I know I may have said this before, but this was my favorite chapter in the whole book. I may even cut these pages out and bind them separately because of the wealth of strategies and suggestions in this chapter. My sister (a first grade teacher) and I are going to fight over this book at Christmas. Even if she wins, she won't need these pages.
The QAR strategy is the one I will probably use first. I get so frustrated with students when we complete primary source readings. They can't seem to understand that not all of the answers will come word-for-word from the text. I try to explain that they have to go beyond the passage. Maybe by breaking down the questions they can be more successful, and I can be less stressful.
The self-assessment cards and learning logs would be great tools for tickets-out-the-door. I know the literature circles work. I used them for the first time this semester, but next year they will be used on a weekly basis as we read our additional text in AP Government.
This course has benefited me not only in a professional manner, but also in a personal manner. Learning ways to help struggling readers will pay off in my classroom. Learning about how children learn to read will help me in raising my son. I've admitted that I felt very overwhelmed when thinking about how I could help him learn to read, but this class and our textbook have given me strategies to help him. The milestones charts are invaluable as well. The course has helped me in my classroom by giving me new teaching techniques. It has also encouraged me because some strategies that I was already using were mentioned in class or in the reading. Overall, this has been a very informative and practical class, which is something I cannot say about every class I have taken in my program of study.
David, I agree with you when you said that this classroom has been wery informative and practical. I would add thatthis class is applicable to every aspect of my classroom as well as other courses that I have taken. Literacy, students making meaning of the world around them. Just think about some of the implications of having a literate population, how much difference this could make in the world. Great Post. :)
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing about the self-assessment cards being great tickets-out-the-door! I also agree with your last paragraph. This course has been so beneficial for helping me understand how to better help struggling readers in my own classroom. And I, as well, have gained so many new teaching techniques that I cannot wait to try next semester while teaching Health.
ReplyDeleteDavid, We are so glad you have had a positive experience in the course, and that you are gaining information that will benefit you, both personally and professionally. Keep us posted about your implementation of QAR, self-assessment cards, and learning logs. What a great thing to have a professional book worthy of a "sibling struggle." We are thrilled about your ongoing reference to and application of the text.
ReplyDelete