Second Practice Running Record

Sara Wieder   2/26/2012

Building Meaning Lesson Plan

This student is a great reader at an accuracy rate of 96%. However, she does need a little practice with reading with meaning of the words. According to the running record assessment, she frequently read “most” instead of “must”. In context with the sentence it doesn’t really make sense.

To address this student needs I will do a reading activity that will build meaning.

·        Choose a book that’s easy and simple to comprehend, then with guided reading help the student read with the meaning of the words.

·        After each sentence I will ask questions- what did you read?

·        I will cover some words in the story and ask the student to predict what the word is based on what makes sense- what fits in the sentence according to the meaning.

·        If the student makes an error and it does not fit with the meaning of the sentence, I will ask the student to repeat- does this word make sense in this sentence.

·        Connections of the story with real life experiences. I will ask the students has this ever happened to you? What do you think it feels like to be this character?

Running Record Assessment

According to the Running Record Assessment, this second grade student has an accuracy rate of 96% and can read independently. She is a very good reader and can read fluently and accurately. She relies a lot on the structure of the word, but not the meaning. This student does need a little help with her “e” and the sound it makes at the end of a word. In addition, the student focuses on reading the words and not comprehension. After she finished reading “Whales and Fish”, I asked her to tell me about what she read and she didn’t know what to answer. Therefore, this student does need intervention to help her with comprehension of the text.

Assessment Driven instruction

Sara Wieder  2/10/12

Shared Reading:

·        How does this activity engage students at different levels of literacy development? 

She involves all students in the lesson. She helps the weaker students by breaking the word up. For example, when the boy got stuck by the word “spot” she helped him be separating “sp” and “ot”. The students that are advanced she compliments and guides them- tells them “good for you”.

·        How does Ms. Perez support students’ problem-solving skill?

She constantly asks questions, how would you say this? She helps students by separating the words and sounds it out.

                                                                                            

·        What are the different ways that shared reading can be used to promote literacy?

Shared reading involves all students and engages them in the learning process. Ms. Perez built a lesson on a poem about hot dogs. She used a poem that interests the students and in this way helps them learn new words and sounds.

Guided Reading:

·        Why does she think that it is important for students to verbalize their strategies?

Because when they verbalize it they internalize and they can use it the next time to read effectively.

·        What else do you notice how she helps students build meaning in text?

She asks them questions about the story to ensure that there is comprehension. She also asks them to predict what will happen and involves the students in the story to build meaning.

Differentiated Instruction:

·        How does Ms. Perez organize her classroom to support a wide range of learners?

There are different learning centers that are at different literacy levels that supports a wide range of learners. She organizes the classroom in a way that meets the needs of all learners. Students who need assistance she is there to provide it. Advanced students are given additional projects that they can work on. For example, the student that researched about spiders and made it into a book.

·        How are reading and writing connected in classroom activities?

Ms. Perez integrates reading and writing by encouraging students to write about what they read. For example, the students read about a fish that did all silly things. She asked the students to write their own examples of silly things that the fish did.

Assessment:

·        How does Ms. Perez use ongoing individual assessment to guide her instruction?

She constantly assesses her students using formal and informal assessment. She watches kids and evaluates in which area she needs to help them and designs her instruction according to the needs of the children.

·        How can the class profile be used to help group students and differentiate instruction?

The class profile depicts the performance and level of each student. In this way, Ms. Perez can evaluate which students are performing well and which students need additional support. She can then group students according to their needs and differentiate instruction by implementing different instructional strategies that cater to the individual needs of every student.

·        How can ongoing assessment be integrated into your own classroom practice?

I do not teach currently. However, in the future I aspire to be a teacher like Ms. Perez and integrate ongoing assessment into my classroom. In this way, I can evaluate the needs of every child and give them an equal chance for success!

Nature of Literacy and Teaching for All

Sara Wieder  2/3/12                                                Assignment #1

Reflection of ELA Instruction

ELA instruction is divided into five essential components. They are; reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language. Reading is comprehension of text and writing is the ability to plan, revise, and edit usually connected to reading. Speaking and listening is the ability to express and listen to ideas and concepts. Last, language is the vocabulary and word usage. Each component are closely related and overlap the other.

Standards are vital to ELA instruction in that they are guidelines to what the students are expected to know and able to do. The standards highlight the importance ELA instruction is for student’s success in the future. ELA instruction educates citizens to be knowledgeable and participate in today’s high-tech society.

The standards are guidelines, but do not dictate how a teacher should teach. Therefore, it is imperative for a teacher to use creativity and different instructional approaches to ELA instruction.

I aspire that this course will educate me on ELA instruction so that I can prepare my students for success in the future!

Sara Wieder  2/5/12                                                                                                                                                   Assignment #2

Reflection on the Video

The video Becoming Readers and Writers gave insight to positive ELA instruction. Watching Sheila Owen teach and cater to the needs of the diverse student body of her class was a real eye-opener. The first aspect was that she gave the students confidence by showing them that she believes they can read. She stressed that, “we don’t wait for someone to be ready to read”. However, she portrayed to her students that she believes they can read from the first day of school. I believe that this is one of the fundamental reasons for her success. For this reason, all students in her class are readers and writers from day one.

Furthermore, Sheila Owen builds the classroom based on the students’ needs and interests. Her goal is to impact all of her students’ lives and change it for the better. In addition, she addressed the needs of the English Language Learners (ELL’s) and truly gave each child an equal opportunity for success. She gave her students a love for reading and writing by making learning exciting. She involved all students in learning, connected the subject to their interests, and implemented flexible grouping and discussions.

Moreover, the point that I internalized from this video is the learning process that Sheila Owen integrated to help her students become independent readers. She began with read aloud, then shared reading, guided reading, and finally independent reading. This gave her students the independence to read on their own. She taught them, guided them and gave each child a greater chance for success in the future. I truly aspire to be like Sheila Owen and impact my student’s lives in a positive way!

Sara Wieder 2/5/12

Assignment #3

Lesson Plan

The lesson plan on found poetry was a well-planned and developed. It connected student’s interests by using favorite books such as The Bernstein Bears. The lesson addressed the standards and involved all students in the learning process. I liked the idea of presenting the poem to family and friends. This gave every child an opportunity to show what they learnt and know.

However, the lesson didn’t seem to address the needs of the weaker students. A teacher must address the needs and abilities of all students in the classroom. In the lesson it was mentioned a few times, “the older students…” What about the weaker ones? Differentiated instruction is an approach to teaching that meets the needs of all students in a diverse class.