Assessment

After you complete the assessment reading and look over the QIWK address two topics: (1) what do you think you will assess in your own classroom and why; and (2)what are your 1-2 greatest questions or concerns about assessment in your classroom? Please complete this task by Sunday, April 17 for full credit.

Multimedia Text Creation

After you have experimented with Voicethread, Photo Story 3, and/or Animoto, please post your best idea for using this kind of tool in your own classroom to motivate students, help them read or write better/more/more independently, or help them learn skills or content. Please do NOT duplicate others' ideas and please be specific enough that we could use your idea in our own classroom if we like it.

Text-to-Speech

After you have experimented with the Mac or Windows version of TypeIt ReadIt and with either Mac's built-in text-to-speech feature or ReadPlease on your PC, please post your best idea for using this kind of tool in your own classroom to motivate students, help them read or write better/more/more independently, or help them learn skills or content. Please do NOT duplicate others' ideas and please be specific enough that we could use your idea in our own classroom if we like it.

Letters, Sounds, and Words

After reading the letters, sounds, and words instructional principles and practices in CTW and TGFB, and by Feb. 13 at the latest, post (a) a few notes on the most important ideas you learned, and why they matter to you; and (b) 1-2 questions you have about effective and efficient letters, sounds, and words instruction.

Personal Reading Plans

No later than Feb. 6, post your personal reading plans here. Remember: (1) required reading doesn't count; (2) there are no requirements other than it must be text and it must be daily; (3) we'll spend some time reading and being read with in class on Mondays; and (4)we'll spend a few minutes sharing our personal reading experiences with one another in class. No rewards beyond the joys of reading, but we should have a celebration at the end of the semester, don't you think?

Emergent Literacy

By Jan. 30 (and after you have completed the required reading on emergent literacy), please post here on: (a) the most important thing you learned from this chapter and why it matters to you; and (b) 1-2 questions you have about emergent literacy based on the readings or your experiences with children.

Reading Motivation

No later than Jan. 23, and after you finish reading the four short articles on reading motivation, respond in two ways in the comment section: 1) what are the most important things you learned about reading motivation, and 2) what question(s) do you have about motivating children's reading in your own classroom some day?

Introductions

Please use the comment feature to respond to this blog post. Introduce yourself to us. What are your various responsibilities and interests? Why do you want to become a teacher (beside the fact that you like children)? What do you hope to learn from this course on beginning reading methods (please be specific)? If you have a screen name that does not include your last name, please sign your entry so we know who you are.

Week #3 (April 10): Figuring It Out

As of April 8 you have completed 6 practicum visits and are beginning to get a handle on how classrooms work. Your task for reflection this week by April 10 is to read over the questions that have been asked by your classmates in Weeks #1 and #2. Respond to one based on your observations, your experiences, your readings, your research. That is,answer your classmate's question and provide her with additional resources for finding out more. Do not answer a question that someone else has answered.

Week #2 (March 27): Getting Comfortable

Once you have completed your 3rd visit to your practicum class this week, write another reflection by Friday. What have you learned about teaching children to read or write? About motivating children's learning? Has anything surprised (pleasantly or otherwise)? What are your biggest questions at present?

Week #1 (March 18): Initial Impressions

What are your initial impressions (of the school, the teacher, the kids, anything else) after one visit? What question(s) were prompted by your first visit?

Read-Aloud

Reflect on your read-aloud. Write about (1) at least 3 +'s (what you did well, kids learned, what generally went well), (2) one wish (one thing you wish had gone better and what you might do better next time to make that happen), and (3) one question you have about any aspect of the lesson, the kids' response, your planning of the lesson, etc.

Making Words

Reflect on the teaching of your Making Words lesson. Write about (1) at least 3 +'s (what you did well, kids learned, what generally went well), (2) one wish (one thing you wish had gone better and what you might do better next time to make that happen), and (3) one question you have about any aspect of the lesson, the kids' response, your planning of the lesson, etc.

DR-TA Reflections

Reflect on the teaching of your DR-TA. Write about (1) at least 3 +'s (what you did well, kids learned, what generally went well), (2) one wish (one thing you wish had gone better and what you might do better next time to make that happen), and (3) one question you have about any aspect of the lesson, the kids' response, your planning of the lesson, etc.

Scheduling Observations April 1 or April 8

I will be driving down to visit you and your classes April 1 and April 8. Try to schedule at least one of your reading responsibilities on one or both of those days. As soon as you know, and no later than March 30, post the information below. Tell me: your name, what you will be teaching, when (time and date) you will be teaching, your cooperating teacher's name, and the room you will be in. For example: Dave K., reading aloud "The Roses in My Carpet," 1:15 pm on April 1, Ms. Smith, Room B7. I'll use that information to try to see as many of you as possible.

Guided Reading Purposes

Identify one thinking strategy (ch. 1 in RWEC) or one reading comprehension strategy (ch. 7 in RWEC). Identify the strategy. Then write a purpose statement for children reading "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." You may duplicate strategies with classmates, but you may not duplicate purpose statements. E.g., One thinking strategy is "organizing." I might give children 4 pictures and say, "Read so that you can put these 4 pictures in the order they occur in the poem." That would require sequencing, a form of organization. Please do this by Sunday, Mar. 1.

RWEC Ch. 7, Comprehension

What is reading comprehension? What are critical components of guided reading lessons? How do teachers plan comprehension lessons? What questions do you have about teaching children to read with comprehension? Please post no later than Feb. 22.

RWEC Ch. 4 (Phonemic Awareness)

What is phonemic awareness? What is one way to teach it? What is one question you have about pp 84-95 in RWEC? Please post no later than Feb.10.

RWEC Ch. 2 and NAEYC Emergent Literacy Response

After reading Ch. 2 in RWEC and NAEYC, how would you answer the core questions? What are your two most pressing questions about what emergent literacy is or how you can support it as a teacher? Please post by Jan. 25 at the latest.

RWEC Ch. 1 Response

You were assigned Chapter 1in your text and asked to read in order to begin to answer questions like: "Who are we as readers? As writers? What are reading, writing, literacy, teaching, and learning? What do we know about teaching children to read and write?" Please post one comment and one question you have based on this reading before Jan. 14.