Homework

            In my opinion the rationale behind homework is to practice skills that were recently taught.  The old saying with homework is "practice makes perfect" however, I agree with the more modern version of "perfect practice makes perfect". If students practice skills incorrectly it can be even more difficult for them to figure out how to do it correctly in the future. Meaningful homework is work that students are already confident with. These should be skills they have practiced in class under teacher supervision. Homework should reinforce the skills that students already have. Often times in my reading class I ask students to complete common assignments that have one changing element; for instance, they have to complete vocabulary sentences each week. The assignment, which they are accustomed to stays the same, the words do not. This allows them to just practice the vocabulary word meanings and not get caught up in the "how to" of the assignment. I provide feedback for my students the following day. If the assignment lends itself, we grade together as a class. Having students grade each other's assignments helps them to gain a deeper understanding.
          I think that technology can be very useful in the process of homework.  Allowing students to show their proficiency level using technology can help with student engagement and motivation. I also think it is important to make sure that the technology required for homework is easily accessible to all students.

Graphic Organizers

_{Non Fiction}

_I really liked this graphic organizer because it allows students to pre read a non fiction text. Often time’s students find non fiction very intimidating and this organizer can help them to understand.

http://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/userfiles/file/BIG%20FOX%20graphic%20organizer.pdf

This is a three way Venn Diagram. I chose this because it is more suitable for middle school students. It is a simple organizer to use and still encourages the higher order thinking of compare and contrast of three events.

http://www.realclassroomideas.com/resources/graphic+organizers-threewayvenn.pdf

Fiction

Like all graphic organizers this is great to help separate story details. This also emphasizes the differences between fiction and non fiction.

http://classroom.jc-schools.net/read/map.html

Poetry

This is a wonderful organizer to help understand poetry terms. It can be used first to fill in with definitions; it then can be filled with student created examples.  Lastly, this same graphic organizer can be used with a specific poem and examples can be taken from the poem.

http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/pdf/poetrytermspractice.pdf

Miscue Analysis

I gave a running record to a native Spanish speaker and a native Russian speaker.  The Spanish speaking student was a 6th grader and the Russian speaking student was in 10th grade.  The age gap in these students did make it hard to notice any similarities or differences.  The 6th grader did a good job with her reading and  read 110 words per minute.  What appeared to be her issue was simply fluency, she was comprehending what she was reading and decoding words, but her pace was very slow. For this student I would recommend repeated readings of grade level text. The ideal place to accomplish this would be in a guided reading group.  She needs to practice intonation as well as pausing for punctuation and commas.  The Russian speaking student seemed to have a different problem with his miscues. As he read he seemed to skip words throughout the passage. He ended up reading 135 words per minute. I noticed that he read the same way he spoke. Many of the same words we left out.  My suggestion for this student would be tutoring both orally and reading. I think that if his attention was drawn to the way he was speaking he would have an easier time fixing the miscues in his reading.

Blog #4

        I chose to look at adult text in Russian.  My in-laws adopted three Russian kids two years ago, they are now sophomores and seniors in high school, and I have watched them learning their new language. I have my ESL endorsement and have done some work with them when they first arrived in the country. It was absolutely remarkable to watch how quickly they were able to pick up the language.  Because of my relationship with these kids I have looked at the Russian written language a time or two and have not seen ANY similarities to English.
        I first looked at a Russian newspaper that Nikita showed me online. I was not able to understand a single word of the text. The basic rules still applied, I could see there was a title and what looked like a city name, but after that I was lost. In order to comprehend anything I had to go all the way back to a children's book, a basic children's book. Even at this level the only level of comprehension that occurred was via the pictures.
        I think that the implication on the teacher is to consistently be aware that the information in the text you are wanting students to read is not always accessible. The strategies that are designed for English Language Learners are beneficial for the entire class and should be used consistently. This experience of attempting to read a foreign text was a great eye opener for me and I will remember it the next time a language learner is struggling in my room.

Oral Language and the Reading Process

    Oral language is the backbone of the reading process.  The written word is simply oral language written down. Students who have been exposed to quality and correct language orally will have an easier time understanding the nuances of written language. This is especially true with grammar, often times we can tell if something is correct simply by how it sounds. For example, "There are four dogs" as opposed to "There is four dogs".  Students exposed to correct oral language will have a much easier time with both the reading process and written language.

Writing Instruction

   The writing I have received in my past most closely relates with the Acquisition View. I believe that most of my writing skills were acquired through feel. I had very little direct writing instruction, instead I was told to simply write. When I was in 8th grade I had a literacy teacher who had us do a lot of journal writing in order to gain writing topics. I really enjoyed this because writing came very naturally to me, however, I think some students may have suffered due to lack of direct instruction.

Philosophy of Teaching Literacy

      I believe that students want to be successful and it is our job as teachers to give them the skills necessary to get there. As students age, we tend to turn our attention from teaching to read, to only evaluating what we read. I believe it is critical to continue to instruct the older student on how to best utilize what they are reading. These higher level skills will prove to be beneficial in the student's continued education.