Week 8: Blog Reflections

Hello Everyone,
I like learning new things and switching things up!  This was a great experience for me.  It is a bit more troublesome to "read up" on everyone, but I'm glad we did it!  There are more things I would like to learn about the design features.  I really liked some of your designs but didn't know how to go about doing them.  The comments were all thought provoking and it is always helpful to collaborate with other teachers in other districts/schools!  I can see using a Blog for other things too.  I would like to use Kid Blog too, something I need to investigate a bit more.  Best wishes to you all and thank you for sharing your expertise!
Anna

Week 6: Supports and Challenges (Entry #9)

Fiction:	Feature:	Supports:	Challenges:
The Cinnamon Bun Mystery By Susan Markowitz Meredith Level J Leveled Reader (End of 1st grade)	Illustration	The illustrations support the text.  The illustrations of this story will help the reader with picture clues.
	Dialogue		I think understanding the dialogue back and forth between the daughter and father may be confusing.  I find that using different people to “read the parts” can be helpful, but this will still be a challenge.
	Vocabulary	Pre-teaching vocabulary will be necessary and would help support.	The vocabulary in this story could be a challenge.  Words like “bakery, cinnamon bun, polka-dot” may be unknown and will need introduced before reading the story.
	Phrasing:  “I want the usual…”		This may not be a familiar phrase and will require explanation.
	Sequence	The sequence of events is logical and students will be able to follow what is happening.  One event clearly leads to the next of this mystery.
	Plot		The idea of following someone to get a cinnamon roll is a bit of a silly idea.  So, the overall plot of the story may be difficult to grasp.
Non-Fiction:
True or False Mammals By Melvin and Gilda Berger	Photographs	This book has photographs that support the factual information and show the various animals in their natural habitats.
	Format	The physical layout and nature of this book is a fun, game like way to learn about different mammals.  It poses a statement like, “All mammals live on land.”  “True or False” – turning the page to reveal the answer with an explanation and a support picture.
	Facts	Most of the facts have a relevant photo to help support.
	Vocabulary		“Carnivores, Herbivores, Omnivores” and some of the names of mammals may result in students having trouble understanding the text.  Again, pre-teaching of  the key vocabulary will be important.
	Index	The index is a quick way to go back and find specific information.  I think this is helpful for referencing and for students to recheck information.

Week 5: Sheltered Literacy Lesson (Entry #8)

Here are my thoughts and observations on the sheltered literacy lesson.

Before Reading - 
       During this stage of the lesson, the teacher gives very explicit objectives on what the students will learn in the lesson.  She gives the objective orally as well as visually.  This way the students are able to hear and see what is expected of them. 
       In addition, the teacher goes through vocabulary that the students may encounter in the reading.  She engages them in their ideas of what the words may mean, and encourages their answers as she restates them in another way. She provides photographs to help them understand the new vocabulary as well.
     Before reading the text, the teacher gives a brief summary of what the students are about to read.  This gives them a bit of background and basis to help them understand the reading.  She allows the students to share any background or cultural experiences that may relate to the story; thus, building more background for the students.

During Reading -
      During this section of the lesson, the teacher  provides clear pronunciation of the reading as she clearly reads the text and has students either follow her in their own book or on the display on the overhead.  I like that she displayed it for the students to see and follow along as she is able to point out specific words and phrases that she wishes to further explore with her students on the overhead (so she creates a visual again).  While she reads, she stops to review and model strategies and have her students infer and restate what is happening.
       An important part of getting students to engage in the reading is by giving them plenty of "wait time."  As seen, this teacher allows that time and her students are able to formulate a response and effectively communicate with the class.  The teacher refers to earlier lessons and discussions helping the students make these connections for understanding.
     The teacher also asks a question of the them and their culture that may be unfamiliar to her, giving her students to share in their native language.  These connections allow students to use their background knowledge and connect to the new text.  

After Reading -
    This is where the teacher brings it all together and has the students active in restating various pieces that fit within the beginning objective.  She guides students to look at the board and find an example of each of the previously discussed objectives.  Through the use of Post-It notes, students can jot their answers down to be put on a visual diary to refer to at a later time in the reading.  This teacher constantly reviews different ideas, vocabulary words and concepts; thus, supporting the fact that repetition and review in this manner help student engagement and understanding.

Reflections - 
     As with any lesson, it is important for teachers to debrief.  What was the success of the lesson?  What could be done differently to help my students understand and connect to the text.

This video provided a great model of sheltering the lesson.  Although, this is meant for ELL students, many of these ideas I also use in helping my lower comprehension kids make sense of the text.  This video was a great resource to support the reading this week.