april 20 internship reflection

What have you seen in language arts/reading instruction? What connections have you seen between what you observed and our readings  and/or class discussions.

Tuesday was the last day of internship.  There really was not much done in the classroom that has not been done before.  The students were doing a practice reading selection, similiar to what they are going to see on the EOG in a few weeks.  The teacher read the passage allowed as the students followed along with her.  She’d had them read the questions to begin with so they knew what they were looking for.  When they got to a part in the passage where it seemed like there might be an answer to  a question students were to raise their hands and then they would examine that part of the passage as a class.  I think that having the teacher read the passage aloud to them helped them out a great deal when searching for the answers. 

Have you done any teaching in your internship? What have you taught ? Have you worked with a child or a group of children? What did you do with them (e.g., picture/word sort, DRTA, Text Talk) ?

There was not much that we were able to teach on Tuesday.  It was more just walking around the room and helping students if they needed it.

Comment on any interesting things that you have noticed about your school, the teachers, the students, or the curriculum.

I love how it seems like everyone works together as a team to make the school the best it possibly can be.

Post any questions that you have about teaching/learning.

This has nothing to do with anything educational but I left on Tuesday wondering if I got that attached to those kids after only spending 8 days with them what am I going to do when I student teach, let alone become a real teacher, and have to let those kids go?

april 12-april 16 internship reflection

What have you seen in language arts/reading instruction? What connections have you seen between what you observed and our readings  and/or class discussions.

Right now the teachers are so focused on getting their students prepared for EOG testing that it is all they do in the language arts department.  The teachers give the students practice EOG tests and then go over strategies to answer questions.  This past Tuesday however there was a little bit of a change.  My third graders took what is called a probe test.  They take these three times a year.  The part that they took on Tuesday was the reading part.  There were five different parts and they were given a minute per section to answer as many questions as they could.  In part 1 they had to say each sound that the letters shown made (for example there were the letters a-z and then qu).  In part 2 that had to say nonsense words (for example: shud, blox, vamp, and glish).  In part three they had to say each word (example: think, just, and when).  In part 4 they had to read a passage and in part 5 they had to write down each word they heard. 

Have you done any teaching in your internship? What have you taught ? Have you worked with a child or a group of children? What did you do with them (e.g., picture/word sort, DRTA, Text Talk) ?

There is not much room for teaching in this setting since the teachers are so focused on getting their students ready for the EOG’s.  The only form of ”teaching” or working with a student in the language arts department is I was able to complete my WRI with my identified student.

Comment on any interesting things that you have noticed about your school, the teachers, the students, or the curriculum.

The teachers all seem very approachable and genuine.  They seem like they really care about their students and that they are trying their hardest to make sure that each child understands all of the curriculum that is going to be on the EOG and that they pass their test.

Post any questions that you have about teaching/learning.

How do you reach a variety of academic levels so higher level learners are not getting bored and so that they lower level learners are still able to focus and comprehend what you are teaching?

march 29-april 2 internship reflection

What have you seen in the language arts/reading instruction?

                I have seen the teachers review with their students concepts that they are going to see when they take the EOG in a few weeks.  They are teaching their students good test taking strategies for the reading comprehension part of the EOG; such as reading the questions beforehand so that they know what to look for when reading the passages.

What have you taught in your internship?

                In the internship this past week, I helped a student complete a crossword puzzle using his spelling words.  The clues were the definitions.  I also helped his review how to spell them by helping him sound out the words and make sense of the letters.

Comment on any interesting things that you have noticed about your school, teachers, the students, or the curriculum?

                One things that I noticed this week that my teacher did was when reviewing practice EOG questions she has the letters A-D set up in different spots of the classroom.  The students sit at their desk while reading a question but then when it comes time to answer it they each go and stand under the letter that they think is the answer.  Usually they walk but to change things up a little bit this week she had them alter the way they got to the letter.  For example, one time she told them to crab walk, another she told them to bunny hop, then she told them to frog jump.  This was a good way to get the students interested in what was going on in the classroom and they enjoyed having different ways to get to the letters.

Post any questions you have about teaching/learning?

                How do you alter your lessons to reach students who do not speak English?  Especially when there is not a translator in the classroom to assist you.

march 22-march 26 internship reflection

This was the first full week of our internship and I highly enjoyed it.  I love being able to interact with the students and actually being in the classroom and observing and getting a hands on experience.  In the language arts/reading area I have seen my teacher work to prepare her students for the End of Grade (EOG) test they will take in May.  They take practice tests dealing with reading comprehension and complete worksheets dealing with grammar and other concepts they need to know.  I have not really taught much yet during the internship.  I have although given my spelling test to my students and graded them.  I look forward to more opportunities that I will have with the students to teach/aid them in some area of language arts/reading.  I have noticed that the students for the most part seem eager to learn and to succeed.  The teachers seem to be genuinely concerned about their students and seeing them succeed in their studies and advance on to the next level.

curt article #2

1. What grade is Curt in?

            Curt is in 3^rd grade.

2. What was the flash score for words at: first-grade level? second-grade level? third-grade level?

            At a first-grade level the flash score was 75%, at a second-grade level it was 50%, and at third-grade it was 20%.

3.  What was the accuracy score at: 1-2 level? 2-1 level? 2-2 level?

            The accuracy score at the 1-2 level was 98%, at the 2-1 level it was 97%, and at the 2-2 level it was 90%.

 4. What was the rate score at: 1-2 level? 2-1 level? 2-2 level?

            The rate score at the 1-2 level was 68%, at the 2-1 level it was 65%, and at the 2-2 level it was 44%.

5. Look at the spelling scores in Table 5.2 on page 172. What was the percentage correct score for: first-grade words? second-grade words?

            The percentage correct for first-grade was 60%, and the percentage correct for second-grade was, 0%.

6. Which grade-level flash score is the best choice for Instruction Level? (*Note: 92-94% accuracy is marginal; take a close look at Rate.)

            The pre-primer grade level flash score is the best choice for Instruction Level.

7. Which grade-level accuracy score is the best choice for Instruction Level?

            The first-grade level is the best choice for Instruction Level.

8. What do Curt’s rate scores indicate about his grade-level reading? Where is he instructional according to rate?

            Curt’s rate scores indicate that he is at a first grade reading level.  He is also at a first-grade instructional level.

9. What do Curt’s spelling scores indicate about his Instruction Level.

            His spelling scores indicate that he is at a first-grade instruction level.

10. Put all of these scores together, and what do they indicate Curt’s reading level to be?

            All these scores indicate that Curt is at a first-grade reading level.

rasinki article

1. What are the three dimensions of fluency? How can you assess each dimension?
      The three dimensions of fluency are accuracy in word decoding, automatic word processing, and prosodic reading.  To determine proficiency in decoding connected text, calculate the percentage of words a reader can accurately decode on grade level of 90-95 is considered adequate.  Automaticity in decoding can be assessed by looking at the student’s reading rate.  The best way to assess prosodic reading is to listen to a student read a grade-level passage and to then judge the quality of the reading using a rubric that scores a student on the elements of expression, volume, phrasing, smoothness, and pace.  

2. Rasinski refers to fluency as a “bridge” between decoding and comprehension. What does he mean by the “bridge” metaphor?
      He means that fluency helps students connect the concepts of decoding and comprehension in reading.

3. What instructional methods does Rasinski suggest for students with difficulties in automatic and prosodic reading?
      He suggests read-aloud sessions and then discussing the specific oral interpretations that was chosen.  Coaching also provides other opportunities for developing skills by making students aware of their own interpretations of the text and moving readers towards deeper levels of interpretation and meaning.  Rasinki suggests repeated readings and assisted readings within the classroom.  A teacher should listen to the student read a grade level passage and then judge the quality of the reading using a rubric that grades the student on expression and volume, phraseness, smoothness, and pace.  Teachers can also have students read a passage for sixty seconds and then calculate how many words were read correctly.  Then they should compare the student scores with target scores for the particular grade level.

4. Multidimensional Fluency Scale (MFS) is used to measure prosodic quality of oral reading. List components of the MFS and describe briefly what each refers to (p. 49).

            The components of MFS are:

Expression and Volume:   The amount of expression and volume that a student uses when reading a text. 

Phrasing:  How the reader phrases certain words within the text.

Smoothness:  How easily a reader gets through a text.

Pace:  The amount of time it takes a reader to read a text.

words their way article

How does a Preliterate (Emergent) speller read and write?

          During the emergent stage, the child may undertake reading and writing in earnest, but adults will recognize their efforts as more pretend than real.  Students may write with scribbles, letterlike forms, or random letters that have no phonetic relationship to words they confidently believe they are writing.  These students may read familiar books from memory using the pictures on each page to cue their recitation of the text.  They may call out the name of a favorite fast food restaurant when they recognize the logo or a friend’s name because it starts with the letter t.

 

How does a Letter Name-Alphabetic speller read and write?

          The Letter Name-Alphabetic spellers now grasps the concept that there are matches between letters and sounds that must be made in writing.  They are a beginning reader who has moved from pretend reading and begun to use systematic letter sound matches to identify and store words in memory.  The reader initially has limited knowledge of letter sounds as they identify words by phonetic cues.  These readers and writers are described as being in the partial alphabetic phase.  The kind of errors these students make during this phase offer insight into what they understand about print.  At this stage spellers also get short vowels wrong when they begin to represent them in one syllabe words.

         

How does a Within Word Pattern speller read and write?

          Transitional readers and spellers move into the within word pattern spelling stage when single-letter sound units are consolidated into patters or larger chunks and other spelling regularities are internalized.  After basic letter sounds in the onset position, students focus on the vowel and what follows.  Short-vowel rimes are learned first with consonant blends in the context of simple word families or phonograms. Once the rime unit is solidified as a chunk, students appear to use but confuse various long-vowel patterns of English.  Their reading moves from haulting word-byword reading to more expressive phrasal reading, and they can read fluently at their instructional level.  At this stage spellers also confuse long vowel markers.

 

How does a Syllable and Affixes speller read and write?

          Syllable and affixes spellers read most text with good accuracy and speed, both orally and silently.  For these students success in reading and understanding is related to familiarity and experience with the topic being discussed.  Students acquire a repertoire of reading styles that reflects on their experience with different genres.   

 

How does a Derivational Relations speller read and write?

            Derivational relation spellers have a broader experience base that allows them to choose among a variety of reading styles to suit the text and their purpose for reading.  They read according to their own interests and needs and they seek to integrate their knowledge with the knowledge of others.  The same picture is evident in their writing.  These students develop and master a variety of writing styles.

 

What is the existing research evidence on the relationship between spelling and reading. Briefly describe research findings discussed on page 20.

            Significant correlations between spelling and various measures of word recognition and decoding have been reported.  In six correlational studies in which students of various ages were asked to read and spell words and reported correlations ranging from .68-.86.  In other studies, spelling measures have accounted for as much as 40% to 60& of the variance in oral reading measures.  It was found that students who receive additional spelling instruction perform better on reading tasks such as oral reading, silent reading comprehension, and other reading related measures in addition to spelling.  Practice at spelling helps reading more than practice at reading helps spelling.