Module 3

Encouraging Enthusiasm for Reading Video

I really like and believe the quote in the video “children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” I think it is very important to start reading with children while they are young at home.  Parents can encourage a love of reading by immersing them in a lot of books at a young age.  I also think children need to see their parents reading in order for them to see that it is important and that will help encourage a love of reading. 

The SMART Table Video

This is the coolest thing I have ever seen! I love it! I think this could be used for spelling, math, reading, science, and S.S. in a workshop and collaborative setting. Students can create stories using the pictures in primary grades.   I can see it being really useful for ELL students learning the language, upper grades students learning fractions, geometry, and math facts, and for younger students learning sigh words, or new words related to content and reading.  This would be great to have in a station/center in a classroom. 

Virtual Field Trip to Atlanta

The resources listed on this page of the module are all great for students who need background knowledge of the places within our own state.  These can also be a great tool for students who need more information on the topics listed. Many students have not taken family trips to some of these places and this is a very inexpensive way of getting students to explore, learn, and take a field trip! I loved all of these videos!

Exploring Social Studies and Technology Video

This would be great, in my case, for getting students to learn the important places, battles, and people of the various wars we learn in 5^th grade.  They really need that interactive learning to help them remember.  This would be great to use for ELL students as well.

Integrating Science and Literacy in Early Childhood Video

The integration of science and social studies is a large component of Common Core.   In this video it discusses what literacy is and how to integrate literacy into the primary learning of reading.  Students need to know various aspects of reading, and how it works in order to use it.  I like how the lady in the video discussed how viewing strengths and weaknesses of a child is oftentimes looked at as negative but how we need to view the weaknesses as a need the child has. I loved the second half of the video how the women discussed the math and science activities through songs, counting, memorization, and organization.  In the third part of the video it focused on reading- how reading works, how print works, and the turning of pages  because it is a complex task and students need these basic skills before they can move on to reading aloud. She also mentioned building background knowledge.  This is vital for the many skills students will learn later in their educational career.  We have to read aloud to our children in order for them to see how the language works, they learn the importance of reading, and hopefully build that love of reading.

Development of Early Literacy Strategies Presentation

This gives great information, although somewhat long, about the importance of researching and using the wide array of tools that we have today.  As teachers it is important to teach our students how to use various search engines, websites, and research databases.  We want them to be safe, but we also want them to be able to determine what information is the most necessary by skimming and scanning through it and using reliable sources.

Expository Text Structures and Signal Words

I recently did lessons with my students on this and found them to pick up on it very quickly.  I think this is a skill they get every year.  But, in this presentation, I like all the vocabulary that is used to signal different text structures.  I didn’t have all of these vocabulary words but will definitely be using these next year when I teach this skill. Students need to recognize these words in their readings to help them understand the content and by using this information, it may help them have a deeper understanding of the text.  This can also lead to discussions of why the author would write a certain way.

Expository Text Article

I really liked this article and felt that it gave great information on how to teach expository text structures using informational trade books.  Students need to know how to read these types of texts in order to write these types of writing pieces.  Students need a lot of exposure to these texts in order to become comfortable with them.  I liked the distinction between retelling and summarizing.  This can be a hard skill for some students.  When doing a retelling, there are those students that will make connections to everything in the story, and then there are some students who can’t make any connection because they may never have experienced something similar to what is happening in the book.  Summarizing gives students the opportunity to discuss the main ideas in the book without making connections.  Retellings will give a more in depth view as to whether they are comprehending the material or not.

Kathryn Smith Effect of Explicit Instruction on Reading Preferences

I really liked Kathryn’s study and feel like it shows that we as teachers need to make sure we have a healthy balance of fiction and nonfiction integrated into our reading and writing programs.  The more we use nonfiction texts the more students will feel comfortable selecting these books on their own because they have been taught tools and strategies on how to read and interpret them.  This deeper understanding and appreciation for nonfiction texts will likely influence their writing in this genre as well.