Fluency begins with high frequency words then continuously develops as children’s word bank expands through practicing word recognition via guided readings and various creative activities generated by the teachers that are listed on page 193 and 194 of the text. The components of fluency involves “accuracy, reading speed, and prosody” (page 208), and by reading fluently, the readers can comprehend and speed read through various texts during their educational years. Hence, fluency seems important for students to begin practicing in order to enhance their reading speed and comprehension of the different levels of texts.
There is more to fluency than just reading; writing fluency is also essential in literacy. It almost seems logical to think that being fluent in reading, a student can fluently write, I also believe it is chronological, but there are different developmental processes in writing fluency. Writing involves understanding to decode a word specifically involving irregularities in which becomes more challenging compared to learning reading fluency.
I have yet observed reading or writing fluency in the placement since the kindergarteners are now learning the syllables and sounding out the letters. Even though they have yet completely learned to read, the kindergarteners are also learning to write in which seems to help by relating to what they are currently learning in literacy. I believe their practices are going to lead these students into becoming fluent readers and writers.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Tompkins Chapter 9 Facilitating Comprehension
Tompkins depicts various text factors for different genres in the chapter. The detailed factors for each genres, there is much to learn myself in literature. Moreover, I would like to point out the chart they provide on page 305, which involves different graphic organizers that are suitable to use according to different patterns of text structures.
One of the structures I would like to mention is the ‘Elements of Story Structure’ where it focuses on the beginning-middle-end of a story. I have facilitated this structure in my literacy lesson in the kindergarten classroom. Surprisingly, the students did extremely well in coming up with a story on their own concerning the beginning, middle, and end. Obviously, the drawings explained the most of their stories but the available word lines provided on the paper certainly gave them a chance to try writing using the word wall in the classroom. The step-by-step process of learning about the text seems to give great value for students to inherently comprehend the diverse texts that are valued in education.
One of the structures I would like to mention is the ‘Elements of Story Structure’ where it focuses on the beginning-middle-end of a story. I have facilitated this structure in my literacy lesson in the kindergarten classroom. Surprisingly, the students did extremely well in coming up with a story on their own concerning the beginning, middle, and end. Obviously, the drawings explained the most of their stories but the available word lines provided on the paper certainly gave them a chance to try writing using the word wall in the classroom. The step-by-step process of learning about the text seems to give great value for students to inherently comprehend the diverse texts that are valued in education.
New Literacy Project – Reflection
When the New Literacy Project was introduced to us in the classroom, numerous questions arose in my mind concerning the types of new literacies and new technologies. There were various programs we could use in presenting our new literacy in which lots of exploring were needed to be done. Furthermore, this project was a chance to get familiarized using new technology and learning new literacy.
I chose scrapblog to present my New Literacy Project after exploring and listening to peers’ opinions on the ease of its usage. I experienced the simple and easy ways in creating a scrapblog including short steps and basic ways of uploading pictures. Moreover, there are available free themes already designed for not so creative scrapbloggers like myself. However, if more decorative stickers, backgrounds, and frames are desired, it is not too expensive to purchase them. Scrapblog is a perfect technology to use in creating a memorable presentation for the classroom to create as a whole and observe after completing them.
My reasons for choosing scrapblog are my all time interest in making scrapbooks. I have always been creating scrapbooks for special occasions and it always took a long time to create as to all the cutting, decorating, and putting them together. I have never heard about scrapblog until it was introduced in the class to us for this project and I’m glad it did since now, it made my scrapbooking time a lot shorter and more productive. I can share so much with the students through this program and the time consumption is a lot less than scrapbook. It is a great source to create and share with the students in the classroom as well as in keeping and creating one for yourself apart from school.
For my New Literacy Project, I chose emotional literacy as the new literacy I wanted to explore and learn. My placement in the kindergarten classroom, I observe numerous emotional struggles and conflicts within peers in which some of the students have difficult times controlling angers in which they burst out crying for not getting what they want. Further with emotional literacy, I chose a specific part of emotional literacy, motivation. I wanted to emphasize the importance in students’ motivation to do work and accomplishing assignments and be engaged in doing assigned tasks for internal learning.
Other than all the positive aspects of this project, I had some struggles in doing the New Literacy Project. When creating a scrapblog, the site did not have a full description on how to start a scrapblog in which I had to ask a friend (Heather) who already had experiences with scrapblog. She instructed me on what I should click to find free scrapblog creator and the steps I needed to follow in completing one. However, the scrapblog itself is not difficult to complete once you know where the links are listed since it directs you back to the scrapblog you were creating when logged into your account. In addition to some of the struggles in creating a scrapblog, I was not sure on the specifics of emotional literacy as I was never introduced to the topic. Therefore, I had to do some research in understanding the purpose of teaching emotional literacy towards the students. Overall, the New Literacy Project supported me in introducing me to a new method of how I can incorporate technology into teaching literacy to the students, and I am for sure planning to use scrapblog to enhance students’ learning in a classroom someday.
I chose scrapblog to present my New Literacy Project after exploring and listening to peers’ opinions on the ease of its usage. I experienced the simple and easy ways in creating a scrapblog including short steps and basic ways of uploading pictures. Moreover, there are available free themes already designed for not so creative scrapbloggers like myself. However, if more decorative stickers, backgrounds, and frames are desired, it is not too expensive to purchase them. Scrapblog is a perfect technology to use in creating a memorable presentation for the classroom to create as a whole and observe after completing them.
My reasons for choosing scrapblog are my all time interest in making scrapbooks. I have always been creating scrapbooks for special occasions and it always took a long time to create as to all the cutting, decorating, and putting them together. I have never heard about scrapblog until it was introduced in the class to us for this project and I’m glad it did since now, it made my scrapbooking time a lot shorter and more productive. I can share so much with the students through this program and the time consumption is a lot less than scrapbook. It is a great source to create and share with the students in the classroom as well as in keeping and creating one for yourself apart from school.
For my New Literacy Project, I chose emotional literacy as the new literacy I wanted to explore and learn. My placement in the kindergarten classroom, I observe numerous emotional struggles and conflicts within peers in which some of the students have difficult times controlling angers in which they burst out crying for not getting what they want. Further with emotional literacy, I chose a specific part of emotional literacy, motivation. I wanted to emphasize the importance in students’ motivation to do work and accomplishing assignments and be engaged in doing assigned tasks for internal learning.
Other than all the positive aspects of this project, I had some struggles in doing the New Literacy Project. When creating a scrapblog, the site did not have a full description on how to start a scrapblog in which I had to ask a friend (Heather) who already had experiences with scrapblog. She instructed me on what I should click to find free scrapblog creator and the steps I needed to follow in completing one. However, the scrapblog itself is not difficult to complete once you know where the links are listed since it directs you back to the scrapblog you were creating when logged into your account. In addition to some of the struggles in creating a scrapblog, I was not sure on the specifics of emotional literacy as I was never introduced to the topic. Therefore, I had to do some research in understanding the purpose of teaching emotional literacy towards the students. Overall, the New Literacy Project supported me in introducing me to a new method of how I can incorporate technology into teaching literacy to the students, and I am for sure planning to use scrapblog to enhance students’ learning in a classroom someday.
Weinstein Chapter 7 Motivation
My kindergarten classroom is full of enthusiastically motivated students who crave for teacher’s attentions. Unfortunately, not all students are motivated in doing activities and learning new materials. This one particular student is absent most of the times and rarely participates in the discussion even though our CT calls him several times to express her care of all students. Even though this student dislikes the force of doing assignments, he tries his best to complete one when one of the TE 402 student sits next to him and explains slowly. This way, I thought he liked the attention of having one of us sit next to him in completing an assignment. However, there are moments when he drops everything and does the total opposite of getting the assignment done when we are next to him.
I have no clue where his behaviors are coming from or whether he still has the motivation to learn and complete what are assigned in the classroom.
I have observed that lower grades are more motivated in class participation where as grade level rises, the students’ motivation decreases. The motivation equation of expectancy x value is a delicate equation in which the teachers will need to continuously monitor in the classroom. Teacher’s compliments and positive attitudes in students’ works encourages students’ motivation and this is what I wish to continue practicing in my field placements, hoping it truly supports all students in level of their motivation.
I have no clue where his behaviors are coming from or whether he still has the motivation to learn and complete what are assigned in the classroom.
I have observed that lower grades are more motivated in class participation where as grade level rises, the students’ motivation decreases. The motivation equation of expectancy x value is a delicate equation in which the teachers will need to continuously monitor in the classroom. Teacher’s compliments and positive attitudes in students’ works encourages students’ motivation and this is what I wish to continue practicing in my field placements, hoping it truly supports all students in level of their motivation.
Self Assessment Midterm
For me, the blog has been helpful, but I find myself interacting and communicating more with the people in class during actual class time. I have enjoyed though reading different perspectives and also found it beneficial to reflect on the readings and think about what I read and try to make the connections and write them out. I really think about what I post because I feel that it is a way to peer communicate and I know how much I benefit from other's post, I want them to learn from mine as well.
I have seen my thinking really changed from the class and others points of view. Have it been through the New Literacy Project and opening my eyes to a whole new way of teaching, or many helpful tips from the Tompkins reading, all of this together has added to my teacher tool box. I really think that I am gathering a bunch of new ideas and hearing from my peers certain techniques they have tried and either succeed or failed with. It has been a great learning experience so far.
The noteblog is a great tool to just say how I feel and what I think in a comfortable setting and get feedback from my peers. It is also helpful being on a blog, that I can go back and refer to it as many times as I need it.
I have to admit the New Literacies Project has to be one of the most beneficial assingments I have done in my four years of TE. I am not the most tech savvy and yet I learned and feel so comfortable with a whole slew of new tools to use. And with having the blog, I can read about others that were different from mine, and if I have a questions, post one, and have confidence that someone who knows what to do will answer it for me.
Learning from others has always been something I have tried to do in whatever setting I am in, and it is no different when it comes to this class. The only thing I wish is that we had access to all the blogs because I know how much I have learned from Yoon, Jen, Kelly, and Kristin that I can only imagine what everyone else has to offer.
I think that overall I have gotten so much out of this blog and I only hope that others have learned what I have, and at this point I would say I have earned a grade of an A-. I know that there were a few times in which I was confused and didn't post on time, but I made sure to go back and make those up.
I have seen my thinking really changed from the class and others points of view. Have it been through the New Literacy Project and opening my eyes to a whole new way of teaching, or many helpful tips from the Tompkins reading, all of this together has added to my teacher tool box. I really think that I am gathering a bunch of new ideas and hearing from my peers certain techniques they have tried and either succeed or failed with. It has been a great learning experience so far.
The noteblog is a great tool to just say how I feel and what I think in a comfortable setting and get feedback from my peers. It is also helpful being on a blog, that I can go back and refer to it as many times as I need it.
I have to admit the New Literacies Project has to be one of the most beneficial assingments I have done in my four years of TE. I am not the most tech savvy and yet I learned and feel so comfortable with a whole slew of new tools to use. And with having the blog, I can read about others that were different from mine, and if I have a questions, post one, and have confidence that someone who knows what to do will answer it for me.
Learning from others has always been something I have tried to do in whatever setting I am in, and it is no different when it comes to this class. The only thing I wish is that we had access to all the blogs because I know how much I have learned from Yoon, Jen, Kelly, and Kristin that I can only imagine what everyone else has to offer.
I think that overall I have gotten so much out of this blog and I only hope that others have learned what I have, and at this point I would say I have earned a grade of an A-. I know that there were a few times in which I was confused and didn't post on time, but I made sure to go back and make those up.
Tompkins 6
Tompkins 6- Fluency
Developing Fluent Readers and Writers.
This chapter was particularly interesting to me because when I think of fluency I automatically think of reading. I always leave out writing, and feel that many of my teachers in the past did as well. When I look at my own literacy skills, I know that my reading fluency is excellent, but I do not think as highly of my writing skills. I do not know if it is because I never learned to be a fluent writer, or if it is simply because writing requires coming up with new ideas.
This is not something I see often in the classroom. I am in a second grade classroom and rarely see students creating their own writing work. A fair amount of the time the students are simply copying down ideas that were written on the board. If students do create their own work, it is usually only two or three sentences long. How can we teach students to be fluent readers AND writers?
Developing Fluent Readers and Writers.
This chapter was particularly interesting to me because when I think of fluency I automatically think of reading. I always leave out writing, and feel that many of my teachers in the past did as well. When I look at my own literacy skills, I know that my reading fluency is excellent, but I do not think as highly of my writing skills. I do not know if it is because I never learned to be a fluent writer, or if it is simply because writing requires coming up with new ideas.
This is not something I see often in the classroom. I am in a second grade classroom and rarely see students creating their own writing work. A fair amount of the time the students are simply copying down ideas that were written on the board. If students do create their own work, it is usually only two or three sentences long. How can we teach students to be fluent readers AND writers?
Motivation
Motivation, how do you do it? This is one of the biggest problems I see in the classroom. Scare tactics and external motivation only go so far. How do we make students want to learn? How do we create value in learning? This is something that is easy for us as college students to understand, but how do we convince small children that focusing and learning really does matter? This reading took me back to the expectancy x value framework we learned about during TE 301. How can we show students that the effort they put in will payoff in the end? I decided to pull out my literary reference project I created last year to see what I thought about it at the time. What I wrote about the model was; expectancy(does the student expect to be successful) x value (why is it valuable for the student to complete the task?) I think that this is an excellent representation of how motivation actually works. Even when I want to try new things or push myself, I must first believe I can accomplish the task. If I am down on myself from the beginning then it almost is not worth trying. But once again HOW do we teach our students to believe they can be sucessful. As for value, teaching young students the value of education is often difficult. This is often covered up with grades, stickers, and staying out of trouble. These things might be enough for awhile, but eventually students will have to understand the real reason it is important to accomplish the task at hand.
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