Mini-Lesson #2

   Today in class, we broke up into two groups and shared our mini-lessons. I decided to present my lesson first. I was really nervous when I was presenting my lesson, but I managed to get through the whole thing smoothly. I enjoyed doing this, regardless of how nervous I was because it was my first time actually teaching a lesson to students. It gave me an idea of how to present a lesson and to see what areas I need to work on so I can be prepared for my next lesson.

   After I was done doing my mini-lesson, Kelsey went up next. With Kelsey’s lesson, she provided us with a story called Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. Kelsey started off by reading the story, and then she had us take turns reading different parts. After we were done reading the story, Kelsey asked if we were unfamiliar with some words in the story. She then took those words and wrote it on the board and gave us our special dictionaries to define those words. After we looked up the words, it gave us an understanding of what those words mean. Kelsey then gave us a worksheet and had us write the word, its definition, something that relates to the word, and had us draw a picture relating to the word. I thought it was a great way for students to get familiar with vocabulary words and it could also help them understand it more by drawing it out. Kelsey did a great job and I can’t wait to see what Amanda and Rhea have planned for their lesson!

Great Mini Lessons

          Today in class, we split up into two groups. In our mini groups, we took turns presenting our mini lesson. So far Evin and Kelsey have gone. Next class will be Rhea's and my turn. For Evin's lesson he gave us a themed vocabulary listing, at the beach. We read the words out loud and arranged them in alphabetical order. Then we put check marks at the words we were unfamiliar with, and drew pictures for three of the words we chose. I really liked how the vocabulary listing was themed, because I think this will help develop children's schemas. It also aids in understanding if there is a common idea with the words.
          Kelsey's lesson's was based on a story called Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. She began her lesson by asking us, what do we think the story will be about based on the title. Then we al took turns reading the story. At the end of the story, we each chose a word we did not understand. Kelsey gave each of us a worksheet to write our unfamiliar word down. We used the dictionary to define our words, then we illustrated it, and wrote a word association. I really liked this lesson as well. I like how she used a story with a moral to it. This is a great way to teach students good rules. I can definitely see myself using this lesson. I think because you can use so many different stories, this lesson can be repeated each time a vocabulary list is generated. I also like how students choose the words instead of the teacher selecting the words.

Great lessons Kelsey and Evin. Goodluck next Rhea, it's going to be our turn!

Mini Lesson #2: Vocabulary

   In today's class session, we had to micro-teach our second mini lesson, which focused on vocabulary. Dr. Rivera had us broken down into two groups of four and within the group we took turns being the teacher and taught our lesson. Evin was the first to teach his lesson, his theme was "At The Beach." After listing down our vocabulary words, the students (Rhea, Amanda, and I) wrote sentences using three of the vocabulary words, then chose another three and drew a picture of each. He then moved on to an antonym activity, where we had to match the words with it's antonym. I enjoyed the activities that he share with us today and can see myself using them in my classroom.
   Then it was my turn to micro-teach. I had the class take turns reading the story, "Lily's Purple Plastic Purse." After reading the story, I asked the students to go back to the story and find one word they are not familiar with or do not know the meaning to. Once they chose their word, I wrote it on the board, allowing them to create their own vocabulary list. I passed our a new word grid worksheet and had the students complete it by writing their word, the definition they had found in the dictionary, their personal connection to the word, and finally illustrating what they feel best represents that word. At first I was kind of nervous sharing my lesson with my classmates (mostly because I did not know we were micro-teaching it), but at the end it was really fun and I'm glad I was able to share it!

Mini Lesson #2

Today, we started our mini lesson on vocabulary. Although I didnt get to present today, I was able to participate as a student for two presenters. This mini lesson activity was very interesting to be apart of because we learn from our peers on there ideas for the mini lesson and how they execute their lesson to us.

The first person who presented was Rachel. She introduced words from her story to us and explained what each word meant. She then read her story to us and after the story she asked us if we saw any of the vocabulary words listed on the board. She ended the lesson by giving us a word, drawing what the word meant to us, and having the class guess what our word was.

The second one that presented was Jen. She made us choose 3 words that were on a lollipop stick and on the stick part was the definition for the word. She had us take turns by saying the word and definition for the word. She wrote down each word that we said on the board. She then read her story to us and after the story she asked us what words we saw in the story were on the board. She ended her lesson by having us write a story using 5 words from the list on the board.

I really enjoyed both of their lesson. I learned mini lessons that I could use in my future classroom. Good job ladies, you did awesome!

Mini Lesson on Vocabulary

In today's class we broke into two groups to present our mini lesson on vocabulary.  In my group, the members were Angela, Jessilyn, and Rachel.  Rachel presented her mini lesson first by writing some words on the board that related to the story she was going to read to us.  The story was really sweet about a little bear who just could not wait for spring!  It reminded me of my son constantly waking me up in the night because he was too excited for whatever event was happening the next day!  After reading the story, Rachel gave us one vocabulary word that we had to illustrate and that our other group members had to guess.  I thought this was a really interesting activity that could be used to assess the students in their vocabulary learning.  It was also fun to draw!

After Rachel's presentation of her mini lesson, I presented my own.  I used word "pops" as a teaching aid with the definition of each word written on the sticks.  I then had my "students" identify and define the words, while I wrote them on the board for the rest of the "class" to see.  After going through the words and their definitions, I read a silly story called, "Chimps Don't Wear Glasses."  After reading the story, I had my students write their own little silly story mirroring "Chimps Don't Wear Glasses," using at least five of the vocabulary words they had learned.

I thought the experience was really fun!  I was also very nervous to carry out my mini lesson with my peers, but overall was a great experience.  I cannot wait to see the other two mini lessons next week!  I would like to thank my students Rachel, Angela, and Jessilyn for being such awesome students!  Thank you!

3rd Grade Mini Lesson

Today we went over our mini lessons in small group class settings. I enjoyed both the teachers I was able to work with. Both Evin and Kelsey had great ideas to use in the classroom. Evin shared his lesson on a day at the beach. Our vocabulary words were already posted on the board and as a class we read them out loud. Then he asked us to identify any words that may have been difficult for us. After we put the words in alphabetical order then we used five words he picked out  and wrote sentences and then we drew three words that we got to pick. I like the lesson because we were able to use an environment that we have easy access to. Also we did a lot of activities that enforced us to use the words and think about the meaning.

For Kelsey's lesson we read a story Lilly and her Purple Plastic Purse. She introduced the story and had use each read a section to encourage class read aloud. When we were finished she asked us to find one word we did not know the meaning to and she wrote it on the board. We were given a worksheet to work on the words we thought were difficult. Then we had to define the word we picked, make a connection, and draw an image that related to the word. I really like how we had a chance to read the story and pick out the words we had a hard time with and find out how to make a connection to us and the word.

Both lessons were very enjoyable and I really felt the ideas that were put into making the lesson. I think these ideas will really help me in the future when constructing other mini lessons our whole lessons in general.   

Mini Lesson Vocabulary

Today was fun! I was a bit nervous about presenting the mini lesson, but it turned out really well. I thought that I was comfortable with my "students" and they were very cooperative. They seemed to really like the story I read. It was interesting to see how they drew their vocabulary words. I also enjoyed Jen's lesson very much. She made us choose our own words and then read us a silly story. Since the story was funny, it was very engaging and made us laugh. She did a great job in getting us excited and interested. I liked that she made us write our own silly story using the vocabulary words. These ideas will definitely go into my bag of tricks. I can't wait to see the lessons for next Thursday! Great job everyone!

Mini-Lessons in Action!

Class Discussion: Meaning Vocabulary

     It has been awhile since we were in class, but it was refreshing to come back. Today's class discussion was on meaning vocabulary. Discussing about meaning vocabulary is important, because students need to know what they are reading. There were a couple of approaches to teaching vocabulary that were mentioned in class that caught my attention: word walls and context clues. Word walls is one of the approaches that I liked the most, because it helps students learn how to say, spell, and read the word. I would definitely use a word wall in my classroom. Context clues is another approach that will help students know the meaning of a word. Context clues provides clues in a sentence that can help a student if they are having difficulty in finding the meaning. Once I become a teacher, I will definitely use these approaches.

Vocabulary

In today's class, we went over the different areas relating to vocabulary. Going over what schema is and semantics was very helpful because it kind of refreshed my memory with their meanings and how it is used in the classroom. I also liked the different ideas on how to introduce lessons to students and all the different activities that the students could do to help them retain the information. The moving dictionary was something I thought was pretty cool and it's a great way for students to build their vocabulary and learn new words. Another strategy that we went over was categorization. This helps students distinguish certain things and relate it to a main subject, like car and transportation. The different graphic organizers was something I wasn't really familiar with, but now I can use these approaches and strategies for future lessons. I learned a lot today and I hope we can go over more next class!

Meaningful Vocabulary

Today we discussed different approaches on how to teach students on meaningful vocabulary. One of the approaches that interested me was the word wall. I learned what a word wall was and the different ways I can implement it into my future classroom. We also discussed the different elements in vocabulary that students should be learning such as homonyms, context clues,  prefixes, compound words, etc. I really liked how Dr. Rivera gave us examples on how to teach these elements in the classroom.

We also had a little raffle at the end of the class which was very nice of Dr. Rivera to do for us!!!

Lastly, here is a picture of our ED357 Reading Methods: Elementary Baby!!!

AIDEN JOHN MANGLONA, FEB. 06, 2013, 8lb. 13oz. and 21in.

Meaning Vocabulary

          In today's class we discussed vocabulary knowledge and different strategies to teach new words.  It is important for students to know the meaning, structure, and context of the words rather than just reading it, this allows them to better comprehend the story or subject that is being taught.  There are many strategies in teaching word meaning, and some of them such as word wall, repeated reading, flashcards, and word bank have already been discussed in the previous class session and in moodle. However, the utilization of technology such as recorded reading and e-books, and graphic organizers such as the t-chart and word webs are also necessary in carrying out a lesson.
          Today's session gave me so many ideas that I could incorporate in my classroom.  I hope that in the future I will do a great job at carrying out these ideas.  It seems like vocabulary will be fun to teach and I just cannot wait to get started so that I could instill the same level of excitement that I have for reading, in my students.

Vocabulary

In class we discussed the different ways to introduce vocabulary in the classroom and how to gather information on your students prior knowledge. We went over how being eclectic will benefit many different learners and can assist in reaching out to others who maybe having a harder time. It is also important to have a "in class" classroom library to share different stories and have the material available to them to use. We also reviewed the importance of using the word wall to assist the class in spelling as well as monitoring what new words they are introduced to. Using graphic organizers such as the KWL chart or the T-chart can also benefit the outcome of a lesson being taught.

We talked about our use of teacher aids and how it will benefit our pockets and class. If we create home made pieces there is a bigger chances of having more avalible to the class rather then buying them from the store. It would be inexpensive since we will be able to use recyle material or other old toys that can be reused for a different activity.

Many of the things we talked about we went over before but the new ideas sure are a benefit. I am happy that we will be able to use these techniques to better our skills as future teachers. Also CONGRATULATIONS to the raffle winners.

Vocabulary

In today's class session we discussed the different strategies of teaching vocabulary such as, word walls, class dictionaries, and also the different types of graphic organizers. I am happy that Dr. rivera mentioned the class dictionary, which is just a book version of the word wall, because I have personally utilized it when I was in elementary. It is really a great way to help students build and learn vocabulary words. I have never heard of a T-chart that was used for reading until Dr. Rivera had mentioned and explained what it was. It seems like an effective organizer for words, so that students would understand, not only the meaning of the word, but the similarities and differences there are with other words as well.

Vocabulary

Today's class discussion was on meaning vocabulary. It was a very informative session especially because vocabulary is such an important component of reading. The different strategies in teaching vocabulary are things that are definitely usable and beneficial. I liked that the idea of having each student introduce a new word to the class. It is a great way to have them not only build their vocabulary, but also become more involved in their learning. Even though I know that teaching reading is challenging especially because of the growing cultural diversity in Guam's schools, I am still very excited to use all my ideas in my classroom. Have a wonderful Thursday everyone! Below is the link that Dr. Rivera has sent me for ideas on teaching aids: http://exceptionalteaching.net/edgaandto.html

YAY RAFFLE!

            Hello everyone! Well today was a good class. I'm happy to see everyone again, and I'm glad Dr. Rivera is getting better. Today we touched up on the teaching aid assignment and different approaches. It feels like we go over approaches a lot, but honestly I'm really glad we do. I think that should be stressed in all methods classes. I feel that I can really do my best in teaching lesson when I'm equipped with different approaches and strategies. The approach I enjoyed most was the integrating technology in the classroom because its so broad. There are countless was to integrate technology in the classroom, the sad apart about it though is that our school system doesn't always have the funding to do so.
          On a happier note, I'm really excited to start on the teaching aid, especially because we're building ourselves. I get excited when it comes time for arts and craft. My plan is to pick a grade level I want to teach, then search for standard. This way I do not go to Ben Franklin, and buy a lot of supplies that I do not need. Anyway, good luck everyone with your teaching aid assignment. I can't wait to see what you all come up with.

Word Recognition Mini Lesson

I found it difficult to come up with a mini lesson plan for teaching word recognition simply because there are so many creative ways!  I used the story "Is your Mama a Llama" because I thought the animals were so cute!  I also think that using big books as teaching aids are essential for teaching word recognition, because it allows the students to clearly see the text as they read along, and the illustration is much more attractive on the scale of the big book.  I believe that I would use this lesson in the future and I really hope that it is effective!

Mini Lesson on Word Recognition

     Creating a mini lesson on word recognition was exciting, because I had so many ideas going through my head. But once I sat in my desk and pondered, I came up with an idea. I decided that I wanted to incorporate a word wall, story, and a game in my mini lesson. Using a word wall will allow my students to read, spell, and be familiar with the new words they are learning. Including a story in my lesson would be a smooth transition from the word wall, because the story would have the new words my students were learning. Thinking of an activity to end my mini lesson was the most exciting part of my lesson, because I wanted to do a fun activity that my students will enjoy. The activity that I chose to do was a game called "Word Bingo". Instead of having numbers on the bingo cards, it would have old and new words that my students have learned. Word bingo will provide my students with practice in recognizing words. It was fun making a mini lesson on word recognition, because it made me to think of creative activities that can engage my students in learning and recognizing new words. 

   

Mini Lesson

   In today’s session we had to create a mini lesson on word recognition. This was my first time creating any type of lesson plan so it was really hard for me to come up with something. I know it’s not as creative, but I wasn’t sure how to do it. I liked the ideas that everyone else came up with and I think I will get the hang of it as we go along. I just wanted to create something to where the students will read the base word and combine –ing so that they have a better understanding of it. It was good to practice creating a lesson plan and I hope I can get better at it!

Tongue Twisted

Honestly, I struggled a little bit with this mini lesson. Maybe I was thinking too hard. First of all I had no idea what to do the lesson on, so I decided to read what everyone else was doing their lesson on. I enjoyed the lessons I read, but they didn't really help. So I decided to use the common core as a guide. I focused on second grade reading foundational skills. I found this goal on word recognition: 


CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.2.3d Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.

Anyway, after I found that goal everything just fell into place for me. I decided to use tongue twisters to  tie my lesson together. I think that children will find the tongue twisters fun, and they'll be reviewing themselves on prefixes and suffixes at the same time. Its like sneaking vegetables into a fruit smoothie :) [Haha genius.]

Word Recognition!!

For today's assignment we had to make a mini-lesson on word recognition. At first I was a little confused because I was not sure exactly what we were suppose to do. I was expecting to talk about it in class but plans were changed. However, thanks to the internet I was able to find how some teachers work on it with their students in their classroom. So I decided to do the recognition of the numbers and its; word forms. I decided to use the rhyme Once I Caught a Fish Alive to help get the students attention as well as using something familiar. I decided that I can post up the rhyme on the board with both the number and word form. Using repetitive reading, practice writing, and site word recognition using flash cards.
After thinking about what I wanted to do it was simple to complete the lesson. Now I am able to use other rhymes or stories in the same format on introducing other words I would like my students to recognize.

Mini Lesson: Word Recognition

   For today's Moodle session we had to create a mini lesson for word recognition. As I was thinking about what theme or topic to choose for it, I chose the most obvious...Dr. Seuss! Not only are his stories and illustrations fun and enjoyable, but they are perfect for introducing/reviewing word families. The word family I chose to revolve my lesson on was words ending with -at. I know Rachel used it first, but it was a sheer coincidence, I promise! My reason for choosing this particular word family was that it allowed me to incorporate one of my favorite books, "The Cat in the Hat." I hope you all enjoy the ideas I have put into the lesson and the lesson in general. Please be gentle in critiquing, as I am feeling under the weather.

A little word of advice: Never do homework or make lessons after taking NyQuil.

Word Recognition Mini Lesson

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Constructing a short lesson on word recognition was more difficult than I thought. This is because there are so many different ways to teach so many different reading skills. I kept my mini lesson simple because when it comes to phonics and word recognition, it is important to teach and reinforce so that students develop automaticity. Repeating and reviewing are important strategies. It is especially required for young readers and students whose first language is not English. I look forward to reviewing your mini lessons so that I can build my lesson plan resource book!

Language and Literature

   In today's session, we discussed the importance of language and literature and some effective strategies that can be used in the classroom. I believe that language and literature is the foundation of learning; that without it, learning may not occur as much and as often. Some methods and activities that I personally enjoy are read-alouds and interactive stories. I remember having read-alouds throughout my entire elementary experience. It made me enjoy reading and has expanded my range of imagination and creativity (well, in my opinion). I have not been exposed to interactive stories until recently, when my baby brother begs me to buy those (again, in my opinion) very expensive apps for his iPad. In the end, I support his app addiction because he always chooses the educational ones, like the interactive stories. Although he is not able to read the text, he very much understands the story and enjoys the interacting element of it. Most of the stories he enjoys are those I had enjoyed as a kid and still do as an adult.

Today's readings was on using language and literature in the classroom. Which is the base of learning. Communication, listening, and feed back are where it starts. Keeping our students involved and interested in the topic is important and can become a big factor if the students are not interested. Have our students express what they think about the lessons or stories we are going over is very important and that is has been stressed in the readings. The importance of involvement for both the teachers and the students. The ideas that were shared can help improve our class management, class participation, and student skills.

Language and Literature

   In todays moodle session we went over language and literature. The article provided a lot of great strategies and ideas to engage students in reading and comprehension. I liked the idea of having several read-alouds throughout the day because it really does get the students involved and it could motivate them to read more, not just in school, but also at home. By having read-alouds, it opens up students minds and it allows them to be exposed to unfamiliar words, which can expand their vocabulary and their understanding of those words.

   When I was in elementary, I remember having read-alouds with my teachers and librarians, which was good because it helped me a lot with language development and comprehending things more. Although we didn’t have six read-alouds a day, it would be good to see more of this in our schools and to really get the students inspired to read more. I want to try and incorporate this strategy into my schedule when I start teaching and hopefully it will help them in a way that improves their reading, comprehension, and language skills.

Language and Literature

Hi all! Today's Moodle forum concentrates on the importance of language and literature. Many of us do not really listen to how we speak. It is interesting how it is so natural for us to talk to each other without much thought (unless of course we are engaged in serious discussion). Informal conversation comes so easily, yet if we were to break it down and analyze it, we would probably find some language errors. When I hear my children speak, I often have to correct their grammar because I don't want them to continue making the same mistakes. It is important for us as future teachers to ensure that we integrate oral language activities in our instruction in order to build language skills. I also believe that the use of literature is important, especially to encourage students to not only become better readers, but also acquire a love for reading. Although there are reading textbooks that are commonly used in the classroom, I like the idea of using familiar and interesting literature as instructional material. In this way, children can connect with the stories and become more motivated to read.

Topics of the Week

   This week's articles were based on word recognition and the common core standards. I learned that word recognition is the process of recognizing words. Word recognizing or decoding is important, because it helps students become strong readers. I also learned from the article that if students are having difficulties in reading words, there are several strategies that readers can use to help them read unfamiliar words. Examples of word recognition strategies include picture clues, recognize syllable patterns, look for word chunks, etc. By implementing these strategies, students will be able to read unfamiliar words.
   The common core standards is a very popular topic in the spectrum of education, because it will be implemented in the schools soon. Hearing about the common core standards frightened me a bit, because I was getting the hang of the GDOE Standards. But luckily, I am very fortunate that I have professors that are preparing me for the new change. Learning and understanding about the common core standards has given me an insight of what to expect when I start teaching.

To Common Core or to Not!

Today we reviewed the importance of word recognition and the Common Core Standards. I am happy that each of these steps we need to teach our students have different methods that can help us be more creative in the classroom. We know that all these commponents are important but forget that our students do not understand WHY we teach it to them. If we keep it fun that question might not even be in their minds. However, I feel that all this information I have gathered can be a benefit. Now that the Common Core will be implemented soon I feel that these reviews will really benefit all of us.  

Word Recognition/Common Core

   I really enjoyed the read on word recognition and the strategies used for it. I was happy to see some familiar strategies that I learned and used from previous observations and practicums. What I used the most was sounding out words and picture clues. Having to do a one week practicum for one of my Early Childhood courses, it really helped understand and memorize these strategies.
   I also enjoyed the discussion on the Common Core standards. In other classes, we do talk about and utilized these standards, but I do not recall expressing our views on it and what we think it would do for our island. It was really refreshing to read everyone's perspective, also comforting to see a few of us share the same thoughts and concerns.

Word Recognition and Common Core

Today's assigned reading was really interesting.  Word recognition seemed like it entails difficult lessons!  However, after further reading I came to the understanding that it might actually be fun.  With activities such as picture clues and word chunks it now seems less intimidating.  I was also able to look back on our notes and realize that we could use some of the other strategies from the lecture last week to teach word recognition.  One strategy that I thought could be really useful involves labeling.  Having a print-rich environment could really help the students learn their words.  Other useful strategies are word of the day and rhyme reading/recitation.  I could definitely see myself using these strategies and searching for more that might be useful in teaching word recognition.

The common core standards implementation was another article assigned for today.  I really think it should be implemented here on Guam because I feel that it will help our students become better students.  They will be able to transition to the career field and college easily with the help of the common core standards.  The one thing I like about common core standards is the uniformity.  The goals are the same per grade level, and hopefully the same outcomes as well.

Late Post for Tuesday!

Hi Everyone! It slipped my mind that we still had to blog for Tuesday. So I am posting this one for Tuesday. After going over the readings I was happy to find out some great ways to teach one of the most difficult things children need to learn. I had difficulties myself so I understand the hardships some students have to go through when they are learning how to read. Then finding more information on the RTI program was very interesting. Now that I think about it maybe if I was placed in that program I probably wouldn't have had such a hard time. Being a teacher you can help so much but if we know of additional help I am sure we will use it to help our students. Now that I know all these information I am able to keep it in mind when I am working with my students.

Word Recognition and Common Core

  In today’s moodle session we read two articles, one on word recognition and the other on the common core standards. I found the article on word recognition very helpful because it gives you strategies and tips to help students remember words and this can help us when we become teachers. The strategies that the article brought up seemed very simple and effective. The article on the common core standards was interesting as well. I think it would be good for our island to adopt and implement these standards. It might be a little different for teachers and students, but I think these standards will improve instruction and also help boost our student’s math and reading skills.

Thursday 02.07.13

So today I read about word recognition and the common core. What I like most about reading on the common core is actually took the time to reflect on how this affects education. Common core to me, is bittier sweet. Although this change is for the best, I know the transition stage will be difficult. I would like to think that teachers and students will all adjust quickly, but it takes practice and a open mind. However, this is all for the best having the curriculum aligned nation wide.

After I read about word recognition, I saw how important it was...I took the time to look up additional teaching strategies in teaching it. I was amazed that some of the strategies I saw because I noticed that my kindergarten teacher used the same strategies in my class, and me nephew now also has the same strategies incorporated in his readings.

The Common Core and Word Recognition

Hello everyone! Hope you all are having a wonderful week! Word recognition and the common core standards are the focus today. It was nice to get a chance to talk about the common core because by the time we start teaching, these standards will be used in full force. I am a bit worried that I will not be prepared to dissect and interpret the standards successfully since I am more familiarized with the GDOE content standards. It would be helpful if SOE conducts short workshops that explain the common core in detail so future teachers are more prepared. With all the responsibilities that teachers are faced with, it can be very overwhelming. However, I do feel that these changes are necessary in order to improve overall academic success. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but we can do it!

Approaches for reading instruction/RTI

  In today’s moodle session, we read two articles. The first one was on approaches for reading instruction. I thought this article was very interesting and informative. It talked about the five essential components of effective reading instruction, which are: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. These are the main areas that students have to be proficient in to become better readers and I think the activities that go along with the instruction will make it easier and fun for the students.

  We also read up on Response To Intervention (RTI). It’s a great program that can help support those students who are really having trouble with reading and I think this approach is great for our island because a lot of students in the schools are not where they need to be at, in terms of reading skills, so this is something that can benefit them. I hope to try out these new approaches when I start teaching so I can see what works best for me, and what works best for my students as well.

Effective Approaches of Reading & RtI

     After reading article one, it gave me a better understanding on how teachers can teach children to read accurately and rapidly through five components of effective reading instruction. The five components of effective reading instruction are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. As future educators, it is important that we understand the five essential components of reading, because it helps us teach our students to read using instructional strategies and materials that have proven to be effective.
   Another reading material that I enjoyed reading today was on Response to Intervention, also known as  RtI. RtI is a multi-tiered process being used in many school systems to seek ways to provide early assistance to students experiencing academic and/or behavioral difficulty. RtI gives students the support they need, regardless of having a disability or not. With RtI, students will no longer have to "wait to fail" to receive the help they need; it is promised to prevent the over-identification of students for special education.

   Within these past couple of weeks of class, I have learned a lot about reading. Reading is the single most important skill children learn at school. With reading, children expand their knowledge and enter any subject or obstacle that they encounter in life.

Approaches of Reading Instruction/RTI

Today's assigned reading material was very informative and insightful. I especially enjoyed reading about the different approaches of teaching students to read. Prior to this class, I was not aware of the many strategies and the complexity of teaching a child to read. I will definitely keep those strategies in mind for when I have a class of my own. Being an Early Childhood educator, I am certain I will be teaching the early part of reading and I know these approaches will come in handy in the very near future.

To be honest I was not quite familiar with RTI until this semester, but the assignment has gotten my feet wet on the subject and I am pretty sure it will not be the last time I hear or read about it.

Reading Instruction & RTI

In today's moodle session we read about the five essential components of effective reading instruction and how they play a major role in today's classroom.  The article discussed the importance of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.  While I was reading I noticed how the concepts blended together so that the teacher must use more than one concept in order to have an effective lesson.  My four year old son is an emergent reader, and I imagined myself using these concepts to help him learn to read.  I know it will be a long process, however the article made it sound simple and easy!   I have set a personal goal and that is, to teach my son to read using the five components of reading, by the time he enters kindergarten!

We also read about Differentiated Instruction and Response to Intervention (RTI) Review.  This is the second time reading up on RTI, how it is implemented and the benefits that come along with it.  The response to intervention is necessary in today's schools because of the number of children who do not know how to read nor show interest in reading   With programs such as RTI, specialists are able differentiate between learning disability and a reader who is just struggling.

Tuesday

Today during Moodle session I read about different approaches in reading instruction in which the text describes different methods in targeting fluency, vocabulary, phonemic awareness, comprehension, and phonics. The second reading discussed RTI (Response to Intervention): what it is, who it requires, and why its being implemented, and its benefits.

I really enjoyed reading this material, because I think I need it for my future classroom. As an education student I learn about all these problems that are facing the education system and that I will encounter when I begin teaching. I think arming myself with knowledge on how to address these problems will only help me better educate myself and my students. It is important as an educator to always update yourself with new methods. This world of information is always changing, you need to be able to adapt. Learning is ongoing.

Reading Interventions and Approaches

Happy Post SuperBowl everyone! Today's Moodle discussion focuses on the different approaches in reading instruction, as well as the importance of RTI. I am glad that Dr. Rivera added the RTI forum because not many UOG students are aware that it exists in the schools. RTI is not a Special Education teacher's responsibility. It is a school wide effort to decrease referrals and improve reading and math skills. Basically, the general education teacher bears most of the responsibility in implementing the interventions. As future teachers, it is important for us to be aware of the RTI process and also its purpose. I also wanted to thank Jen for sharing her very personal story about her sister's struggles in school. Unfortunately, the reality is that many students have similar experiences because of the lack of training and knowledge. I hope that each of us strive to make the changes necessary when we begin teaching to better serve our students! See you on Thursday (Moodle of course)!