Monday, September 3, 2012

Module 2 - Reflections on both PowerPoints


Strategies that Support Emergent Readers PowerPoint Reflection
            The first slide made me smile because I use quick writes with my own students. However, it was difficult when I tried to reflect on my own literacy experiences in my past. I cannot remember anything significant before the fourth grade. I know that I did not like to read or write when I was younger because I had a speech impendent. I had difficulty with fluency and comprehension because of this. I feel that the three predictors of early success in reading are alphabetic/letter knowledge, phonological awareness, and the formation of writing letters. I think all three of these are important for a child to be successful with literacy. I enjoyed the slides that refreshed my memory about Piaget and Vygotsky because I tend to agree with Vygotsky that “language comes out of a need to communicate with others.” I always enjoy reviewing the stages of literacy because it is interesting to observe a child and see which stage they are currently characterized as and see if they move back or forward between the stages. It is vital that all students understand the concepts of print so they can read texts. However, I find the Yopp-Singer Segmentation Test to be difficult because, like me, some students have never learned phonics. I found it interesting to read about the different strategy activities for phonemic and phonological awareness. I still use reading aloud in my fourth grade class to build on the students’ vocabulary knowledge along with reading strategies/skills.

 
Assessment of Reading and Writing Process PowerPoint Reflection
            I appreciated reading this PowerPoint slideshow because it helped me review the different assessments that can be employed for reading and writing. When I assess a child’s vocabulary knowledge, I often catch myself listening to their everyday conversations to hear the words which they are the most familiar. This also allows me to hear if there is a dialect present with the student’s language. I have never heard of the “Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test” but I wonder if that is because I am an intermediate grade teacher. I agree that writing can be an assessment in itself. I often use journals in my class where students complete quick writes which helps me assess their process with writing. I often will use the county rubrics or use a holistic scoring. I frequently let me students see the rubrics before publishing a piece so they know how I will score their writing. The slide detailing the Analytic Scoring Rubric for Expository Prose reminded me of the 6+1 Writing Traits that I use during writing workshop. I make sure to focus on ideas, organization, voice, fluency, word choice, conventions, handwriting, and presentation throughout the entire school year. I have always kept portfolios for students but mine include all academic areas. I want to see my students’ growth in all areas, especially reading and writing. The students even enjoy reviewing their portfolio to see how much they have grown through the school year. This year I am having my students keep a binder of all their writing since I have 31 students. We review their writing samples throughout the school year and I copy any that catches my eye for my personal portfolios.

No comments:

Post a Comment