Writing to Learn Strategies Experience

Before digging into the chapter from Writing Across the Curriculum by Vacca and Vacca (part 1 & 2) and Writing Next by Graham and Perin, I quickly skimmed over each of them. I also read each of the strategies (GIST and metacognitive journal) that I would be completing. I decided to use the 2-part journal  because I could assume that I wouldn't encounter anything that I would get stuck on and be able to use in the 3-part journal. Now, if I were using the Writing Next article, then I would have wanted to use the 3-part because I could tell by the language that I would probably get stuck. Since I had looked at the metacognitive journal before starting Writing Across the Curriculum, I knew that I would not only have to pay attention to the important things but I also had to tell why it was important. It made me very aware of what I was highlighting as important. I know that without that focus or purpose, I would have been highlighting a whole lot more:) 

I pose a question...Is it realistic for students to be able to pick and skim like I did in order to have a better focus or individualized experience? 

Part of my metacognitive journal...

Something important I learned today is…

It is important because…

-A classroom environment that supports reading and writing invites students to explore ideas, clarify meaning, and construct knowledge. -Broad conclusions can be made that good readers are often good writers

-I thought that this was a nice quick explanation. Almost like the headline of a meeting/training that a Literacy Specialist would be in charge of.   -I felt personally connected to this broad conclusion considering the fact that I consider myself a good reader but not a good writer. I know it is always a general assumption but I also see this happening in kindergarten. It does not always equal the other. Now, whether mine is because I don’t like writing therefore I don’t think that I am good at it.

I was nervous about the GIST for Writing Next because I thought it seemed like a more difficult text and I have worked with the GIST format in a professional setting and I didn't enjoy it! I am really quite a rule follower so the 20 boxes make me worried that I won't have enough or I'll have too many or I won't be able to redo my sentence quick enough to fit. 

Part of my GIST... (sorry about the format-can't find an easy way to make it copy)

#1

Jobs	Require	Proficient	Writing	yet
Many	Adolescents	And	Adults	Struggle
and	A	Lot	Of	Money
Is #2	spent	To	Improve	skills.

A	Mixture	Of	Writing	Elements
Will	Give	Best	Results	When
Trying	To	Prepare	Adolescents	For
The	Writing	Demands	Of	Jobs.

I have to admit that although I consider myself a strong reader, I definitely do NOT consider myself a good writer. I am not sure whether I didn't like writing first or I realized that I consider myself a bad writer-kind of like the chicken or the egg.... I guess I remember loving our free-write time in 5th grade but always being very careful what I actually wrote about because we were then randomly picked to read HAVE to read it to the class. It limited my writing so much. I am trying harder as I get older but all of this writing for grad school is another difficult hurdle for me to get over. I am very excited for the NIU Summer Literacy Conference this summer since the focus is writing!

I do believe that good writing instruction must be explicitly taught like reading. There are best practices involved at every level. Personally speaking, which I may be biased given my struggle with writing, is that reading is much easier to teach than writing, especially at the kindergarten level....would anyone agree/disagree? I know that I do a great job to fake the love for reading for my students which I recall from Donalyn Miller, the writer of The Book Whisperer, that I am reading in LTRE 505, that she says to let your students believe that you love reading even if you don't because it highly effects the students attitude. Do I wish that I didn't have to fake it?-YES and I hope that will come with this Masters!

Encouraging Discussion Around a Disciplinary Topic

We need to be aware that discussion and literature circles cannot just magically happen on their own. Teachers and Literacy Coaches need to be fully aware of how to appropriately facilitate within a classroom/group. Based on the readings for Dr. Manderino, there are a few things that are essential to having a successful classroom full of meaningful discussion or literature circle. Teachers should not ask “intimidating questions” where the students are just trying to figure out what answer the teacher is looking for instead of being honest. Students and teachers should both be asking questions. Students still need to support the discussion with text evidence. Setting the tone for a classroom of discussion is important. I found an easy to read getting started guide from the Schrever Institute at Penn State. It would be useful for anyone trying to get started.

  http://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/pdf/ClassDiscussion.pdf  (once you click on this link, click in the bar right after the web address ends then tap enter to refresh and it will show up)

There are two kinds of discussion within a classroom, guided or reflective. Guided is meant to be centered on information. Reflective is for encouraging critical and creative thinking. A couple more factors for creating a positive discussion is 1) the classroom arrangement where they can all see each other and b close enough to hear each other for smaller groups, 2) to always encourage listening by practicing in smaller groups and modeling, and 3) to establish goals for the discussion by giving explicit directions and to stay on task. The best way to establish a respectful literature circle to balance out the gender bias and masculinity  issues that may get in the way of a successful discussion is to be careful about the books that are chosen, work together to create rules for participation, the teacher needs to have some role but more as a coach not as a teacher, and to continue with mini-lessons on group processes.

I might present to my class something with a little humor….

I expect discussion groups not to be like this…

 

Or even this...

 

But more like this…

Images used from…

 www.raymondwilliamsfoundation.org.uk

www.dreamstime.com

olecommunity.com

Multiple Text Comprehension

I think that in kindergarten we not only have to think about multiple texts as using many different books but also by having repeated exposure to the same text multiple times.

By looking at this article http://www.k12reader.com/teaching-reading-comprehension-in-kindergarten/ , I found that comprehension increases with repeated reads of a book. I believe that this is not only true when the student reads the text but when there a read-aloud occurring (picture books).  I model my noticings when I truly do discover something that I never point out that I also notice more things every time I read a book again, whether it is in the words or pictures. I talk with them how it either helps me understand the story or simply enjoy the story even more. 

There also needs to be multiple texts. During our fiction unit we used the Tacky books by Helen Lester ( http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/?series_id=628998 ), we compared multiple books to define Tacky and his "companions" as characters, we focused on what the author chose to keep the same in every book and how she changed it, and we discussed why we thought she made these decisions. It was because they understood Tacky/fiction so well, we were then easily able to compare Tacky to our non-fiction study (books, websites, magazines, etc). I found a blog from Tim Shanahan that stresses the importance of not only using multiple books but multiple texts. They need exposure to these different boundaries (Shanahan, 2010).

http://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/2010/09/multiple-texts-versus-multiple-books.html

Text Complexity Evaluation

WOW!!! What a range of text levels that I use with my kindergartners and I didn’t even know it. Now, they are not doing the reading of these texts so it is much different than other grades where they are reading all these texts. I used the Fry Readability scale to measure the texts quantitative levels.

Literature: The Emperor’s Egg is a realistic fiction book with factual sentences placed throughout the story. I read this aloud to my class and we discuss the text and pull facts from it.

Quantitative-I was able to average out three sets of 100 words, which ended up being a 6^th grade level. I was surprised at this knowing how well they are able to understand, discuss, and pull from the text.
Qualitative-This had literary and informational adding a layer of complexity. You must be able to follow the story and attend to the straightforward facts the author is giving. Medium level of vocabulary but presented in a child friendly manner.
Reader/Text Factors-My students were very engaged in this book since to them it seemed more like a story. We have been discussing penguins prior to this so they had prior knowledge but still engaged.

Informational: Penguins! from National Geographic KIDS is an informational text about penguins. It’s labeled as Level 2-Reading Independently (“perfect for kids who are ready for longer sentences and more complex vocabulary. New words are defined on the page, but occasional adult help might be welcome”). This is another text that I read either parts of or read it over a few sessions.

Quantitative-I averaged two segments to get an end of 2^nd grade rating.
Qualitative-Although the grade level is quantitatively 2^nd grade, there are many informational text features like table of contents, labels, maps, vocabulary words, glossary, etc. These all make it harder for them to follow along. Medium level of vocabulary but still accessible for kindergarten. Short, choppy sentences.
Reader/Text Factors-The colorful photographs will keep their attention while I read this to class. Something that will help keep their kindergarten attentions spans is that a classmate brought this book from home (very important in the k worldJ).

 

Website: I typically use this more for the photographs of the penguins and to get specific information (where they live, what they eat, one other fact). I also will have it displayed on the SmartBoard and highlight the facts that I am picking out as I read them. I go through this fairly quickly in order to keep their attention.

Quantitative-WOW!! With two segments the average was right between a 9^th and 10^th grade level. No wonder I go through this quickly.
Qualitative-It looks as though this is based out of New Zealand, so many of the spellings of words are not aligned with American English. I have 1 student who might notice this but he has difficulty attending so it would probably pass by him as well. High level of vocabulary. Lengthy, difficult sentences.
Reader/Text Factors-They are really just excited to see the photographs and to learn about the specific penguin that they picked to ‘research’ so they are able to attend long enough on this website, especially because the photographs are so brilliant.

 

I think that for me, at kindergarten, vocabulary played a huge role in the complexity of my texts. I do think that by reading several texts to the class, they are never experiencing the vocabulary in isolation, which Dr. Hiebert is against in her webinar. After actually comparing these three texts that I use within our non-fiction/informational unit, I understand her graph about how narrative and informational texts share about 90% of words and the 10% is specific to either narrative or informational. All three of the texts shared many words but they each had specific vocabulary to themselves.

  

Texts I referenced…

Literature: The Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins
Informational: National Geographic KIDS Penguins! By Anne Schreiber
Other text:   www.penguinworld.com

 

*I have tried (even asking our tech guy) to help me post a link to my scanned documents for the actual text but haven’t had any luck yet. *

Comprehension in Disciplinary Literacy

I am not sure if I am understanding Disciplinary Literacy better or worse as we move along!!! It is so hard to wrap my mind around it from a kindergarten perspective.

I think that a lot of what I have read and watched makes complete sense and I agree with it. But I am still struggling to see the exact connection with how (maybe there isn't a difference, it's just in the way you teach it) comprehension and comprehension within Disciplinary Literacy are different.

I did have some aha's while reading Lee and Spratley's 20120 article The Challenges of Adolescent Literacy. I was amazed and excited to find out that they actually have an intervention to help in content areas. I think that they are correct in saying that high readers still need explicit instruction because they may be able to read higher leveled books but they do not possess the skills necessary.

For me the most obvious statement from Daniel Willingham's  YouTube video was that "attempts to boost comprehension through reading strategies alone will fail." Well....OF COURSE THEY WILL. I know that I need to teach (yes-once again referring to my kindergartners) comprehension strategies to my kids who are ready for them. I have many children that can 'word call' read off the charts but can tell you absolutely nothing about what they read.

I loved and am going to incorporate the Chicago Reading Initiative's teaching strategies that Dr. Manderino put in his PowerPoint with my high readers who need major comprehension work. I love the layout, it's something I could easily have in my binder that I use during guided reading to help me remember what steps are involved.

I found an article that was interesting. interesting in the way that I do not know enough yet about Disciplinary Literacy to have a true opinion about it and that it sparked my curiosity about what someone who does know more might say to it. It's from Topics in Language Disorders: Building a House on Sand: Why Disciplinary Literacy Is Not Sufficient to Replace General Strategies for Adolescent Learners Who Struggle by: Faggella-Luby, Michael N.; Graner, Patricia Sampson; Deshler, Donald D.; Drew, Sally Valentino. They found that in the research done by  (Taylor, Alber, & Walker, 2002) showed that only 1 in 5 groups showed that disciplinary literacy strategies outperformed control or typical strategies. It made me curious in the way of what is the best way, do we know enough about disciplinary literacy to make judgments without long-term studies, and what would someone from a disciplinary literacy background say?

http://www.ulib.niu.edu:2052/sp-3.11.0a/ovidweb.cgi?QS2=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

My Kindergarten Thoughts on Disciplinary Literacy

Ok, here we go……so far here is what I think about disciplinary literacy….I think (from my kindergarten perspective on that scary high school stuffJ), that it all makes sense to me! Why wouldn’t you want to use more specific strategies that are relevant to a certain subject compared to a generic strategy that doesn’t necessarily work with a subject. It really made sense after having the feeling like I was slapped in face right off that bat while reading Jetton & Shanahan when they pointed out that most of elementary school is about everyday language and that it becomes more complex in secondary(that I knew already). All I could think was, “Oh my goodness, they are right!!!” Most of what kindergarten involves, even our science/social studies/math, involves common language that they will use on a daily basis. It may seem difficult because they are generally learning it for the first time but in the end, it’s everyday language.

I think that the possibilities become endless if you are able to teach using disciplinary literacy. My major ‘aha’ from Elizabeth Moje’s webinar was that it can actually help high students have better insight into a career path. Maybe they wanted to be in a position where math is a huge factor. If they have the opportunity to think, speak, listen, read, and write like a mathematician, they might have conformation that they are on the right path. Maybe they decide that this is definitely not what they thought it would be and help them look at other options. Maybe they never thought about doing anything with science but….when they are given the opportunity to think, speak, listen, read, and write like one, it could open a path that never crossed their mind.

I think that all these opportunities would give them some guidance if they were not sure what path they wanted to take in college. I always use my own example of wanting to switch from Elementary Education to Early Childhood Education about halfway through my four years at NIU. I was told it would take me at least another year. All I could think was “NO WAY” and “Man, do I feel bad for anyone who starts college without really knowing what they want to do”. If it was going to take me that much longer to switch between two majors that were so closely related, think about someone who completely changes their major because they had no idea what they were interested in.

I feel that between new ways of teaching (disciplinary literacy) and technology (TED Talks From Knowledgeable to Knowledge-able) that we are currently in major crosshairs. We have the side of us that wants to throw everything out the window and start tomorrow with these amazing new approaches. Then we have the other side that is reality, the side that includes administration, curriculum, Common Core, student progress used as part of our evaluations, etc. I feel that we are at the beginning stages of education making some dynamic changes in the overall way we teach children and that in, I’ll guess 10 years, we will be saying, “I can’t even remember what it was like to not have __________ or teaching the way we did!” I think we can follow what Will Richardson said while speaking to our district during an institute day about just being able to take a tiny piece to start using and implementing. If we can all somehow take that tiny piece that works for us right now in this moment then we are helping the bigger change take place. 

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