The following are 3 types of strategies that can be used in my content area. Along with the strategies are descriptions and my personal ideas on how I could incorporate these strategies in a real classroom. Be looking out for future posts on this topic :)
1. Exit Slips (Struggling Readers): Exit slips are responses written by students that reflect on a question (or questions) given before the end of class. Normally short reflections, these slips help a teacher determine where each student stands compared to where he or she needs to be in relation to the unit. Given a few minutes to answer the problem, the students submit the slip of paper in a designated place at the end of class for the teacher to read. Hence the name, students are not to leave the classroom until their "ticket" to leave is dropped off.
For example, I may use an exit strip strategy after teaching a science lesson on density. Being required to teach in the 7th grade, according to the NCSCOS, this topic may be difficult to grasp, especially when having to relate the information to outside experiences or answer tough word problems, such as a problem that asks one to compare the densities of oil and water, and explain the differences. The following are examples of exit slip questions that can be used for the density topic:
Is there anything about today's density lesson that you don't understand?
By thinking more in depth, how could you determine the mass of a small object if you're only given the density and volume? (*remember: density = mass/volume*)
Summarize the lesson in your own words in 2 paragraphs or less.
2. Think Aloud (Reading Comprehension) The think aloud strategy encourages students to think aloud about what they are thinking when faced with problems or answering questions. The purpose of this strategy is to have students publicize their inner speech as they are trying to solve a problem so that a teacher may be able to scaffold a student's way of thinking and help the student make corrections, if needed. "As students think out loud with teachers and with one another, they gradually internalize this dialogue; it becomes their inner speech, the means by which they direct their own behaviors and problem-solving processes" (Tinzmann et al. 1990). By listening to the students' answers, the teacher can listen to see where a student may be and can determine whether or not he or she understands the given issue without further help from an instructor. This type of technique can be used on a daily basis, during any part of a lesson.
Think alouds can take place between student and teacher (as mentioned above), and between student and student. For example, I can pair up my science students in groups of 2 and have each team develop a hypothesis about the following objects' (a paper clip, a raisin, and a penny), densities when placed in a cup of maple syrup. One student can observe the 3 objects and predict (out loud) whether they sink or float when placed in a cup of syrup. At the same time, the other student can listen and write down the partner's response. Next, the students switch roles and the first recorder now spends time by observing and talking out loud about what can be seen, while the other is the new listener and recorder. After both students have gone, they both can talk together and reflect on what each other thought about and what worked and what failed.
3. Word Walls (Struggling Readers) Word walls are organized displays of words that are visible in the classroom for students to see. The purpose of a word wall is to help students with the reading and spelling of certain words that may revolve around the current topic or unit and can be set up in an easy manner: simply clear a wall that will purposely used for the display, staple the words (whether they be vocab, high frequency, word groups, etc.), to the wall, and refer to the wall of words as much as possible for the benefit of the students. Because a word wall can be used as a resource for an entire topic, it can be used throughout the entity of a class period.
When starting a new science unit on weather, I can post the vocabulary words from the chapters on the word wall so that the students start becoming familiar with the terms right away. Over time, new words can be added up as the chapters are read through. When some students are unaware of a certain term, he or she will have the opportunity to post the word up on the wall in order to become more familiar with the word and its appropriate usage.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Top Ten Tool Kit- Texts (1-2)
The following are a list of texts, videos, poems, articles, etc., that reflect my content area and come along with a short description and my personal ideas on how I could incorporate these texts in a real classroom. Be looking out for future posts on this topic :)
1. Smoky Night (When Teaching English)
Bunting, Eve. Smoky Night. New York: Harcourt, 1994. Print.
Summary: Written to appeal a young audience, such as middle schoolers, Eve Bunting describes the circumstances of two diverse families who are affected in various ways by the LA riots. With the help of these families' cats, the main characters of the book are able to look past their differences during the urban violence to mend a broken relationship. Along with the simplified wording that can benefit students on average to lower reading levels, the book is accompanied by extravagant collage like pictures designed by David Diaz, who later earned the Caldecott Medal for his astounding acrylic work.
In Classroom Techniques: While teaching an English class, this book is great to use during a unit that may incorporate the challenges that people of different cultural/ethnic backgrounds face on a normal basis. For an in class activity to understand the major concept of this book, I will start a discussion amongst my students that will require them to open up about their own struggles due to their backgrounds. For example, I may reflect on my own childhood and discuss the challenges that I faced due to my American Indian culture. From my dark complexion to my hair, I will describe the problems that I faced as a result of it. As part of this discussion, each student will reflect on the challenges that he or she might have faced growing up and describe to their classmates how the issues affected their personnel today. At the end of the discussion, students will group up with one other classmate and write a reflection on what that particular person has been through. For a conclusion, the students will come up with several positive characteristics about the other classmate and present this to the class. In completion of this activity, the students should understand how problems, whether caused by hurtful words or societal disagreements, cause hurt and strife amongst people who may be seen as "different" in the eyes of others. Therefore, all people, whether black, brown, or white, should be respected and seen as equal by peers, and this eye opening revelation can originate within a classroom.
Using a more in-depth analysis, this picture book is a great example to use for discussing symbolism. For students who are struggling with grasping the concept of the usage of symbols, this book is a great example that students can use for deeper understanding and concept of the basic idea of symbolism in writing.
2. Digital Story Telling (When Teaching English)
"Digital Story Telling Classroom Project." ePals Global Community. N.p. n.p. Web. 27 December 2010. (http://www.epals.com/projects/info.aspx?DivID=Digital_overview)
Summary: On this website, students can learn the concept of story telling by organizing information to design a story, develop a cross cultural understanding from others, and gain writing/reading abilities from critiquing peers (which may be beneficial for ELL students).
In Classroom Technique: When using this website, I will create online journals for the students to write in before starting the process of digital story telling. As the website states, the students will answer essential questions (included in the website), in their journals about story telling that give the students background content knowledge about the activity they're going to partake in (the website includes simple instructions and step-by-step lists to aid students of different reading abilities. Examples are given for those who may struggle in fulling understanding certain directions). Based on the background information, students will be able to learn about various cultural groups who partook in story telling and compare the vast gender roles to other cultural groups (some American Indian tribes had the chief tell the stories, while others depended on the chief's wife for ritual story telling). For students who are labeled as ELL, this activity will help them practice the concept of writing so that they may deepen their understanding of the English language. After acquiring background understanding, students will be instructed to develop a topic, write their digital story, include illustrations found online, and then post the journal online for other peers to see. Students will have access to respond to their classmates' journal and make corrections, if necessary. For ELL's, this peer critiquing may help students understand what they need to work on in regards to learning/writing in English.
1. Smoky Night (When Teaching English)
Bunting, Eve. Smoky Night. New York: Harcourt, 1994. Print.
Summary: Written to appeal a young audience, such as middle schoolers, Eve Bunting describes the circumstances of two diverse families who are affected in various ways by the LA riots. With the help of these families' cats, the main characters of the book are able to look past their differences during the urban violence to mend a broken relationship. Along with the simplified wording that can benefit students on average to lower reading levels, the book is accompanied by extravagant collage like pictures designed by David Diaz, who later earned the Caldecott Medal for his astounding acrylic work.
In Classroom Techniques: While teaching an English class, this book is great to use during a unit that may incorporate the challenges that people of different cultural/ethnic backgrounds face on a normal basis. For an in class activity to understand the major concept of this book, I will start a discussion amongst my students that will require them to open up about their own struggles due to their backgrounds. For example, I may reflect on my own childhood and discuss the challenges that I faced due to my American Indian culture. From my dark complexion to my hair, I will describe the problems that I faced as a result of it. As part of this discussion, each student will reflect on the challenges that he or she might have faced growing up and describe to their classmates how the issues affected their personnel today. At the end of the discussion, students will group up with one other classmate and write a reflection on what that particular person has been through. For a conclusion, the students will come up with several positive characteristics about the other classmate and present this to the class. In completion of this activity, the students should understand how problems, whether caused by hurtful words or societal disagreements, cause hurt and strife amongst people who may be seen as "different" in the eyes of others. Therefore, all people, whether black, brown, or white, should be respected and seen as equal by peers, and this eye opening revelation can originate within a classroom.
Using a more in-depth analysis, this picture book is a great example to use for discussing symbolism. For students who are struggling with grasping the concept of the usage of symbols, this book is a great example that students can use for deeper understanding and concept of the basic idea of symbolism in writing.
2. Digital Story Telling (When Teaching English)
"Digital Story Telling Classroom Project." ePals Global Community. N.p. n.p. Web. 27 December 2010. (http://www.epals.com/projects/info.aspx?DivID=Digital_overview)
Summary: On this website, students can learn the concept of story telling by organizing information to design a story, develop a cross cultural understanding from others, and gain writing/reading abilities from critiquing peers (which may be beneficial for ELL students).
In Classroom Technique: When using this website, I will create online journals for the students to write in before starting the process of digital story telling. As the website states, the students will answer essential questions (included in the website), in their journals about story telling that give the students background content knowledge about the activity they're going to partake in (the website includes simple instructions and step-by-step lists to aid students of different reading abilities. Examples are given for those who may struggle in fulling understanding certain directions). Based on the background information, students will be able to learn about various cultural groups who partook in story telling and compare the vast gender roles to other cultural groups (some American Indian tribes had the chief tell the stories, while others depended on the chief's wife for ritual story telling). For students who are labeled as ELL, this activity will help them practice the concept of writing so that they may deepen their understanding of the English language. After acquiring background understanding, students will be instructed to develop a topic, write their digital story, include illustrations found online, and then post the journal online for other peers to see. Students will have access to respond to their classmates' journal and make corrections, if necessary. For ELL's, this peer critiquing may help students understand what they need to work on in regards to learning/writing in English.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Experiences With Foreign Languages
Throughout my entire term in elementary school, I had a Spanish teacher come in to teach the entire class the basics of this language. In middle school and high school, I took a few more courses, but was never able to completely understand the terms that I was being taught. In regards to how I read/write now in Spanish, I can do neither. Because this was not my first language and I was only taught the basics in the past, my fluency with Spanish is not great and I have not been able to keep any knowledge in my long term memory, aside from the simple and popular "hola!"
Because of my experiences with learning the Spanish language, being able to teach my own students this beautiful language is not possible. Unless I was thrown in a culture completely dependent on the language, I don't think I will be able to become fluent in Spanish. However, because I was only taught the basics of Spanish, I know now that basics are not enough. In turn, I know that my students need to be taught more than the simplest information so that the new knowledge becomes embedded in their minds for future references. Even though I can't teach Spanish, I can teach science and English information, during which extra information is key to remembrance, rather than full dependence on the basics.
The following link is a video that gives tips when teaching a foreign language.
Learning and Teaching Foreign Language
Because of my experiences with learning the Spanish language, being able to teach my own students this beautiful language is not possible. Unless I was thrown in a culture completely dependent on the language, I don't think I will be able to become fluent in Spanish. However, because I was only taught the basics of Spanish, I know now that basics are not enough. In turn, I know that my students need to be taught more than the simplest information so that the new knowledge becomes embedded in their minds for future references. Even though I can't teach Spanish, I can teach science and English information, during which extra information is key to remembrance, rather than full dependence on the basics.
The following link is a video that gives tips when teaching a foreign language.
Learning and Teaching Foreign Language
Extra, Extra... READ All About It!
My encounters with bookstores or libraries are vague, but I can remember a great experience during my early educational years. A few times throughout the year, my school would host the Scholastic Book Fair. During this time, books, toys, and posters were set up in the library for about a week, and each class was given an opportunity to explore the fair early in the week. Attending these fairs and seeing the new books being sold influenced me to save up money for the fairs, during which I bought some of my favorite books. Deepening my knowledge of reading was one benefit of these stores as I collected new pieces every year. As a result, I (even today as a young adult), get overly excited when I see posters announcing a future fair in a school because I remember the pleasure that I experienced when reading my new books. Most of the books that I bought were the ones that lead to my obsession of reading. Today, as a valued reader, I enjoy buying new books to add to my collection that has accumulated throughout the years.
For my future classroom, I hope to use these book fairs for my students. Not for personal reading pleasure, but for the purpose of buying teaching resources and books that may prove to be useful for my students. With the resources and books for the students, I hope to develop lessons and carry books that derive interest from my students. Also, I want my students to feel as motivated as I was to buy books that not only are related to classroom topics, but can improve the reading skills of students and heighten their concern with school.
For my future classroom, I hope to use these book fairs for my students. Not for personal reading pleasure, but for the purpose of buying teaching resources and books that may prove to be useful for my students. With the resources and books for the students, I hope to develop lessons and carry books that derive interest from my students. Also, I want my students to feel as motivated as I was to buy books that not only are related to classroom topics, but can improve the reading skills of students and heighten their concern with school.
Writing Is a Form of Personal Freedom...
...but this freedom cannot be solidified if one is unable to write. In middle school and high school, I was given many opportunities to complete writing activities that proved to be extremely useful in the classroom setting. Not only did most of these assignments help me improve my skills in writing, as well as in reading, they helped me enjoy the subject and lessons even more as the semester passed by. For instance, I was required to put together a science journal for my 8th grade science class. In this journal, I wrote down questions, observations, and conclusions after completing science labs with the rest of the class. In the journal, I was allowed to draw pictures and make relationships between what I was learning and what I encountered outside the classroom. Making such connections allowed me to figure out how science truly existed in the outside world, not just within the class itself. Also, my skills in writing greatly improved as my instructor would collect the journals on a weekly basis and positively correct our ways of writing if wrong. The simple criticisms didn't make me feel bad about myself. Instead, I was able to see what needed to be worked on (grammatically), and transform my ways for the better. As a result of these journals, I became a more confident writing and learned to love the subject of science which is why, today, I want to teach it to my own students in the future.
When teaching, I want to use a similar strategy/activity when helping my students improve their writing skills. I want to be able to offer improvement skills that can better influence them to write in a more professional manner. Also, I want them to love the subject of science by incorporating their own thoughts and ideas into the journals and other types of activities, such as group inquiries or games designed by teams of students at the end of the unit. Such strategies of teaching, I hope, will push the students to see what they need to improve in regards to writing and make corrections for future cases in my class or later semesters.
The following is a link to a video that contains different activities for writing in middle school classrooms.
Writing Activities in Middle School
When teaching, I want to use a similar strategy/activity when helping my students improve their writing skills. I want to be able to offer improvement skills that can better influence them to write in a more professional manner. Also, I want them to love the subject of science by incorporating their own thoughts and ideas into the journals and other types of activities, such as group inquiries or games designed by teams of students at the end of the unit. Such strategies of teaching, I hope, will push the students to see what they need to improve in regards to writing and make corrections for future cases in my class or later semesters.
The following is a link to a video that contains different activities for writing in middle school classrooms.
Writing Activities in Middle School
"A Room Without a Book is like a Body Without a Soul"
Favorite/Least Favorite Books:
As a child, this was my life. Books, books... and more BOOKS! I was always seen with a book and had the hardest time putting them down. From horror stories to the tales of the Boxcar Children, I was fascinated by the imaginations of the various authors whose pieces I consumed my awaken time with. Because of my love for reading, I believe I was able to shape my skills of literacy and found out early was types of books I was/was not interested in. When it came to my own classroom experiences, I was able to keep up with the reading material and comprehension on what was being discussed throughout each paragraph. However, I did find out quickly in high school that I was not a fan of Shakespeare. Though beautiful, his graceful words and poetic symbolism was hard for me to grasp and I struggled to make sense of the true meaning of each piece that I read.
When teaching, I am going to encourage my students to pick up on the same routine that I followed as a young teen. Instead of pushing my students to pick up and read the same book as a class, I hope to have various books that my students can choose from that are related to the particular unit topic. By having my students choose what they want to read, they have more freedom to choose and are more likely to pick out something that may interest them, rather than being stuck with the same piece that their neighbor is wasting away with. By allowing my students to have free reign on what they want to read, I hope to help them spark some kind of interest in a topic, which can push them to further explore their journeys of literacy.
The following are the covers on the front of my favorite book series: The Little House on the Prairie. Each book, which depicted the personal accounts of Laura Ingalls Wilder, allowed me to fall in love with the life on the prairie with the challenges of finding shelter and a new life.
As a child, this was my life. Books, books... and more BOOKS! I was always seen with a book and had the hardest time putting them down. From horror stories to the tales of the Boxcar Children, I was fascinated by the imaginations of the various authors whose pieces I consumed my awaken time with. Because of my love for reading, I believe I was able to shape my skills of literacy and found out early was types of books I was/was not interested in. When it came to my own classroom experiences, I was able to keep up with the reading material and comprehension on what was being discussed throughout each paragraph. However, I did find out quickly in high school that I was not a fan of Shakespeare. Though beautiful, his graceful words and poetic symbolism was hard for me to grasp and I struggled to make sense of the true meaning of each piece that I read.
When teaching, I am going to encourage my students to pick up on the same routine that I followed as a young teen. Instead of pushing my students to pick up and read the same book as a class, I hope to have various books that my students can choose from that are related to the particular unit topic. By having my students choose what they want to read, they have more freedom to choose and are more likely to pick out something that may interest them, rather than being stuck with the same piece that their neighbor is wasting away with. By allowing my students to have free reign on what they want to read, I hope to help them spark some kind of interest in a topic, which can push them to further explore their journeys of literacy.
The following are the covers on the front of my favorite book series: The Little House on the Prairie. Each book, which depicted the personal accounts of Laura Ingalls Wilder, allowed me to fall in love with the life on the prairie with the challenges of finding shelter and a new life.
Keeping Up with... Katie
As I start a new semester here at UNCG, I am encountering an extremely beneficial class about Literacy in the Content Area. As part of course, I am required to keep up my blog and include various posts for future grades. As part of my first major assignment, I am going to include 4 additional posts, along with this one, that encompass my personal history with literacy and how it may affect my future classroom. Though these posts will not be too personal about my past and present experiences in life, such as a reality shows, you will gain a better understanding of who I am and how my past occurrences with literacy shape my persona today.
So sit back and enjoy.
***
What, When, And How I Read/Write Now
In the past, I was not up to date with the online programs and resources that my friends used when it came to expressing themselves. I was too worried that such writings could result in a reality show like atmosphere that I watch every week, such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians (hence the name of this blog title). Such internet programs, such as Xanga, MySpace, Facebook, Blogger, etc., were online tools that I had heard of, but never got in to. However, I finally caught up to the common trends and was able to grasp the true benefits of such ideals. For one, I could keep up with my friends' personal lives through their own webpages. Additionally, having such pages, such as my blog, gave me the opportunity to be myself. Because of my blog, I am able to catch up on my reading material and can write in whichever manner I want to. For the first time ever, I have been able to feel at ease with myself because I can get anything off my chest and not be judged by it. Between the creative titles to the pictures/videos that relate to the topic at hand, blogging and keeping up with other online tools keeps me connected and in-tune with myself and others. Because of the benefits of the present online assets, I want to require my own students to keep up with online blogs or journals that allow them to express themselves and make contact with their other classmates. In doing this, other classmates, or myself, could take part and comment on the other blogs and make any comments or suggestions that can help improve the quality and work of each student. Additionally, these corrections could benefit my students in case they are required to write up reports or reflections from past experiences while taking part in a group assignment or science observation.
The following links are examples of other blogs that I follow. Enjoy the different ideas that the creators are bringing forth for their viewers and the various designs and topics that are included, as well.
Suz's Blog: In the Classroom with Suz
Don's Blog: Everyday Educator
Makenzie's Blog: Multifarious Musings
So sit back and enjoy.
***
What, When, And How I Read/Write Now
In the past, I was not up to date with the online programs and resources that my friends used when it came to expressing themselves. I was too worried that such writings could result in a reality show like atmosphere that I watch every week, such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians (hence the name of this blog title). Such internet programs, such as Xanga, MySpace, Facebook, Blogger, etc., were online tools that I had heard of, but never got in to. However, I finally caught up to the common trends and was able to grasp the true benefits of such ideals. For one, I could keep up with my friends' personal lives through their own webpages. Additionally, having such pages, such as my blog, gave me the opportunity to be myself. Because of my blog, I am able to catch up on my reading material and can write in whichever manner I want to. For the first time ever, I have been able to feel at ease with myself because I can get anything off my chest and not be judged by it. Between the creative titles to the pictures/videos that relate to the topic at hand, blogging and keeping up with other online tools keeps me connected and in-tune with myself and others. Because of the benefits of the present online assets, I want to require my own students to keep up with online blogs or journals that allow them to express themselves and make contact with their other classmates. In doing this, other classmates, or myself, could take part and comment on the other blogs and make any comments or suggestions that can help improve the quality and work of each student. Additionally, these corrections could benefit my students in case they are required to write up reports or reflections from past experiences while taking part in a group assignment or science observation.
The following links are examples of other blogs that I follow. Enjoy the different ideas that the creators are bringing forth for their viewers and the various designs and topics that are included, as well.
Suz's Blog: In the Classroom with Suz
Don's Blog: Everyday Educator
Makenzie's Blog: Multifarious Musings
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Obama @ Forsyth Tech
Today, President Obama traveled to Winston Salem, NC, to discuss the importance of taxes, jobs, and education here in NC. Though I wasn't able to see him personally during his speech, I was able to see him and Michelle pass by on the opposite side of I-40 in their limo that was surrounded by security. What's even more exciting, Obama spoke at the college that I just transferred from last semester (Forsyth Technical Community College). Here is a video clip that was filmed today from the school. Enjoy :)
*Tune in when he starts discussing education*
Obama Video
*Tune in when he starts discussing education*
Obama Video
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