Forest Hill #5 Reflection

The last day at Forest Hill Elementary was a sad day for me.  I enjoyed my time there, and will miss the kids a lot.  It’s amazing how attached you become after a few weeks, I can’t imagine what its gonna be like when Im a teacher!  Mrs. Suttles did a neat activity on this day with the kids.  She had different cards with their sight words on them.  She had the children sit in a circle and she went around and sang a song and would drop a card at a child.  The child would have to read the word to her.  She played this until all the kids had a chance to get a card.  They really seemed to enjoy this.  All the kids did good, and knew their words.  She does a lot of practice with them on their sight words.  They have a ring with different sets of sight words on them.  Each week they get a new set if they know the words.  If they don’t they have to wait until the next week, and see if they know it then.  I have got to help them with this, and I think it is a neat idea.  They keep their ring of words at their desks and can pull them out anytime if they need to know how to spell the word while writing.  Two of her ELL students did a great job reading.  She was so proud of them.  One girl is very low in reading, and she read her whole book to Mrs. Suttles.  She did very well, and its awesome to see how much she has learned since we have been there.  The boy read through part of his book as well and it was such a big step for both of these students.  I was so proud of them, and I’m glad I was there to experience that.  Overall, I am very thankful for my time at Forest Hill Elementary School.

Forest Hill Reflection #4

Last week in Mrs. Suttles class, two of her ELL students started reading.  They both know some sight words, but have a hard time reading.  In the morning, she calls her students up to read to her from their book they have chosen for the week.  She was so pleased when these two students could read through their beginning book.  I could see the joy and excitement on her face.  Amber and myself were also very happy because we both have worked with these students.  I know these are the moments as a future teacher that I will never forget.  I can’t wait to see how my students excel as well as get to see their improvements throughout the year.  One of their Thanksgiving activities was that they got to decorate a cut-out turkey anyway they wanted too.  The students did a really good job, and they were so cute.  After they shared their turkeys, she had them write about it.  They had to describe their turkeys for their journals.  She also did a Thanksgiving poem with them.  She wrote it on a big sheet of paper, and had the students help her come up with a poem.  She had them read it to her while she finger pointed to the words.  They also got to copy this down on their journal paper and draw a picture to go with it.  I thought this was a very neat activity.  As our time there is coming to an end, I am sad and will miss the kids.  I have learned a lot from Mrs. Suttles, and I am glad she let us come into her classroom.

Forest Hill #3 Reflection

This week, I saw Mrs. Suttles do echo reading with a book from their open court activity.  She had all the children sit in a circle on the floor, and she read them the whole story one time.  Then she went back and read a sentence, and then the children read the same sentence after her.  After this she let them go around the circle and take turns reading a sentence from the story.  She let them decorate popsicle sticks, and they can use them for finger pointing if they don’t want to use their finger.  I think this is a neat idea, and the kids seem to like it.  I saw all of them get out their reading stick when it was time to read the story.  I have enjoyed helping the students with their journals this week.  Some of the students need help, so Amber and I will help them by sounding out the letter sounds for them to write sentences.  She has several EC students in her class, so Amber and I have been trying to help them for Mrs. Suttles.  I have loved being in Mrs. Suttles classroom.

Book Post #15

Author and Illustrator:  Leo Lionni

Date:  1963

Title:  Swimmy

Grades:  K-2

ISBN#:  0394826205

About:  Swimmy is a black fish, and his brothers and sisters are all red.  A big fish comes after his siblings, and he gets away.  He wonders into the big deep ocean, and sees all kinds of creatures.  He then finds his siblings hiding from the big fish.  He teaches them how to swim together and be bigger than the attacking fish.  He gets them all together in a formation of a fish and he becomes the eye and stands out!!

Class: I would let the kids get in groups and work together since this book is about working together.  I think I would let them paint a picture working together of a fish or any kind of animal creature they would like. 

 

Book Post #14

Author and Illustrator:  Mo Williems

Date:  2003

Grades:  K-3

ISBN#-078681988

About:  Read this book and meet the Pigeon who wants to drive the bus! Find out if he gets his way or not?!?

Class:  I would let the kids get into groups and act out this book during reading time.  I think this would let them use dialogue between each other.  I think they would enjoy getting to say, “Let me drive the bus!”

Book Post #13

Author and Illustrator:  Leo Lionni

Date:  1985

Title:  It’s Mine

Ages:  K-1

ISBN#-0679880844

About:  This book is about 3 frogs that lived in a pond together.  Everything one of them saw, they though it was theirs.  They didn’t want to share anything with one another.  All they would say is, “It’s mine, it’s mine!”  Until one day a toad came up to them and told them to get along.  Suddenly a storm came, and all the rocks were under water but one, and so they all got on it.  It turned out it wasn’t a rock and it was the toad, and he saved them.  From that day on they shared and got along!!

Class:  This book gives us a lesson about sharing.  I could do a discussion to the kids about sharing.  I could also let them do an activity involving sharing, or let them draw picture of the frogs.

Book Post #12

Author and Illustrator:  Dr. Seuss

Date:  1985

Grades:  K-2

ISBN#:  0394800796

About:  Read this book to find out why the Grinch didn’t like the Whos of Who-ville! 

Class:  For Kindergarten I would let the children color pictures concerning this book.  I would print them off and let them color them for art time.  For 2^nd and 3^rd grade I would them make ornaments to take home with them.  I would also do this activity for their art time.  I think it would tie into this book because it talks about Christmas time and decorating.  I would also let them discuss the book because the Grinch is mean at first, and then becomes nice.  This would let them speak up in class.

Book Post #11

Author and Illustrator:  Leo Lionni

Date:  1992

Title:  A Busy Year

ISBN#:  0-375-82737-4

Grade Level:  K-2

About:   Two Twin mousse find a tree and they become friends with this tree.  Throughout the year, and different seasons that go by they help protect the tree.  Each month brings something different and they take care of the tree. It’s a cute book about friends helping each other!

Class:  This book would definitely be neat to incorporate the seasons into an activity.  I could have them tell and describe their favorite time of the year.  I could also incorporate this into science because of the nature scenes.

Forest Hill Reflection #2

I have enjoyed by time thus far at Forest Hill.  I have learned a lot by being in the classroom.  I have grown to know the children, and have gotten to communicate with them.  I got to see how she gives her spelling tests last week.  She has different ones for different groups of kids.  For example, her lower students have different words and not as many as her higher students.  It was neat to see how she adapts her spelling tests to the childs needs.  It’s neat to see things I have learned being used in her classroom.  For example, she talks about word patterns and families with the kids, as well as sounds and different types of words.  She also lets the children do a lot of writing.  She has them write a journal everyday, and draw a picture with it.  She also does fun activities that involve the children practicing writing sentences.  She also gives them individual time to read books, as well as has each child read a page or two from a book to her.  She also gives them feedback on their journals and edits them if need be.

Fluency Article Reflection

1.    What are the three dimensions of fluency? How can you assess each dimension?  Three dimensions of fluency are 1) accuracy in word decoding, 2) automatic processing, and 3) prosodic reading.  To determine proficiency in decoding connected text, calculate the percentage of words a reader can accurately decode on grade-level material.  Teachers can usually assess automaticity in decoding by looking at the students reading rate.  An easy method to determine this is to have students orally read a grade-level passage for 60 seconds and then calculating the number of words read correctly.  The best way to asses prosodic reading is to listen to a student read a grade-level passage and then judge the quality of the reading using a rubric that scores a student on the elements of expression and volume, phrasing, smoothness, and pace. 

 2.    Rasinski refers to fluency as a “bridge” between decoding and comprehension. What does he mean by the “bridge” metaphor?  He means that in order to both of these concepts are connected to one another.  You have to understand both so you can fill that gap.  If a student doesn’t understand how to decode words then they will get confused therefore loosing the understanding of the article and what it is about.    

 3.    What instructional methods does Rasinski suggest for students with difficulties in automatic and prosodic reading?  Assisted readings and repeated reading.  Students need to hear what fluent reading sounds like and how fluent readers interpret text with their voices. 

4.    Multidimensional Fluency Scale (MFS) is used to measure prosodic quality of oral reading. List components of the MFS and describe what each refers to (p. 49).

 A.  Expression and Volume

            1.  Reads words simply as if to get them out.  Have little sense of trying to make text sound like natural language. Reads in a quiet voice. 

            2.  Begins to use voice to make text sound like natural language in some areas and not in others.  Reads in a quiet voice.

            3.  Makes text sounds like natural language throughout most of the passage. 

           4.  Reads with good expression and enthusiasm throughout the text.  Varies expression and volume to match the text. 

 B.  Phrasing

            1.  Reads in monotone with little sense of phrase boundaries; frequently reads word by word.

            2.  Frequently reads in two and three word phrases, choppy reading.

            3.  Reads with a mixture of run-ons, mid sentence pauses for breath, and some choppiness.

            4.  Generally reads with good phrasing, mostly in clause and sentence units, with adequate attention to expression. 

 C. Smoothness

            1.  Makes frequent extended pauses, hesitations, false starts, sound-outs, repetitions, and/or multiple attempts. 

            2.  Experiences several “rough spots” in text where extended pauses or hesitations are more frequent and disruptive. 

            3.  Occasionally breaks smooth rhythm because of difficulties with specific words and/or structures.

            4.  Generally reads smoothly with some breaks, but resolves word and structure difficulties quickly, usually through self-correction.

 D.  Pace

            1.  Reads slowly and laboriously

            2.  Reads moderately slowly.

            3.  Reads with an uneven mixture of fast and slow pace.

            4.  Consistently reads at conversational pace; appropriate rate throughout reading.