Word Walls in all subjects

While looking on the internet I decided that it would be cool to see if I could find a site that tells you how to incorporate word wall in every subject not just language arts. This website does that in a fabulous way. It also at the very bottom gives you different books you can use. It also tells you how to use a word wall to help ELL students. It has very helpful information. It is a great resource if you are ever stuck on how to use a word wall or why they are important to have in your classroom!

http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/word_walls

Star Fall- An interactive reading tool!

I found this website for children who are in the early stages of reading such as letter recognition. This website is interactive for the students. Additionally, it can help ELL students as well because there are interactive books and lessons. I would recommend using this website only for additional support, and not the main strategy for teaching literacy. For example, during center time, this could be used as a computer center. I would pair the website up with introducing the alphabet. For example, this week we are learning about the "a" letter. I would only have students complete the "a" section of this website.  Here is an example of what the a sound is: http://www.starfall.com/n/short-a/sa/load.htm?f There are also many games that go along with the interactive stories they have on the website. These games help develop context clues, semantics, and phonics. I really enjoy the colors and the images this website also provides. I showed the website to my younger sister who is just learning to read, and she was on it for 2 hours!

http://www.starfall.com/

ELL Beginning to Read

I found this website to teaching ELL students how to read in the English Language. I thought that this would be helpful, since most if not all teachers will one day encounter at least one ELL student. This website has five strategies to begin with, but all of the strategies will need to be taught and practiced beforehand. I would use these strategies depending on the level that the student is at, to make it easier I would use some words with flashcards, their native language on the back and on the other side would be the English word.

Minds In Bloom: 5 Hands-on Strategies to Teach Reading Comprehension for ELL Students

Strategies to figure out words

These are Reading Strategy posters that are used to teach students how to use a variety of strategies to figure out unknown words.   Because each strategy has an animal icon attached to it the kids really get it!  These are brilliant!  In this link, a teacher writes about how she uses these posters to help her students in a reading strategy lesson.  http://mrsjumpsclass.blogspot.com/2013/09/guided-reading-101-part-1.html.  In this teaching strategy, each student has their own reading bag.  In their bag they have their Reading Strategies menu, guided reading log for their parents to sign,  guided reading book, and guided reading work.  I think that this is a great way to get students to try their best to figure out foreign words.

Phonics May Equal Trouble

While reading chapter 5 "Strategies to Figure Out Words" I was very intrigued with the strategies of teaching phonics section.  I never realized how many ways there are in which you can teach phonics. There is the synthetic approach (children learn letter sounds one-by-one), and the analytical approach (chunking), and other sub-categories within the two approaches. While searching online I found a very intriguing article titled "Why Phonics Tests Spell Trouble". This is an article written from the UK that talks about the use of nonsense words when teaching phonics and whether or not that is an appropriate approach to use. The article explains the concern that by using nonsense words we are confusing students. We are having students try and read words that have no meaning, yet we are trying to teach them that words do have meaning, and that the use phonics helps to decode that meaning. By adding nonsense words though we are confusing this students and possibly deterring their learning of words. I  found this to be a very interesting point on phonics, especially since we are all currently working on the Reading Horizon Program that has us practice with nonsense words.

Different Strategies for Teaching Word Recognition and Phonics

My initial reaction to Chapter 5 was a surprise to how extensive it was.  At first it was difficult to process all of the information, but as I continued to read I began to organize my thoughts into an outline for the chapter.  For me, the chapter was organized in three parts with a focus on word study at the end.  For the purpose of length I decided to focus on the first three sections.  In each section, the author offers strategies that we as teachers could use in the classroom.  Throughout the post I will ask you what strategies you feel would work well in your classroom someday.  As pre-service teachers, we need to start planning for the strategies we will use and not simply just mention how great they are in passing.

The first section dealt with a child’s curiosity towards identifying whole words in a story and in their lives.  A child becomes interested in the function of a word first.  Instead of knowing that “snowman” is made up of a combination of letters, children understand and can picture what a snowman is.  This section particularly focused on reading-readiness and a few different strategies that we as teachers could use to help foster our students’ curiosity when it comes to identifying the function of whole words.  A large section of text was devoted towards creating environmental print in the classroom, developing sight vocabulary, and using context/picture clues to help decode a story.  One strategy I found interesting was to make errors at times in the morning message for my students to discover and correct.  This strategy just reminds me of being a critical thinker and to not just merely accept everything an authority figure says or writes down.  As teachers, we should encourage and support critical thinking and questioning.  Another strategy that I found useful was to create an experience chart.  During a unit for fall, I would ask my students what they enjoyed the most from the season and to use adjectives to describe the object or activity.  I would take their responses and write them on a chart and put there descriptions below.  This way I am able to create a sight-word chart that is relevant to my students’ lives.  What strategies did you find useful?  Were word walls or pocket charts some of yours?  Why?

A child’s curiosity moves from the function of whole words to a curiosity of the sounds and letters that make up the words in the second section of the chapter.  This section dealt with phonological awareness and phonemic awareness.  This section focuses on the oral sounds that words make.  A strategy that I found quite useful was to have my students create their own rhymes.  This allows my students to manipulate words of their interest and find other words that rhyme.  What strategy would you use to focus on the different sounds words make?  Would you sing songs that rhymed or read books that rhymed?

After both functions and sounds of words are identified children become curious about the individual letters that combine together to make up words.  The third section deals with teaching the alphabet and phonics.  A strategy I found extremely beneficial was to do the letter of the day.  For example if the letter was ‘d’ then I would exhibit words that start with ‘d’ for that day.  Instead of doing a letter a week, I am able to revisit difficult letters more often and provide my students multiple experiences with the letter.  After the initial 26 days I would introduce phonics to the students.  I would follow the book’s recommendation to group letters together and to start with the most commonly used consonants.  I would also include a vowel with one group of consonants much like Reading Horizons recommends teachers do.  This way I am able to revisit the individual letters and to instruct my students on the different sounds they make.  Shortly after, I would give my students the chance to practice with the letters and the sounds they make by providing meaningful and engaging activities.  According to the book, this is referred to as the Analytical-Synthetic approach to phonics.  Do you disagree with my approach to teaching the alphabet and phonics?  Would you initially teach a letter and the sound it makes at the same time?  What strategies from the book would you use?

Teaching High- Frequency Words

 After reading Chapter Five and reviewing the different reading strategies I am surprised by what I read! The part that interested me most was developing sight vocabulary. Something that I had not considered before, when it comes to children learning to read they're using environmental print. This can be when children read signs, logos, and even food labels. According to Orellana and Hernandex (1999), children as young as age two can read familiar environments print.

The section of the chapter that I would like to focus on though is the word walls and using word walls to teach high-frequency meaningful words. As a student I always just thought of the word wall as a place we displayed all of the vocabulary words we were learning. After reading this section I noticed all the ways that word walls could be incorporated into the classroom daily. Prior to reading this chapter I always thought that word walls made the classroom look cluttered, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. After seeing all of the wonderful benefits of incorporating word walls into your classroom daily I cannot wait to use word walls in my own classroom.

In Interactive Word Walls by Janis Harmon she says on page 401 students use word walls for learning, and teachers use word walls as teaching devices. I felt like this summarized up what our textbook is trying to relay very well. She goes on to talk about how word walls are an effective tool within the classroom. Although, it is noted that you cannot simply just place the words onto the wall with your students and expect them to grasp the concept, but you must explain and discuss the word first. As Ms. Harmon said you should talk with your students about the words characteristics, such as their letter patters, their compunction, and even how to spell the word.

Word walls can also be used to help English Language learners with any words that they might be struggling to learn. This way the words can be repetitively practice and help them grasp the meaning. Please look at some of the different activities you can do within your class using the word wall. There are countless strategies to figure out words, but throughout this chapter as you take away the different methods that you would like to use in your classroom, the most important aspect is that you practice these strategies daily in your classroom!

Activities to incorporate word walls:

This link is to a PDF that has over a dozen different ways to use word walls in your classroom. Some are more games and others are activities. They are all clearly described for anyone to do in their classroom!

Looking for a way to get your students up and moving, but still want there to be an educational message? Well this link is an interactive game that your students will enjoy playing, but still practicing their vocabulary using the word wall.

This website explains how to play word wall bingo! This is a game that I can recall playing in grade school myself and really enjoyed so I thought I should share it as well. There are several other activities on this page, but word wall bingo is one that I would definitely recommend trying out in your classroom! 

Developing Sight Vocabulary

Chapter 5 focuses on the different strategies to figure out words. One section I was interested in was the "Developing Sight Vocabulary". There are a variety of ways that can help students develop sight vocabulary, some of them are as simple as having word walls around the classroom, creating your "very own words" collection, or as complex as using the language experience approach. When using word walls in the classroom teachers should think about the different themes they could use or the different centers children can go to, to help build their sight vocabulary.  By using the language experience approach helps children associate oral language with written language. In other words, teaching children that what is said can be written down and then read. When doing this, children are learning the left to right progression of our written language and are able to form letters and combine words which builds sight vocabulary.  However,  I was specifically interested in the topic of "Very Own Words".

This section discussed how Sylvia Ashton-Warner  (1986) described Very Own Words as a method for developing sight vocabulary. She encouraged children to write down their favorite words that they read in a story or content area lesson on separate 5 X 8 cards. Very own words are usually from a child's home life but also reflect emotional feelings.  One way to start a  "Very Own Words" collection is by having a discussion to find out the students favorite things to do outside of the classroom.


Very Own Words is an activity that can be used at any grade level and allows for children to produce interesting language. This activity can be educational or for pleasure. An example the book gave of interesting language that was for pleasure was " popping corn or making play dough". However, children can choose a favorite word in a book that they have read or from content areas such as social studies or science units.

Teachers should encourage children to "do things with their words". This means have the children read their words to friends or themselves, copy them, use them in a sentences or create stories. Very Own Words" can also be used in older grade levels. Seven and eight year olds enjoy but also learn when collecting their "very own words".  These children can alphabetize them and store them, but they can also study the letter pattern. Students can discuss consonant and vowel sounds, blends, digraphs, and structural elements such as prefixes and suffixes, as well as phonic generalizations. By  giving the child the opportunity to pick and choose their favorite words teaches them more about developing vocabulary than if a teacher assigned a word or if the word was found in a text book.

The collection of "very own words" is very beneficial to have in a classroom. First, it is a different way of teaching. Also,  students are able to pick and choose their favorite words and the words relate to their individual lives, which will encourage a student to engage in building their vocabulary.  Very own words are also useful with bilingual children. When a bilingual child creates their 5 X 8 cards they can have the word written in his/her native language.

Strategies to Figure Out Words - A Few Questions for the Author

After reading this chapter extensively, I am surprised by some of the things I did not realize were going on in our children and in our schools! I am also confused and feeling conflicted about dialect and "exceptions" in phonics.

I will start with what I am amazed by. I never realized that when little ones make the connection of golden arches to McDonald's they are actually understanding literacy. It makes sense that they are using what they're familiar with to make connections, and eventually they will understand that the letters "McDonald's" actually spell out that word. I also never realized that the "messages" written on teacher's boards were used for teaching literacy and figuring out words. I had assumed they were just there as a discussion point to talk about during the morning meetings. The more I think back to elementary school, the more I realize how helpful my second grade teacher was in surrounding us with words. At our morning meetings, we had a question to answer that was how we took attendance. After we answered the question, we then talked about the word of the week (usually a life skill such as integrity, flexibility, trustworthy, etc.), after that we sang a few songs to help us transition and get our energy out. While we sang the songs, the teacher had handwritten the words on poster board that we would follow along with. I always thought the words were just there to help us sing, but I now realize that she probably wanted us to follow along to strengthen our phonics. It's amazing to me the handwork and strategic planning that goes into planning how to teach literacy that students and parents don't even pick up on. Does anyone else have something like this they can make a connection to?

I feel very conflicted about dialect. I understand that peoples' voices are different depending on where we live in the world, but isn't there a way to make sure we are all teaching proper English. The book really bothered me when it said a teacher from upstate New York would teach the wrong vowel sounds if she taught in South Carolina or Georgia. I think students are being cheated if they grow up not learning how to properly sound things out phonetically and correctly. The exceptions rule really bothers me. I know it isn't anyone's "fault" but how can we create rules for our language and then go back on them and say this is the "exception?" Do people understand how tricky it is for students to handle that stuff? What about when students follow the rules and get the words wrong? That is showing us that they do understand the rules of our language, it's just unfair that our language doesn't always follow those rules.

Under the "Published Materials for Literacy Instruction" heading, there were 11 things to consider when purchasing basal readers or anthologies. I have to laugh when the author is telling US what to consider to purchase. Usually, school districts purchase basal readers that are corporation wide, they do not vary from classroom to classroom. I think if teachers were in charge of choosing textbooks this section would be useful. However, that just isn't the case. In my school district the teachers were just given the textbooks to use. Does anyone have an example or a school corporation where this was different? Please let me know!

Sorry for the lengthy post, this chapter just seemed a little longer than the others!

Info on Opting Out in Indiana

These are two useful links for more information about parents' rights to opt their children out of high-stakes testing. 

United Opt Out

Indiana-Specific Information

What do you think? 

Check this out!

Badass Teachers Association was created to give voice to every teacher who refuses to be blamed for the failure of our society to erase poverty and inequality through education. BAT members refuse to accept assessments, tests and evaluations created and imposed by corporate driven entities that have contempt for authentic teaching and learning.

Check out their blog here!

When we talk about gifted students, we know how important it is to recognize that they need to be challenged and to be given the same amount of attention as all of the other students. We know that gifted students are not to be ignored because they're generally well-behaved and understand the content. This article tells us that research has been done that shows gifted students being in their own classroom might be the answer to this. It says that this helps students across the board!


http://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2014/10/06/separate-classes-gifted-students-boost-kids/16820255/

People will tell you that your child is smart, and you will agree. But exactly how smart? Is your child gifted or just bright, or is there a difference? Find out as you learn how the experts define giftedness. Explore the characteristics of gifted children and learn how to use them to determine if your child is gifted. This article explains just that. It shows what to look for such as cognitive, social and emotional, language, and more traits.

http://giftedkids.about.com/od/gifted101/a/giftedtraits.htm

I chose this particular picture because I have a personal interest in gifted students and also I feel that a lot of the times gifted students do not get enough attention. This picture has a few interesting facts and statistics about gifted learners that I found helpful. For instance 88% of high school dropout have passing grades but drop out from boredom. That is a completely shocking fact that we as future teachers should be ashamed of and is a fact that with proper teaching could be avoided.  Also gifted learners often know half of the year's curriculum before the year starts. These statistics show that we as teachers need to better adapt our material and lessons around gifted students and give them as much attention as children with special needs.

Gifted Students

Teaching gifted students can sometimes be challenging because it is our job to keep them interested and motivated even if we are not teaching at their certain pace. Students who are gifted are also more likely to drop out of school later on, elementary teachers are the basis of their education, I believe its important to engage them in something they find interesting or enjoy. Not only should we engage them in academics but also emotionally and socially. We must find that balance to equal them out a among their peers but also meet their academic standard. In this website I found, it talks about things to do for gifted learners as well as things that might create a negative effect for them as well. One of my favorite points was to not ask the gifted student to do something and then wait for others to catch up, we have to find a way to challenge them rather than expecting them to do something they already know. This website talks about what it means to teach a gifted student and the best way to meet their needs.

http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/gifted-education-practices/what-it-means-teach-gifted-learners-well

Promoting Conversations

Conversations are all around us. They started the day we were born and they have propelled us to use language and grow our language skills. That is why I chose to focus my post on that section of chapter four. Many people believe that elementary students are too young to hold long book discussions or think deeply about a text. If I child can hold a conversations they can hold a conversation about a book. Teachers need to start using more forms of conversations in their classrooms.

            Try to think back to a time when you were in school and a teacher “shushed” you when you were asking a fellow classmate a question about academics. Even though you were probably asking this question in at an inappropriate time teachers should not always shut down these conversations. It seems like today teachers are focusing on worksheets or tests instead of conversations. These worksheets take very low levels of critical thinking and do not further a child’s critical thinking skills. Since conversations are such a crucial part of language development why are so many schools not using in their everyday classrooms? The book pointed out a few ways to incorporate conversations into the lessons: small-group conversations with the teacher, formal conversations without the teacher, inform conversations without the teacher.

During small-group conversations teachers are only there to help redirect conversations and they should follow the same rules as the children. Formal conversations without the teacher can be tricky for a teacher to handle because the classroom can be come loud and seem out of control. An example of this is having literature circles where tall the teacher decided is the students in each group and what book each group will be. It is up to the students to pick the number of pages that they want to discuss and how the conversation is directed. This builds so many skills that the students may not develop will later in life. Educators may use this activity to promote comprehension, as well as vocabulary skills. Literature circles may also benefit students who lack confidence in their reading skills as they allow them to have peer support to comprehend the material read. But most important of all: English language learners (ELLs) are included in literature circles and they have the opportunity to interact with English proficient students as they model appropriate language skills. Informal conversations with out the teacher may not be the conversation that are seen in the classroom as much but they are seen during free-play periods, center time, or outdoor play/recess. Even thought these conversations may not be “academic” they are still a very important part of building social skills in school.

As a teacher do not feel like you have to have complete control of your classroom all the time because you may not be allowing you students to create conversations that will increase their critical thinking skills. These discussions can also lead to topics and ideas that far exceed anything that you could have prepared.

Language Development

Before I read this chapter I was not familiar with the stages of language development. Thinking back on my life, learning language seemed like something that just happened. I vaguely remember learning the letters and corresponding actions that went along with them, but that was about the extent of it. Reading this chapter made me realize that there are a few key elements that stand out.

One of the key ideas that really hit home for me was learning through exposure to language. With many different experiences it only seems natural that this will help to push language enhancement. When reading this in the textbook, it made me think back to when I was learning Spanish. While I learned sitting in class, I really started to understand the language as I was immersed in helping teach kids how to play soccer that only spoke in Spanish. Through different activities and formal and informal communication with their parents and the children, I picked up Spanish a whole lot faster than I ever had in any class. As teachers it really points out the importance of authentic instruction. While it is easy to give our students worksheet after worksheet on grammar and sentence structure, how will this benefit them? We must use metacognition ourselves to reflect and realize that we are not just teaching our students to succeed in the classroom but to allow them opportunities that are similar to situations in real life where they can use their language to empower them.

             The text also brought up a very valid point: language is something that is built, not something that just happens. When I thought about this it made me think about the importance of allowing for social interaction. With this our students can learn from each other and push each other to grow in a community of learners. When our students feel safe they will not only socialize more, but grow through their experiences in using language. This gives them the opportunities to experiment with using the correct syntax and semantics. Our students will not only become stronger through this experience, but become more competent in displaying their ideas and emotions.

            So as teachers, are we bridging the gap for our students to not only succeed in school, but giving them the tools to effectively communicate through language and thrive in the competitive world surrounding them?   

Language is Life

In order for anyone to be a member of today’s society, it is crucial for him or her to have adequate language skills. Take a look around you. How many words do you see? How many conversations can you hear? As a baby the people around us expose us to language and that is how we begin to learn to form sounds like ma-ma and eventually turn those sounds into words.

So what happens to a person if they are not 

exposed to language in their early years of life?

Does language occur naturally, like the Navist Theory suggests, or is it the exposure of language that ignites the development of language? 

In 1970, a 13-year-old girl named Genie was found neglected and abused in her home. Due to the extreme neglect Genie faced, her brain did not develop properly. The video below is part one of Genie's story. This story leads me to believe that experiences are the key for children to learn how to talk and to read. 

But to what extent do children need to be exposed to language and what kinds of experiences influence a higher development of their language skills? Children come into their first day of kindergarten which a wide variety of language skills. Some can read, some can write, and some can barely form sentences when they talk. Is this because of the environment of which they live?

How does a child’s background and home life affect their 

ability to develop language skills?

I feel as though it is important for us as future teachers to be aware of the stages children go through while developing their language skills. As teachers, we need to address the individual language needs of each child in our classroom. By assessing individual student’s language development, we are able to determine which stage they are at and can change our instruction to further their reading, writing, and communication skills. 

I enjoyed how this chapter gave specific strategies teachers could use in their classroom. Language is everywhere! Take advantage of your surroundings and subjects to further develop student’s language. 

Simple Strategies to promote language development: (searcher video)

This video talks about ways and strategies to promote language development. It starts off by saying oral language should be promoted early on in the child's school years. They also say that scaffolding of language development is very important. Scaffolding is helpful in all areas of education, but especially in language development; it allows for development to start of simple and continue to grow into more complex knowledge. Another strategy teachers can use to promote language in their classrooms is by asking open ended questions and being interested in what the children have to say. Teachers can also do something as simple as modeling the use of new vocabulary words and or phrases. I think this video has a lot to offer on the topic of language development.

Language Development

I thought it was very interesting to read through the strategies for language development in early childhood classrooms in chapter 4. As I was reading I started to realize that over the years students have been pulled away from their natural ability of imagination. Children are born natural learners and through their curiosity they desire to learn. There is a short article about the need to nurture children’s curiosity and tips on how to do so that I found interesting.

Students are placed into pre-schools and kindergarten at such a young age and in some instances students are taught to learn through simply the teacher teaching rather then through the child’s curiosity to learn. In my opinion this is why so many young children do not enjoy school. Students need to use their curiosity and imagination to ask question and learn, this would make learning more meaningful to the child. The section mentioned, “Exploring and experimenting with the materials in the centers are creative, imaginative, problem-solving, decision-making experiences in which children use language”.

As pre-service teachers we need to keep in mind to always allow the student to use their imagination and curiosity to learn through new experience on their own. I find it interesting how even though teachers are not always intentionally teaching students about language students learn each and every day through experiences and interactions with their peers. So, my question is what are other ways we can create an environment that will encourage student to interact with others to build language development? Providing students with a classroom with centers, discussions, music, art, dramatic play, and more are all ways students can build on their language development. Allowing students to work in centers was a big point in the chapter. Through these activities student ask question, laugh with peers, learn from peers, and make connections to lessons. Do you think we have fallen away from allowing children to use their imagination? Do you think that the development of language at a young age is something to be taught or simply providing children with opportunities to develop on their own? I think it is a little of both and it also depends on the age of the child. This is a video clip about how to support young children in their development of language that I thought went well. Even though this video mainly focuses on children at a very young age the same concepts should be applies to children in school.