Entry #8 - Sheltered Literacy Lesson

     During this lesson the teacher began explicit explaining the lesson, reviewing the vocabulary, and reviewing the objectives so students were focused and well aware of the expectations.  She had the students make background connections.  As she asked questions about a time when they where left waiting, she allowed the students to discuss their experiences among each other and had a few students share.  These were all the scaffold strategies that were discussed on pg 85 section tittled Before- Reading Activities in Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning (Gibbons, 2002)
     During the reading activity she had the students read out loud while she instructed strategies and continuously repeated vocabulary when ever they came across the word,  Having them make connections to the meaning of the word in direct relationship with clarification and comprehension of what was happening in the story. The request of the students to share their knowledge of the birthday song was a little awkward but effective in pulling the students into what was happening in the story.  Students were allowed to make clarifications in the students first language prior to explaining the song in English. Their was wait time extended to allow for students input.  ELL learners need the extra time to translate what their are hearing in English to their native language in their brains and then to process the answer in English in order to verbalize it.
    During Post Reading she left time to review vocabulary, text and objectives.  I don't recall noticing hand on activities as recommended on page 91 of our reading in Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning (Gibbons, 2002),
    I felt that with this particular class the selection of the book  was very effective in providing the students numerous opportunities to use their background knowledge in every step of the reading process.   It provided the students with plenty of  times to practice their oral language skills in a safe envirorment where they were the subject matter experts. It was also effective in providing motivation in reading which is always the number one strategy a teacher wants to help students develop.  All of these strategies of using and allowing the students to express themselves orally provides time for their brains to envelop the details in the story and providing retention of what is read. 

 

Entry #7 - Running Record/miscue Analysis

    At Roosevelt we have an unlimited amount of Spanish ELL students to choose from but we currently only have three ELL from a different language background.  I selected a boy from Jordan.  He arrived in  the United States last year as a Level 2 ELL but the ELL teacher states that he is currently a  Level 4. My running record confirmed that he is a very fluent reader as far as pronunciation of the words were concerned.  For a second grader is accuracy rate was 102 words per minute with only 2 errors both visual.  One visual error was the lack of enunciating the final letter (s) in the word which is a common error with any ELL learner and the other was mispronouncing an unfamiliar word.  The biggest issue he had was in his retell.  He basically retold the main idea and then stopped.  He did not retell any of the details and did not get the subtle nuances of the text.
    To get the closet comparison, I chose a level 4 Hispanic ELL student to administer the 2nd running record to.  She is a third grader who has been at Roosevelt since 1st grade but has missed a tremendous amount of school due to a previous heart condition.  As with the 2nd grader she began the year very low but has made great gains this year.  She did not read as many words per minute, she read 95 words per minute and also had 2 errors.  One was the same word as the 2nd grader, mispronouncing an unfamiliar word and the next was adding a word to the sentence that was not there.  She did self-correct she read man old then corrected it to old man. All her errors were in the first paragraph.  I believe this was due to her rushing.  Once she slowed down, she didn't make any more errors. Though her words per minutes were lower than the 2nd grader, her retell was more through. 
    It was obvious that the biggest difference between the two students was vocabulary knowledge.  The 2nd grader read better but he did not have the background knowledge needed to help him comprehend the text.  The 3rd grader needs to slow down when reading until she becomes a more fluent reader.  Both students definitely need more instruction in reading with prosody. They can both benefit from specific vocabulary training.  They both need  be introduced to vocabulary with pictures and charades.  The 2nd grader needs opportunities to use his newly acquired vocabulary on a daily basis adding oral language to his visual language.  I would place him in a group with very fluent speakers and readers.  I would encourage discussion within the group probably using the book club format.  During small group discussion I would bring in as many actual examples as I could i.e. pomegranates, egg rolls, egg beater or any other item that may be hard to describe or picture.  Both students could improve their words per minutes by reading out load every day at school and for at least 20 minutes at home.

Entry # 5 - Review Children's Books

Amber Brown is Not a Crayon By Paula Danzinger

This text is full of figurative language which not only would be difficult for ELL learners but also students with minimal background knowledge.

1.  They ate in China not on china.  - Bring in a piece of china and also a world map (highlight the country China) - Have a discussion - could be a compare contrast graphic - first have student read a  small paragraph on how porcelain plates became known as china and another short paragraph on the history of the country china. 

2. The vocabulary word "fortune" - bring in fortune cookies for each student, have a discussion on different types of good luck charms and superstitions i.e.. find a penny,good luck rabbits foot, step on a crack break your mother's back etc...- list them on the board, then have students select one and write a short paragraph on whether or not they believe in any of the good luck charms and why.

3.passport - Discuss passports and the need for them as documentation when they enter or leave a country.  Make pretend passports with the class, get pictures from homeroom teachers and stamp them everyday during the reading of this book as students enter and depart the classroom.when the students complete the reading questions.

4.  The vocabulary word realtor - After discussion of what job the realtor does have students role play being the seller, the buyer and the realtor - If you can purchase a suit coat from goodwill to have the realtor  wear this will add to their understanding that this is a job and that the realtor is a profession. Play money can also be used. 

Tut Tut, Lost...and Found  By-Judy Donnely

1.  Hieroglyphics - On line find the figures and the letters - students turn their own names into the figures and make a cartouche to wear during the reading of the book.

2.  To get the students to realize that the book takes place during a different time - purchase inexpensive yards of material and have students make headdress , allow them to wear them during reading- you can add motivation by handing out jewels (plastic) that they can attach to their headdress when they correctly answer the discussion questions.

3.  To help students understand the belief of  "The Land of the Dead" find a short video clip from National Geographic and play for students, follow up with a discussion again could be a compare and contrast with what we do and believe now and what they believed and did in the past.

4.  Use National Geographic magazines help students to understand the type the process of mummification. 

Entry #4 - Translation Voici comment obtenir un devis sans engagement pour la traduction d'un article de magazines ou d'une brochure

Veuillez tout d’abord sélectionner la combinaison 1. Frist thing I did was try to find any words that were similar to english and I translated those words.  Realizing that my translation may be wrong. Voici - voice, obtenir- obtain, Engagement - engagement, article - ArticleMagazine - magazine, demande- demand receverez - receive, selectioneer - selection Brochure - brouchure,Simplement - simplycombinaison- combination, selectioneer - selection, competents - components, formulaire - formula 2. Then I translated words I thought I knew the meaning of from background knowledge  ( I can read spanish) un-one, pour - for, de-of, des- of, en -in, la- the 3. Putting it all together I figure out that this article is about translating french.  But I don't understand it completely. I know from translating english into spanish that doing it word by word does not provide an accurate traslation because of the languages idomatic properties.  Whether or not an ELL learner could make heads or tale from reading in another language depends a great deal on whether or not they have a sufficient knowledge of their own language.  The only reason I could even sightly figure this out was because I have vocabulary background to connect the unknown word to a known word in my own language.  If the studnet does not have an academic background it would be next to impossible to make the connection unless it was read to then and then they might be able to connect the sounds.  It would be much simpler if some type of chardes were done while the text is read.  Picture representation would also go a long way to assist in translation.   Another thought became obvious to me while atempting this exercise.  I was very motivated to attempt this translation but the ELL students aren't always.  Motivation of the student to want to try to understand is paramount in the learning process.

Entry #3 - Oral Language and the Reading Process

August, (2004) Students who enter school with limited vocabulary, especially language learners, oftern stuggle to understand what they read because they are unfamiliar with many of the words they encounter.  This barrier hampers their learning in all the subject they study.

The vocabulary we develop prior to entering school is the background that we use to assist us in learning to read.  The more minimal our oral language acquistion the harder it is for us to not only in learning how to read but also in the comprehension of what we've read. 

Entry #1 - discuss with another teacher, her philosophies about teaching literacy-

     Ms. D. stated that this year being her first year of teaching literacy, she felt conflicted between what she learned in school and what actually worked in the classroom.  The biggest factor she felt was the lack of students daily exposure at home significantly effecting their progress at school.  She stated that those students that read at home grew academically faster with the addition of best practices in school. Those that did not read or speak English at home needed more intensive interventions.  She stated that she felt unprepared in the area of finding effective resources at the level that she needed.  The amount of time it took to create an effective intervention at each students individual level also surprised her. There were weeks of depression as the students grew at a very slow rate.  She feel that though she entered the teaching field with an arsenal full of tools, there is nothing like experience with live students to help you develop what truly works.  Her passion is in literacy and the students are showing growth.  With all this there are still too many students that are not at grade level and with all her hard work, the lack of home support (which she is very limited in effecting) is a stronger influence in the students life.

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entry#2 -Relection onWriting Instruction

    I have a very sketchy memory of how I learned to write.  I do not recall having choice in what subjects I wrote about with the exception of book reports where I selected the book.  I also recall separate grammar lessons that focused on complete sentences, nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives etc...   I do have explicit memories lesson surrounding the final product.  Personal conferences to discuss the quality and improvement of the writing during the process were not part of the classroom routine.  Planning and drafting were things you did on your own, classroom peer editing was not part of the norm.  The only part of the writing process that were discussed or graded was the final product.  A few teachers allowed you to fix the errors in your writing and then you resubmitted your corrected project for a new grade. I remember most of my projects being returned with red ink encompassing the entire writing.  My biggest offences were run-on sentences and misuse of commas.  I do recall my feelings about receiving that final paper back and seeing all that red ink.  Though it did make me work harder to improve my final project, it also made me feel less capable as a competent writer.  Formal writing is the only type of writing I recall.  Creative writing was not part of the curriculum and I was never encouraged to use a journal.

                As a teacher of writing I do try to incorporate the best practices into my students writing on a daily bases in hope that they use this not only in becoming better writers but as an out let to help they express their inner most feelings.