Week 3 Closer Look Questions

 Shared Reading

1. How does this activity engage students who are at different levels of literacy development?

            By using this activity, students of all levels are involved. Ms. Perez emphases the amount of assessments she gives her students quarterly to see their improvements. To help aid her she uses a graph for each student to track their progress, and to see who is reaching the benchmark book and who is not. From her assessments she can guide students to work on strengthening their individual skills.

2. During her explicit phonics lesson, how does Ms. Perez support students' problem-solving skills?

            Ms. Perez focuses on site words while reading the poem. When students struggle with a word she helps them to sound it by using rhyming words, instructing students to “flip the letter,” and guided clues. She also reviews with the students the difference between lower and upper case letters for clarification.

3. Based on what you saw in the video, what are the different ways that shared reading can be used to promote literacy?

            Shared reading can be used to promote literacy allowing students to find their comfort zone, and having the ability to leave their comfort zone. During the writing extension, a few students were able to develop their own books, which reflected their comprehension of the text. In doing so students are using their own problem solving skills, allowing students to have self-accomplishment.

Guided Reading:

1. Why does she think it's important for students to verbalize their strategies? What else do you notice about how she helps students build meaning in text?

            It’s important for students develop their fluency, making sense of what they are reading, and how it connects to them. This technique helps the students to build their vocabulary and understanding. The more she verbalizes the strategies to the students, the more they want to use it, and in turn the students use it more often to self-problem solve.

 Differentiated Instruction:

1. How does Ms. Perez organize her classroom to support a wide range of learners?

Ms. Perez organizes her classroom by using a variety of centers that include: cards that match sounds, word games with the student teacher that continue to build stories, and independent reading. This allows Ms. Perez to informally assess her students and meet with them one-on-one.

2. How are reading and writing connected in classroom activities?

The connection is made when students are able to write facts from their text accurately. 

Assessment:

1. How does Ms. Perez use ongoing individual assessment to guide her instruction? How can the class profile be used to help group students and differentiate instruction?

Ms. Perez has a graph for each student indicating what level the student is reading at the quarter mark (September, December, March, and June).  During these assessments she is looking for improvements and how she needs to improve her own instruction to ensure the students will reach their benchmark. The class profile can be used to help to group students into their appropriate reading level.

2. How can ongoing assessment be integrated into your own classroom practice?

Ongoing assessment can be integrated into my own classroom by using rubrics to see how students have improved their use of elements in their projects. If a student starts at a 5 out of a 10 on their first project of value, I know I need to work with that student to bring them closer to a 10 in their value understanding.

"Found Poetry" Critque

This was an interesting lesson for me to review as I have never heard of or experienced a found poem. But after reading through it I started to think how I could tweak it to fit into my art classroom. I could use art history movements that students research, write about, and transfer it into a skit of sorts, with the poem being optional as bonus points using various terminology and elements.

Overall, the lesson was very creative, covered all the standards, and really engaged the students. However, I would not have the entire class participate as a whole. I would select smaller groups of 4 or 5 to work together. In addition I would let the students select their own books from an approved selection. By doing this, it allows the class to broaden their understanding of different books, styles of poetry, and delivery. I would still require the students to record their words or phrases and document the steps they used to create their final poem. Students would be encouraged to practice on their own, but would have time in class as well. Before inviting family and other visitors in I would suggest doing a run through with the grade below. This allows the younger students to experience something can look forward to doing when they reach that grade, and it helps to calm anyone who might be nervous about preforming in front of their families.

“Practices in the Classroom” reflection

Watching the video Practices in the Classroom, made me think back to my kindergarten days and not being able to recall very much.  But Ms. Owens practices do resonate with me as an overall excellent educational approach. In 1^st grade while learning new vocabulary and spelling words, I do remember going through the four steps: aloud, shared, guided, and independent to help fully understand the terms and sequence of letters.

As I mentioned in Rosalba’s comments I feel this practice used in so many different forms of education and life. Our courses literatures have discussed how the ELA instruction is to help students become college and career ready, using the Gradual release of responsibility going to be highly effective, as well as represented in our students daily lives. My nephew, who just turned 3 in July loves to help cook; I will watch him drag over his stool and place it next to the counter to get ready to be anyone’s assistant chef. He is an expert at pancakes. He knows he needs the water, eggs, butter, and mix. He helps to measure it, mix it, and put it on the pan (he’s not the best flipper yet). I have full confidence by the age of 4 that he will be making them without anyone’s assistance. Again, an example of gradual release of responsibilities.

Understanding ELA Instruction

It is my understanding that the ELA standards/instruction have four major components: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language. While each component stands “alone,” all standards work together to build the students ability to become college ready.

Reading: Students need to be able to understand what it is they are being asked to read. If they don’t understand the context, they will never learn the material, relate it to a real life scenario, or continue to fine-tune their skills.

Writing:  Our goal is insure that students have the ability to properly implement their writing by being able to plan, revise, and publish their research. Students have many outlets at their disposal to share their properly implemented writing skills, allowing schools to integrate technology.

Speaking & Listening: Expression, we need students to be able to express themselves in various forms. We need to know if they are having a bad or good day or how we can assist them with a project. This expressionism needs to follow-through into their own work, technology and social media has helped to aid the next generation in displaying their understanding and feels in so many different forms and we need to use this help them tell their stories, share their ideas, and present their work.

Language: Students need to know how to follow the rules of English language, how to associate these rules into their work, and develop relationships.