Week 2 Assignment:
Y-Vocabulary
When reading our story for the week, we discuss the new words that are introduced at the beginning of each story. We pronounce the words and look for clues to help with the meaning (context clues). I have the students look the words up in the dictionary and write the definition, then use the word correctly in a sentence and a question.
Y-Vocabulary
I also use word ladders were students must change one letter to make a new word, using hints or clues that are given. We also have a vocabulary box where I introduce a new word to students each week and we look up the definition and then discuss how the word relates to things in our environment.
Y-When reading the story I will ask open-ended questions about what students have read and how it relates to previous stories or characters. Students are given a chance to respond to the question and explain their answers. Most of my students will relate the story to things that have happened in their lives.
Y-All students need to be able to pronounce words correctly by sounding them out and know the definitions for unfamiliar words.
Nancy Watts
Shady Point 3rd & 4th Grade Teacher
Monday, February 9, 2009
Y - T As a Special Education teacher, I know how important it is for my students to both read and hear the spoken words. I have students in my room from grades 2nd through 7th at the same time doing reading at different levels. Whenever I am reading to a group and a new word comes up, I stop everyone and discuss it with everyone to increase all my students vocabulary. I know it is important for all ages to increase their vocabulary.
Inferences is one of the most difficult for my students to relate to things. I make sure and relate things to them that are familiar to their surroundings. I make sure we do group discussions and include all the students. In this manner, everyone learns from each other.
Inferences is one of the most difficult for my students to relate to things. I make sure and relate things to them that are familiar to their surroundings. I make sure we do group discussions and include all the students. In this manner, everyone learns from each other.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
From the Other Group
I thought you might like to see how the other blog is handling the assignments. Here is one of their posts.
This post is based on the Think Aloud book -In my classroom, we have currently been discussing how important it is to gather information about characters as we are reading and to be able to infer information about the characters based on information that the author might or might not tell us in the book or passage. Students have also learned how to put themselves "in the character's shoes" and speak and write from the character's point of view. I decided to incorporate the skill of analyzing character traits with what students have learned about parts of a play and asked students to work in their small groups (reading groups based on reading levels - all reading various chapter books) to create a script for a "talk show" where the characters from the book they were currently reading in their groups were the special guests for the day. They were required to think about what kinds of questions the talk show host should ask the characters and based on what they had learned and inferred about the characters thus far, develop responses for the characters.
Because students are all working on different chapter books during this reading time, I first have a whole group time where I teach the strategy and model it using a book or passage that we will read all together. We have been using a chapter book for a read aloud, so I used a Think Aloud to create some questions, answers, and conversation for some of the characters in that book as if they were on a Talk Show before having the students begin creating their Talk Show. I showed students that if I wasn't sure of how a character would respond, I would go back to the book and/or my reading journal to see how he/she has responded to other situations.
I was able to determine the ZPD of the small groups of students for analyzing character traits as I rotated around the classroom based on the scripts that they were creating. Some students were able to deeply get into the world of the characters they were using in their scripts, so it was clear to me that analyzing character traits was well in their ZPD. Other students were only able to develop yes or no questions to ask the characters in their books, so I was able to model examples from their own books at this time in the small group settings, then set them free again to try to figure it out independently.
Vicky
This post is based on the Think Aloud book -In my classroom, we have currently been discussing how important it is to gather information about characters as we are reading and to be able to infer information about the characters based on information that the author might or might not tell us in the book or passage. Students have also learned how to put themselves "in the character's shoes" and speak and write from the character's point of view. I decided to incorporate the skill of analyzing character traits with what students have learned about parts of a play and asked students to work in their small groups (reading groups based on reading levels - all reading various chapter books) to create a script for a "talk show" where the characters from the book they were currently reading in their groups were the special guests for the day. They were required to think about what kinds of questions the talk show host should ask the characters and based on what they had learned and inferred about the characters thus far, develop responses for the characters.
Because students are all working on different chapter books during this reading time, I first have a whole group time where I teach the strategy and model it using a book or passage that we will read all together. We have been using a chapter book for a read aloud, so I used a Think Aloud to create some questions, answers, and conversation for some of the characters in that book as if they were on a Talk Show before having the students begin creating their Talk Show. I showed students that if I wasn't sure of how a character would respond, I would go back to the book and/or my reading journal to see how he/she has responded to other situations.
I was able to determine the ZPD of the small groups of students for analyzing character traits as I rotated around the classroom based on the scripts that they were creating. Some students were able to deeply get into the world of the characters they were using in their scripts, so it was clear to me that analyzing character traits was well in their ZPD. Other students were only able to develop yes or no questions to ask the characters in their books, so I was able to model examples from their own books at this time in the small group settings, then set them free again to try to figure it out independently.
Vicky
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Week 2 Assignment
Dear Participants:
Some of our school districts are still having problems. I am particularly concerned for those of you in Kentucky. I know you have just gone back to school. However, some of you may still be living without electricity. Know that if necessary, we can make up whatever you miss after the 6 weeks are over. If possible, submit your original post for the week, the one discussing the implications/applications of the readings. We will worry about the other 2 comments later. I know you will be so behind both here and at school!
I have abbreviated the titles of the books for brevity's sake. Y = Youngest Learner and T-A = Think-Alouds. Please, place a Y or a T-A to indicate which prompt you are responding to at the beginning of your post. In addition, when looking for a colleague's post to comment on, make suggestions, propose adaptations for, give both the name of the author of the original post and either Y or T-A for the text on which the comments are based. Remember, your first post for the week should be based on the reading assignment; your later posts should comment on your colleagues' posts.
Important: go to the URL address for your blog and post your responses in that spot. Do NOT send responses by email unless you have cleared it with me first. We will do all discussion online on either Strategic Reading or Strategic Literacy (whichever group you were assigned to).
Online Training 02/04/09—Week 2
Texts: Think-Alouds and Youngest Learner
Reading Assignments
Youngest Learner: Chapter 4, “Reading Aloud to Children,” pp. 76 (starting with Vocabulary) – 89. Pay special attention to pages 79 and 83.
Think-Alouds: Chapter 1, “Seeing Reading,” pp. 18 – 34. Pay special attention to pages 25 – 31.
Prompt: Notice that both readings discuss the same strategy, although for different age groups. The information, however, can be applied to all age groups. For example, Youngest Learner, p. 83 lists Question/Comment Types that could apply to high school and college students: “focusing on text structure” or “summarizing.” Plan a new Read/Think Aloud or discuss modifications to one you have already used. Include 3 items as emphases from any of the lists included above in the “pay special attention to” pages. Tell us how you would expect higher-order thinking to be required as you and the children go through the activity.
Note: I know you use these strategies. My purpose here is to share with you the incredible number of purposes/applications possible with them. Sometimes, a slightly different approach breathes life into a practice that has become commonplace to either you or the children.
Some of our school districts are still having problems. I am particularly concerned for those of you in Kentucky. I know you have just gone back to school. However, some of you may still be living without electricity. Know that if necessary, we can make up whatever you miss after the 6 weeks are over. If possible, submit your original post for the week, the one discussing the implications/applications of the readings. We will worry about the other 2 comments later. I know you will be so behind both here and at school!
I have abbreviated the titles of the books for brevity's sake. Y = Youngest Learner and T-A = Think-Alouds. Please, place a Y or a T-A to indicate which prompt you are responding to at the beginning of your post. In addition, when looking for a colleague's post to comment on, make suggestions, propose adaptations for, give both the name of the author of the original post and either Y or T-A for the text on which the comments are based. Remember, your first post for the week should be based on the reading assignment; your later posts should comment on your colleagues' posts.
Important: go to the URL address for your blog and post your responses in that spot. Do NOT send responses by email unless you have cleared it with me first. We will do all discussion online on either Strategic Reading or Strategic Literacy (whichever group you were assigned to).
Online Training 02/04/09—Week 2
Texts: Think-Alouds and Youngest Learner
Reading Assignments
Youngest Learner: Chapter 4, “Reading Aloud to Children,” pp. 76 (starting with Vocabulary) – 89. Pay special attention to pages 79 and 83.
Think-Alouds: Chapter 1, “Seeing Reading,” pp. 18 – 34. Pay special attention to pages 25 – 31.
Prompt: Notice that both readings discuss the same strategy, although for different age groups. The information, however, can be applied to all age groups. For example, Youngest Learner, p. 83 lists Question/Comment Types that could apply to high school and college students: “focusing on text structure” or “summarizing.” Plan a new Read/Think Aloud or discuss modifications to one you have already used. Include 3 items as emphases from any of the lists included above in the “pay special attention to” pages. Tell us how you would expect higher-order thinking to be required as you and the children go through the activity.
Note: I know you use these strategies. My purpose here is to share with you the incredible number of purposes/applications possible with them. Sometimes, a slightly different approach breathes life into a practice that has become commonplace to either you or the children.
Literacy and the Youngest Learner
Literacy and the Youngest LearnerY--Concepts of Print--With students in lower elementary we begin with "understanding of how the book works." Beginning with parts of books-as we discuss and demonstrate by pointing out the cover; dust jacket; how to care for the book; how to turn the pages; we point to the words on the pages as we read a-loud.Y--Vocabulary--In the library during the read-aloud time we will pause during reading of the story if we have a word we feel the student may not understand and explain and discuss the meaning. Sometimes the students will ask us what the meaning is for a word. We feel by discussing meanings for new words and modeling good reading habits we will develop strong lifelong readers.Y--Listening and Reading Comprehension--During the read-along story time, in the library we pause and ask pertinent questions to see that the students are listening and know what the story is about. After the story we have some students explain what they think the story was telling. We also will ask some students to make up a different ending for the story.Brenda/SueShady Point Library
Literacy and the Youngest Learner
Y--Concepts of Print--
With students in lower elementary we begin with "understanding of how the book works." Beginning with parts of books-as we discuss and demonstrate by pointing out the cover; dust jacket; how to care for the book; how to turn the pages; we point to the words on the pages as we read a-loud.
Y--Vocabulary--
In the library during the read-aloud time we will pause during reading of the story if we have a word we feel the student may not understand and explain and discuss the meaning. Sometimes the students will ask us what the meaning is for a word. We feel by discussing meanings for new words and modeling good reading habits we will develop strong lifelong readers.
Y--Listening and Reading Comprehension--
During the read-along story time, in the library we pause and ask pertinent questions to see that the students are listening and know what the story is about. After the story we have some students explain what they think the story was telling. We also will asks some students to make up a different ending for the story.
Brenda/Sue
Shady Point Library
With students in lower elementary we begin with "understanding of how the book works." Beginning with parts of books-as we discuss and demonstrate by pointing out the cover; dust jacket; how to care for the book; how to turn the pages; we point to the words on the pages as we read a-loud.
Y--Vocabulary--
In the library during the read-aloud time we will pause during reading of the story if we have a word we feel the student may not understand and explain and discuss the meaning. Sometimes the students will ask us what the meaning is for a word. We feel by discussing meanings for new words and modeling good reading habits we will develop strong lifelong readers.
Y--Listening and Reading Comprehension--
During the read-along story time, in the library we pause and ask pertinent questions to see that the students are listening and know what the story is about. After the story we have some students explain what they think the story was telling. We also will asks some students to make up a different ending for the story.
Brenda/Sue
Shady Point Library
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Developing Vocabulary
Kay Urbank - 1st grade
Shady Point Elementary
Building vocabulary, both oral and written can be quite a challenge. Some of the activities I use with 1st grade are:
Y-1. Write a cloze sentence on the board. Read the sentence together, listing suggestions for the missing word and discussing if the word suggested makes sense in the sentence. After getting a fair number of words, write the beginning letter of the missing word in the blank - see what now fits. Add another letter - see what words from the list fit now, etc.
Target areas - Phonological Awareness, Oral Language, Vocabulary, Listening or Reading Comprehension.
Y-2. When working with a list of "new" words to be found in a story, we make up "clues" about the words and try to find the target word from the word cards. I make up some and the students come up with others. The clues can be meanings, rhyming words, opposites, beginning sounds, ending sounds, etc. I.E. I see a word that ends like ___ (rhymes with), etc.
Target Areas: Phonological Awareness, Alphabetic Principle, Letter-Sound Knowledge, Vocabulary, Listening, and/orMotivation to Engage with Text depending upon the clues given.
Y-3. An activity I use for reading vocabulary is to fill a pocket chart with word cards, reciting the words with the group as I place the cards. The students then take turns choosing a word they know, taking the card back to their seat when they identify the word correctly. With some students I need to tell them a word to look for depending upon their ZPD. (Did I use that term correctly?) When all of the cards have been chosen, they switch cards and put them back into the pocket chart, telling each word as they put the card back. This activity is highly motivational because they're searching for the words they know/can figure out and paying attention to the others because they don't know which cards they'll get when they switch.
Shady Point Elementary
Building vocabulary, both oral and written can be quite a challenge. Some of the activities I use with 1st grade are:
Y-1. Write a cloze sentence on the board. Read the sentence together, listing suggestions for the missing word and discussing if the word suggested makes sense in the sentence. After getting a fair number of words, write the beginning letter of the missing word in the blank - see what now fits. Add another letter - see what words from the list fit now, etc.
Target areas - Phonological Awareness, Oral Language, Vocabulary, Listening or Reading Comprehension.
Y-2. When working with a list of "new" words to be found in a story, we make up "clues" about the words and try to find the target word from the word cards. I make up some and the students come up with others. The clues can be meanings, rhyming words, opposites, beginning sounds, ending sounds, etc. I.E. I see a word that ends like ___ (rhymes with), etc.
Target Areas: Phonological Awareness, Alphabetic Principle, Letter-Sound Knowledge, Vocabulary, Listening, and/orMotivation to Engage with Text depending upon the clues given.
Y-3. An activity I use for reading vocabulary is to fill a pocket chart with word cards, reciting the words with the group as I place the cards. The students then take turns choosing a word they know, taking the card back to their seat when they identify the word correctly. With some students I need to tell them a word to look for depending upon their ZPD. (Did I use that term correctly?) When all of the cards have been chosen, they switch cards and put them back into the pocket chart, telling each word as they put the card back. This activity is highly motivational because they're searching for the words they know/can figure out and paying attention to the others because they don't know which cards they'll get when they switch.
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