To Do Homework or Not to Do Homework??????

I interviewed two teachers and two parents about their thoughts on homework.

In essence they all articulated similar ideas.

*15-20 minutes of reading for pleasure, both the child reading to the family member as well the family member reading to the child.

*Maintenance activities versus new concept practice that is fun and engaging for 5-10 minutes.

*After school activities like sports, music and at home family time is important.

I couldn't agree more with these ideals.

Infusing Drama into Content Areas: Vocabulary Development

Last week, during the district-wide inservice, Chugach Optional hosted a presentation on Infusing Drama Into the Content areas. Three other schools' faculty participated in a dynamic presentation by Ryan Conarro, Teaching Artist & Alaska EED State System of Support Drama Content Coach.

Ryan inspired us all to use activities like:

Ready Actor
Personal Space Bubble
Gestures
Operative Words or Key Words
Choral Movement & Speaking
Emotion Statues
Statues with Buttons
Tableaus

Ryan took us through each of these experiences in an an interactive process of discussion, examples and break out sessions to create the experiences in small groups.

The questions of why (increased student engagement, literacy skill development, research), when (content area suggestions in literacy and the sciences) and how (specific activities referenced above) were all answered. I left thinking about how I would use these skills that next week.

As an intern, I was tasked with creating and teaching a vocabulary lesson. I decided to teach this lesson using drama. The students in my class just began studying Native Americans. I presented the lesson to a group of 23 first and second graders. I paired a younger with an elder to talk about a word from the Native American literature they have read and were going to be reading. The students were asked to work together to pronounce the word and tell it's meaning. We then categorized the words as a group. I chose words that could easily be acted out and gave one to each pair of students. They had a few minutes before presenting. The students' prior knowledge included a few mini lessons practicing Actor's Stance, Personal Space Bubble, Gestures, Emotional Statues and Operative Words. The students enjoyed acting out and guessing words like spear, chief, buffalo and salmon.

The next big unit of study for our family group is Aesop's Fables. Soon they will be tasked with acting out, in a formal dramatic presentation, one of the Aesop's Fables.

Thoughts on Spelling

Children begin to learn to spell words after they have an understanding of the phoneme-grapheme relationship; sounds are represented by letters in the English language. Once they see this in written form they can then begin to write themselves. Invented spelling is a necessity if the student wants to write her thoughts on paper. They begin their exploration of spelling by representing sounds with the letters they believe represent that sound. If they are successful then they are able to read their own writing. Handwriting becomes important as well as writing from left to right down the paper.

Many students are stuck thinking they have to spell everything correctly in order to be successful in their writing. It requires positive encouragement of the use of invented spelling and the experience of successful reading of their own writing for students to be freed up to let their ideas flow. When they are not able to read their writing all the time then they are encouraged to remember what they have written and to try and add a few more words or sounds so they can read their writing.

Spelling is important to writing only in that it allows the writing to be understood. Spelling is thus a social necessity in that if you want your writing to be understood and shared, it must follow basic phonemic representations. Many adults are hung up on conventional spelling and believe it is crucial in written communication. I believe with the increased use of computers, spell check and word processing applications that spelling can be less cumbersome and thus allow ideas to flow more naturally. I knew a student once who passed all of his spelling tests and even had good recall later yet, when he wrote he did not use conventional spelling. I saw this as a failing and asked for improvement. I realized this caused his writing to decrease and his ideas to be less complete. We talked about this and we both agreed he should write as he had been in the past and that he would need to edit when he finished getting his ideas down. He is a successful writer.

I do not recall much of my early spelling efforts. I know that I participated in the classic weekly spelling tests and that I did well. I am not sure why, whether it was because it came natural to me, I have a good memory or because I studied. Today, I believe I spell well because I care enough to re read and edit my writing and because I use a computer that supports my correct spelling efforts.

I will be implementing a spelling/phonics lesson next week to first graders that focuses on hearing the phoneme short /a/ and writing the grapheme a when the sound is heard at the beginning and middle of words. This is a natural first step to understanding the phoneme-grapheme relationship and its use in writing. After the lesson the students will practice writing the letter a in their handwriting books. This lesson is a part of Reading Workshop. After these two activities they will have independent reading time and then Writing Workshop. Thus they will have the opportunity to use these skills for their continued learning.

Evaluating Talk

In a classroom of twenty-four first and second grade learners, talk is abundant. Children converse with their parents, teachers and classmates during transitions, independent and group work time and during their free time.

Differences in talk are seen in individual children and during the different activities. Some children are more verbal by nature and are the one’s with their hands up during group or the one’s who need redirection during independent activities. Other children naturally talk less so their voice is encouraged during group activities as well as during their free time or individual work time.

Different strategies for encouraging verbal responses are utilized during a group activity. “Wait Time” allows more hands to be raised after a question is asked or, time for the respondent to collect her thoughts before responding. The teacher is conscious of rotating through the students in the group, looking for verbal participation by all. Clarifying ideas, supporting with new vocabulary and help in articulating their ideas, support the learners to be successful and more willing to participate orally. The use of open-ended and critical thinking questioning versus yes-no answers allows for a more meaningful response and more language can be elicited. Teacher responses to their answers are supportive and encouraging or suggestive of further query if the answer is vague or incorrect. There is a balance between spontaneous answers and the request for the students to take turns by raising their hands. I usually start by letting them answer without hands and then move to hands up so I can look for the quieter learners.

Students are encouraged to work together quietly during their independent work, supporting each other’s learning while not disturbing others. Children are resources for each other and clarity on an assignment is often achieved by asking a friend.

The teacher also helps children to socially engage orally during their free time by giving them the language necessary to navigate social situations like how to enter play, how to engage in play, and how to deal with negative interactions.

For the second graders-Elders in this class, this is their second year with this teacher and thus communication is that much easier. The Elders are asked to support the first graders-Youngers by modeling appropriate behaviors. As the class becomes familiar with each other more spontaneous language is heard and social interactions are flourishing. I noticed it took the quieter students over a month before they felt comfortable coming to me, instead of the teacher, for support. For the more mature or talkative students it took about half that time.

For those students who are less verbal and thus seemingly less engaged, it is important to follow up during guided practice to evaluate whether the student understands the verbal directions. Auditory processing issues or hearing deficits are considered. It is enlightening to see these students in situations outside of the classroom. Do they play with their peers? Do they offer suggestions to play or are they just following along? If not, this is an opportunity to increase their oral language skills in an area where they are more likely to be successful, especially if peers are positive playmates, helping them to ask for what they want or allowing the imaginative play to go their way.

We have been studying penguins, comparing and contrasting by size, habitat and other defining characteristics. Students are heard talking about which penguin is their favorite and why, what they look like and where they live. They bring in penguin paraphernalia and are generally excited about penguins. Because they have been immersed in penguins for a significant amount of time, through art, technology, literature, writing, math and science, it is a topic of spontaneous conversation that all the students are engaged in. Their peers in the other two primary classes also are studying penguins thus nests were created out in the playground’s rubber. Because of these studies there have been many opportunities for knowledgeable and comfortable oral language experiences.

Another opportunity in this classroom for student initiated conversation is during snack time. These 15-20 minutes are packed with potential. Kids sign up for news (sharing of personal things or ideas), book shares (describe book and why you like it and give to a friend to read), family meeting (classroom issues) and Happy Notes (previously written notes to friends that are read and delivered). These are the communications that are important to them. The topics revolve around fairness, friendship and fun. It is interesting to me that when the students have news to share they almost always start with indicating who might already know what is to be shared or “now one knows this but…” I believe this is a strategy they use to get started with their communication. I have used this strategy to help kids get started with their thought. For example, if I am supporting one child speaking to another I suggest a phrase as simple as, ”Hey, Henry…” In many cases this is enough to get them talking.

In general, I believe talking is a natural desire for children and adults alike. If we have interested listeners who care about what we say and want to know more, then we are rewarded and our communications increase. Thus showing we are good listeners through eye contact and relevant questioning, teachers and peers can support individual successes throughout a student’s day.

Getting to Know Families

Many of the families at Chugach Optional come into the school either in the morning or after school since they have to drive their children to and from school each day. This affords more opportunities to listen to and speak with parents about their thoughts or concerns.

My focus initially of course was to learn everyone's name. I keep a small parent-child list in my pocket in the morning and afternoon that I can refer to if needed. I greet as many people as possible with their name and a smile (child first) and wait to see if someone engages me. Polite conversations occur frequently, be it child or adult, during these transition times in the morning and afternoon. Some parents have specific questions about schedules or special needs for their child or the classroom.

I have asked a few families to fill out a list of questions about their child's and family's literacy. They have all welcomed the opportunity for me to get to know them better. I plan on interviewing one family to gain more insight into their family's Funds of Knowledge and how they can bring their uniqueness into the classroom.

One family brought in a 30 pound cabbage from their cabin in the valley. A few days later Kass asked the mom if she would like to make coleslaw with the kids. She accepted and a few days later we made coleslaw and ate it for snack!

Lesson Planning

How does your mentor write-up lesson plans? How do they plan weekly? Monthly?

The three primary teachers have a block of time to plan each week. They plan for the next week and ahead based on math or science units. They talk about bigger projects and parent involvement. They write a weekly newsletter piece. They also plan based on student progress with math, reading and writing strategies. For example, the 1st graders may need more help with patterning while the 2nd graders need more activities with base ten concepts. They talk about what they will implement. They talk about previous implementation of the topics and decide if a better way is needed. They secure resources and plan for needed preparation of materials. These lesson plans are contained within their Teacher's Daily Plan Book and their masterful minds. Kass uses a star in her planner to indicate preparation of materials or more planning is needed. Kass takes home curriculum to study for planning as well as implementation of the lesson.

What do they do for formal observations?

Formal observations are completed by the DRA deadline of September 30th. Additional math, reading, writing and social-emotional data is obtained through work samples, note taking and observations. On going running records during reading workshop and work samples are obtained to document progress. Intentional math and writing samples as well as project folders are collected to share with parents at conferences. A self evaluation tool is also included and is a valuable insight into how a child feels about her control of her own learning potential and her contribution to the community.

What is the long range plan?

The long range plan is to continue to provide an environment rich in developmentally appropriate activities that speak to the grade level standards and that utilize creative, individualized and effective teaching techniques to obtain the highest level of learning for each student.

Transitions

In Kass' class, transitions are predictable both in the schedule and the rituals. Chimes are used to get the students' attention and directions are given to finish up work. Shortly thereafter the technique that includes raising one finger and saying "If you hear my voice, give me a one...if you hear my voice give me a two..." is used. Students raise their fingers and support others to attend. Directions are then given. If the group is coming together but not yet settled the two fingers raised technique (peace sign) is used to bring the attention back to the teacher. If a student is disruptive Kass simply will stop and wait, peers will redirect the student to attend or they will see that all are waiting. Verbal redirection is sometimes needed for individuals yet it is done in a calm, quiet, even patient way. In most instances the student is being told what to do instead of what not to do.

I find that when I am teaching and Kass is not in the room, like this past week when there was a substitute, the students were just a bit louder and a bit less attentive. They were easy to redirect and capture with a bit of individual attention.

When direct teaching I am clear on what we will be doing, how long it might take and what my expectations are for behavior. This seems to help them to frame this time, especially if there is something fun happening after the lesson. Peer support and personal responsibility are encouraged for supporting both the academics as well as the behavior of the students. With this in mind I am able to redirect if necessary with statements like, "What can you help_____ with so he/she can focus?" Or, "What do you need from ______ so you can focus?" They both hear the answers and can support each other to stay on task.

In classrooms with younger children I have used singing to transition yet I am following the routine esablished in this classroom. It is effective and developmentally appropriate, especially for the second graders, to expect that they support each other versus relying on an adult to manage their behavior. I enjoyed the singing and in the future I could see myself doing chants with this age group versus a song.