iMovie

This is the iMovie I created for our technology portfolio. It is a brief history on Barbie. I had so much fun using iMovie. It is a great program that is easy to use and allows you to be very creative. I felt like I was a producer! This would make a great addition to any classroom and students would have a blast making movies with it.

Week 7

The article by Mesmer and Mesmer centered around the importance of the RTI and how it can be helpful in the classroom. This article took you step by step through the RTI process and then gave a clear example of the RTI in action. I thought this was a really great article and helped give me a better understanding of the RTI.

While reading a chapter from Delpits Other People's Children titled Language Diversity and Learning, I could not help but think about Mesmer and Mesmer's article and how student's performance and basis for an RTI can be so different based on the community where they attend school. In the Delpit article she writes about how different communities use different forms of language and how this can affect the learning process of children in these classrooms. She gives an example on pg. 52 of how a researcher teaching on a Sioux reservation observed his students mimicking him. At this school the teachers and staff believed that these students were not competent readers because they spoke nonstandard dialect. After observing the students making fun of him behind his back he saw that these students were able to use standard dialect and even make fun of him using his Midwestern accent. The excuse the school had made for no longer was valid. Delpit then states "teachers need to support the language students bring to school, provide them input from an additional code, and give them an opportunity to use the new code in a nonthreatening, real communicative text." As a future educator, I do not think there could be anything more important than what she just stated. Depending on where I teach, I may have students that do not use proper English--and that may be because in their households they do not speak proper English. I want to give them an opportunity to learn proper English without making them 1. feel stupid for not using proper English and 2. offend their families or possibly their culture.

While reading the Delpit article I could not help thinking about the RTI and how it would look to implement this in the classrooms that Delpit was describing. In those cases, I think that all students would gain help from small group work, and possibly learning how to decode words since they may not speak proper English to begin with. In addition, I may be teaching at school where the majority of students may speak proper English, but I may have a few students who come from families that do not speak proper English or are ESL, I think it is really important that those students get specialized help as early as possible to make sure they do not fall more behind and also to help them learn to speak properly without calling them out in front of the whole class. Through working in small groups or individually and focusing on these things it would not draw attention to them and therefore would be a safe environment where they can practice using the language.

From reading the RTI article I began thinking about a situation that is happening in my placement right now. My master teacher is frustrated at the moment because there are a few students in the class who would really benefit from working in small groups with our reading specialist. The problem is that the specialist has a booked schedule and since our students are not below 2 years below grade level (I think that's what it is but it's basically they are not seriously below their grade level in reading) they are not in dire need of a reading specialist. My teacher is frustrated because these students are not making progress in reading or math and are struggling but since they are not yet below grade level (even though they are VERY low) the specialists are not taking the time to see them. The point I'm trying to make, and was the reason my teacher was so frustrated is because we wonder why should we wait for our students to fall so far behind before they are able to get the help they need? It is such a difficult situation because we see these students not making progress but because they are not yet failing to the point that screams they need extra help, people are refusing to give it to them. Luckily I am at a school that has lots of specialists that can intervene to help my teacher with the students that need extra help in reading and math, but I always wonder how different it would be at another school that may not be lucky enough to have all the help. It would be so difficult as a teacher. I don't agree with the specialists not being able to help those students because they are not yet at the point where require specialized help. I think that it is better for the student to help them before they begin to fall so far behind that it would be difficult for them to catch up. My teacher fought hard to get her students into the specialists and last I heard some of our students were able to get time in a small group. It was an important lesson for me to see as my teacher would not give up on hounding the specialists for help. My teacher realizes how important it is for students to get help before they fall too far behind. I learned an important lesson from observing my teacher, and will be one that I hope to follow when I get my own classroom as well. While reading about the RTI I could not help but think of this example and how important it is to step in before things get worse and how through individual and small group work students can really improve and teachers and specialists can gain a better understanding of what concepts each student struggles with and needs to work on to make progress.

Classrom Libraries

In Reading Essentials chapter 6 Routman offers some great tips and advice centered around classroom libraries. As a new teacher I think this will be one of the most difficult tasks I have since I will be starting from scratch. I have seen in both my main and dyad placement some great ideas for building a library. The first of these ideas is giving extra credit for students who donate library books to the classroom library. I love this idea, obviously the point value for extra credit would be small, I think my teacher did something along the lines of 5 books =1 point. This is a great way to get students to donate their old books, and depending on the area I teach at, families may be wanting to get rid of their old books since they are constantly buying new ones through the classroom book orders. I also like this idea since the students who donate the books could give a brief book talk on the book, or possibly write a little summary about the book to get students excited to read.

In my main placement my teacher has an extensive library of books but the way that it is set up isn't as accessible as I would like to make my library. She has the books in bins separated out by their series or category. She also has some books the shelves in the back of the library, but she has so many that they are double stacked, so students do not get to see the whole library of books. In addition, Routman suggests giving a few comfortable seats for students to sit in and read such as bean bag chairs, or even large pillows. Also possible designating a reading corner in the room where students can go for silent reading. I love these ideas! My master teacher does not have any space in her classroom for these things, which is disappointing since I think that students would really enjoy having a reading area, and it would make reading all the more enjoyable for them.

While my master teacher's library is extensive the way it is organized limits the possibilities that students have in choosing a book. I believe this is the biggest limitation to her library. Also she does not have an area where students can relax with their book and read. This is another limitation to the set up of the classroom. I think that the organization of her library works for my master teacher, but for me I would have a different way to organize my books.

Routman also discusses having fiction and non-fiction books present in the library. I have found that students really enjoy reading non-fiction books. I have not seen very many non-fiction books present in both my dyad and master teacher libraries. I feel that non-fiction books can be overlooked. Once I begin my own library I will make sure to keep in mind how important this genre is in a classroom and I hope to have a large section dedicated to non-fiction.

Since I have yet to create my own classroom library another idea that Routman gave in the chapter was to use rain gutters as book display space. I think this is a great inexpensive way to display the books in the room! I am a very visual person and when I am book hunting I always tend to choose the books that are on display as the ones to look at first, I think it is important to have a place where students can display their favorite books or possibly the top ten books that the teacher chooses that students can look at and read. I think this is a great way to gain interest in reading.

This summer I plan on beginning to build a classroom library so that once I have my own classroom I will not be starting from scratch. I see many trips to half price books and goodwill in my future. I believe that having an extensive classroom library is one of the most powerful things I can offer my students and I hope with the help of my family, friends, and my future student's parents I can build a vast library filled with many books of many different categories and genres.

Week 5

In Reading Essentials Chapter 9 and 10 Routman introduces Shared and Guided reading. The main difference between shared and guided reading is that shared reading is a whole group activity where either the teacher will read out loud and have the student's follow along by providing transparencies with the text or by having the student's read out loud and follow along with their in their own book. Shared reading also incorporates asking questions to have students think and gain a deeper understanding of the readings. Guided reading also incorporates asking questions but the reading is not shared as a whole class but instead in small groups. These groups are divided up based on their reading levels and the teacher acts as a guide giving the students reading strategies and activities before and after reading the text to further comprehension.

I have not yet observed shared reading in my placement. I have not seen students read out loud from their textbooks to the class, and while my master teacher read out loud to the students during reading time I have never seen her place the story on the overhead where the students can follow along. I really like the idea of shared reading, and think that it would be especially helpful for the students in my main placement. Three of the students in the class have hearing losses and one student has cochlear implants. I am also deaf in one ear which makes I find adds more fun to the mix..and makes us one big, deaf, happy family! I have noticed that sometimes the students with the hearing losses miss out on a lot of the information presented. I also know from my own experiences as a student that this is true. During reading time as the students are being read out loud students can zone out while listening to the story and I think by having the words written somewhere and having students following along it would hold their attention and for those students with hearing losses it would help ensure that they do not miss anything. As a student I have always enjoyed reading along with the teacher, it is a good way to introduce new words to the class. Typically teachers will read stories out loud to students that are at a higher reading level than the students are at, by having the children read along I think that it would help improve their own reading as well.

Although I have not yet seen guided reading in my classroom my teacher will be beginning small group reading this week. Using the scores from her students DRA's from the beginning of the year she has placed the students into reading groups and handed out reading books for them that are at their right level. I am interested to see how she works with the different groups and what strategies she uses with them. I have mentioned in previous blogs another thing my teacher does is create book clubs based on students reading levels where they are able to choose a book and read and discuss the book in small groups. My teacher has a very sly way of creating the groups so that it does not seem like they are based on the students reading levels but instead their interest in the book. She is currently in the process of beginning the book clubs and I am excited to see it all in action.

I think that both shared and guided reading are important to use in a classroom. One thing that I could not help but think about as a possible downfall during shared reading is having the students read out loud one by one. As an elementary (and even high school student) i HATED the the idea of reading out loud to the class. It always made me so nervous and I still to this day have a small fear of reading out loud. For students, especially those at a lower reading level than the class I think it is really hard to read out loud and I will try my best as a teacher to not have students read out loud if they don't want to. Although I think it is important to be able to read out loud, sometimes I think that by randomly calling on students to read out loud for the lower level students it may make it more obvious to the class that they have trouble reading. While I may be being sensitive, I would hate to have students go through the anxiety I went through as a student worrying that the teacher was going to call on me to read.

Giving students options

In chapter 4 of Reading Essentials, Routman lists five things that a teacher can do to ensure that students become excellent readers. Three of the five things on this list I believe are very important to do as a teacher so that students can become better readers.

The first thing on Routman's list is to demonstrate that I am a reader while I believe she may be speaking about the student demonstrating they are a reader, I interpreted this as the teacher demonstrating they are a reader as well. I think it is important that a student views themselves as a reader and one of the ways that students learn is by example. As a teacher I think it is important to show a love in reading and to lead by example for your class. This can be seen as part of the optimal learning model as well as the teacher is modeling the behavior they want to see from their students. I think it is important that students see their teacher reading a variety of books and also discussing them with the class. Leading by example is one of the best ways that I think teachers can instill a love of reading in their students.

Routman also stated on her top five list that teachers should Provide an excellent classroom library. I think this is one of the most important things that a teacher can do for her students. Having a large library full of options for students ensures that every student will find a book that they are interested in reading about. I believe it is so important that a teacher provides students with many options of different books for them to read. Getting a student to read lies in finding the right book for them. Once a child finds a book that they are interested in and passionate about reading becomes fun. I love roaming through Barnes and Noble on the weekends because I am presented with so many options for new books to read. I want my students to feel like they have a Barnes and Noble in their classroom. I want to give students the time to share the books that they have enjoyed, and create a place for the "top 10 books" for the class. I believe it letting students shop around and find a book that they love and once they do reading will no longer be considered a chore but an interest. Having a library full of books will help ensure that I can make this happen.

The third thing Routman stated that I believe is important to having students become excellent readers is Let students choose books they want to read and give them time to read them. I believe it is important for students to find that "just right book" for their reading level, but at the same time sometimes students find books that are not at their level but they still have that desire to read them. I never want to ruin that desire to read. I saw this a lot dyad placement this fall. Students would want to read the same books as their friends were, but sometimes these students were at a lower reading level than their friends. My teacher gave these students the opportunity to read these books but also had them find a book that was at their level as well. My teacher also allowed 3o minutes of reading time two days a week for her students. She required they read 60 minutes a day, and thought by giving them some time in class to read it would help making this goal more attainable. Children have so many things going on after school, for many there are extracurricular activities, or going to afternoon childcare. When I was in college I nannied for a family and I often did not pick the children up until 5. I would then rush them to ballet, soccer, girl scouts, and gymnastics. By the time we got home it was 6:30 and then I rushed to make them dinner. This left little time for homework some nights since they had to take baths and have some time to rest before heading to bed around 8:30. Giving my students time to read in class doesn't make it a chore like it could be at 7:30 at night when all the want to do is relax after a long day, but it becomes enjoyable. I also think that it is important to read with your students during this time. As I stated above I believe it is important to lead by example. I know teacher cherish reading time so that they can catch up on grading work or answer emails but I think it is important to show that you cherish this time to read and enjoy your book as well.

Giving students many options in your classroom library, the chance to read the books they want to read (even if it's not at their level) and giving them time to enjoy reading as well as leading by example can help ensure that students become excellent readers.

Enjoying Reading

In Routman's first three chapters of Reading Essentials, she emphasizes how important it is to convey to your students the enjoyment of reading. She encourages teachers to simplify their teaching life, to bond with the students, and to share how important reading is in a teacher's life. One of the things that Routman discussed that stuck with me was for a teacher to lead by example and demonstrate how important reading is in their life. Hopefully by showing students how important it is, they will begin to feel the same way. I really liked how Routman brought a picture of her library to class to show how many books she has and is a great visual example of how reading is important to her. I really connected with this idea because I love having books, especially books that I have loved reading. I live with roommates and had always wanted a bookshelf to display my many books, of course bookshelves are expensive so I had always put off having one until this year when I moved in with a girl who had a huge bookshelf. I was so excited to display all my books and try to share and sell her on reading a few of them. I like the idea of bring in a picture of your library for students to see, it shows how proud you are of your collection and lets the students feel as though you have shared some intimate details of your life with them.

Another thing that Routman discusses in Chapter 3 is encouraging students to have a Book club or to recommend books for one another to read. I love this idea! It is always nice to talk to someone who has a read a book before you to see if it was good, bad, and worth reading. Now of course I would stress to my students how important it is to formulate their own ideas on the book but I think that it's a great idea and also lets you as a teacher see that students reading comprehension by having them "sell" the book to their peers. Instead of doing a book report I would love to just have students give a "blurb" on the book they read to the class. I think that would be more fun for them to do than a boring old book report and would still show if they students learned anything and it would also encourage reading since students would get excited and interested to read the books their peers liked.

In my main placement my teacher does "book club" with her students. She sells the books to her students and then has them choose their top three choices for the books they want to read. She then places them with the book that is at their reading level, since each of the different books are a different levels so that everyone can have a chance to read and understand the stories without being too challenged. She has the students break into small groups and the kids lead discussions. I think that this is a great idea and one that I would love to do in my classroom, it makes reading fun for students and nothing is more fun than discussing ideas on a book with peers or friends.

Literacy, Week 10

In chapter 8 of Writing Essentials Routman stresses the importance of finding time for writing daily. This can be free-writing or mini-lessons about writing, but to just make sure that students are able to write. In my dyad my teacher makes sure her students are writing daily. It is a block schedule and for 1st period she always does writing and then switches off 2nd period between reading and social studies. While I believe giving your students time to read daily is important as well, she make sure her students have writing class everyday. In addition, Routman suggests on page 187 to have a flexible lesson schedule with writing so that students can have more time to write and less time to sit and listen to a lesson. While reading this section I could not help but think of my master teacher and the way she sets up her writing class. Her mini-lessons only last 10-15 minutes and she usually gives the students the rest of the period to work on her writing.

In addition, in Chapter 7 Routman stresses that the teacher should always revise their work in front of the students in order for them to understand the process of revising. My teacher does a wonderful job of this. The students have been working on a fiction unit in class and the teacher has created her own story and has demonstrated for the class her struggles with revising and adding to her story. I think this helps give the students a clear idea of not only the expectation but also gives them the chance to understand how the process works. I really like that my teacher models her writing for the class, I think that it helps give the students a better understanding of the writing process.

Routman also discusses in Chapter 7 how important it is to stress spelling in students writing. I completely agree with her on this. In my 8th grade placement, many of the students are not strong spellers. For our fiction pieces even their drafted work has an abundance of spelling and grammar errors. My teacher does not put a huge emphasis on spelling but I think at the same time my teacher does not want her students put a lot of concentration into spelling the words correctly. Instead, I think she wants the students to get their ideas and writing on paper and then possibly catch their spelling errors as they begin to edit and draft their work. I just think that many of them don't catch the spelling words. When I conference with these students and read their writing I often find myself correcting their spelling errors since it really bothers me. I have been trying to not do that since that was one of the things that Routman said did not need to happen during a conference. A lot of the students have a lot of grammatical errors though and so one way I have tried to get them to edit these errors is by reading the sentences out loud to them. I am hoping that when I do this they will catch their errors through hearing the sentences being read out loud. Half of the time the students catch these errors, and the other half of the time I have to point out the corrections. It has been a learning process for me to try not to constantly correct their spelling, I don't want to make them feel bad about themselves or their work but I do think that in my own classroom I will stress spelling in writing. I think that if you don't correct mispelled words while children are young they will get in the habit of mispelling words and it will be more difficult for them to learn the right way for them to spell the words when they are older.