Morphology and Vocabulary

After reading the morphology article in class and studying vocabulary,I realize the importance of teaching students how to breakdown words and find their true meanings. It makes sense that this would improve a student’s reading comprehension and I find it surprising that it is not promoted more often in the classroom. It is very important for students to understand all parts of words. By doing this in class students they will be better able to figure out the meaning of a word, thus they will become better readers. It is beneficial to students when they are taught the different meanings of the suffixes and prefixes and are able to determine the meaning of a word. I feel that it is important for students to learn the prefixes, suffixes and root words during vocabulary time. It makes sense that students should be taught morphology hand in hand with vocabulary. Students level of comprehension will increase over time once we as teachers have given them the necessary tools to break down a word and understand it. While this strategy would benefit all students,  English Language Learners would grow in their understanding of a new and challenging language.

Literature Circles

I was introduced to Literature Circle’s last semester in Ms. Smiley’s class. I thought then that if they were used correctly, they would be a real asset in the classroom. I have to say now that I am even more excited about them. When Dr. Frye told us that they could be used to teach the students how to formulate end of grade style testing questions, I felt empowered as a future teacher. I love the aspects about literature circles because all students will be involved with the conversation about the book. When this is done on a students instructional level, just think of the growth the student will attain. I can envision having small groups in a classroom and having them all involved with a book that is in their zone of proximal development; conversations developing about book content and all the children knowing that they have something important to contribute to a discussion. The comprehension possibilities, coupled with vocabulary development will  be amazing when this instruction is well handled in a classroom.

Shared Readings

I think one of the biggest things that I am learning from this class is to model, model, model. This is a great concept for teachers to wrap their minds around and use in the classroom. It is a great idea to show students what we expect and how to achieve what we are looking for. When this class began and we were taught to model how to write; I felt like this would be a key element in my classroom teaching. I feel the same way about modeling reading. It has to be so frustrating to many students to be told to go and read and take a test. Many students will not do well and then the teacher will ask them Why?At this point teachers need to be asking how they can change or improve the lesson to help the student learn.

In reading comprehension, students are shown how to look at the cover of the book and decide what the story could be about and later on discusses what is happening in the story. The teacher discusses the connections that can be made from reading other stories and what has been learned in the past. The teacher shows the student how to pull from background knowledge and make a connection with the story they are now reading. For vocabulary, children are taught to use context clues, word parts and resources.

Teachers model different text structures that are used to organize information. Here again by modeling the teacher is showing students how to make a connection and helping students to understand the process. It is not enough to tell students to look for comparison/contrast without taking the time to show them what they are looking for. I think one of the teachers summed it up well at the end of the article, “It takes a lot to slow down enough to pay attention to what your brain is doing and then learn to explain it to children.”  If a teacher can learn to do this then he/she  can learn how to model effectively and be able to teach children how to be better readers and improve their comprehension.

Pirate Adventure

Can you imagine a children’s faces when they walk into a classroom that is prepared for a unit on pirates! They would be so excited about the lesson that they will be a part of. I love the idea of having the books spread out over the room (fiction and nonfiction) that are waiting to be read. How wonderful to incorporate many different types of  resources in the classroom.

What great opportunities this article presents! I love the way we are given resources to use in a classroom.  One of my greatest concerns has been allowing children to “search” on the internet for websites and worrying about what they may find. I love the “delicious” website to allow for bookmarking that can be utilized by students. This can allow so much more time to be given to instructional time in a classroom by having a prepared list of websites for students to go to for information.

It is also a great plan to teach students to explore websites by asking them to look for relevant information by answering questions or filling out charts. The charts will allow teachers to assess a student’s progress in the instructional unit given as well as to measure computer skills and see what an individual student may need to work on. It is wonderful to be able to teach children how to assess a website to find its validity.

I also like the collaboration that will go on in and out of the classroom by using blogs. Students will research and post comments to each other’s work. They will be allowed the opportunity to let the days teachings sink into their minds and then be able to comment upon them. They may research their questions further on their own or be able to comment on the blog and see what fellow classmates say. I know this has been a very useful tool for me. I often leave the classroom and think of something I wish I had asked or something I should have said. I can post on the class blog and read others interpretations and often gain an even greater understanding of the lesson taught. I also agree that giving students the opportunity to publish their work and make it accessible to other students, parents and other family members makes them more conscientious of the work they are producing.

While these workshops would be a lot of work to create, the educational value would be well worth the effort. I am very excited to explore the pirate workshop and learn how to create these for my students.

Integrating Instructional-Level Social Studies Trade Books

I love the end of this article when reference is made to the fact that teachers should see their students as individuals. That statement is so true. When I look out over my classroom I want to see individual children with needs and wants, not just a sea of faces. What a difference we as teachers could make in a student’s life if only we taught them at their instructional level. I think it is wonderful to have a resource to help us find books needed to teach all of our students in the classroom. I admire those who put forth the effort and time to create these lists to help us become better teachers.

I have noticed that when I go into a classroom and ask teachers for help with materials, they often suggest one book and no more than two. They never tell me how they use several books to meet the individual needs of their students. This is so different from the information I have received from my instructors, we are encouraged to teach children at their instructional level to avoid frustration.

Note: I recently attended a conference on the 4 block approach to literacy. When I returned home, I had a friend ask me what the conference was about. I replied that it was about helping children to become better readers by teaching them to read at their ability level. My friend then asked me if I could help him learn to read, he told me that he was trying to learn but he was very slow and could I help me. I have promised him that I would try to find him some books and help him. Adults are the same as children in this respect, if I give him a novel that is on an adult reading level, then he will never finish it, he will not enjoy it, and he will not like reading. It makes sense that to make children and adults love reading, they have to read on a level that they can understand the text and where they will improve.

Poetry and Me

I struggle greatly with poetry. After class, I realized that a lot of my fear and struggle with poetry comes from the way that it was taught in school. I was totally petrified of poetry because I could not understand it and I was supposed to figure out the “hidden meanings.” What did the author mean? Why would he/she write this poem? What feelings did it evoke in me as I read it? Poetry could not be something to read and enjoy because I could not see all of these secrets that my teacher could. I was also taught that to write poems and they either had to rhyme or have a certain amount of syllables.

I enjoy reading poetry that rhymes or poems that have a rhythm associated with it as I read. I have not had a lot of experience reading free verse before class. The book all the small poems and fourteen more by Valerie Worth is growing on me. I think as I have more of an opportunity to read this kind of poetry the more I will enjoy it. As I look back through the book and read some of the poems for the second time, I am finding more poems that I like and enjoy. I think poetry has to be read slowly and savored for the reader to understand, poetry cannot be read in a hurry.

I really enjoyed Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. I read it with my son and he enjoyed the novel as well. The novel was excellent and I was so surprised that a book written in free verse could be so good. I am looking forward to reading Hate That Cat. I loved the way Jack learned how to express himself through poetry. This book is excellent for any age to read because it talks about facing fears and overcoming anxiety, something that any age could identify with.

The book Brown Angels by Walter Dean Myers is precious. The children in the pictures come to life as I read the poems he has written about the children. I also love the way he uses the dialect so that you can hear the voices calling while you read the pictures.

My Name and Its History

My name is Peggy and the name is English. It is a diminutive of the name Margaret. The medieval variant is Meggie. No one knows for sure how the change went from Meggie to Peggy. The Greek meaning of the name Peggy is pearl. There are only 1 or fewer people with that name in the United States. My family already knew that I was unique but they did not realize that there was less than one Peggy Wellmon.

My mama named me after a lady that she worked with while she was pregnant. She liked this woman very much; the woman was very kind to my mama. My mama was new to the area and this lady watched out for her; so my mama named me after her.

Some names that I have been called during my life are kind of funny; I have been referred to as Peg or Peg Leg when someone wanted to make a rhyme. In school many of the people I knew referred to me as Peggy Sue, thanks to the song by Buddy Holly. When I worked one of the men that I worked with referred to me as Curly Sue from some kind of movie that he had seen. There has only been one name that I have been called that I have chosen not to keep and that would be Piggy. For years people would ask me, “where is Kermit.”

While I may have wanted other names in the past, I am happy with who I am and the name that has been given to me by my parents. I am happy knowing that there is only 1 or fewer of me in the United States.

Chapter 2 Notebook Know How

What are your overall impressions of the book?

This book is proving me to be more interesting than I had anticipated! When we had our first day of class and I realized I was going to have to keep a writing journal I dreaded it, but Notebook Know How is a book that makes keeping a writing journal a goal that is not beyond reach. I have thought about how I was going to get my students to write as a teacher, I have worried about what kinds of prompts to use. How can I make writing more interesting? It is a great concept for them to learn to write about themselves first and then add new topics.  I love the way the teacher models it for the class. It is so much easier for students to see the teacher participating and being a part of the things that the students are required to do.

What is the purpose of a Writer’s Notebook?

A writer’s notebook is simply a place for students to practice writing. The notebook will help to build fluency; students will become better spellers.

What might be your goals as a teacher of writing?

While teaching fluency is definitely a goal, just building confidence and letting children know that they have something to say. To help them understand that their words are important and that they can write.

Launching the Notebook?

Teaching children to practice storytelling through writing is an excellent idea. I love the way the writer’s notebook starts out so simply – asking children to write lists or talk about their name. This will give most children a place to start and know that they have something to write about. Children are very curious and inquisitive and they can answer questions in their writing. It would be good to have a page in the back of their notebook and have a time that they could write their questions to use as a topic at a later date.

Organization of the Notebook?

The organization of the notebook is up to the teacher. The organization of the notebook needs to remain simple; students need to be allowed to enjoy writing and not become caught up in a lot of rules and regulations.

Hello world!

Hallelujah!! I have created my first blog.