Rachel Cason Try It Outs Fall 2013

Chapter 1: Highly Effective Teacher Reflection

One habit of a highly effective teacher is maintaining content knowledge. Ms. Young has a deep understanding of the content she teaches, particularly math and reading strategies. In addition, she has researched best practices for these areas, and she incorporates these into her lessons. For example, she allows students to present their own ways of thinking about a math problem instead of teaching them only one way to look at it. Along the same lines, using a variety of strategies and resources is a habit of effective teaching. Technology is often integrated into Ms. Youngs lessons, and she uses literacy and math centers as a reinforcement strategy. Another habit is keeping clarity and focus in the classroom. Ms. Young makes sure students know exactly what is expected of them, and she has signs around the room reminding students of their rules and goals. Keeping students engaged and motivated is another habit, and Ms. Young regularly includes fun activities in her classroom so that students stay interested in learning. They used gummy bears for an experiment about absorption, and they planted a class garden to learn about plants. Differentiation is another key habit, which Ms. Young uses by requiring different work samples from different students. Her high-end learners were once required to write a full explanation of a math concept in sentence form, while an ELL student was only required to write an equation and picture. Student-teacher interaction is also a habit that helps students learn. Ms. Young monitors the students while they work in their centers, and she does a lot of we do activities in her lessons. The students feel comfortable sharing their ideas with her, without feeling like they can never be wrong.

Management strategies are also important for effective teaching. Ms. Young has established clear expectations and procedures to keep class running smoothly. Students come to the rug during transition times, form a fabulous first grade line whenever they leave the room, and monitor their decision-making based on a series of steps. Finally, understanding student success is a habit of effective teachers. Ms. Young not only knows which students need academic differentiation, but she also knows the circumstances of each childs home life. One student, for instance, needs to gain independence because she is accustomed to having her parents and grandparents take care of her every need. Ms. Young encourages this student to make her own decisions and attempt her work without an adults help. I am most apprehensive about the management aspect of teaching. I enjoy working with children and teaching lessons, but I am not always firm enough with students. However, I know that it is important to establish authority, routines, and rules in the classroom so that I can help everyone learn to their fullest potential. I need to work on finding the balance between kindness and firmness in the classroom.

Relevant math tasks keep students engaged and motivated to learn, while a fun, inviting classroom library encourages them to enjoy reading.

iPads, iPod Touches, laptops, and desktop computers are used during math and literacy centers, which incorporates a variety of online resources.

Try It Out Classroom Library

The classroom library is a comfortable, colorful corner that contains bean bag chairs, poetry on the wall, and a variety of books. Students may choose up to five books each week to put in their book boxes, which they read during independent and partner reading time. These books may also be taken home and read with parents. Although some students finish reading all five books quickly, they are encouraged to keep those same books for the whole week. This way, they have time to practice fluency with repeated readings.

Books are generally arranged in buckets by reading level. Ms. Young uses levels A-K to designate the difficulty of the text. Books by popular authors, such as Dr. Seuss, are grouped together in a separate bucket.

Chapter 5: Fluency Reflection

Research shows that the best fluency instruction focuses on oral reading practice, repeated readings, and constant feedback from the teacher. Students need to practice reading the same text multiple times before they are able to read it fluently. The more times they practice, the more comfortable they become with the words, and then they can add expression and smoothness that make the reading sound natural. Effective fluency instruction should also use a variety of texts, including both fiction and non-fiction. Word count per minute can be used as a benchmark test to see how fluidly students can read, and there are norms for the number of words per minute a student should be able to read based on his or her grade level. Research also shows that fluency lessons should be short. They should never last longer than 15 to 30 minutes per day. Teaching and assessing fluency is most effective when it is explicit. Teachers should model fluency skills and allow plenty of time for practice. A suggested schedule is that 30% of the lesson time should be devoted to instruction and modeling, while 70% should be used for repeated readings and practice. Readers theater selections are also a great way to reinforce fluency skills. For assessments, teachers should focus on students chunking, speed, automaticity, and expression. Assessment strategies could include word count per minute tests, fluency rubrics, and self-assessment with student input.

Try It Out #1 and #2

1. Use a poem to teach/model fluency. 2. Lead the class or small group in a choral reading to practice fluency.

I used a poem called Dig In by George Shannon to combine these two Try It Outs with a student from my Action Research Group. First, I read the poem aloud to the student one line at a time. After I read one line, we repeated the line together in a choral reading. This student struggles with reading and does not like to read aloud, so I chose this poem because it had simple words. Reading the poem along with me gave her confidence, and it helped her hear what fluent reading should sound like.

I would certainly use this poem again because it uses short words and phrases that are easy for students to read and remember. It also has a simple, steady meter, which helps students read it fluently in the correct rhythm. I liked doing this activity with just one student because she could hear me reading without being distracted by other students. She could not hide behind the other voices, so she was forced to become more confident with her reading. However, if I did this activity again, I might like to have more students read at the same time. The larger group might also help the student hear herself reading alongside her peers, helping her understand that she can learn to read just as well as they can.

Dig In By George Shannon Dig a little. Dig a lot. Dig a brand-new garden spot. Plant a little. Plant a lot. Plant the seeds and bulbs you bought. Wait a little. Wait a lot. Wait much longer than you thought. Pick a little. Pick a lot. Share the best bouquet you've got!

Try It Out #3
3. Help ELL students who are struggling with fluency.

For my Action Research Project, I worked with two ELL students who struggle with blending words. As a result, their reading is choppy and slow, rather than smooth and fluent. I decided to use Elkonin boxes (sound boxes) to help them improve their decoding and blending skills, which in turn would help them improve their fluency. Because both students like to paint, we used paint on laminated sound boxes to model smooth blending, just like they used smooth brush strokes. We worked with ten words over the course of four sessions, and we blended those words by hearing them and reading them. This strategy was successful in many ways, and I would love to incorporate students interests into everyday lessons as much as possible. Allowing them to paint while they learned kept them engaged and excited, and they enjoyed our action research meetings. One student also moved up a level in her reading books in the classroom library, and I believe that the work we did in this group helped her achieve that goal. However, I might spend a little more time choosing and differentiating the words if I did this again. I used the same set of words for both students, but one of them probably needed slightly easier words. All in all, though, this activity was both engaging and helpful for the students in my group.

Elkonin Boxes

Word List
Tip Lap Rug Lock Sheet Scab Mind Frog Jump Stem

Try It Out #4
4. Make a collection of readers theater scripts from online sources.
I love the idea of integrating dramatic play into fluency instruction. Readers theater is a great tool because it makes fluency more meaningful and more fun, and it can be used for a variety of ages and levels. Several of the scripts I found are based on real books, and they could be used along with the book to make the story really come alive for students. One of the scripts is a multicultural story and can be used in conjunction with a lesson on Indian culture. Readers theater is not only a great tool for improving fluency, but it is also a strategy for integrating fluency and reading into other lessons and subject areas as well.

Chapter 6: Vocabulary Reflection

When learning vocabulary, students should never be expected to really understand new words by copying definitions from a glossary or using them in a sentence. Research indicates that these are not effective methods for teaching vocabulary. Instead, students must connect to the words in a variety of ways that are relevant and meaningful. It has been suggested that children need at least twelve exposures to a word in a meaningful context before they can take full ownership of the word. Therefore, it is a teachers responsibility to provide students with a variety of ways to use their vocabulary words. Best practices include word sorts, concept mapping, vocabulary anchors, the Cloze method, and acting out the words meaning. Word sorts can be open or closed; either way, they require students to categorize words based on their similarities. Concept mapping and vocabulary anchors are two visual methods of connecting new words to old words that the students already know. The Cloze method requires students to fill in the blanks in a passage using their vocabulary words, and acting out the meaning in a game like Charades helps kinesthetic learners remember what the words mean. These strategies help students get a complete understanding of their vocabulary words because they are using them in meaningful ways.

Try It Out #1, #2, and #3

1. Write and/or teach a vocabulary lesson. 2. Help your teacher maintain a word wall or word box. 3. Use a word map to help students with vocabulary.

My teacher asked me to teach a vocabulary lesson using the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. This lesson was based on Ms. Youngs typical routine for teaching vocabulary. She uses a teacher handbook called Making Meaning that provides picture cards for the vocabulary words and a specific lesson sequence for teaching these words. I used this handbook and Ms. Youngs example to create a vocabulary lesson that followed the usual structure.

I first reviewed Chrysanthemum, which they had already read earlier in the week. I then introduced the picture cards and asked students what words they associated with the picture. We created a word map on the board for each card, and when we discussed the associated vocabulary words, we added the word cards to the word map as well. The word cards were then added to the word wall in the classroom. After each vocabulary lesson, Ms. Young would hang the words on the wall so students could refer to them for spelling or journal-writing.

Students responded well to this lesson because they were familiar with the lesson layout. The word map was new, however, and they enjoyed coming up with words they thought might be associated with each picture. I would definitely use the picture cards again because they were very helpful for visual learners. I might change the assessment strategy, though. My teacher does not typically assess them formally after a vocabulary lesson, so I did not teach the part of my lesson that included data analysis for a formal assessment. However, in the future I think it would be useful to have a more formal assessment so that I could have a record of each students understanding of the words.

Partial Vocabulary Lesson Plan

Design for Learning

Instructor: Rachel Cason Lesson Title: Vocabulary with Chrysanthemum Curriculum Area: Vocabulary Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: 1st/Young Date: November 7, 2013 Estimated Time: 30 minutes Standards Connection: [L.1.5] With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings. Learning Objective(s): When given a list of vocabulary words, students will correctly use one of the words in a sentence according to a checklist. Learning Objective(s) stated in kid-friendly language: Boys and girls, today you will learn some new words, and youll learn how to use them in a sentence. Evaluation of Learning Objective(s): After learning four vocabulary words from the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, the students will be asked to turn and talk to a partner about how one of the words could be used in a sentence. Students will then be asked to share their sentences aloud, and a checklist will be used to score students responses based on participation and correct usage. Engagement: The teacher will begin by reviewing Chrysanthemum, which the students have already read. She will then introduce four picture cards for the vocabulary words in the story and ask the students to guess what word the picture is describing. She will create a graphic organizer on the board using the pictures and the words suggested by the students. Ok boys and girls! Id like you all to come find your spot on the carpet when I call your table group. Table 1, you may come to the carpet. (Wait for Table 1 to be seated on the carpet. Then call the other groups one at a time until everyone is seated.) Today were going to talk about some vocabulary words from the book you read earlier this week. Do you all remember reading this book? (Hold up Chrysanthemum.) Awesome! Its called Chrysanthemum, and its a story about a mouse. Can anyone raise their hand and tell me what makes Chrysanthemum upset when she starts school? (Wait for students to raise their hands. Call on one to answer.) Right. The other people in her class make fun of her name. Were going to read the story again in a few minutes, but first I want us to look at some pictures of vocabulary words from the story. Then well find the words in the story when we read it. Does that sound good? (Wait for student responses.) Great! Ok, here is our first picture. Look at it for a minute and then well see if you can tell me whats going on in the picture. (Hold up the picture for miserable. Give the students a few seconds to look without talking.) Alright, someone raise your hand and tell me who this is a picture of. (Call on a student.) Yes, this is a little girl and her grandfather. What is the girl doing in the picture? (Call on a student.) Shes crying, isnt she? Why do you think shes crying? (Call on a student.) Well, I also see a

suitcase in the background. Maybe her grandfather is about to leave. How do you think she feels about that? (Call on a student.) Yes, she probably feels sad. So what word do you think this picture might describe? (Call on several students to get a few different answers.) Those are all good guesses! Im going to put this picture on the board, and were going to make a graphic organizer with your predictions. (Use a magnet to hang the picture on the board. Write the students guesses around the picture.) Very good! Now I have another picture for us. Look at it without talking first, and then well talk about it. (Hold up the card for possession. Wait for students to look.) Who do we see in this picture? (Call on a student.) Right, thats a boy. What are some of the things hes looking at in this picture? (Call on a student.) Yes. I see a truck, a trophy, some books, and some dinosaurs. Do you think those things are important to him? (Call on a student, or let the class respond yes.) I think so too. What do you think are some words that this picture might be describing? (Call on a few students.) Good predictions! Ill add them to our graphic organizer. (Add the picture and the students guesses to the board.) Ok, heres our third picture! Look at it quietly. (Hold up the card for humorous.) What do you see in this picture? (Call on a student.) Yes, thats a clown. Who can tell me what clowns are like? (Call on a student.) Youre right. Clowns are usually silly and funny. This one is juggling and balancing an umbrella on his nose! Do you think this clown is being silly or serious? (Call on a student, or let the class respond silly.) Yes, he looks pretty silly to me! So what are some words we think this picture might be describing? (Call on a few students.) Very good. Ill add this one to the board too. (Add the picture and the students guesses to the board.) Last one! Look at this one before you talk. (Hold up the card for beam.) Who do we see in this picture, and what are they doing? (Call on a student.) Thats right. There are two girls doing a puzzle together. Do they look happy or sad to be playing together? (Call on a student, or let the class respond happy.) Right. They both look very happy. Now look closely at the girl in the blue shirt. What do you notice about her smile? (Call on a student.) Yes, it is very big! She looks really happy, doesnt she? What kind of words do we think this picture might be describing? (Call on a few students.) Great job. Ill put those ideas on the board. (Add the picture and students guesses to the board.) Thats all the pictures we have for today! Now were going to read our story again and find our vocabulary words that go with these pictures. Learning Design:

I. Teaching: The teacher will read Chrysanthemum to the class. When she arrives at a vocabulary word in the text, she will stop and point out the word. For each word, she will give the definition and add the word and definition to the board. She will then ask students to make connections to their own lives using each of the words. (Begin reading Chrysanthemum. When you reach miserably, stop.) Ok class, I see one of our vocabulary words on this page! Raise your hand if youd like to guess what it is. (Call on a few students.) Yes, the word on this page is miserably. Our vocabulary word is kind of like this word, and it is miserable. Can everyone say miserable with me? (Say the word with the students.) Very good! Miserable means very sad or unhappy. Why was Chrysanthemum miserable in the story? (Call on a student.) Right. The other kids were making fun of her name. Raise your hand if youve ever felt miserable before. (Call on a student.) (Student), would you like to make a connection? When have you felt miserable before? (Listen to students answer.) I

bet that made you very sad and unhappy. That means you were miserable. Very good example! Which one of our pictures makes you think of something that is very sad or unhappy? (Call on a student.) Right! In our first picture, the girl is crying and looks pretty miserable, doesnt she? Ill add the word miserable and its definition to our graphic organizer. (Add the word card under the picture card, and write the definition underneath.) Now lets keep reading to find the next word! (Continue reading. When you reach possession, stop.) I see another vocabulary word! Raise your hand to guess what it is. (Call on a few students.) Our word on this page is possession. Can you say that with me? (Say possession with the students.) Good job. A possession is something that belongs to you. What was Chrysanthemum doing with her possessions in the story? (Call on a student.) Yes, she was putting them in her pockets to bring to school with her. I have some important possessions that I bring with me to school each day, like my computer, my car keys, and my rings that I wear every day. Show me a me too if you have special possessions. (Wait for student responses. Call on one who gave a me too.) (Student), what are some of your favorite possessions? (Listen to student.) Very good example! Those things belong to you, which makes them your possessions. Now, which one of our pictures do you think goes along with possessions? (Call on a student.) Right! The picture of the little boy shows us a lot of things that belong to him, or his possessions. Ill add this word and its definition to the board. (Add the word card and definition to the board.) Alright, lets look for the next word! (Continue reading. When you reach humorous, stop.) Our next word is on this page! Raise your hand if you think you know it! (Call on a few students.) Our next word is humorous. Can you say that with me? (Say humorous with the students.) Great. Humorous means funny. Why did Mrs. Twinkle ask what was funny? (Call on a student.) Thats right. The class was laughing, so Mrs. Twinkle thought something must be funny, or humorous. Who wants to share something they think is funny? Raise your hand to make a connection! (Call on a student.) You can show me a me too if you think thats funny too. (Wait for student responses.) So which picture do you think goes along with humorous? (Call on a student.) Very good! The picture of the clown shows something funny, or humorous. Ill add our word card and definition to the board. (Add the word card and definition to the board.) Ok, were looking for one last word! (Continue reading. When you reach beamed, stop.) Our last word is on this page! Raise your hand if you think you know it. (Call on a few students.) The word were looking for is beamed. Our vocabulary word is beam. Can you say that with me? (Say beam with the class.) Very good. Beam means to smile a big, big smile. Why was Chrysanthemum beaming in the story? (Call on a student.) Right! She beamed because Mrs. Twinkle said her name was absolutely perfect. Raise your hand if youd like to share something that would make you beam with happiness. (Call on a student.) (Student), what makes you beam? (Listen to student.) Good example! Give me a me too if that would make you beam too. (Wait for student responses.) Good. Im going to put our last word and definition on our graphic organizer. (Add the word card and definition to the board.) Now that weve found all our vocabulary words, Im going to finish reading our story. Pay attention to the end! (Finish the book.)

II. Opportunity for Practice: The teacher will ask the students to turn and talk to a partner and practice using each word in a sentence. She will listen as the students come up with sentences to check for students understanding. Ok boys and girls. Now that weve talked about all our vocabulary words, I want you to try to use them in a sentence. Lets review what the words are. (Point to each word on the board as you discuss it.) Our first word is miserable. Raise your hand if you can tell me what miserable means. (Call on a student.) Very good. Miserable means very sad or unhappy. This is our second word, possession. Who can tell me what possession means? (Call on a student.) Yes, a possession is something that belongs to you. Now for our third word: humorous. What does humorous mean? (Call on a student.) Thats right. Humorous means funny. And heres our last word, beam. What does beam mean? (Call on a student.) Good job. Beam means to smile a big, big smile. Give me a thumbs up if you think you understand all of our words. (Wait for student responses.) Great! Now what I want you to do in just a minute is to turn and talk to the person next to you. With your partner, I want you to think of one sentence for each word. Do you think you can do that? Awesome. Ill walk around to listen to some of your sentences. Go ahead and turn and talk to your partner! (As students talk, walk around and listen to their sentences. Guide them toward correct usage as necessary.) Very good, everyone! I heard some great sentences.
Materials and Resources: Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes Vocabulary word cards and picture cards Magnets/dry erase markers

Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners): H: Students who master the words with ease may be asked to create a sentence that uses two words in the same sentence. L: Students who struggle with matching the words and pictures may be asked to draw their own picture to represent the word instead of creating sentences.

Word Map/Graphic Organizer

Try It Out #4
4. Select vocabulary words from a text and teach them to students. Write a reflection describing why these words were chosen.
I read a portion of a non-fiction book, Why, Why, Why Does My Heart Begin to Race? by Camilla de la Bedoyere, with a small group of second graders. This section of the book focused on the parts of the body. I chose a few words from the reading and discussed them with the students as we read. I chose the words epidermis, follicle, and collarbone because those words are medical terms that were likely to be unfamiliar to students. Epidermis refers to the top layer of skin on the human body. One student connected to this word by pointing out that he had a scratch on his epidermis on his arm. Follicle was described as the place where hair grows from. We marveled at how many hairs we have on our heads, noting that there were that many follicles as well. I used a picture of a skeleton to show students that the collarbone attaches to the shoulders above the ribcage. I helped them connect to this word by telling them that my brother had just broken his collarbone, and I explained how surgery would help put it back in its proper alignment.

I would love to use non-fiction books for vocabulary lessons again. Although non-fiction books are often more informative than fiction books, they still may not fully explain all the words that students need to know to understand the text. The students responded well to this activity because they understood the relevance of the words, and they liked learning big words that adults use. However, I would like to use more visuals and manipulatives if I did this activity again. There were a few pictures in the book, but I would like to use a variety of pictures and possibly a fake skeleton to really show students where those body parts are found.

Chapter 9: Childrens Literature Reflection

This semester, I have learned that childrens literature can be used for much more than just read-alouds, library check-out, or independent reading time. Literature can be worked into any and all subject areas, especially as an engagement activity before a lesson. The more students are exposed to literature, the better readers they will be. As teachers, it is important for us to encourage students to cultivate a love of reading at a young age. Maintaining an inviting classroom library, reading books in all content areas, and teaching students about different kinds of books are all good ways to motivate students to read. Although a book might not be designed specifically to teach a concept, the book can easily be used to go along with a lesson. For example, the book The Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg was not written to be a book about language arts. However, it uses a log book entry format to tell the story, which could be used to teach students about different types of writing. Likewise, the book How Fletcher Was Hatched by Wende and Harry Devlin was not intended to teach students about how some animals hatch, but it could be used to teach a lesson about hatching compared to live birth. Childrens literature can be used across the curriculum to teach a variety of concepts and encourage students to enjoy reading.

Try It Out #1 Read for the Record

Read for the Record is an annual event at Trace Crossings and across the United States. It encourages all elementary schools to read the same book on the same day. This years book was Otis by Loren Long, which is the story of a tractor who makes friends with a cow. The Samford students were responsible for decorating the hallway and the lunchroom to look like a barn, and the technology team also helped create Aurasma videos to go along with the decorations.

On the day of Read for the Record, the teachers dressed up as the characters and acted out the story as it was read to the students in the lunchroom. Some of the students then performed songs related to the book. Participating in this event helped me understand the roles and responsibilities of teachers outside the classroom. We had to decorate and prepare for the event, not just attend. It also showed me how excited students can be about reading when adults are also excited about it. Teachers must model this love of reading to ensure that their students do, too.

Try It Out #2
2. Read a book or chapter to the class. Describe how the students responded.

I read the book The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper to the class on my first day of clinicals. I started out reading to a small group of students, but more and more gathered around as I began reading. I then moved to the front of the room and addressed the entire class. The students loved the story, and they were enthusiastic about reading along with me. Therefore, each time we came to I think I can, we read the section chorally.

After finishing the story, my teacher reminded me that I can be firm with students when I need to be. When they were crowding around me at first, Ms. Young told them to back up and give me some space, and I need to be able to speak to them that way as well. I was not yet comfortable with them since I was new to the class, but Ms. Young encouraged me to be stern if I needed to be. That way, the students would know that I was an adult and a teacher, not just a buddy.

Try It Out #3
3. Ask your teacher how she motivates students to read.

My teacher makes reading exciting by setting up her classroom library as an inviting corner of the room. There are comfortable bean bags and pillows for them to sit on, and there are a variety of books that the students can choose from. Students are encouraged to read five new books each week, and she provides independent reading time for students to check out and read these books. As they progress with their reading, they are allowed to move to higher levels of books, which means they have new options to choose from. Students strive to reach higher levels and new books, and this system encourages them to read and appreciate challenging books.

The teacher also incorporates books into all content areas and uses technology while reading. She often uses online read-alouds during science to introduce a new topic. This way, even students who do not like to read are exposed to literature through the technology. The teacher also sets aside time each day to read aloud from a chapter book. The students might not be able to read those books on their own yet, but hearing the stories encourages them to work toward reading those higher-level books.