Article Summary: Picture Book Power: Connecting Children's Literature and Mathematics

Summary of : Vocabulary Development During Read-Alouds: Primary Practices by Kindle

For this particular article, I found it helpful to summarize the main points by outlining critical concepts.  This was my foundation for developing my lesson.

Summary of : Vocabulary Development During Read-Alouds: Primary Practices by Kindle

EXTENT: Levels of Instruction

·        Incidental: Infusing a tier 2 word into a discussion during the read aloud

o   Before, during, and after reading

·        Embedded: Providing a synonym or brief description before the target word and pointing to an illustration

o   During reading

·        Focused: Leading a discussion on what something means

o   Before or after reading

INTENT:

·        Definitional word knowledge: used to provide exposure of a word to students

o   Used when concept is familiar to students

·        Contextual word knowledge: used to refer students back to the text to determine word meaning

o   Used to gain contextual knowledge

·        Conceptual word knowledge: used to make connections between new words, their prior experiences, and previously learned words and concepts

Instructional Strategies:

1.      Questioning

a.      Repeat several times to give students time to formulate a response and establish a phonological representation of the new word

b.      Good to assess students’ word knowledge

2.      Providing a definition

a.      Explanations must be in simple, child-friendly language

b.      Typically in embedded instruction

3.      Providing a synonym

a.      Often used with recasting…teacher repeats the sentence, replaces the target word with a synonym

4.      Providing examples

a.      Word knowledge can be extended and clarified through examples…Students can make their own connections how or where they have heard the word and remind them of situations

5.      Clarifying or correcting students’ responses

a.      Teacher guidance needed when students’ misconceptions and partial understandings are detected

6.      Extending a student-generated definition

a.      Providing additional information that builds on the students’ response

7.      Labeling

a.      Pointing to illustration while naming unfamiliar item

8.      Imagery

a.      Adding simple actions to facilitate word learning

9.      Morphemic analysis

a.      Look for roots and/or familiar words when trying to figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word

Five Steps To Increase Word Learning Potential:

1.      Identify words for instruction

                                                              i.      Find words essential for comprehension…4-5 tier 2 words

2.      Consider the type of word learning required

a.      Incidental, embedded, or focused

b.      Before, during, or after reading

3.      Identify appropriate strategies

a.      New label for familiar term…synonym or gestures

b.      New concept … provide examples and questioning prior to reading and then simple definition during reading to reinforce

4.      Have a Plan B

a.      Have easy to understand definition ready with a synonym and example

5.      Infuse the Words Into the Classroom

a.      Find opportunities to use the new words in other contexts

Picture Book Lesson

Revisiting Read-Aloud: Instructional Strategies that Encourage Students’ Engagement with Text

Revisiting Read-Aloud: Instructional Strategies that Encourage Students’ Engagement with Text by Morrison and Wlodarczyk (2010)

The very first line states, “This article describes evidence-based practices that encourage first graders’ engagement with texts.”  I was hooked from the phrase, “evidence-based practices”, because I continually look for practices that have been proven to work!  The authors describe many factors that impact the ability to get students engaged in text, including motivation, content knowledge, literacy strategies, and social collaboration.  These factors are immersed in each of the three highlighted strategies. 

Alphaboxes strategy is a graphic organizer with boxes that are labeled with letters of the alphabet. It can be used as a pre and a post reading activity.  Students can note questions, concepts, connections, and explanations in the boxes. This strategy encourages students to work collaboratively with texts. 

Making Connections strategy uses schema, the stored body of knowledge in memory, to make connections and construct meaning.  Using this strategy, readers actively construct new ideas and concepts based on what they already know.  The three types of connections are text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world. 

The Discussion Web strategy promotes collaborative sharing of ideas, alternative perspectives, and problem solving during learning.  Through discussion, students can revisit, question, and clarify text.  This strategy allows students the opportunity to explore various perspectives.  Students come up with their own ideas based on what they’ve read and experienced.  They then share it with a partner to refine and discuss.  Each team then finds another set of partners to share and discuss ideas with before sharing with the class.  After a read aloud, the teacher presents an open-ended question for students to begin their discussion. 

These strategies are designed to increase student engagement with text, student collaboration with each other, and enhance critical thinking skills.  The examples given for each of the three strategies help to clarify the necessary components and bring it to life.  It is important for teachers to have a toolbox of effective strategies.  These three are worthy of being included. 

Read Aloud Lesson Two

Read Aloud Lesson Two: Strategies taken from:  Revisiting Read-Aloud: Instructional Strategies that Encourage Students’ Engagement with Text by Morrison and Wlodarczyk (2010)

Teacher: Kim Chester    Grade: 1^st grade (Stacy Ginn)     School: WES           Date: 8/23/11               

Text:  A Visitor for Bear by Becker

Content and Literacy Strands:

ELA1R5 The student acquires and uses grade-level words to communicate effectively. The student

a. Reads and listens to a variety of texts and uses new words in oral and written language.

Of the three strategies discussed in the article, I chose to use Alphaboxes.  It seemed to match the first graders and the text best.  This lesson was fun to create and even more fun to teach. Students were engaged and participating from the very beginning. I decided to utilize a chart for noting chosen words and the strategies for teaching the words.  I did not show students the chart or my words in writing initially.  My goal was for students to understand what these words mean when they heard them in the story, not be able to recognize or read them. Just before reading the story, I briefly showed the students a blank alphabox chart and told them to be listening for words or phrases in the story that they could include in their alphabox.  Students seemed very excited and purposefully listened to be able to complete the post-reading activity. First, we completed 6 boxes together as a group, and then I asked students to complete 3 or 4 independently.   Some students drew pictures in their boxes to recall events in the story.  As I walked around and asked about these pictures, students did not hesitate to explain the picture and how it related to the text. For those who wrote words, I expected the students to choose “1^st grade words” to note in their own alphaboxes.  However, many students chose the pre-taught words to place in their own alphaboxes.  Several of the students used these words for their sentences as well.  I will certainly use alphaboxes again in the future as it seemed to increase engagement, participation, and comprehension. 

More Reading Sites

Here is a list of my favorite "go to" sites for Reading:

Florida Center for Reading Research (see earlier blog)
http://www.fcrr.org/

Reading Rockets
Reading strategies, reading research, struggling reader strategies, videos, books, etc.
http://www.readingrockets.org/

Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts
Wealth of information for primart AND secondary teachers, including videos, research, professional development, strategies, etc.
http://www.meadowscenter.org/vgc/materials/

National Reading Panel:
Reading research of effective strategies, as well as links to other reading publications
http://nationalreadingpanel.org/Publications/publications.htm

Promising Practices Network:
Reports on programs that have been shown to be "promising" based on research
http://www.promisingpractices.net/programs_topic.asp

What Works Clearinghouse:
Gives effectiveness rating on various programs and strategies based on research
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/advancedss.aspx

Florida Center for Reading Research

GREAT READING SITE:Florida Center for Reading Research

For Parents: http://www.fcrr.org/Curriculum/curriculumForParents2.shtm
Tips for parents!

For Teachers: http://www.fcrr.org/curriculum/SCAindex.shtm
Great Student Center materials that focus on specific reading skills.  FCRR uses research to develop these materials.  We used many of these materials as support for teachers in the Reading First Struggling Reader Academies.  Check it out!

Very Cool Glossary of Reading Terms:
http://www.fcrr.org/Curriculum/glossary/glossaryOfReading.pdf


Interventions for Struggling Readers, Sounds of Standard English Video, webcasts
http://www.fcrr.org/interventions/Interventions.shtm

Read Aloud...Lesson 1 Reflection

Reflection:

In planning my first read aloud lesson, I was looking for a non-fiction book that dealt with friendship. Non-fiction is important, because I know that second grade is a transition year in which students are moving from learning to read to reading to learn in which  more in-depth word learning should occur.  I chose the subject of friendship, because this is the beginning of the school year, a time for making new friends.  I found Tarra & Bella on a recommended reading list, and it met my criteria (complex vocabulary and friendship).  The following is a chart I used to determine and plan terms that would be highlighted and taught to students before, during, and after the lesson.  The strategies listed came directly from the article.

I enjoyed planning and teaching this lesson.  The students were so eager to participate in discussion before, during, and after reading.  They really surprised me with their comments and the connections they made to the terms.  For example, one boy commented that a sanctuary was at his church.  We were able to connect an animal sanctuary (safe place for animals to live) and a church sanctuary (a safe place for people to worship). When we discussed the term relationship, the students all said a relationship was a marriage.  I was able to broaden their understanding of the word to friendship. I used morphemic analysis for the last two key terms.  The students did well dividing the words inseparable and reunited down into smaller parts (morphemic analysis). They were able to retain the meanings of these words during the story and afterward.  We used imagery with three of the words; chatter, trumpet, and whine.  They enjoyed making these sounds throughout the book as the author described the animals’ reactions.  Ten of the fifteen words were addressed during the lesson by giving a brief student friendly definition or synonym.

Students were engaged before, during, and after the read aloud.  One student raised his hand at a sad part of the book and announced, “This story is just too sad to continue!”  I reassured him it would end on a happy note, but I knew from his comment that he was engaged. 

I found that the strategies discussed in this article were strategies that I do regularly without even thinking about it.  The difference was in preparation.  I found that the preplanning of the lesson helped me to be more prepared with appropriate student friendly definitions, synonyms, examples, etc.  I utilized the articles levels of instruction, instructional strategies, and five steps to increase word learning potential to plan this read aloud. I will continue to incorporate these strategies into future read alouds.

Words	When	Level of instruction	Strategy
1.      Sanctuary	Before, during, and after	Focused and embedded	Questioning, Definition (safe place animals can go to live freely in nature…like the wild) , Synonym (habitat), and Labeling (show pictures)
2.      Relationship	Before, during, and after	Focused and embedded	Questioning, Synonym (friendship), and Examples
3.      Inseparable	Before, during, and after	Focused and embedded	Questioning, Morphemic Analysis: look at IN and Separable IN: Not able to be  Separable: separated
4.      Reunited	Before, during, and after	Focused and embedded	Morphemic Analysis: look at RE and UNITED RE: again United: together
5.       Attracted	During	Embedded	Definition…brought together
6.       Mystery	During	Embedded	Definition…something we can’t figure out
7.       Intelligent	During	Embedded	Synonym…smart
8.       Entertainer	During	Embedded	Definition… Someone who performs
9.       Roam	During	Embedded	Definition…to go from place to place with no purpose or reason
10.   Feisty	During	Embedded	Synonym… full of energy
11.   Dusk	During	Embedded	Definition… almost dark
12.   Chatter	During	Embedded	Definition…sounds an elephant makes and imagery
13.   Trumpet	During	Embedded	Definition…sounds an elephant makes and imagery
14.   Whine	During	Embedded	Imagery…make whine sound
15.   Spinal cord injury	During	Embedded	Labeling…point to spinal cord