1. What percent of students are achieving Mastery or above in any content area? After viewing test data from my PDS school, I noticed that the majority of students are at mastery or above in math, but over 50% of students are novice and below mastery in reading.
2. Provide a brief explanation of the learning need. According to the test data, it seems that students need more instruction regarding effective reading strategies and comprehension.
3. Find an Instructional Intervention that you might use to address the learning need. Collaboration between the School Library Media Specialist (SLMS) and classroom teacher can have a positive effect on student reading by developing a love of reading and books. Determining student reading interests through an interest inventory and cultivating these interests in the library can positively impact students' engagement with reading both in the library and in the classroom.
4. Provide three pieces of evidence that the strategy works. Research findings show that utilizing a thematic approach to instruction is an effective way for students to understand new concepts through nonlinear patterns that emphasize coherence. Thematic instruction also gives students the opportunity to become an active participant in their own learning, since making choices requires critical thinking, decision-making, and reflection on their part as learners. Since students learn in a variety of ways (different learning styles, multiple intelligences, etc.), thematic instruction can allow for learning engagements that promote and value all types of learners and, in doing so, increase opportunities for students to access and retain new knowledge.
5. What is your Question? How do student interests in reading affect their engagement and time-on-task in the reading classroom?
6. What kind of assessment will you use to help you collect data? Monitoring and anecdotal records of number of books read by students in student-selected genres, as well as assessment of struggling students' time-on-task in the classroom will provide me with data to determine if student interests in reading affect their engagement and time-on-task in the reading classroom.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Action Research Review
1. What is the title of the project? The title of the project is, "What Happens to Third Graders' Writing When They Participate in a Reading and Letter Writing Program?"
2. What is the problem? The problem identifed by this third grade teacher is the struggle almost all third graders seem to have with language development, including letter formation, spacing of words, and the use of punctuation and capitalization. In her class, specifically, she noticed that her student struggled with all aspects of letter-writing: dialogue, organization, sentence structure, flow, text-connections, vocabulary, mechanics, support from the reading, and making references about themselves.
3. Describe the instructional intervention. This teacher implemented book discussions in the classroom which gave students the opportunity to practice their writing in the form of a pen pal letter writing program. She assessed the letter-writing with a rubric.
4. What kind of strategy is the instructional intervention? The instructional intervention falls into the category of "simulation and games," since students were role-playing a real-life scenario of writing letters to pen pals in another school.
5. What evidence is presented that the strategy will work? Simulations and games also include role-playing scenarios in which students can participate in role-playing as a learning experience in a relatively low-risk environment. This pen pal letter-writing program simulates a real-world experience for students, since letter-writing is an authentic skill. A key research finding states that "Simulations can provide students engaging experiences towards learning crisis-management, communication and problem-solving, data management, and collaboration" (Gredler, 1994).
6. How will data be collected to determine if the strategy will work? The teacher collected and assessed student samples of written letters over a four-month period to determine if the strategy was effective in her classroom.
7. How was the data analyzed? The data was analyzed and assessed using a scoring rubric and rubric guide that the teacher created specifically for this research.
8. What were the results? The results of this action research project were that all students who were randomly selected showed growth in the letter writing process, a decrease in occurrence of errors, and an increase in their level of writing. Students continued, however, to struggle with vocabulary and mechanics.
2. What is the problem? The problem identifed by this third grade teacher is the struggle almost all third graders seem to have with language development, including letter formation, spacing of words, and the use of punctuation and capitalization. In her class, specifically, she noticed that her student struggled with all aspects of letter-writing: dialogue, organization, sentence structure, flow, text-connections, vocabulary, mechanics, support from the reading, and making references about themselves.
3. Describe the instructional intervention. This teacher implemented book discussions in the classroom which gave students the opportunity to practice their writing in the form of a pen pal letter writing program. She assessed the letter-writing with a rubric.
4. What kind of strategy is the instructional intervention? The instructional intervention falls into the category of "simulation and games," since students were role-playing a real-life scenario of writing letters to pen pals in another school.
5. What evidence is presented that the strategy will work? Simulations and games also include role-playing scenarios in which students can participate in role-playing as a learning experience in a relatively low-risk environment. This pen pal letter-writing program simulates a real-world experience for students, since letter-writing is an authentic skill. A key research finding states that "Simulations can provide students engaging experiences towards learning crisis-management, communication and problem-solving, data management, and collaboration" (Gredler, 1994).
6. How will data be collected to determine if the strategy will work? The teacher collected and assessed student samples of written letters over a four-month period to determine if the strategy was effective in her classroom.
7. How was the data analyzed? The data was analyzed and assessed using a scoring rubric and rubric guide that the teacher created specifically for this research.
8. What were the results? The results of this action research project were that all students who were randomly selected showed growth in the letter writing process, a decrease in occurrence of errors, and an increase in their level of writing. Students continued, however, to struggle with vocabulary and mechanics.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Struggling Student Survey
Since I am in the school library and the schedule is more erratic, I have not been able to give my struggling students my student interest survey yet. I do have the survey, just waiting for the opportunity to sit with the students to give them the survey.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
WebQuest Information
I already have my WebQuest mostly finished, but misread the directions and didn't post my driving question and anchor video here on my blog. My WebQuest is based on the lesson I found on ReadWriteThink called "A Case for Reading," so my driving question is, "Is it fair to students for books to be banned or censored?" I found this anchor video from the American Library Association to explain the concept of censorship to students. Click here to see the video. Finally, click here to view my almost completed WebQuest.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Power Standard
The power standard and accompanying lesson I found do not relate to my struggling student or a current lesson I'm doing with my students. When I came across the following power standard, however, I automatically thought of some fourth grade students I've had in the library who I know would enjoy a project like this, and also thought it would be perfect in the library, since it deals with banned books.
The Power Standard I found for fourth grade is the following:
Students will research, create and present a persuasive composition including either differences and similarities or advantages and disadvantages, from various informational texts using order of importance, proper sentence structure and word choice, and visuals, and present their position before their peers.
I found this lesson, called "A Case for Reading - Examining Challenged and Banned Books," on ReadWriteThink. It involves students using a variety of tools and resources to compare and contrast books banned by the American Library Association and then writing a persuasive piece explaining what they think should happen with the book (if it should be banned or not). Students then share their work with their classmates, as well as with teachers or librarians in their school, to make it more authentic.
The Power Standard I found for fourth grade is the following:
Students will research, create and present a persuasive composition including either differences and similarities or advantages and disadvantages, from various informational texts using order of importance, proper sentence structure and word choice, and visuals, and present their position before their peers.
I found this lesson, called "A Case for Reading - Examining Challenged and Banned Books," on ReadWriteThink. It involves students using a variety of tools and resources to compare and contrast books banned by the American Library Association and then writing a persuasive piece explaining what they think should happen with the book (if it should be banned or not). Students then share their work with their classmates, as well as with teachers or librarians in their school, to make it more authentic.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Multiple Intelligences
After taking the Multiple Intelligences Survey, I learned that my three strongest intelligences are musical, logic/math, and self (intrapersonal).
When doing a little research about strategies that serve musical learners best, it became very obvious that strategies to teach students with musical intelligence did not involve just having students sing a song to remember or learn something. These students like rhythms, patterns, and the sound of language. Musical learners can be reached by strategies that can be incorporated in a variety of subjects, like clapping rhythms or patterns in math class, using choral reading to work on fluency in reading, read and study the lyrics of music from a particular time period in social studies, etc. Another musical strategy is the recommendation to listen to classical music while studying, since research has shown that it improves memory and retention of information, as well as the brain's ability to process information.
Researching strategies to engage multiple intelligences in the classroom made me very aware of how important (and fun!) it is to build instruction to reach all learners in the classroom. I feel like I'd learn just as much from using these strategies with my students as my students would!
When doing a little research about strategies that serve musical learners best, it became very obvious that strategies to teach students with musical intelligence did not involve just having students sing a song to remember or learn something. These students like rhythms, patterns, and the sound of language. Musical learners can be reached by strategies that can be incorporated in a variety of subjects, like clapping rhythms or patterns in math class, using choral reading to work on fluency in reading, read and study the lyrics of music from a particular time period in social studies, etc. Another musical strategy is the recommendation to listen to classical music while studying, since research has shown that it improves memory and retention of information, as well as the brain's ability to process information.
Researching strategies to engage multiple intelligences in the classroom made me very aware of how important (and fun!) it is to build instruction to reach all learners in the classroom. I feel like I'd learn just as much from using these strategies with my students as my students would!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Struggling Student
Since I am in the elementary school's library, it's difficult to really 'nail down' one struggling student because I don't see the same students on the days I am in the library (different classes come to the library on Friday afternoons than on Wednesday afternoons). However, through a variety of encounters, when I think of struggling students, I have two particular students who come to mind. One student is a kindergartener, and the other is in second grade. They both have trouble focusing and, because of this, seem to act out or misbehave instead of keeping to themselves.
When I've had the opportunity to work with them one-on-one on projects in the library, reading books, etc., I've recognized a tremendous response from each of them. They seem to be more receptive to one-on-one instruction, or just the attention of knowing that someone cares about them and isn't just yelling at them to behave. (Not that I'm saying anything against the teachers who must sometimes raise their voice at these particular students, because they have to control the whole class somehow.) When I'm not working with these students one-on-one or giving them individualized attention, I can note a distinct difference in their behavior or attitude. This somewhat stresses me out, because I know that I won't always have the opportunity to provide each of my future students with individualized attention and time from me. How will I be able to ensure that they all get the attention and time that they need? It's a little overwhelming.
When I've had the opportunity to work with them one-on-one on projects in the library, reading books, etc., I've recognized a tremendous response from each of them. They seem to be more receptive to one-on-one instruction, or just the attention of knowing that someone cares about them and isn't just yelling at them to behave. (Not that I'm saying anything against the teachers who must sometimes raise their voice at these particular students, because they have to control the whole class somehow.) When I'm not working with these students one-on-one or giving them individualized attention, I can note a distinct difference in their behavior or attitude. This somewhat stresses me out, because I know that I won't always have the opportunity to provide each of my future students with individualized attention and time from me. How will I be able to ensure that they all get the attention and time that they need? It's a little overwhelming.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Placement Schedule
I will be visiting my placement on Wednesday and Friday afternoons from 11:30-3:30 (the end of the day).
Voki Reflections
I wanted to hear all of my reflection, so in order to do so I had to create four Voki accounts. They are in order from bottom to top.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Where I'm From..
I am from the small town nestled in the hills, from the school's ringing bell tower, from movies in the town square and Coca-Cola in glass bottles.
I’m from the little white house filled with many memories and the yard with the huge pine tree.
I am from the beautiful wildflowers, from daisies and queen anne’s lace that cover the hillside in the spring and summer.
I am from family pool parties, extensively planned and decorated, from sleepovers, sled-riding, and two generations of teachers.
I am from a family with multiple commitments, from big hearts with a full plate of serving others.
From night-time whispers in a shared bedroom with my sisters, Granny’s soothing lullaby, and being called my grandma’s “darling sugarplum.”
I am a child of God, from a well-worn Bible and the love of a large church family. From West Virginia Christian Youth Camp in the summers, where singing around the campfire warms my heart and uplifts my soul.
I am from Flaggy Meadow, from grilled hamburgers and cherry delight.
From reading books with my sisters, fireworks on the Fourth of July, and throwing the same confetti every New Year’s Eve.
I am from family reunions up on the ridge, back porch swings, and summer nights spent catching lightning bugs in the yard.
I am from Mannington, West Virginia, the small town I will always call home, no matter where life takes me.
I’m from the little white house filled with many memories and the yard with the huge pine tree.
I am from the beautiful wildflowers, from daisies and queen anne’s lace that cover the hillside in the spring and summer.
I am from family pool parties, extensively planned and decorated, from sleepovers, sled-riding, and two generations of teachers.
I am from a family with multiple commitments, from big hearts with a full plate of serving others.
From night-time whispers in a shared bedroom with my sisters, Granny’s soothing lullaby, and being called my grandma’s “darling sugarplum.”
I am a child of God, from a well-worn Bible and the love of a large church family. From West Virginia Christian Youth Camp in the summers, where singing around the campfire warms my heart and uplifts my soul.
I am from Flaggy Meadow, from grilled hamburgers and cherry delight.
From reading books with my sisters, fireworks on the Fourth of July, and throwing the same confetti every New Year’s Eve.
I am from family reunions up on the ridge, back porch swings, and summer nights spent catching lightning bugs in the yard.
I am from Mannington, West Virginia, the small town I will always call home, no matter where life takes me.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Student Interest Survey
This student interest survey was found on the Scholastic website. Scholastic has many WONDERFUL resources for teachers..I find a lot of great things there! To check out this student interest survey, geared toward elementary students, click here.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
"...As Soon As She Opened Her Mouth!"
This "double-entry" posting includes portions of the text and my responses to each portion.
"'Mommy!' he cried. 'What did I write?' 'What did I write?' 'I don't know sweetie. What did you write?' answered his mother. 'I don't know! I can't read!' he cried."
--I've experience this first-hand with a little girl who sits with me often during church. One Sunday while I was away visiting friends at another congregation, she (the four-year-old girl) asked one of my older sisters where I was. When my sister told her I wouldn't be there that morning because I was visiting another church, my sister said, "You could write her a note if you want, and I'll be sure to give it to her!" The little girl was very excited, grabbed a pencil and paper, and then said to my sister, "...I don't know what a note is." At least she knew it involved pencil and paper..
"It suggests, among other things, that children who experience other people in their lives reading and writing for many different reasons in the years before they begin school are better equipped conceptually to make sense of--to learn from--the beginning reading and writing instruction in their schools...children from homes of povery experience fewer instances of people reading and writing for a broad number of purposes than do children from mainstream homes."
--Although statements such as this never surprise me, they always make me think..how do we break the cycle? It seems that illiterate students often grow into illiterate parents who then raise illiterate children because they don't know any better. It takes parents like Jenny, who realize they are uneducated but want more for their children and teachers who are willing to take the time and effort to make all of their students literate to break this cycle.
"Within this, I see literacy use as cultural practice. It is cultural practice because reading and writing are woven into the everyday experiences of people, and these everyday activities, attitudes, and beliefs help to define and distinguish among cultural groups."
--I think it's difficult at times for me to relate to statements about cultural practices and cultural groups not because I find them irrelevant or don't understand them, but because I haven't been exposed to enough diversity to help me picture what it's like for students of other cultural backgrounds to learn and develop their emergent literacy skills. I'm looking forward to learning more about diversity throughout this course in order to become a more informed educator.
"First, and most obvious, teachers and schools must accept, believe, and act upon the belief that children of poverty are learners, have been learning since birth, are ready to learn at anytime, and will learn. This crucial beginning stance on the part of teachers will help to ensure that any failure in the achievement of these children will lead to an examination of their instruction and not to a shrugging off of their futures."
--From a student's perspective, and from the perspective of a pre-service teacher who's heard talk from other teachers, it seems to be so easy to blame the students and their lack of experience instead of blaming the instruction provided for the students. One of the main functions of education is to provide experiences for all students to succeed, not just the ones who may be a little more 'well-off' than others.
This reading was incredibly interesting and beneficial! It's certainly going in my file of readings worth keeping.
"'Mommy!' he cried. 'What did I write?' 'What did I write?' 'I don't know sweetie. What did you write?' answered his mother. 'I don't know! I can't read!' he cried."
--I've experience this first-hand with a little girl who sits with me often during church. One Sunday while I was away visiting friends at another congregation, she (the four-year-old girl) asked one of my older sisters where I was. When my sister told her I wouldn't be there that morning because I was visiting another church, my sister said, "You could write her a note if you want, and I'll be sure to give it to her!" The little girl was very excited, grabbed a pencil and paper, and then said to my sister, "...I don't know what a note is." At least she knew it involved pencil and paper..
"It suggests, among other things, that children who experience other people in their lives reading and writing for many different reasons in the years before they begin school are better equipped conceptually to make sense of--to learn from--the beginning reading and writing instruction in their schools...children from homes of povery experience fewer instances of people reading and writing for a broad number of purposes than do children from mainstream homes."
--Although statements such as this never surprise me, they always make me think..how do we break the cycle? It seems that illiterate students often grow into illiterate parents who then raise illiterate children because they don't know any better. It takes parents like Jenny, who realize they are uneducated but want more for their children and teachers who are willing to take the time and effort to make all of their students literate to break this cycle.
"Within this, I see literacy use as cultural practice. It is cultural practice because reading and writing are woven into the everyday experiences of people, and these everyday activities, attitudes, and beliefs help to define and distinguish among cultural groups."
--I think it's difficult at times for me to relate to statements about cultural practices and cultural groups not because I find them irrelevant or don't understand them, but because I haven't been exposed to enough diversity to help me picture what it's like for students of other cultural backgrounds to learn and develop their emergent literacy skills. I'm looking forward to learning more about diversity throughout this course in order to become a more informed educator.
"First, and most obvious, teachers and schools must accept, believe, and act upon the belief that children of poverty are learners, have been learning since birth, are ready to learn at anytime, and will learn. This crucial beginning stance on the part of teachers will help to ensure that any failure in the achievement of these children will lead to an examination of their instruction and not to a shrugging off of their futures."
--From a student's perspective, and from the perspective of a pre-service teacher who's heard talk from other teachers, it seems to be so easy to blame the students and their lack of experience instead of blaming the instruction provided for the students. One of the main functions of education is to provide experiences for all students to succeed, not just the ones who may be a little more 'well-off' than others.
This reading was incredibly interesting and beneficial! It's certainly going in my file of readings worth keeping.
Monday, January 24, 2011
'Mountaineer Circles' and the West Virginia Way of Life
The video we watched in class documented a variety of attitudes about the West Virginia stereotypes, how they formed, how we can better understand them, and how they've been embraced by most West Virginians today.
According to one of the questions in our handout, "Many West Virginians have strong feelings about TV caricatures of mountain people--some love these fictitious characters (Ma and Pa Kettle, Ernest T. Bass, the Darling family on the Andy Griffith Show, the Beverly Hillbillies, the Waltons). Are there aspects of these characters that ring true, or is it the absurdity that you enjoy?" Since I've grown up in a family who watched The Waltons, The Andy Griffith Show, and Ma and Pa Kettle movies (we just watched one over Christmas break), I must say that I, too, am a West Virginian who loves these fictitious characters. In the rural area in which I live, some of the stereotypical actions of these characters do ring true, so I find them somewhat relatable; however, the majority of their actions generally gain my laughter by the sheer silliness of how they behave and handle situations. Through it all, though, my strongest tie to these characters comes because as much as I enjoy the technology and luxuries we have today, there's just something about a slower pace of life that appeals to me..and these characters (who represent real people) knew how to slow down and appreciate God's gifts.
A slower pace also relates to the statements made by David Morris in the video, when he discussed how he didn't want West Virginia to be like the rest of America; he wants West Virginia to remain rooted in its traditions and "stubbornness" to slowly accept different opinions and ideas instead of diving right in like the rest of the country. I do agree with Morris, that stubbornness is a common trait among West Virginians, not because West Virginians are rude, but because they are set in ways that have made sense for many years and are comfortable to them. This stubbornness has benefited us in the long run, because it allows us to take a little more time to fully understand or have a better grasp on the viewpoints of others before we make our decisions, however long it may take. Self-sufficiency, another trait of the stubborn, is still a vital part of the modern West Virginian in that people in this state know how to take matters into their own hands in order to get something accomplished.
I enjoyed watching the video about West Virginia stereotypes and our mountain heritage, and the ensuing discussion with my fellow classmates. Sharing what makes West Virginia special to us helps us to perpetuate the idea of sharing our current traditions with the future..we've got to start somewhere. Why not with us?
According to one of the questions in our handout, "Many West Virginians have strong feelings about TV caricatures of mountain people--some love these fictitious characters (Ma and Pa Kettle, Ernest T. Bass, the Darling family on the Andy Griffith Show, the Beverly Hillbillies, the Waltons). Are there aspects of these characters that ring true, or is it the absurdity that you enjoy?" Since I've grown up in a family who watched The Waltons, The Andy Griffith Show, and Ma and Pa Kettle movies (we just watched one over Christmas break), I must say that I, too, am a West Virginian who loves these fictitious characters. In the rural area in which I live, some of the stereotypical actions of these characters do ring true, so I find them somewhat relatable; however, the majority of their actions generally gain my laughter by the sheer silliness of how they behave and handle situations. Through it all, though, my strongest tie to these characters comes because as much as I enjoy the technology and luxuries we have today, there's just something about a slower pace of life that appeals to me..and these characters (who represent real people) knew how to slow down and appreciate God's gifts.
A slower pace also relates to the statements made by David Morris in the video, when he discussed how he didn't want West Virginia to be like the rest of America; he wants West Virginia to remain rooted in its traditions and "stubbornness" to slowly accept different opinions and ideas instead of diving right in like the rest of the country. I do agree with Morris, that stubbornness is a common trait among West Virginians, not because West Virginians are rude, but because they are set in ways that have made sense for many years and are comfortable to them. This stubbornness has benefited us in the long run, because it allows us to take a little more time to fully understand or have a better grasp on the viewpoints of others before we make our decisions, however long it may take. Self-sufficiency, another trait of the stubborn, is still a vital part of the modern West Virginian in that people in this state know how to take matters into their own hands in order to get something accomplished.
I enjoyed watching the video about West Virginia stereotypes and our mountain heritage, and the ensuing discussion with my fellow classmates. Sharing what makes West Virginia special to us helps us to perpetuate the idea of sharing our current traditions with the future..we've got to start somewhere. Why not with us?
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