As the end of class approaches, I have found myself sorting through the piles of resources that I have accumulated. From class discussions, classmate blog posts, researcher presentations, article discussions and lesson plan presentations, there has been a wealth of information shared over the past 7 weeks. I came into the class feeling fairly comfortable with my understanding of emergent literacy. However, looking back, I feel as though I have not been doing everything I can to help meet all of the diverse needs of my students. I am so excited because now I have so many new ideas and strategies to use in my kindergarten classroom. Now that I am more informed on how children develop as readers and writers, I have a deeper understanding of why certain methods work.
One of the most important ways that adults can help a child’s development is by providing a nurturing and literacy-rich environment. By doing this, we influence children’s brain development and their ability to learn. Introducing nurtured children to learning opportunities every day will help them become happy, well-adjusted adults. In all stages of child development, each experience builds on the one before it. The most basic foundations can serve as the basis for the comprehension of more complex ideas in future years.
Based on my experience and the amount of information shared with me in this class, I strongly feel that it is imperative for teachers who work with young children to be continually provided with opportunities to learn more about child development, especially as it relates to literacy acquisition. By continually expanding our knowledge base, teachers will be better prepared to select appropriate instructional strategies, interventions, and materials to ensure that we are meeting the diverse needs of young children.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Word Study
This week we talked in detail about a different approach to spelling - word study. Word study provides students an opportunity to manipulate words (and parts of words) in meaningful and enjoyable activities and games. Word study activities call for active problem solving. Students are encouraged to look for spelling patterns, form hypotheses, predict outcomes, and test them. These activities require students to continually ask themselves, "What do I know about this new word, and how is it similar to words that I already know?"
My students love working with words, and frequently ask for more "word games." They thoroughly enjoy the various word work that I incorporate into their literacy centers. One of the things the kids like best is speed sorting. I get out my stopwatch and they sort their words as fast as they can. We do it once to practice, again to see how fast they can go and finally a last super-speed round.I always emphasize that no one is competing with anyone else. They are trying to improve on their own performance. They also love to do word study art. I have them write their words and then draw a picture around them so they are "hidden". Then they switch with someone else in their group and find the words. Sometimes they make shapes (flowers, stars, circles) and write their words along the edges of the shape (like a shape poem). These are good for when they are getting used to the words. Be sure you include some work on the vocabulary side of word study, like writing the words in sentences or a story. Sometimes kids just memorize these lists, so to work against that, I always ask for a challenge word when assessing them so they have to remember and use the sort rule.
I think a very important part of word study is consistency. Children need reinforcement and extra practice working with words and exploring patterns. The more exposure we can give our students, the better. Even if you cannot devote time for word study every day, finding a way to incorporate it into your classroom is the best solution. Developmental spelling research does indicate that as students develop and gain sufficient orthographic knowledge within a level of development, correct spellings increase. The more exposure to a word, the more we remember the word-specific information, including the general word structure or orthography (Beers, Beers, & Grant, 1977). Take some time in the morning, before lunch, after recess, during reading groups (etc.), any time you can squeeze in some extra practice would be beneficial.
Beers, J.W., Beers, C.S., & Grant, K. (1977). The logic behind children’s spelling. Elementary School Journal, 77, 238-242.
My students love working with words, and frequently ask for more "word games." They thoroughly enjoy the various word work that I incorporate into their literacy centers. One of the things the kids like best is speed sorting. I get out my stopwatch and they sort their words as fast as they can. We do it once to practice, again to see how fast they can go and finally a last super-speed round.I always emphasize that no one is competing with anyone else. They are trying to improve on their own performance. They also love to do word study art. I have them write their words and then draw a picture around them so they are "hidden". Then they switch with someone else in their group and find the words. Sometimes they make shapes (flowers, stars, circles) and write their words along the edges of the shape (like a shape poem). These are good for when they are getting used to the words. Be sure you include some work on the vocabulary side of word study, like writing the words in sentences or a story. Sometimes kids just memorize these lists, so to work against that, I always ask for a challenge word when assessing them so they have to remember and use the sort rule.
I think a very important part of word study is consistency. Children need reinforcement and extra practice working with words and exploring patterns. The more exposure we can give our students, the better. Even if you cannot devote time for word study every day, finding a way to incorporate it into your classroom is the best solution. Developmental spelling research does indicate that as students develop and gain sufficient orthographic knowledge within a level of development, correct spellings increase. The more exposure to a word, the more we remember the word-specific information, including the general word structure or orthography (Beers, Beers, & Grant, 1977). Take some time in the morning, before lunch, after recess, during reading groups (etc.), any time you can squeeze in some extra practice would be beneficial.
Beers, J.W., Beers, C.S., & Grant, K. (1977). The logic behind children’s spelling. Elementary School Journal, 77, 238-242.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Differentiated Instruction
Not all students are alike. Based on this knowledge, differentiated instruction applies an approach to teaching and learning that gives students multiple options for taking in information and making sense of ideas. Differentiated instruction is a teaching theory based on the premise that instructional approaches should vary and be adapted in relation to individual and diverse students in classrooms (Tomlinson, 2003). The model of differentiated instruction requires teachers to be flexible in their approach to teaching and adjust the curriculum and presentation of information to learners rather than expecting students to modify themselves for the curriculum. Many teachers and teacher educators have recently identified differentiated instruction as a method of helping more students in diverse classroom settings experience success.
Differentiating instruction has become more of a "hot topic" in the last decade. The question is no longer "Are you differentiating?" it's "How are you differentiating?" Differentiation is something that all teachers should be doing. By differentiating, a teacher is making sure that all students' needs are being met. A teacher is able to make sure that those students who need enrichment or reinforcement are receiving it. Trying to find ways to differentiate in the classroom can be overwhelming for any teacher, but especially for a new teacher. I remember just being happy that I survived my first year of teaching; making sure I was differentiating did not become a priority until my second year. Research on novice teachers indicates a focus on classroom management issues, teacher-centered teaching, and instructional planning, not to mention surviving the student teaching or first year experience, made it difficult to focus on differentiating instruction to meet student needs (Tomlinson, 2003).
The necessary foundation for differentiation is content expertise. New teachers need to have clarity about what they want students to know, understand, and be able to do at the end of a lesson or unit. When new teachers are clear about the essential concepts and understandings within their disciplines, they can begin to see how the content can be differentiated to meet the needs of their students. Now that I have taught for 4 years and am much more comfortable in the classroom, I would never go back to teaching the same way for all learners. Differentiation needs to become a natural way of thinking about teaching and learning for all teachers because our children's education depends on it.
Tomlinson, C. A. (2003). Fulfilling the promise of the differentiated classroom: Strategies and tools for responsive teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for the Supervision of Curriculum Development.
Differentiating instruction has become more of a "hot topic" in the last decade. The question is no longer "Are you differentiating?" it's "How are you differentiating?" Differentiation is something that all teachers should be doing. By differentiating, a teacher is making sure that all students' needs are being met. A teacher is able to make sure that those students who need enrichment or reinforcement are receiving it. Trying to find ways to differentiate in the classroom can be overwhelming for any teacher, but especially for a new teacher. I remember just being happy that I survived my first year of teaching; making sure I was differentiating did not become a priority until my second year. Research on novice teachers indicates a focus on classroom management issues, teacher-centered teaching, and instructional planning, not to mention surviving the student teaching or first year experience, made it difficult to focus on differentiating instruction to meet student needs (Tomlinson, 2003).
The necessary foundation for differentiation is content expertise. New teachers need to have clarity about what they want students to know, understand, and be able to do at the end of a lesson or unit. When new teachers are clear about the essential concepts and understandings within their disciplines, they can begin to see how the content can be differentiated to meet the needs of their students. Now that I have taught for 4 years and am much more comfortable in the classroom, I would never go back to teaching the same way for all learners. Differentiation needs to become a natural way of thinking about teaching and learning for all teachers because our children's education depends on it.
Tomlinson, C. A. (2003). Fulfilling the promise of the differentiated classroom: Strategies and tools for responsive teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for the Supervision of Curriculum Development.
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