Module 2 Summary

Throughout this power point, I learned that the strategy of strategic reading is when students are grouped together purposefully with targeted strategies in order for students to become fluent readers. I love the idea that this approach has more student-directed instructional approaches in order for students to be more in charge of their learning. This strategy helps students develop a passion for reading which I found very important. I have found that many students have a negative attitude towards reading due to prior experiences.  One of the main components of reading that this strategy discussed was the importance of establishing a purpose for reading a text. I have found that in previous experiences, students are much more engaged and excited to read when they have a connection to the reading.

                  I have found the scaffolding approach to be very successful with students. When teachers are able to model the learning strategy and then students are able to complete the task on their own, they begin to take responsibility of their learning. I really like how the power point addressed the fact that students will reach success levels that they did not think were possible. I feel as though when introducing texts to students, graphic organizers are a great way to organize your thoughts. I have found that when I provide students with a lot of background knowledge before reading a particular text, students develop an interest and desire to read the text. This engages the students throughout the lesson and excites them to begin the story. Throughout my undergrad, I learned about Blooms Taxonomy. I feel as though this diagram is a great reference tool to have as a teacher.

                I really enjoyed this video because I am currently conducting my action research on student’s interests. I love the idea of allowing students to choose from a menu of options in order for them to choose what they would like to complete. Matching the needs for students with different learning styles in the classroom is a great way to provide differentiation in the classroom.

It is amazing to hear in the video that Tomlinson had students that were four grade levels behind in reading.  The idea of differentiated instruction came from this middle school setting. Flexible grouping is a great way to reach all students in the classroom that are at different learning levels. I feel as though the most difficult part about this would be just as Tomlinson said, managing a classroom. 

Module 1 Summary

            If a child avoids tasks that involve reading, it may be a sign that he/ she is not able to read. Without comprehension skills, students are not able to become fluent readers.  I love how the different activities were able to be modified to meet the needs of each student depending on the grade level. Phonological Awareness is something that a child must acquire first.  I love the idea of parents having their children “stretch out the word.” I feel as though this is a great activity for students to be able to get up and physically sound out a word.

              A great activity that dealt with phonics was reading nonsense words with the students. This is an example of an activity that we complete in my classroom.  Having students use different cards to sound out nonsense words is very useful and meaningful. This is a great tool that parents can use at home. When students are reading a story or a passage, the text had the idea of reviewing the words that the students missed in order for them to hopefully read correctly the next time around.  The power point also referred to the students using context clues if he/she is not aware of the meaning of a word. Then, the student would write down the word and look up the definition of the word. We completed this exact activity where students wrote a sentence as well as picture in order for them to have a clear idea of the meaning.  I found this power point to have very helpful tips to use in the classroom as well as for students to complete at home. 

                Throughout the Trip to Hawaii, I really was able to walk away with great ideas to incorporate in the classroom. This was a great model to refer to when introducing graphic organizers in the classroom.