Module 6: Reading Strategies

            After reading through the power point, I love the idea of incorporating a word wall in your classroom. Using a variety of colors as well as placing it in the classroom where it is visual to each student is essential. The power point stressed the importance of limiting the word wall to few words as possible. If there are too many words on the word wall, the students may feel overwhelmed and it may not be effective for the students. The word wall is useless if the teacher does not make a point to address it each and everyday. I have never seen games used to incorporate the word wall in the classroom and I absolutely love this idea. Students would become excited and motivated when asked questions concerning the words wall. Throughout the classrooms that I have been in, we have incorporated KWL charts with small groups of students. The students are then able to refer to this throughout the text and make a goal for themselves.  I had never heard of the RAFT strategy that was explained in the power point and I feel as though this would be very effective to use in the classroom. Often time’s the students become tired of constantly completing a KWL chart and this would be a great change for the students. 

Module 5: Opitz Reading Summary

Chapter 13
Throughout chapter thirteen of the text, one of my favorite pieces was the student checklist of study habits and strategies. I feel as though this is very important for students to be aware of study habits in order to increase the effectiveness of their studying. I feel as though I could alter this survey into something I may be able to use in my action research of student interests. I remember being assigned chapters to read throughout middle and high school and I feel as though the modeling SQ3R approach would have been very effective with my reading skills. Making students aware of different techniques for studying is important in the success of the student. 
One of the main skills that I have used when introducing a text is to state the purpose for reading it or allow the students to answer why they believe reading the text is important. When students know that there is a reason or importance of reading, I have found them to be much more motivated. I really enjoyed reading in the text how to address to students, “Asking Questions about Tests.” I have found that after I explain an assignment, several of the students did not follow the directions afterwards and completed the task incorrectly. If I had followed the texts guide as to addressing with students important questions, this may not have occurred. I found this reading to be very informative in areas that I needed additional assistance in. 

Chapter 14
I was really able to connect to chapter fourteen because I completed a literature review on the importance of parental involvement in the classroom. I agree with the text in the importance and positive effect parental involvement in the classroom has on students. The text discussed an example of a family literacy project, which I had to complete in my undergraduate study. Not only did this get parents involved with their students through literature, I was able to communicate with the parents and get to form a relationship with each parent. Another way to get involved with student’s lives outside of the classroom is to attend any sporting event, etc. that he/she may be involved in. This allows the teacher to talk to parents in an informal environment and get to know them better. 

Module 5: Assessing Vocabulary

            An important point that I took away from this power point was the importance of choosing which words are necessary to address to students. It is essential for students to develop a connection to a vocabulary word in order for them to gather the full meaning of the word. If I am introduced a new word, I am going to remember it longer and be able to use it in my everyday language if I am able to personally connect to the word. I feel as though creating a vocabulary wall for students is something that should be displayed in the classroom. I love the idea of having “keeper” words in order to review throughout the school year. One could even create a word wall containing these keeper words. Whenever I completed a vocabulary instruction activity last year during my student teaching, students discussed the vocabulary word with a peer, wrote a sentence using the word, and drew a picture to go along with it. I really like the idea of incorporating a rubric into this type of lesson. 

Module 5: Vocabulary Development

            Throughout the decodable readers each week, the students are taught to “tap out a word” if they come across a word that they have trouble reading. They sound out each letter in the word in order to pronounce the word. I found that one of my struggling readers has seemed to memorize the text by the end of the week. When he is introduced a new text the following week, he pulls names and words from the previous text. I have to remind him to slow down while reading and sound out each letter in the words that he is reading. It was very helpful to be reminded of the semantic, syntactic, and phonetic cues in order to ask students while they are reading. I also found it very informative to read about how necessary it is for students to balance their reading strategies. Throughout the school day, we are constantly singing songs in order for the students to learn a variety of subjects. They recently learned the “ck” ending of words by making sock puppets and singing a song to go along with it. They loved being able to do this and saw it as a fun and interactive activity.

            In the classroom where I completed my student teaching, we constantly had the students follow along reading a story with a tape. While this was effective for some students, I found that many of the students had a difficult time following along with the story or paying attention. Throughout the school week in my currently classroom, the students read their decodable reader about 5 or 6 times in the classroom throughout the week. By the end of the week, a majority of the students are able to read the text fluently. 

Module 5: Linking Phonics and Vocabulary Development

            I found this power point to be very precise in defining phonics instruction. The two teachers that I work with, as well as myself are constantly incorporating the skills that are taught in phonics instruction into other lessons. Students are reading a decodable reader each week that allows them to revisit their phonics lesson. Repetition is key for my students in order for them to practice as well as master a new concept. If students practice reading their decodable reader each week, they are provided the opportunity to read to the individuals who work in the front office. 

Teaching Phonics, High-Frequency Words, and Fluency

            Throughout my first grade class, we are working on introducing all of the vowels to my students. They complete hands on activities in order to engage in the lesson. I was able to relate to the power point in that we use “tapping it out” in order to sound out words. I found it interesting to read that it is important to introduce about 5 or 6 words to students when they are learning to build the rime. The PowerPoint discussed the importance of allowing students to read books and I have found that my 1^st graders are very interested in reading. They were given the opportunity to select four books to place in their personal book box. This way the students are able to choose books that they have an interest in. When my students are reading a story for the week with either the lead teacher, or myself it focuses on the specific phonetic skill that was introduced. I loved reading about the idea of allowing students to create a book for themselves. When working in small groups, students are constantly engaged in a hands on activity and orally repeating what they are learning and completing. The currently classroom that I am working in does not have a word wall and I feel as though my students would benefit greatly from this. 

Module 5: Video Analysis

During my undergrad, I was required to create a rubric in order for my students to have an idea of what is expected of them. I never thought of how one may in fact use a rubric when determining whether or not they enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie until I completed an activity similar to this in my undergrad. Not only do individuals complete this when they taste food, but when they are meeting others, buying clothes, houses, etc. We actually completed this exact activity in my undergrad course with completing a rubric on a cookie. Almost every course that I was in throughout my college career involved a rubric. I have found that in elementary schools, a rubric is not used as much. If students are provided a rubric in a variety of subjects, they will know what is expected of them and may in fact complete an assignment with their best work. If I did not know what was expected of me, I may not complete the assignment to my fullest potential. I feel as though this is very important to incorporate in many lessons and activities that are involved in your classroom in order to help benefit student success. 

Opitz Chapter 12

               In my 1^st grade class, we are constantly creating activities to improve phonics instruction in order to help students reading strategies. One activity that my students really enjoy is listening to a letter sound and being able to write the letter in the sand tray. Through this, I say, “Write the letter that makes the sound ___.” This allows students to have to listen to the sound for the particular letter as well as practicing their letter writing. I really enjoyed this chapter because it is very applicable to my current classroom. I have never worked in a 1^st grade classroom before and I feel as though I am still new to the whole phonics instruction. Luckily I have been able to watch my lead teacher present different forms of phonics instruction and take note. The most important concept that I took away from this reading was how to take phonics instructions and have students apply this knowledge. I also really enjoyed reading about the whole-to-part phonics instruction. As a first year associate teacher, I feel as though I am able to take the different readings and apply them into my teaching strategies in order to become a more effective teacher for when I have a classroom of my own. 

Opitz Chapter 10

            In order for a student to be a fluent reader, he/she must be able to comprehend the text. The text stated that without reading comprehension, there would be no reading. The text also discussed the term schema as to how students are able to comprehend a text better if they have background knowledge on the particular reading topic. Not only would the student have more background knowledge, the student would more likely to be interested in reading the text. I have found that when a student has background knowledge on a text, they are more willing to contribute to the class discussion and are anxious to read the book. The student is also able to provide the class with a personal insight into the reading. I really enjoyed reading about instructional strategies for intermediate grades. I am constantly trying to come up with more instructional strategies for the students that I am working with in order to best meet their needs. I am definitely going to incorporate the main idea/ supporting detail hand into my lesson if I change grade levels. I would have loved to be able to use this last year throughout my student teaching.

            Throughout my class, the two other teachers as well as myself constantly use the repeated reading strategy. Every time a new text is introduced, I read the text to the students first, then we choral read, next students take turns reading, and lastly I listen to the student read independently. By the end of the week they are confident in their reading ability and are provided the opportunity to go to the front office and read the text. 

Opitz Chapter 9

Chapter 9

            For my action research project, I am researching how incorporating student’s interests can benefit motivation as well as student success. Chapter nine discussed the importance of incorporating student’s interests when choosing texts and I am going to incorporate this into my reading groups after students are surveyed. The text stated the importance of motivating children to be readers. I think this is one of the most important aspects when teaching reading. If students are not motivated or have the desire to read, students will not want to take part in reading on their own. Presenting texts that students can relate to is another important aspect when choosing texts. Just as students, I am more interested in a text if I am personally able to relate to the reading. This chapter was very beneficial in that it provided me with a variety of texts to read as well as reasons as to why you should incorporate them in your classroom. 

Opitz Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Through this chapter, I really enjoyed reading about the purpose of an informal reading inventory. When I completed this in my undergrad I was able to use the information gathered from the inventory to create effective teaching strategies in order to improve my student’s reading skills. Through watching the videos as well as reading this chapter, I feel as though I am much more prepared to code as well as give a reading inventory. I found with my student that I am tutoring I was able to gain a better understanding of his functioning reading level. This has allowed me to better my teaching during reading. I have never administered a running record before to any of my students. I found it interesting that this assessment does not measure a students comprehension on a story. I feel as though this is one of the most important aspects for a student's reading fluency. A student may be able to read a text but it is essential for a student to be able to comprehend the reading. I found this reading very helpful and beneficial in that I am currently working at a school for students that are identified with language-related learning differences that include dyslexia

Power point: Identifying Reading Disabilities

I currently teach at a school for children with dyslexia. One of the most important aspects for the students when they are reading is for them to experience success. The student at my school often time’s have entered the school with a lower confidence level because they have struggled in their previous schools. If these students do not experience any sort of success, then they are going to give up. I have found in the past that my students really enjoy reading when it is of interest to them. I think that it is very important to incorporate student’s interests into the lessons that you are planning. Throughout the weeks thus far of school, the two other teachers that I work with as well as myself are constantly evaluating the progress each student has made thus far. This is important to see if the students have benefited from the lessons that have been conducted and if not, there needs to be a change made place.  I found this reading interesting to look over when I am currently working at a school where instruction is centered on students who are identified with language-related learning differences that include dyslexia

Module 4: Video Analysis

            I really liked how this teacher started off asking the student his goal when reading the text. I feel as though it is very important for students to establish a goal for themselves when reading. Not only was the student able to state that he wanted to be able to read fluently, he was able to explain what fluency meant. After the student completed the reading, the teacher was able to explain specific components of what she liked about his reading style. The student that I am currently tutoring is a struggling reader and I always find different ways to compliment him during his reading. The next time I complete a tutoring session with my student, I am going to ask him what his goal is when reading the text. This will allow me to evaluate if he knows or even has an overall goal when it comes to reading. If he does not state a goal, I can help him come up with a personal goal in order to set for himself.

            In this next video, I loved how the students were able to share with one another in order to explain something they recalled. Allowing them to hold the television set created a spotlight on the particular student that was speaking and makes the student feel as though their comment to the class was very important. I have found the videos thus far in the course to be very beneficial and I can use them in my classroom.

Running Record Video Analysis

Running Record Video 1

            I found this video to be very helpful because although I learned how to code a running record in my undergrad, I have forgotten how to do so. I really liked how she used the “fraction format” in order to take note of what the students had read aloud. This is something that I will be able to remember when I complete a running record. I also found it helpful when she explained why to write a dash above when the student may have omitted a word while reading the text. Having these different codes when giving a student a running record is necessary in order to track his/her reading quickly and efficiently. When I have given running records in the past, I was not sure of the proper coding when a student added a word to the text that was not there while reading. This video was very beneficial and I feel as though I will now be able to remember how to code when giving a running record.

Running Record Video 2

            I have found this video to be very thorough and insightful. Being provided an example of each coding strategy is very beneficial. This video will allow me to remember how to code a running record and apply it to my classroom. By the end of this video, I was able to correctly code the text before she explained how it would be coded

Running Record Video 3

            When I have previously given a student a running record and he/she has repeated a word, I simply wrote the word again above the text. Learning how to code a repeating word makes it much faster to follow with the student when he/she is reading. 

Module 3: Formative Assessment Article

After reading the article on formative assessment, I too agree with the importance and value that it has on students in the classroom. It is crucial to know where students stand during a middle of the unit rather than a summative assessment that occurs at the end. How can you better your teaching instruction if you get to the end of a unit and realize you did not reach your students academically? I have found formative assessments to be very beneficial in order to change teaching methods according to your students needs. I really enjoyed the analogy “gap minder” that the text referred to. This is so important to apply to the classroom in order to differentiate instruction according to the students that are present in your class. When I completed my full time teaching in my undergrad, I constantly had students complete tickets out the door, ask them personally about whether or not they enjoyed the lesson, and simply had a raise of hands concerning different skills or concepts. I really like the idea of having students complete self-assessments. This allows students to create personal goals for themselves instead of living up to the teachers expectations. Starting this at a young age is very important for students to learn because this is a life long task that they will be doing when they are in the real world and have a job. I found the tips about assessing students to be very helpful because it can be quite an intimidating process. Focusing on a group of students at a time is important so that you are not overwhelmed by trying to learn about how to effectively approach over twenty students. This will allow you to better learn how to differentiate your instruction based on the needs of each student in your classroom. 

Module 3: Opitz 7,8,&12

Chapter 7

When first beginning to read chapter 7 of the Opitz text, I could not believe that kindergarten is not required in several states. I feel as though kindergarten is such an important year in transitioning children into school and I do not know how the child would be ready for 1^st grade without going through kindergarten. At the school that I work at, new students are required to complete the Gallistel-Ellis that is administered by their teacher. This provides teachers with an idea of students reading comprehension skills as well as spelling from the very beginning. The students are required to come in before the school year begins and therefore the teacher is not wasting school time as the text discussed.  I really enjoyed reading about the suggestions to take away from administering students pre-reading tests. I feel as though one of the most important aspects is to use the information in order to better your teaching strategies by planning effective lessons based on the students needs.

Reading through the chart on page 111 is very useful when deciding which test to administer to students based on the concept or skill that you want to know. I feel as though I will definitely refer to this chart when I have my own classroom. When I am working with a small group of students during rotations, I constantly have the students repeat the concept or skill we are working on as well as verbally communicate with one another. The text discusses how important oral language is within the classroom and this occurs everyday in the classroom that I am currently working in. When introducing a new book to the students, I have found it important to discuss with the students what they think the text is going to be about, read the book aloud to the students, read the text together as a small group, discuss what happened in the text, and finally have them read to either myself or a partner. I have found this to be very beneficial for the students that I work with and the repetition provides them with reading comprehension.

I found it interesting to read about the letter identification test. I feel as though this would be interesting to have given my 1^st graders on the first day of school. Although many of students can recognize the letter in the alphabet, they write the letter incorrectly. There are many steps that take place when completing letter identification in my 1^st grade class.  First, we look at letter cards and as a small group say the letter, the word that begins with the letter that we are reviewing, and the sound it makes. As the students are saying this orally, they are writing the letters in the sand trays. There are several other steps that take place in small groups that is a constant repetition in order for the students to master the letters. I loved being able to read the text and really relate it to my classroom.

Chapter 8

            Throughout my undergrad, I was required to give an IRI to one of my third grade students. I was able to determine the student’s instructional level as well as her frustration level. I was able to use these scores when planning my reading lessons with the students. Although I was shown how to calculate the different reading levels in my undergrad, this reading was a nice review and a beneficial source to refer to.  Before this reading, I had never heard of the listening capacity test. I found this to be very beneficial because often time’s students get so wrapped up in sounding out words that they lose focus of gathering meaning from the story. If I had known about this type of test earlier then I would have administered this format with the student that I am tutoring. I have really enjoyed the readings thus far in this class because I feel as though it is very informative as a first year teacher. Reading about the different tests to administer to students is very beneficial when deciding which are the most appropriate for the group of students in your classroom.

Chapter 12

            I feel as though something that I always struggled with during undergrad was working with students on phonics. I have learned that this is something that takes time as well as experience to master. I have seen a lot of auditory and visual discrimination in the 1^st grade class that I am working in thus far. This is very important for students in order to hear the letter as well as visually see the letter. I have completed an activity with my students where they are required to circle the words that are similar just as they discussed in the text. I really like the idea of allowing the students to work together as partners in order to complete this type of activity rather than individually. This way they would be able to use the auditory and visual discrimination method.

            With my current group of 1^st grade students, my lead teacher as well as myself is working with the students on initial consonants. When the students are first learning their sight word, they are required to tap it out using their fingers. They also use their arms as a source to tap out their words. Just as the book discussed the letter “Q’, was how we introduced the letter last week. We practiced writing the letter in the sand tray, with dry erase boards, as well as on a piece of paper. I really enjoyed reading about the whole to part using nursery rhymes that the text discussed. I found this to be a very helpful and beneficial idea when introducing a new text with students.