In chapter 8 of Content-Area Reading, the topic that is presented is the development of vocabulary and concepts. "Teaching words well means giving students multiple opportunities to develop word meanings and learn how words are conceptually related to one another in the texts they are studying." I am a big advocate of teaching vocabulary, but there is a right way and a wrong way. The first thing that comes to mind when most people think of vocabulary instruction is the typical strategy. First, you get a list of random words and definitions. Then, you get a week to 'study' (memorize) them, and finally you are tested on them. This is NOT the type of vocabulary instruction I advocate! My English teacher during my junior year in high school taught vocabulary this way, and it was not productive or helpful at all! Nobody would actually study them, we would all try to memorize them the morning of the quiz, and once the quiz was over we forgot them. There are much better ways to implement meaningful vocabulary into the lesson plan.
First of all, as the chapter suggests, it is important that the vocabulary words being taught are words that are relevant to the lesson and what is being learned. The 'random words theory,' as I like to call it, does not help students learn content. Rather than strictly presenting vocabulary words, one way to teach your content is through concepts. "Concepts create mental images, which may present anything that can be grouped together by common features or similar criteria: objects, symbols, ideas, processes, or events." Through things such as concept maps, new vocabulary and key concepts can be learned simultaneously. Also through other graphic organizers, students and teachers can group together words that fall into the same category, making it easier to remember. When students can relate the vocabulary to the concept, both will be more easy to learn.
Another thing that a teacher can do when testing his or her students is get rid of the multiple choice vocabulary section. Sure, some students likely spend time to learn all of the vocabulary, but there are some who simply rely on there being a common sense answer to every question. This turns it into the 'multiple guess' section. Instead, have the students write a short essay incorporating the vocabulary they learned in class. This not only will help students remember the words, it will make the students more responsible for learning their vocabulary.
Vocabulary is so important to all content-areas, and it is important that teachers are aware of how they are instructing key words and concepts in their classroom.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Public Writing - Chapter 5
I chose to write about the topic of "Public Writing" from our Content-Area Writing textbook because this is the kind of writing I dislike the most. Public writing can be described as "intentional, highly-polished pieces that can go out into the world, connect with real readers, get some work done, and stand up to scrutiny." In other words, this differs from the "Writing to Learn" techniques discusses in previous posts. This is writings such as term papers, formal lab reports, or critical analyses. I know what you're thinking right now, "You mean you're going to be a teacher and you don't like writing term papers!?" Yes, that is correct. I do not like writing term papers, but it isn't so much the actual research and writing of the paper I dislike, it's the time-table that usually comes along with it. If I were only taking one class and I had to write a term paper, I would be more than thrilled, and it would likely be better than anything I have written. That being said, if I am taking four classes, I likely would not put in the time I feel is necessary to complete a great piece of public writing.
So how do I get my students interested and excited to write a term paper for my future classes, seeing as they will be taking so many other classes? Do I assign public writing at all? Yes, I will definitely assign public writing. Why? Because of how necessary it is to be successful in today's society. Just about any field you go into, you are expected to be be able to write formally and publicly. I also hope that my students will learn from their writing and the writing of their fellow students. Also, one of the things it talks about in the chapter is giving the students choice when it comes to their writing topics. As a teacher, "we are the ones who have to read them, after all, and then we are bored after the first three papers" if we assign the same topic to each student. The purpose of public writing is to get your audience interested in your topic, and get them to learn something new, or change their opinion about something they already knew. Teachers become a terrible audience for their students if they can't even be informed by their writing topic.
By using the steps given in the chapter in order to make public writing in classrooms possible, I can hope that my students will create excellent pieces of public writing. First, I need to give my students some level of choice in the selection of writing topics. Secondly, I need to give time to write in class. As the authors state, "We cannot leave them alone to write any more than we'd leave them along to dissect a fetal pig or cook up some chemical reactions." Lastly, I need to give them helpful and timely response. I can't wait until the students turn their work in to give feedback. I hope that I am able to implement these strategies for my students so that both myself and my students can grow and learn in the public writing process.
So how do I get my students interested and excited to write a term paper for my future classes, seeing as they will be taking so many other classes? Do I assign public writing at all? Yes, I will definitely assign public writing. Why? Because of how necessary it is to be successful in today's society. Just about any field you go into, you are expected to be be able to write formally and publicly. I also hope that my students will learn from their writing and the writing of their fellow students. Also, one of the things it talks about in the chapter is giving the students choice when it comes to their writing topics. As a teacher, "we are the ones who have to read them, after all, and then we are bored after the first three papers" if we assign the same topic to each student. The purpose of public writing is to get your audience interested in your topic, and get them to learn something new, or change their opinion about something they already knew. Teachers become a terrible audience for their students if they can't even be informed by their writing topic.
By using the steps given in the chapter in order to make public writing in classrooms possible, I can hope that my students will create excellent pieces of public writing. First, I need to give my students some level of choice in the selection of writing topics. Secondly, I need to give time to write in class. As the authors state, "We cannot leave them alone to write any more than we'd leave them along to dissect a fetal pig or cook up some chemical reactions." Lastly, I need to give them helpful and timely response. I can't wait until the students turn their work in to give feedback. I hope that I am able to implement these strategies for my students so that both myself and my students can grow and learn in the public writing process.
Chapter 3 - Culturally Responsive Teaching in a Diverse Classroom
In a society that is as diverse as it has ever been, the need to be a culturally responsive teacher has never been greater. Teachers today are seeing more and more diversity reflected from all walks of life. Whether it is racial, socioeconomical, or religious diversity, the need to be aware and responsive is high. Personally, I have never had much experience in a culturally diverse classroom. I come from a smaller town in northeastern Wisconsin and I have gone to a Catholic school my entire life. Those two ingredients usually do not to equal much diversity. Since I became a secondary education major, I have experienced much more diversity, and instruction on how to differentiate for that diversity. This not only includes my multicultural education class, but also the class I am currently in.
We just finished reading a chapter in our Content-Area Reading textbook about culturally responsive teaching in a diverse classroom. The main idea of the chapter regarding how to teach literacy in these classrooms is, "teachers respond to linguistic and cultural differences by scaffolding instruction in culturally responsive classrooms. One of the things I enjoyed reading about was dealing with linguistic differences in today's schools. Again, not having much experience with this I was interested to read about how to go about making sure any language barriers are taken down. Often because of linguistic barriers, diverse students end up on a track of repeated struggle or even failure. As the chapter points out, "language differences should not be mistaken for language deficits among culturally diverse students. The key is to be accepting of diverse dialect in the classroom, and allow for certain assignments and discussions to take place in the vernacular of these students. There is a time and a place for the use of standard American English, but "when and under what circumstances become critical instructional issues."
I think, that it is most important to communicate with diverse students when these circumstances are needed. For example, if they are completing a formal report for class, the standard American English may be needed. An informal essay on something written in class most, most likely would not require it. In my opinion, in the case that standard American English is needed (and is not the native language of students) the teacher should assist the student in helping him or her write. For example, have the student write a draft to the best of their ability and then have a paper conference with them to discuss and correct any error. This should then be offered to all students, whether they are culturally diverse or not. Eventually, move from a conference with the teacher to a conference with another student. Then, as the school year progresses, perhaps the students will be able to complete this on their own.
I hope, in the case that I end up teaching in a classroom that is diverse, that I will be able to use what I have learned to assist diverse students and help to scaffold the curriculum to the point where they will become independent in their reading and writing.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Studying Text and Reading Instruction: Chapter 10 and a Supplemental Article
I know that many students have difficulty reading content-area texts. Often times the texts that are assigned for students to read contain difficult vocabulary, "boring" content, and possibly difficult vocabulary. Depending on the student, he or she may find different subjects easier or harder than others. I personally had a very difficult time reading history texts in high school. The amount of information that was needed to be taken in in one simple chapter was simply overwhelming to me. On the other hand, let me read a chapter in my English text and I could do it easily and know exactly what I read. What I realize now, (after reading chapter 10 of Content-Area Reading, and an article called, "Focus on the Essentials of Reading Instruction") is that it was often the case that my teachers were not teaching me how to read the text properly. If I were to grade a few of my high school teachers based on the rubric in the supplemental article, several of them would be barely passing or failing.
According to Alan Frager and Elizabeth Frey, the authors of the "Reading Instruction" article, teachers who deserve the grade of an 'F' use poor methods of instruction and provide little support for their readers. For example, round-robin reading (RRR) is one practice that "very few reading educators advocate... though it is a widely used practice" (p. 57). This was a technique that was enjoyed by several of my teachers. The problem with this strategy is that there is only one actively engaged reader, and 25 other passive readers. Also, this type of forward/one-speed reading is contradictory to developing good reading strategies. When someone reads critically, he or she will reread parts of the text, change speeds, and occasionally stop to look back or ahead. Luckily for me, I have learned many other strategies to read class texts that are more effective, and therefore my students won't have to survive the infamous round-robin reading strategy.
One strategy that I really enjoyed reading about was the GRASP strategy suggested in chapter 10 of our Content-Area Reading text. GRASP stands for Guided Reading and Summarizing Procedure, and it's a way of showing students how to summarize information from a text passage. "After students have read a text passage, they turn the books face down and try to remember everything that was important in the passage. What they recall is recorded by the teacher on the whiteboard" (p. 335). The teacher then helps to add or correct recollections from the text to create a graphic outline. Then, together the students and the teacher create a final summary sentence or two. In my opinion, this is a great way to make sure all of my students are being active readers. It also creates the communication needed between the teacher and the students in order to scaffold for future reading assignments. Hopefully after several times doing this activity, students will be able to do this on their own when reading for class.
According to Alan Frager and Elizabeth Frey, the authors of the "Reading Instruction" article, teachers who deserve the grade of an 'F' use poor methods of instruction and provide little support for their readers. For example, round-robin reading (RRR) is one practice that "very few reading educators advocate... though it is a widely used practice" (p. 57). This was a technique that was enjoyed by several of my teachers. The problem with this strategy is that there is only one actively engaged reader, and 25 other passive readers. Also, this type of forward/one-speed reading is contradictory to developing good reading strategies. When someone reads critically, he or she will reread parts of the text, change speeds, and occasionally stop to look back or ahead. Luckily for me, I have learned many other strategies to read class texts that are more effective, and therefore my students won't have to survive the infamous round-robin reading strategy.
One strategy that I really enjoyed reading about was the GRASP strategy suggested in chapter 10 of our Content-Area Reading text. GRASP stands for Guided Reading and Summarizing Procedure, and it's a way of showing students how to summarize information from a text passage. "After students have read a text passage, they turn the books face down and try to remember everything that was important in the passage. What they recall is recorded by the teacher on the whiteboard" (p. 335). The teacher then helps to add or correct recollections from the text to create a graphic outline. Then, together the students and the teacher create a final summary sentence or two. In my opinion, this is a great way to make sure all of my students are being active readers. It also creates the communication needed between the teacher and the students in order to scaffold for future reading assignments. Hopefully after several times doing this activity, students will be able to do this on their own when reading for class.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Essential Vocabulary for Theology Students
The following is a list of 10 vocabulary words that are essential for students to know in a secondary religion class. I will be using a vocabulary that would be discussed in a Catholic High School, seeing as that is where I plan on teaching.
1. Christianity - the religion of or pertaining to or derived from Jesus Christ or His teachings; includes Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox churches
2. Ecclesiastical - of or pertaining to the church or clergy; churchly; not secular
3. Liturgy - a form of public worship; a particular form or type of Eucharistic service;
4. Faith - confidence or trust in a certain thing; believe that is not based on proof; belief in God or the doctrines or teachings of a religion
5. Spirituality - of or pertaining to spirit or soul as distinguished from physical nature
6. Worship - reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage; formal and ceremonious rendering of such honor; adoring reverence or regard
7. Prayer - a devout petition to God or an object of worship; a spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in adoration, thanksgiving, or confession.
8. Clergy - the group or body of ordained persons in a religion as distinguished from the laity
9. Sacrament - a celebration of the Christian community through prayer, symbol and ritual that identifies an essential action for the Church to be the full Church of Jesus Christ
10. Creed - a word that means belief; a creed summarizes in short ways what our key beliefs are.
1. Christianity - the religion of or pertaining to or derived from Jesus Christ or His teachings; includes Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox churches
- In a high school religion class, it is likely that the students already know what Christianity is. That being said, it is very important to know this definition when studying, not only Catholicism, but any religion. Understanding what classifies a religion as Christian or non-Christian is also very important.
2. Ecclesiastical - of or pertaining to the church or clergy; churchly; not secular
- In a typical Catholic high school the student body will attend some sort of regular mass. Most, if I were to guess, don't think too much about this liturgical service and what it means in relation to the religious implications. As a religion teacher, I would incorporate a lot of what goes on during mass into my classes and lessons so that students can identify meaning and importance in certain rituals in the church.
3. Liturgy - a form of public worship; a particular form or type of Eucharistic service;
- Going off of the last word, I believe it would be important for students to identify the meaning and purpose behind liturgical services, and the differences each religion and denomination have. Being such a vital role to so many religions, especially the Catholic Church, I would want students to be fully aware of its significance.
4. Faith - confidence or trust in a certain thing; believe that is not based on proof; belief in God or the doctrines or teachings of a religion
- Faith is something that everyone has, whether it's in God, a friend, or that you won't get hit by a car crossing the street. Faith is one of the most difficult concepts in religion to understand, and it's something that is continuously changing within each person. It is also one of the most difficult things to trust. So often we need to have faith in life, and especially in our society where we feel the need to know and control everything, that can be hard to come by. Having students understand the idea and necessity of faith will be essential to help them grow in their faith.
5. Spirituality - of or pertaining to spirit or soul as distinguished from physical nature
- Spirituality is one of the most misunderstood words in all of religion. Many people think that a person can be spiritual and not religious, but in fact this is not the case. It could be that a person is spiritual and does not associate himself or herself with a particular religion, but they are in fact religious. In a society where yoga and other spiritual exercises are becoming more and more popular, I would want students to understand the practices and know how to truly define spirituality.
6. Worship - reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage; formal and ceremonious rendering of such honor; adoring reverence or regard
- Another very important word in the religious vocabulary, worship is a form of expressing one's faith, spirituality, and beliefs. Often coined with the other word, praise, worship is important to the study of religion because it is so prevalent in them. The Bible calls for worship to God and Jesus Christ over and over again. There are so many different types of worship one can practice, and I would want my students to be aware of what they are.
7. Prayer - a devout petition to God or an object of worship; a spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in adoration, thanksgiving, or confession.
- Being one of the most important aspects of any religion, prayer is something I would cover in length during class. Prayer is often considered to be a conversation with God, and that is something that I would want my students to understand and take seriously. I would take the time to explain all the different types of prayer, as well as how prayer strengthen faith.
8. Clergy - the group or body of ordained persons in a religion as distinguished from the laity
- Also going along with the theme of ecclesiastical and liturgical, I feel it is important to associate and familiarize students with the different kinds of clergy members there are in the church. I think it would be important for them to know the roles of the different clergy members, as well as the impact they have on the church. Seeing as in most Catholic high schools there are some sort of clergy teaching, I think this would be an essential vocabulary word to cover.
9. Sacrament - a celebration of the Christian community through prayer, symbol and ritual that identifies an essential action for the Church to be the full Church of Jesus Christ
- Seeing the definition of this word pretty much describes why I would teach about sacraments, and why they are so essential to the church. The Catholic Church recognizes seven sacraments, so I would take time to analyze all of these, and see why they are considered to be celebrations of the Christian community.
10. Creed - a word that means belief; a creed summarizes in short ways what our key beliefs are.
- The reason I find this word essential is also fairly evident from seeing the definition. Knowing what a creed is, and why it is important to profess the beliefs of a certain religion is very important in studying the different religions. By studying creed, different religions can be more easily distinguished, and understood.
ONLINE RESOURCE FOR MEETING THE NEEDS OF A DIVERSE CLASSROOM
Using Flexible Technology to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners: What Teachers Can Do
This article, written by Lisa Wahl and Julie Duffield, explains different ways teachers can use technology in a multitude of ways in order to meet the needs of all their students.
Using Flexible Technology to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners: What Teachers Can Do
This article, written by Lisa Wahl and Julie Duffield, explains different ways teachers can use technology in a multitude of ways in order to meet the needs of all their students.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Write-to-Learn Lesson Reflection
After completing my mini-lesson on the Write-To-Learn activity called the Write Around, I feel very confident in my ability to use WTLs in my classroom. I spent plenty of time preparing, and creating a handout for the class to read, take notes on, and bring home with them as an artifact. I think allowing us to choose out own activity made it easy for me to pick something I wanted to learn more about and learn how to use in my future classroom. The Write Around is certainly an activity I will be using across any grade I teach. I think the demonstration aspect of my lesson went very well. When we went around and I actually gave my classmates time to write and see what that activity is like, I think I did a good job of answering any questions they had. I feel like my classmates came away with enough knowledge to go out and use this in their classrooms/future classrooms, or now have enough interest to explore more about the activity. If I were to give this lesson again there are several things I would do differently. The first thing I would do, is describe how the teacher may begin to scaffold using this strategy. I also wish I would have chosen a different way to demonstrate on my own first, and then turn it over to my classmates. There was confusion as to what they were supposed to be doing when I told them to begin. I really enjoyed all my classmates' demonstrations, and there are many fun activities I am willing to go out and try.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Activating Prior Knowledge and Interest
The Reader Response Journal this week is in response to the sixth chapter in Content-Area Reading, titled: "Activating Prior Knowledge and Interest." This is perhaps one of the most important chapters, in my opinion, in the entire textbook. Making sure students are able to implement previously learned information is vital for students to learn new information. In addition, sparking the interest of students is also essential to the learning process.
One of the concepts discussed in the chapter is self-efficacy. "Self-efficacy refers to an 'I can' belief in self that leads to a sense of competence" (Vacca, Vacca, Martinez 169). The idea is that students focus on their own estimations of their ability to apply whatever skills they bring to a specific content area. (The chapter focuses on literacy learning, but for the sake of this journal, I will broaden the scope.) In my mind, I see all of those times in high school when either I was at a low level of self-efficacy, or I witnessed someone else with a low level of self-efficacy. For example, when it came to mathematics I had very little confidence in the abilities I brought to that area of learning. I knew it was something that was difficult for me to grasp conceptually, and I therefore was not motivated to learn new things.
When it comes to teaching students literacy, the level of self-efficacy is the "make-or-break" moment in learning. If a student isn't confident in his or her own ability to read and understand key concepts, it is likely they will shut down and lose all motivation. It's not necessarily that they don't care, they either find the reading and content irrelevant, too difficult, or in some cases they actually can't understand it. "Students' motivation for reading and learning with texts increases when they perceive that text is relevant to their own lives and when they believe that they are capable of generating credible responses to their reading of the text" (171). This reminds me of a post I made several weeks ago regarding trade books. Trade books are a great way of mixing up the texts that students read in order to keep them interested and to make sure some texts are actually reaching them at a deeper level.
What can this look like in the classroom, and how can a teacher go about motivating students to learn literacy? The textbook talks about arousing curiosity to help raise important questions that can only be answered by reading the material and giving thought to what they have read. Another potential idea would be to give students a perspective of the reading they should be looking for beforehand, so that they read the material with the purpose of looking for something particular, and not just skimming the text. In my classroom, I hope to hold discussions before, during, and after the completion of the reading, to keep students engaged, responsible, and interested in what they are reading.
One of the concepts discussed in the chapter is self-efficacy. "Self-efficacy refers to an 'I can' belief in self that leads to a sense of competence" (Vacca, Vacca, Martinez 169). The idea is that students focus on their own estimations of their ability to apply whatever skills they bring to a specific content area. (The chapter focuses on literacy learning, but for the sake of this journal, I will broaden the scope.) In my mind, I see all of those times in high school when either I was at a low level of self-efficacy, or I witnessed someone else with a low level of self-efficacy. For example, when it came to mathematics I had very little confidence in the abilities I brought to that area of learning. I knew it was something that was difficult for me to grasp conceptually, and I therefore was not motivated to learn new things.
When it comes to teaching students literacy, the level of self-efficacy is the "make-or-break" moment in learning. If a student isn't confident in his or her own ability to read and understand key concepts, it is likely they will shut down and lose all motivation. It's not necessarily that they don't care, they either find the reading and content irrelevant, too difficult, or in some cases they actually can't understand it. "Students' motivation for reading and learning with texts increases when they perceive that text is relevant to their own lives and when they believe that they are capable of generating credible responses to their reading of the text" (171). This reminds me of a post I made several weeks ago regarding trade books. Trade books are a great way of mixing up the texts that students read in order to keep them interested and to make sure some texts are actually reaching them at a deeper level.
What can this look like in the classroom, and how can a teacher go about motivating students to learn literacy? The textbook talks about arousing curiosity to help raise important questions that can only be answered by reading the material and giving thought to what they have read. Another potential idea would be to give students a perspective of the reading they should be looking for beforehand, so that they read the material with the purpose of looking for something particular, and not just skimming the text. In my classroom, I hope to hold discussions before, during, and after the completion of the reading, to keep students engaged, responsible, and interested in what they are reading.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
It Says... I Say... And So
"It Says... I Say... And So," is a writing activity that targets the skills of making inferences and drawing conclusions. It is also a way to provide scaffolding for students as it is needed. It is usually done in a chart format, but as I have learned from my mentor-teachers, every activity has variations. In the first box labeled "It Says," the students find information from the text to help them answer the question. The next box, labeled "I Say," the students consider what they know about the information. Finally, the next box labeled "And So," the students put together the information from the text with what they know, and then answer the question.
Since I'm so very dense when it comes to technology, I will not be using a chart format, seeing as I have no clue how I would go about putting one of those on here. I will be using the It Says, I Say, And So method to answer one of the questions posed at the beginning of Chapter 5 in Content-Area Reading. The question is: What is involved in designing a text lesson based on a B-D-A instructional format?
It Says...
When planning a lesson, there are a number of things to take into consideration. First of these, is standards. Depending on the school, it likely has a set of standards given by the state, district, or diocese that they must follow when teaching. These standards are very important because they shape the way a teacher teaches the content. The next item to consider is instructional goals. What will the student need to know and be able to do? What skills will the student need to know, what skills will the student learn, and what strategies will he or she need to complete the task? It is also important to address the essential questions that will be asked or answered through this lesson. Next, instructional strategies, activities, materials, and resources must be taken into consideration. Finally, what assessment tools will be needed to evaluate student learning?
What is B-D-A Instructional Format? B-D-A stands for Before, During, and After, and the idea of this concept is to consider what the teacher does before the reading assignment, during the reading assignment, and after the reading assignment. This framework can help teachers incorporate instructional strategies and activity into lessons involving content and literacy. Before-Reading activities often emphasize motivation in readers, building and activating prior knowledge, introducing key vocabulary and concepts, and developing metacognitive awareness of task demands of assignments. During-Reading activities include such things as writing unknown definitions, the use of study buddies, cooperative reading groups, and list-making. Finally, After-Reading activities springboards the students in to a thinking process in which they form a basis for discussing and articulating ideas developed through the reading. They also create a structure that refines emerging concepts.
I Say...
Based on my experience creating lesson plans, I know how important it is to incorporate some sort of B-D-A instructional planning into the lesson. That being said, I have never heard it referred to B-D-A planning until reading this chapter. I wish I had read this prior to creating lesson plans for my last field experience. It would have make teaching about the prophet Jeremiah from the Old Testament much easier! I also realize how important the Before-Reading aspect of this strategy is, especially teaching religion. There are a lot of dense reading materials in my content-area, and it's important students know and understand certain terms and concepts prior to reading them in order to grasp the big picture of the text. I also understand the necessity of a good lesson plan in order to have students move to the level of comprehension and deeper thinking.
And So...
Putting together the information from the text and what I know about the information, I am convinced that using B-D-A Instructional Framework is an essential way of getting students to the level of articulation of the important ideas of the text. It is also vital that the teacher has a good lesson plan that implements every step of this framework if he or she hopes to have the students develop into the kind of thinkers they need to be. In my particular content-area, religion, there are a lot of issues and concepts that will go unanswered. This will likely be frustrating to some students. If I am able to implement this strategy into my lessons well, they may walk away able to ask the important questions that arise with difficult concepts in the subject.
Take Home Lessons for the Day:
1. The "It Says, I Say, And So" activity is a great way for students to really think about the text they are reading.
2. B-D-A Instructional Framework is a great lesson plan implementation to use to help students become active readers and provides great scaffolding for students to begin to take responsibility for their reading.
3. It's my mom's birthday today! Happy Birthday Mom!
Since I'm so very dense when it comes to technology, I will not be using a chart format, seeing as I have no clue how I would go about putting one of those on here. I will be using the It Says, I Say, And So method to answer one of the questions posed at the beginning of Chapter 5 in Content-Area Reading. The question is: What is involved in designing a text lesson based on a B-D-A instructional format?
It Says...
When planning a lesson, there are a number of things to take into consideration. First of these, is standards. Depending on the school, it likely has a set of standards given by the state, district, or diocese that they must follow when teaching. These standards are very important because they shape the way a teacher teaches the content. The next item to consider is instructional goals. What will the student need to know and be able to do? What skills will the student need to know, what skills will the student learn, and what strategies will he or she need to complete the task? It is also important to address the essential questions that will be asked or answered through this lesson. Next, instructional strategies, activities, materials, and resources must be taken into consideration. Finally, what assessment tools will be needed to evaluate student learning?
What is B-D-A Instructional Format? B-D-A stands for Before, During, and After, and the idea of this concept is to consider what the teacher does before the reading assignment, during the reading assignment, and after the reading assignment. This framework can help teachers incorporate instructional strategies and activity into lessons involving content and literacy. Before-Reading activities often emphasize motivation in readers, building and activating prior knowledge, introducing key vocabulary and concepts, and developing metacognitive awareness of task demands of assignments. During-Reading activities include such things as writing unknown definitions, the use of study buddies, cooperative reading groups, and list-making. Finally, After-Reading activities springboards the students in to a thinking process in which they form a basis for discussing and articulating ideas developed through the reading. They also create a structure that refines emerging concepts.
I Say...
Based on my experience creating lesson plans, I know how important it is to incorporate some sort of B-D-A instructional planning into the lesson. That being said, I have never heard it referred to B-D-A planning until reading this chapter. I wish I had read this prior to creating lesson plans for my last field experience. It would have make teaching about the prophet Jeremiah from the Old Testament much easier! I also realize how important the Before-Reading aspect of this strategy is, especially teaching religion. There are a lot of dense reading materials in my content-area, and it's important students know and understand certain terms and concepts prior to reading them in order to grasp the big picture of the text. I also understand the necessity of a good lesson plan in order to have students move to the level of comprehension and deeper thinking.
And So...
Putting together the information from the text and what I know about the information, I am convinced that using B-D-A Instructional Framework is an essential way of getting students to the level of articulation of the important ideas of the text. It is also vital that the teacher has a good lesson plan that implements every step of this framework if he or she hopes to have the students develop into the kind of thinkers they need to be. In my particular content-area, religion, there are a lot of issues and concepts that will go unanswered. This will likely be frustrating to some students. If I am able to implement this strategy into my lessons well, they may walk away able to ask the important questions that arise with difficult concepts in the subject.
Take Home Lessons for the Day:
1. The "It Says, I Say, And So" activity is a great way for students to really think about the text they are reading.
2. B-D-A Instructional Framework is a great lesson plan implementation to use to help students become active readers and provides great scaffolding for students to begin to take responsibility for their reading.
3. It's my mom's birthday today! Happy Birthday Mom!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Textbooks vs. Trade Books
Aah yes, the age-old dilemma of textbooks. Are they out-dated? Are they even helpful? Do students even read them? Depending on the teacher, students, and actual textbook, the answer could be yes or no.
What's wrong with textbooks? If you're like me, you enjoy reading from a textbook. It often contains well-organized information that serves as a primary source of the teacher's lessons and tests. But most people aren't like me. Most students will find textbooks boring, confusing, and generally written at a higher reading level than the intended audience. Another problem arises when you think of how frequently information changes from year to year. Most textbooks that are in schools today probably have or will have a newer edition by next year. That being said, most schools are on a cycle of approximately 5-7 years before they have the funding to buy new textbooks! (Imagine getting a brand new textbook the year before we figured out the earth wasn't flat. Now you have this textbook with false scientific information. Can you take anything in it seriously anymore?) Ok, enough hating on the textbooks, after all we all had to have learned SOMETHING from them at some point.
What is a trade book? That was exactly my question when I began reading Chapter 11 of, Content-Area Reading for this week. It turns out, we all have likely used these at some point in our educational lives. A trade book is a book that is "rich in narrative and informational content, [and] can provide a valuable compliment to most textbooks" (Vacca, Vacca, Mraz 360). They can be nonfiction books, picture books, fiction books, and many other types of books. The advantage to trade books as opposed to textbooks, is that students have the opportunity to explore a multitude of different texts in a number of different genres, and in any content-area you can think of. For teachers, using trade books pushes their students to go beyond the typical textbook skimming that, let's face it, all students do at some point. It can challenge students to think stimulatingly about a large range of important issues happening in the world today. It is also a way to differentiate instruction, so that all students' learning needs are met, whatever level they may be at.
How can I implement trade books in my classroom? The possibilities are endless! Being a future religion teacher, I turn to the teaching of scripture as an example. As my mentor-teacher, Martha Boerschlein-Tracy told me last semester, "If we're going to be studying Scripture, we're reading the Bible! We aren't going to use a textbook to learn Scripture." This is so true, and it's a great example of a trade book! Instead of learning about the Old Testament stories as summaries from textbooks, why not read it from the source, and discuss and analyze it as a class? Another example would be if we were to be learning about some of the early Christian martyrs. Why learn about Polycarp, Ignatius of Antioch, and James the Just from a textbook, when all of them have writings of their own that can be read?
It's important to note that this chapter wasn't in any way dismissing the need for textbooks in our classrooms. Textbooks DO have a proper role in education, and they are certainly necessary to learn certain things. The goal of the chapter was to give teachers motivation and encouragement to move beyond the textbooks at times, to enrich their curriculum, and further the critical reading and thinking of students.
Take Home Lessons of the Day:
1. I still love my textbooks.
2. Trade books are a great way to explore further topics within content-areas.
3. There are MANY different kinds of trade books.
4. We should not do away with textbooks altogether. They have a time and a place.
5. I really enjoy finding pictures to post on my blog!
6. Happy Fat Tuesday! Remember, it's Ash Wednesday tomorrow, the beginning of the joyous season of Lent! (No, that's not sarcasm. It really is referred to as the joyous season of Lent!)
What is a trade book? That was exactly my question when I began reading Chapter 11 of, Content-Area Reading for this week. It turns out, we all have likely used these at some point in our educational lives. A trade book is a book that is "rich in narrative and informational content, [and] can provide a valuable compliment to most textbooks" (Vacca, Vacca, Mraz 360). They can be nonfiction books, picture books, fiction books, and many other types of books. The advantage to trade books as opposed to textbooks, is that students have the opportunity to explore a multitude of different texts in a number of different genres, and in any content-area you can think of. For teachers, using trade books pushes their students to go beyond the typical textbook skimming that, let's face it, all students do at some point. It can challenge students to think stimulatingly about a large range of important issues happening in the world today. It is also a way to differentiate instruction, so that all students' learning needs are met, whatever level they may be at.
How can I implement trade books in my classroom? The possibilities are endless! Being a future religion teacher, I turn to the teaching of scripture as an example. As my mentor-teacher, Martha Boerschlein-Tracy told me last semester, "If we're going to be studying Scripture, we're reading the Bible! We aren't going to use a textbook to learn Scripture." This is so true, and it's a great example of a trade book! Instead of learning about the Old Testament stories as summaries from textbooks, why not read it from the source, and discuss and analyze it as a class? Another example would be if we were to be learning about some of the early Christian martyrs. Why learn about Polycarp, Ignatius of Antioch, and James the Just from a textbook, when all of them have writings of their own that can be read?
Take Home Lessons of the Day:
1. I still love my textbooks.
2. Trade books are a great way to explore further topics within content-areas.
3. There are MANY different kinds of trade books.
4. We should not do away with textbooks altogether. They have a time and a place.
5. I really enjoy finding pictures to post on my blog!
6. Happy Fat Tuesday! Remember, it's Ash Wednesday tomorrow, the beginning of the joyous season of Lent! (No, that's not sarcasm. It really is referred to as the joyous season of Lent!)
One more picture!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Are Portfolios an Effective Way of Assessing Students' Knowledge and Progress?
The journal entry this week is in response to Chapter 4 of Content-Area Reading, titled: "Assessing Students and Texts."
PORTFOLIOS. It's a dreaded word by most students in today's classrooms. In high school, our mathematics teachers required us to complete a portfolio by the end of each semester. It was a compilation of certain assignments, tests, quizzes, and reflections/applications of things we had learned throughout the semester. The common response to these portfolios from students was, "This is math class, why do we need to do all of this writing?" I too (at the time) felt this was an unnecessary way to assess what we had learned in math. Not to mention how much of a pain in the butt it was!
After much more schooling experience, many teacher education classes, and especially after reading this chapter, I have become almost convinced that a portfolio is one of the most effective ways of assessing students. In the American Education System, where standardized tests have become so commonplace, it gives them a make-or-break mentality for most schools and students. Even so, it has become something that all students expect, whether they like it or not. The great thing about portfolios as opposed to standardized testing is that "Portfolios are vehicles of ongoing assessment. They are composed of purposeful collections that examine achievement, effort, improvement, and most important, processes" (Vacca, Vacca, and Mraz 98). It's a collaborative assessment that can be used as a method of tracking true progress of students, as opposed to a standardized test once a year.
For my future classroom especially, I feel that portfolios will be helpful to assessing student achievement and progress in the subject of religion. With a content-area that doesn't have a standardized test issued by the state or federal government, it gives much more leeway as to how I am able to assess my students. Another great thing about this type of assessment, as pointed out by the authors, is that they are an authentic form of "assessment that measures the process of the construction of meaning. The students make choices about what to include; these choices in turn encourage self-reflection on their own development, their own evaluation of their learning, and personal goal setting. Advantages of portfolios are more easily visualized when compared with traditional assessment practices" (Vacca, Vacca, and Mraz 99).
After reading this chapter, I personally feel that portfolios are an excellent alternative to traditional forms of testing student knowledge and progress. I think there are many benefits that can come from portfolios, many of which prepare students for college and even life beyond the classroom. I mean how many times have you filled out a sheet of bubbles outside of a school setting. I would guess very few to none.
Take-Home Lessons of the Day:
1. Portfolios are a great alternative to the traditional forms of testing students.
2. Nobody likes to fill in bubbles.
3. If you are a future student of mine, you will likely be making a portfolio for my class.
4. Happy Valentine's Day!
5. Happy Feast Day of St. Cyril of Methodius!
Portfolios
PORTFOLIOS. It's a dreaded word by most students in today's classrooms. In high school, our mathematics teachers required us to complete a portfolio by the end of each semester. It was a compilation of certain assignments, tests, quizzes, and reflections/applications of things we had learned throughout the semester. The common response to these portfolios from students was, "This is math class, why do we need to do all of this writing?" I too (at the time) felt this was an unnecessary way to assess what we had learned in math. Not to mention how much of a pain in the butt it was!
After much more schooling experience, many teacher education classes, and especially after reading this chapter, I have become almost convinced that a portfolio is one of the most effective ways of assessing students. In the American Education System, where standardized tests have become so commonplace, it gives them a make-or-break mentality for most schools and students. Even so, it has become something that all students expect, whether they like it or not. The great thing about portfolios as opposed to standardized testing is that "Portfolios are vehicles of ongoing assessment. They are composed of purposeful collections that examine achievement, effort, improvement, and most important, processes" (Vacca, Vacca, and Mraz 98). It's a collaborative assessment that can be used as a method of tracking true progress of students, as opposed to a standardized test once a year.
Standardized Testing
For my future classroom especially, I feel that portfolios will be helpful to assessing student achievement and progress in the subject of religion. With a content-area that doesn't have a standardized test issued by the state or federal government, it gives much more leeway as to how I am able to assess my students. Another great thing about this type of assessment, as pointed out by the authors, is that they are an authentic form of "assessment that measures the process of the construction of meaning. The students make choices about what to include; these choices in turn encourage self-reflection on their own development, their own evaluation of their learning, and personal goal setting. Advantages of portfolios are more easily visualized when compared with traditional assessment practices" (Vacca, Vacca, and Mraz 99).
After reading this chapter, I personally feel that portfolios are an excellent alternative to traditional forms of testing student knowledge and progress. I think there are many benefits that can come from portfolios, many of which prepare students for college and even life beyond the classroom. I mean how many times have you filled out a sheet of bubbles outside of a school setting. I would guess very few to none.
Take-Home Lessons of the Day:
1. Portfolios are a great alternative to the traditional forms of testing students.
2. Nobody likes to fill in bubbles.
3. If you are a future student of mine, you will likely be making a portfolio for my class.
4. Happy Valentine's Day!
5. Happy Feast Day of St. Cyril of Methodius!
Friday, February 10, 2012
"Faith. Academics. Service."
"Over the last half-century, the number of Catholic schools has fallen to 7,000 from about 13,000, and their enrollment to barely two million children from more than five million. A disproportionate share of the damage has come in big cities.
So when a landmark topples as Rice did — and as Cardinal Dougherty High School did in Philadelphia last year, and as Daniel Murphy High School did in Los Angeles two years before that — it ought to provoke more than sentimentality or tears. It ought to sound an alarm about a slow-motion crisis in American education."
This is just a snippet of an article called, As Catholic Schools Close in Major Cities, the Need Only Grows. It points out the declining rate of Catholic Schools in America's largest cities. This is a great article to read the week after National Catholic Schools Week. The motto for this year's celebration was: "Faith. Academics. Service." After attending Catholic schools for over 15 years, I can't say enough about how the combination of faith, academics, and service has shaped me into the person (and future religion teacher) I have become. I hope we see a reverse trend in the number of Catholic schools and students very soon!
Full Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/04/us/04religion.html?_r=1&ref=catholicschools
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Reader Response Journal #1
The journal this week will be in response to the opening chapter in Content-Area Reading (titled, Literacy Matters), and the opening chapter in Content-Area Writing (titled, Writing in the Content Areas). I really enjoyed reading these two chapters, especially the latter, because they expressed the topics and information in a way that is easy and enjoyable to read. I particularly like the mock conversation between the three authors and a typical content-area teacher. The opening line of the teacher reads: "So, I really have to have my students write?" OF COURSE! I realize the authors were using this as an extreme example, but as a student I have taken the occasional class that I simply did not have any writing to complete. (Middle school math classes come to mind). The reality is that ALL teachers need to require critical writing in their subjects. Not only does it help students become more actively engaged in the subject matter, it gives them a sense of responsibility to their learning process.
When I look particularly at my own content-area, I don't see too much difficulty in finding time to read and write in the class. Unlike mathematics or science, theology requires a very large amount of reading and writing. That being said, theology requires that the student be actively and critically engaged in both. Look at scriptural or Biblical readings, for example. There are a couple different approaches theologians can take when reading scripture: literal interpretations and contextual interpretations. Literal interpretation (most often associated with the fundamentalist and evangelical movements) typically means that you take the text to mean exactly what it says. A good example would be the book of Jonah. A literal interpreter may believe that Jonah really did live in the belly of a "great fish" for three days. (Did you know the Bible never mentions the word, whale? There's your fun fact for the day!). One who reads scripture contextually, on the other hand, believes that there are multiple ways to interpret the text, and they recognize that often the authors used such stories for effect. As you can see, these two approaches can be both helpful and harmful in certain situation, because they can account for radically different ideas.
After reading those explanations, you can probably see the importance of teaching students to read critically and differently from subject to subject. A teacher shouldn't expect a student to sit down with a psychological research study and read it the same way he or she would read a Jane Austen novel. One golden rule for me in my classroom will be: ASK QUESTIONS! From the very first day of class I will stress the importance of question asking when reading theological material. Questions before, during, and after completing the reading is essential to understand and grapple with the text. One of my professors last year told us, "If the margins of your book aren't filled with penciled-in questions and observations, you aren't reading critically, and you won't get anything out of it." Now, I am not going to suggest writing in textbooks because that is generally frowned upon in a high school setting, but you get the picture.
I hope the future readings are as stimulating as these were, because as you can tell I get pretty into these kinds of discussions.
Take-Home Lessons for the Day:
1. Ask questions!
2. Unless you own the book/textbook, don't write in them! That's vandalism!
3. Jonah did not live in the belly of a whale for three days. Sorry...
Until next week...
When I look particularly at my own content-area, I don't see too much difficulty in finding time to read and write in the class. Unlike mathematics or science, theology requires a very large amount of reading and writing. That being said, theology requires that the student be actively and critically engaged in both. Look at scriptural or Biblical readings, for example. There are a couple different approaches theologians can take when reading scripture: literal interpretations and contextual interpretations. Literal interpretation (most often associated with the fundamentalist and evangelical movements) typically means that you take the text to mean exactly what it says. A good example would be the book of Jonah. A literal interpreter may believe that Jonah really did live in the belly of a "great fish" for three days. (Did you know the Bible never mentions the word, whale? There's your fun fact for the day!). One who reads scripture contextually, on the other hand, believes that there are multiple ways to interpret the text, and they recognize that often the authors used such stories for effect. As you can see, these two approaches can be both helpful and harmful in certain situation, because they can account for radically different ideas.
After reading those explanations, you can probably see the importance of teaching students to read critically and differently from subject to subject. A teacher shouldn't expect a student to sit down with a psychological research study and read it the same way he or she would read a Jane Austen novel. One golden rule for me in my classroom will be: ASK QUESTIONS! From the very first day of class I will stress the importance of question asking when reading theological material. Questions before, during, and after completing the reading is essential to understand and grapple with the text. One of my professors last year told us, "If the margins of your book aren't filled with penciled-in questions and observations, you aren't reading critically, and you won't get anything out of it." Now, I am not going to suggest writing in textbooks because that is generally frowned upon in a high school setting, but you get the picture.
I hope the future readings are as stimulating as these were, because as you can tell I get pretty into these kinds of discussions.
Take-Home Lessons for the Day:
1. Ask questions!
2. Unless you own the book/textbook, don't write in them! That's vandalism!
3. Jonah did not live in the belly of a whale for three days. Sorry...
Monday, February 6, 2012
New Post Tonight!
Be on the lookout for my first Reader Response journal later today! I may not get to it until tonight, but I can guarantee it will be up by midnight.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Welcome!
Welcome! You are reading my first professional blog, created as an assignment for a teacher education training course. The course is titled: Reading for the 5-12 Teacher, and my main goal for this blog is to post assignments for this class. The assignments will be Reader Response Journals in response to certain selections from the two textbooks for the class, Content-Area Reading, and Content-Area Writing.
I also hope to publish other fun and interesting things I find on the blogosphere related to the Theology and Education professions. As a Catholic Studies minor, I will post some things related to that field as well. I hope you enjoy!
I also hope to publish other fun and interesting things I find on the blogosphere related to the Theology and Education professions. As a Catholic Studies minor, I will post some things related to that field as well. I hope you enjoy!
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