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. 

Content Area Reading and Writing Module 2

Goals for Differentiated Instruction Video:
Differentiated instruction is pushed in all classrooms.  This is important to do in order to make sure students are successful.  I think the part of differentiated instruction that I find difficult is where you match student interest.  I think that is very hard to do when there is a strict timeline to teach all the standards.  Within my S.S. workshop I provide various activities that will meet the needs of students' learning styles and in my small groups I differentiate the instruction based on what they need.

The Story of Differentiated Instruction Video:
I have various books by Carol Ann Tomlinson and really think she is great! I really liked this video, and I like the background that she gives about how she came to the realization that differentiated instruction is the best way to reach all students. I think she really hits the nail on the head about how to organize and manage a classroom where you are using differentiated instruction.  Love her comment about looking at the big picture.

Learning Theories Power Point:
This power point broke down how to differentiate and what it is.  Allowing students to construct their own meaning but scaffolding upon their prior experiences to learn new material is the best way to reach all students. I really liked the 6 A's.

Planning Strategic Reading Lessons Power Point:
This sounds very similar to close reading that I have been learning about over the course of the last year.  I do like the various ways students can demonstrate their learning though. I like how this power point really took you though the steps to plan out a lessons from beginning to end.  This seems very helpful for guided reading groups as well.

Literacy Reading Content Power Point:
I feel like I do many of the components in this power point.  Often times I paraphrase or give other materials to ALL my students because the text book is difficult and boring for most of the students to read.  I do guided reading lessons with all my students and this is where the leveled texts comes into play. I really like the key words for each content subject.  I am teaching my students about organizational structures and this will be easily relate able for them.  The before, during, and after teaching page is really helpful too and of course all the resources at the end are helpful. Many of my students struggle in the reading of the S.S. content and so using these resources will be very helpful to get them engaged and learning without it being above their level, difficult, or boring.

Scaffolding:
I really like this chart, I saw this in my undergrad classes.  It is a great visual to show that the teacher should not be doing too much but providing support for the students and then the students should be doing a lot of the work.  I think many times I work too hard and am not making the students work hard enough.

Verb Wheel: Bloom's Taxonomy:
I actually have a Bloom's Taxonomy binder that we developed at my school a few years ago and this very wheel is in the binder.  We had an AP that really worked with us on our level of questions in classroom discussion and on assessment and used this wheel to analyze assessments.

Content Area Reading Module 1

Power point Presentation: Expository Texts
I really liked this power point presentation because I am about to start a unit on text structures of informational text with my students, so many of these examples are some of the various topics I plan to teach over the next few weeks.  It is very important for students to understand the physical aspect of the text in order for them to use it to their advantage.  Understanding how the text is set up will allow them to guide themselves to understanding the topic. Information can be gained from the headings and pictures that go along with the topic.  Many times this can be seen in a science or social studies text book but also in a non fiction text that is more leveled for the student.

I really liked the various signal words that were presented for each text structure.  This is very helpful for students but can also be used to transfer to their writing. This power point provided a great step by step guide to teaching about the various organizational structures found within non fiction texts.  Modeling along with guided practice and exposure to these structures are beneficial for students as they learn about the structures and how they are useful in comprehending the material.

I am really glad that this one of the first topics to learn about in the modules since I will be hitting on this topic with my own students.  I think this power point provided a lot of great information that I can transfer into my own classroom lessons. I need to make sure I am making connections with text examples so students are able to comprehend the texts we are using for our unit.

Video: Strategies for Parents of Struggling Readers
This video had some great ideas! I have come across many parents that struggle to get their child to read at home or feel like they don't know how to help them get better at reading.  Many parents can do these activities at home to help their child improve their reading skills. Some of these activities are for more primary aged students but would work with students that still struggle with decoding in the upper grades.

The consonant vowel nonsense game is a great way to practice without students thinking they are learning.  The fluency activity that was presented in the video is a really good way for students to practice- even in 5th grade.  I have many students that struggle with their fluency which then negatively effects their comprehension. I liked the vocabulary sketch idea- this would even be great for content area vocabulary.  I do summary pictures for each unit we study in social studies- students are given a short summary to glue into their note book and then they draw a picture out to the side.  I think allowing students to make picture connections helps them to visualize the information or meaning of words and thus increasing comprehension and vocabulary acquisition.

Vacca Chapter 14:
My school has been back and forth with using textbooks in the classroom.  Many schools in my district have taken away some textbooks and require teachers to teach without them and the reasoning behind it is that many of the textbooks are too difficult for students to understand.  However, as I read parts of this chapter I realized that we are doing our students a dis service by not allowing them to be exposed to and learn from the textbooks if only to learn how to use text and organizational structure to their advantage.

I liked how this chapter mentioned using trade books to enhance the learning of various content area topics that are very dry within a textbook.  My school pushes using literature across the curriculum and integrating as much as possible.  I try to use various trade books for each unit of study so that I can go back to them throughout the year.  I thought the various strategies that were presented to help students before, during, and after the text such as previewing, anticipation guides, and graphic organizers were all beneficial for students and leads them to use inquiry to help them locate other information about the topic and allow them the chance to collaborate with their peers in groups.

Trip to Hawaii Videos:
I really like how the video flowed well into the discussion graphic organizers.  I use graphic organizers with my students but don't have a wide variety to use with them.  I typically use them with content area subjects like science, social studies, and writing and really need to use them more with the teaching of reading and the structure of text.

I have never heard about Guide-O-Rama.  I think this is a great way to set up a story for students.  Using vocabulary preview techniques and exercises along the way during a read a loud are a great way for students to expand their vocabulary and also helps the ESOL and SpEd students to become familiar with various vocabulary words that are important for comprehension. I really liked how the conclusion to this Hawaii trip series concluded with a reading and writing activity that used many skills that can be integrated throughout a workshop model.

Fry's Readability Test
This was very interesting to read about as I have never heard of this before.  We are encouraged to use real articles for kids that integrate content into our reading lesson and so many times it is difficult to determine if the article is appropriate for my students' reading and grade level. I will have to try this the next time I pull an article to use for close reading.

Irwin Davis Readability Test
I have never heard of this test before either.  I think it is a great tool to use just like the Fry's test.  I like that is is simple with a checklist.  It doesn't seem like it would take a lot of time to complete or analyze.

My Culture and Heritage

Ethnicity and Race

I come from a Caucasian middle class, Catholic family in suburban Atlanta.  My paternal grandfather is of English descent and my maternal great grandfather is of Irish descent. I come from a very European background but have been raised in the southern United States.  I am the oldest of four children with no first cousins. Growing up in a middle class neighborhood and in an area that was better off than other parts of the Gwinnett county area, many people thought I came from a rich family that afforded me cars, large allowances, and high end clothing.  Not true by any definition. 

            My great grandparents and my grandparents on both sides came from their native countries in order to have better opportunities for their family and future generations.  My family has worked very hard to save money and provide for each generation.  My paternal grandfather worked for Western Electric in New Jersey which led him to transfer to Georgia when my father was just ten years old.  My maternal grandfather worked for Exxon in Maryland and later transferred his family to Georgia when my mother was 18 years old.  None of my grandparents went to college, and I remember my grandmother telling me stories of when she used to sell Lifesavers candy on the side of the road.  All my grandparents lived through the Great Depression which taught them to save even more and not waste anything- this was passed down to my parents and to my brother and sisters. 

Family

During my childhood, both of my parents worked. My mother is a teacher and my father an engineer for Lockheed Martin.  Growing up I saw the majority of my father’s home life revolve around the yard work, fixing things or building things and my mother’s home life revolved around household work, and helping us with homework.  On the weekends, we were typically at the ball field cheering my brother on in baseball or my sister on in soccer.

We believe in family dinners.  Every night.  My mother would spend an hour or so cooking a hot meal most nights of the week and we would share Sunday dinner with one or both sets of grandparents.   We also believe in supporting one another, even though we may not agree or understand the choices each of us makes.  My family is very loud, but loving and we enjoy spending time together

During the holidays we would spend Thanksgiving at my paternal grandparent’s house and Christmas at my childhood home.  My mother is still so big on traditions that as we have gotten older it has been very hard to tweak the small things in order to accommodate everyone. As we are growing older, however, we are creating new traditions as there are more grandchildren that are being born.   As a child, we would take a family vacation up north to visit family and go to the beach.  My mother’s family always went to Ocean City, Maryland and that tradition continued until I was about seven and then we made only a few more trips after that.    

Values

Growing up we attended Sunday school at church and I often went to youth group when I was in middle school and enjoyed going, even though it was a fight for my mother to get my younger siblings in the car.  We are Catholic and have grown up expecting to reach each milestone within the church by achieving the sacraments (Baptism, First Communion, Reconciliation, Confirmation, and Marriage).  While my father was not raised Catholic, he was raised Episcopalian, he has always been supportive of the Catholic ceremonies that we have gone through. 

            My family truly believes in marriage and having a family within marriage.  There are no divorces in the long lines of family trees that my mother and aunt have researched.  My paternal grandparents were married 52 years before one of them passed and my maternal grandparents were married close to 40 years before my grandmother passed away.  With marriage comes children and we believe in raising children in a home with both sets of parents along with grandparents playing an active role in the child’s life. 

            My grandparents all worked very hard to be able to afford their homes and cars during the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s.  My parents still work today, and miss very little days unless it is necessary. By the time they retire, they will have worked for over half their life and into their sixties.  My grandparents also retired when they were in their 60’s after long years working with their respective companies. 

Both of my parents attended college, even though their parents did not.  My mother graduated from Oglethorpe, working her way through college while working at Macy’s and my father went to Georgia Tech to receive an engineering degree.  My mother later went on to receive her Specialist in Education and has many years of teaching under her belt.  My parents expect all their children to attend college and graduate within four years.  My mother always said to us that it didn’t matter what grade we received on an assignment as long as she knew we had worked hard and done our best.  Of course she wanted us to get A’s, but she knew this was not realistic, especially in areas we struggled, for me it was math.  As long as my parents knew we had done our absolute best then they were okay with that. They knew that getting a college degree would put us at an advantage in the real world and an education was not something that could be taken away from us so it was always pushed very hard.  My husband has his master’s and I am in pursuit of mine, so education is something that we value as well and expect for our daughter too.

Other information

            White Americans or European Americans have a lot of pride in their native land and their history.  We are truly proud of how far our family members have come since their days of living in poorer parts of England, Ireland, Sweden, and Germany.  Since many of my family members came from so little in their native countries, I feel it is an obligation to make sure that I take advantage of all the opportunities that are available here in the United States.  I feel as though they came here to better themselves and their families and in order to honor their sacrifices I must do what I can to work hard, educate myself, and provide a rich family dynamic for my daughter and future children.

Assumptions and Stereotypes

            Being Catholic, many people assume that I am not Christian.  Catholics are Christian however, we believe the pope and the priests are to read through the Bible.  During our mass, we do not read along with the passages in the Bible, only listen.  It is also assumed that we worship Mary.  We do not, we hold her in high regard as she is the mother of Jesus. 

            Since I am a Caucasian in the South it is assumed that I am a racist, rich woman who has not had to work hard for what I have.  I am not racist, I teach many children of various races, ethnicities, and culture and truly find them all to be unique but do not have negative feelings towards any.  I am a true believer in actions- a person’s actions are a true reflection of their character.  My husband and I both teach, therefore we have little extra money in our pockets after pay day and bills.  We live within our means and save up for what we want.  That is how it has always been, even growing up.  I finished college in four years, as per my parents’ expectations and began teaching right after college.  I have had to work hard to get through this part of my career and have worked hard to put myself through my master’s program while raising a family and working. 

Family Tree

Below is a family tree dating back to 1878 with lineage to Ireland and England, Older generations date back to 1700, with roots in Switzerland, Germany, and Sweden.  This is only one piece of my family tree, however it is a valuable insight into my family roots.  Many family members were born outside of the United States and many others were born and grew up in the north eastern area of the United States, such as Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Maryland.  My family members from England came from very poor families.  They worked very hard but did not have much.  My Irish family had farms and lots of land, however, still worked very hard attending to the farm and the animals.  They did not have the opportunities that were available in the United States which is what led them to leave and settle in parts of the eastern United States. 

Generation 1

1. Courtney Elizabeth WOOD: born 2 Mar 1986.

Generation 2

2. Gregory Steven WOOD: born 17 Jul 1952; married 24 Mar 1984 in Decatur GA.

3. Susan Elizabeth GRADY: born 2 Oct 1953 in Bon Secours Hospital, Baltimore MD.

Generation 3

4. Leslie Ernest WOOD: born 22 Feb 1919 in Walsall, Staffordshire County, England; married 1947; died 27 Jan 2000 in Decatur GA.

5. Ethel Lois GUSTAFSON: born abt 1922 in Illinois.

6. Edward Nerius GRADY: born 12 May 1916 in Baltimore, Maryland; married 18 Jun 1949 in St Cecilia RC Church, Baltimore MD; died 8 Apr 1998 in Eastside Medical Center, Snellville GA.

7. Rubye May DUNN: born 16 Oct 1920 in Baltimore, Maryland; died 3 Dec 1990 in Shallowford Community Hospital, Chamblee GA.

Generation 4

8. William Ernest "Ernie" WOOD: born 1895 in Walsall, Staffordshire County,England; married abt 1918 in England.

9. Doris Hilda "Dolly" PERKS: born 1895 in Walsall, Staffordshire County, England.

10. Herbert E GUSTAFSON: born abt 1897 in Illinois; married abt 1920.

11. Emma L BENZ: born Oct 1899 in New York.

12. Owen Joseph GRADY: born 26 Dec 1876 in Clogarnaugh, Frenchpark, Co Roscommon, Ireland; married 28 Sep 1910 in St. Ignatius Church, Baltimore MD; died 18 Mar 1978 in Baltimore, Maryland.

13. Ellen Marie BARLOW: born 24 Dec 1887 in Ballymoe, Co Galway, Ireland; died 7 Aug 1950 in Baltimore, Maryland.

14. John Patrick DUNN: born 6 Jun 1898 in Baltimore, Maryland; married 27 Feb 1914 in Ellicott City Maryland; died 1 Nov 1936 in Baltimore MD at 426 Hanover St,.

15. Mildred Ellen ROBERTS: born 22 Jan 1898; died 5 May 1981 in Doctors Hospital, Tucker GA.

Module 2: Opitz Chapters 5 & 6 and Article Comparison

As I read the Opitz text and the article I can see where ideas merge and where they are different.  Both the article and the Opitz text discuss that students should create assessment tools in order for students to be involved and understand how they will be evaluated.  Both the text and the article discussed testing- whether it be norm referenced, criterion referenced, or interim/benchmark testing and discussed that those tests have faults in that it may not address "skills and standards that were taught from day to day" (Risko and Walker-Dalhouse, 2010). The idea of using assessment to guide instruction was also discussed in both readings and the article made direct mention of differentiation (Risko and Walker-Dalhouse, 2010).  The Opitz text discussed the importance of using assessments to guide instruction but also gave a lot of examples about the many types of assessments that can be used.

Both readings discussed assessment, however, when I think of assessment I automatically think of testing or tests as assessment and sometimes forget that just a casual conversation, inventory, or observation can be assessment.  I really like how the Opitz text divided up assessments into standardized assessments and informal assessments.  The Optiz chapters 5 and 6 really went through the various types of observation techniques, anecdotal records, and student interest surveys and I liked how each informal assessment had an actual example of one that could be used in the classroom (Opitz, Rubin, and Erekson, 2011). The article addressed more of the formative and standardized assessments and did not mention a lot about the informal assessments that teachers use on a day to day basis.

I like how the Opitz text discussed standardized testing and how they can be administered in the fall and then used to guide instruction but if they are administered later in the year it doesn't help to guide instruction (Opitz, Rubin, and Erekson, 2011). This is so true.  Giving my students the CRCT at the end of the year only serves to evaluate the teacher and students and not guide instructional practices.

Both readings though really focused on assessments guiding instruction.  Targeting skills that students need and using their interests, strengths, and weaknesses is going to be more valuable than teaching every student the same skill.  "When teachers used formative assessments to guide their instruction, students made gains that were considered large and meaningful" (Risko and Walker-Dalhouse, 2010).

Module 2: Article: Making the Most of Assessments to Inform Instuction

As I read this article by Risko and Walker-Dalhouse I realized that this article is addressing differentiated instruction and RTI.  I really liked how the authors addressed pacing guides because what we, as teachers, should be doing is evaluating students and discovering what skills they need or don't need and then really focusing in on those skills that students need.

Students' skills, strengths, needs, and interests should be used when creating instruction and then assessments should be created and used that are tailored to those skills and instruction.  Since common core focuses a lot on deeper thinking, assessments should evaluate more than just the basic knowledge of a book.  Assessments should be used to test the deeper knowledge and multiple skill sets that have been taught and modeled.  Using open ended formats for assessment not only can evaluate that deeper understanding, but a teacher can also evaluate writing and vocabulary.

My district uses benchmark/interim testing each nine weeks in each subject area.  I really liked how this article addressed that type of testing as well.  These tests address every skill that is to be taught within the nine week period, however, may not assess the skills that were taught based on the needs of the students.  Using assessments to guide instruction is part of differentiation.

Allowing students to take what they have learned and evaluate themselves or allowing them to be apart of the process that creates the assessment will give students more understanding of how they will be assessed. Since students are in a very technological world, these technology modes should be incorporated into the instruction and assessment.  Technology should be incorporated into the regular classroom and used as part of instruction and assessment and not used sporadically.  These different technological modes can be beneficial to lower readers and writers and ELL students.

Classroom assessment should be based on frequent data collection, and instructional adjustment based on the data.  Teachers need to be pushing students to that deeper level of understanding and thinking but it needs to be done as each child needs it and not tailored to a "one size fits all" model.

Risko, V. J., & Walker-Dalhouse. (2010). Making the most of assessments to inform instruction.
The Reading Teacher, 63(5), 420-422. DOI:10.1598/RT.63.5.7

Module 2: Video Analysis- QRI-5

As I watched this video and read over the steps to administering a QRI-5 I realized that I do this very often with my own students.  My district uses the Fountas and Pinnell leveled kits to administer reading tests to students three times a year.  I use the leveled word lists at the beginning of each evaluation to determine which book to use during the test.  If a student misses two or more words I go down a level when I give the book test.  After the student reads the word list, I then administer the boko test and check for fluency as the child reads out loud.  Students then read the rest of the book to themselves and then when tehy are finished, I ask them questions in which answers can be found within the text, beyond the text, and about the text.  I then score the student a 0,1,2, or 3 to determine comprehension.  Using the word list really helps to narrow down which level to start off a book test with and saves time by not having to test a student multiple times in one sitting.

After I administer a book test, I am then able to determine what that student struggles with and then create lessons that are focused on those skills.  I can group students based on skills in order to effectively teach those skills in small groups or one on one.

Through tutoring, I can encourage my tutee to administer a word list then determine the student's level for a book test.  The word list also gives important information to the teacher such as vocabulary knowledge, and decoding strengths and weaknesses.  Through the word list, my tutee can then determine what skills the student needs when encountering unfamiliar words.  After my tutee has administered a word list and the book test a lot of information can be gained from comprehension questions such as a student may be able to answer low level questions but have difficulty with higher level questions.  In which case, a plan of action would be discussed and carried out.