Word Knowledge--new learnings, new strategies
POSTED AT 12:14 PM

rocky

I just spent two days at a Reading First Coaches Institute. We spent alot of time reading research articles about teaching morphology, discussing what works, and hashing out ways to give students direct instruction in word knowledge strategies, and multiple opportunities to practice and internalize those strategies.

Most of our students are second language learners. Since most word meanings are learned from exposure and in context, the majority of our students are in an english language vocabulary deficit. The research we studied states that english language students with adequate exposure to words (as readers, listeners, and in conversations) gain about 3,000 new words per year. The majority of these new words come from exposure to words in context, and only about 300-400 words are gained through instruction.

According to the article "Teaching Meaning Vocabulary" by Steven A. Stahl, of the Univ. of Georgia, "Productive approaches to teaching word meanings involve teaching a set of target words in a way that generates knowledge of a larger set of words." His article discussed various approaches for teaching word knowledge. Since our school has been implementing the use of Thinking Maps since last year, I decided to apply a few approaches to one or more Thinking Maps, creating some realisticly usable first step strategies.

So, here is the plan. I hope you will find it useful:
1) I am drafting some examples today, taking pictures of them, and creating a photo album entitled "Word Knowledge." Simply click on the Gallery link (tomorrow).

2) I will share these approaches with teachers at grade level meetings, and engage the grade level in discussion about what opportunities there are within the language arts program to use the word knowledge strategies within a direct instruction model. I will also provide demonstration lessons so that teachers can see how to integrate the strategies.

3) Once I have "real" pictures (that is, artifacts taken directly from my demos and/or those our teachers have created and used) I will post them to the Gallery.

Please provide some feedback--questions, comments, suggestions--because that will really help the process.

No, the dog did not eat my homework!
POSTED AT 02:36 PM

rocky

I'm terribly sorry but I have not been able to post the word knowledge pics. I haven't forgotten. I've thought about it several times a day. But, I've had a very sick family member who's been in the hospital for 25 days and is not doing well. It's been difficult to understand, accept, and then standby.

This brings me to the central reason why I love weblogs so much--because a blog is not a static website simply dispensing information. As Professor Oyzon has said, a blog is "a first person narrative in real time." (http://weez.oyzon.com/) When you read a blog, the blogger's personality comes through. You find the blogs that you frequent because there is a connection, and when you find that some become your daily reads, weekenders, etc.

So, let it be known--this blog will reflect its writers (yes, writers plural, because I do hope this will become a community blog). For now, this blog reflects me in all my imperfect glory.
And so--
Dear teachers,
Please excuse my tardiness in posting my homework. The dog didn't eat it and I didn't forget. I've been busy with life. I'll post it as soon as possible.
Thanks for your patience,
Me.

Collaboration
POSTED AT 02:46 PM

rocky

This last week students were able to access BlogHeads Link on their own and post their comments in response to SuperThinker's post. It is good to see how quickly the class got the idea and that they are very independent. But, students posted comments without proofreading their work. So, Chelsea and I have decided that for the next round, students will access the blog, compose their comments, and ask a peer to read and proof the comments before posting. Peer editing is an important aspect of collaborative writing, which is what we want the this work to transition into--collaborative blogging groups. So, this is a step in the right direction.

New Pictures Posted!
POSTED AT 07:34 PM

rocky

I just created a new Album in the Gallery. It is titled "New Pics/Assorted" and as the name states, it's an album of assorted new pictures (4th grade/taken on 11/7). I decided to post them in a temporary album that says "New" so that if you've already viewed the other albums you can just check out the new pictures before I place them in their permanent albums.

I haven't forgotten the word knowledge pictures...
(*lesson to self--next time don't put the cart before the horse*)

NEW! Content Pages
POSTED AT 09:23 AM

rocky

On the right-hand side of this page you will find some new Pages. For the most part, the page "Build a Criteria Chart" is finished, although I will add more pictures and links of Criteria Charts as time goes on. Check them out, all of them, even though the other two pages have content but are not finished. I will add more as I go along.

You know, I just can't say enough about this site, Tabulas! Having the ability to create unlimited Content Pages is a really fabulous feature for teachers because the possibilities are endless. Using these HTML enabled pages to support learning by inserting pictures, links, being creative with font, tables, forms, etc. is invaluable for those of us who use technology as a another source for learning. I didn't know anything about HTML; looking at the code on a page was meaningless and intimidating to me. But, I spent this Saturday in front of my wonderful Gateway Tablet PC with my tabulas page, Webmonkey and NCHTMLDesignGuide open. Low and behold, I was able to do all kinds of cool things with the Content Pages. If you read my gaudy post on blahblahblog you know I think I'm a genius now that I have "cracked the code!" All I can say is, With Tabulas, and a little HTML, how can you go wrong!

Congratulate me! I'm a National Board Certified Teacher!!!
POSTED AT 09:29 PM

rocky

Whoo-Hoo! I did it! I'm a National Board Certified Teacher! After a grueling 1 year process, and 5 months of waiting, The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards released the scores for 2002-3 Candidates today. Public release of the list of new NBC teachers will be next Tuesday, and my name will be on it!!!

In their own words,The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards explains:

"The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is leading the way in making teaching a profession dedicated to student learning and to upholding high standards for professional performance. We have raised the standards for teachers, strengthened their educational preparation through the standards, and created performance-based assessments that demonstrate accomplished application of the standards."

I'm very grateful to State Farm Insurance Company for providing me with a scholarship to pay my NBC fees. I'm also very thankful for The Support Network, which provided me with 140 hours of support, from pre-candidacy, to application, to workshops that helped deconstruct the portfolio requirements and assessment center exercises, to the small group collaboration during which I met with my cohort on a weekly basis, for 6 months, to read, reread, revise, reread, over and over again, all of our individual portfolio entries.

I can honestly say that the process changed me. I now approach planning and teaching in a more integrated and methodical way; I approach the Standards more efficiently, model and scaffold more effectively, and reflect on what students are actually learning at each step along the way. My teaching is more streamlined, focused, and powerful. In the past I thought taught lessons. Now, I KNOW I truly teach students.

I'm proud of my achievement and proud to be counted amongst the growing ranks of National Board Certified Teachers. Oh, yeah... whoo-hoo, again!