Final Post

Hey guys! Last blog post! This has been a great class. I was amazed there could still be something to learn about language arts after all of the ELA classes that we have already taken. But there was! This class has taught me a lot and reinforced some ideas that I had learned about in the past. The scope and sequence was a great exercise. I had done one in the past but with no where near the same amount of detail. This scope and sequence method is something I could actually see myself using to plan out my year. I was probably a bit more detailed than I needed to be, but that doesn't hurt anything! 

Another thing I really enjoyed this session was all of the additional information that Dr. Steffes provided. Things such as the ways to check for understanding are now in a three-hole punch binder. And of course, I got some really great information from you guys while you shared your lessons. It was nice to have quite a few others sharing plans for third grade. I enjoyed hearing units applicable to the grade I will be student teaching in. 

One session left before the real fun begins! Good luck to you all! 

https://www.pinterest.com/explore/good-luck-exam/?lp=true  

Book List

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein

In 1974, French aerialist Philippe Petit threw a tightrope between the two towers of the World Trade Center and spent an hour walking, dancing, and performing high-wire tricks a quarter mile in the sky. This picture book captures the poetry and magic of the event with a poetry of its own: lyrical words and lovely paintings that present the detail, daring, and--in two dramatic foldout spreads-- the vertiginous drama of Petit's feat.

Photo and description from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007P5OX92/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 

The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry

A man beginning to cut down a great kapok tree falls asleep at its roots. While he dreams, the animals that depend on the tree beg him to reconsider.

Photo and description from https://www.amazon.com/dp/0152026142/ref=rdr_ext_tmb

Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg

The three-time Caldecott medalist tells the tale of two ants who decide to leave the safety of the others to venture into a danger-laden kitchen.

Photo and description from https://www.amazon.com/Two-Bad-Ants-Chris-Allsburg/dp/0395486688/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1497039801&sr=1-1&keywords=two+bad+ants

Henry and Mudge in the Sparkle Days by Cynthia Rylant

Henry and his dog Mudge experience the sparkly joys of winter in this fifth Ready-to-Read book of their adventures.
Henry and his 180-pound dog Mudge are best friends forever. And they're ready for a snowy winter!

Photo and description from https://www.amazon.com/Henry-Mudge-Sparkle-Cynthia-Rylant/dp/0689810199/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1497040004&sr=1-1&keywords=henry+and+mudge+in+the+sparkle+days

Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble by Cynthia Rylant

Henry and his dog Mudge venture out into the wet and happy world of spring in this second Ready-to-Read book of their adventures.
Henry and his 180-pound dog Mudge are best friends forever. And when spring arrives, they're ready for some puddle trouble!

Photo and description from https://www.amazon.com/Henry-Puddle-Trouble-Cynthia-Rylant/dp/0689810032/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1497040202&sr=1-1&keywords=henry+and+mudge+in+puddle+trouble

Henry and Mudge Get the Cold Shivers by Cynthia Rylant

In this seventh book in the Henry and Mudge series, first Henry has a cold, and then Mudge gets sick, too. What can Henry do to help Mudge feel better?

Photo and description from https://www.amazon.com/Henry-Mudge-Get-Cold-Shivers-ebook/dp/B006IUQV5E/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1497040386&sr=1-1&keywords=henry+and+mudge+get+the+cold+shivers

Goldilocks and The Three Bears by Robert Southey 

Once upon a time, there lived a pretty little girl named Goldilocks. She had rosy cheeks, big blue eyes and curly golden hair. She used to go to the forest to meet her friends. Her friends were lively birds and animals. She kept on talking with them about different things.

The birds told her stories about faraway lands.
One day, early in the morning, she went to the forest to meet her friends. The animals and the birds were busy. She looked for Chinky—the sparrow but she was busy in collecting seeds for her chinks. Woody, the woodpecker was also busy looking for insects.
When she was roaming around the forest, she saw a beautiful little house in the forest. What happened to Goldilocks? Did she go inside the house?
This 16-page richly illustrated book is a part of our Classic tales collection, which consists of stimulating and enthralling stories for children.

Photo and description from https://www.amazon.com/Goldilocks-Three-Bears-Fully-Illustrated-ebook/dp/B01GHCPBGM/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1497040527&sr=1-6&keywords=Goldilocks+and+The+Three+Bears+by+Robert+Southey

photo from https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Cried-Wolf/dp/B00430CUHE/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1497040776&sr=1-2&keywords=the+boy+who+cried+wolf+by+b.g.+hennessy

The Boy Who Cried Wolf by B.G. Hennessy 

"Nothing ever happens here," the shepherd thinks. But the bored boy knows what would be exciting: He cries that a wolf is after his sheep, and the town's people come running. How often can that trick work, though?

B.G. Hennessy's retelling of this timeless fable is infused with fanciful whimsy through Boris Kulikov's hilarious and ingenious illustrations. This tale is sure to leave readers grinning sheepishly.

Description from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/582820.The_Boy_Who_Cried_Wolf

Julius, the Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes 

The riotously funny Lilly, last seen in Chester's Way (Greenwillow), thinks her new baby brother, Julius, is disgusting -- if he was a number, he would be zero. But when Cousin Garland dares to criticize Julius, Lilly bullies her into loudly admiring Julius as the baby of the world.Lilly knows her baby brother is nothing but dreadful -- until she claims him for her own.

Photo and description from https://www.amazon.com/Julius-Baby-World-Kevin-Henkes/dp/0688143881/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1497041103&sr=1-1&keywords=julius+the+baby+of+the+world

The Secrets of Animal Flight by Nic Bishop 

More than three quarters of all land animals fly, from butterflies and birds to beetles and bats. Some birds can stay airborne for hours with only an occasional flap of their wings, flies can hover and perform split-second turns, while bats can execute their precise maneuvers in total darkness. How do they do it? Find out the secrets of animal flight - the principles that keep fliers as different as ladybugs and eagles aloft. And discover some puzzles that scientists haven't yet been able to solve - nature's mysteries of flight.

Photo and description from https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Animal-Flight-Nic-Bishop/dp/0395778484/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1497041447&sr=1-1&keywords=the+secrets+of+animal+flight

I hope that all of your lesson plans went well! Did you have any big challenges? 

Lesson Planning

Like many of you, I am nearing the end of classes before student teaching. This means that I have had quite a few classes requiring the construction of a unit plan or lesson plans. I have found that they have gotten easier for me to write over time but that it also depends on what subject I am writing for. I have been gearing the lesson plans for my last few classes toward third grade because that is the grade level I will be student teaching. I am hoping I will be able to use some of these in the classroom! 
I seem to be most creative with my planning when I am making science lessons - this could be because it is my favorite subject. Do you have a subject that is easier to write plans for? Honestly, I have been struggling a bit making these language arts lessons exciting! My unit is teaching strategies to increase reading comprehension and, while there are plenty of strategies, it is harder than I thought to find something hands-on for it. 
My late summer class (and last class before student teaching!) will require math lesson plans and I am a bit nervous about those. Math has never been my strong subject and kids these days are learning much more than I remember learning. So I imagine I will be learning along with the students. 
It's important to remember that it is not what we want students to do, but what we want them to learn! 

http://www.teachertrap.com/2015/04/lesson-planning.html/ 

Week 4 takeaways

There were quite a few things that I took away from chapters four and five but the thing that will probably stick with me the most is the word gap. It is just absolutely astonishing to me that socioeconomic status can have such a huge effect on language development.  What is the word gap? Well, it is the fact that by the age of three there is a difference of 30 million words that high SES children have heard compared to low SES children. Not only are higher SES children exposed to more words, they are exposed to more positive comments than a low SES child is. There are those that offer tips on how to help close the word gap. 

image from: http://teachinginpoverty.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-30-million-word-gap.html

I also folded down the page in the textbook that began to talk about Marzano’s six step instruction (115). The six steps, in order, are: the teacher introduces the vocabulary by explaining it, students explain the new vocabulary in their own words, students create a non-linguistic visualization of the word (like a picture), students engage in activities to become familiar with the meaning, students discuss the new word, and games are used to reinforce the learning of the new word. I may like this so much because I love to follow steps. It makes things so much easier when you know what happens next in the process. This would work well with the word wall that was mentioned last week where students draw pictures to explain the word wall words. In school I memorized words, I think drawing will increase retention. 

Do you think you will notice the word gap in your classroom? What are some ways you will help to bridge the gap?

Word Walls

I think word walls are fantastic! My last field experience classroom had a word wall that consisted of vocabulary/high frequency words. I feel like this is a way that I would use a word wall. The students reference it often and it helps them correct themselves when writing. 
Using word walls for different subjects also seems like a really good idea. I liked the idea Dr. Steffes discussed about using different colors for the different subject areas. Perhaps I could have two word walls, one for high frequency/vocabulary words and another for subject area vocabulary. 
In diagnostic and corrective reading we looked into word walls a bit more. I learned some really interesting ways that they can be created. For instance, not on the wall but on the ceiling. One idea I really liked, which could be used on a subject area word wall, was using pockets for the word wall. Another great idea was to have the wall be interactive. I think this would be a great idea for subject areas. What do you think your word wall will look like? More traditional? Colorful? Maybe on the ceiling?

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/99501472991627002/
Example of an interactive word wall. 

Chapters 1-3 Vocabulary

Chapters one through three had a lot of new vocabulary and ideas that will be useful in the classroom. One term from chapter one that was completely new to me, but I have observed without knowing it, is anecdotal record keeping. This method is used to help make and record observations of individual students' behaviors. It is also good for observing and recording the skill level or attitudes toward specific subjects of the individual students. Anecdotal record keeping helps a teacher to plan and implement instruction so that it best meets the needs of all students. 
My chosen vocabulary for chapter two is literacy centers. I have heard of them didn't know exactly what it was or seen one implemented in a classroom. A literacy center is a station or physical area of a classroom that is designated to help students meet literacy goals. Students can work independently or in small groups on work. 
Daily five is my vocabulary for chapter three. This is not a new term for me and it is something that I have seen in the classroom during field experience observations. Students are given five options. All options are meant to help increase literacy skills. 
I can see myself implementing all three of these methods into my classroom in the future. Daily five and anecdotal record keeping seem like they would be easier to implement as a new teacher. Creating and managing a literacy center may need to wait until I have a couple years of experience in managing a classroom just because it is another area of the room to try and maintain and that could be overwhelming as a new teacher. Do you think these three options would would work for you in your classroom? Why or why not? 

Class One

The first week of class provided a lot of clarification for expectations and assignments. Honestly, between Senior Seminar, work, and getting ready for student teaching I am feeling a little overwhelmed! I have survived multiple 9 hour sessions so I know I can get through it, just have to take it one step at a time! 

I am glad that we broke assignments down tonight. Knowing that the unit needs to contain the 100 questions ahead of time will make it easier to approach when we start writing them, in my opinion. It was also good to go into more detail concerning the scope and sequence because it is different than the one I did in the past. I posted this in a previous post for another class, but it might be helpful when writing DOK questions for your lesson plans. 

What do you guys think will be the most difficult part of this class, based off of the information we have gained in the first class? Do you have any tips for lesson plans?