Standard+2


 * TEACHING STANDARD #2 ** : Uses effective instructional strategies that make learning meaningful and show positive impact on student learning.

**NEW for 2011-2012**
 * Writing---Practice CBMs almost weekly
 * Reading--Reader Responses
 * Vocabulary/Word StudyMore time devoted to word study (using Words Their Way sorts)
 * Reading--More time for context clues and inferences
 * Reading--Think Notes
 * Reading in Content Area--Who Was biographies series PLUS RAZ

__**CBMs**__ This year I expanded on our writing Curriculum Based Measurements (CBMs), which are short intensive writing prompts designed to underscore deficiencies in punctuation, fluency, spelling, capitalization, and syntax. The process of administering CBMs has a particular protocol. Last academic year students sat for just 3 CBMs. This year, in addition to the 3 trimester CBMs whose scores are graphed, I gave students weekly practice CBMs. After each CBM, students were required to mark their own, identify problem areas, and share them with the group. No secrets. In this way, we all learned from each other.

This student is taking advantage of the 60-second preparation time before she starts writing her CBM. During the 60-second preparation period, she is meant to spend the first 30 seconds or so planning the broad ideas of the composition. She is meant to spend the remaining 30 seconds of the preparation time "scripting" the composition in her head. She is to think about actual sentences, punctuation, spelling, mechanics, and so on. During the following 3-minute writing period, she is to "copy" what she composed in her head onto paper.

The process of responding to short prompts is also meant to prepare students for the whole-school common writing prompt, which is administered in May.

Student compositions in response to a prompt are scored according to correct words in a sequence (CWS) and total words written (TWW). The scans below are the results of a typical G4 student who is ready to move from World Language and in-class support to in-class support exclusively in G5. **This student exceeded the goal of 52 CWS.** The goal is based on normative data found in the book The ABCs of CBMs that our department uses to guide us in conducting CBMs. (Consult my Team Goals page of this wiki for further details.) The graph above shows the student's results in the area of CWS. The CWS gives credit for unbroken chains of words in the composition. That is to say, credit is given for series that have the correct syntax, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Regarding CWS, the goal for students who take ESL during the World Language blocks and who are not in the Intensive ESL program is 52 as a CWS in Trimester 3. Intensive ESL students are intended to reach a CWS of 39 in Trimester 3.

The graph above shows the total number of words written (TWW) in 3 minutes in response to a prompt. ** The results show that the student has made gains in writing fluency. **

__**Reading and Reader Responses**__

Mohammed is displaying his reader response notebook and The Get Rich Quick Club, a book about upper elementary students who decide to start their own company. I chose to use this book for a second year because it was so closely connected to what the students were learning and discussing in the G4 unit called Getting the Goods. In the previous academic year, I used the book as a complete teacher-read aloud (except for the last 20 pages of the book). This year, I began the book as a teacher read-aloud and transitioned into independent and group reading with discussions sprinkled in as needed This aspect was intended to serve as a scaffold for the students, whose reading levels are below the book's level (4.1). What's more, this year the students I required the students to write reader responses after reading a chapter or two. As we learned, different kinds of reader responses (e.g. focus on character, changing something in the book, reporting on surprises in the book), helped us better understand what we read.


 * Sample Reader Response**

__**Words Their Way Sorts--Word Study**__

Words Their Way word sorts lend themselves to great lessons on spelling and vocabulary. Our lessons have featured long vowels, unusual plurals, past tense, and adding -ed and -ing. The lessons are kinesthetic exercises that allow students to manipulate and classify words. During the process of classification, students are to find patterns and explain the patterns. Our friend in the upcoming video explains what he learned about some unusual plurals.

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__**Context Clues**__

Our context clue exercises are designed to give students practice using apposition to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words or word that may have one meaning in one context and another meaning in another context. Students work at their own pace selecting cards with reading passages. One box of passage cards is leveled 2.0-3.5 for G4 intensive ESL students and G3 students. A second box is leveled 3.5-5.0 for G4 students. Students select a card whose answer options are obscured by a self-adhesive note*. Students complete an entry in their exercise book. The entry must include the featured word, its card number, what the student thinks the word means in the context (i.e. "my guess"), what clues in the passage gave the student clues about the meaning, the correct answer (found on the back of the card), and a blurb reflecting on the experience. In the reflection, the student is meant to explain (or re-explain in some cases) what clues helped and/or what s/he learned during the process.




 * The answer options are obscured to prevent students from guessing and treating the exercise like a multiple-guess test. **Only after the student has completed the My Guess and Why sections of his/her entry may the student reveal the answer choices.**



Although I monitor the students as they work, the students seem to have internalized the relevance of two of our ASD values: honesty and responsibility. The process requires honesty--the students aren't to look at the answers until they have completed their explanation of why they think the word means what it does. The process also requires an understanding that each of them is responsible for filling out each entry correctly and following all of our protocols (e.g. selecting cards from the appropriate box, setting up the entries with required headings and sections, putting the cards back in order).

__**Reading--Think Notes**__

Inspired by the self-adhesive notes the school's consultants advocate students use while reading, I decided to put more of an emphasis on reading and thinking notes. The notes I use with my students are more structured than the ones the school's consultants use.

Templates

Samples of students' reading notes on structured cards



__**G4 Biographies**__



With the G4 Biography unit in mind, last year I ordered several books from the Who Was series. ESL students had first access to the books. After their needs were met, I opened access to students who are not in the ESL program. Two students not in the ESL program approached me in the hallway and asked if they could hold on to the Anne Frank and the Helen Keller books even though they had most of the research they needed. They simply wanted to read the books!


 * I hope to be able to place an order in September for more books in the series (which I found online about two weeks ago on Amazon) well before the time G4 takes on the Biographies unit in 2013.**

I made use of Reading A-Z books in the same way.

__**Tried and True**__ In 2011-2012, I have continued to use a variety of approaches and strategies to help students with reading, writing, speaking, listening, and vocabulary acquisition. The "oldies but goodies" include


 * KWHLU
 * Vocabulary Squares
 * Map Skills/Geography Twister


 * KWHLU**

Learning charts called "Kwulu" (KWHLU) are prominent in my classroom. There is one chart for G3 and one chart for G4. At the start of a unit, students write what they **KNOW** about the subject, what they **WANT** to know about the subject, and **HOW** they intend to find answers to their inquiries. At the end of the unit, students record what they have **LEARNED** during the course of the unit and how they can **USE** what they have learned.


 * Vocabulary Squares**

The **Vocabulary Squares** activity tackles learning vocabulary. The example below shows how the student has studied the word "parasite". The student has identified the part of speech, drawn a picture associated with parasite, written the definition, identified variations of the word, and put the word in context--a sentence.



__**Map Skills/Geography Twister**__ The picture and the reflection below it tell the whole story, don't they? The things one can do with a shower curtain and a permanent marker! (Often lo-tech is more appropriate than hi-tech.)





__**Intensive ESL**__ Intensive ESL, for students who are brand-new or almost brand-new to English, has continued along the same format with independent reading and summarizing of books I selected from the Lower Elementary book room. Students continue to have their own book boxes in my classroom and continue to sign out books from me. They are responsible for reading the books, writing the summaries on reading logs, storing the logs in a portfolio, and recording and looking up new vocabulary words that come from the books. Students have opportunities to read books on their independent reading levels (from their book boxes) and books above their levels. The books above their levels are teacher-led interactive read alouds. Intensive ESL classes also feature time for DRAs, vocabulary work, and extra help with classroom projects/concepts.



The students in this picture have placed in front of them their personal book boxes and their Intensive ESL envelopes. The envelopes are the students' briefcases and contain reading logs, the books they've checked out from me, and their individualized vocabulary books. The Amelia Bedelia books they are holding are books that are above their independent reading levels. The books were part of our series of interactive read-alouds. Through reading about Amelia Bedelia's misadventures, we learned many new meanings of common words in English. So, if we're preparing a meal and someone asks us to **dress the chicken,** we know they don't mean we should put the chicken in its finest togs as Amelia Bedelia did in one of the books!

__**ESL-Home Connection**__ I've kept up with updating Moodle.