Blog #10 Homework Rationale

Teachers and schools are held accountable for increasing instruction and accountability and days in school are packed full of activity and testing. Meaningful homework is a way to check understanding and mastery of concepts and skills, giving teachers information to help them make instructional decisions. Although Alfie Kohn states, "no study has ever found a correlation between homework and academic achievement in elementary school, and there is little reason to believe that homework is necessary in high school," he makes several suggestions to help educators and administrators change their view of homework. Kohn's suggestions consist of the following:

• Educate yourself and share with teachers, parents and other administrators what the research says about homework.
• Rethink homework policies.
• Reduce the amount of homework but also remain realistic when estimating the time it takes to complete the work; considering the students who work slowest, not basing estimations on the students who work fastest.
• After realistic time estimates, reflect on whether the assignment will help students think deeply and/or more critically about the subject matter.
• Change the default and require students to take homework home only when there is a high likelihood that it will be completed and beneficial to most students.
• Ask kids what their thoughts are on homework to find out what their thoughts are on the subject. Make questionnaires anonymous and find out how they feel and why they feel a particular way about homework.
• Teachers should assign only what they've designed. In other words, giving pre-made worksheets as homework may not be the best practice. Creating several assignments based on student needs and abilities is more beneficial to students, giving them an opportunity to work on specific skills they need to practice or master.
• Last but not least, experiment. Try different strategies to see what fits your personality, teaching style, and the needs of your students. It is more work to begin with and may take some time to refine but you might find that in the long run it is better for you and your students.

I do not give homework at my particular grade level and am not required to give it, but I send home work with students who need more practice on specific skills with complete instructions for parents. At times this works very well and at other times we find that nothing is done at home. When work is sent home, students' mastery of skills is checked with activities and assessments at school and progress is monitored regularly. This practice gives me information and input to inform my instruction and intervention practices.

Technology is an issue that we all deal with and one that will become more and more prominent in our society. There are great tools for students and parents to use at home that can make learning fun and different. Tools such as RAZ-Kids allow students to read online and teachers can then listen to the recording and inform their instruction for students in order to give individual feedback.

(quotes and information from www.education.com/print/The_Homework_Debate/ and www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/rethinkinghomework.htm)

Blog #6 Learning vs Acquisition

The students:

Learning	Both	Acquisition
Look up words in the dictionary to write definitions	Make a Venn diagram to compare two stories	Write rhyming poetry and then discuss different spellings for the same sound
Practice sounding out words	Correct peers when they make a mistake during reading	Identify words on a big book page that start with the same sound
Read in round-robin fashion	Group cards with classmates’ names by a criterion such as first or last letter	Read a language experience story they have created with the teacher
Ask teacher how to spell any word they don’t know	Work in pairs to arrange words from a familiar chant into sentences
Divide words into syllables	Make alphabet books on different topics
On a worksheet, draw a line from each word to the picture that starts with the same sound

The teacher:

Learning	Both	Acquisition
Makes sure that students read only books that fit their level	Preteaches vocabulary	Does a shared reading with a big book
Conducts phonics drills	Has students segment words into phonemes	Writes words the students dictate for a story and has students help with the spelling of difficult words
Uses a variety of worksheets to teach different skills	Asks students to look around the room and find words starting with a certain letter	Teaches Latin and Greek roots
Sets aside time for SSR (sustained silent reading) each day	Uses decodable texts	Has students meet in literature circles
	Chooses predictable texts	Teaches students different comprehension strategies
		Does a picture walk of a new book

In the chart above, I noted activities that involve learning, acquisition or both. I used the following criteria to determine which activity involved each method:

      "Learning is a conscious process that involves studying rules and vocabulary. (Freeman, 2004, p. 35)

      "Acquisition is subconscious. Acquisition occurs as students use language for a variety of              purposes. (Freeman, 2004, p. 35)

Several of the activities could be either learning or acquisition or a combination of both. Much depends on the intent of the teacher and the type of activity involved in using decodable texts for example. If the teacher is meeting with small groups of students or using decodable texts in connection with science this could constitute learning or acquisition or both. 

In teaching Latin and Greek roots and comprehension strategies, teachers are giving students tools they can use in many settings and acquisition will take place as students take part in these activities.

Lessons and activities that involve students and allow them to interact with text and with each other give students the opportunity to acquire and therefore hold onto language and information better than activities simply involving drill and skills.

Blog #9 - Fiction/Non-fiction

The Curious Garden                                                       

By Peter Brown

·      Fiction

·      Narrative

·      Illustrations enhance

         story

·      Illustrations may

         hinder comprehension

·      Figurative language

   hinders comprehension

From Seed to Pumpkin

By Wendy Pfeffer

·      Nonfiction

·      Facts

·      Drawings show growth process

·      Drawings aid comprehension

·      Language is clear and helps with comprehension

·      Book includes activities for hands-on experience

Although both of these selections are about plants From Seed to Pumpkin would be easier for diverse learners to understand. The clear language and illustrations would aid comprehension. Activities are also included which give hands-on experience.

The Curious Garden is a delightful book but would be difficult for diverse learners to comprehend due to the figurative language and illustrations which would cause confusion. There is too much that would need to be explained, these explanations would take away from the story and diverse learners would not get much out of it.

Post #8 - Sheltered Lesson

I consider most lower elementary (primary) lessons as sheltered lessons because there is so much explicit instruction, modeling, scaffolding and letting go that happens in the primary grades. However, as I looked at the SIOP rubric for Sheltered Instruction I realized there was more to be done for ELLs and diverse learners. My experience with ELLs is limited but I have more experience with diverse learners. My lesson was well-sheltered but more could have been done for ELLs. My lesson contained content objectives but did not contain language objectives. I felt that since it was a science lesson I would not be teaching anything specific with language but that was my mistake. Everything I teach has something to do with language because we are constantly teaching language in the primary grades.

Background knowledge was accessed through the use of a KWL chart, nature walk and discussion of plants before the beginning of the lesson. Realia, vocabulary and hands on experiences were part of the lesson. One thing I did not consider were the levels of language acquisition but I believe those were covered in the discussion and partner share phase of the lesson, especially for Speech Emergence and Intermediate and Advanced Fluency students. Preproduction and Early Production students are very much a part of our every day experience and their needs are usually met and challenged in all our lessons.

As a teacher, one thing I constantly work on is wait time, giving my students time to process their thoughts and give an answer. I also work with my whole class on appropriate responses to the comments and responses of others in the class. It is a safe environment and all students need to be respectful of others' thoughts and ideas. I remind my students that laughing at a response or making a comment that is not encouraging is not acceptable and model what acceptable and appropriate practice looks like.

Another thing I work on often is keeping quiet and letting my students do the talking. Too often we get in "teacher" mode and lecture, not giving our students an outlet for their thoughts and ideas. Students need to be able to share and discuss, not only as a whole class but in small groups and partners, informally as well as formally during the lesson. A good teacher gives their students many opportunities to share and discuss in different formats during lessons. Gibbons (2002) states "...listening is a key to language development." and "....background noise tends to interfere with comprehension far more if you are listening to a less familiar language." Teaching students to listen to each other is key to comprehension and understanding in the classroom.

It's a Boy!

Not official school news but we have a baby! Baby boy Knighten (their last name) was born at 9:52 this morning, 7 lbs. 4 oz., 19 3/4 inches long. No name yet but he's a cutie and all are well. See you next Wednesday and I'll have pictures!

Blog #7 - Miscue Analysis

L, a Spanish speaking student has been in ELL for four years and shows much improvement according to the ELL teacher. She struggles in the Fall after speaking Spanish all summer in Mexico but comes around with some practice and support. L did a first read of a piece and read well. Her reading lacked much inflection and pauses at the end of sentences and commas were almost non-existent. As far as miscues go, she had a couple that did not change the meaning of the text. One miscue she reread correctly. L said "d" for "th" which is typical of her native Spanish. This does not affect meaning or syntax.

With this student, I would work on fluency and inflection. She read quickly and accurately but with little inflection. I would have her read familiar passages, possibly record her so she can hear her reading; then I would model what it would sound like if read with inflection and emotion. Another teaching point would be focusing on the main idea and comprehension. Although she answered the comprehension questions accurately, her answers were superficial and did not reflect deep thought of what was read.

M, is a kindergarten student who speaks English fluently and yet is in ELL for additional support. He read a pre-primer text which was difficult for him. There were several miscues which affected meaning significantly. Of the seven sentences he read, there were five significant miscues such as replacing words and mispronouncing words to the point of changing them with similar words that may have been more familiar to him. No syntax errors were noted and although there was a picture with the text, it was not enough to give significant clues.

With M, I would start with much simpler text and give him the support he needs in order to read the text correctly. Giving him an opportunity to read silently first or read after the instructor has read would help with decoding errors. Recording M's reading would help him hear the errors he is making; reading with and to him as well as having him read to an instructor will help him correct his decoding errors. What M needs most is practice with text that gives him the opportunity to be successful and grow in his reading and decoding skills. Classroom observations show that M is able to read fluently when given the opportunity to pre-read, this needs to be a part of any instructional strategy.

Blog #5 Book Review

Curious George At the Fire Station: This book would present several problems for students from different cultures. The first problem I can see is George himself - why would a monkey visit a fire station and why would a monkey be treated like a person? Depending on where a child came from the whole idea of a fire station may be totally foreign. Also the fact that people could go visit a fire station may be a foreign idea as well. Going on any sort of field trip might be difficult for second language learners to understand.

Amelia Bedelia's First Apple Pie: Amelia Bedelia is difficult for some students to understand because of the figurative language used in the books. This book is filled with phrases that would need to be explained to students from different cultures, i.e. "watch your step" and the fact that Amelia Bedelia takes everything literally may be over the heads' of students who don't have a firm grasp on the English language. Again, a trip to the apple stand may be a foreign idea as well as the many different types of apples available at the apple stand.