Module 3

Development of Literacy Strategies Power Point:

I really liked how the power point opened up with the two definitions. It helped set the tone for what it was going to discuss. The Seven Pillars diagram was a great visual and one that I believe I could turn back to when working with informational literacy. This power point did a good job of pointing out all of the issues that surround informational literacy. I never knew how many elements played a role in informational literacy. After viewing it, I will now carefully consider just how I incorporate the idea into my classroom.

Text Structures & Signal Words:

I really like the way this diagram was broken down. It was in a form that is both easy to turn back to and something you could even use with students. My favorite part of it was the signal words that indicated which type of structure the other was using. This is a tool that could be beneficial to both teachers and students alike.

Encouraging Enthusiasm for Reading Video:

The quotes in this video were extremely powerful. They went along with what I already passionately believe in, that children should be introduced to reading even at a young age. If parents value reading, then their children in turn will think it is something to be valued. Often times reading is an experience. Parents should make efforts to create these experiences as often and as effectively as they can. This is true of both children before school age and during school age.

Smart Table for Collaboration Video:

The Smart Table looks like an amazing piece of technology! While I have seen a Smart Board and all of the hands on and interactive experiences it brings, this looks like an even better way for children to work side by side to use the technology. I believe the possibilities with something like this are endless in reading and all areas.  Students could use it for reading texts, spelling, vocabulary, and graphic organizers and beyond.

Social Studies & Technology Video:

The use of the document camera along with the Smart Table seems like a really effective way for students to learn. I believe in the area of social studies, teachers could enlarge and interact with maps, graphs, etc. on the document camera and the students could manipulate them using the Smart Table. The same would be true of any resources that go along with literacy. Again, I am amazed at all that can be done using the Smart Table!

Science & Literacy Video:

I especially connected to this video because I teach young children, similar to those seen and described in the video. This video reinforced the idea of how important it is for students to understand and be exposed to reading at a young age. It is also important for them to be a part of listening and speaking elements of language since they are a precursor for their future in areas of reading. All of these children contribute to children’s ideas of reading. I liked how the video pointed out that things such as animal sounds, numbers, colors, sequencing, organizing, memorizing and cause and effect are all aspects connected to math and science. However, students are first exposed to these in the stories they read or have read to them as children. The video went on to describe why it is important to use informational texts in the classroom, even with young children. I have personally seen this to be effective and often do so in my own classroom.

Expository Text Structures – Moss:

I found this article to be very relevant to the things we have been learning about expository and informational text during this course. While it sometimes presents challenges to educators to teach such texts, it really enhances students’ learning when we take the time to use them properly. One of the challenges they present is their unique structure. Taking time to learn each structure will help us better use the texts when working with students. Retelling is another challenge teachers face, but an essential component. The article gave the resource of a rubric to use with retelling of expository texts. One of my favorite quotes in this article is, “The best informational books make even the most difficult terms and concepts comprehensible.” I think this quote alone supports why we should take efforts to use these texts in our classrooms.

Virtual Field Trips to Atlanta:

Since my Content Area Unit was focused on Atlanta, I had already viewed some of these videos. I was also glad to see that there are even more resources available to me for virtual trips to Atlanta. It is such a shame that sometimes we do not take advantage of all that lies within our own city. Atlanta is a city of rich history, excitement and constant change. Videos like this remind me, that even if we cannot get out there and see everything, there are ways to open up students eyes to what exists in the world around them.

Module 2

Learning Theories Power Point:

This power point served as a reminder about how much education has evolved over time. It also made me think how much education is still evolving. As teachers, this is something we need to constantly be aware of and carry into our classrooms. Since we know all students do not learn the same, we need to be careful to take the time and find ways for all of our students to be successful. Also, I had never heard of the 6 A’s approach before. I really enjoyed looking through it and considering ways that I could apply these 6 A’s in my current and future classrooms. Lastly, I like how the end of the power point laid out a simple plan to start using these learning theories in a way that was not too intimidating or overwhelming.

Planning Strategic Reading Lessons:

I liked how the beginning of the power point started with a clear definition of what strategic reading is. This gave me a better idea for what I was about to learn about, who it is used for as well as what it is used for. I also liked how the power point broke down the format of making a lesson using strategic reading. Now that we are familiar with it from the power point and other readings, we can begin to bring it into our classrooms. Much of strategic reading is based on what we have done in the past such as collecting texts, stating objectives and assessing students. The same is true of what happens when reading including pre-reading, initial reading and reflection, Because of this, I feel that it is something I could confidently carry out.

Literacy Content: Reading & Scaffolding:

Again, I liked how this power point began with a clear definition to lead into the material in the slides. Scaffolding is something I have always liked using in my own classrooms. I think the idea of the teacher assisting students at the beginning of learning and providing them with tools they can use on their own is a really great concept. I liked how this power point incorporated how scaffolding can be used with content area texts. The power point did a good job of laying out all teacher responsibilities that must occur in order for this scaffolding to happen. These included taking reading levels, vocabulary and text structures into consideration. I think with careful practice, scaffolding could be a very strong way to teach in our classrooms both in reading and other subjects. Scaffolding at its best is changing instruction from “I do” to “you do”. Lastly, the helpful links and resources at the end of the power point are ones I plan on saving so that I can turn to them later.     

Bloom’s Taxonomy Wheel:

The way this wheel was broken down really allowed me to grasp and understand the Taxonomy in a whole new way. I have previously defeated and intimidated when trying to incorporate it in my lessons. However, I think this is a valuable resource I can come back and turn to often. Part of what makes it so great is the breakdown of verbs and then further break down into student products. This makes it very useable for us as educators and something we can now use time and time again.

Differentiating Instruction Video:

Differentiation is something that we should always be striving to use in our classrooms. After learning much about it in both undergrad and graduate classrooms, this power point video served as a strong reminder. However, it also shed new light on how I can use differentiation in the reading setting. One thing that stuck out to me was the importance of diagnosing students’ needs. It went on to state the importance of coming up with different learning lessons and designs in order for the most effective differentiation to take place. Some of the terms that seemed key to me were striving for learner responsive, teacher facilitated classrooms, learning preferences, scaffolding and matching interests and developmental levels.

The Story of Differentiation Video:

I thought that this video was interesting because it was a raw, real life explanation of what differentiation is at its roots. I really enjoyed hearing what Tomlinson had to say and how she began using what we now called differentiation. When she saw the lack of “middle class” in her classroom she decided to adjust her teaching to fit the needs of all her students whether they were high level or low level. She was able to do this by relying on things such as the background skills and knowledge students came to the classroom with, flexible grouping, addressing diversity and strong classroom management. I like how she admitted it can be hard, especially starting out. Yet, she was sure to note that it is a way of teaching that allows all students to learn and does not leave anyone behind and does not leave anyone bored.