As I read I am constantly trying to make sure everything is making sense to me. Many times I have to reread for a better understanding. I can remember in third grade my teacher, Miss McClary, taught my class a strategy for reading comprehension. She told us after every paragraph you should ask yourself a series of questions. Who was involved here? What did they do? Was there a problem? How did they or will they fix it? She then told us if we still weren’t sure of one of the answer or we caught ourselves thinking about things other than the readings we should go back and reread. Obviously, now being a junior in college I do not ask my self these questions after every paragraph I read. However, I do have to think about all of those as I am continuously reading.
As a college student my volume of required reading sometimes stretches beyond what I am actually able to read. I constantly find myself wanting to speed read or skim the material because I have procrastinated and don’t have enough time to think about all of them in as much depth as hoped. During these sessions of speed reading I always look at the title so I know the topic that is being discussed. Then I read the first and last sentence of the paragraphs because a lot of the important information is outlined here. Then if there is any bolded or italicized words I read the sentences they are in. If I am not rushing through my readings I have found it to be beneficial to do the above steps anyways and then go through and read it. If you know what you are going to be reading about it is a lot easier to make connections and remember what was stated within the paragraph.
In one of the articles the author talked about another way to sift through all of the material to find the important information is to ask yourself what you think the author wants you to know. I haven’t personally tried this strategy yet but I feel it would be quite beneficial. I frequently forget the purpose of the reading and if you can keep that in mind it can help make connections to your background knowledge.
Showing posts with label e342 Wednesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label e342 Wednesday. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
What is important
Whenever I am reading be it for school or for fun I try to put myself in the story. I read as if someone is telling the content to me in a conversation. As I go through the text when something comes up that I would question a person about to find out more or because I don’t understand it I write it down that way I can read on and maybe find the answer or if not look it up when I am done reading. I do thing in case it is important and I tend to think of this as not important if I don’t understand them so this way if it is important I will have some understanding of it. I also look for things that are repeated throughout the text if it is mentioned more than once or twice it is probably of some significance. For textbooks I look at what is in bold print and larger print. Usually these things are standing out for a reason. Looking at headings also helps me to figure out what might be important. If I am reading for an assignment I look for things that we have talked about in class or things the teacher has mentioned if they are in the text then I know they are important. If I am reading something for pleasure I look through the book when I first get it and see if there are any pictures. If there are I look at what the pictures are showing and as I read I think about how the text relates to the picture and anything that does I know is important. I also look at the main title or chapter title to find what is important in the text by finding what is related to them.
Alex Nabolotny's Importance in Reading
As a student I try to be a very active reader. I always want to try and get as much content out of an article or textbook. I find this hard to do sometimes, especially with readings that do not hold my attention. Because of this I have tried to think of tricks to help me get the main ideas out of articles or textbooks without having to read everything thoroughly. One thing that I always try to do is highlight. I highlight what I believe are the authors main ideas and this usually helps me understand the content of the article. However, sometimes it is easy to get highlight crazy and highlight every word on the page, and then that kind of defeats the purpose. Because of this I try to, along with highlighting, write down some notes in the margins of the text or article. They are usually short sentences, or even questions that I have about the reading. The questions help me stay focused on the reading because as I continue to read I am searching for the answer to my question. Reading for school and reading for pleasure are two different types of reading and I use different comprehension skills for each. Books that I read for pleasure are written differently than textbooks and therefore they do not require the highlighting and note-taking. I do, though, think of questions as I read for pleasure. I also look closely at the dialogue because it is important to see what is going on in the character's lives.
Interestingly enough, in one of my classes we did an activity on reading comprehension. My teacher gave us a short story and told us to underline things that we thought were important to the story. I thought this activity was really beneficial because I was able to see what my classmates underlined, what they thought was important. It got me thinking about reading comprehension and how students can and will interpret stories differently. Obviously there are certain texts where there is only one main idea, but at times there can be some discrepancy between main ideas.
Overall I think the most important things to do when reading is highlight or underline the important things. This will help you get to the point and allow you to comprehend the story better.
Alex Lew
I, like every other college student, have had plenty of opportunity to work on my reading skills. The large amounts of reading assigned to me has helped me over the years to work on finding what is important in what I am reading. I feel it is important for me to understand how I figure out what is important when I am reading, as well as what goes on in my head while I read, because it will better able me to explain these processes to new readers.
When reading college texts it is fairly easy to determine what is important in the reading. Usually, what has been discussed in class is being supported by the assigned reading and therefore I have an idea of what main points to pay attention to. I use a highlighter to mark the main ideas of paragraphs and other interesting facts; so that I can remember what I thought was important. The internal conversation I have while reading college texts usually connects the reading back to something else, either read before or talked about in class. I also try to imagine myself using the techniques or lesson ideas, presented in the reading, in my own classroom. This helps me to better understand what the lesson or idea is about and to visualize its usefulness.
When I read for enjoyment, rather than for school, my process for deciding what is important is different. It is harder for me to determine what is important while reading novels because if I do not know what is going to happen in the book I cannot determine what is important information and what is not. My internal conversation while reading novels for pleasure talks through major events. If an important event has happened in the book I then try to think about why it was important, how it related back to the beginning of the book, and how this certain event will/will not change the course of the book. I also have a constant running visual of the images and events that happen when I read, because if I did not do this I would lose focus and begin to think about other things unrelated to the book, while still continuing to read.
My reading of college texts differs from that of reading novels for pleasure, however, I always try to connect the reading to something while having some sort of a visual to keep me focused.
When reading college texts it is fairly easy to determine what is important in the reading. Usually, what has been discussed in class is being supported by the assigned reading and therefore I have an idea of what main points to pay attention to. I use a highlighter to mark the main ideas of paragraphs and other interesting facts; so that I can remember what I thought was important. The internal conversation I have while reading college texts usually connects the reading back to something else, either read before or talked about in class. I also try to imagine myself using the techniques or lesson ideas, presented in the reading, in my own classroom. This helps me to better understand what the lesson or idea is about and to visualize its usefulness.
When I read for enjoyment, rather than for school, my process for deciding what is important is different. It is harder for me to determine what is important while reading novels because if I do not know what is going to happen in the book I cannot determine what is important information and what is not. My internal conversation while reading novels for pleasure talks through major events. If an important event has happened in the book I then try to think about why it was important, how it related back to the beginning of the book, and how this certain event will/will not change the course of the book. I also have a constant running visual of the images and events that happen when I read, because if I did not do this I would lose focus and begin to think about other things unrelated to the book, while still continuing to read.
My reading of college texts differs from that of reading novels for pleasure, however, I always try to connect the reading to something while having some sort of a visual to keep me focused.
Kelly Reeder-Breaking Down Readings
While reading texts there are many different things that cross my mind. If I know that the text assigned to me by my teacher is going to be very important I bring out my highlighter and begin marking the paragraphs, or sentences, that I think will be beneficial if I look over the text again. I know that I am not a very good judge of what is important, but I know that I have a hard time focusing. If I am able to eliminate simple sentences, without meaning, than I have narrowed down what I should reread. While reading these important texts I often find myself reading each sentence over twice, and then sitting back to comprehend what the sentence was saying. Each time I put all of my energy into understanding every part of a text I take a lot longer than I do while reading a simple article. Each time I read a sentence and sit back to comprehend it I also wonder if this could be important. I think about if it will be on a test, paper, or quiz in the future.
Often times a teacher will give you a text and tell you that certain parts will be on an exam. When this happens I break down each little section into time slots. Since I don’t want to overwhelm myself I will break down the chapters into sections, and even paragraphs down to a sentence. During one of my cluster classes I found that outlining the chapter helps me to better understand the concept of it. I look for the most important things inside of each of each paragraph and best summarize it. If I have a hard time with what I am reading, I will try and reword some of the important sentences so that I will better understand. Once I am done with my outline, I set my book aside and try to comprehend what is written on my sheet.
I guess when I look at my strategy for understanding the main ideas in text I do have a major conversation with myself. I often sit back and try to reword or repeat a sentence I just read. I wonder what points I would focus on if I was a teacher, and which points would be the most beneficial for me to understand. There are often times when I become stumped with a reading, but if I try and break it down to a point where it is simple enough for me to understand then I am able to focus on the important points and eliminate the unnecessary.
Often times a teacher will give you a text and tell you that certain parts will be on an exam. When this happens I break down each little section into time slots. Since I don’t want to overwhelm myself I will break down the chapters into sections, and even paragraphs down to a sentence. During one of my cluster classes I found that outlining the chapter helps me to better understand the concept of it. I look for the most important things inside of each of each paragraph and best summarize it. If I have a hard time with what I am reading, I will try and reword some of the important sentences so that I will better understand. Once I am done with my outline, I set my book aside and try to comprehend what is written on my sheet.
I guess when I look at my strategy for understanding the main ideas in text I do have a major conversation with myself. I often sit back and try to reword or repeat a sentence I just read. I wonder what points I would focus on if I was a teacher, and which points would be the most beneficial for me to understand. There are often times when I become stumped with a reading, but if I try and break it down to a point where it is simple enough for me to understand then I am able to focus on the important points and eliminate the unnecessary.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Courtney Dressler's Important Reading
Although I have always considered myself an avid highlighter, it has not been until recently that I believe I have been highlighting the “right” information. We have all been taught that when we come across important, relevant, or informational ideas or statements in a text we should somehow mark it so that the information will be useful in the future. But do students really know what they should be looking for? Today, for instance, in one of my courses, we used a simple piece of text to understand how children look for and comprehend information depending on what their teachers ask of them. For example, if a student were reading for “big ideas,” the highlighted information would differ from if a student were reading for “specific examples,” “names of characters,” or “chronological events.” In short, while reading I must remember what I am looking for in order to find “what is important.” Take, for instance, that I am reading an assigned reading for a course this semester on children’s literature. Although the passage is sure to have an abundance of useful information and activities that I could apply to my class, I make sure to only highlight “big concepts” such as vocabulary or generalizations along with any activities that I hope to refer back to in the future. In order to successfully do this, while I read I have a constant and repetitive internal conversation taking place in my mind: “Will I need to know this information 2 weeks from now? A year from now? Will it be applicable during discussions, activities, and assignments? Do I find the information interesting and useful for my future as a teacher?” All of these internal questions help me to recognize, what I find to be, relevant information in the text. But although these are the questions I ask while reading, I firmly believe that what people find “important” and “useful” in a text varies from individual to individual.
Jada Nichols
When it comes to reading texts, I read in a completely different way than I would if I were reading a book for enjoyment. I think this is natural as texts seem to not have a flowing plot but are designed as informational guides. The way I decide what is important is usually by first noting what the author felt was important. If I am taking notes I always use the headers somewhere in them because they are a good way to know what the author felt was important and to organize notes. Another way I decide what is important is dependent upon the class that it is for. If I am in a teaching math methods class and am reading a text for it, I am going to try to pull out any math methods information that would be useful. It is most useful in reading to know ahead of time the purpose of your reading, otherwise it can get muddled with unnecessary information and note taking. Finally, along with using the aforementioned methods for reading texts, as I am reading I tend to skip over concepts I already know. From class to class and book to book, there can be a lot of repetitiveness. If I am absolutely sure that there is a section of my reading over a concept I am certain I have mastered then I will just skip it. There is no use, to me, in reading over something I already know when I could be reading and gaining new insights on a completely foreign concept.
When reading texts I tend to not have as much internal conversation going on. This could be why I come out of reading a text with little comprehension the first time around. I seldomly ask myself questions about what I am reading because oftentimes it involves a lot of new ideas that I am simply trying to understand. Usually at that stage the questions are mostly “what does this mean?” Which is usually answered later in the text or in class.
When it comes to knowing what is important in a text, I rely, as I said before, on the topic at hand, or questions the teacher poses. There are so many details in texts that unless there is some guidance as to what you are looking for, you could very easily get lost. It is easiest to pick out the important parts if the teacher provides thought provoking questions or if there is a “sum it up” section at the end to help guide the thought process.
When reading texts I tend to not have as much internal conversation going on. This could be why I come out of reading a text with little comprehension the first time around. I seldomly ask myself questions about what I am reading because oftentimes it involves a lot of new ideas that I am simply trying to understand. Usually at that stage the questions are mostly “what does this mean?” Which is usually answered later in the text or in class.
When it comes to knowing what is important in a text, I rely, as I said before, on the topic at hand, or questions the teacher poses. There are so many details in texts that unless there is some guidance as to what you are looking for, you could very easily get lost. It is easiest to pick out the important parts if the teacher provides thought provoking questions or if there is a “sum it up” section at the end to help guide the thought process.
Finding Importance in Reading-Courtney S.
When I read my textbooks, I highlight ideas or phrases that I think are the most important. I base what I highlight off of the headings of the section, and the first sentence of the paragraph. You can normally tell what the main idea of a paragraph will be by using those two tools. I do, however, go highlighting crazy sometimes, and highlight a lot of words on a page. When I look back at the reading, it can be hard for me to figure out the main ideas when the whole page is bright yellow! Another strategy I use when I read my texts is that I normally look for key words that relate to the broad heading or entire chapter. Sometimes texts put important words in bold face or italics, and then I pay closer attention to those as well.
When I read for my own pleasure, I read differently. Novels are not set up like text books, with headings or side notes in the margins. When I read for fun I find everything to be important. It is hard to tell sometimes what paragraphs or sentences are more important than others-depending on the genre of the book. I like to read James Patterson books and he writes a lot of murder mystery type books. Those books, I pay attention to the clues they find that I think will have more importance later in the story. Also, in general, I find dialogue important-when the characters have conversations it can be powerful for the story. In dialogue it is important to pay attention to the mood of the character and the emotions he or she possesses. I am also in the middle of reading Pride and Prejudice and since the language is more difficult at times I try to pay attention to the words I am familiar with and use context clues to figure out phrases or words that I do not know.
I have noticed that I do have a conversation with myself when I read. While I read textbooks I noticed that I ask questions to myself a lot. Sometimes I try to write them in the margins, but often I find the answers as I keep reading. When I am reading for fun I ask questions too-but the questions revolve around the plot and not about information I have just read. Also, I hear myself talking the words while I read and I paint a picture in my mind of the events of the story.
When I read for my own pleasure, I read differently. Novels are not set up like text books, with headings or side notes in the margins. When I read for fun I find everything to be important. It is hard to tell sometimes what paragraphs or sentences are more important than others-depending on the genre of the book. I like to read James Patterson books and he writes a lot of murder mystery type books. Those books, I pay attention to the clues they find that I think will have more importance later in the story. Also, in general, I find dialogue important-when the characters have conversations it can be powerful for the story. In dialogue it is important to pay attention to the mood of the character and the emotions he or she possesses. I am also in the middle of reading Pride and Prejudice and since the language is more difficult at times I try to pay attention to the words I am familiar with and use context clues to figure out phrases or words that I do not know.
I have noticed that I do have a conversation with myself when I read. While I read textbooks I noticed that I ask questions to myself a lot. Sometimes I try to write them in the margins, but often I find the answers as I keep reading. When I am reading for fun I ask questions too-but the questions revolve around the plot and not about information I have just read. Also, I hear myself talking the words while I read and I paint a picture in my mind of the events of the story.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Hannah Troxal Literacy Centers
The site I found was really interesting. It has 22 literacy centers or stations. Each one includes about five or six activities that relate to spelling, reading, writing words and sentences, and then also a few activities that relate to art, math and other subjects. Examples that were included in the stations were listening to books on tape, writing a sentence about a classmate, using sing-language letters or magnets to spell someone’s name. The site also includes strategies that help students read and write more proficiently. I liked this website because the literacy strategies seemed very useful, however, I did think the author could go more in depth about each one and how it would be useful for students in which grade level.
http://www.msrossbec.com/literacy_index.html
Another site I found had many resources to use for centers. The author of the site said she taught them in 2nd grade but may also be useful for 1st or 3rd grades. One particular idea I found rather interesting was for changing the onset or rime of the word. The teacher had the rime on a big picture of a pencil and then the first letter (or first few letters) on a picture of an eraser. The students would rearrange the erasers with different pencils to show that when they change or erase the first letter(s) they are still able to make new words. This activity was called CVC Eraser Words.
Another activity I liked on the site was called Glue Words. Glue words are compound words that “glue” the sentences together. The students should make sentences and use their glue words to combine them. I thought this was a creative way to help students understand what the word compound actually means by using a picture and a word (glue) they are already familiar with. I also really liked this website because it enables you to download the actual pictures or copies the teacher used to teach her class and shows pictures of how the students were working with them. This site had many more ideas that used pictures to help the students understand what they were actually doing! I thought it was very resourceful for future teaching.
http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/literacy_centers%20Final.htm
http://www.msrossbec.com/literacy_index.html
Another site I found had many resources to use for centers. The author of the site said she taught them in 2nd grade but may also be useful for 1st or 3rd grades. One particular idea I found rather interesting was for changing the onset or rime of the word. The teacher had the rime on a big picture of a pencil and then the first letter (or first few letters) on a picture of an eraser. The students would rearrange the erasers with different pencils to show that when they change or erase the first letter(s) they are still able to make new words. This activity was called CVC Eraser Words.
Another activity I liked on the site was called Glue Words. Glue words are compound words that “glue” the sentences together. The students should make sentences and use their glue words to combine them. I thought this was a creative way to help students understand what the word compound actually means by using a picture and a word (glue) they are already familiar with. I also really liked this website because it enables you to download the actual pictures or copies the teacher used to teach her class and shows pictures of how the students were working with them. This site had many more ideas that used pictures to help the students understand what they were actually doing! I thought it was very resourceful for future teaching.
http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/literacy_centers%20Final.htm
Jamie Oberg Literacy Centers
The first website I went to had many different literature games. This website could be geared appropriately depending on the age but because it does use technically, it may be best to use this for the upper elementary grades. It seems to think that children learn best through interactive activities and also while having fun playing a game. There are games for adverbs, adjectives, sentence making, proof reading, and different types of grammar along with punctuation. It would be beneficial teaching a whole class to have the students work individually on their own computers or if this is not available, to take turns playing the game with is displayed onto a projection screen. It could also help engage the students if they worked on teams or pairs.
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/literacy2.htm#grammar
The second website I went to would be helpful for younger students because it includes many different coloring pages. They require cutting different sentences up and rearranging, completing sentences that coordinate with the picture, creating an alphabet book, or point to each word in the sentence on the coloring picture. Every activity on the website is based around hands-on learning activities to keep the students focused.
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/reading-games-ideas.html
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/literacy2.htm#grammar
The second website I went to would be helpful for younger students because it includes many different coloring pages. They require cutting different sentences up and rearranging, completing sentences that coordinate with the picture, creating an alphabet book, or point to each word in the sentence on the coloring picture. Every activity on the website is based around hands-on learning activities to keep the students focused.
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/reading-games-ideas.html
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Jennifer Wolff Literacy Center Ideas
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/beginning10.html
This website I found was very helpful. It is basically a very long list of different activities teachers can use to as centers in the classroom. The website has the activity in red, then below it has the primary skill the students will be using throughout the activity.
For instance: "Fill in the missing letters/words" Then below it, it says the primary skill the student will be using is writing. The website then furthers its description by stating "write out a poem or a message on the board or on photocopied paper, leave out some parts, and allow the students to fill in the missing sections"
With each activity given, there is a short description underneath the title activity. The interesting part of this website is that it reflects mainly on reading, writing, and typing skills. Therefore, this website would be best for Language Arts Centers. It is very beneficial for a teacher looking for ideas for reading/writing; however, it will not benefit teachers looking for centers for any other activities. I found a lot of these activities given very engaging and fun for the students as well as teacher. They are not the same activity each student is used to for class. Some are unique games that some students may have never heard of. For instance, one unique activity is called the "tongue twister". In this activity the students will "have photocopies of a variety of tongue twisters and have students practice reading them. Share the twister with other students or the teacher." This can be viewed as a game to the students where they can have a lot of fun with the twisters. I believe a very important trait to have in the classroom is knowing how to engage the classroom and create a fun environment. I think this website does a great job with this.
This website I found was very helpful. It is basically a very long list of different activities teachers can use to as centers in the classroom. The website has the activity in red, then below it has the primary skill the students will be using throughout the activity.
For instance: "Fill in the missing letters/words" Then below it, it says the primary skill the student will be using is writing. The website then furthers its description by stating "write out a poem or a message on the board or on photocopied paper, leave out some parts, and allow the students to fill in the missing sections"
With each activity given, there is a short description underneath the title activity. The interesting part of this website is that it reflects mainly on reading, writing, and typing skills. Therefore, this website would be best for Language Arts Centers. It is very beneficial for a teacher looking for ideas for reading/writing; however, it will not benefit teachers looking for centers for any other activities. I found a lot of these activities given very engaging and fun for the students as well as teacher. They are not the same activity each student is used to for class. Some are unique games that some students may have never heard of. For instance, one unique activity is called the "tongue twister". In this activity the students will "have photocopies of a variety of tongue twisters and have students practice reading them. Share the twister with other students or the teacher." This can be viewed as a game to the students where they can have a lot of fun with the twisters. I believe a very important trait to have in the classroom is knowing how to engage the classroom and create a fun environment. I think this website does a great job with this.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Lauren Flaspohler's Literacy Center Ideas
Online I found a website called Can Teach: Beginning Reading & Writing. There are a ton of great ideas on this website. It is definitely geared toward students just starting to write stories. However, I think that some of these ideas could be used with any elementary age group. The difference is what you expect from the children at each different level.
I really liked the idea of having a station called “What Will the Ending Be?.” I think it is important for students to try to figure out and use their creativity to complete a story. Also it shows that they are listening to the other part of the story. This is a great way to get students to start predicting what will happen next.
There is another section to put a story back together. You as a teacher have photocopied pages of a story. The idea is to get the students to put the story back in the correct order. This is a great idea to get students to put events in chronological order.
Another idea that I like is “Fill in the missing letters and/or words.” When I was little, I used to love Mad Libs. This is what this idea made me think of. It is a great and fun way to get students to think of nouns and adjectives. It is just a silly fun thing to do and students don’t even realize they are learning!
“Listen to yourself” was another literacy center idea that I liked off of this website. I think it is important for students to see how they are reading stories. It will get them to think about how they are expressing the punctuation at the end of sentences. Also it will show them where to put pauses. They will be able to listen to what they sound like. This idea will be a great way for them to self-monitor and self-evaluate themselves.
Most of these ideas would also be great for individualized lessons. Students will be at very different levels and so you can push students harder when they need it. It should be so everyone improves and not that they are necessarily on the same levels.
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/beginning10.html
I really liked the idea of having a station called “What Will the Ending Be?.” I think it is important for students to try to figure out and use their creativity to complete a story. Also it shows that they are listening to the other part of the story. This is a great way to get students to start predicting what will happen next.
There is another section to put a story back together. You as a teacher have photocopied pages of a story. The idea is to get the students to put the story back in the correct order. This is a great idea to get students to put events in chronological order.
Another idea that I like is “Fill in the missing letters and/or words.” When I was little, I used to love Mad Libs. This is what this idea made me think of. It is a great and fun way to get students to think of nouns and adjectives. It is just a silly fun thing to do and students don’t even realize they are learning!
“Listen to yourself” was another literacy center idea that I liked off of this website. I think it is important for students to see how they are reading stories. It will get them to think about how they are expressing the punctuation at the end of sentences. Also it will show them where to put pauses. They will be able to listen to what they sound like. This idea will be a great way for them to self-monitor and self-evaluate themselves.
Most of these ideas would also be great for individualized lessons. Students will be at very different levels and so you can push students harder when they need it. It should be so everyone improves and not that they are necessarily on the same levels.
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/beginning10.html
Alex Lew
The website http://www.k-3learningpages.net/web%20literacy%20centers.htm contains several links to other sites that have ideas about literacy centers. Some of these links however did not seem very substantial. One of the links on this site that did seem to be informative was A to Z teacher stuff, http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Lesson_Plans/Learning_Centers/Literacy_Centers/index.shtml. This link then has numerous ideas on different lesson plans for implementing centers. For example, alphabet learning centers.
Another great link I found was, http://www.elementaryteacherresources.com/primary_literacy_centers.html. This site listed several literacy center ideas, however it did not explain how to implement the centers. There was a short video explaining briefly literacy centers as well as giving a few examples. There was a place on this website that teachers could post ideas and comments. This is helpful because it allows for constant updates on new ideas and gives the reader even more useful ideas for their classroom. The main site that this page is linked to is http://www.elementary-teacher-resources.com/. Although the entire site does not deal specifically with literacy centers or even just centers there are many resources located here that seem to be very helpful, such as ideas on lesson plans and the teacher’s favorite materials they use in the classroom.
Most of the websites I have come across while doing a search have been written by teachers. This is helpful because they give “real-life” advice on what works and what does not work when implementing their center ideas. It was neat to see how many different ideas there are for literacy centers and how they can be used within the classroom. Another thing I noticed about the sites is that most of the centers were recommended for younger grades. There are a lot of resources available online about literacy centers; it just takes some time to find the ones that are really helpful.
Another great link I found was, http://www.elementaryteacherresources.com/primary_literacy_centers.html. This site listed several literacy center ideas, however it did not explain how to implement the centers. There was a short video explaining briefly literacy centers as well as giving a few examples. There was a place on this website that teachers could post ideas and comments. This is helpful because it allows for constant updates on new ideas and gives the reader even more useful ideas for their classroom. The main site that this page is linked to is http://www.elementary-teacher-resources.com/. Although the entire site does not deal specifically with literacy centers or even just centers there are many resources located here that seem to be very helpful, such as ideas on lesson plans and the teacher’s favorite materials they use in the classroom.
Most of the websites I have come across while doing a search have been written by teachers. This is helpful because they give “real-life” advice on what works and what does not work when implementing their center ideas. It was neat to see how many different ideas there are for literacy centers and how they can be used within the classroom. Another thing I noticed about the sites is that most of the centers were recommended for younger grades. There are a lot of resources available online about literacy centers; it just takes some time to find the ones that are really helpful.
Literacy Centers-Alex N.
http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/literacy_stations/main.htm
After learning about literacy centers during class I was a little confused about how they worked. This blog really helped me understand the purpose of literacy centers and also what literacy centers consist of. This site in particular was really helpful and I recommend it to new teachers because it gave a lot of information on how to set up the centers, how to manage them, and also, ideas for what to put in to the centers. The thing I liked most about this site was how it explained how to manage the centers, or choosing who goes to which center and when they go to them. The site gave examples from teachers and even included pictures of teachers charts that they use in their classroom to manage their own centers. I also liked that this site gave links to other sites in case you did not get all the information you wanted.
Another thing that I liked about this site was it gave examples of activities that you could do at each center. This website broke down different categories that you might want as centers such as, Independent Reading Center, Word Work Center, Writing Center, Listening Center, etc. Within each of these centers there were ideas of what to include to help support the learning that is going on. Under the Word Work center some of the ideas were a word sort, a bingo game, alphabet tiles, or a word web. Also in addition to giving ideas on what to include in your centers, this website also provided worksheets that students can fill out while at their centers.
http://www.ourschoolfamily.com/Literacy%20Centers.htm
This website was also helpful, but it did not go into as much detail as the previous one. This site included pictures of what a specific teacher does in her literacy centers. I liked this site because it did give examples of what to do, but unlike the previous site it did not really give a wide variety of different centers. Like the last site this one did include at least one link to another site to get more ideas which I find is a good idea. It allows the person reading with more flexibility to pick ideas that they like. Overall I think literacy centers are necessary in a classroom to guarantee the teacher to perform guided reading activities with small groups. Both of these sites were beneficial to gaining an understanding of how to introduce and use literacy centers in your classroom.
After learning about literacy centers during class I was a little confused about how they worked. This blog really helped me understand the purpose of literacy centers and also what literacy centers consist of. This site in particular was really helpful and I recommend it to new teachers because it gave a lot of information on how to set up the centers, how to manage them, and also, ideas for what to put in to the centers. The thing I liked most about this site was how it explained how to manage the centers, or choosing who goes to which center and when they go to them. The site gave examples from teachers and even included pictures of teachers charts that they use in their classroom to manage their own centers. I also liked that this site gave links to other sites in case you did not get all the information you wanted.
Another thing that I liked about this site was it gave examples of activities that you could do at each center. This website broke down different categories that you might want as centers such as, Independent Reading Center, Word Work Center, Writing Center, Listening Center, etc. Within each of these centers there were ideas of what to include to help support the learning that is going on. Under the Word Work center some of the ideas were a word sort, a bingo game, alphabet tiles, or a word web. Also in addition to giving ideas on what to include in your centers, this website also provided worksheets that students can fill out while at their centers.
http://www.ourschoolfamily.com/Literacy%20Centers.htm
This website was also helpful, but it did not go into as much detail as the previous one. This site included pictures of what a specific teacher does in her literacy centers. I liked this site because it did give examples of what to do, but unlike the previous site it did not really give a wide variety of different centers. Like the last site this one did include at least one link to another site to get more ideas which I find is a good idea. It allows the person reading with more flexibility to pick ideas that they like. Overall I think literacy centers are necessary in a classroom to guarantee the teacher to perform guided reading activities with small groups. Both of these sites were beneficial to gaining an understanding of how to introduce and use literacy centers in your classroom.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Literacy Center Ideas- Jamie Patton
When I searched 'Literacy Center Ideas' the first site that popped up was http://www.teachingheart.net/LC.htm. The teacher had posted her ideas for literacy centers in the classroom. Some of them I had never heard of before but some of her ideas were very similar to a few activities we have done in E342! In the teacher's "Making Words" center, she described a game the children would play where they were given a set of letters and then had to make 3, 4, and 5 letter words out of them. It reminded me a lot of the activity with the cut out letters from last week's class. But unlike our class, the game in this class goes on to tell the students to choose two of the words they have made and form a sentence with them. I thought that was a clever way to end the activity.
The next website, http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/literacy_stations/vocabularycenter.htm, talked about a vocabulary center idea where the kids can play vocabulary bingo. I thought that this was an interesting idea and a fun way to get children to work on their vocabulary skills. I remember that I loved playing bingo as a kid, and I think that everyone learns more effectively when they are doing something they enjoy.
The last site I looked at had an idea that I thought may be a good center for the first few weeks of school. The teacher had the students at this center do a walk through of the classroom and list all the words that they can find and identify. This is a great way for students to really get to know the layout of the classroom and understand where and what everything is. The site that I found this idea is called http://www.msrossbec.com/literacy_index.html.
It was a little more difficult than I expected to find sites with really good ideas for literacy centers. Many websites had lengthy lists of ideas, but many weren't quality ideas or had more to do with math or science centers. The three sites I have listed, however, have many good ideas listed.
The next website, http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/literacy_stations/vocabularycenter.htm, talked about a vocabulary center idea where the kids can play vocabulary bingo. I thought that this was an interesting idea and a fun way to get children to work on their vocabulary skills. I remember that I loved playing bingo as a kid, and I think that everyone learns more effectively when they are doing something they enjoy.
The last site I looked at had an idea that I thought may be a good center for the first few weeks of school. The teacher had the students at this center do a walk through of the classroom and list all the words that they can find and identify. This is a great way for students to really get to know the layout of the classroom and understand where and what everything is. The site that I found this idea is called http://www.msrossbec.com/literacy_index.html.
It was a little more difficult than I expected to find sites with really good ideas for literacy centers. Many websites had lengthy lists of ideas, but many weren't quality ideas or had more to do with math or science centers. The three sites I have listed, however, have many good ideas listed.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Jess's Literacy Center Sites
While searching for different sites about literacy centers I was able to develop a better understanding for what a literacy center entailed, as well as what is to be accomplished. In most of the sites I found overall the ones I found most interesting all included literacy center ideas that engaged the students, activated their prior knowledge, and allowed time for questioning and group work.
One site I found that was particularly helpful was Literacy Center Links K-3. This website gave a long list of sites that can be accessed for a number of examples of literacy centers. Not only did it give a list of informative sites, but it also produced pages on how to manage and organize for a literacy center. I found this to be very helpful, especially for future teachers like ourselves that may not be very familiar with how a literacy center is run. One specific tip for managing a literacy center was found on the link this site provided which was General Literacy Center Information. This link talked about the importance for developing a management board. A management board is interactive for the children (they are able to move their names, and tags to change groups or stations) and tells them where they are suppose to be and who is at each station with them. This seems simple but important. It saves time explaining and placing students in groups. Instead the children feel a sense of responsibility when they are able to look at the management board and direct themselves to their appropriate station. This site lists many other important management tips, as well as examples of literacy center ideas as well.
A site I found very helpful for specific literacy ideas was titled Literacy Centers. This site was specifically geared toward literacy centers using guided reading. It gave a list of 22 sets of literacy stations. While going through each of them I was really interested in how this specific teacher built a set of stations. She covered all basis of learning. She had stations for a spectrum of learners. Art, video, media, reading, writing, and discussions were just a number of stations the students would go to in just one set. I found this to be fun for not only the students but the teacher. Giving students engaging and different types of activities that all relate to one lesson can help the students stay engaged as well as enjoy learning. They will keep enforcing this lesson and not even realize their learning the same thing because its offered in so many different activities.
One site I found that was particularly helpful was Literacy Center Links K-3. This website gave a long list of sites that can be accessed for a number of examples of literacy centers. Not only did it give a list of informative sites, but it also produced pages on how to manage and organize for a literacy center. I found this to be very helpful, especially for future teachers like ourselves that may not be very familiar with how a literacy center is run. One specific tip for managing a literacy center was found on the link this site provided which was General Literacy Center Information. This link talked about the importance for developing a management board. A management board is interactive for the children (they are able to move their names, and tags to change groups or stations) and tells them where they are suppose to be and who is at each station with them. This seems simple but important. It saves time explaining and placing students in groups. Instead the children feel a sense of responsibility when they are able to look at the management board and direct themselves to their appropriate station. This site lists many other important management tips, as well as examples of literacy center ideas as well.
A site I found very helpful for specific literacy ideas was titled Literacy Centers. This site was specifically geared toward literacy centers using guided reading. It gave a list of 22 sets of literacy stations. While going through each of them I was really interested in how this specific teacher built a set of stations. She covered all basis of learning. She had stations for a spectrum of learners. Art, video, media, reading, writing, and discussions were just a number of stations the students would go to in just one set. I found this to be fun for not only the students but the teacher. Giving students engaging and different types of activities that all relate to one lesson can help the students stay engaged as well as enjoy learning. They will keep enforcing this lesson and not even realize their learning the same thing because its offered in so many different activities.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Guided Reading
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2jckrzhwYo
In this video there are a lot of things the teacher talks about which I feel would be very useful. In relation to the article she talks about doing a picture walk (for her students it is mandatory) as well as activating prior knowledge. The most interesting aspect of this video is how the teacher uses comprehension cubes to get her students thinking and discussing the book before they have even read the words. I like the idea of having an interactive activity involved in the reading process because I feel like it helps cement in the children’s minds that reading itself is an interactive activity. Also, the cubes may bring up (and are likely intended to) questions that students would not have thought of on their own or allow them to share ideas with others who are not having the same though processes. Although the video does not show the entire lesson, I would imagine that this teacher would use similar interactive processes throughout the reading of the story and also the reflection. This cube idea is especially innovative to me because I think oftentimes teachers get so caught up in the actual reading of the words that they forget how to introduce texts and create intrinsic motivation for their children to want to read and be involved in the text in front of them. Yes, this activity may take more time, but as we have read before, there is always time for literacy if you make the time.
While the video we watched in class showed an exemplary job on the teachers part of the during and after aspects of the guided reading lesson, compared to this video, it was lacking in the before area in some respects. True, the teacher did do a picture walk and asked the students what they knew about the subject, but she did not get them really critically thinking about the text. The questions on the cubes are meant to go a little bit deeper than just observation questions (i.e. what color are frogs) to make the students see that to get the most out of what they are reading, they need to think about it on a deeper level. I thought the cubes were a fun way to make reading active and desirable for all students.
In this video there are a lot of things the teacher talks about which I feel would be very useful. In relation to the article she talks about doing a picture walk (for her students it is mandatory) as well as activating prior knowledge. The most interesting aspect of this video is how the teacher uses comprehension cubes to get her students thinking and discussing the book before they have even read the words. I like the idea of having an interactive activity involved in the reading process because I feel like it helps cement in the children’s minds that reading itself is an interactive activity. Also, the cubes may bring up (and are likely intended to) questions that students would not have thought of on their own or allow them to share ideas with others who are not having the same though processes. Although the video does not show the entire lesson, I would imagine that this teacher would use similar interactive processes throughout the reading of the story and also the reflection. This cube idea is especially innovative to me because I think oftentimes teachers get so caught up in the actual reading of the words that they forget how to introduce texts and create intrinsic motivation for their children to want to read and be involved in the text in front of them. Yes, this activity may take more time, but as we have read before, there is always time for literacy if you make the time.
While the video we watched in class showed an exemplary job on the teachers part of the during and after aspects of the guided reading lesson, compared to this video, it was lacking in the before area in some respects. True, the teacher did do a picture walk and asked the students what they knew about the subject, but she did not get them really critically thinking about the text. The questions on the cubes are meant to go a little bit deeper than just observation questions (i.e. what color are frogs) to make the students see that to get the most out of what they are reading, they need to think about it on a deeper level. I thought the cubes were a fun way to make reading active and desirable for all students.
Guided Reading-Alex N.
The clip that I chose to watch was a clip of a first grade teacher who was answering questions regarding guided reading. I chose this clip because I thought it would give me more knowledge about guided reading, and I also thought it would be interesting to see what types of questions would be asked. I really enjoyed this clip and got a lot out of it. One of the things that I really liked about this clip was how the teacher explained how many times you meet with the guided reading groups. This was a question that I had been thinking about and was glad I got it answered. The way she explained it was that you are to meet with guided reading groups everyday, and depending on what level the groups are at reading-wise you are to meet with them more or less frequently. The teacher had several good ideas which she uses for her guided reading times. One of them was this idea of "book bags", these are Ziploc baggies that students fill with their guided reading books as well as note cards with information about what they are learning this week, for example long and short vowels. I like this idea because, as the teacher explained, it allows the students to work on their weaknesses throughout the day as well as at home with their parents. Therefore it gets the parents involved in their child's learning which I think is really nice bonus.
The teacher explained her procedure for placing students in their ability groups and I thought her idea was beneficial to the students. She uses different colors for her groups, but she has different kids in different colors all the time. Also, when she calls groups over to her for guided reading she does not call them by color, she calls each student by name. I think this is a good way to avoid any stigmas that could be created by having students in the same groups all the time. While this video did not show a guided reading session in progress, I still thought it was really helpful. It gave me a better understanding of guided reading through answering questions that I had, as well as questions I did not know I had. It also had some nice ideas that I might want to use in my classroom.
Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txC-Qo_8GiU
Guided Reading Clip-Courtney S.
The video clip I chose has a teacher answering questions about her guided reading process and illustrates what the classroom looks like during such a time. I chose this clip because I liked its organization. It was easy for me to follow because it showed the questions when they were asked, and the teacher stayed on topic for each question. Also, it was very specific. The teacher did a good job explaining how she does guided reading and provided examples of how she goes through the process. I liked how she said she changes the groups often, and has them made up by colors, but that when she calls the students over for guided reading she doesn’t call them by group name, but calls their names. I thought this was a small but important detail because some students may get upset about being in a certain group, or if a student stays in the same color for an extended period of time he/she may be embarrassed if the teacher calls them up by color. This way, students don’t pay attention to what groups they are in and learn in a comfortable environment. I also liked how she made all her students “book bags” which are Ziploc bags the students can put books they are reading or notes that the teacher gives them during guided reading time.
I also liked how the clip discusses the centers as well. The teacher explained how she keeps the other students occupied and on task while she is doing guided reading. She talks about how she taught the students what to do at each center for the first 8 weeks of class. I like how the students don’t rotate at the centers too. Rotating could lead to confusion, or disruption with the students. If they are at one center, they can choose from several different activities and then they are on task the whole time.
I would say that the clip doesn’t supplement the reading but that it does help clarify and it is helpful to hear a teacher’s perspective about guided reading. Listening to how a teacher implements the program shows us examples of how we can do it in our classrooms.
The link to the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txC-Qo_8GiU
I also liked how the clip discusses the centers as well. The teacher explained how she keeps the other students occupied and on task while she is doing guided reading. She talks about how she taught the students what to do at each center for the first 8 weeks of class. I like how the students don’t rotate at the centers too. Rotating could lead to confusion, or disruption with the students. If they are at one center, they can choose from several different activities and then they are on task the whole time.
I would say that the clip doesn’t supplement the reading but that it does help clarify and it is helpful to hear a teacher’s perspective about guided reading. Listening to how a teacher implements the program shows us examples of how we can do it in our classrooms.
The link to the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txC-Qo_8GiU
Guided reading, video (Rachael Matchett)
This video reminded me of the video we watched in class on guided reading. The teacher starts with a small group of students. What I did notice was different, was that she had more then four students, she had six students. You could see the children in the background were working at different stations to keep themselves busy. The first part of the lesson she stated the purpose for the lesson. Then, she had them turn to a page right away. The other teacher did this from the class lesson too. They both did not immediately start reading. The students became engaged right away. The teacher asked what the children thought the author’s intent was on writing this book. She wanted to get a view point as to what the students are thinking. After this, the students began to read to themselves. These students also read out loud to themselves so the teacher could evaluate their fluency. However, I thought that the students were too close together. It would have helped if they had moved their chairs apart a bit. When they were finished reading the story, the students had to talk to their neighbor about what the author’s intent was. After the children were done discussing, the teacher came back to them and asked them questions and opinions. She was checking for comprehension when doing this, but not in a direct way that the students thought they were being tested.
After this, the teacher brought in writing and how this author wrote this book. She used a dry erase board and wrote down the different ways that the author influenced the readers. When the teacher was done doing this, the students had to go back in the book and jot down key words in a certain paragraph that they thought were important. As the children were doing this, the teacher was checking different boxes on a clip board and assessing the students.
I enjoyed watching this clip because it gave different ideas on how to conduct guided reading then what I have learned before. I do wish though that the clip would have gone into more detail and shown what the children were doing the entire time. I think it was great that the other students not involved were working at stations. We learned a lot about stations in class and how beneficial they are to the teacher and the students.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD_zW0Rd3HU
After this, the teacher brought in writing and how this author wrote this book. She used a dry erase board and wrote down the different ways that the author influenced the readers. When the teacher was done doing this, the students had to go back in the book and jot down key words in a certain paragraph that they thought were important. As the children were doing this, the teacher was checking different boxes on a clip board and assessing the students.
I enjoyed watching this clip because it gave different ideas on how to conduct guided reading then what I have learned before. I do wish though that the clip would have gone into more detail and shown what the children were doing the entire time. I think it was great that the other students not involved were working at stations. We learned a lot about stations in class and how beneficial they are to the teacher and the students.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD_zW0Rd3HU
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)