Course+Notes

Class discussion Notes for 548-C

9/17/11 Notes on Content Reading:

"What makes him think a middle-aged actor, who's played with a chimp, could have a future in politics?" ...Ronald Reagan (about Clint Eastwood running for mayor of Carmel)

“The thing about quotes on the internet is that you cannot confirm their validity.” ― [|__Abraham Lincoln__] (“He who trains his tongue to quote the learned sages, will be known far and wide as a smart a**” Howard Kandel)

We need to teach kids to differentiate between good and bad Internet information, how to cite, and how to avoid plagiarism. (“Copy from one, it’s plagiarism; copy from two, it’s research.” Wilson Mizner)

Web Quests: (for example: [|__http://www.randomhouse.com/doubleday/davinci/index-ctc.html)__]  Go to [|__webquest.org__]  in order to learn more about how to make your own. You can search for already made quests on any topic at [|__http://webquest.org/search/index.php__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Free software to make your own webpage: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__sourceforge.net__]

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">iPod apps: Check out literacy apps. For example, look at “Word Vomit” for older kids. Chicktionary. Electronics are the new reality. Let’s use them to our advantage. Let’s teach the lifeskills needed to use them effectively and courtesy.

OtherWorlds //Other worlds// is a website accompanying the free ebook Other worlds: To infinity and beyond with digital tools in the middle years.

The ebook describes the way in which digital tools can support quality teaching and learning in upper primary and junior secondary English classrooms.


 * Classroom20.com, the social network for those interested in Web 2.0 and Social Media in education.**

Content Area Reading Strategies In Class DRTA -ex Maple Syrup.

REVIEW OF THE CHAPTER POSTED ON WIKI COURSE SCHEDULE PAGE

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Annie: There are 5 different reading rates: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 1. study reading - slowest form of reading <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 2. casual reading <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 3. skimming <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 4. surveying <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 5. scanning - fastest form of reading

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">pg 13 Study reading, casual reading, skimming, surveying and scanning represent five distinct reading rates serving different functions, which can enhance, as well as reinforce content subject reading comprehension.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Question asked: Obviously we do the first two a lot... do we intentionally teach the last three, or is that encouraging them to take shortcuts? Anne’s answer: When we are looking at informational text, use something like scanning before an in depth reading in order to activate their schema. When the schema is activated, then their curiosity will be activated for the actual in depth reading. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With the Internet, and the huge amount of information available, they will need to know how to scan so that they can weed out websites and hone in on the legitimate information to focus on. So. Keep in mind your purpose for reading, but all types of reading needs to be taught in order to create flexible readers. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What do we do to teach reading for the love of reading?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As teachers we sometimes get wrapped up in paying more attention to subject matter rather than the students. Comparatively, students sometimes focus on the teacher more than the subject matter.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Success at one grade level doesn’t, guarantee success at another grade level.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Students should be exposed to a variety of text structures. i.e. expository, narrative, multiple genres, graphics, illustrations, etc.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Using Schemata to build comprehension. Activate prior knowledge. Descriptor schema introduces and reinforces vocabulary.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Annie: Sonny recommends that students share with the class what they have been reading to help prepare them for public speaking as well as getting them to really comprehend what they are reading. If they know they will have to give a brief summary of what they have read then they will actually read.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jon: Ch 10 thoughts: “Why wasn’t I taught these skills when in school?” I have said that a lot during my classroom observations and subbing experiences. With regard to reading, I consider myself more of a casual reader than any other type listed in the chapter.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Reading inventories should be conducted on every student at least 4 times per year. (In the lower grades.)

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Second language learning seems to be a necessity in the global society in which we live. Why aren’t we teaching our kids a second language? Fear, prejudice, budget concerns? Xenophobic reactions to world conflicts have entrenched American attitudes into a “melting pot” approach to immigration: to be American is to lose your mother tongue/culture, etc. Research proves that learning a second language helps kids’ brains develop better in all areas. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I would rather think of America as Mulligan Stew - we’re all in the pot together rubbing off on each other but retaining ourselves. Much more appealing than melting pot slag.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">IRI and McCraken are the same thing. Inventories can be timed or untimed. Dibbles is an IRI??

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As a teacher at the middle levels, the IRI’s etc, will most likely be done by a reading specialist, not so much the classroom teacher.

<span style="background-color: #ffff00; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HOMEWORK: <span style="background-color: #ffff00; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Read the assignments listed on the course schedule (found on the wiki) for next week. <span style="background-color: #ffff00; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(We read Ch 10 in class.) <span style="background-color: #ffff00; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Read Ralph Rusty Rousculp bit from course schedule. <span style="background-color: #ffff00; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Work on your infographic--alone or with a group, on your unit, or on some topic related to this class. <span style="background-color: #ffff00; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We will be doing a sort of gallery walk with our unit plans--reading one anothers and adding comments with sticky notes. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Garza’s Thoughts <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- Writing to Demonstrate Understanding of Reading (Cross-Curriculum)??? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- Writing Logs or Journals: Used to draft thoughts <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- What can Happen Next? What Might happen Next? Why do you think this/that Didnt Happen? If You Wrote the Story what Would you Want to Happen, or Have Happened? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- Different Prompts for Children to read. Allowing variety and Giving students a (Choice) on which prompt to Choose. Giving them Authority so they Feel you are not always the Dictator. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- Word Diagrams/Word Webs to Better Understand those difficult words, or Vocabulary words for the day.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">9/16/11 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Assessment <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Reading from wikispaces.com assessment document posted

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Notes from <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ff00; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jeff and Cori <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-pg. 19, 46, 49 - he found that these were helpful pages. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-Interesting point: Comparing assessments with the Goldie Locks dilemma. It is our job as teachers to decide if the material we give the students are to hard, to easy, or just right. We would like to look for the just right material for the students. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-Comprehension is the most important thing that kids should learn and it is the hardest for us as teachers to assess. This is because it happens in the students brain and it is hard for us to test the information that they will comprehend. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-The informal reading inventory is the best instrument out there to test their reading comprehension, reading levels, vocabulary, and deficiencies that they might have. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-Creating portfolios- it is important for the students to create their own portfolios, which should include students work of their choice, what they are proud of, and a reflective piece. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Thoughts from <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sonny G-man. & Ceci R: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pg. 58 (Kid Watching List) - Understanding your students and being able to recognize and interpret their test scores. ‘Yetta Goodman” This can also be tied with High Stakes Tests. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Knowing the interests and commonalities in the students that are in your class. (Better Organization of lesson plans and more relation) Relating their work and activities outside of class to work being done in class. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pg. 17 Teachers are also victims of high-stakes testing. They have no free hand in choosing tests or curriculum.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Notes From <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #9900ff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jon and Sara: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Page 21 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Children bring their individual language and culture with them to your classroom. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Page 26:Assessment must be culturally fair and respectful of differences in language and culture. How do we determine what culture should be universally known versus culture known to a specific group(s) of people?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Notes from <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Inchworm <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">pg. 15 Testing is the Kudzu of curriculum. Hah! <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">pg. 13 High-stakes tests are an asset when used to create better instructional programs, a liability when they do not, which is often the case. How then do we move to the improvement of teaching that is beyond the high stakes of funding and job security?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff9900; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kimber: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-A good way for students to recognize if a book is too challenging to read alone is to have them read the 1st page - if they cannot recognize/understand 5 words, the text is probably too difficult to read alone. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-AR problems: An accelerated student isn’t allowed to read below their grade level means they cannot read all of the books their friends are reading. Students may get to the point they only want to read books they can get “points” for.