Week 6 Teaching Phonics

Assignment #1 

1. Highlight words that Mary misread. Then Re-read "Whales and Fish" out loud together. (4minutes)
2. Go over vocabulary words that Mary missed (most/must). Also explain the difference of plural and singular words (animal/animals). (6minutes)
3. Have Mary re-read "Whales and Fish" out loud again. (5minutes)

Assignment#2

(a)Reading Fluency- Readers who are fluent readers can recognize words automatically and comprehend what they have read easily because they do not have to concentrate on decoding the words. If fluent readers read aloud they should sound like they are speaking.  Readers who struggle and have not developed fluency read slowly, causing them to focus more on figuring out the word than comprehending the text.

 

(b)Fluency Assessment- An informal assessment of reading fluency measures how many words a child reads correctly in one minute. Teachers can assess their students throughout the year. Assessments should be given one-on-one. Students should be able to master age-appropriate material. Teachers can choose an grade appropriate passage for the student to read aloud while the teacher completes a record for one minute.

 

(c)Fluency Instruction-The best way for students to become fluent readers is to practice reading the same passage several times. Teachers can have their students read the same passage several times out-loud to themselves, in groups, or all together as a class. Teachers should introduce and explain the difficult vocabulary to the students before they begin reading.  Teachers can also model fluent reading as well. Students that listen to teachers read fluently and learn the correct sounds that a fluent reader makes.

Week 5 Emergent/Early Literacy

Assignment#1

 Assignment#2

a. What surprised or interested you? 

What surprised me was how there was a teachers aid that spoke Chinese. I thought this was a great way to encourage and help out the children that spoke English as their second language. I also thought that it was very interesting how the room was set up into stations and different jobs that the students had to do in the morning.

b. What did you find that affirmed what you already knew or had been doing?

I all ready knew how important it is to have a daily routine for the students. They understand and know what is expected of them each day. I also knew about the “hands on learning” approach. Children learn a lot from experiences and by learning first hand. Also breaking up into small groups, where the children interact with one another is also a great way for children to learn.

c. What new approaches or ideas will you try?

I loved how every activity went hand-and-hand with the main theme. They were learning about Chinese New Year and each activity followed that theme. I loved how they even brought in a real Chinese rice cake. I think this experience will always stay with the students and they will be able to easily remember it.

d. What questions do you have?

Is it common to have a teacher aid that speaks another language depending on the high number of second language students? 

e. After watching the video, do you think differently about classroom practices you observed through field experience?

Yes and No. Pretty much all the classrooms I observed so far have a daily routine that is followed and the children know what to expect. This was the first time I seen a teacher aid that spoke a different language. 

Assignment #3  
 

I did another running record and the student's score was:

Error Rate: 198/8= 24.75 round 25…. 1:25

Accuracy Rate: (198-8)/198 X100= 190/198 X100= 95.95 round 96%

Self-Correction Rate: (8+6)/6= 14/6= 2.3 round 2….1:2

This student had an error rate of 1:25, an Accuracy rate of 96%, and self-correction 1:2 so he was self-monitoring his reading.

In my mini lesson I would try to find a more difficult reading for the student to read. His scored showed that this reading is easy enough for independent reading. I would want to challenge him a little more.  I would pick out the more difficult vocabulary in the passage and read and explain their meaning before he read the new passage. I would also go over the mistakes he made in the first passage so he would try not to make the same mistakes again. I would also like to pair him with another student that is close to the same score as his so they can read the new passage together. I like the idea of pairing students in groups so they can learn and feed off of one another.

Week 4 Assessment Driven Instruction II

Theory and Practice WK4

Week 4 Assessment Driven Instruction (II)

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

• Week 4 Taking a running record to inform your instruction

Assignment#1 scan the running record with your markings with accuracy rate, error rate and self-correction rate and post it on your blog.

Accuracy Rate = (Total Words Read-Total Errors)/Total Words Read X 100 
(201-6)/201 X100 = 97% Independent.

Error Rate = Total Words/Total Errors
201/6 = 33.5 Round = 34    1:34

Self-Correction Rate = (Number of Errors+Number of Self-Corrections)/ Number of Self-Corrections
(6+5)/5= 2.2 Round = 2   1:2   self-monitoring her reading

Assignment#2 Based on the results of the assessment, draw up a list of the student's apparent strengths and needs.

 Accuracy Rate 

Independent	Easy enough for independent reading	95% -100%
Instructional	Instructional level for use in leveled reading session	90% - 94%
Frustrational	Too difficult and will frustrate the reader	89% and below

 Her Accuracy Rate was 97%= Independent. It was easy enough for independent reading. 

Error Rate 

1:34 For each error made the student read approximately 34 words correctly.

Self-Correction Rate 

1:2 this indicates that she is self-monitoring her reading.

Retelling Checklist

• Can the student tell you what happened in the story or the subject of the book in her or his own words? YES

• Does the student include details about the characters in the retelling? Can she or he explain the relationships between the characters? YES, She can tell that the story is about how Whales and Fish are alike and different.

• Can the student describe the setting? How detailed is the description? YES, She can recall how the whales and fish are alike and different. She can also give examples of how they are alike and different throughout the story. She can give examples in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. 

• Can the student recall the events of the story, and can she or he place them in the correct sequence? She can remember some of the examples of how whales and fish are similar and different. She is not asked to put them in sequence though.

• Can the student identify the problem and the resolution? There is no problem in the story.

• Does the student use vocabulary from the text? Yes, she recalls and uses vocabulary from the text when explaining what the story is about.

• Does the student's retelling demonstrate minimal, adequate, or very complete and detailed understanding of the text? I think the student knows a very complete and detailed understanding of the text.

Week 3 Driven Instruction I

	Shared Reading: Video Segment   Assignment#1
How does this activity engage students who are at different levels of literacy development? This activity allows students to read the poem out loud with the teacher and the other students. This activity allows all students who are at different levels to all participate throughout the reading of the poem. It also allows students to practice reading and sounding out vowels with different consonants in front of them. This systematic practice allows students of all levels of literacy become more familiar with vowels and their sounds. During her explicit phonics lesson, how does Ms. Perez support students' problem-solving skills? Ms. Perez supports her students’ problem-solving skills by guiding them. Instead of telling them the correct way of pronouncing the word, she GUIDES them to pronouncing the word correctly. She is there for support, but doesn’t tell them the correct answer. She allows the students to achieve the goal on their own. Based on what you saw in the video, what are the different ways that shared reading can be used to promote literacy? Shared reading allows all the students to practice their skills together. It allows the students to listen and learn from one another. Shared reading allows the teacher to guide each student instead of giving them the answer. It allows the teacher to be there if needed.    Why does she think it's important for students to verbalize their strategies? What else do you notice about how she helps students build meaning in text? Ms. Perez thinks it is important for students to verbalize their strategies because the more you verbalize the more you internalize. Then students start to verbalize the strategies they use.  Ms. Perez also helps students build meaning in texts by covering up certain words in a sentence and asking them what the word could be.  This allows the students to recognize what words make sense in a sentence and what words do not.    How does Ms. Perez organize her classroom to support a wide range of learners? Ms. Perez organizes her classroom to support a wide range of learners by grouping learners that are on the same level. She gives each group an assignment or activity to work on. Every student is practicing and working on what skills and abilities they need practice on. This is a great way to challenge all the students at the same time. How are reading and writing connected in classroom activities? Reading and writing are connected in the classroom activities by the students reading aloud together…learning to recognize words and reading alone. They make sense of what they are reading and then connect what they are reading to their own stories. How does Ms. Perez use ongoing individual assessment to guide her instruction? How can the class profile be used to help group students and differentiate instruction? Ms. Perez uses on going assessment to guide her instruction by how she groups the students together based on what level they are on. She groups students that are on the same level together so they can practice and be challenged at the same time from one another. The class profile can be used to help group students and differentiate instruction by allowing students that are on the same level to continue to learn and be challenged at the same time. Students that are behind can continue to practice and work on what skills and abilities they lack…at the same time students that are ahead can be challenged. How can ongoing assessment be integrated into your own classroom practice? On going assessment can be integrated into my own classroom practice by me assessing each student in the beginning, middle, and the end of the year. These assessments will allow me to know what progress each student is making throughout the year. It will allow me to make the adjustments that are needed for each individual student. Assignment #2 Informal assessment is a very important tool to use in your classroom. Children all learn differently from one another. They all enter your classroom at different levels. Assessments will help teachers know what level each student is on when they enter your classrooms. Assessments will also allow you to know what students are struggling with and what they know. This will allow teachers to know when they can move on or they should continue to practice on a certain area. Assessments will allow teachers to help and challenge each student on their individual needs.