Chapter 3-Vocabulary!

Chapter 3, which is all about vocabulary, immediately caught my attention when I began reading it. Until I read this chapter, I did not really ever take the time to stop and think of the impact word knowledge actually has on learning. Ever since I was growing up, I never have liked vocabulary much. I despised getting a new list of vocabulary words each week, having to look them up, and memorize them and recite them back on the test on Friday. I am a person very much so driven by how what I’m doing is going to benefit me or how I will actually use it in the real world, and I never felt like vocabulary did that for me so it frustrated me easily. However, after reading this chapter, hopefully I can make my students feel differently then I did about vocabulary. I really enjoyed reading about the various strategies that can help with vocabulary. For example, I loved the vocabulary self assessment chart to be used with a unit. It is a useful tool to help engage students in the lesson and also teach them revising and revisiting. This can be used as a wonderful study tool and can be used in so many subjects!

Another thing that I enjoyed about this chapter was how it discussed vocabulary across the many different subjects. Vocabulary and words unknown to students are always going to be present no matter what, so knowing ways to go about teaching vocabulary in the different subjects is very helpful. One thing that stuck out to me was the sample page from the mathematics journal. Like I mentioned earlier, I like to see how things relate to the real world and how I can make a personal connection to them. The math journal has a specific place that says: “Real Life: This is where I see _______ in the world…” This is so wonderful and can really be used to motivate students to make connections with math, which is something that is very important in order for students to comprehend and retain information. This is also a good example of the four principles for effective vocabulary instruction: be actively listening in word learning, make personal connections, be immersed in vocabulary, and consolidate meaning through multiple information sources. One question that come to mind after reading this chapter is how exactly do you properly assess vocabulary knowledge? How would you know if they are actually internalizing the information and not only just repeating it or memorizing it?

Blog #4 Fischer and Frey

The main focus of Chapter 1 of the Fischer and Frey textbook is teaching students how to read, write, and think. While I was reading the section on shifting responsibility from teacher to students, I could not help but think of one of my own classrooms in middle school. The text discusses how the teacher shifts from generating and asking the students questions to teaching and encouraging the students to generate and answer their own questions. I vividly remember my 9th grade Mississippi History and Geography class. Each new topic that we would discuss, my teacher would constantly scaffold our learning and eventually by the end of the lesson or unit, we would be generating and finding solutions to our own questions, rather than her generating them herself. I found this really helpful and beneficial and retained more information being in a setting like that. The chapter also discusses modeling through instruction of asking questions before, during, and after reading to improve metacognition and comprehension. I believe this is one very beneficial way for students to stay connect to what they are reading and learning and retain information. Teaching them comprehension skills such as that can make all the difference. Other strategies that the chapter mentions are reciprocal teaching, think-pair-share, learning stations, jigsaw, and DR-TA. Over the course of intermediate block, we learned quite a bit about these strategies and how they are used in developing student comprehension and metacognition, helping them recognize how they learn best. One major thing that I enjoyed about this chapter was the reflective teaching. I believe it is so important for teachers to self-question and self-assess to improve their own teaching. This will not only benefit me as a teacher, but will also benefit my students.


I also really enjoyed reading Chapter 8 about writing and writing to learn. I have never been a big writer, nor has it ever been my strong point so this chapter really caught my attention. The part that stuck out to me the most was reading about the different strategies to use to incorporate reading into the classroom. I have briefly heard of the LEA before, but I found it very interesting. This strategy is a good way to involve all students and create something as a class, and display their own thoughts and creations. The writing models strategy hit home for me a little bit. Since I am not a strong writer, the majority of the time I have to have some sort of model or guide to help me along the way. Without a model, I tend to get overwhelmed and not perform my best. I believe students sometimes experience the same feeling, so providing them with a model can help ease the pressure a little bit. Also, I am a huge fan of using writing prompts in the classroom. I was given a writing prompt almost everyday in my high school literature class, and that really helped me to become more comfortable with writing and increase my confidence by repetition. I really liked how this chapter broke down writing to learn in each subject area. It really provided me with lots of resources and ideas that I will implement in my classroom. A few questions that did arise as I read chapters 1 and 8 are how is it possible to motivate and ease the fear of students who are not comfortable with writing (such as myself.)? Also, is it possible to have too much writing in the classroom? Sometimes it can be overwhelming for students so I'm curious about how to maintain a good balance.

Blog #3-Content Area Literacy in Elementary Classrooms

After reading this article by Barbara Moss, I was very intrigued by what I read. I was not aware of how little exposure students receive of expository texts. I found it very interesting that technology was such a huge factor in the change to include content area literacy at the younger grade level. Up until recent times, technology really has not played a huge factor in classrooms, but in this day and age, pretty much everything revolves around technology somehow. When I completed the article, I realized that I was extremely lucky because I have been exposed to expository texts for as long as I can remember. Since I was a little girl, my mom has been sharing expository texts with me, and they were also incorporated into my classrooms at school. Reading this article made me think back to my 1st grade teachers classroom. I remember her having a huge library in the back of the room. This library had two sections: one for narrative and story books and one for expository books. My teacher would always make sure to have numerous expository books relating to the topic we were studying as well as topics we had already learned about.


I believe it is very important to expose students to expository texts early on in their schooling careers. The article identifies three main reasons that content area literacy should be implemented in elementary grades and this really stuck out to me. The first reason is early exposure. It talks about laying the foundation for understanding and I completely agree. It is critical for students to receive a sturdy foundation early on that they can build upon and encourage their learning to grow. Another reason was that informational books motivate students. This I made a personal connection with. In 2nd grade, we were required to participate in the reading fair at school. At my school, reading fair projects were normally done using fictional story books. However, my teacher made my class choose an expository book to do our project on. I remember choosing a book on the Titanic. After reading the book and doing my project, I became motivated to read and learn everything I could about the Titanic, ships, that era of time, the people that were on the ship, and so much more. After that project, I was motivated to continue reading expository texts and learning information as I read. The last reason the article states is that informational texts increase new knowledge domains. I found it interesting and it caught my attention when it said deep knowledge of a particular topic requires long-term study or interaction with the topic. If this is true, in order for students to grow in their success through middle school and high school, they should be exposed to the information or related information at a young age.


This article has opened my eyes a lot more to the effect that expository texts have on students and their learning. I feel very fortunate that my parents and teachers exposed me to expository texts beginning at a young age and incorporated that into my schooling. One question or concern maybe that comes to my mind regarding the article is as the teacher, how do you know what level of expository texts to introduce to the children and when exactly to do it? Also, sometimes it can be challenging to get students motivated to read expository texts if the topic is not interesting to them. So, what strategies can be used to motivate all students while incorporating the expository texts. I learned a lot from this article and I am excited to learn more and eventually incorporate these expository texts into my own classroom.

Blog #2

Peer Blogs- I really enjoyed reading through my classmates blogs and learning a little bit more about them and their lives. One blog that specifically stuck out to me was Courtney Hollins. Like her, I prayed for God to send me into the right field of work and He led me to education. She also mentioned that she is excited to teach Science and Social Studies which are my two favorite subjects. Courtney and I share the somewhat fear of teaching math. Like her, it is not really "my thing" but I know we can both conquer it! Another blog that I related to was Jordan Zila. I have known Jordan for quite a while through school, but enjoyed learning that she would like to teach 3rd grade. Like she mentioned, third grade is a time of transition for students and that provides interesting times in the classroom. When I worked at my elementary school, I always made a connection with the 3rd graders and agree with her completely on that. We also share the feeling of being slightly scared to write a research paper in this class.

Writing to Learn- I found this article very interesting and informational. One thing that stood out to me was the difference between writing to learn and learning to write. The article says that students learn to write when surrounded by models, demonstrations, and examples from the teacher. I personally relate to this because I am such a visual learner and I also learn by doing. For me to be most successful at learning, I need examples and models that I can follow, both correct and incorrect. Rubrics, checklists, and other similar sets of guidelines are also very important in this process. It is critical that students know exactly what is expected of them and that is communicated thoroughly by the teacher. I am a "list" type of person and learner. I like to know exactly what is expected of me and I can somewhat "check things off my list" when completing an assignment, and then receive teacher feedback accordingly, so I believe that is important. The information I read about teacher feedback, rubrics, and checklists, was very beneficial to me as I learn to become a teacher. I had a teacher in the 6th grade who would constantly make us write long papers and essays. However, when it came time for her to grade them, there was no method to her grading, so we as students never knew quite what to expect or how exactly she was going to grade that time around. With the use of rubrics and checklists, this situation can be avoided in my own classroom. A few questions that come to mind after reading that article, are which strategies are best to use in what situations? Also, are certain strategies better used in certain content areas? I believe incorporating writing to learn strategies in my own classroom will be beneficial for my students as well as me.

About Me!

    

Hey everybody! I'm Laura Welter and I'm from Biloxi and I'm 22 years old.  For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a teacher.  When I first began my college career, I thought I wanted to take a different path and become a physical therapist, but I quickly realized that wasn't the right path for me and joined the education department.  I have been exposed to the teaching field and teaching practices for basically my entire life.  My mom is a 4th grade teacher and my godmother (pretty much my second mom) teaches 5th grade.  While in high school, I worked at the elementary school that I attended in the after school care program which was another factor that drew me to education.
     If I could choose an ideal grade for me to teach, I would choose 3rd or 4th grade.  I just love that age and really feel a connection to those grades.  Since history is my favorite subject, I am very excited to teach Social Studies to students and make them see that history is not always boring and can be fun and exciting.  Also, I am looking forward to teaching science.  I am very nervous and anxious to teach math.  I have always personally struggled with math so I'm apprehensive to teach it to others.
     Like I mentioned before, I am from Biloxi on the coast.  My mom is a 4th grade teacher in the Biloxi school system, and my dad is the director of the Biloxi Teachers Federal Credit Union.  I am an only child, but we do have one dog, a Maltipoo named Toby.  Since I live very close to the beach, one of my favorite hobbies is going out on the boat to the islands, going fishing, and going to the beach.  I am a very slow reader so I do not get the opportunity to read a lot of books, but a few I have really loved have been Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, and Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. 

     While I was reading the syllabus, one thing that really stood out to me was The Elizabethtown Pennsylvania Project.  That is such an interesting and cool opportunity and I look forward to hearing more about it.  Judging from what I have heard and read so far, I believe this class is about literacy and how it is the basis of all learning.  It has to do with different literacy practices and how to provide students with the knowledge and support for them to develop.  After reading through the syllabus, I hope to learn how exactly to deal with and approach diversity in the classroom.  The Elizabethtown Pennsylvania Project as well as the Service-Learning Project look very exciting to me.  Both of these are out of the ordinary for a normal classroom and seem very beneficial.  One thing however that scares me a little bit is the Multigenre Writing Project.  I have never been a confident writer, so the face that this is a "writing intensive" class intimidates me quite a bit, but I'm going to stay positive.  As of now, I do not have any questions or concerns but I'm sure I will have plenty of questions in the future!