Book Discussion #3

Shannon and I finished reading Kindergarten Literacy.  We discussed the importance of the table ‘A Child’s Understanding of Print Concepts’ listed on p.198.  It is important to understand the progression of a child’s writing.  On p.199 Dr. Anne says that experience with print through shared reading and writing helps children notice regular sequences of letters and patterns.  I plan to have more shared reading experiences in my class next year.  On p. 211 the author discusses the importance of everyday writing routines.  This part of the text gave me several ideas to use in my classroom.  The author explains the importance of read alouds, shared reading, guided reading and independent reading.  A combination of these things can support children at all ability levels.  It is also important to model reading strategies.  I found the strategy table listed on p.250 to be helpful.  Shannon and I enjoyed the section about linking reading and writing with series books.  This was a new concept to me.  I hope to use some of these ideas to build background knowledge.  My favorite part of the book was about the power of names.  The author says that a teacher can examine how children write their names to learn what they already know about print.  There is power in teaching letters through names.  I definitely want to use these ideas and concepts in my classroom next year.

Theoretical Discussion #3

Stahl mentioned in her article that comprehension strategies could be important to a reader because they have the potential to provide access to knowledge that is removed from personal experience.  She also said that the unstated premise is that children who actively engage in particular cognitive strategies are likely to understand and recall more of what they read.  Tina, Tracy and I discussed the importance of activating background knowledge in order to build comprehension among a group of students.  I particularly liked the part that said effective instruction uses a gradual release of responsibility.  As a kindergarten teacher I realize the importance of explicit instruction, guided practice and modeling behaviors.  Over time, my students can begin to put comprehension strategies they have been explicitly taught into practice.  Tina pointed out the importance of teacher questioning that was discussed on p. 601.  Questions that teachers ask can act as a springboard and a model for critical thinking.

Pardo states that comprehension occurs in the transaction between the reader and the text.  Meaning emerges from the engagement of the reader with the text at that particular moment.  This article brings out strategies that our school has currently put into place as we have implemented Guided Reading, shared reading, interactive read alouds and The Daily 5.  Pardo mentions the importance of decoding skills in order to comprehend.  A portion of my guided reading instruction is focused on decoding skills, phonemic awareness and sight word reading.  Next, she mentions the importance of building fluent readers.  Fluency is also a component we teach in guided reading.  I also model fluency through interactive read alouds.  The article also states the importance of activating prior knowledge.  Pardo says that background knowledge can be a key factor in creating meaning for students.  I use shared reading and interactive read alouds as a way to activate background knowledge.  I allow my students several opportunities to ‘turn and talk’ with a partner as a way of expressing their knowledge and peaking there interest in a story.  After explicit teaching on ‘how to pick a just right book’ my students are more motivated to read books they have selected themselves.  We work on building stamina during daily ‘read to self’ time.  Tina, Tracy and myself discussed how our school has implemented many of the ideas listed in this article.

While discussing the Neufeld article we talked about how far our school has come. Neufeld suggest that there is strong evidence that comprehension does not occur in many classrooms.  Several years ago at my school we were teaching our students to be ‘word callers.’  We placed a lot of emphasis on the dibbles assessment.  We were essentially teaching to a test that is word calling and does not assess comprehension.  We have recently been provided with very effective professional development opportunities that have encouraged the teachers at our school to teach and practice comprehension strategies.   Tina, Tracy and I found the tables listed throughout the article to be helpful.  As a kindergarten teacher I have noticed that students do not monitor for meaning while reading.  This is a strategy that must be explicitly taught.  Neufeld suggest that some readers, particularly younger and poor readers, are not able to effectively monitor and control their efforts to comprehend while reading.  

Tina, Tracy and I all agreed that our school is moving in the right direction.  Our instruction is now geared toward reading for meaning and comprehension.  Our daily schedule is designed so that we teach in small groups.  

Book Discussion #2

Shannon and I discussed Chapters 4 and 5 in Dr. Anne’s Kindergarten Literacy.  Chapter 4 tells us that we are to become ‘evaluation experts.’  This tells me that the ultimate purpose of assessment is to provide the best possible instruction to meet the needs of each individual student.  The book states that we are to ‘choreograph’ lessons so that no student feels sidelined or unchallenged.  We believe that you must know a child to teach a child.  Shannon and I also discussed how one school constructed a local norm.  Based on their findings, they could see what the “average yearly progress” looked like for a kindergarten student.  As a poor school, I feel that we have dug deeper into what our students know and should know entering kindergarten.  Chapter 5 discussed different ways to teach the alphabet, names and words.  The book states that a child’s name is their most prized possession.  Shannon and I both agree that using a child’s name to teach the alphabet is a powerful tool.  The book talked about the importance of visual support and think alouds.  Shannon and I are using both of these techniques in our classrooms through the use of interactive read alouds.  I love the activity suggestions that are offered on page 172-173.  Although I am doing some of the activities, I love to build my ‘tool box’ of resources.  Shannon and I can use many of the activities suggested in this chapter.  Shannon and I loved how the book broke down each activity and explained how to use it in the classroom.  The activities suggested can be differentiated to benefit any learner in our classroom.  I have not used my word wall a lot in the past.  I will definitely use the word wall activities listed on page 186 in my classroom this fall.  The chapter ends by reminding us that kindergartner's learn better when they are motivated.  Our job is to keep them motivated through literacy rich activities.

Theoretical Discussion #2

Heather Reese (Tina,Tracy)

Theoretical Discussion #2

What I’ve Learned About Effective Reading Instruction By: Richard Allington

This is my favorite article so far!  Allington begins by saying that good teachers and effective teachers, matter much more than a proven program.  It’s shocking to me that it took a study to prove this.  I particularly agree with his statement that he makes about planning effective professional development.  I believe that many teachers do the best they can with the training and materials that are provided for them.  Tracy, Tina and myself agree that effective teachers produce better achievement regardless of which curriculum is used.  We also found it interesting that Allington pointed out effective long-term planning among administrators.  We discussed the six T’s of effective instruction.

            Time-  “Reading and writing versus stuff” was a powerful statement in this section.  We discussed the importance of quality reading instruction.  “Stuff” should not dominate instructional time.  During our discussion, I pointed out the statement Allington made about the critical aspect of instructional planning.  Teachers who plan effectively, plan more independent reading, guided reading, science and social studies.

            Texts- Tracy, Tina and myself felt very proud of our school in this aspect.  As we have started implementing programs such as Guided Reading, Interactive Read Aloud, The Daily 5 and Writer’s Workshop, we have equipped our teachers with a variety of text on all levels.  Our school isn’t teaching “against the organizational grain.”  We are supported in our efforts to become better reading and writing teachers.  We understand at our school that “one-size-fits-all” contradicts what we are trying to achieve.  We understand that lower achieving students do not need to spend their days reading books they can’t comprehend.

            Teaching-We all agreed that active instruction includes explicit explanations and includes teaching students reading strategies.  We all three pled guilty on “assign-and-assess.”  We now know better and will do better.  Assign and assess includes very little teaching.  An ‘eye-opener’ for us was on p.744 where Allington discusses bad teaching that I’m guilty of.  Allington says, “when assigning a worksheet that requires a child to fill in the missing vowel, only children who already know the correct response can successfully do the task.  And they don’t need practice.  Children who do not know which vowel to put in the plank space cannot acquire that knowledge from the worksheet.  Wow!  Why haven’t I thought- ‘those kids need an actual teacher- teaching them!’  This was a very powerful section of the article for me.  Tracy, Tina and myself agreed that our school is moving in the right direction.  We are beginning to move toward more explicit instruction, thinking aloud and modeling useful strategies for reading, writing and thinking.

            Talk-We agreed that we are encouraging our students to become problem-solvers.  We foster more students talk through interactive read alouds.

            Tasks-We all agreed that we are more actively engaging students by giving them choices.  We recently implemented ‘The Daily 5’ which provides what the article calls ‘managed choice.’  Choice has been shown to lead to greater student ownership.

            Testing-We all loved the part that discussed evaluating student work and awarding grades based on effort and improvement rather than simply on achievement.

I am proud that in my school I do not have to work against the grain.  I am fully supported by my principal.  Our school has been equipped with all the resources we need to carry out the most effective instruction.

Discussion #2- Behind test scores: What struggling readers really need

We all agree that it is common to find teachers spending large amounts of time preparing students for assessments.  We question- is this real learning?  We discussed the changes that our school is making to teach children to read for understanding and the importance of reading strategies.  We are now grouping students based on need.  We agree that one size instruction does not fit all children.  Students are now receiving appropriate instruction to meet their needs.

Book Club Discussion #1

Our book club is reading 'Kindergarten Literacy' by Anne McGill-Franzen.  Shannon and I read and discussed part one and part two.  I love that Anne is quick to recognize the importance of a good kindergarten teacher.  I teach kindergarten and I sometimes feel that colleagues in upper grades and administration do not look at kindergarten as an important academic grade.  Anne is quick to point out that kindergarten teachers need to be equipped with not only reliable assessments and tools, but powerful professional development opportunities as well.  Shannon and I discussed the impact of powerful professional development.  Our school implemented the Fountas and Pinnell reading benchmark assessment this year.  We weren't just given the kit.  We were provided high quality professional development and training in order to give the test and differentiate instruction to needs of each student.  In part two we discussed the assessments given in the book compared to the kindergarten assessments we give.  We discussed ways we can revamp our beginning of the year assessment.  We test on letter names and sounds, but we discussed the importance of adding print concepts to the assessment.  In addition to the kindergarten assessments we already give, we like the use of portfolios as a way to document student progress.  We also found the stages of spelling development to be interesting.  In the past we have given spelling test and simply marked a word wrong if one letter was wrong.  The spelling assessment in the book gave examples of allowable spellings and tips for scoring. Shannon and I discussed the writing rubric as a guideline we can follow during writer's workshop.  Although part two of the book was overwhelming, it gave us important guidelines to follow when creating a useful kindergarten assessment.

Who are you as a reader? Homework #1

Heather Reese

Homework #1: Who are you as a reader?

What do you read most often?

I am a mother of two young boys so I spend much of my time reading chapter books with my boys.  This past school year I read Guided Reading by Jan Richardson and The Daily 5.  This helped prepare me for the new reading program that we put in place at our school.

What do you read for fun?

I can’t say that I read many novels.  I usually choose one fun book to read each summer.  If I have free time sitting around the pool or on my front porch I love my Southern Living and Family Fun magazines. 

Why do you hate/avoid reading?

I like to teach reading, but I’m not a person to read many books for fun.  I am a busy mother and I don’t find a lot of extra time in my day to read.

Where do you read?

I like to read at nighttime just before I go to bed.  I also love to sit on my porch and read.  I find my front porch swing to be a very relaxing place to read.  I always take a magazine or two with me to the pool.

Who do you read to or with?

I read with my boys, especially my youngest who is 8.  My older son is an independent reader.  I am currently doing a Bible study with a group of women from my church.  We are reading What Happens When Women Say Yes to God  by Lysa TerKeurst .  This is an enjoyable read.  It has very short chapters and I spend time reflecting on what I read with a group of women that are special to me.

What is your earliest reading memory?

I remember having a book of nursery rhymes that my grandmother would read to me.

Do you remember learning to read?

I do not remember learning to read, but I remember having trouble comprehending things that I had read around 3^rd or 4^th grade.  

Theoretical Discussion #1

Heather Reese (Tina&Tracy)

Theoretical Discussion #1

Article: In pursuit of an illusion: The flawed search for a perfect method

The first statement that I found very true was ‘poor teaching should not be tolerated, and reading instruction can be improved, especially for low income children.’  I teach in a school that is 75% poverty.  My principal, Tracy, has made it a priority in our school to do all we can to teach all students to read.  The article states that ‘the best instruction results when a combination of methods are used by a teacher to meet the needs of all students.’  Tina, Tracy and myself discussed how our school recently received a grant that has allowed us to purchase a variety of resources, as well as professional development opportunities and the assistance of two reading specialist to guide teachers in the best practices to reach the needs of all students.  This has given all teachers a ‘toolbox’ to pull from.  Tracy complimented our faculty by saying we use the best tools we have for our students.  As a teacher I feel that I am now better trained and more effective in my reading instruction because I do not teach a ‘program’.  I carefully integrate a variety of programs to meet the needs of all the learners in my classroom.  In our discussion, Tracy pointed out that teacher learning is a lifelong process.   As the processes and research change, we as educators need to keep learning and adapting.  We are definitely doing that in our school. We have 10 teachers who are completing graduate level course work as reading specialist.  My favorite part of the article discussed how situations are different from day to day.  This is so true in kindergarten!  What works one day, may not work the next.  ‘On the spot’ teachable moments can be some of the most effective teaching.

Article: What is this thing called “balance?”

Tina, Tracy and myself agree that there is no single approach to teach reading. 

Our school is using what is described in the article as the four-block program.  We are combining several approaches to have the most effective teaching.  This year we began Guided Reading and The Daily Five, as well as interactive read alouds.  Next year we will implement Words Their Way, Writer’s Workshop and Shared Reading.  We also discussed the homogeneous and heterogeneous grouping with our k-2 students.  The scheduling in our day allows us time to teach students on their instructional level in small groups.