As I mentioned earlier, I decided to make some modifications to my vocabulary instruction. My morning class on Friday got quite a bit of time to draw pictures to represent the words. I then allowed them to keep this "cheat sheet" on their desks during the test. I also left on the board the samples I had drawn (the book I pulled this visual representation technique from exhorts teachers to "model, model, model" how to do quickdraws).
To make sure students took the drawings seriously and tried their best to complete them, I mentioned that I was stapling the drawings to their tests. I also mentioned that Puakenikeni and I would be conferring and deciding whether the drawings had helped students do better.
Of the 15 students who took the test in my morning class, 10 got perfect scores. The other 5 showed significant improvement.
Today we started drawing with this week's new words. I hope that as students discuss, write and draw the words, they will build a deeper understanding.
Monday, April 18, 2011
a little attention
Sometimes I think I make things more complex than they need to be.
Like all of my students, Pup is suffering a bad case of spring fever. He was so off task last week that I pulled him on the side and mentioned that if things didn't improve, I would make a call home. This elicited immediate exclamations of, "No! I'll do better!" I meant to call last week, but honestly, was too tired.
My usual practice during independent work time is to invite kids who want assistance to sit at the round table in the back with me. Usually "invite" sounds like this .... "Pirate! Grab your dictionary, vocab list and a pencil and meet me in the back!" I was thinking about this one day and realized I was squeezing out a bunch of kids who want and need help, but are not the behavior problems I usually tap first for a seat in the back. Sadly, this means my girls who are struggling readers don't get as much help as they would benefit from. They will sit quietly and struggle through on their own, while my struggling boy readers will start folding and flying paper airplanes, playing with the sink, trying to sharpen their pencil backwards, etc. To keep order I usually fill up the back table with boys.
Today, however, I left it up to the students if they wanted to sit with me. Pup was one of them. As he sat to my right, I secretly marveled at how industrious he was. He even left the table after a while and continued working on his own.
The difference? He got to sit next to me and work. Pup is one of my clingiest students. He constantly desires attention and affection ... mine, Puakenikeni's, resource teachers' -- anyone, really. He didn't get or seek an excessive amount of attention today -- I had to field requests for help from 7 other students at the same time. But just sitting closer to me helped him focus.
Intervention doesn't have to be difficult or labor-intensive ... it just needs to suit the student and fulfill one of their needs.
Like all of my students, Pup is suffering a bad case of spring fever. He was so off task last week that I pulled him on the side and mentioned that if things didn't improve, I would make a call home. This elicited immediate exclamations of, "No! I'll do better!" I meant to call last week, but honestly, was too tired.
My usual practice during independent work time is to invite kids who want assistance to sit at the round table in the back with me. Usually "invite" sounds like this .... "Pirate! Grab your dictionary, vocab list and a pencil and meet me in the back!" I was thinking about this one day and realized I was squeezing out a bunch of kids who want and need help, but are not the behavior problems I usually tap first for a seat in the back. Sadly, this means my girls who are struggling readers don't get as much help as they would benefit from. They will sit quietly and struggle through on their own, while my struggling boy readers will start folding and flying paper airplanes, playing with the sink, trying to sharpen their pencil backwards, etc. To keep order I usually fill up the back table with boys.
Today, however, I left it up to the students if they wanted to sit with me. Pup was one of them. As he sat to my right, I secretly marveled at how industrious he was. He even left the table after a while and continued working on his own.
The difference? He got to sit next to me and work. Pup is one of my clingiest students. He constantly desires attention and affection ... mine, Puakenikeni's, resource teachers' -- anyone, really. He didn't get or seek an excessive amount of attention today -- I had to field requests for help from 7 other students at the same time. But just sitting closer to me helped him focus.
Intervention doesn't have to be difficult or labor-intensive ... it just needs to suit the student and fulfill one of their needs.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Fudge
Every afternoon I read to the kids. Our latest selection was "Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing." It always takes some time for them to develop interest, but I think they really enjoyed the story because many of them can relate to the travails of having a younger sibling. Whenever I announced read-aloud time, Pirate would announce, "That's my favorite book!"
Every book has its turning point, the hook that snags my students' attention. In Roald Dahl's "Matilda," my students were enthralled by the Trunchbull's action-packed visit to Matilda's classroom. In "Fourth-Grade Nothing," it was the infamous party for Fudge and his 3-year-old friends. It had enough gross-out kid humor to capture their attention.
Not sure what book we're going to start tomorrow ... they seemed receptive to reading the sequel "Fudge-a-Mania," but maybe I'll let them vote.
Every book has its turning point, the hook that snags my students' attention. In Roald Dahl's "Matilda," my students were enthralled by the Trunchbull's action-packed visit to Matilda's classroom. In "Fourth-Grade Nothing," it was the infamous party for Fudge and his 3-year-old friends. It had enough gross-out kid humor to capture their attention.
Not sure what book we're going to start tomorrow ... they seemed receptive to reading the sequel "Fudge-a-Mania," but maybe I'll let them vote.
reflecting and revising in the home stretch
Spring has sprung, I suppose. The kids are bouncing off the walls when they're not hunched over their desks, laboring over a love poem or daydreaming while I drag them through a language arts lesson. Yes, for the last few days I've felt that I'm literally dragging them through the nonfiction reading, then dumping a pile of comprehension questions on them.
The VP did a walkthrough with a VIP yesterday, and what were we doing? I had gotten tired of talking over them (I haven't yet developed that room-quelling loud-teacher voice), so I told them to write me a 1-page reflection. I cringed a little as my two visitors examined the questions on the board, which included "What are the expectations for 4th-graders?" and "Why is reading important for your future?"
During my drive to work, I reflected on how quickly the school year is coming to an end -- just about a month, really. I asked myself how I wanted to spend that month: stressed-out and grumpy or working hard but keeping things in perspective? I decided that I wanted to enjoy my last month with my fourth-graders. It's hard to imagine on some days, but I know I will miss them.
This is one of the roughest parts of the year, I think. I've noticed a precipitous drop in my students' vocabulary test scores. While even my most struggling students would score a 2 or 3 out of 10 in previous quarters, a bunch of them have been pulling down 0s. Understandable for those who are chronically behind on homework and classwork, but painful to see for those kids who I know are doing all their work. I reflected on it during the weekend and decided I needed to start discussing the words daily with students. It was something that I did consistently at the start of the year, but it fell to the roadside a while ago. It does take time and some prompting, but I'm hoping it will help students retain the words better. I also started having them draw pictures to represent the words. I'm crossing my fingers for better results on Friday's test.
The VP did a walkthrough with a VIP yesterday, and what were we doing? I had gotten tired of talking over them (I haven't yet developed that room-quelling loud-teacher voice), so I told them to write me a 1-page reflection. I cringed a little as my two visitors examined the questions on the board, which included "What are the expectations for 4th-graders?" and "Why is reading important for your future?"
During my drive to work, I reflected on how quickly the school year is coming to an end -- just about a month, really. I asked myself how I wanted to spend that month: stressed-out and grumpy or working hard but keeping things in perspective? I decided that I wanted to enjoy my last month with my fourth-graders. It's hard to imagine on some days, but I know I will miss them.
This is one of the roughest parts of the year, I think. I've noticed a precipitous drop in my students' vocabulary test scores. While even my most struggling students would score a 2 or 3 out of 10 in previous quarters, a bunch of them have been pulling down 0s. Understandable for those who are chronically behind on homework and classwork, but painful to see for those kids who I know are doing all their work. I reflected on it during the weekend and decided I needed to start discussing the words daily with students. It was something that I did consistently at the start of the year, but it fell to the roadside a while ago. It does take time and some prompting, but I'm hoping it will help students retain the words better. I also started having them draw pictures to represent the words. I'm crossing my fingers for better results on Friday's test.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Mentos volcanoes, dinosaurs, and more: overnighter
Went on our overnighter field trip at the museum on Thursday night. Logged more hours with my pillow than normal this weekend to recuperate! But it was worth it. The kids were too busy learning and exploring to get into trouble, and it was wonderful to see them so excited to be there.
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