Reading and Writing Instruction for Intermediate and Advanced Learners, Spring, 2009, Hickory, NC

Using the Bloom’s Taxonomy six levels of questioning create your own wall charts using different colors of paper or poster board. Each color has its own set of numbered questions or activities. The questions and activities increase in difficulty from one to six. The students roll a dice to get a number and the teacher calls out a color. The student is required to answer the question that is the rolled number on the specific color of chart. For instance, the student rolls a five with their die then the teacher calls out green the student would look at the green chart and read number five. Activity five requires students to draw two new illustrations for the story. This can be done or the whole group or each student can have their own activity or question. Teachers can choose a number if there is something specific the students the students really need to work on however, the students really enjoy rolling the die.

I teach ELL, therefore, I love concept sorts for my students. This is a great way for students (especially those with Limited English Proficiency) to organize their thoughts before they begin reading to help with reading comprehension. Students are introduced to difiicult content related vocabulary (selected by the teacher) before reading so they can better understand the material being read. This can be done individually, small group, or whole group. Words are written on index cards and then students group the words into categories (typically based on meaning) and then they explain how they grouped the words and how they relate to one another, giving them the background knowledge they need to understand and comprehend the text.

The use of graphic organizers in a classroom can be very helpful. One of the strategies that I use on a constant basis is the brain web. The brain web was mentioned by Marzano. It is used to map out information that you are gathering or learning. You can provide your students with a pre-created web or you can have them create their own bubbles. Either way they can use these bubbles to reference information or organize information. I use this many times in writing. Children can gather information from various sources and also try to organize their thoughts into sentences.

Lydia Gwaltney

The Jigsaw Classroom strategy is a cooperative learning technique. Each student is like a piece to a jigsaw puzzle. If you have missing pieces it is not complete, therefore in the Jigsaw Classroom Strategy, it is essential each group member do their part for the completion and full understanding of the objectives. Students are divided into small groups (5 or 6). Each student is assigned to learn about a specific topic, based on a broader topic. For example, in 4th grade we study NC. A student might be assigned to learn about crops grown in NC. Another in the group may be assigned to tourism in NC. After time and resources are made available to students for research to be done, groups come back together and share. Before getting back into groups to share, members meet with others who were assigned the same topic to compare information. This will give them a chance to work with other ‘experts’ who researched the same topic. This can be particularly helpful for struggling students. The members can help one another in organizing the information found. After members gather back together they educate one another about what they learned. This strategy is beneficial for several reasons. First, it makes students responsible for their own learning. The process encourages listening, engagement, and empathy by providing each student in the group an integral part to be responsible for in the activity. Team members must all work hard to accomplish a common goal. They must all work together to be successful. The strategy also teaches students to value one another as contributors to the assigned task.

The KWL Chart encompasses all three reading components-before, during, and after reading. This strategy improves comprehension by activating prior knowledge, encouraging student predictions, and thinking about the reading and learning. Students enjoy sharing what they know and are motivated to learn when they understand their purpose for reading.

Billmeyer, R. and Barton, M.L. (1998). Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: If Not
Me then Who? Aurora, Co.

This strategy is a pre-reading strategy that gets students to make predictions about the text that they are preparing to read. The teacher selects ten to fifteen words from the text that are important vocabulary terms, character quotes, and theme and plot identifiers. The students take these words and categorize them into a graphic organizer that assists students in making a prediction. The areas that the students can put the teacher selected words are: Characters, Setting, Problem, Solution and Ending. Depending on the template you use, you can also add a section for unknown words. The students take the information and as a group write a prediction for what the story will be about.

My third grade students will be given a specific non-fiction topic and book. They will be asked to observe the title and cover of the non-fiction book. They will also be prompted to use their knowledge of the topic to complete a before reading page. I want them to list 3-5 things they know about their topic. Students will be give 5-10 minutes to complete this part of the lesson. Students will then be given 15-20 minutes to read their book. After reading students will be asked recall what they have learned from the specific book they have read. They will then write 6-10 things they can recall from their topic. Each student will be given 10-15 minutes to complete this part of the lesson. After all students have completed the lesson they will be asked to share in samll groups what they have learned about their topic. This wil take 20 minutes to allow all students to share. The entire lesson should be completed in two fourty minute sessions.
Lynn

Students are given an opportunity to think on their own before sharing with a neighbor. The teacher gives a question for the students to think about. After the students have thought about the question they write down a response on a piece of paper. Then the students are given the opportunity to share with a neighbor. I like the approach because the students are forced to think on their own before they have a chance to talk to a neighbor. Too often my students just take whatever answer their neighbor puts or tells their partner the answer without giving any explanation of how they arrived at that answer. This way the students need to think on their own before talking to a neighbor.

A colleague of mine actually showed me this idea relating to science. In an admit/exit slip students are expected to complete each question/set of questions prior to and after the lesson. Students will be able to write down their thoughts, fill out questions to ensure understanding of the lesson taught, and to give feed back on the lesson/teaching of the lesson. Thus teachers will learn how to adjust the lesson to met certain needs, what needs to be clarified, or what concepts need more assistance. Students can either answer questions being asked on an index card, sheet of notebook paper, science notebook, or even a copy of the questions (which can be a very basic template of questions that can be used with every lesson being taught). This type of strategy can be used with any subject. My colleague just suggested science as a way to see what students are learning and give a grade on their slips. Normally science is very hard to grade since most science activities are hands on. I used the with my classroom and it seemed to work wonderfully. I am excited to use it again with our study of rocks and minerals.

I will present my third grade students with a specfic non-fiction topic. I will have a learning strategie page that they will complete before they read the selection. I will tell them they have five minutes to complete as much iformation as they can on this topic. They will be able to use what prior knowledge they have and the cover and title of the book to complete this part of the strategy. Each student must give at least 3-5 things they know or think they know the topic. After the given time period I will then instruct the students will be asked to turn their sheet over and read the book. After reading the book each student will then be asked to use the knowledge they gained from the book to complete the remainder of the guide. They will also be asked to compare and contrast what they thought they knew and what was fact about their topic. This lesson should be completed in a 30-40 minutes class period