Roots and Wings

2009-11-01T16:59:00.001-08:00

WTF

2009-04-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

In case anyone is still reading....can you believe this????!

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5037937/

Thank you!

2009-04-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

I hope you all enjoy the rest of this school year and congratulations on completing this semester. Enjoy the rest of your year and have a wonderful summer if I do not see you all again:)

That time already?! Reading Response and Self-Evaluation

2009-04-11T13:49:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that this semester is winding down and that we are fast approaching the end of the semester. I know that I am a week early in posting the Reading Response and Self-evaluation, but Spring Break is the perfect time to catch up on things!

After re-reading my blogs I was suprised at the number of literacy concepts I apply in my classroom without even really realizing it! Running records, dialogic read-alouds, and other assessments are apart of my daily classroom routines, along with strategies neccessary to assist ELL students. I was also surprised that I recalled previously learned information regarding topics such as Reggio Emilia and how to incorporate some of its ideas, such as familial ownership into the classroom.

As far as blogging goes, I have decided that at this point I have a love/hate relationship going on and whether I am feeling the love all depends upon the topic! I have learned that I can be quite passionate about certain topics (i.e. what best practice tells us we should be doing contrasted with the reality of what a school district and your boss may be telling you to do). I am not sure if I will continue to blog, but even if I do not I can honestly say that it has been beneficial to respond to articles in a forum that allows me to express myself in a laid back environment.

While rereading my classmates posts it became clear that we all have things in common...including desires to instill change in the public school system regarding best practices and some things we see differently....what we need to expect from families. We all seem to be reflective and acknowledge that we feel (a great deal of the time) like there is always more that we could be doing for our students and we seek the knowledge to make sure that happens. It is also clear from our blogs that we love our students and find joy in the humorous, day to day events that make up our careers as early childhood educators.

100 languages of learning....

2009-04-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

When I was in the B-K program here at UNC a few years ago, we explored the Reggio approach in depth. This approach believes in allowing children to explore the world around them through the "100 languages of learning". Children are encourgaged to explore a wide variety of materials from a very young age, and the approach to learning is very family oriented and relationship based. When I was doing my preschool and infant observations I was lucky enough to be assigned to a Birth-preK facility that echoed the Reggio approach. It was located in a converted home, with acres of land to explore. Family workdays produced gardens, fences and relationships between the staff, children and parents. Children had access to a variety of art materials and produced masterpieces as babies and toddlers. Our readings this week echoed the importance of relationship building and I could not help but think of my experiences at this school. Now that I am in a public school setting, with older children, I appreciated this connection even more as it reminds me to include families in all that we do. I sometimes feel that as teachers we are on our own when it comes to doing this and that we need to make the effort. Yes, public schools offer parent nights and programs, but parents are often unaware that they are welcome in the classroom:)

ELL students

2009-03-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

The reading and video this week had many elements from a course I took last semester. In our class we were taught that first and foremost the child's native language should be celebrated and used at home and that it is acceptable in the classroom as well (echoed in the video). I have had parents ask me if they need to speak English at home with their children and we always tell them to speak in their home language! As the video mentioned, students bring sophisticated literacy skills from their native language as well, and will help them in their acquistion of a new language and literacy skills in that new language. In the classroom we were encouraged to use strategies that supported the child's development of Literacy skills in the classroom. Many of these strategies (Print rich environment, speaking with gestures, repetition, fixed schedules) are best practice for all children this age. Like the video also discussed, it is very important to find out what knowledge your ELL students come in with (in their native language).

Another discussion that often came up in class was the importance of ELL services and that best practice dictates that those services are put to best use if they occur within the classroom ( a pushin rather than a pullout method). Some schools use a pullout method exclusively, which means the children are missing class time with their peers and teacher. One of my classmates last semester, an ELL teacher, worked in the classroom, co teaching lessons and modifiying plans so that the children stayed in the room! One of our classes was a meeting with some college aged students who had recieved ELL services in a pullout method while they were in school. They ALL thought that pullout classes were too easy, separated them from other classmates and created a divide between them. Those that had services while in the classroom felt more connected and did not miss aspects of the curriculum. It was very interesting to get a first hand account about what we get right and wrong regarding ELL services.

2009-03-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

The article that I read discussed research that supports the importance of oral language in its relation to reading (sometimes when I read these articles I am like "duh" ask any person who helps teach children to read and they could tell you this).
The article gave suggestions for teachers including the following: promote intentional conversations, create opportunities and time for content based discussions and opportunities for reflection. The reflection portion is something that I am trying to focus on in my classroom this year. I believe that self-reflection is important for students, including, five year olds. It gives them the opportunity to orally discuss what they have accomplished in a center and shows me that they are making the connection between what I have taught them and the activities in their centers, while building oral conversation skills. This is something I am tweaking as the year goes on!

Running Records

2009-03-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

I use running records as a formal and informal assessment in my daily classroom activities. The district provides DRA kits that are used to formally assess students at the end of each quarter. I use my own running records or running records that come with the bookroom books (I have found many guided reading books come with running record sheets) during centers and guided reading in order to informally gauge the progress my students are making, to help assess which reading strategies the students are using as they read (and which strategies I need to teach and reteach), and to make sure I am providing texts aimed at a student's level (both independent and instructional). I am also very fortunate to have a dedicated literacy coach at my school, who offers us support in administering everything from running records to interactive writing lessons. Running records are one of the assessment tools I feel the district gets right....it is developmentally appropriate and is used to guide instruction rather than to serve as an endpoint or "grade". In fact, the students may not even notice that I am administering one.

Animals! Animals!

2009-02-27T18:03:00.001-08:00

Next week my kindergarten students will be enjoying a wild week of Eric Carle! He became a class favorite early on this year and so we decided to dedicate some exclusive time to his books. My class loves reading and rereading his books, and they lend themselves nicely to informational texts, as well. I love watching them read them to each other (especially when they mimic the comments that I say to the class) One of his books, Animals! Animals! is a class favorite and we choose animal poems we love from the book and then read non-fiction texts about that animal. Sometimes I read the poems, omiting the animal's name from the text and they try to guess what animal I am talking about....they never stop thinking that this is hillarious. I actually have several students this year who prefer non fiction texts to anything else...my kidwatching student is almost exclusively interested in animals and we read ALOT of animal books to help him feel connected to our class.

The class has also begun to act out Does a Kangaroo have a mother too? and will be performing the play for Mother's day. Reader's Theater is so much fun to incorporate in class. Students are able to become an active participant and they feel connected to the text in a more personal way. It was actually one component of the District adopted literacy program that I agreed with. Are there any other stories that you have used in your classrooms that have made for a successful readers theater?

It is so important to expose children to all types of literature through the use of repeated interactive read alouds. Poetry, informational texts, fictional storybooks, and students' own writings are daily literacy experiences in my classroom and they are my favorite parts of the day!

LEA

2009-02-20T21:46:00.000-08:00

I completed the LEA activity with my class this week and it worked out very well. We completed an interactive writing lesson and read back our sentences to each other. I turned the students words into a book that we have since illustrated. We have been reading it each day and the students get very excited when we get to their page. The student that is my kidwatching student is especially excited to read his. I will certainly continue to use LEA's in my class.

Techno Time!

2009-02-15T15:22:00.000-08:00

Technology is an integral part of the world around us, thus it has and should become an integral part of the classroom. Just think, we use blackboard, online classes and blogging as a tool for our learning......what does this mean the educational landscape will be for our students with regards to technology. This does not mean we just let our students have free reign on the computer, sitting there for hours on end, but it does mean we teach our children the proper way to use a computer and help them understand it as a tool for learning, not just a place to sit and play games. My students have created fantasy hybrid zoo animals and written stories about them, learned about the life cycle of a butterfly, watched penguins caring for their eggs on united streaming and listened to stories. The computer has enhanced many of my lessons and I am always looking for new ways to incorporate it into the classroom. Younger students may not be able to have the same experiences as five year olds on the computer, but they are not to young to see an adult use a computer to enhance the learning enviroment. Just seeing a teacher use a laptop to find a united streaming clip or typing on a computer as the words appear would help a child understand a computer's purpose.

BICS/CALP

2009-02-15T15:13:00.000-08:00

There are so many ways to support our ELL students and the acquisition of BICS and CALP. Whats more, the ways we support our ELL students is beneficial to all of our students. Using visuals, hands on experiences, verbal cues, gestures, the inclusion of a child's home language and culture are all integral to our students learning. In a class a took last semester we discussed these strategies in detail, along with the tendancy for ESL programs in schools to ignore best practice with regards to our ELL students. Many schools pull students out of the classroom and away from experiences that enhance their learning. Many of our classes were devoted to the idea that push in support, along with the aforementioned strategies were the best way to help our students reach their learning potential, without sacrificing thier own home language or culture.

Kidwatching

2009-02-10T09:27:00.001-08:00

This little cutie is my kidwatching student. He is working on a picture sort!

You lost me...........

2009-02-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

In fifty five minutes my students could have created an art masterpiece, looked for "clues" around the room with a magnifying glass, fed the fish, created their own book and spent some time in the dramatic play center. The students in the "exemplary" classroom in the "N is for Nonsensical " , learned to "point, circle, and underline the letter N". WOW! That does NOT sound like fun. I teach kindergarten age students, and while I feel there are requirements out of my hands that have made it become more "academic" than I would like, I would never expect my kiddos to keep their little legs crisscrossed for so long and I would never require them to give so much attention to such a topic! The reading explained just how important it is for kids to have exposure to experiences, and last time I checked kill and drill activities were not much of an activity. Unfortunately I think that policy dictates what many teachers are required to do in their classrooms, forcing them to create centers that are more about rote learning than higher order thinking and questioning. I work in a public school system and like most others who do, I am told that I have to teach certain things at a certain time. I am fortunate (where others are not) that I have some freedom in how I present the required information, which means that I can still feel good about the activities my students are participating in. Sometimes it means I have to give lengthy, wordy explanations for why I still let my students play in the dramatic play area, which can be very frustrating considering it seems like it should be common knowledge for our superiors.
The second classroom was a much more successful example of how students can learn in a pre-k environment. It acknowledged that experiences are vital to the child's acquisition of knowledge. All too often we expect kids to regurgitate facts without stopping to consider if they even understand the concept. For example, I had to give my students a district writing test this year that instructed them to write about something new they got for school. Before the test we are instructed to talk about the topic with the students in a formulaic fashion. Do you know how many of my students said they had not gotten anything?!!! I had to test them on something they could not even relate to!!! Taking field trips, having conversations and exploring the world are just as important as learning our letters, sounds and words. If we do not teach students that learning to read and write ties us to our experiences and that you cannot have one without the other, then that is where we are failing them.

2009-01-31T18:03:00.000-08:00

After class last week and our readings this week I could not stop thinking about how frustrating it is that there are pressures on kids, their parents and teachers to have students reach these grade level milestones, regardless of what is age and developmentally appropriate. I do everything I can to do whats best for the students and balance the district requirements each and everyday, but often find myself walking a fine line. Realistically speaking, no matter how maddening it is, I know that the students that are deemed "below grade level" will be playing catch up in the classroom as they are forced to keep moving along. The choices are few and lacking First up ---retention, which is not what I consider much of a solution to anything. Second choice- pass the little girl or guy up to first grade, where they keep telling him/her and his/her parents that he/she is still "below grade level" or Three--recommend a child for exceptional children's services. This is what usually happens first-its required if a student is not performing...wait for it..... "on grade level". And this is where the district's unrealistic expectations that all children do the same thing at the same time come to light. Many of the kids do not typically qualify for services. Why? Because the tests are based on the student's age, they are not created by a school district and they are much more developmentally appropriate. So guess what. My little girl/guy is doing what he/she is supposed to....but that report card, those requirements are still telling us he is not.

The IRA postion statement talks about there being a concern when children have not "acheived phonemic awareness by the middle of first grade" yet its only the middle of kindergarten and already we have to tell someone her child is "below grade level". It is by far the most frustrating part of what I do, but at this point I feel the best thing I can do for my students is to create an environment that is developmentally appropriate and incorporates best practice. We all want what is best for our students and we all understand that some students may need extra help understanding and achieving success at things such as phonemic awareness, but the classroom has become such a high paced, pressure packed enviroment that many schools have forgotten that the solution is the simplest one--let kids be kids. Let them sing nursery rhymes and play house. Read to them, listen to them, talk to them, write with them and they will learn. Despite the "grade level requirements" that I find so frustrating I do consider myself fortunate to work in a place that allows me the freedom keep play based centers and to do the things we know are best---it seems as though there are many who are not able to do so.

SNOW DAYS

2009-01-22T13:23:00.000-08:00

What a great week! I am so glad that my students got to witness snow first hand....and it couldn't have come at a better time. We just finished studying weather and winter weather this past week. We had even written out directions on how to build a snowman. Talk about perfect timing.

It also gave me time to 1) play in the snow with my husband and doggies and 2) read the intervention study completed at Head Start and Title One Programs. It made me even more grateful for the snow. We have talked about winter, shown them pictures of snow, but how real can it be for the kids unless they see it, feel it and more importantly, PLAY in it. My coworkers and I work at a title one program and we know how important vocabulary building and exposure to language are. Just like all teachers our children come to us with varying degrees of exposure to vocabulary, letters, sounds, and reading materials. The study echoed that.