tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18445634853819975082024-02-03T02:10:42.596-08:00Claire's Classroom ExperienceClaire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-55120015311341784002014-04-02T18:53:00.002-07:002014-04-02T18:53:53.292-07:00Doggie Paddling Across the Atlantic Ocean: An Allegory for First Year of TeachingThat's what first-year teaching is: doggie paddling across the Atlantic Ocean.<br />
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I'm mainly concerned with keeping my head above water and breathing. And focusing on those two is really all I can handle. But sometimes I take a peek at the other swimmers. When I see the teacher-equivalents of Michael Phelps, I desperately and self-consciously try to learn butterfly. #disaster<br />
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Discovering that learning butterfly while immersed in the Atlantic Ocean is foolish and impossible, I aim to learn backstroke instead. My technique is terrible. So I desperately attempt freestyle. Okay. Freestyle might work. Nope, back to doggie paddle. #ohwell #betterlucknexttime<br />
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I started teaching third grade full-time at Sleepy Hollow Elementary in Fairfax County in January. I am continually observing, learning, and trying new techniques to get me (and the kids) to other side of the pond. Every teacher needs to know all the strokes to be an exceptional educator. But I have also found that using common sense and intuition is sometimes more valuable than desperately trying to mimic other swimmers. And developing great relationships with the children is the engine that powers us across the pond.<br />
<br />Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-64761909660606189062013-12-06T11:44:00.003-08:002013-12-06T11:49:28.186-08:00Last Day of Student Teaching<div style="text-align: right;">
December 6, 2013</div>
Today is certainly a bittersweet day. My last day as a student teacher at Meriwether Lewis Elementary School came all too quickly. It has been an incredible blessing working with Anne Straume and my wonderful third graders. I felt like a part of the MLS family from start to finish. I am so grateful that I was not only able to work with a remarkably creative and compassionate mentor, but I was also able to work with a whole community of caring and talented professionals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZ5MGqPOf8r46OFlNtphnpPpHEvROxpUL73IIsEt6S5bKeJ2jq2xxI94_B_GZPma3mpvbDvwTV5kKV2PKfMcB2gkrypGHu3H5Fzc8l2UGxGF8bLM-np2nsrjNdv2FxFMPQtTwkBTmh3sr/s1600/Goodbye+Poster.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZ5MGqPOf8r46OFlNtphnpPpHEvROxpUL73IIsEt6S5bKeJ2jq2xxI94_B_GZPma3mpvbDvwTV5kKV2PKfMcB2gkrypGHu3H5Fzc8l2UGxGF8bLM-np2nsrjNdv2FxFMPQtTwkBTmh3sr/s400/Goodbye+Poster.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A good-bye poster was waiting outside the classroom for me today covered with post-it notes from my students. Thank you third graders! I love you all, and I'll miss you!</td></tr>
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Thank you MLS teachers, parents, administrators, and staff for welcoming me with open arms and making my experience here so special. Thank you Meriwether students for being your wonderful, creative, energetic selves. And a BIG thank you to Room 18 children and parents for the book you created for me, the lovely party you planned today, and the thoughtful gifts. I will miss you all dearly! Please stay in touch.<br />
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<br />Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-38119922067337638732013-11-15T12:23:00.001-08:002013-11-15T12:23:05.599-08:00Survey Results Are In: Our Third Graders Love to Read<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Donalyn Miller's reading instructional approach detailed in <u>The Book Whisperer</u> turned my world upside down in August and totally reframed how I approach reading instruction. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a student teacher, <span style="font-size: large;">my main goal is to create a classroom environment where children enjoy reading and embrace their identity as a reader. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As an adult, if you were told that every time you read a book you have to answer multiple choice questions, write several paragraphs about it, or do a book report, would that encourage or discourage you from reading? That's what I thought. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I avoided using worksheets, comprehension questions, book reports, cumbersome projects, and similar inauthentic assignments that burden the act of reading. <b>And just let them read. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As it turns out,<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>they love it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today <span style="font-size: large;">I gave the children a survey on what they like about the way reading is taught in our classroom</span>. The results were amazing. Here are some examples of questions and responses on the survey. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. What do you like about the way Ms. Cantrell and Ms. Straume teach reading?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some quotes from our students: <b><br /></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I like that we have a lot of time to read."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"They recommend you good books."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"[I like that] they let us choose our own books to read."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"They let us read so much which I love and they choose really good books for us and they give us good recommendations"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I like how they read [out loud]."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Everything"<br /><span style="font-size: large;">"[I like] how they let us read every day in school."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"How you let us read a lot"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"That you give us a long time of READING!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I love the time to read!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I love everything about how Mrs. Straume and Ms. Cantrell teach reading in class."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Do you like reading?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">100% of student responded "Yes!" that they enjoy reading</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. How much time do you spend reading on a typical school night?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The vast majority of the students reported that they are reading more than 20 minutes on any given school night. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Children appreciate being given time to read in school. They like it when teachers just. let. them. read. I can see this reflected in the amazing quality of our students' behavior during reading time. They are always quietly focused on what they are reading. We are collecting data on students' comprehension and fluency and seeing increases across the board there as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Donalyn Miller, if you're reading this, thank you! The <u>Book Whisperer</u> works!</span><br />
<br />Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-56652796248466890692013-11-01T12:40:00.000-07:002013-11-01T12:41:13.112-07:00Math Can Be Beautiful Too!<div style="text-align: right;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">November 1, 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The children have been learning about multiplication as repeated addition. Today we started by practicing translating multiplication facts into repeated addition equations. Then the students used crayons and water colors to write repeated addition equations in an artful way. </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I loved giving the children an opportunity to experience math in a more visually pleasing way than just paper and pencil problems. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Math can be beautiful too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">#mathart</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">#artmath</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">#notmutuallyexclusive</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">#gettingcreative</span><br />
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Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-14744529006283560922013-11-01T12:10:00.002-07:002013-11-01T12:26:58.890-07:00Field Trip to the Public Library<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">November 1, 2013</span></div>
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBXkONeOkWw2VlyQfzRLeFtdjghwcV-LLZOZQd8lRJu2fhWnkwYngYU4_Y5tEG0ol9cShs_tbEb_jkit1LGQ18mkA3uY88fD_ccCdZYqlPSnmUMlGKgNNdfUy6hm-IxI1YucGVgquo6CRP/s320/skipping+to+library.jpg" width="240" /></span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A few weeks ago my mentor teacher and I told the children about how we had visited the brand new library in Crozet together. When you go inside, it's so chic and beautiful it feels like you're walking into a classy bookstore.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The children suggested we take a field trip, and we did! They were so thrilled when the day came today that they actually skipped from the school doors to the bus.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">One of our generous classroom parents donated reusable book bags so that the children could tote home a bunch of books and not have to carry a big stack of them. This brought up the discussion of how many books one person can check out from the public library- 75! The magnitude of this number sent murmurs of excitement through the third grade class. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When the children arrived at the library they received an excellent book talk from one of the librarians and a behind-the-scenes tour of the library. She discussed these three books specifically. I was captivated by her description of the story <u>The Sign of the Beaver</u> by Elizabeth George Speare. I love reading survival stories and I've always been fascinated by Native Americans. So I checked it out to read over the weekend.</span></span><br />
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Finally, the children had the chance to explore the library and pick out some books themselves. Some students used the online library catalog while others browsed. I heard students making book recommendations to each other and saying things like...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"Hey, I found the <u>Goosebumps</u> books that you like!" One of the students asked me on the way out, "Are we coming back next Friday so we can return these books and check out new ones?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">... Thes</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">e children are really starting to love books and enjoy reading! I am ecstatic! And remember...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Be a reader... join the movement.</i></b></span></span><br />
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Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-85074325004337460682013-10-08T14:31:00.001-07:002013-10-08T20:34:23.388-07:00Snapshots of Reading Instruction in Our Third Grade Class<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tuesday, October 8, 2013</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Introducing... The <u>Book of Books</u></span></b><br />
As each new day of third grade begins, students update their "Book of Books." We call it the "Book of Books" or "BoB" rather than their "Reading Log" or "Reading Journal." Students update their BoB. by recording any books they have started or finished. They are responsible for recording the title, author, date completed, and genre. When students aren't sure which genre a book is it sparks a conversation that carries over into reading instruction time.</span><br />
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<br /><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Authentic Reading is Making Recommendations to Other Readers</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We try to make our reading instruction as authentic as possible. How do adult readers find books they may enjoy? They talk to their friends. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our readers do a stellar of job of rating and recommending books for other students. When students finish reading a book that came from our shelves, they grab a post-it and put their name on it and write the number of stars they would rate it out of 5. Then we display that book somewhere on the shelves so another student can pick it up when he or she needs to start a new independent reading book. So far the system has worked really well and students are picking up many of the books their peers have read and enjoyed!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The $64,000 Dollar Question: What Do Good Readers Do?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of our reading mini-lessons are framed around idea of: "What do good readers do?" Students have a chart (below) in their Book of Books that they update each time we learn a new principle of good reading. I'm all about simplicity and this chart keeps lessons simple and the message, straightforward. Students feel a sense of accomplishment by filling up their charts with good behaviors that they can learn and practice to become better readers. We refer back to the principles frequently and reinforce the skills that we discuss. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-45356879410496230082013-10-08T12:59:00.003-07:002013-10-09T04:57:49.924-07:00All Plans Are Subject to Change<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's my new motto. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've heard it said many times that the best teachers are flexible. Great teachers roll with the punches. They identify what's working and what's bombing during a lesson. They gauge how students are responding while they are teaching, and they adjust on the fly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Internet and technology are wonderful sources for the classroom. But they can also be big variables. For example, on Monday I planned to teach a geography lesson on Ancient Greece. I had Google Earth all queued up. And then--- KABOOM-- the thunderstorm rolled in and the Internet cut out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So we rolled with it and focused instead on identifying geographic traits from a wonderful Powerpoint of present day Greece that my good friend Sarah Tisdale provided who lived there for a year. I let the children watch the Powerpoint slideshow and react to it. They called things out that they recognized and discussed their reactions with their classmates. Sure, it was a little chaotic at first. But it got the conversation started. Then we went back through and used the slides to describe Greece's geography.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We discussed that "acropolis" is a Greek word meaning</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We discussed the meaning of the word peninsula. The Greek</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mainland is a peninsula but there are many small peninsulas along the coast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Olive trees grow on the rocky mountainsides. </span></div>
Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-85726904790289113042013-09-30T07:58:00.001-07:002013-10-08T11:54:03.099-07:00Update: We are Readers (Capital R)<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Update on how the </span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>"We are Readers: Join the Movement"</b> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">movement is going (see post with purple banner picture). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Teaching is all about making decisions</b> </span>and making use of the limited time that we have for instruction. For example, we have 45 minutes per day for reading instruction and 45 minutes per day for writing instruction. How do we use that time wisely? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do we create a balanced literacy program? Is it possible to incorporate all of the skills, lessons, and elements of a "balanced" literacy diet in one day? </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The short answer is- no. It's impossible to incorporate every aspect of literacy instruction in a given day. Maybe it can be done over the long-term. But in the short-term I have 5 days and 45 minutes per day of reading instruction. So I am always coming back to basic questions:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is best practice for reading instruction?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We value time spent reading above anything else. Research supports this. My CI and I are converts to the pleasure-reading, read-for-the-sake-of-enjoying-reading, read-good-fit-books, read-because-you-love-it, choose-books-you-love-to-read, spend-time-reading-independently reading program. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do you organize instruction to give students time to read independently?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://clairesclassroomexperience.blogspot.com/2013/08/reflections-on-book-whisperer.html">1) We set aside time every day for students to read for enjoyment.</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) We encourage students to "steal minutes" of reading time throughout the day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Kids love "stealing minutes" of reading. My students come up to me throughout the day and ask, <span style="color: #cc0000;">"Ms. Cantrell, can I steal some minutes now?"</span></b> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And my answer is consistently "yes" (unless they are supposed to be engaged in a different instructional activity). This shows me that students are looking forward to curling up with a good book. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What else do we do?</b><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Reading mini-lessons</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The students have a chart glued into their "Book of Books" composition notebook that is titled: </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"What do good readers do?" </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Each time a lesson I have the students copy down the example of what good readers do in their chart. Simple. Organized. Easy to review.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Shared reading: SongFest!!</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my first reading mini-lessons was "Good readers reread (when they don't understand something or when they zone out while reading)." </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The way that I reinforced the importance of rereading is by having them listen to a song they enjoy and try to sing along. Most students did not know the lyrics the first time we heard the song. I posted the lyrics on the ActiveBoard and had them read them once. Then we reread the lyrics while we listened to the song. And most kids could sing along.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So now we use read, reread, and reread and sing technique with LOTS of songs. I have a special folder where I keep multiple copies of the lyrics to the songs we are learning so students can choose to read song lyrics during "Be a Reader" time. This practice of rereading also supports fluency. On Fridays we have a Songfest where students practice rereading and singing the songs we have practiced. </span>Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-70938068163816153882013-09-12T12:04:00.002-07:002013-09-12T12:08:46.517-07:00We Skyped Chief Meteorologist Travis Koshko!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What an incredible day! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We had our first classroom Skype visit with a local celebrity-<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Travis Koshko- </span><b>chief</b> <b>meteorologist for the Charlottesville Newsplex.</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The children came up with a list of excellent questions for Mr. Koshko. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihybhV-AuraySDf_wK8lqZd0lSKVm6RNxJYZxkKeLEf2IdXs-9Qa-zT53xqlnzcvSmxnSTLM9wYaCOaN4Zjq08N_7DcF1tUytxia9eiHJzIs8H0K2a_2BmnnCwxdnWkc8tAdR-rlJaJirv/s1600/IMG_2325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihybhV-AuraySDf_wK8lqZd0lSKVm6RNxJYZxkKeLEf2IdXs-9Qa-zT53xqlnzcvSmxnSTLM9wYaCOaN4Zjq08N_7DcF1tUytxia9eiHJzIs8H0K2a_2BmnnCwxdnWkc8tAdR-rlJaJirv/s400/IMG_2325.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have been studying graphs in Ms. Straume's 3rd grade class. We wanted the children to see how useful graphs are in the real world. Mr. Koshko explained how he uses a variety of graphs and maps to help him predict the weather. Here is an example of a graph that our class created illustrating how many grams of sugar are in 1 serving of cereal:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhZ_wKXdt2fjYrn8nGkRg5heLiwtAZnBVMjhSUfy9QKxg5KSBIOV2GuyjStgsKXIg0RszP1KeaZgRNe37NEQ_jiw9kvs55q042BeFEe3R9SMBcgpypo8XqUBvU_E8GJ08pxYLoLE64ua_/s1600/IMG_2321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhZ_wKXdt2fjYrn8nGkRg5heLiwtAZnBVMjhSUfy9QKxg5KSBIOV2GuyjStgsKXIg0RszP1KeaZgRNe37NEQ_jiw9kvs55q042BeFEe3R9SMBcgpypo8XqUBvU_E8GJ08pxYLoLE64ua_/s400/IMG_2321.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We learned some amazing things about what it takes to be chief meteorologist. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Mr. Koshko told us he wakes up at 2:30AM and gets to the station by 3:00AM! WOW! Someone needs to bring that man a Bodo's bagel at 6:00AM. :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thanks again for Skyping with us Mr. Koshko!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For more information follow our Twitter feed: @Claireecantrell and @chalkrelic (Ms. Straume) </span></div>
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Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-30372657590198800632013-09-08T18:11:00.000-07:002013-09-30T07:27:37.201-07:00We are Readers... Join the Movement!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This poster says to me: We are readers. Reading is cool. Get on board the train. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I later added photos of the students reading (which cannot be displayed for privacy reasons). It is displayed outside the classroom so everyone in the third, fourth, and fifth grade wing can get on board the reading movement. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibS1aFnWO8BQj4O0BNxyflg3U9lLLQ3LuTKZenqXm-gaEZeZsb8ozC62IThENykVq9TJQUCONQrtnQoSm6vrNZi-8-CY98DhoQY338KoCHNkf1BMgBJsLxFiPi-mR-Y6pmNeFK6RcpQdxf/s1600/IMG_2236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibS1aFnWO8BQj4O0BNxyflg3U9lLLQ3LuTKZenqXm-gaEZeZsb8ozC62IThENykVq9TJQUCONQrtnQoSm6vrNZi-8-CY98DhoQY338KoCHNkf1BMgBJsLxFiPi-mR-Y6pmNeFK6RcpQdxf/s640/IMG_2236.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<br />Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-87669262503592916172013-09-07T09:11:00.000-07:002013-09-13T22:19:18.323-07:00Failure Is Not a Period, It's a Comma<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This title is a quote from the article: <a href="http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/5-lies-every-twentysomething-needs-stop-believing">"Five Lies That Every Twenty-something Needs to Stop Believing" </a> from Relevant Magazine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Failure is common in a classroom. I am uncomfortable with failure. I'm uncomfortable with the feeling of coming up short or not having the answer. But I am learning through student teaching that failure is an inevitable part of teaching and learning. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Uncountable books, articles, quotes, and ideas have been written about the importance of failure and how to cope with failure. Brilliant thinkers always failed before they succeeded. Scientists fail for a living. Anyone who has become great has failed on his or her way to greatness. Failure is not an impediment to success but an important step on the road to success.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Failure Quotes from brainyquote.com</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Winston Churchill: "Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="qP8FLeQum-jTFM:" 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" 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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Abraham Lincoln, "My great concern is not whether you have failed but whether you are content with your failure." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure. - Bill Gates</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRNsrQteN3NrqPMQO-0x7BDkBoNPsoSlfm-IjEW01OyVQGEHKKG" data-sz="f" name="BRsXXyvcrz6XpM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRNsrQteN3NrqPMQO-0x7BDkBoNPsoSlfm-IjEW01OyVQGEHKKG" style="height: 170px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 272px;" /></span><br />
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Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-67203981609925906982013-09-04T13:30:00.001-07:002013-09-04T13:30:26.165-07:00Book Belts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We tie nail aprons to the back of our chairs so we can have our books with us at all times. Then if you want to take your books to lunch with you, untie your book belt and tie it around your waist.</div>
<br />Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-65640064754005273432013-09-04T12:47:00.001-07:002013-09-12T19:11:21.051-07:0020 Little Lessons Learned...<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">20 little lessons learned... from my first "formal" lesson</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXCAzBj4p4FQjRqmAKVMKHzrISTrBrIVMRAUmN7jOtPmbEh4-6RX1jIYStB7x6KJWqPJtjgm0Epvy7sM3VU-_kE5LD9i0xFZQMTq_vjefzWRFyNsl04fMApUgYJmdUGYI3cqT6zVpWpxj/s1600/Anchor_Chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXCAzBj4p4FQjRqmAKVMKHzrISTrBrIVMRAUmN7jOtPmbEh4-6RX1jIYStB7x6KJWqPJtjgm0Epvy7sM3VU-_kE5LD9i0xFZQMTq_vjefzWRFyNsl04fMApUgYJmdUGYI3cqT6zVpWpxj/s1600/Anchor_Chart.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Get their
attention. Relate it
to them personally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Exaggerate. Be
dramatic. Be overdramatic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Translate
everything into kid language. Ask them to make up the definitions. Write down
their definitions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">For example, When
I was using the IPICK acronym some of the kids did not know what the words: “purpose”,
“interest”, “comprehend”, and “know” meant. It’s important to translate this
into words they undertand before moving on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Write down what
you need to write down on your anchor chart ahead of time so you’re not wasting
time looking at the chart. You lose the kids’ attention during that time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">While the
children are turning and talking to someone, listen to their conversations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Ask the children
to repeat what their partner said. This improves listening skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Have the kids
rephrase the question you asked in their own words. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Differentiate
for students who may not be able to read what you’re writing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Have an
extension activity prepared for children who work more quickly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Relate it to
the real world! When and how do we do this in real life? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Get their
attention at the beginning of the lesson. Get their attention again in the
middle of the lesson. Keep their attention. Leave them with something concrete.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Assessment. If
the students can’t write down the words they are thinking then they can tell me
the answer in their own words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Some students
struggle to understand the question that is being asked on the exit slip. They
don’t comprehend what is being asked. In this case, simplify the question.
State it another way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Review. Review
again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Have them apply
what they are learning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Students may
work in partners. This is interactive support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Give explicit
directions for how the children are expected to behave when they <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>transition from one activity to another
and one place to another. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Circulate to make sure they are on the right track. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Add physical
movement whenever possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 58.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Optima; mso-bidi-font-family: Optima; mso-fareast-font-family: Optima;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Optima;">Smile. It
spreads joy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-76698958392192744312013-08-21T18:55:00.002-07:002013-08-21T18:55:41.444-07:00A Metaphor for Student TeachingStudent teaching is like dropping the box to a 1000 piece puzzle and trying to put it together overnight.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWEnsDhLVregVTcJrl20k24zxj2VIETJHlFxgDCtvbVFOg-jKouFLCJSXbayaSOp5HTa3bKl3lVCfNywMTm1EZr9VeFpIpM9G3WeH1JaJOYpxihziB9S56g9_Tdwc_CFcWXA0tn7gMLqH/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWEnsDhLVregVTcJrl20k24zxj2VIETJHlFxgDCtvbVFOg-jKouFLCJSXbayaSOp5HTa3bKl3lVCfNywMTm1EZr9VeFpIpM9G3WeH1JaJOYpxihziB9S56g9_Tdwc_CFcWXA0tn7gMLqH/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: http://nomorecommasperiod.blogspot.com/2011_12_01_archive.html</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />I LOVE teaching. And I am totally up for the challenge. Just like a puzzle is composed of many different shapes, colors, and patterns, teaching is full of complicated, overlapping, and unpredictable factors. Puzzling is enjoyable because it is a challenging process. Teaching is rewarding and fun not in spite of the complications and craziness, but because teachers have the privilege of entering the delightful and mysterious world of children and trying to make sense of it. <div>
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Oh yeah.. and I forgot to mention... the first day of school was wonderful.<br /><br /></div>
Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-52222549605367816382013-08-20T14:05:00.002-07:002013-08-21T18:57:32.606-07:00Role Model ReadersMs. Straume and I are role model readers! Our goal is to show the children we are enthusiastic readers. We read for pleasure, and we enjoy the types of books they may enjoy.<br />
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Check out the children's books we are currently reading...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgIa0mHCYHkmfOOQD2BIXU8NLTvBNVi8t92q83omRjQ1vBupSPVFTWzCat7gapRQcFH1wQPfG_yxmZaNgtZWmWwNM2Ai9kUBNMFqoHc46ngMeiqyAxx_YPlBRgGMWJil_XRszPtnXmsXOV/s1600/rolemodelreaders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgIa0mHCYHkmfOOQD2BIXU8NLTvBNVi8t92q83omRjQ1vBupSPVFTWzCat7gapRQcFH1wQPfG_yxmZaNgtZWmWwNM2Ai9kUBNMFqoHc46ngMeiqyAxx_YPlBRgGMWJil_XRszPtnXmsXOV/s400/rolemodelreaders.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am rereading <u>Ralph S. Mouse </u>by Beverley Cleary. Ms. Staume is reading <u>Lawn Boy</u> by Gary Paulsen. Two of my favorite authors!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-41458322345338115442013-08-20T04:38:00.001-07:002013-08-20T04:38:09.833-07:00GENIUS HOUR!!!My first bulletin board ever is outside the classroom door advertising "Geniur Hour" in the style of a movie marquee!<br />
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<br />Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-21965344358770361312013-08-20T04:33:00.004-07:002013-08-20T04:34:24.082-07:00Reading Role ModelNow that I am in the thick of student teaching there are so many books I want to read! Professional development books, textbooks, and teacher guides. Here are the books that were stacked on my bedside table begging to be cracked open...<br />
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However, I am realizing that reading novels and children's books alongside the children is essential as well. See my previous post for more information about the importance of being a reading role model as a teacher.Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-48791823068385642592013-08-19T20:33:00.000-07:002013-08-19T20:33:05.945-07:00Reflections on The Book Whisperer<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>The Book Whisperer</u></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Miller, D. The Book Whisperer. (2009). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">I am working my way through Donalyn Miller's book <i>The Book Whisperer</i> and loving it! I came to a heading titled "The Need for Reading Role Models: The Crux of the Reading Crisis." She cites some pretty startling statistics about the lack of avid readers in our society. For example, <b>in a study of preservice teachers they found that "54.3 percent were unenthusiastic about reading, leaving little hope that these teachers would be able to inspire students to engage in an activity that they themselves did not enjoy"</b> (Miller, 2009, p. 107). </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">Well that makes perfect sense! How could I possibly teach someone to enjoy something that I did not enjoy myself? How would I inspire students to read avidly and widely if I did not demonstrate that in my own life and attitude?</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Miller goes on to explain that <b>there are two stances on reading: 1) efferent stance and 2) aesthetic stance</b>. Efferent readers read to gather information and get answers. It is what she calls an "outside-to-inside way of reading" (108). On the other hand, aesthetic readers "see reading as an emotional and intellectual journey" (109). As a result, these teachers teach reading differently. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have seen such uninspired classrooms of students doing "round robin" reading where they sit in a circle and alternate reading a book page-by-page. But what does that accomplish? Is that inspiring children to read? Or just slowing them down? Are MOST activities, strategies, and skills we teach associated with reading just belaboring the text?</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Miller also mentions that teacher read children's books on a regular basis so they can share that experience with their students. So I made a list of some of my favorite authors, books-to-read, books-to-reread (since Miller encourages her students to reread texts they enjoy), and suggested read-alouds. It is a work in progress, but I am excited to get started on some of these delightfully diverting novels. </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some of Ms. Cantrell's favorite authors and good reads</span></b></div>
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<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Bridge to Terabithia</u> by Katherine Patterson</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Hatchet</u> by Gary Paulsen</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>The Chronicles of Narnia </u> by C.S. Lewis</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ann Rinaldi</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Ralph S. Mouse</u> by Beverley Cleary</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Holes</u> by Louis Sachar</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jerry Spinelli</span></li>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Books-to-Read-List:</span></b></div>
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<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Percy Jackson</u> Series. It comes highly recommended by many students</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Inkhear</u>t by Cornelia Funke</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>My Life in Dog Years</u> by Gary Paulsen</span></li>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Books-to-Reread-List</span></b></div>
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<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Ralph S. Mouse</u> by Beverley Cleary</span></li>
<li class="li1"><u><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Boxcar Children</span></u></li>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Possible Read-Alouds</span></b></div>
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<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Guts</u> by Gary Paulsen</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Knots in My Yo-Yo String</u> by Jerry Spinelli</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Each Little Bird that Sings </u>by Deborah Wiles</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>The SOS Files </u>by Betsy Byars</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>The Word Eater</u> by Mary Amato</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most of my reading is dedicated to professional development and student teaching. So I have a hefty stack of professional development, textbooks, and teacher guides on my bedside table. But this chapter has increased my motivation to read novels alongside my 3rd graders. </span></div>
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Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-60539179297336325502013-08-16T06:02:00.002-07:002013-08-16T07:29:51.829-07:00Repurposing this blog :)FYI: <br />
Dear fellow bloggers, friendly fans, fantastic followers, and first-time visitors,<br />
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I am now using this blog to record my learning experiences during student teaching. But it has been used for several purposes in the past.<br />
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I created this blog originally in 2011 as part of a technology infusion teaching internship. You can <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/virginia.edu/claire-s-tip-internship/">visit my website</a> if you want to see what I did with 1st grade English Language Learner students at a school in Albemarle County.<br />
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I also designed an <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/virginia.edu/ccantrellportfolio/?pli=1">online portfolio</a> based on my work with a kindergartener at the McGuffey Reading Center at the University of Virginia. I am working on merging all of these websites in a user-friendly and aesthetically appealing way. Keep in mind, it is a work in progress.<br />
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In 2012 I used this blog as part of my Second Language Acquisition and modern foreign language teaching methods class. So that's why there are a bunch of somewhat boring posts about chapters of books. However, they contain good information<br />
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Today I am working on crafting my professional development goals (PDGs). They will of course change and shift as the semester goes on. Here are some random notes and question that have been on my mind for the past few days:<br />
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<b>Bringing Up Boys</b></div>
How do we get boys more involved in the classroom? How do I, as a female teacher, involve and not alienate boys from learning. One way my CI has done this in the past is by choosing more masculine read-aloud stories. For example, boys typically do not get excited about or connect with <u>Little House on the Prairie</u> by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Choosing books that boys can connect with during this time is important to encourage their love for reading.<br />
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<b>Raising Rockstar Writers</b></div>
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The first subject area that I will take over is writing. I have always loved the writing process. But even as a mature adult sometimes I find it difficult to express what I want to say in words. Writing is a courageous process. It involves exposing your thoughts and your personality. I have had multiple professors teach us that a teacher should not correct grammar and punctuation right off the bat because then students focus on correctness in writing over content. Here are some questions I am asking myself: How do we value students' ideas and not focus on their mechanical mistakes? How do third graders feel about writing in general? How do I motivate and inspire children to write without fear of exposure? What are the obstacles children face when they are writing? </div>
Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-57870195277562723362013-08-15T14:50:00.000-07:002013-08-15T15:11:36.582-07:0021st Century Classroom Jobs Chart<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I worked on recreating the classroom job's chart. My clinical instructor (CI) and I were inspired to rethink the chart by the <a href="http://www.p21.org/overview/skills-framework">Framework for 21st Century Learning</a> and skills as well as Albemarle County's D2015 initiative. Our new and improved jobs chart has icons rather than pictures. The title is "Craigslist" rather than "Help Wanted." More importantly, the names of the jobs are jobs that exist in the real world such as "athletics coordinator," "Geek Squad," "quartermaster" and "receptionist." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope to incorporate the jobs chart into a lesson on economic specialization in the classroom. Just like people in the state and local economy specialize, we specialize as a classroom to be as efficient as possible. </span><br />
<br />Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-60162951007267746992013-08-14T07:48:00.000-07:002013-08-14T17:00:39.581-07:00Seven Pathways to Lifelong Learning #1: Technology Infusion: PoppletI have had an amazing start to student teaching. I feel like my brain is buzzing with new ideas (the buzzing part could also be the coffee). I have been jotting down books, websites, and concepts non-stop for the past three days. Today I learned about the "7 Pathways to Lifelong Learning," an initiative by Albemarle County Public Schools. This has definitely given me direction in thinking about how I want to plan my instruction this semester as a student teacher in third grade.<br />
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/acpsdesign2015/home/seven-pathways">7 Pathways to Lifelong Learning - D2015</a><br />
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1. Interactive Technologies<br />
2. P-based Learning (Passion, projects, problem-solving)<br />
3. Universal Design for Learning<br />
4. Instructional Tolerance<br />
5. Connectivity<br />
6. Make to Learn, Learn to Make<br />
7. Choice and Comfort<br />
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#1 Interactive technologies. One of my favorite interactive technologies that can be used by students and teachers is <a href="http://popplet.com/">Popplet</a>. It is an excellent online brainstorming and concept mapping tool.<br />
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If you have a Popplet you can look at others' popplets. I created a<a href="http://popplet.com/app/index.php#/965832"> Popplet concept map</a> while I was planning a third grade economics unit.Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-32709411209094416342013-08-14T07:40:00.001-07:002013-08-14T07:40:02.752-07:00A Delightful Reading Corner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-8727648045671883142013-08-13T09:00:00.001-07:002013-08-13T09:00:59.692-07:00The Book Whisperer<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miller, D. The Book Whisperer. (2009). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Some quotable quotes and great ideas from the book: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>"The only groups served by current trends to produce endless programs for teaching reading are the publishing and testing companies who make billions of dollars from their programs and tests" (Miller, 2009, p. 3)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>"I believe that this corporate machinery of scripted programs, comprehension worksheets (reproducibles, handouts, printables, whatever you want to call them), computer-based incentive packages, and test-practice curricula facilitate a solid bottom line for the companies that sell them" (Miller, 2009, p.3)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Amen! This is exactly how I feel. We have reduced reading to worksheets, comprehension questions, and online fake coins. Reading should be about choice. Choose a subject that interests you. Choose the author whose style you love. I believe that it's also important that teachers model a love of reading and a love of reading a variety of genres. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Children should be introduced to mythology, legends, fables, mysteries, realistic fiction and inspired to explore other genres. But the starting point should always be "We read because we love to read" and not... "I read to get a better fluency score. I read to fill out a worksheet to turn in so I get a checkmark."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Children become better at what they love. They will love reading if they love WHAT they are reading. If they are entertained and excited by the story. If they feel they have choice over what book they pick up and what book they put down. Personally, I don't care for the Magic Treehouse series. I never wanted to read those books in school but they were usually mandated. What if I had read books by one of my favorite authors, Ann Rinaldi or Sharon Creech, instead? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>"These programs ... are doomed to fail because they overlook what is most important. When you take a forklift and shovel off these programs, underneath it all is a child reading a book" (p. 3)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How could we lose sight of that? We teach children, not "reading programs." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">OOOOOH research!! She quotes Krashen!! MY favorite. Krashen is a leading expert in language acquisition theory. He writes about input, interaction, and output. I have lots of posts on this blog about second language acquisition. Here is what he says about reading:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>"Stephen Krashen, respected researcher, activist, and author of <i>The Power of Reading</i>, identifies fifty-one students that prove that students in free-reading programs perform better or equal to students in any other type of reading program. Krashen found that students' motivation and interest in reading is higher when they get the opportunity to read in school... building lifelong readers has to start here" (p. 3-4). </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not surprising. I wouldn't read a novel purely because someone else said I should. I would read the back cover, read a few pages, and then decide if I liked it. If I did, that would increase my motivation to read. I would want to come home every night and curl up on the couch with a great story waiting for me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>"Educators coined the terms real reading, authentic reading, and independent reading to differentiate what readers do in school from what readers do in life is part of the problem" (p. 4).</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Terminology gets in its own way sometimes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miller says that her reading instruction begins with her love of reading and outlines how reading has been important in her own life (p. 9-10). What a crucial starting point! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Speaking of not being able to put a book down.. I want to read this one cover to cover! More posts to come. </span><br />
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<br />Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-50924189945256687082012-11-24T19:34:00.001-08:002012-11-24T19:34:40.900-08:00Richard-Amato, Ch 15: Devising a PlanRichard-Amato, Ch 15: Devising a Plan, p. 360 - 385<br />
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Richard-Amato suggests that teachers should co-construct curriculum with their students. One way to do this is to do a "needs/interests assessment" at the beginning of the unit. The author also suggests that the best lessons are lessons that arise spontaneously out of student need. However, some elements of repetition can also be beneficial for students. For example, "recycling tasks, planning certain sequences of activities in predictable ways, ritual beginnings, endings, and transitions" makes the classroom more predictable and safe.<br />
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There are three types of content-based instruction: theme based, sheltered, and adjunct. Theme-based means that the language teacher teaches students language through content area subjects. This presents a challenge when language teachers do not feel confident in the content area. (I can't see my high school Spanish teachers teaching me chemistry in Spanish.) Sheltered classrooms are content area classrooms that are specifically tailored for language learners. Adjunct classrooms are classes in which the second language teacher works closely with the classroom teacher to "provide assistance needed to comprehend lectures, take notes effectively, write papers, make sense of text and so on" (374).<br />
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This chapter also mentioned the Kagan cooperative learning structures. These are: peer tutoring, jigsaw, cooperative projects, cooperative/ individual projects, and cooperative interaction (383-384). The one that stuck out to me was "cooperative interaction"because students are working together but there is not group grade. This seems like the best of both worlds because students are motivated by working with their peers but they are not graded based on their peers' effort.Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844563485381997508.post-61661176789003545782012-11-24T18:06:00.000-08:002012-11-24T18:06:01.782-08:00Richard-Amato, Ch 13: Ways to Promote Literacy DevelopmentRichard-Amato, Ch 13: Ways to Promote Literacy Development, p. 302 - 337<br />
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One of the ways that the author encourages literacy development is through the "language experience approach" (303). This is a process in which the student narrates an experience to the teacher, the teacher writes down what the student says, and then the teacher rereads it to the student. This can also be done as a whole group in which the class writes a story together and the teacher writes it down.<br />
I am wondering how this is different and more valuable than students writing down their own recounts individually. One way that the text suggests elaborating on this activity is to have the teacher cut up the story into sentences or phrases and have the students reconstruct the story. Once again, I am wondering what the educational value of reconstructing a text that the student has written is. How could a teacher possibly have time to sit down with students individually and record their stories? According to Richard-Amato, the language experience approach is empowering for students individually and collectively.<br />
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<br />Claire Cantrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095084165536305326noreply@blogger.com0