Weekly Reflections

       In the first week of class we discussed some of the reasons that older students aren’t able to read on grade level. Reading usually taught in the first few years of school. After about 4 th  or 5 th  grade teachers stop teaching students how to read. Over the years the difficulty of material students read continues to increase. We have to continue to support students reading journeys in their later years. This could be the reason older students don’t like to read as well. They are having to teach their self these new literacy skills they are seeing in their favorite books. I personally believe this is what happened to me. However, if it was a book in my favorite content area, like science I was more willing to work harder to read it. When read poetry and novels in English class, like Shakespeare, our teachers helped us break down and analyze the text. It helped us understand the context and also built our vocabulary skills. She even let us act out th...

In chapter 3, 4, and 5 we discussed types of assessments and the importance of comprehension.  Knowing a word is not only knowing it when you hear it but knowing it when you see it and understanding it in context. Words may have different meaning in different content areas. We have to be able to relate the word to the concept we are discussing. We want out students to be able to develop content concepts for them and develop word learning skills. We also discussed types of assessments. Assessments are how we as teachers see what our students are and aren’t learning so that we can build a bridge between the two. Its also a great time for us to reflect on what teaching skills are most beneficial for our students. When participating in projects we want to make sure that our expectations are clear. Teachers must also be sure to give students the sills they need in order to succeed. After passements are over we have a chance to see what students most misted questions are. We also ha...

       In my collage, I tried to include several aspects that we talked about in class. We shared our thoughts on using technology in classrooms. With the world using more and more technology everyday, it's important to teach students how to use it correctly to benefit them. This also includes social networking. Social networking gives students access to resources they may not have in the room with them. This is a skill students can take with them into life after high school. We learned about different note taking skills and how they can all be used in classroom settings. When learning to read we talked about how students relate new concepts with previously learned ideas. Reading helps build students' vocab. Having a stronger vocab also helps students increase comprehension skills. Learning vocabulary words often happens when reading for a subject area. For formative assessments, we have to make sure our students understand the content area question to be able to giv...

 In the last 3 chapter we talked about writing in content areas and the relationship between reading and writing. We discussed the steps used to approach a writing prompt, and things to think about when evaluating. We want our students to learn how to be fluent writers. The writing process is divided into several steps. Prewriting is used for selecting a topic and determining your target audience. This is where you start to organize your thoughts. Your drafts is where you put your ideas on paper without thoughts of grammatical errors or neatness. Revision is when you reread you piece and reorganize your thoughts. This helps you make sure that your thoughts are coming across clearly. It is also the time to think about sentence structure and vocabulary. Editing includes checking for grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Its the stage to polish your writing. Publishing is the final step. Students work can be shared orally, posted in classrooms or turned in for final grades. Its your fin...