Josh

Josh Oswalt June 15, 2011 - Section 1 - Classroom Strategies

I wanted to write on a few key points that I pulled from the __Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learners__ book. I have already finished my research class and my topic was on adolescent males and the reluctance to read (or something like that). This is why I chose the following points out of this book. The first being the fact that both students and teachers may lose sight of the purpose of reading. This is a lot of what I was talking about in my philosophy in class today. Students need to understand the purpose of reading before they want to give any effort into what they are reading. So often students read to find the answers to the questions they are provided with prior to reading.

One other thing that I questioned in the beginning of section 1, chapter 1 dealt with the thought process of a proficient reader and a magazine article. A lot of the structure of that section was set up similar to the DRA model. After seeing what a "proficient" reader is to ask, I think back to all of those DRA assessments I graded at the end of the school year. Our students not only struggle with the "before reading" questions, but they struggle with asking questions during reading and asking what's next. How do we get our students to stay actively engaged into their reading at all times? How do we get them to create that "movie" in their head like Louise Rosenblatt asks us to create? I think if they are able to create the movie then they will be able to ask questions... But how?! As a boy growing up, if I could not find interest in a book I wouldn't have been able to visualize, or even ask questions (except the negative ones like: "Why am I reading this stupid book?").

This Segway’s into my other topic I would like to talk about. Prior knowledge!!!! An author who assumes that students already know the material is ALWAYS wrong. For instance, this year the PSSA 8th grade reading assessment had a question in it regarding a time capsule. My poor kids were devastated when they came to my class following this test. They had NO idea what a time capsule was. Some were embarrassed when I explained to them and they had written about a black hole or a pill that takes you back in time. This is just one example....

What do we do with kids who never saw a farm animal or let alone a farm? Or a country boy who has never been to the city and the only Subway he knows is the restaurant that serves five dollar foot longs. We need to be more cognoscente of the material we provide students. If there is any question that a student may not know some of the material that is presented in the book/story, then the teacher should take a few minutes to explain or have the student look up the material.

I apologize for this late post; however, I hope that this explains where my head is at. I look forward to reading the other posts!

I think this also goes into what you talked about in class when you spoke about the English course you took at Shippensburg. Kids don't read enough books that interest them. I was an English major in my undergraduate studies and can remember //a lot// about how dry the reading materials we studied were. It is relatable to all ages groups. I don't know how flexible your school district/school is about you choosing the reading material for the class, but perhaps if you were to create a survey that students could fill out about what interests them/what books they find interesting and adding some of them to your lessons. Even just a paragraph or page excerpt of a popular book to talk about during class might engage boys and girls alike. I also thought of an author you might find interesting, Gary Paulsen, that is more geared to young adolescent boys. - Molly Josh – You are making some great connections between your reading and your own background knowledge. Your comments about how to do this with students are right on target. Dr. P.

June 17, 2011 - Literacy Lessons Chapter 2

Reading at home is a huge advantage to students in the classroom. As a teacher, you can usually guess which students read at home; either independently or with parents. It is amazing to hear some of the comments from students in the classroom. This past year I taught reading intervention classes and the comments my students made about reading was very surprising. Out of 30+ eighth graders I taught this year, two or three of them read outside of school. Some even told me that parents were too busy; never around; didn't encourage them to read because it didn't help them in school; etc.

Throughout the year I encouraged my students to pick up new books and read. I explained to them that the most influential speech I ever listened to came at a leadership convention at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. This guy was the owner of the Orlando Magic NBA basketball team. He had a ton of messages for us (300+ NCAA student-athletes from all over the country), but he said that if we only left with one thing it was that we should read at least one hour each day. He said that he had started this committment 15 years prior and he has learned an incredible amount of vocabulary and information. Ever since, I have tried to stay committed to this same motto and I to have learned a lot through literature.

The book states that when the family recognizes the expectations of school curriculum, the student performs much better in the classroom. Parents that read the classroom newsletters and that are present at the parent meetings are well informed and can help their children with the upcoming lessons. Many parents are afraid to "help" with the different units the students will be learning in school because they feel as if they do not fully understand the information; which is completely understandable. What the parents fail to understand is that their children will perform better in anything when they see their parents/guardians showing interest in what they do. A simple question or "guide on the side" technique as their child works on homework will not only promote a better relationship, but it will also make the students feel more comfortable in the work they put out.

June 20, 2011 - Chapter 3 Literacy Lessons

Motivating reluctant students to read can be a very difficult task. I like the idea of student-centered activities triggered by reading surveys. Having the ability to delve into the interests of students and then teach to those interests would be a huge advantage for any teacher. In our district we DRA all reading intervention students at the end of the year to get their level. Before testing, each student is given the independent reading survey where they can explain their interests; what they like to read on their own; and what they have read recently. As a new teacher I wish I was able to give this survey earlier in the year so I could teach to the student's interest.

Literature circles are another topic explained in this chapter. Literature circles are a great way to get student involvement in the classroom. I taught literature circle groups with my sixth graders this year reading //The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963//. The students enjoyed the different roles that they were able to fulfill throughout the unit. Given a different job for each task kept the students busy and involved in the text. Having these mulitiple tasks enabled them to become more interested into the story. My lower level students thrived in this setting.

I didn't keep the students in the same group. Instead I changed the groups every so many days. Some days I paired homogeniously and others I paired heterogeniously. Mixing the groups is another way to keep the students interested and less bored throughout the unit.

I am very interested in the research on motivating a student to read. As a student, I disliked reading the texts that school required. I became so frustrated that I stopped reading all together and eventually didn't perform well on the placement test when I entered college. It wasn't until my required course in college that I started to enjoy reading again. I don't want that for the students in my class.

June 21, 2011 Josh, I am also very interested in reading more research on motivating reluctant students. I agree with the concept that extrinsic rewards like stickers or other prizes will only further diminish students' motivation to read just for the sake of reading. This year for booktalks, as I mentioned in class, my incoming students were rather surprised that I did not plan to offer up rewards for those students who met their 500 page goal that marking period. In years past, they were used to teachers providing them with some type of tangible reward each marking period when they met their independent reading goals. Obviously I congratulated them on a job well done, but that was where the "reward" ended. This was my attempt at moving towards more intrinsic motivation.

I agree with you that an interest survey at the beginning of the year could move mountains in the way of motivating students to enjoy reading. Not only could I better assist students in choosing high-interest books for independent reading from our classroom library, but I could also do my best to pull books for small group guided reading that the majority of the students in the group would be interested in. Of course there are limitations when it comes to what types of texts are offered in our building's bookroom, but having that idea in mind might aid in selecting a text.

Speaking of small group guided reading, this was the first year that I eventually had all three of my guided reading groups engaged in literature circles by the end of the year. I agree with the text when it lists literature circles as one strategy that can motivate students to read. I began this process with my highest achieving students, who were able to find independence with running the group after a short while. I was then able to take a step back and only jump in if students needed clarification on specific vocabulary or a section from the chapter. Midway through the year, I moved on to train my on- grade level group in how to conduct a literature circle discussion. After a bit more modeling and scaffolding than I had supplied to the above- grade level group, they were also able to take leadership of running their own book discussions. By the last half of the fourth marking period, my below- grade level readers were chomping at the bit to get to do literature circle jobs like the other groups. I waited until the end of the year for this particular group not to torture them, but because I felt that they would benefit more from teacher-led small group practice with our comprehension skills. Of course when I felt they were ready, I modified the jobs a bit and remained an active member of the literature circle for the duration of each meeting, but the students truly surprised me with the amount of effort they gave and the maturity they showed. I was so proud of that group, and honestly it was the most motivated I had seen them all year! With that in mind, I think I might try to implement literature circles for that group a bit earlier on next year, and intertwine teacher-led skill practice throughout the way. -Rachael

June 22, 2011 - Buehl pages 50-100

I'm glad I waited until tonight to read the Buehl pages. Today's class really got me thinking about the multiple perspectives that readers take on texts. Many students come from different areas/backgrounds and will see different view points on topics. Unless all of the readers have the exact same schema plugged into them; every reader will have different perspectives and will create their own "picture" of the material. McNeil had a interesting activity that involved the students taking different view points of different characters during the French Revolution. Performing this activity will allow the students to step outside of the box and portray thoughts of a different personality.

This section will help me tweek my lessons for my 6th graders next year. I am very excited to add these new ideas to my classroom. Along with McNeil's activity, I plan on incorporating the Double-Entry Diaries to my lessons. On top of having the students gather the information, I am very interested in reading their understanding and additional interests. It is too easy for a student to regurgitate information onto paper. Having them reflect and add insight to their facts is a great gauge for higher level thinking. Not only is this a more measureable task, but it will also keep the students more engaged with the material.

As I stated before, I will continue to read and use this book in my classroom. There are so many ideas in this book that will help me become a more engaging teacher, while keeping the students actively involved in the lesson... Good stuff!

//Josh,// //I also loved the idea about taking different view points of different characters. I think this activity would be fun for students and make them think more deeply about the text. I'd like to try this idea with my younger kids and see how it works!// //Brandy//

June 24, 2011

I want to talk about a small part of the //Smart Answers// book. As stated: “what message do we send to children when we require them to read stories that don’t make sense and force them to focus on pronunciation instead of meaning?” This except from the text reminds me of SRA. Yes, the stories do have meaning; however, in order to be able to use context clues to decipher the text the reader needs to have background knowledge. For instance, the students will read stories about stink bugs, giant redwoods, a talking mustard jar, and a president and a conman. Those are just a few of the stories that they are to read. Not one of the four interested ANY of my students (30+ students). We (teachers) need to build on interests. I understand the importance of decoding new words; however, we should use interest as a crutch to help catapult students to better understanding of a text not stinkbugs and talking mustard jars.

June 27, 2011 Classroom Strategies I like the Interactive Reading Guides portion of this reading. I was first introduced to Jigsaws in my classroom management course here at Shippensburg University. I believe these reading guides are a great way to keep the students active and engaged with difficult texts. So often my students want to work together, Jigsaws and other reading guides are a great way to have them actively working together to decipher a difficult text. June 28, 2011 Josh, I completely agree. Gaining student interest is definitely a key part of any reading program, and is crucial for comprehension. So often teachers and school districts are focused on the testable portions of learning that they miss the other portions. I believe that creating life-long learners and a passion for reading for enjoyment is just as important as those testable skills. - Kelly Josh – How will you manage this in your instructional setting? Do you have the flexibility to change the text for your students? If so, it will be a challenge with the diverse type of learners you teach in two schools. Dr. P.

6/28/11 Josh, in response to a post on my page about Big Books and how I would utilize them in my classroom, I found an idea for vocabulary building that I could connect to them. During circle time and reading with students the Big Book for let's say a book about weather, I could pull out vocabulary terms that my students are not familiar with or that are large words that are not used in the common day vernacular. It's from //The Reading Teacher// magazine and the idea is called "Word Expert Cards." Students are assigned one to two words each that they will become "experts" on. They define the word by looking it up in a dictionary, then use it in a sentence that is personal to them. They write the sentence and definition on the inside of a folded piece of construction paper. On the outside the student then writes the word in large, bold print and draws a picture that will help jog their memory of what the definition of the word is. This activity takes 1-2 class periods. Once all my students have defined their vocabulary terms they break up into pairs and quiz each other on their words for 5-7 minutes, then switch partners and start the process over again with another peer. I think you would be able to even utilize this with your students in the intermediate grades that you work with, just picking vocabulary terms that are from whatever lessons/books you develop for your students. - Molly

June 29, 2011

I want to kiss this book! I hate DIBELS! All the kids want to do is race through the text. No matter how many times I ask them to slow down they continue to read faster and faster with the ultimate goal to read the entire passage. This creates many problems. One being that they skip over words or mispronounce words. The other being they have no clue what they just read. DIBELS is meant to show growth in fluency. I think DIBELS is good for the students who are below 110WPM but for the students who read more than 110WPM it becomes a race. I just don't like it!

July 1, 2011

During our poetry unit in 6th grade I feel that it is important for the students to not only see and read the poems, but also to hear the poem. Echo reading can be a lot of fun and will teach the students the proper intonation of different poems. Echo reading on poetry can also translate in the proper chunking when reading any text. Yet another strategy to help students become more proficient readers.