Day 1 - 11/4/13

11/4/13

·         What students learned and which students struggled with the lesson. 

Students learned where the English Channel is as it was the setting of a short story we read. Students also learned how to compare and contrast between two short stories. Lastly, students learned what action and linking verbs are.

The specific point in this lesson when many students began to struggle came as we introduced and worked through action and linking verbs. Distinguishing the difference between the two and their uses in writing was hard because this was the first time students had been introduced to verbs being distinguished from another.

·         What are alternate reads of your students’ performance or products?

The amount of students who participated in the whole group discussion about comparing and contrasting was limited to roughly one-third of the class. Perhaps this third were the only students who truly had an understanding of comparing and contrasting.

·         What did you learn about your students’ literacy practices that extend beyond your objectives?

I learned that the students who were unable to read out loud to the whole class were disappointed because they were not given this opportunity. We could not have all students read because of the length of the two stories. When we finished, I heard multiple students speak out with some dismay that they did not read. Knowing that the students are comfortable and wanting to read to the whole class is new information to me.

·         When and how will you re-teach the material to students who need additional support?

Tomorrow, I will be revisiting action and linking verbs with the students as we practice in class and continue with a homework assignment. I will reiterate the difference between the two for the whole class along with working through examples and fielding individual questions on the topic.

·         If you were to teach this same lesson again, what would you do differently and how do you think the changes would improve students’ learning?

I would have the students work more in-depth with the vocabulary after they finish the pre-assessment. I would like to use the computer lab so the students could use the internet to find definitions, synonyms, and pictures of the words they are studying. This time would be just for exploring the words with no reports on the words.

·         What did you learn so far about implementing your ‘core practice’ and what do you need to do to continue your professional learning?

I have learned that students know a large amount of vocabulary before entering class. With the exception of ELL students who are still learning the basics of English, all students know or are familiar with the core words. The vocabulary that students are unfamiliar with is the challenge and premium words which are significantly more difficult to spell and whose meanings are unknown to the students. I need to continue monitoring students as they progress through the week to see if they are pushing themselves to obtain mastery of the more difficult words.