Entry # 10 The Purpose of Giving Homework

     Homework provides a student with the opportunity to practice, review and apply their knowledge. All students can benefit from the type of scaffolding ELLS get for homework assigments. Homework should be concrete, differentiated according to student need, and purposeful. Depending on the grade of the student, homework should last approximately 10 minutes per grade level. Nightly homework builds a supportive learning environment, and an expectation for both the parents and student to develop. Parent input should be minimal because the homework is focusing on what has been learned within the classroom. Students should be 95% successful in completing it. If not, the teacher needs to revisit the type of homework that is given. Parents can share their knowledge of the homework assignment(s), their connections, and experiences in their first language. The student will understand the homework topic more thoroughly when hearing about it in their first language, then using their second language to complete it. Homework that involves discussion, at home and at school promotes language development. When the homework is returned to class, the students should have the opportunity to talk with their peers about their work and thinking. Doing this also teaches the students that what they work on at home, is valuable and shows effort.
Teachers can provide feedback that is specific to the homework by writing and telling the students how they did on it. Students enjoy stickers and treats, but teacher need to remember that feedback should be specific too. The effort rubrics that are in Flynn and Hill's book, Classroom Instruction that Works With English Language Learners have been helpful to my students inside the classroom and at home. They are realizing that effort equals learning.
     According to Vatterott (2010) there are five characteristics that help homework become meaningful and effective. Homework should have a clear academic purpose, demonstrates student learning, promotes ownership, is personally relevant, and is visually appealing. For ELLS, homework should be scaffolded to their appropriate language level. Motivation to complete it will increase, because it is supportive, and can be completed successfully.
     Homework objectives for my ELLS are to practice the texts we have been reading in class, discuss the stories with their parents to practice retelling, and allow the parents to share any connections to the texts. The parents know these expectations, and sign a book list sheet after the homework is completed. Occasionally, I will send home sight words, dry erase markers, and a laminated paper, so that my students can practice reading and writing the words, 2 or 3 times. It's called "Trace it. Write it. Read it."
     Technology at home can support skills, and give opportunities for the students to see and hear stories. Websites are shared with the parents, as well as, nearby libraries and their resources. Giving students the opportunity to work with technology will enhance their computer skills, as well as, literacy and language skills. It is highly motivating and they LOVE it!

Information gathered from Flynn and Hill, technology article by Jan Lacina and meaningful work article by C. Vatterott .

Entry # 9 Narrative and Expository Texts: Salient Differences, Support and Challenges for ELLS

                                 

     It is important for readers to experience texts from different genres. Each type of genre has structural components that readers need to be familiar with, and teachers need to teach about. This blog entry studies the similarities and striking differences between narrative and expository texts, as well as, discusses what components support ELLS  with speaking, and what challenges hinder their language development.
     The Double-Bubble Thinking Map displays several differences between the two genres, as well as, a few similarities. I selected two level 10 and two level 12 texts that my Reading Recovery students will eventually read.  The expository selections were about spiders, and the narrative texts were about fictional mice and two boys eating peas from the garden, respectively. All of the texts had supportive components that would foster language development. The illustrations and photographs clearly showed the action that was taking place in both types of text. The print was large, and there were an appropriate amount of words on each page for level 10 and 12 readers. Both types of genres could utilize background knowledge. In the narrative text, the readers may be knowledgeable about the conflict between mice, cats and dogs. The reader may know about spiders from direct contact, books, and educational  television programs.                   (sorry for  the writer/computer lapse )                                                                               The expository texts topics may score higher in reader interest. Both texts used captions, but the level 12 text had more information without content headings or a contents page. That might be a challenge for a reader, because the reader does not have the organization and structure to help guide his thinking. A glossary was included in the level 12 text, but not in the level 10 text. Terminology needs to be explained through definitions, images, and teacher support with expository texts. Some of the challenges with the narrative texts could be the number of characters and episodes within the text. In the Garden mainly had two characters speaking, in one setting. Brown Mouse Gets Some Corn , used three speaking characters, and a problem and solution that may be challenging for ELLS if they did not know about the relationship between most mice, cats, and dogs. Some of the sentence structures are tricky. The retelling may be challenging to describe in sequence. Expository texts inform readers of facts that ELLS can recall more easily because of the images, text content, and captions. Facts can be told in any order.
    Expository texts that include a table of contents, a glossary, and an index provide the organizational structure that enhances ELLS' understanding of a topic. The use of clear images, captions, bold headings and bullets help clarify important facts. This teacher thinks that more expository literature should be exposed to ELLS in the primary grades to promote language development. Graphic organizers can be used to help support content understanding, and language usage. Usually narrative texts are predominately used at the primary level, and there are graphic organizers that help students' understanding of narrative text, but this teacher thinks that ELLS stating/showing facts is less complex then retelling/showing a story in sequence, or explaining a theme. ELLS need to have experiences in both, as do all students. I believe expository texts support more language development.

Information retrieved from Morrow, Chapter 6, and the Colorin Colorado article titled Increasing ELL Student Reading Comprehension with Non-Fiction Text, by Robertson.

Entry #1 Philosophies of teaching reading

I spoke with my colleague, Kristen, about her philosophy about literacy. Kristen is Reading Recovery trained and has taught RR, ELL, and primary grades. She completed her masters about 5 years ago, in curriculum development at UCD. Kristen talked about the importance of knowing what the child knows and basing instruction from their strengths (known) and scaffolding instruction to support and also keep the student  in their ZDP. This belief was also Reading Recovery's creator, Marie Clay's view. Kristen also talked about the reciprocity of reading and writing, that they build on each other. Writing stages are developmental, and early writing about personal experiences helps the writer value their own words in print. The skills needed to develop reading and writing skills need to be assessed, modeled and practiced. Assuming that the child knows left to right directionality, 1-1 matching, etc., is an error that primary teachers sometimes make, that hold back development. She recommends that primary teachers learn more about the five components that build literacy (phonemic awareness, phonological awareness, vocabulary, comprehension and fluency) before moving into a basal series-in fact, she (and I) know that teachers rely on basal series more than a framework, to guide the instruction rather than looking at the strengths and needs of the child. This frightens both of us! Another fear is the pace that teachers deliver content and expect young learners to follow. The phrase "developmentally appropriate" has been replaced with "stress".

Kristen's philosophy is based on Marie Clay's Reading Recovery training, ELL training and her masters from UCD.

Entry # 8 Watching a Sheltered Lesson on the Internet

     I had the opportunity to watch the Regis video on using the SIOP method. The class was working on comprehension, by using inferencing, vocabulary development and interacting with the text, Esperanza Rising.
     The teacher used several strategies to help her students' comprehension. The following are listed below:
     1. Clear explanation of the lesson objectives. (decreases stress, builds anticipation)
     2. Background knowledge of content, characters, customs.
     3. Discussion about connections, personal or from previous texts.
     4. Front-loaded what inferencing was for 2 days prior to the lesson.
     5. Simplified the meaning and components of inferencing.
     6. Used pre-reading and explained key vocabulary using synonyms/connections.
     7. Repeated key vocabulary definitions.
     8. Used images to support vocabulary.
     9. Had familiar charts/Diary Board to help students organize thinking and for visual    support.
    10. Used Post It notes so students could interact with the text (questions, find info.)
    11. Group work for peer support and interaction
    12. Modeled stopping, thinking, questioning, and visualizing.

     In addition, I saw the teacher do the following:
     1. Ask for cultural clarification- they were the experts.
     2. Listen to student responses, accept their predictions and connections.
     3. Review the lesson at the end of the class.
    
     The following is what I observed the middle school ELLS doing:
     1. Share connections and predictions.
     2. Follow the teacher as she read passages.
     3. Share what they thought the key vocabulary meant after seeing the images that supported their thinking.
     4. Look relaxed, yet active in the lesson. (secure environment and known tasks)

     The essential components of a SIOP lesson according to Echevarria, Vogt, and Short (Making Content Comprehensible lesson plan)
     1. Preparation/Building Background (Setting the Stage)
     2. Strategies ( Effective instruction)
     3. Grouping Options (Cooperative learning: Inter/Intrapersonal)
     4. Practice/Application (Blooms- Application)
     5. Comprehensible Input ( Clear explanations, modeling, gestures, visuals)
     6. Review/Assesment (Closure)

     This ELL SIOP lesson was very effective due to the preparation of the teacher. Her students were of multiple levels of English acquisition, and some had learning disabilities. Esperanza Rising was culterally engaging, an appropriate text level to read and an excellent source to learn about inferencing. She supported the students understanding of the text in so many ways, and made the lesson an appropriate length of reading, so that the students could accomplish their objectives. Whole group and small group configurations were effective, as well as the visual aides, and the known structure of what to do as they read. The students were relaxed and engaged, even though the classroom environment was the home ec. room. I imagine that if the class had its own space, the teacher would have more engaging visuals and previous work displayed to support student knowlege and learning experiences.

Materials that supported this blog are as follows:
Chapter 3 of Classroom Instruction That Works With English Language Learners by Hill and Flynn
SIOP Lesson Plan and Checklist for Sheltered Instruction handouts
September 30, 2010 class discussion about Sheltered Instruction

    




 

Entry # 7 Running Records and Miscue Analysis

       

     Dafne M. is a Spanish ELL student in 2nd grade. She lives with her mother, father and 11 year old brother. They speak Spanish at home. I tested Dafne with a level 12 text, called Max and Jake. It is about two new friends that help each other learn new things. In this book, Jake helps Max learn how to swim. Dafne read this selection with 95% accuracy and had a self-correction rate of 1:2. She had 10 errors out of 212 words. Dafne used meaning and visual cues on the errors, and neglected syntax. The miscues looked similar except for the endings. The meaning was close. Sometimes she self-corrected by re-reading, integrating meaning, syntax and visual cues. Other times she would use meaning and syntax on the 1st attempt, then self-correct using visual. Dafne retold the story in detail. Her errors did not interrupt her undertanding of the story. ELLS often omit the endings of words (-s, -ed, -ing). One teaching point is to show her how close she was to the correct word, and help her manipulate and see the endings by using magnetic letters for root words or suffixes. Magnetic letters help to magnify the suffixes. With teacher support, Dafne can practice saying sentences using the appropriate sentence structure, or reread the text with accuracy. The 2nd teaching point is to get her hands out of the text. She uses her left thumb when reading the left side of the book, hiding the previous words, and her right finger for the right page. Her fingers help her track the text, but her fluency slows down. Dafne can practice reading without her fingers on familiar texts, to decrease the habit, and learn to use her finger only when there is a tricky word or phrase to read.
     It is common for Spanish ELLS to make errors on suffixes and vowels. They are learning new sentence structures and grammar in their second language. Vowels are also challenging because in the Spanish, there are only 6 vowel sounds. English has many more- short, long, and dipthongs. As Dafne integrates meaning, syntax, and visual cues, those errors will decrease.
    

                                         

    
     Miriam is a second grader originally from Libya. Her 1st language is Arabic. She has been in American schools since preschool, and her aunt in Libya teaches English. She has been exposed to English for most of her life, but speaks Arabic at home. Miriam selected Coco's Bell after looking at the pictures. She wanted to find out what happened to the cat and the bird. The story is about a cat that catches and kills birds. The little girl and her father try to save a bird, but it dies. They have to think of a way to stop Coco from killing birds. This is a level 13 text with 224 words. Miriam read fluently, phrased and with expression. She made 6 errors for an accuracy score of 98%. Her self-correct rate was 1:2. Miriam's errors were word endings. She integrated meaning, syntax and visual cues well, and used visual cues at the point of error to self-correct. Her retell was sequenced and detailed.
     The first teaching point for Miriam is looking through the whole word, and monitoring suffixes. Practice in slow-checking through the word and re-reading to see if the sentence looks and sounds right. Magnet letter work can help as well. Miriam substituted words that had the same meaning, and were visually similar (saw/showed, ringed/rang). She relied on the words she knew. For a second teaching point, the teacher can provide choices of which sentence sounds and looks correct, and then have Miriam re-read the sentences accurately. As she becomes more familiar with grammar, those errors will decrease.
     Miriam's 1st language is so different from English. Arabic is read right to left, and has cursive-like characters that do not resemble the English alphabet. I predicted that her reading would show more gramatical and syntax errors. I believe that her strong exposure to English, and her ability to think about the story prior to the text reading and use of picture cues has enabled her to integrate meaning, syntax, and visual cues more successfully. Her fluency and expression told me that she understood the meaning of what she was reading. She is an ELL student that probably will reach grade level this year, if her teacher supports her progress with material that will stretch her thinking, vocabulary development, and grammar.
    
Miscue analysis insights are due to a year of studying Marie Clay's Reading Recovery approach to working with struggling readers.
Information about Spanish and Arabic alphabets and challenges for students learning how to read in English were found on the Internet.