Yopp-Singer Assignment

Yopp-Singer Test of Phonemic Segmentation:  Administer the Yopp-Singer Test of Phonemic Segmentation to two students, one of them an ESOL student.  Score it and devise a lesson using a quality picture book that teaches to the phonemic segmentation needs of each child.  In the lesson plan include the standard, element, materials, and instructional methods, including a step-by step teaching outline.  Include lesson adaptations made, if any, based on the needs of both children.  Be prepared to teach the lesson to the class.

After testing A.M. and J.N. with the Yopp-Singer Test, I discovered that both male students could pass that test perfectly.  After further testing with the Z-Test, A.M. mispronounced zick by saying zike, and J.N. mispronounced zack by saying zake. 

Performance Standard

Phonics and Word Recognition from First Grade

ELACC1RF3: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

a. Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs. (ck)

Objective

The student will be able to recognize the patterns “ick” and “ack” in words located in text. 

The student will be able to “sound out” each phoneme in the words with the “ick” and the “ack” patterns.

The student will be able to pronounce each “ick” and “ack” word correctly.

Materials

The True Story of The 3 Little Pigs written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith

Elkonin Boxes

Dimes – 40

Words to Locate: back, brick, stick, sack, sick

Post-it arrow (flags)

• Elkonin Boxes

Elkonin boxes may be used to help with phoneme segmentation. A card is prepared with a picture of a simple word at the top. Below the picture is a matrix that contains a box for each phoneme (not letter) in the word (see Figure1 below). The teacher models the process by slowly articulating the word phoneme-by-phoneme while pushing a counter (bingo chip, penny, etc.) into a box for each phoneme. The children can say the word with the teacher while the counters are being placed. Gradually the children should participate in this “say it and move it” activity by taking turns placing the counters in each box while saying each sound in a word. Both the matrix and picture can be eliminated over time so that the children are segmenting the word without visual clues.

 

Procedures

1.  The teacher will explain how the Elkonin boxes work with phonemic segmentation. 

2.  The students will highlight (with Post it arrows) the five words with the “ick” and “ack” patterns in the picture book as the teacher reads.

3.  The teacher will write the five words on the whiteboard.

4.  The students will use their Elkonin boxes and dimes to sound out each of the five words using correct phonemic segmentation.

Evaluation

If the male students can sound out all five words correctly, they may spend their dimes in the vending machine.

Extension

Since the male students needed thirty cents more to purchase a drink, they had to answer three more questions.

1.  What is the point of view of this story? first person  (the wolf instead of the pigs)

2.  What is the idiom in the story and what does it mean?  dead as a doornail = completely dead

3.  Did you enjoy the book?  Explain your answer. Yes, they both enjoyed the book because they appreciated the humor.

Two Old and One New Homework Assignments

After reading Barb’s blog, I realized that I forgot to respond to two earlier questions.  I wrote my answers to those two questions and added the review of Dr. Shanahan’s article.

1.  What is a nonreader?

According to the dictionary, a nonreader is …

a person who cannot or does not read, especially a child who takes a long time learning to read.

To me, a nonreader is any person who cannot comprehend what he or she is reading.  When I was in high school, I started taking Spanish in ninth grade.  During the first few weeks, I learned the proper pronunciation for each Spanish word, but I had no idea what the words meant.  Of course, I had to memorize the definitions and practice speaking in Spanish to be able to comprehend this new language.

2.  Why is it important to know the difference between content area reading and domain reading? 

In a broad sense, I think it is very important to know the correct definitions for words.  That is what makes us lifelong learners; we are constantly learning new words and learning how to use our new words correctly. 

Recently, an inclusion student told me that she just figured out the true meaning of lute. She thought it was the same as a flute.  Now she knows that it is a stringed instrument.  She said that the book she is reading makes more sense now that she knows the correct definition. (out of the mouth of babes – idiom unit)

Reflections about Dr. Shanahan’s Views of Pre-reading Activities

Dr. Shanahan wants teachers to engage in pre-reading activities with sound implementation.  He wants to ban the use of “inappropriate and unproductive” picture walks.  (Since middle school students rarely read books with any pictures, I looked up “picture walk” on the Internet.  I saw the questions that teachers are supposed to ask while showing the illustrations.  Recently, I babysat a first grader while her mother attended a conference after school.  The first grader read her little book to me.  The pictures gave away the ending of the story.  Also, the first grader did not need any help understanding the book based on the pictures and on the text.  I gave a few suggestions to the mother.  I told her that she might want to check out easy chapter books without so many pictures.  Her daughter is ready for a challenge.)

Dr. Shanahan went through the history and evolution of pre-reading activities.  Usually, I have the students read the play or novel first.  Then we research information about the author and see why he/she wrote the text.  Example:  A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist  My gifted students had to write an essay about Charles Dickens after reading two of his works.  After discovering the fact that Dickens had to work in a factory to support his family while his father was in a debtor’s prison, they could see why Dickens included the poor in many of his writings.

With short stories, I like to have my students look at “some” background information, review tough vocabulary words like anachronism and ennui, and read for a specific purpose like looking for symbolism in “The Kid Nobody Could Handle” by Kurt Vonnegut and looking for irony in the play Back There by Rod Serling.

Making predictions was a huge part of the SOAR to Success reading program.  Predicting seemed to help my ESOL students the most in that remedial class.  Also, I like to use a quick true/false anticipation guide right before my students read The  Jungle Book.  They enjoyed grading the anticipation guide at the end of the book and making corrections based on the correct information from the text.

Dr. Shanahan did say that “schema theory and prior knowledge research provided intellectual support for pre-reading instruction; research showed that previews could improve recall, inferencing, disambiguation, and put readers in a better position to recognize problems in a text.”

Apparently, the main problems with some pre-reading activities include the following five transgressions:

1.  They take too much time.  (It was funny reading about the teacher who spent 20 minutes on pre-reading activities when the little book only took five minutes to read.)

2.  They are too boring.  Might I add that I can only “stomach” that elementary school  “sing/song” voice for a very short period of time. (Not all elementary school teachers use it.) They must think they are cute when they use that voice.  If I were a child in a classroom with a teacher with a sing/song voice, I would beg my parents to get me transferred out of that room.

3.  They focus on the wrong information.  I loved the example of teaching The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.  The vocabulary is pretty basic, and the book is short.  However, the deeper meaning eludes many readers.  My middle son has chosen that book as one of his favorites along with The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas.  He read it in the ninth grade.

4.  They tell too much.  I guess that is what those picture walks accomplish.  I want to give my students enough information to get “hooked” into reading the selection.  I also want them to be able to grasp the vocabulary since I usually bump up most of my seventh grade students to eighth grade material.  (Many of the seventh grade stories are downright depressing and boring!)

5.  They are rarely purposeful.  Teachers do want their students to read effectively.  The teacher must read the selection first and determine what is hard about it and why it needs to be read. 

Since my classes have been studying idioms, I must add that we should not “throw out the baby with the bath water.”  Teachers need to keep what works and throw out what doesn’t work.  The experts remind us of that constantly and give us guidelines to direct us in that process.  Thank you, Dr. Shanahan and Barb!

Teach-Tac-Toe Assignment 4

Environment Standard:  Read the article “Facilitating Engagement by Differentiating Independent Reading.”  Refer to the readwritethink.org lesson plans cited in the article.  Implement one of the plans in your classroom.  Reflect on the lesson.  What changes would you make?  What worked well?  Will you continue this practice, and why or why not.

After reading the article, I selected the BOOKMATCH lesson from the readwritethink lesson plans.  My two gifted classes completed this lesson with an added reflection sheet.  I chose the best answers from one male student and one female student. With the reflection assignment, I compiled a list of the best answers.

I taught lessons two and six with the script sheets on the first day.  I used the examples from a Harry Potter book, The Outsiders, and The Watsons Go to Birmingham. Then I walked the students through the student comment form and the two rubrics.

Student Comment Form for Intermediate-Grade Readers

B – Book Length * Is this a good length for me? *Do I feel like committing to this book? Male Answers:  The book I’ve chosen is a great length for me.  This book is pretty short; I feel that I can easily finish this book.  Female Answers:  This book is a good length.  I have read other titles by this author, and I feel like committing to reading this book.

O  – Ordinary Language *Turn to any page and read aloud.  *Does the text sound natural? *Does it flow?  Does it make sense? Male Answers:  This book uses natural language that makes sense.  It has a few new science fiction terms that I will be able to figure out.  Female Answers:  Yes, this book flows, makes sense, and sounds natural when I read it aloud.

O – Organization *How is the book structured?  *Are chapters short or long?  Male Answers:  My book consists of twelve medium-length chapters.  Female Answers:  The book is structured in chronological order.  It has average-length chapters.

K – Knowledge Prior to Book *Read the title, view the cover page, or read the summary on the back of the book. *What do I already know about his topic, this book, or this author?  Male Answers: I do not have a lot of knowledge about this book.  A teacher recommended it to me.  Then I read the summary, and it sounded interesting. Female Answers:  This author wrote several other fantastic books, so I think I will like this one, too.

M – Manageable Text *Begin reading the book.  Will this book provide the right amount of challenge?  Do I understand what I read?  Male Answers:  The book seems fairly easy to understand, but it still provides an easy challenge.  Female Answers: This book will provide the right amount of challenge due to the high vocabulary.  I do understand what I am reading.

A – Appeal to Genre *What is the genre?  *Have I read this genre before? *What can I expect from this genre?  Male Answers:  This genre is science fiction.  I have read this genre before.  I expect a lot of adventure and interesting technology.  Female Answers:  This genre is romance.  I have read this genre before.  From this genre, I can expect a twist at the end of the book.

T – Topic Appropriateness *Am I comfortable with the topic of this book? *Do I feel like I am ready to read about this topic?  Male Answers:  The topic is about time travel.  I have read this before and feel comfortable and ready to read it.  Female Answers:  I am comfortable with this topic, and I am ready to read!

C – Connection * Can I relate to this book? *Can I make a connection?  Male Answers: Right now, I do not feel a connection with the book.  I am quite confident that I will connect with further reading. Female Answers:  I can relate and connect to this book.

H – High-Interest *Am I interested in this book?  Do others recommend this book? *What is my purpose for reading this book?  Male Answers:  I am very interested in this book.  My teacher recommended it, and I feel it will provide me with plenty of entertainment.  The main character would be in advance classes, too.  Female Answers:  I am interested in this book that my cousin recommended.  I am reading this book because I liked the prequel, so I had to finish this adventure.

Reading Workshop Rubric  (3 = Independent, 2 = Needs Some Support, 1 = Limited Independence, 0 = No Evidence and M = male student and F = female student) Reads independently for extended periods. M = 3 / F = 3 Comprehends texts. M = 3 / F = 3  Chooses just-right books. M = 3 / F = 3  Participates in conferences and guided groups.  M = 2 / F = 3 Uses reading strategies.  M = 3, F = 3 Records information on logs or student comment forms.  M = 2, F = 3 Respects reading environment (uses book nook and book stick, moves about quietly, does not disturb other readers). M = 3 / F = 3  Total Scores:  M = 19 / F = 21  (The female student shares books with her mother, older sisters, and cousins.  They are constantly talking about their favorite books.  Also, she keeps a journal about her reading experiences.)

Independent Reader BOOKMATCH Rubric (Consistent Evidence = 2, Some Evidence = 1, No Evidence = 0,  M = male student, F = female student) Uses previously taught criteria to make book selections.  M = 2 / F = 2 Successfully chooses just-right books.  M = 2 / F = 2  Monitors engagement with book selection.  M = 2 / F = 2  (Both scored a 6 or perfect score on this rubric.)

REFLECTIONS  I wrote four questions for my students to answer the following day after using these first three sheets from BOOKMATCH.  1.  What changes in the BOOKMATCH lessons would you suggest that would make selecting the right book easier for a regular education student?  Ask the students to read the first five pages of the book before buying into it.  I would make the checklist easier to follow with one answer per question.  2.  What changes in the BOOKMATCH lessons would you render that would make selecting the right book easier for an inclusion student?  I would make the vocabulary easier on the checklists.  I would help the students more in the area of book length.  It is hard for some inclusion students to commit to reading an entire book on his/her own.  I might take off some of the BOOKMATCH questions.  I would give them more steps to do and take more time with them.  Since two teachers are in the classroom and there are fewer students, I would try to work with them one-on-one.  (teacher and student)  I would plan a fun activity to go along with their book selections.  3.  What worked well for you in the BOOKMATCH lessons?  I forgot that I could break down the genre categories into more than just fiction and nonfiction.  Also, I liked the book length section.  Many times I have to return for more books between our two-week intervals to the media center.  4.  Will you keep using the BOOKMATCH posters and rubrics in the future?  Explain.  Yes, I would also like to see a copy of the BOOKMATCH poster in the media center for a quick reference.  The checklist helped me the most. Also, I would start the BOOKMATCH process on the first trip to the media center at the beginning of school in August.

Teach-Tac-Toe Assignment 3

Read the article “The Cultural Divide of Discourse:  Understanding How English Language Learners’ Primary Discourse Influences Acquisition of Literacy.”  Create a diversity vocabulary web.

After reading the article, I created a diversity vocabulary web with the help of my students.  Our subject is the diversity of the Dewey Decimal System in our own media center.  Below, you will see a picture of the poster my students created with the diverse choices in the media center at Woodland Middle School.

 
Dewey Decimal System – * Invented by Melvil Dewey over 100 years ago * Classifies books into 10 general categories * Includes all types of books, both fiction and nonfiction

In the center of the spider web, you will see a brown recluse spider with the word DIVERSITY written  on it.  My ESOL student drew the web, and another student in my inclusion class drew the spider.  My sixth period drew the bugs that were caught in the web.  (moth = Unlikeness, dragonfly = Change, cockroach = Distinction, fly = Unique Feature, scorpion = Deviation, grasshopper = Dissimilarity, butterfly = Variety, and ant = Difference.

Dr. Mull, our wonderful media specialist, gave me the notes from her Power Point presentation about the Dewey Decimal System. 

000 – General Works = 001.9 – Unexplained Phenomena (UFOs , Bermuda Triangle, Abominable Snowman, etc) .004 – Computers and the Internet, .006 – Virtual Reality, .031 – Encyclopedias, Almanacs, and Record Books (reference section)

My gifted students located books in each section of the library.  They wrote the call number, title, author, and one interesting fact from each book. (I tried to copy their cards as accurately as possible.)

0004.1 Super Computers: Shaping the Future by Charlene W. Billings / Super computers are the fastest and most powerful computers on the planet.  .031 Ripley’s Believer It or Not:  Curioddities by Clive Carpenter / Ten year old Paul Hill could have been the world’s youngest pilot, and he was certainly the youngest boy in  England ever to fly a plane. 006 Virtual Reality: a Door to  Cyberspace  by Ann E. Weiss / Virtual programming can solve crimes. 0004.67 The History of the Internet and World Wide Web by Art Wolinsky / In the 1950’s, the internet or personal computers did not exist.  Then, computers were very large and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

100 – Philosophy and Psychology = 133 – Magic, ghosts, psychics, 155 – Death and Dying, 158 – Personal Inspiration, 174 – Ethics, 179 – Animal Rights

100s – Mysterious Detectives: Psychics by Tamara Wilcox / The hunches of a psychic detective are not accepted as evidence in a court trial; they need physical evidence.  For this reason, the police find it difficult to use psychic detectives.  When they do use the help of detectives, they police don’t always admit that they were given psychic help. 100s – Could UFOs Be Real: The UFO Library? by Larry Koss / In January 1950 Major Keyhoe, a retired Marine Corps pilot who had become a well-known writer, had an article about UFOs in TRUE magazine. 158.1 Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul by Jack Canfield / At this age kids are eager to leave the “kid” stage, yet they are not sure what adolescence will bring them.  152.14 Walter Wick’s Optical Tricks by Walter Wick / In mirrors, you can see around corners, objects are only illusions, and every thing is backward! 1.9 Do Not Open by John Farndon / More than a quarter of the world’s gold is stashed away in just a single bank vault 80 ft. below the streets of New York City, USA!

200 = Religion 220-250 – Christianity and the Bible, 291-292 – Greek and Roman Mythology, 293-299 – Other World Religions

200s Christianity by John Logan / In some countries, practicing Christianity is illegal. 221.9 God’s Story by Jan Mark / Award winning author of the Tale of Tobias and Taking the Cat’s Way Home.  This book tells how God made mankind. 248.4 God’s Play Book by Reggie White / He was up to bat against a huge pitcher and believed with God that he could hit a home run, and he did. 292 The Golden Fleece by Padriac Colum / Jason led a group of great warriors called the Argonauts to capture the golden fleece.

300 = Social Sciences 323 – Civil Rights, 327 – Spies, 342 – Court Cases, 350s -Military, 362 – Social Issues (drug addiction, homelessness, pollution, etc.) 391 – Fashion, 398 – Folk and Fairy Tales

356 The Green Berets by Thomas Streissguth / The first special ops forces saw action during WWII. 371.9 Living With Learning Disabilities: A Guide for Students by David E. Hall, M.D. / Everybody has strengths and weaknesses.  Some people’s weaknesses affect how they learn at school, and these students are diagnosed as having learning disabilities. 373.1 Girl Power in the Classroom: A Book About Girls, Their Fears, and Their Future by Helen Cordes / Girls don’t participate in the classroom as much as guys do. 379 Little Rock Girl 1957 by Shelley Tougas / Elizabeth Eckford, one of the Little Rock Nine would help change America.

400 = Languages 423 – Dictionary of Idioms, 428 – French, 493 – Hieroglyphics

411 Language and Writing (Legacies) by Julian Rowe / Human communication through speech may have existed a million years ago, but writing was only invented about 5,000 years ago. 428 1,000 French Words by Berlitz Kids To play hide and seek in French is jouer a cache-cache.  435 Electricity and Magnetism by Edward Purcell / Unlike charges attract each other; like charges repel each other. 48 1,000 Spanish Words by Berlitz Kids / This book is actually teaching me Spanish.

500 = Natural Sciences and Math 510 – Mathematics, 523 – Planets and Stars, 550 – Earth, 551 – Weather, 567 – Dinosaurs, 590s – Animal life, 597 – Reptiles, 599 – Mammals

523.4 Mars (Gateway Solar System) by Gregory L. Vogt / Once every 780 or so Earth days, Earth and Mars are on exactly the same side of the sun. 577.7 Coral Reef: City That Never Sleeps by Mary M. Cerullo / An angelfish has dramatic colors to attract a mate. 595.4 Scorpion Man by Laurence Pringle / Scorpions are varied and aren’t as dangerous as people may seem to think.

600 = Applied Science and Technology 612 – Biology, 615 – Drugs, 616 – Diseases, 623 – Transportation, 636 Domestic Animals (dogs, cats, horses, etc.) 641 – Cookbooks

600s Teen Hot Line: Depression by Cathie Cush / In 1986, 5,120 teens and young adults committed suicide. 600s From Fail to Win! by Ian Graham / I like this book because it shows the evolution of past inventions. 629.45 Apollo 11: First Moon Landing (Countdown to Space by Michael D. Cole / The Luna Module footpads are only depressed in the surface about one or two inches.  Although the surface appears to be very, very fine grained, as you get close to it.  It’s almost like a powder. 641.3 Food:Its Evolution Through the Ages by  Piero Ventura / You burn more calories walking upstairs than swimming.

700 = Fine Arts and Recreation 736 – Origami, 743 – Drawing, 741 – Graphic Novels, 796 – Sports (796.323 – Basketball, 796.332 – Football, 796.334 – Soccer, 796.357 – Baseball)

722.3 Gymnastics:The Trials, the Triumphs, the Truth by Dan Gutman / Mary Lou Retton was third in the Olympics in 1984. 726 Cathedral: The Story of its Construction by David MacAulay / The Gothic cathedral is one of man’s most magnificent expressions as well as one of his greatest architecturally. 736 Origami Orgami is as old as paper itself.  Late in the 6th century, Buddhist monks brought papermaking to Japan and perhaps with it brought origami.  While it is not known exactly where the paper-folding art was invented or who invented it, it has become synonymous with the Japanese culture. 796 Don’t Step on the Foul Line: Sport Superstition by George Sullivan and Anne Canevari Green / For some people, eating and doing the same thing is considered good luck.

800 = Literature 808 – Writing, 811 – Poetry, 812 – Plays, 813 – Fiction novels (Most libraries put these in a separate section.)

808.5 How to Give a Speech (Speak Out, Write On by Margaret Ryan / The best source of information in most libraries is not a book, a magazine, an index, an abstract, or a piece of microfilm.  It is a human being, the librarian. 811 Night on Neighborhood Street by Eloise Greenfield / New Baby Born- All day she has slept – Now is her time – to cry – “Where am I? / I’m too tiny a girl / for this big new world.” 811 Favorite Poems: Old and New by Helen Ferris Tibbets and Leonard Weisgard/ Wings The Bible: From Psalm 55 Oh that I had wings like a dove? For then I would fly away and be at rest – Lo, then would I wander far off. And remain in the wilderness. 811 A Bad Case of the Giggles edited by Bruce Lansky / Insides – I’m very grateful to my skin for keeping my insides in … I do so hate to think about what I would look like inside-out. by Colin West

900 = Geography and History 910 – Shipwrecks and Pirates, 920 – Collective Biographies, 921 – Biographies and Autobiographies, 940 – World War II, 951 – China, 973 – American History, 975 – The 50  States

900s – The 9/11 Terror Attack (Days of Change) by Valerie Bodden / On 9/11, terrorists attacked the Twin Towers.  910.4 Ghost Liners:Exploring the World’s Greatest Lost Ships by Rick Archbold and Robert D. Ballard / Robert Ballad discovered the wreck of the legendary Titanic. 929.9 The Flag We Love by Pam Munoz Ryan / The national anthem was written as a  poem by Francis Scott Key.  He saw glimpses of the flag at Fort McHenry through smoke and bombs.  He was so happy to see the flag flying in the morning that he wrote the poem.  That poem was later put to the tune of another song, and it became our national anthem: “The Star-Spangled Banner.” 938 Ancient Greece (DK Eye Witness Books by Anne Pearson / Respectable women were expected to stay at home as much as possible, keeping house and supervising the slaves. 946  World History Series – Elizabethan England by William W. Lace / Horse racing is probably more popular in  England than any other country on Earth.

Teach-Tac-Toe Assignment 2

Curriculum and Instruction Standard

Read the articles “Guiding principles for teaching multicultural literature” and Matching books and readers:  Selecting literature for English learners.”  How will you use this information in your classroom?  Compare and contrast them, and show how you will use the information in your classroom with a three circle Venn diagram.

The picture below illustrates the use of two tables to present the information usually found in a three-circle Venn diagram. The concept for using a table to represent the two circles for Article 1 and Article 2 are similar to my previous post, but the top table adds a reference column that associates a line in the first table with a line in the Classroom Applications table. The picture shows the line numbers from the Classroom Applications table that are referenced in Article 1, Article 2, and both articles.

“Guiding principles for teaching multicultural literature” by Belinda Y. Louie
Teachers need to have principles in order to guide and direct their students in understanding multicultural stories with contexts, values, and perspectives unfamiliar to most readers.
Teachers need to teach their students to check the authenticity of the story.	1
They need to examine historical and cultural accuracy. They need to determine whether feelings are being celebrated or exploited. They also need to look at the point of view of each story and see if the story is told on the inside/first person or on the outside/third person.	2
In order to understand the characters’ actions and intentions, students have to realize that other cultural groups may think and act in ways that are different from their own group.
Charts can be designed to describe characters’ work, characters’ interaction with family and friends, how characters play, and how characters’ government affects their lives.	3
Students could use a Venn diagram to show the outsider and insider perspectives. Then the students will be able to understand themselves in relation to the culture represented in the text.	4
Teachers need to teach their students how to identify values that shape the characters’ conflict-resolution strategies.
By using classroom discussions, students should list the conflicts that characters encounter, identify the options that characters have in resolving the conflicts, and explain the reasons behind the decisions that the characters make in conflict resolution.	5
Teachers need to teach their students how to relate self to the text and critique the portrayal of characters in the text and in popular media.
Students need to “talk back” or question multicultural literature and popular media by looking at the images and ideologies inscribed within them. Discussions need to focus on whether the students think the ethnic characters approve of the way they are portrayed or presented in stories and books.	6
Teachers should teach their students to use variants of the same story or collection of stories to help students to build schema.
The rest of the article talked about a fourth grade teacher who taught five versions of Mulan over a three-week period of time. The students were taught how to check authenticity. (The students learned that research, not ethnicity, helped author and illustrators establish authenticity for their works.)
The students were taught how to identify values that shape the characters’ conflict-resolution strategies.
Students were taught how to understand the world of the ethnic characters. (The students were concerned with Mulan’s violation of the law through deception. Also, they could not accept the concept of an obedient daughter being willing to sacrifice her life for her family.)
The students were taught how to critique the portrayal of characters in the text and in popular media. (Students learned that people should not make fun of grandparents, national heroes, and cultural icons.)
Students were taught how to weigh understanding and preference. (Two thirds of the students preferred the Disney movie version even though it was not as authentic.)
Students learned empathetic understanding when they could see the world from the characters’ perspectives. (The students could see Mulan’s dilemma and could empathize with her once they learned to share her love for her family and accept the limited alternatives that her family had.)
Students were taught how to relate self to text. Once the students could actually participate in Mulan’s dilemma and struggle, they became less judgmental of Mulan’s decisions.
Students were taught the conceptual understanding of culture. Once students can learn to accept cross-cultural understanding, they can accept the range of values and behaviors among different cultural groups. (Only a few of the fourth graders reached conceptual understanding.)
Students need to see that there are different ways of thinking and different values in other cultures.
The main goals are to increase English learner’s language acquisition, understanding/comprehension, and enjoyment of stories about diverse cultural groups.
English learners need to be familiar with the ideas in the books for ease of comprehension, and they need to be able to identify with and understand the world of ethnic characters and to see the world through the characters’ perspectives.
After reading variants of a particular story, students should be able to connect the language, story features, and illustrations with those of another text. The language should be simple with predictable text. Teachers should teach textual features. (index, glossary, etc.) Each book should be full of useful pictures.	7
Variety is the key word. English learners need lots of choices. They should read a collection of books across the genre.	8
Teacher should teach their students how to talk, write, and respond throughout the reading of the multicultural texts.	9
This can be achieved through open classroom discussion and personal reflective writing.	10
English learners need extensive practice learning English. They need to be able to hear English and use it in a variety of purposeful, authentic contexts. Teachers can help their English learners with read-alouds, book talks, story retellings, literature circles, book buddies, author studies, and other reading response projects. By using journal entries, English learners should be able to respond to issues like the characters’ world, their feelings, their conflict-resolution strategies, or their internal struggles. Teachers should orchestrate open classroom discussions and encourage personal reflective writing.	11
“Matching books and readers: Selecting literature for English learners” by Sylvia M. Vardell, Nancy L. Hadaway, and Terrell A. Young
English learners are the fastest group in United States schools. These students come with a wide range of reading skills.
Students in classrooms with libraries read 50% more books than students in classrooms without libraries.	12
Books for English learners need to be appropriate for the age and interest level of each student. Picture books help in scaffolding support. The English learners need repetitions of vocabulary and ideas. The goal is to select quality literature that is well written and illustrated. (picture books to longer text with photographs)	13
Content accessibility – The student should know about the concept in his/her own language first.
Language accessibility – The language should be in simple phrases or sentence patterns. It should have limited amount of text on each page and predictable, repetitive text.
FICTION
The story line should be direct with linear plot lines, and the language should be clear and concrete. The themes should include people fitting into a new society.
Concept Accessibility – Books need to use simple language with predictable text. The materials should have “survival” topics like time, money, school, colors, days, months, signs, symbols, foods, weather, clothing, family, homes, occupations, and animals. This basic information helps English learners cope in their day-to-day routines.
Cultural Accessibility – It is difficult to find books that are culturally authentic works.
NONFICTION
English learners supplemental materials that extend concepts, offer additional explanation, and use simpler vocabulary.
Nonfiction books need to have colorful, cartoon-style illustration, helpful captions, and exposition. Photo essays are helpful, too.
CONTENT AREA LITERATURE
Content Accessibility – Materials should be basic with a few concepts, and terms should be presented in clear, simple language.
Language Accessibility – New content area vocabulary should be written in bold letter or highlighted in brightly colored type. Do not present too many words too quickly.
Visual Accessibility – Visuals are critical. There should be a direct correlation between the terminology and the photo or illustration.
Accessibility through accuracy and organization – The information should be up-to-date. Students could learn in small groups or paired sharing with multiple readings. Themed materials can be linked together to help with the same vocabulary and the presentation of the concepts multiple times.	14
POETRY
Teachers should provide English learners with a diversity of poems that match each student individually. Rhyming poetry provides sound qualities which makes predicting words and phrases easier. Concrete poems reinforce the topic with the actual shape of the poem. Free verse helps English learners recognize the arrangement of words. When poetry is read aloud, English learners pick up on rhythm, repetition, and rhyme. English learners need to listen to, read, and reread poetry. This increases their exposure to language. The brevity of some poems keeps their attention. Choral reading is beneficial when English learners practice word recognition and pronunciation. Also, poetry is fun!	15
Avoid puns, parodies, irony, and sarcasm. English learners might interpret these differently.
English learners might want to respond to poetry and even interpret it. They might enjoy creating illustrations in small groups for a poem, making a collage, developing a mural, or even creating a poetry picture book.	16
Teachers and media specialists should read aloud regularly. They might want to form a literacy club. English learners should always have a regular time and freedom of choice. Materials are written to inform, to entertain, or to persuade.	17

#	Classroom Applications
1	In my classroom, I always assign a nonfiction assignment with all fiction short stories, plays, and novels.   Students check for authenticity in the facts.
2	My students are required to identify the point of view of each piece of writing that we study.  (first person, third person limited, third person omniscient, third person objective)
3	Students create charts in my classroom by using the rolls of paper from the media center.  They work in small groups and present their findings.  Then they critique each other’s posters and presentations.
4	Students create Venn diagrams and write compare/contrast paragraphs about their findings.
5	Students discuss conflicts and resolutions.  (person vs. person/  person vs. self / person vs. nature/  person vs. machine)
6	Students are constantly questioning the roles of the ethnic groups that we read about to see if they are being portrayed accurately.
7	Seventh grade teachers teach several lessons on textual features.  I used the social studies book since I taught that subject and two others last year.
8	My students visit the media center once every two weeks.  The students choose one fiction and one nonfiction books.  I give several assignments with a variety of nonfiction text.  My students just finished presenting biography chapter line.  (five facts and one illustration per chapter) Each listener had to write one fact that he/she learned about each famous person.
9	My students read silently and aloud. They always have a writing assignment with each reading assignment.  They present in small and large groups.
10	Open discussions are encouraged daily.  Reflective writing is assigned at opportune time intervals.
11	Journal writing is a must in every reading classroom.  Also, students enjoy writing and reading their own reflections as well as their peers.
12	Currently, I have two tall bookshelves full of books for the students to check out.  Also, I have added class sets of The Jungle Book, Oliver Twist, and Warriors Don’t Cry to my classroom collection.  I won three novels from the Book Fair, and I chose The Hunger Games series.
13	My sons donated several of their old picture books, adventure series, Guinness Book of World Records, joke books, animals books, old classics, etc. to my school book collection.
14	Information does need to be kept up-to-date.  Students have a computer in my classroom, and they are constantly checking Google for facts about the topics we are studying.  Another favorite site is www.dictionary.com.
15	My students have already written several types of poems this year.  After we complete this unit, we will begin our poetry unit before the CRCT.  This unit reinforces all of the literary terms we have been studying this school year.
16	My students will be completing a poetry booklet next.  They will study classic poems, and they write and illustrate their own poems.
17	I am constantly reading to my students because I like to model the different dialects.  Students pick up on tone and mood quickly when they hear passages read correctly with inflection.  Also, my students have a 1,000,000 word club.  Once you read the 500,000 word mark, you can design your own paw print that is displayed on top of the whiteboard.  When you reach the 1,000,000 word mark, your name is written on the board, and you automatically are invited to our end of the year reading celebration.  Of course, beautiful certificates are earned at both milestone marks.

Teach-Tac-Toe Assignment 1

Foundation Standard:  Read two articles on transfer of skills from the primary home language to English as it affects literacy learning across these components.  Compare and contrast the two articles with a two circle Venn Diagram.

Since so much information was included from both articles, I used a table format and three colors instead of the two circle Venn Diagram. The table below lists the two articles and the colors I assigned to each one.  The third color represents the information common to both.

“Addressing Emergent Literacy Skills in English-Language Learners” by Maria Adelaida Restrepo and Mary Towle-Harmon

Common to both articles

“Fostering Literacy Development in English Language Learners” by Karen For

 

English-language learners (ELLs) lag behind their language-majority peers in the skills necessary to start reading.

Preschool programs can have a direct impact on closing the reading gap between ELLs and language majority peers.

Preschool personnel need to be trained to support emergent literacy skills.

Elements of print awareness include understanding print conventions, recognizing words and letters as distinct units of meaning, and having alphabet knowledge.

Bilingual preschoolers are as proficient in emergent writing skills in their two languages as their monolingual peers.

Oral vocabulary is a key to learning to make the transition from oral to written forms, whereas reading vocabulary is crucial to the comprehension processes of a skilled reader.

Dialogic and repeated reading improves vocabulary. (Dialogic = participating in dialogue.)

Kindergarten ELLs trained bilingually to summarize a story performed better in English than those trained to summarize only in English.

Parents are an excellent resource for preschool programs.

Professionals working with ELL families should consider the economic, environmental, cultural, educational, and language barriers of each child and family that preclude a parent from being involved.

The National Early Literacy Panel identified alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, writing/writing name, oral language skills, and concepts about print as predictors of later writing and reading success in ELLs.

The use of planned instruction or activities that address the prerequisite skills in two languages, develop strong oral language skills, and connect home with school improves emergent literacy in preschool ELLs.

If a letter or sound does not exist in the ELL’s native language, explicit instruction and repetition may be required. Also, frequent comprehension monitoring will be needed.

Vocabulary can be provided in English if it is presented through concrete, hands-on experiences and in thematic unit that allow for repetition throughout the day.

Phonological awareness skills are known to develop in a predictable pattern. (from larger to smaller units of sound – from word to syllable to onset-rime to phoneme) Phonological awareness skills developed in one language can transfer to another language, even while those skills are still in the process of being developed.

Researchers identified five facets of instruction that predicted student growth in reading: explicit teaching, English learning; phonemic awareness and decoding; vocabulary development; and interactive teaching.

The effective teachers systematically teach phonological awareness skills and decoding and then reinforced these skills through reading and writing.

Spelling assessments are valuable

Students should be given many opportunities to read expository and narrative text that they can read with at least 90% accuracy.

The human brain employs a phonological code to represent linguist information. Each individual possesses his/her own unique code for individual language. Each language has its own distinct set of sounds with very specific rules that govern how those sounds can be combined into syllable and words.

Phonological awareness skills developed in L1 (native language) transfer to L2 (second language) and facilitate L2 literacy development.

The strongest predictors of English word reading ability were L1 and L2 phonological processing, L1 reading, and L2 vocabulary.

The closer the phonologies of L1 and L2, the greater the likelihood that the transfer of skills will be positive.

It is important to assess the child in both languages. This will determine if the child who is having trouble reading in English has a reading disability or simply reflects a deficit in English language proficiency. It would distinguish between students with special needs and students who simply need to improve their English language proficiency.

Bilingual children may have more highly developed metalinguistic skills than monolingual children.

Beginning instruction should focus on commonalities between the two languages in the sounds and patterns that the two languages share.

There should be a balance phonics instruction with reading of connected text. Limited vocabulary and lack of background knowledge contribute to difficulties with reading comprehension.

Although bilingual children may have larger vocabularies overall, they typically have smaller vocabularies in each of their individual languages than do monolingual children. This may reflect a lack of depth in their vocabulary development.

ELLs need to build background knowledge. Pre-reading activities help tremendously.

Content and Domain

Google Search – I copied four definitions and listed their websites.

Also, I asked my media specialist about these four definitions.  She thought that content reading and content knowledge implied broad terms.  The domain reading and domain vocabulary appeared to represent more specific terms.  For example, you could have several domains under one content.

What is Content Area Reading?

Simply put content area reading is the reading that a person (usually a student) needs to complete and understand in a particular subject area. The content areas typically included in this definition are science, social studies/history and math, but any area outside of English literature instruction constitutes a content area. The reading associated with content area courses reflects not only the concepts and ideas important to these subjects, but also the text structures used by those practicing the field.

http://www.k12reader.com/what-is-content-area-reading/

What is domain reading?

Definition: In relation to human development, the word “domain” refers to specific aspects of growth and change. Major domains of development include social-emotional, physical, language and cognitive. Kids often experience significant and obvious change in one domain at a time, so it may seem that a particular domain is the only one experiencing developmental change during a particular period of life. In fact, however, change typically is also occurring in the other domains but it’s occurring gradually and less prominently.

For instance, tweens typically demonstrate significant developments in the social-emotional domain as peers become more central to their lives and they learn how to carry out long-term friendships. Parents typically notice major increases in social skills during this time. On the other hand, language development is less central during the tween years; the major, obvious increases in language development occurred earlier in life. Still, language development continues to occur during the tween years. For example, tweens are acquiring new vocabulary and enhancing their speed and comprehension when reading.

All in all, development in certain domains may seem more prominent during specific stages of life, yet kids virtually always experience some degree of change in all domains. Thus development is a multi-faceted process comprised of growth, regression and change in many different domains.

http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/physicalemotionalgrowth/a/Definition-of-Domain.htm

What is content knowledge? 

“Pedagogical content knowledge identifies the distinctive bodies of knowledge for teaching. It represents the blending of content and pedagogy into an understanding of how particular topics, problems or issues are organized, represented, and adapted to the diverse interests and abilities of learners, and presented for instruction. Pedagogical content knowledge is the category most likely to distinguish the understanding of the content specialist from that of the pedagogue” (Shulman, 1987, p. 4).

http://www.intime.uni.edu/model/teacher/teac2.html#Definition

What is domain knowledge?

 What constitutes ‘domain knowledge’ for teachers?

For those not familiar with this term, I should explain that it was launched some years ago by Jeff Immelt, chair of GE. He meant by it that all managers should possess a thorough understanding of the business for which they were responsible: e.g. bank executives should know a lot about banking, engineering executives about engineering, and so on.

This may seem a statement of the obvious, but it is an ’obvious’ that has been overlooked since the 1970s, when so-called ‘financial engineers’ or ‘number crunchers’ took over the running of many organizations. In other words, and in this respect, Jeff wanted to restore a previous, well-established way of doing things. Needless to say, he is one of the heroes of THE PURITAN GIFT – if you look at the index on page 323, you will see that he features in no fewer than seven different places in our book.

Ken and I argue that identical principles of good management apply in all walks of life. So if ‘domain knowledge’ is important in business, it is also important in education. So what does it mean for teachers, who are, by definition, managers of classrooms or schools? Let us start our reply by saying what it is not. First, it does not refer to the actual subject matter of lessons; teachers of mathematics or English literature should know a lot about mathematics or English literature but these are other, quite separate areas of competence. Second, it does not refer to knowledge of the craft of management, which a good teacher will also master.

‘Domain knowledge’ for teachers in their capacity as managers actually consists of a thorough acquaintance with the educational system within which they function — its laws and customs, its opportunities and challenges, as seen from their angle. This can be properly acquired only by acting as a teacher. In other words, the people who manage schools should have risen through the ranks as teachers.

Yours aye,

Will

PS: In our next blog, I will revert to the question: what went wrong with BP?

__________

Will Hopper

9A Flask Walk

London, NW3 1HJ

will@puritangift.com

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