Module 6:Instructional Challenge

Next year, you will be teaching in a school where the vast majority of students did not meet standard on your state's criterion-referenced test and where more than 75% of the students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. What are some specific universal literacy strategies you may implement to ensure students success? Include both in-class examples and things you could do outside the classroom. Post it to your blog and name the posting "Module 6:Instructional Challenge."

This year, reading will need to be a focus due to the fact so many of the students did not meet the standard on the CRCT. To help with this, I will implement some specific universal literacy strategies.
Due to the fact that so many of the students are on free and reduced-price meals, I am going to be sure that whenever we begin discussing a topic or reading the book, that the students have enough information that they need to understand the text. It has been proven that students that have a significant knowledge about the topic of the book will gain more meaning from the text versus students who do not have prior knowledge of the topic. These students may have different schemas than what I assume they have. I need to build upon their existing schemas, so that they can use their background knowledge when it comes time to read a book. For example, if I am reading a book about a taxi. I need to be sure that the students know what a taxi is, what it is used for, and where they are commonly seen. This information would help the students understand the story about taxis better.
At home, the students will also need to practice reading. Parents, friends, brother, sisters, cousins, or whoever lives with the children will be responsible for reading books that the children like as well as on their level. This extra practice should help reinforce the reading that is going on in the classroom. Students will be allowed to check-out books from the school library that are appropriate for them. They can take these books home and read them with another person.

Module 6: Reading Reflection

Does any of the information presented in Chapter 15 influence your personal philosophy of reading? In what ways? How has your perspective this changed since you took the DeFord TORP a few weeks ago?

After reading Chapter 15, some of my thoughts of reading were definitely, which has been the case this for this entire course. One of the interesting things I read was the idea of decodables on page 366. Decodables are a resource that is provided with most purchased curricular. The book brought great points at high these books usually have unnatural language, and therefore students cannot use some of the strategies they have been taught, such as syntax. I love the graph that Weaver has on this page that shows the amount of errors compared to a book that consists of predictable language. With this information, decodables are definitely something that curriculum companies and even the people who choose the curriculum for schools should look at.

Weaver also discusses that the more students know about a topic, the more they will understand (2012. p. 373). While this is not a new idea to me, it is definitely something that I am going to be sure to be conscious of when teaching. When I am about to begin a new book with the students, I am going to be sure and discuss the topic indepthly. This will help the students when they try and read the book themselves. They will be able to comprehend the text and answer any questions that follow.

Final Personal Model of Reading Theory

Final Personal Model of the Theory of Reading Assignment

Kimberly Wood

Kennesaw State University

How do you teaching reading? This is the question that plagued me at the beginning of this reading course. After completing this class, I feel more confident in answering this question. I have learned that reading is a sociopsycholinguistic process. Constance Weaver describes this as a process of using graphic cues, schemas, context, semantics, and syntax in order to gain meaning from a text. These strategies need to be taught to the children and used by them when reading.

Reading should be a part of a comprehensive literacy program, in which reading and writing workshops are used to support the sociopsycholinguistic reading process. Students should be given time to participate in both large group and small group times during the reading block. Read-alouds and shared reading times should be used in a large group format, in which a teacher may read a book demonstrating how to read fluently and with expression. It also should involve times when students help and demonstrate what they know about reading. Specific reading strategies can also be taught during this time as a mini-lesson, such as predicting or thinking aloud. In my first grade classroom, read-alouds will involve reading a big book and shared reading will involve the students reading from their text book.

Literature circles and guided reading times are a time for the teacher to interact with students in a small group. I feel that this is the time that the students read a book on their level. The students should read the book quietly aloud, and the teacher should listen to the students and assist when needed.  The teacher should then facilitate discussion about the text being read. Also, this is a time that the teacher can learn what support the students need and address these issues. For example, if a student comes across a word her or she does not know, the teacher should provide strategy options for the student to use to figure out what the word is. This is a new concept for me that I will use in my guided reading groups this year. Previously, I would allow another student to say the unknown word. I now know that a student that does not know a word should be given strategies, such as using prior knowledge or use the picture, in order to read the unknown word.

After reading about reading workshop and the comprehensive literacy program, I learned the importance of independent reading and conferencing. Having students read books for a sustained period of time is an extremely beneficial time for students to work on their reading. These books should be on the students’ levels, but the students should be given the choice to pick the book they want to read. Conferencing can take place during this time to meet with students individually to discuss problems, issues, or questions.

One of the biggest things about learning to read that has changed for me is the idea of teaching phonics. Previously, I have taught phonics independently, and I definitely did not integrate it into other times like I should have. Each morning we sing phonics songs, go over the skill of the week, and review the spelling words.  I now know that phonics is something that should be brought into all aspects of reading workshop, and it should not be isolated. Phonics is something that can be discussed during shared reading or guided reading for example when a word pattern is utilized.

Though I have learned a lot from this course about reading, and I will change many things this upcoming year, reading will still be a learning process for me. Reading should be something that is taught as part of a comprehensive literacy program in a sociopsycholinguistic process. I cannot wait to begin this upcoming school and year and utilize the knowledge that I have learned about reading.

Module 5: Instructional Challenge

As your school year starts, you realize that you have three ELLs who are newcomers to the United States. Discuss how a comprehensive literacy program addresses their needs, drawing attention to specific components of the framework that are particularly relevant. Then discuss any additional scaffolding you would offer to support these children's needs.

A comprehensive literacy program is able to address the needs of all learners based upon its wide range of teaching strategies. Specifically focusing on ELLs, through reading workshop and writing workshop, these students can receive the type of instruction they need to succeed. During reading, read-alouds are a great opportunity for the ELLs to receive demonstrations on how to read fluently, how to think aloud, and how to read with expression. Guided reading will also be a great way to work with these students' specific needs. Here, I would be able to work on whatever skills they are struggling with. For example, while reading a story, we can go over any phonics skills that they are not understanding as well as vocabulary words that they do not know the meaning of. Reading conferences can further provide me with specific information on each ELL individually. I would be able to discuss with them what he or she is having a problem with and talk with him or her on how to fix that problem. During writing, a comprehensive literacy program provides ample opportunies to assist ELL students. Like reading, writing aloud, guided writing, and conferences can help me address the needs of these students. During a writing aloud, the ELL students would be able to see an example of writing. In guided writing, I would be able to help these students as a group on the specific struggles they are having. For example, if the students are struggling with coming up with words to use in their sentences, we can work as a group to come up with a list of words for them to use. Conferences would give me the opportunity to gauge where each ELL is in his or her writing. I would be able to help them on each of their specific problems. Through the reading and writing workshop times in a comprehensive literacy program, I would be able to reach whatever the needs are to all students.

Module 5: Reading Reflection

Where does phonics instruction fit within a comprehensive literacy program? When and how would you teach phonics?

I think that phonics is something that can be integrated in many places of a comprehensive literacy program. I do not feel that phonics should be isolated and taught alone. Phonics can be a part of read-alouds, shared reading, and guided reading groups. Students can also apply and practice the phonics skills that they already know during sustained reading. During writing workshop, phonics can be reinforced here as well during write-aloud, shared writing, guided writing, and conference time.

This school year, I will be teaching first grade again. Our entire team sets aside 5 to 10 minutes in the morning where we sing some phonics songs. After this, phonics is integrated into reading and writing. I feel that in the beginning, having the brief time to practice phonics skills is appropriate. This year, I would like to pull back the amount of time spent on phonics as a separate component, and I want to work more on integrate phonics into reading. I would really like to focus on phonics during guided reading groups. Here, I will be able to differentiate. My higher leveled groups may not need any extra phonics practice, but my lower groups may need to have more reinforcement. We are receiving a new curriculum this year for reading, so I am interested in the resources that it will provide and hope that it has some ideas for integrating phonics as part of the reading program, and not specifically isolating phonics on its own.

Module 4: Activity 2

Which NRP topic area(s) or �missing pillar(s)� that Allington describes do you find to be most vital for children�s literacy success? Why? Post your response on your blog. Name the posting "Module 4: Activity 2."

From the missing pillar article, I feel that a balanced approach to teaching with whole class teaching, small group teaching, and side-by-side instruction is the most vital strategy for children's literacy success. These are the parts of a comprehensive literacy program. All students differ upon ability and the way that they learn. Having this approach will allow all students to learn. The whole class teaching allows for many things to occur to model proficient reading. For example, in a comprehensive literacy program, a student can see an example of how to read fluently and with expression during the read-aloud portion of the program. Whole class discussion of this read-aloud can also allow students to bounce ideas off of each other and may have them see something from the text differently. Small group teaching allows students to receive more one-on-one time with the teacher. Typically small groups in reading take the form of guided reading groups and literature circles in a comprehensive literacy program. Students are given the opportunity to show how they can read. The teacher can listen and help the students with whatever individual problems that they have. Side-by-side instruction in a comprehensive literacy program looks like reading conferences. This is a great way for a student to talk with the teachers about problems that she or he is facing in reading. It also allows for great discussion about the book the child is currently reading.
For me, I feel that this strategy from the missing pillar article is most vital for a children's success, because the strategies are all a part of the comprehensive literacy program.  These different types of instruction allow for students to see a demonstration of reading and then implement what they learn into small group times or side-by-side instruction. These different methods allow the children to truly succeed in reading.

Module 4: Activity 1

Even though this video has strong religious overtones, (please let me know if it offends you, and I will provide an alternate assignment), it is useful for determining strategies that beginning readers use when becoming literate, even at age 50. Watch the video and reflect on what strategy or strategies Robin used most to help him learn to read.

This video is truly amazing! It is so inspiring that someone can accomplish anything that he or she sets his/her mind to. In the video, Robin used many strategies to help himself with his reading. I noticed that he typically looked for chunks or phonograms to help him determine a word. For example, when reading a sentence that he copied I think from a truck he saw, he noticed the chunk -est in the word "best," and he was able to figure out what the word was. He did this throughout the video looking for word families that he knew. It was amazing how this strategy alone helped him read the majority of the words that he did not know. I noticed that he did not do a lot of "sound out" of words. Instead, he drew on his schema and looked for chunks that he knew and then applied some phonics skills to determine the word.
Robin also used a lot of semantics when reading. Throughout the video he would make a miscue in a sentence, but after reading more words after the miscue, he would go back and self-correct, because he knew that what he originally said was not correct.
I also liked how he used real-world, practical examples to read. He used ads, email, and newspapers ad different sources to help him practice reading.
It is absolutely inspiring that he had the determination to learn to read at the age of 50.

Module 4: Instructional Challenge

Marcus is a student who very frequently miscues by substituting words that start with the same letter or first few letters of the word in the text, but his substitutions often are not syntactically or semantically acceptable (they neither sound right grammatically nor make sense). What possible teaching strategies would you suggest to help Marcus? Post your response to your blog and name the posting "Module 4: Instructional Challenge."

Respond the the Instructional Challenge Blog Postings of two other members of the class. Discuss areas of overlap and disagreement with their ideas. 

It seems that Marcus is not focusing on that reading should have meaning, and it should make sense. Making miscues that interrupts the meaning shows that Marcus is not comprehending the text. There are many strategies a teacher could implement to help Marcus. Book walks, read-alouds and discussion, books on tapes, literature groups, and buddy readings are all possible strategies to help Marcus. Personally, I would begin by doing a book walk with Marcus. Discussing the pictures and allowing Marcus to use his schema will allow him to understand what the book is about, which should then transfer into his reading. Reading the book aloud and discussing what is happening in the story would also help Marcus read the book later on during a sustained reading time . I would first try these two strategies and go from there.

Module 4: Reading Reflection

Looking across Chapters 10 and 11, which of the understandings and strategies in the comprehensive literacy program are you already addressing/doing with your students (or have you done, or do you plan to do)?

Currently, I am already implementing many parts of the comprehensive literacy program in my first grade classroom. Last year, my reading block consisted of read-alouds, guided reading groups, inquiry, and sustained reading. Sometimes I incorporated these into science and social studies, as the push with common core is to integrate these subjects with reading. In writing, I implemented model writing, individual writing conferences,  sustained writing, journals, shared writing, and inquiry.

After learning the many benefits of the comprehensive literacy program, I would like to implement more of the components of the program. For reading, I specifically would like to look into incorporating reading conferences. I have learned a lot about these from the articles I read for my comprehensive literacy project on reading workshop. The majority of the articles focused on the importance of meeting with your students individually. This is a great way to gain assessment information about each of your students. For writing, I would like to look more into guided writing. On page 238, Weaver provides an example of what guided writing would look like. I like how for this portion of writing, the student is told to orally give sentences to use in his or her writing. I also like how the computer is used as a strategy to help the student reread and edit his or her work easily. I think this is a great idea for all students, but specifically with students who struggle with writing. I know often times, after reading a student's work, he or she would have to erase and rewrite a large portion of their writing. This often discouraged the children to write, because they would have to start all over. Giving the child a computer to revise their work will make changing anything simple and easy.