This section of my blog contains my reflection during the fifth week of and including my co-teaching experience in my mentor teacher's fifth grade classroom.
Okay, so I logged in to write my blog for the week and realized that the blog that I wrote last week never posted! I did it at school, but whatever I guess... so much for technology at North!!!
Anyway, last week, I continued with Spelling and Vocabulary. I used my "I Can..." list and station folder for spelling by adapting it for the week's words/lists. This week, though, I decided to incorporate vocabulary more into the classroom. I felt that developing a vocabulary station would work best in a trial run. So, I worked away over the weekend and put together an “I Can…” list for the vocabulary station just like spelling. The students had five options, which addressed different students’ learning modalities. For example, the students could draw pictures to demonstrate the vocabulary word, they had the option of creating word webs (two different types of webs were provided), and the students could work together with a partner to study flashcards that I created with the week’s words.
When I put together my station for vocabulary, I was trying to figure out how I could best reach all students in my class, but especially the low students in my class, as well as the students identified with special needs. I spoke with the Special Education teacher that works in my classroom and gave her my ideas. She seemed to think that they would have a great improvement on her students’ test grades. First , at the vocabulary station, I required students to write eight meaningful sentences with their vocabulary words. I explained that even though writing sentences seemed “lame” and like busy work, if they were able to write a meaningful sentence for each word, it demonstrated that they knew how to apply the meaning to something in their life. I explained that this would help tremendously on their vocabulary quiz on Thursday because the quiz is setup for students to apply the meaning not match or give the meaning. They seemed to settle down with this idea and understand.
Well, after Wednesday when I reviewed the concept cards for the vocabulary, I sat down and thought… “hmm… the students really participated with me during the concept cards discussion! Did the station help them?! Was it the flashcards that most of the students opted to worked with after the sentences?” So, I got busy! I worked through workroom duty and math and I created five additional sets of vocabulary flashcards to the four that I had created for the stations in order to attempt to reach the low students and students identified with special needs in my class. By the time the students came back from Art, I had the cards completed. I called nine students to my desk and asked them about their study habits, especially for vocabulary. I asked if anyone helped them at home, etc. Then, I discussed with the students that I was going to give them a set of the cards from workstation and a short vocabulary list with the words for them to use if they needed to study on their own. I asked them to return the cards to me in a basket first thing in the morning/homeroom.
The next day, to my surprise, I got all of my cards back. When the students turned them in, I asked them about at least one word. They were all able to give me the correct answer. When the quizzes were completed and graded, from two classes of 28 students each, I had one low grade (55), a handful of 80s, a great deal of 93s, and even more 100s and 105s (with bonus from Wednesday)! I was ecstatic! I immediately told Mrs. Morris. She was shocked! We have so many low kids and were beginning to wonder how to reach them ALL! And, finally, something had worked! This made me feel SOOOOOO GOOD! That I had made a difference in only a week! Even though it is A TON of work for me, I have decided to continue making the cards.
I think I wrote more this time around, but whatev!
What a wonderful job of "getting to know your students!" That's when you can truly differentiate instruction, when you know their learning styles and their study habits/home backgrounds. Now, you need to figure out a way to make the workload more manageable--are you making the cards for every student, and if so, does every student need them? Is there a way to use technology (including the scanner and/or copier) to make it easier to make them? Can the kids make them themselves? Can the higher level kids make sets for the lower level kids? (although, I think if you can work it out, even more learning will occur if the kids can construch them themselves) Let me know!
I am only making fifteen sets of cards and fourteen students actually need them. Mrs. Morris and I discussed the students making these cards, but the majority of the class and even the higher level students we feel would have trouble with making cards. The students seem very immature for fifth graders. Maybe as the semester progresses more, the students could begin to make the cards themselves! We'll just have to see I guess...
Okay, so I logged in to write my blog for the week and realized that the blog that I wrote last week never posted! I did it at school, but whatever I guess... so much for technology at North!!!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, last week, I continued with Spelling and Vocabulary. I used my "I Can..." list and station folder for spelling by adapting it for the week's words/lists. This week, though, I decided to incorporate vocabulary more into the classroom. I felt that developing a vocabulary station would work best in a trial run. So, I worked away over the weekend and put together an “I Can…” list for the vocabulary station just like spelling. The students had five options, which addressed different students’ learning modalities. For example, the students could draw pictures to demonstrate the vocabulary word, they had the option of creating word webs (two different types of webs were provided), and the students could work together with a partner to study flashcards that I created with the week’s words.
When I put together my station for vocabulary, I was trying to figure out how I could best reach all students in my class, but especially the low students in my class, as well as the students identified with special needs. I spoke with the Special Education teacher that works in my classroom and gave her my ideas. She seemed to think that they would have a great improvement on her students’ test grades. First , at the vocabulary station, I required students to write eight meaningful sentences with their vocabulary words. I explained that even though writing sentences seemed “lame” and like busy work, if they were able to write a meaningful sentence for each word, it demonstrated that they knew how to apply the meaning to something in their life. I explained that this would help tremendously on their vocabulary quiz on Thursday because the quiz is setup for students to apply the meaning not match or give the meaning. They seemed to settle down with this idea and understand.
Well, after Wednesday when I reviewed the concept cards for the vocabulary, I sat down and thought… “hmm… the students really participated with me during the concept cards discussion! Did the station help them?! Was it the flashcards that most of the students opted to worked with after the sentences?” So, I got busy! I worked through workroom duty and math and I created five additional sets of vocabulary flashcards to the four that I had created for the stations in order to attempt to reach the low students and students identified with special needs in my class. By the time the students came back from Art, I had the cards completed. I called nine students to my desk and asked them about their study habits, especially for vocabulary. I asked if anyone helped them at home, etc. Then, I discussed with the students that I was going to give them a set of the cards from workstation and a short vocabulary list with the words for them to use if they needed to study on their own. I asked them to return the cards to me in a basket first thing in the morning/homeroom.
The next day, to my surprise, I got all of my cards back. When the students turned them in, I asked them about at least one word. They were all able to give me the correct answer. When the quizzes were completed and graded, from two classes of 28 students each, I had one low grade (55), a handful of 80s, a great deal of 93s, and even more 100s and 105s (with bonus from Wednesday)! I was ecstatic! I immediately told Mrs. Morris. She was shocked! We have so many low kids and were beginning to wonder how to reach them ALL! And, finally, something had worked! This made me feel SOOOOOO GOOD! That I had made a difference in only a week! Even though it is A TON of work for me, I have decided to continue making the cards.
I think I wrote more this time around, but whatev!
-ME
What a wonderful job of "getting to know your students!" That's when you can truly differentiate instruction, when you know their learning styles and their study habits/home backgrounds. Now, you need to figure out a way to make the workload more manageable--are you making the cards for every student, and if so, does every student need them? Is there a way to use technology (including the scanner and/or copier) to make it easier to make them? Can the kids make them themselves? Can the higher level kids make sets for the lower level kids? (although, I think if you can work it out, even more learning will occur if the kids can construch them themselves) Let me know!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteI am only making fifteen sets of cards and fourteen students actually need them. Mrs. Morris and I discussed the students making these cards, but the majority of the class and even the higher level students we feel would have trouble with making cards. The students seem very immature for fifth graders. Maybe as the semester progresses more, the students could begin to make the cards themselves! We'll just have to see I guess...