Vocabulary

Vocabulary (noun: voh-cab-you-lair-ee)

Vocabulary- sounds like a simple enough word, probably a word every American students have heard more than they prefer.
I associate the word, "vocabulary" with vocabulary words that were burned into my brain in elementary and middle school. I can recall getting handouts every week in which I was required to learn word that were, in no way, significant to me. All I knew was that I, essentially, needed to memorize definitions. This most commonly resulted in me acing the test and them immediately forgetting the terms. Vocabulary should be both receptive and productive. In other words, vocabulary words should be learned and taken in, but also understood and used in life.

I am a wordy person. I love word. So, all in all, I never really had any negative ideas towards it. I'm going to be honest and nerd out right now: just got an iPhone after renewing my plan. I immediately downloaded the Dictionary app. I learn new words every day, and I love it! (My endorsement is obviously English) :)

Anyway, my point in sharing this fun fact about myself is to say this: Many students do not nerd out this way and find learning new words and their meanings as burdensome.

After beginning my tutoring sessions with a third grade student, I quickly found out that vocabulary is not something that comes easy, especially in those younger grades. It is absolutely essential that strategies are implemented as soon as possible. 

I think the best thing teachers can do is make sure vocabulary is presented in the funnest way possible. Although I had my fair share of boring vocabulary lessons, I also had my fair share of teachers who made vocabulary fun. One of my favorite methods teachers use, and one that is pointed out in the text, is the incorporation of word walls. I feel that if a students is handed a sheet filled with word and definitions to memorize, they will simply see it as a study guide that can be tossed aside after staring at it blankly the night before a test. Word walls incorporate new words to students in such a way that they are introduced to it more frequently and are better able to relate it to their own lives.


-Em

Chapter 5: "Questioning" Response

Questions are a powerful tool in learning process. Inquiry is a facet of learning that strongly promotes brainstorming and higher order thinking. The last thing students need is teacher reading text to them and handing out worksheets. Questions being provided, not only on paper, but in discussions, can be extremely conducive to a successful classroom. The key idea to remember is consistent engagement in the learning process. Questioning throughout the learning process has that power, in that it gives the students a sense of purpose and the assurance that their input is important in the classroom.

Based on my experiences as a student, many teachers do question their students, but in the wrong manner. Often times my teachers' questions were either not challenging enough, to the point that it was insulting; too challenging, to the point that I felt stupid when not knowing the answer; or too rushed. For questions to be successful to a good learning environment, they should be challenging, yet reasonable; and should allow an appropriate amount of answering time. When questions are not asked in the correct way, students can feel challenged in a bad way, and can easily become overwhelmed.

When I was in school growing up, I was one of the students who immediately crept under my shell once the teacher started asking questions. I immediately correlated questions with "tests" and judgement from my teacher and peers. "Teachers are inclined to plan thinking activities where the learners' potential to question the text is diminished because the teacher dominates the questioning." I chose this quote from the text because it is so true. All throughout my classes, I was often intimidated by answering teachers' questions. This was either because there was a "smart kid" who answered everything, or the teacher would belittle me for answering wrongly. I never correlated questions with discussion and conversation, and I think that is what left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Question: How can we, as teachers, be sure we are targeting ALL students in the classroom? Also, what is an effective way to make other students feel they can speak, and ways to prevent the "smart kid" from dying to answer every question?

Chapter 7 Reflection: Note Taking

Good, organized lectures = Good, organized note taking/ making
Oganiztion----> Key to understanding when looking back.

• Bullets can be used. 

1. Numbers can be used as well. 

It is important that notes are modified to suit each student as an individual. Understanding and comprehension lie hand in hand with the organization of the notes taken in class. 

IMPORTANT POINTS should be made obvious:

• key words
• bolding/ capitalizing
• changing intonation of voice

Reading this chapter made me flash back to high school. I remember absolutely hating classes that consisted of a teacher lecturing and me having to take down notes. Certain teacher in particular made me feel like I was Charlie Brown for a majority of my school day. Learning should be exciting for students, and it is impossible for that to happen with a mono toned teacher standing motionless in the front of the room.
Same goes for power points. I always appreciated when teachers went the extra mile to make power points. But certain power points proved to be beneficial, whereas others left me falling asleep with my eyes barely open.
Regardless of whether I was reading a power point slide or listening to a lecture, good class sessions always consisted of:

* An understanding of the key points
* Obvious points and sub points
* Categorization

Students should not feel they have to write every single word coming from a teacher's mouth. With proper guidance, students should be able to distinguish the difference between important terms and small details.

Other ways note making can become effective: (Notes are not only limited to horizontal lines on blue stripe paper.)

---> Charts/ Box Grids (good for math)
---> Split-Page format (good for science)
---> Matrix format (good for english/ electives)

These varied ways of note making can be applied to several different subjects, but work best with certain subjects than others.

Chapter 6: Picture This Response

"When the purpose of a graphic organizer becomes filling it out correctly, it is nothing more than a worksheet."
I chose this quote from the text because I find so much truth behind it. The role of a graphic organizer is to represent abstract ideas in a concrete and organized manner. When this goal is reached, students are better able to make sense of new ideas, in a more effective way than just jotting notes down on paper the old fashioned way. This is only the case if a student understands the purpose of the organizer. So many teachers get lazy and hand out worksheet after worksheet, so any time a white sheet of paper is passed around, students often subconsciously dismiss it as being potentially interesting or beneficial. If a student simply fills in a graphic organizer for the sole purpose of filling blank spaces, the goal has been completely lost. 

I found graphic organizers helpful all throughout school, but I am a visual learner. What about students who are not visual learners and can't help but to see a graphic organizer as, simply, a worksheet that needs to be filled in? What are some creative ways graphic organizers can be implemented so that they reach all learning types? 

I personally found a connection to the text because I am interested in providing as many methods of learning as possible for my future students. I am interested in thinking creatively when it comes to varying instructional methods and I think that graphic organizers have the potential to spice up the learning process a bit. Also, I hope to use graphic organizers in more than just one subject. I think they can be incorporated in a way that benefits all subjects.

Benefits of read-aloud experiences for young children: Response

Reading  this article exemplified the urgency of talking about text with children. Many teachers hand out books or read stories to a class and feel that, that in itself is a language and comprehension enriching process. It takes so much more. A huge part of comprehension is talking about the text that has been read. I agree with McKeown, in that in order for this to take place, text needs to be conceptually challenging. I think many teachers go wrong when they assume that young children cannot handle being intellectually challenged. The earlier student begin being challenged, the more beneficial it will be in the future. I had never really thought about the fact that, just because a student is not able to read certain types of text yet, many of them  will become more familiar with vocabulary sooner than later, if enriching texts are being read aloud.

The best teachers I remember throughout school were consistently challenging me and always asking that we reflect on what was read. Only when something is reflected upon, can it become relevant to one’s own world. When a student makes connections between text and self or text and world, it begins to make sense. I agree with Dickinson and Smith in that I believe text is most beneficial when “analytic in nature.”

The article states that children tend to respond to stories by using what is easily accessible to them, thus making the reflection process a little difficult. What are some effective ways I, as a teacher, can engage younger students in the reflective thought process of reading a text? 

I found the portion of the article about illustrations intriguing. I have noticed in past observations that, although illustrations initially attract the students, they at the same time, detract from the text itself. What is more important? Should illustrations be kept minimal for a certain age group of children or are they absolutely essential to a child’s construction of meaning?  

Writing to Learn: Article Response

Knipper and Duggan made some very valid points throughout this article. Being a student who has always found writing to be the most helpful form of learning, I was relieved to find out writing to learn is being encouraged through several different types of learning applications. My most negative classroom experiences growing up involved textbook after textbook and slide after slide. Although reading is an important facet of the learning process, writing is equally as, if not more, important. I like that the article stresses that writing is an ongoing, never ending learning process. I wish that i had done more writing throughout school than I was required. While reading this article, I realized that the reason I probably hadn't was the role of assessment. Because extensive student writing can be a pain to grade, many teachers avoided writing assignments. With the help of rubrics, I hope to be a teacher who encourages writing in every aspect of learning. I feel that many students hear the word, 'writing' and subconsciously correlate it with 'research.' Writing does not have to be viewed as a tedious process. It should be taught in a manner in which students can view writing as a fun, creative way to demonstrate self expression. My best English teacher in high school made writing a rewarding process. She allowed us to make our own decisions and mistakes and, in return, provided consistent feedback, examples, and practice.

I like that this article pointed out the different ways writing can be applied in the learning process. Checklists, guided writing, learning lots, etc. can only benefit a student's comprehension. Comprehension and expression lie hand in hand. Having the ability to think about and express new ideas in a critical and creative manner will not only make students feel better prepared, but more creatively connected to what is being learned.

Effective Content Area Literacy Instruction in Elem. Grades: Response

I found many interesting points in this article. Before reading this, I had never really considered technology to be a factor in why children should be more prepared in literacy than usual. Technology requires one to be able to sift through information at a quick pace and evaluate content for accuracy.
This article made some valid points, in that most elementary grades focus on fiction and rhyming. Informational text should be focused on more into the elementary level. 
I believe that, after reading this article, if students are not exposed to expository text at an early age, it will grow more and more difficult to grasp important information. I remember feeling overwhelmed in elementary school when I first began being exposed to informational text, such as history and science. It was uninteresting for me, mainly because all I was doing was decoding words, not gaining meaning from the text.

Questions:

How early is too early to present informational text to children?
Is there a reason it is presented when it is? Will children be equally as overwhelmed by expository text, regardless of the grade it is presented?