Week #5- Assignment 3

The following is the link to my Running Record:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qlyWcfrLHP9-7yvWTDoj-ek2wXWx_CCU/view?usp=sharing

Shaya is a 7 year old boy and in 1st grade. After performing a running record on him reading a short and basic poem, I came to the conclusion that he is great at reading sight words and has a basic reading ability according to the level that he is at. However, after noticing that he read some words based on seeing the letter structure and not the content in which they were in, I feel that he needs to work on reading comprehension.

Mini Lesson:

I would first go over and review basic sight words such as At, and, is, are etc. ( Even though he read those fine I want him to be able to distinguish different types of words and the context in which they are used. I would practice them using flashcards and different pictures. I would then go on to peak his interest on the reading assignment that we will be reading and explain a little about it. Then, I would introduce some key words that are in the Assignment, (such as Black, Cat, and Tan) so he is able to distinguish them when reading. We will then begin the actual reading. after every two lines I would ask him to summarize in his own words what he read. This will ensure that he comprehends what he's reading as he goes along and it doesn't all become a blur of words with no meaning. At the end, I will review any words he had difficulty reading and add them to the flashcards for future practice. Lastly, to be certain about his reading comprehension, I will ask him a thinking question related to what he read. (For example, Why does not sharing make Tan Cat feel bad?)

For next lesson, I will send home another basic reading assignment to read as homework. The next day I will assess his reading comprehension and ask questions to make sure he understood what he read. I will then ask him to read the words that I think might be difficult.

With this, I hope to assist Shaya on his journey of becoming a fluent reader in all areas!

Week #5-Assignment 1

This is the link to my observational checklist:

https://gm1.ggpht.com/jXO5OjnkAQNZYZlgepX6DvJpuxg1wYuhGY0RGoqUfKopXOGBEO4jrIEtxkSmcCOV4jJamu34o0EetqSLxisreetiKBFQcCQNNmxulvrDWavqYAsy-D18DXgNECLF0ZbZW_BVENu9QgMm2OCiAl7tiCdJpXjBEghI8cmknM7liW2vbhNi_uwi1vYaMHPY39jmlN0HLncl3KBLYDnzZfUnKa_sN1mWY0SBT77h6I6PB5K6Gv1JlFez6J-H7I91yuCnqD5UAD2wMOUmzmtbnRCdcuYtkSJ_aqKhbyldZ9pKEB8-s7MUO0UW7Wol9vjiZjCET-oqrgkaw2qIEI5fBgmBVq8TysryjRT_VmTJ87y0qJfJr-ZV66GY7gT0266nUPSOm46_5vT5beVDcAO5fwkyV3J9x_0KWCA4XdTXKSeA6Z313_hpRCNLH_j4XgwdfKyj8e6XQNnrsEX3uqaOvoPVgbU9w3tft0kdU5M2SkiQzYQgBlZjB_MvDfYKWj3IoL_Ia3MWJUwwxSADfpP2tvjCLhaRGcKG_h-RpRE-VlI_CYs3y9bmfrm-LNUyLAsJKJXMa-gRptgZ4LAYJc7HWY1iZl-Ng4R791leB5yQl6MGGjGIeRcirmxZM5Mxu3CLQWnMMftstzqnhrGWDEw-dqFmpTV7SEIVGVCxshwYz3S1fbnyuHA5MokcaS4ZYRhuxkcdwsiyBa8gvwX88vhniI0Dc9iW_2LpZl454nM=s0-l75-ft-l75-ft

Week #3- Assignment 1

1.

1. How does this activity engage students who are at different levels of literacy development? Ms. Perez reads together with the class as a whole, with all students following along at the same pace. while reading, she focuses on word-identification and points out high- frequency words so that students on all levels can keep up with the pace.
2. During her explicit phonics lesson, how does Ms. Perez support student's problem-solving skills? She first brakes up the word (ex: OT) and adds different letters as prefixes and allows the students to read them. After that, they try it on their own. This makes it easier for them to figure it out how to read on their own. 
3. Based on what you saw in the video, what are different ways that shared reading can be used to promote literacy? Shared reading is a great factor in helping students be able to recognize and read words and phonics fluently. It also helps them understand what they read. 

 2.

1. Why does she think it's important for students to verbalize their strategies? By verbalizing the strategies that they're using, students internalize it and it helps them to use it in the future. 
2. What else do you knows about how she helps students build meaning in text? She uses a technique, in which she covers a word in the sentence and students have to try to think of what word it is based on the context of the sentence. 

3. 

1. How does Ms. Perez organize her classroom to support a wide range of learners? There are learning centers in which students are divided according to their level of reading. Ms. Perez and the student-teacher both join the different groups and assist them according to the individual help that they each need.    
2. How are reading and writing connected in classroom activities? She brings the two together with many activities. For example, when they read a book about fish, they wrote about it after. And with other things that they read, they learned how to write notes on the different important aspects in the text and then wrote a book on what they learned about what the read. 

4.  

1.  How does Ms. Perez use ongoing individual assessment to guide her instruction? She believes in doing assessments on her students a few times a year. With this assessment, she is able to create her lessons and focus on each students needs. 
2. How can the class profile be used to help group students and differentiate instruction? After assessing the class profile, she is able to see what the students' different needs are and she groups them according to their abilities. 
3. How can ongoing assessment be integrated into my own classroom practice? I currently don't tea h, but hope to use assessment as a means to create lesson plans and help every students learn according to their abilities so they can be motivated and achieve the most they possibly can!

Week #4- Assignment 2

The student read pretty well and showed some fine skills. However he did have some errors such as, substitutions and insertions of other words. With the teacher's intervention he end up doing a fine job and overall read the passage at a decent level. When asked questions about the story, he showed a basic and overall comprehension of the story, but was lacking in the knowledge of some details. I believe that with some encouragement and motivation and practice of reading skills he can and will become a "reading master"!

Week #4- Assignment 1

file:///C:/Users/Brocha%20Rivky/Downloads/065_WhalesSTU%20(2).pdf

Week #2- Assignment 3

Critique on Sample Lesson Plan:

 I really enjoyed reading and analyzing Carolyn Wilhelm's lesson plan. She used many techniques to create a fun, entertaining and stimulating lesson. It was hands-on and students practiced reading, writing and critical thinking skills throughout the lesson. I liked how she first modeled how to do the activity and then allowed the students to practice it on their own. This enabled them to learn how to do the lesson being taught while they were actually doing it and then enabling them to retain the information that they gained from it. She used Metacognition and allowed students to reflect on their own thinking and guide their own learning. I also liked how she created an interactive environment in the classroom and allowed students to work together and share their thoughts with each other. When students engage in interactive activities, they can show a lot of what the're thinking and what they understood from the lesson. 

 What I disliked about the lesson plan was the lack of mandatory independent work. Although part of session three did give the students the opportunity to work alone, it wasn't mandatory. When students work on their own, they are able to process the information in the way that they're own brain and personal skills work. Also, I believe that there was a limited amount of available resources. Students could have chosen their own texts that they relate to, for example. When students do this, they can have ownership on their work and this boosts their confidence and willingness to learn.

 All in all, I believe that Carolyn's lesson plan was though-out, fun, interacting and educational. There are minor details that could have made it even better, but there's always room for improvement in the education field! I really enjoyed reading it and I'm sure the students enjoyed it as much and gained a lot from it!

Week #2- Assignment 2

Reflection:

 Sheila Owen's Beaumont, California kindergarten classroom is something that all teachers should try to emulate. She focuses on reading and writing skills equally and bases her lessons on the students being able to excel in all areas.

 At the start of the video, she states her belief in all her students and says, "We view them from day number one as readers and writers." When a teacher believes in her students' ability to do something, it gives them the courage and strength to achieve it. When students have their teacher backing them and cheering them on, they can succeed beyond imagination. This is something every teacher has and should have the power to do!

 Every morning Sheila starts the day with "circle-time" by the carpet where they sing "good morning" and ask how everyone is today. They do this in English as well as in Spanish. This encourages a warm and welcome atmosphere right at the start of each day. When students feel comfortable in their surroundings it helps them learn better. There is a feeling of friendship and positivity that keeps them going through the learning process.

 She then goes on to state that she has students that come from different backgrounds and are at different skills and levels in knowledge and vocabulary. She says, "...We build the classroom based upon those needs". That is a point that every teacher must take into consideration when designing her classroom structure and lesson plans and goals. In every classroom there are many students with so many different abilities and skills. A teacher must take every child's needs into consideration and provide for them according to each of their abilities.

 Another point that Sheila said was that the daily routine in her classroom doesn't vary and there is the same schedule of activities on a daily basis. There's four reading activities every day that consist of 1. Read-aloud, 2. Shared-reading, 3. Guided- reading and 4. Independent-reading. And in addition to that, two writing activities, 1. Interactive writing, and 2. Independent-writing. The students come into class every day knowing what to expect and what is expected of them. When children have a set schedule and sequence of what happens, they are comfortable with their surroundings and are more opened to learning new things. It's so important for students to have repetition in their education and know what is part of their daily programs to help them retain the information being taught to them. Also when children are aware of their surroundings, it help build their confidence and self-worth.

 All in all, Sheila is an amazing teacher and someone that all educators should inspire to be. Her classroom is designed to help students learn by first guiding their learning and then allowing them to work independently. She creates a loving and comfortable environment for all students alike and ultimately instills a love for learning. I hope to one day be a teacher like her!

Week #2- Assignment 1

ELA Instruction:

 There are five essential components to ELA instruction. They are: Reading, Writing, speaking, listening, and language. The goal of reading is comprehension. Students must show steadily growing ability to discern more from text they read. They should also be able to make connections among ideas and texts, considering a wider range of textual evidence. They should be more sensitive to inconsistencies, ambiguities and poor reasoning in texts. Reading and writing work hand-in-hand. When students write they respond to reading and and informational text. The ability to plan, revise, edit and publish are the steps that are applicable to many types of writing. Other skills are defined by argument, informative and explanatory texts and narratives. The third and fourth component of ELA instruction is speaking and listening. This defines as flexible communication and collaboration between the students and teacher. Students must work together, express and listen carefully to ideas, integrate information from oral, visual, quantitative and media resources. In addition to this, students should evaluate what they hear. Lastly, language is conventions, effective use and enhancing students vocabulary. Many tools can be used to master this.