Entry #8 – Analysis of a Sheltered Lesson Video

     I really enjoyed watching this teacher carry out this sheltered lesson.  It was well planned and I felt like she was thorough in her execution.  The students were engaged and understood the expectations and lesson objective.  Here is what I noticed;

What I saw the teacher do?

• ·       She recapped what was taught previously at the beginning of the new lesson to help activate their background knowledge and get them all on the same page. 
• ·       When a student gave her an answer she would rephrase it or add the academic vocabulary to it if needed.
• ·       She provided the students with pictures to go with the key words.
• ·       She also provided synonyms for vocabulary words to help increase the students’ vocabulary and understanding.
• ·       The teacher told short stories to give examples of the meaning of the vocabulary and to help clarify and increase understanding.
• ·       The teacher used opportunities in the book to make connections to the students’ culture.
• ·       She gave the students detailed instructions on what to look for during the reading and supported them throughout the lesson.

What I saw the students do?

• ·       Most of the students felt comfortable answering and asking questions.
• ·       The students made connections with the text to themselves, or other text, or something in the world.
• ·       The students made predictions about what would happen next in the book, and shared their thoughts on the plot of the story.
• ·       The students were involved in the lesson and participated freely.

     The teacher utilized many strategies to make this lesson rich, meaningful, and personal for the students.  Her using opportunities to tie in the students’ culture made the lesson more significant for them.  She also allowed them time to share their ideas out aloud which not only helps them get a better understanding for the concept but also helps them build confidence.  All around this was a great sheltered lesson and one I will definitely refer to again.

Entry #7 - Running Record with 2 ELLs

        This week I performed a running record on two kindergarten students; one native Spanish speaker (student ‘A’) and one native Filipino speaker (student ‘B’).  Both of them speak English well and attended preschool in an English-speaking classroom. 

         I did the reading conference with student A while she read a level 8 book, The Little White Hen.  Many of the miscues she made were because of either adding or eliminating a word.  For example the sentence reads “Where will I lay my egg?” and she added the word “at” after the word “egg”.  I have noticed this type of error commonly with students who are trying to read with fluency.  She was trying to use voice and focused on reading the punctuation correctly.  When she would eliminate words it was because she was reading very quickly.  I did not notice any errors related specifically to her being a second language learner. 

         If student A slows down, and remembers to follow along with her finger as she reads, it will reduce her number of miscues.  I suggested she put a little sticker on her finger when she reads as a reminder to use her finger.  I also think she should use a student friendly rubric to do a self-assessment.

         My experience in the reading conference with student B was much different.  She read a level 4 book called Spring Colors and the majority of her miscues were because of appeals.  She asked me to tell her one word on almost every page.  While she read she was quiet and seemed shy.  I have been around this child my first thought is she has a lack of confidence in her reading.  When I spoke with her teacher she said that she has noticed the same behaviors with student B.  She also stated that student B shows the same shy behavior when having to speak aloud in class.

         Student B has a noticeable accent and it can be difficult to understand her.  She tries to enunciate but some words are hard to understand.  I am not completely sure if she is unable to read the words she asked me, or if she is just having a difficult time pronouncing them.  For her next steps she should read aloud to a teacher or peer, as often as possible.  I would also recommend that she be evaluated by a speech therapist at the school to identify whether or not student B has a speech impediment.  The teacher should continue to work with her on her sight words and phonics skills. 

         The errors that I noticed with these two students seem common for young readers and not necessarily ELLs.  Do you agree?

Entry #6 – “Learning” or “Acquisition” Activities?

       There are two mainstream pedagogical views on teaching reading and writing that are heavily debated: Word Recognition and Sociopsycholinguistic.  Those who believe the word recognition, or learning, view believe students learn literacy through systematic instruction of phonics, decoding, and recoding.  The sociopsycholinguistic view stresses that literacy is taught through acquisition, and students learn by constructing meaning from text the same way they acquire a first or second language.

            The following list of activities are taken from my Essential Linguistics What You Need to Know to Teach Reading, ESL, Spelling, Phonics, and Grammar textbook.  I have gone through each item on the list and labeled it (L) for learning/word recognition or (A) for acquisition/sociopsycholinguistic. 

The students:

• ·      look up words in the dictionary to write definitions (L)
• ·      make a venn diagram to compare two stories

o (A)  Teachers can utilize graphic organizers to help students make connections between two types of text and also to make meaning of vocabulary. 

• ·      practice sounding out words  (L)
• ·      read in round-robin fashion

o   (L)  This technique aligns with a learning view perspective, an acquisition view is to have students do most of their reading independently and silently.

• ·      correct peers when they make a mistake during reading (L)
• ·      identify words on a big book page that start with the same sound

o   (L/A)  Focusing on phonics is a learning technique but using big books for instruction is more of an acquisition technique.

• ·    group cards with classmates’ names by a criterion on such as first or last letter

o   (L)  Phonics activity.

• ·      write rhyming poetry and then discuss different spellings for the same sound

o   (L/A)  This one is difficult for me because it seems like it could be both.  Writing poetry together is more of an acquisition view and learning view is focusing on the sounds.

• ·      ask the teacher how to spell any word they don’t know

o   (L)  Students focus less on words being spelled correctly when following the acquisition view.

• ·      read a language experience story they have created with the teacher

o   (A)  Students read their writing to the teacher and their peers.

• ·      work in pairs to arrange words from a familiar chant into sentences  (A/L) 
• ·      divide words into syllables  (L)
•      on a worksheet, draw a line from each word to the picture that starts with the same sound  (L)  
•     make alphabet books on different topics

o   (A)  Students can create books of their choice.

The teacher:

• ·      preteaches vocabulary  (L)
• ·      does a shared reading with a  big book (A)
• ·      makes sure that students read only books that fit their level

o   (L)  In the learning view students focus on their reading level and in an acquisition view they are reading a variety of literature.

• ·      has students segment words into phonemes  (L)
• ·      writes words the students dictate for a story and has students help with the spelling of difficult words

o   (A)  Shared writing is an acquisition view technique

• ·      asks students to look around the room and find words starting with a certain letter  (L)
• ·      uses decodable texts (L)
• ·      sets aside time for SSR (sustained silent reading) each day  (A)
• ·      teaches Latin and Greek roots

o   (L)  Teacher believes it is important for students to understand the individual parts of words and origins in order to read and write.

• ·      has students meet in literature circles  (L)
• ·      conducts phonics drills (L)
• ·      chooses predictable texts  (L)
• ·      teaches students different comprehension strategies (A)
• ·      does a picture walk of a new book

o   (A)  Teacher can allow the students to utilize their background knowledge and make inferences to help tell the story

• ·      uses a variety of worksheets to teach different skills

o   (L) Teachers using the learning view can utilize worksheets to help them teach phonics skills and review lessons taught in the classroom.

       I found this exercise to be somewhat difficult.  Many of these activities I feel like fall under both views and I think that is because of my own personal teaching style.  At this point I can see the benefit of using a blend of both views; we will see if my perspective changes as I read more of the textbook.  “The question of whether written language is acquired or learned is not merely academic.  A teacher’s belief about how written language is developed helps determine how he will teach reading and writing.”  (Freeman, Freeman, 2004)

References

Freeman, D., and Y. Freeman. Essential linguistics: What you need to know to teach: reading, ESL, spelling, phonics, grammar. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Entry #5 - 2 Popular Children's Books That Can Be Difficult for Young ELLs

             Young students work so hard when reading because they are focusing a lot on decoding and will miss details necessary for comprehension like vocabulary and voice.  Here are two children’s books that young ELLs many struggle with and why;

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy  by Mo Willems

            -This book has a lot of voice; it is full of exclamation points and question marks.  This can be difficult for a ELLs to maintain fluency or have comprehension when so much punctuation.  I do think this is a great book for young children however, there are just a few steps the teacher, or parent, should take first before the student reads it on their own. i.e. picture walk, adult model reading

            -The main character is a pigeon and some ELL may not be familiar with that type of bird.  The teacher would need to help develop their background knowledge by identifying a few characteristics of pigeons and show the students real pictures of them.

            -The story has no identifiable setting.  The setting is a major component of a story and usually helps students with comprehension.  Not having a clear setting my be difficult for ELLs who have used its identification as a strategy when understanding text.  The teacher should go through the story elements with the students and possibly identify a setting together.

            -The pigeon’s behavior may be foreign to a few ELLs making it difficult for them to identify with the story.  It seems the pigeon is throwing a tantrum and that may be hard to understand unless the actions and cause is labeled for the students.   The teacher can also explain to the students other instances when that behavior may be displayed.

The Mitten by Jan Brett

            -Some ELLs may not be familiar with the word “mitten” or the process of knitting.  The teacher could use this opportunity to bring in realia and explain the process of knitting.  A mitten and a glove can also be used for a compare and contrast activity.

-The setting of the story is in the forest in the winter.  Some ELLs may be unfamiliar with snow and the teacher should build background information by identifying characteristics of a snowy climate, geographic information, and possibly even things that can be done in the snow. 

            -There are some vocabulary words that should be identified for ELLs like, burrowed, kickers, jostled, fast, silhouette, etc.  The teacher can define these words for the students and use them in another context.

            -The animals in the story may be foreign to some ELLs.  The teacher should identify each animal and a few facts about them, i.e. what they look like, where they live, and what they eat.