type of writing is meaningful and natural, unlike worksheets where children are expected to write and re-write sentences. Another point in the article I found helpful was thinking about a child’s picture as a plan for their writing. Children will use what they remember from visual cues and spell words the way they may look, sound, or in some cases use syllables to help decide how long the word might be. This was demonstrated by the girl who wrote “American” as “A Mar CNi” she drew the picture of the flag and then labeled it by sounding out the letters and using understanding of syllables. One of the more interesting parts of this word is the fact that she put an “I” at the end of the word. I would never have thought that the space on the page would have much to do with that, but what the author explains makes sense. After reading this article I realized there was a lot to learn from looking at such a small sample. By analyzing things like the placement of letters, the spaces in between them, and separation of sounds a teacher can work to improve the writing and help ease parent’s worries so that there can be a collaboration of parents and teachers to encourage beneficial writing experiences. 

Phonemic Awareness

The two articles assigned this week about concepts, terminology, and teaching phonemic awareness had an impact on my thinking about teaching my future students to read. In, From Phonics to Fluency-Effective Teaching of Decoding and Reading Fluency in the Elementary School, Rasinski and Padak discuss the importance of having a common language and understanding of terminology among teachers. Chapter two is mainly a guide for teachers to gain a better handle on what each specific term means, and how it relates to teaching reading and phonemic awareness. As soon as I started to read the long list of vocabulary and definitions I immediately felt a bit overwhelmed. While there were some obvious and recognized words described in the chapter, there were also several that I did not recognize and have not heard of before. One of those terms for example is Digraph. This is defined as two or more consonants grouped together that produce one sound. After looking over the examples given I knew exactly what it meant, I just was not aware there was a technical term for the case. The word phone has the letters p and h that make a different sound than the routinely taught “puh” and “ha” sounds that phonics teaches. This chapter mainly brought light to terms that I knew about, but was unaware of their technical name. Because authentic experiences and direct instruction give students the opportunity to learn and grow through their learning in regards to sounds, it is not necessarily important that students learn these technical terms. It is more important for teachers to have this knowledge so they are able to teach and incorporate the definitions. This is probably why I do not recognize some of the terms. I was never taught in school that certain combinations of sounds had a specific term. From my understanding and recognition of the concepts though, it becomes apparent that I was introduced to the terms at some point in school. It really comes down to teachers having the students read and practicing before worrying about labeling.

In Chapter 4, the authors provide a more detailed explanation of ways in which to teach phonemic awareness. BY using poems, rhyming songs, and nursery rhymes, such as “hickory dickory dock,” the students are able to hear the sounds the letters make. Changing the first letter of some of the poems and rhymes can also show the child that there are multiple words that use the same sounds but may have different endings and beginnings. The authors also stress the importance of introducing these types of activities daily so that the students may build and grow with practice. A lot of what phonemic awareness provides for students becomes the foundation for reading and can be incorporated through play. Informed teachers become the essential part of teaching phonemic awareness. Teachers need to guide the students in the proper activities in order for the learning to take place. By developing sensitivity to sounds, students learn to become independent and are able to self-monitor as they read. This is why inventive spelling is encouraged for beginner readers. This teaches the student to work through a word by listening to the sounds they hear. Overall, there should be stimulating and authentic practice in reading daily for younger aged students to develop phonemic awareness. 

Woah, is right!

This week’s readings have had an impact on my thinking about teaching. Most prominently, Chapter 7 of Catching Readers Before They Fall, was very interesting to me. The title: I thought I knew How to Teach Reading, but Woah!, is perfect for my feelings right now about becoming a new teacher. There is so much to learn, and a lot of what the authors talk about involves getting the field experience and practice. The best way to learn is to work with students first hand, and I am so glad that I am able to do this in my experience at University Elementary School. One of the most important points I got from this chapter is that all children can learn, and there is always something that can be done so that the child is able to learn how to read. Every child is different and what may work for one child, won’t always work for another. I never really thought much about directional issues in reading. I think when it is something that we naturally do, it’s hard to believe it was ever taught. I have to realize that, especially in kindergarten, all of my students will have different levels of experience with text. I have also learned some helpful hints when it comes to teaching reading. Making meaning for lessons, like the teacher who read the book about the bear, is a great way to set the children up for comprehension of text. Even if the book does not have much of a story line, making one up, like this teacher did, allows the students to grasp onto a story and make meaning of the words. Another valid point made in the chapter involves using the childrens’ names to teach lessons. In most cases the students learn their names first, and by having them learn other words and letter sounds through that understanding is a great way to jump start understanding of letters and the sounds they make. For example, if a child’s name is Steve, I might say: “Let’s get our mouths ready to start like Steves’s name.” I found this simple trick to be very useful and made sense. One other stressed idea in this chapter is that there will be some struggling readers that will require more attention, and you will not always be able to work with all the students the same amount of time. The authors let you know that it is okay, and that it is important to make sure those who are struggling are never left behind. Overall, this chapter was a great resource for finding solutions to fit the needs of the struggling student. By observing other teachers, asking for help, providing age-appropriate resources, celebrating achievement, and most of all getting to know my students individually, I will be better off in my literacy block. I am sure I will come back to this book when I graduate. 

Webcast Reflection

The webcast included three speakers: Pat Johnson, Diane DeFord, and Mary Cappellini. All three of these speakers spoke from experience and gave valuable resources and insight on how teaching in small groups and using guiding reading will help the children progress through utilization of reading strategies and incorporate meaning for text. Overall, I found this webcast to be influential on my thinking about teaching in small groups and using text to make meaning so that reading becomes more than sounding things out or memorization of letter sounds. Reading then becomes a way of making meaning and problem solving. The child should be able to independently work through a text and use things such as visual clues to make predictions and inferences about the text. With a teacher that models these important connections and allows many opportunities for her students to practice using different strategies, there will be much more success and learning in the classroom.

The first speaker, Pat Johnson, spoke mainly about students reading words and understanding the text they have in front of them. She discusses the importance of asking questions such as: What will be the focus of discussion? What does it mean to teach reading? and What should we teach in small groups? I really like how she mentions to teach the reader, not the book. The books should be the support the readers need to practice their reading processing systems. Because teaching is future oriented, the student may not always read the "correct" word on a page, but if the word makes sense in the context of the sentence and shows evidence that child is making meaning, for Pat, this means much more than a random attempt using phonics. She provided a few examples of students using these strategies successfully and spoke briefly about the importance of teaching fluency. She reiterates that fluency is more than accuracy and speed, it involves pacing, reading punctuation, and learning to listen to we sound when we read aloud. She provides her students with three prompts, one of them for example, is "did that sound choppy to you?" If the child throws a thumb up or down to signal their answer. This small lesson teaches a lot about awareness and self monitoring. One of the last few points I found relevant to my teaching was the idea of slow and quick processing. While slow processing is necessary when strategies are newly acquired, quick processing is a signal that the child has had multiple opportunities to practice them. By keeping meaning at the forefront, children will create a sense of urgency with the reading and have a better appreciation for the story or text and comprehend the text with ease.

The second Speaker, Diane DeFord, spoke about making instructional decisions that benefit the child's individual needs and aid in growth through various strategies. She stresses the importance of getting to know the students and what their strengths and weaknesses are in reading. Not only academically, but socially as well. What are the child's interests? What are the child's favorite subjects? How might the child interpret this particular book? Next it becomes important to access the students progress and make sure there are records of reading and reading levels. Matching the text to the reader is the best way to support independence in reading. When working in the small group, trying to focus on one or two strategies that need some support is a great way to aid in development of a self-monitoring system. She explains that teaching the students to think while reading is the best way for them to create meaning. While learning to use MSV together, the child will develop the skills they need to read any text. The most important part of her speech for me was that books are NOT neutral. It is the teachers job to make intentional choices in regards to the books she chooses for her students. The text should make the right demands on the reader. DeFord then discusses the Framework of a Lesson and how the teacher works through a text to make sure it has the resources needed to teach a particular strategy. For example, in Book introductions, the teacher may first tell the students briefly what the story is about then ask them to look through the pictures and discuss assumptions and predictions about the text prior to reading. Overall just being aware of changes in the students and knowing that each child will be different is key. It makes sense that she says: "if the lesson is not effective, it is not the students that need to change, it is the teaching!"

The final speaker, Mary Cappellini, spoke mainly about ELL (English language learners) students and how incorporating lessons that involve small group work with individuals in mixed levels of reading will prompt learning. To close the achievement gap teachers need to hold each student to the same high standard. She explains then that talk is critical! Getting to know each student individually will help the teacher guide the lessons effectively and with meaning. Noticing language patterns, and what their strengths and weaknesses are will aid in development of lessons that make sense to each student. Looking at the child's ability to use these strategies and making charts and keeping record of the child's monitoring skills will make pairing students up and focus groups easier. One big thing she came back to is being aware of present and past tense. When learning a new language this can be a very difficult concept to grasp. While the student may struggle with a particular book at a certain reading level, it may just be the verb tense causing the issue, and not the vocabulary. This is where awareness is so important. Instead of giving the child a lower level book, maybe try a different book at the same level and see if there is a difference. She mentions that having the student be vocal is also another way to access understanding. Paraphrasing is a great example of this, the child can put the story into their own words. I really liked the idea of using focus sheets, or "goal sheets" that record the students thoughts, comprehension of vocab, and provide a reference for past reading and understanding of text. It seems valuable for both the teacher and the student.

There were many points in this webcast that made me think twice about how I would handle certain situations in the classroom but gave me valuable resources and sparked interest in working more effectively in small groups with all my students. This seems to be more about reaching each student individually, and using the community as support in that. I really like learning about this method of teaching reading and I am seeing a connection between writing as well.

Reading is Comprehensive

In Chapter 5 of Catching Readers Before they Fall, I found it interesting that Johnson and Keier pointed out that there were two types of read-alouds: traditional and interactive. I think it is important to keep kids engaged in reading and listening to books for the sole purpose of recreation and enjoyment because it makes reading seem less like a chore. Reading silly books, or having time where lessons are not the main focus is very important. I also found it interesting that she mentions a time when Katie, a fellow teacher, was reading aloud a traditional book and it turned into an interactive read aloud that utilized the "making connections" reading strategy all due to a kid making an intuitive observation about the similarity between two stories.

Another point in Chapter 5 that I found to be relevant was the discussion of scheduling groups to meet with the teacher. Having a chart, like the one page 81, allows teachers to be organized and flexible. It also found relevance in the point that struggling readers will need to be met with more often than those proficient readers. This does not mean that anyone will be ignored, and in fact there will be different groups meeting in regards to needs that are always changing. What one student is struggling with one week, might be different the next. This allows the teacher to observe and assess the child's reading level so independent reading time becomes beneficial for every individual.

Another concept I enjoyed reading about was the idea of community writing. Because these pieces are generated from authentic talk and shared thoughts. This makes the idea of writing a little less scary for the shy students because they have friends to back them up. In particular, I like the idea of shared writing. This lets the students orally express themselves while the teacher writes things out. (This would be good for younger grades.) Overall, it is extremely import for the students to be engaged in active literacy through out the day! Writing, reading, storytelling, workshops, centers, etc are all ways to incorporate new strategies for the students to learn and use on their own.

Chapter 6 dives deeper into the importance of utilizing read-aloud time for instruction. The strategy described on page 103 is something I would like to use in teaching. Letting the children talk before, during, and after reading is a great way to hold a meaningful conversation that will greater increase comprehension. Noting that for ELL this is a great time to practice working with the language, talking to a neighbor and working through their thoughts will make the language more contextual. One last thing I liked about this chapter was the discussion of assessing your own read aloud abilities. The model teacher, Katie, explains that she considered herself a good reader and a teacher who made read alouds fun and inviting for her students. But she also mentions that there was a time in her student teaching where that was not always the case. My issue is with slowing down, I need to take my time more when I am reading, this allows students to really absorb the lesson. Its a nice reminder that we can always improve as teachers!

Hooked on Phonics-

After reading Chapter four I feel like I have had a whole new window of teaching opportunities open up for me. It is as if I had been blinded by phonics. Before I read the chapter, if someone had asked me what to do when working with a child and he or she gets stuck on a word, my first go-to would be "sound it out." I never realized how limiting and unfair that answer was until I read this chapter. The authors mention words like know and night, there are so many words in the English language that do not look like they sound, so sounding it out is really not an option. One of the main points I have taken away from this reading is that there are three reading strategies that should be integrated and used collaboratively while a student reads: Structure, Meaning, and Visual cues (Does it sound right? Does it make sense? and Does it look right?). These questions and prompts will allow the teacher to guide the student on a path towards understanding for not only the one book they are reading at that time, but for all text they will encounter in the future.

At first I will have to be more straightforward, and point to the word the child gets wrong, and ask questions like: "I see you used a word that sounded right in the sentence, but let's look at the first letter," or "Think about the story and try again," etc. Another point I thought was interesting was how the authors used other words the children knew already to prompt understanding of similar sounding words such as: day and stay. By recognizing parts of words, either in the beginning or at the end of the word, students can make associations and solve problems easier.

 It will then be my goal to have the student self-monitor on their own with little help from me. By modeling these strategies in class and making it clear that everyone is capable of reading if they use meaning, structure, and visual cues, I will have a more confident classroom. I thought it was important that the authors pointed out that phonics was not something to be ignored, but to be used when the time is right and throughout each lesson. This is more of an additional strategy than a separate entity.