My Final Week Before Student Teaching

I am almost speechless. I cannot believe that this is the final week of the semester. It is very bittersweet. I have enjoyed spending time with my cohort friends.

I feel like I am about to finish the last chapter of an awesome book.  It is one that we have all wrote together. I want to know more about what it going to happened, however, I really am going to miss reading the book.  I think I will be sad when I finally finish it and put it away. It has been one of my favorite books and I will never forget it. I will recommend it to those who are looking for a great adventure.

Thank you to all of you who had a part in my book. I love you guys and I look forward to reading more from you!

Peter and the Starcatchers

This was a wonderful book. I could not hardly put the book down. I must admit that when I first looked at the book, I did not have any interest in it. But WOW! The author did a great job of captruing my attention and I loved the word choices through out the book. This book was written for children, but all ages could enjoy this book. I know that I learned many new vocabulary words from this book.

The characters of this book was so realistic to me. I could just picture Black Stache and Slank. The orphan boys squeezed at my heart as I read the book and saw how they were so close to each other. Peter was such a leader and caretaker to them. It was evident in the book when he searched for food and when he tried to protect them numerous times in the book.

I would definitely use this book in my class. I loved how we made vocabulary list and completed activities with them. The students would love to read this and use it for vocabulary instead of a textbook.

 

Double Entry Diary on Pirates

Double Entry Diary

 

Section I

Pirate Diary The Journal of Jake Carpenter
From the book:	What it means to me:
I guessed who he was, for as soon as he hissed “Away aloft” in a low voice the sailors hurried up the rigging as if the devil himself had given the order.  Pg. 12 paragraph 2	This tells me that the captain of the ship was not a very friendly person. It seems that the author is trying to show his authority as the captain.

 

What If You Met a Pirate?
From the book:	What it means to me:
What about plunder? Pg. 22-23	Plunder was the stuff that pirates stole. It was not all gold and silver. It included sugar, spices, food, cloth, indigo, tea and coffee, ivory, rum and wine, and guns and gunpowder.

 

 

 

 

 

Section II

Pirate Diary The Journal of Jake Carpenter
From the book:	What it means to me:
“Well then, unless this man’s ill-used crew will o the bloody business, I propose we maroon him.” Pg. 29 paragraph 2	Marooning meant to leave someone in a desolate place with very little supplies for survival.

 

What If You Met a Pirate?
From the book:	What it means to me:
Who was who aboard a pirate ship? Pg. 16-17	One person aboard the ship was the Cooper. The cooper was the barrel maker. Everything pirates ate and drank was kept in these watertight containers.

 

Section III

Pirate Diary The Journal of Jake Carpenter
From the book:	What it means to me:
Those pirates who swear to give up their trade shall receive a royal pardon, and will not be punished.  Pg 46 paragraph 2	The crew had to make a choice to give up the life of piracy or to continue on, possibly making more money than they could at a regular job.

 

What If You Met a Pirate?
From the book:	What it means to me:
Where did all those pirates go? Pg. 30-31	The books states that some pirates were caught and hung. Some of the pirates died from all the disease and germs aboard the ships. Some pirates were killed in battle.

 

Section IV

Notes for the Reader

Part A

1. 1.       Who were the colonists? The colonists were people who had came from Europe to settle in the New Lands.
2. 2.       What are the Navigation Acts? They were laws set in place to force the colonists to trade only with England, using English ships with English crews.
3. 3.       How did the colonists feel about Navigation Acts? They were upset and did not like it. It forced them to accept low prices for the goods they produced.
4. 4.       Who were freebooters? Pirates who smuggled products from the colonist to other places to avoid selling only to England.
5. 5.       Describe the relationship between the colonists and the pirates. The colonist supported the pirates because they helped them purchase goods at cheaper prices while also selling their goods at a better rate. They often helped in supplying and repairing the pirate ships.

Part B

1. 1.       What did you learn about the different kinds of pirates? I learned that there are many different types of pirates, but they all had the same priority for the most part.  Piracy has been around for a very long time and has never really stopped. Although we may not hear about famous pirates today, such as Blackbeard, pirates do still exist.
2. 2.       Out of all the pirates mentioned in this section, which ones do you find most interesting? Please explain why. Of course, the women pirates are most interesting to me. Mary Read and Anne Bonny. Can you imagine how tough these women had to be? I wonder if the men on the ship really knew that these were women.  I thought it interesting how they escaped execution by claiming to be pregnant.

Reading Assessment

My group completed the reading assessment with Meghan (pseudonym), a third grade student at Gamewell Elementary in Mrs. Rodriguez’s classroom. We completed the assessment on October 7^th.  According to Mrs. Rodriguez, Meghan had been tested and was currently on a 2.5-3.5 Accelerated Reading level.

We first tested the student with the WRI flash words. This task was a little complicated because we tested her in the library and she seemed to be a little distracted at times. I felt that she missed some of the words that she really knew. It seemed that after she read through the first level of words that she became more comfortable with the process and she did show some improvements.

For the second part of the reading assessment, we moved into the lunch room where there were fewer distractions. We began with Meghan reading the first grade reading passage since she seemed to error more at the second grade flash level.  I did notice that her reading rate did not change until started to have more problems with words in the passages around third grade level. It was interesting to see that she could miss several words in the passage, but she did not falter in the comprehension. It seemed though that her comprehension scores did go down somewhat when she struggled with harder words or read longer passages. It was also interesting how this student added information to the passages when answering questions. She was very animated and seemed to have quite the imagination. We stopped at the fourth grade passage because she struggled and made several errors.

After scoring her, we found that she was independent on a first grade reading level. She could probably read a higher level first or low level second grade independently. Her instructional level is on the second grade level. That is where she was able to read with the most accuracy.  I believe that this is common for the beginning of the year. However, I do feel that her frustration level is the third grade level. The findings of this test are very similar to the STAR assessment that the teacher had given her.  I do think that Meghan has the potential to be on grade level with additional help from teacher and parents. She seems to be a bright young lady and she seems to love to read. I think that just as we have discussed in class, if she is reading books on the appropriate level she will improve her reading skills. I would begin her reading independently on a very high first and low second grade level. I would monitor her reading closely and move her up as needed.

 

 

 

 

 

	WRI		Oral Reading
Level	Flash	Untimed	Accuracy	Rate (WPM)	Comprehension
PrePrimer	90	100
Primer	80	100
1st	80	100	92	120	100
2nd	90	100	95	75	83
3rd	40	75	87	93	100
4th			86	88	66
5th

 

Based on the assessment scores, I think Meghan’s

Independent reading level is 1^st grade.

Instructional reading level is 2^nd grade.

Frustration reading level is 3^rd grade.

6 books the student could read independently ( title/author)	6 books the student could read in an instructional situation (title/author)
Messy Bessey by McKissack, Patricia We are Best Friends  by Ailki Girl Named Helen Keller by Schmidt, Karen Amazing Grace by Hoffman, Mary Grouchy Ladybug, The by Carle, Eric Case of the Double Cross, The by Bonsall, Crosby	Arthur Meets the President by Brown, Marc Conversation Club, the by Stanley, Diane Flower Girls: series by Leverich, Kathleen Miss Nelson is Missing by Allard, Harry Hilary and the Lions by Desaix, Frank Laura and Nellie by Wilder, Laura Ingalls

I am Blackbeard

 

I am Blackbeard

I am aggressive and grouchy

I often wonder who is watching me bury my treasure

I hear their whispers

I see their manipulative eyes watching my every move

I want treasures of gold and silver

I am aggressive and grouchy

 

I pretend to be reliable and trustworthy

I feel tricky and ready to shoot you if needed when you lease expect it

I touch the cold smooth trigger of my pistol

But I worry that someone will hear your cry

I am aggressive and grouchy

 

I understand that eyes are on me

I say come and try me if you dare

I dream of swimming in treasures on the shore

I am aggressive and grouchy

 

Shared Readings

I do agree with the article for this week. I love shared reading and I do believe that it is very important to use everyday in our classrooms! Yes, I did say EVERYDAY! I do belive that reading aloud to your students is the best way to model reading. I know that when I am given an assignment, I like to have an example of what I am suppose to do. I feel that children need to hear what reading should sound like. And what a wonderful way for children to learn sounds, letter recognition, and vocabulary.

I also found it interesting how the teachers in the article looked at the same shared reading components, and used them in different ways. I liked how the article gave examples of the different components. I think we should remember when we are teachers, we should model and use these components to teach in all subject areas. It could greatly benefit our students.

Response to readings~ Poetry

September 15, 2009 · 2 Comments

All the Small Poems and Fourteen More- This book had to be my pick out of the three we had to read. I thought the vivid words in each of the poems made it very appealing to me. I enjoyed reading it. It made me think of things that I normally would not have , for example the poem about the fence. (pg 39) How many times have I seen a fence that had fallen down and not ever wondered why or how? I loved how Valerie Worth took everyday items and made them feel important.

Brown Angels-  I also enjoyed this book. However, the poetry was not the reason why I liked it. I loved it for all the pictures. I love old pictures! The author said that he had gathered the pictures from yard sales and flea markets. I thought that I was the only crazy person that enjoyed looking at old pictures at flea markets. One time, my husband even ask me why I wanted to buy something like that because I did not know anyone in the picture. It makes me want to try to find out who they are and what their life was like. I also think of how much fun children would have if you gave them old pictures and ask them to make up a story about the people in the picture. That would be so much fun. This book makes me want to go back to flea markets and try to find old pictures once again.

Love that Dog- Oddly so, this was my least favorite book. I had a hard time following this poem. I think maybe I was looking into it more than I should have been. After our class discussion though, it helped. I think that my student’s could relate to the poem and they would probably enjoy reading it.

Social Studies for Struggling Readers

I really appreciated the article on struggling readers. I found it very interesting and eye-opening. It made perfect sense to me, but after I read it, I wonder why teachers are not doing these things to help our students. Just as the article states, children who struggle with reading tend to avoid reading. However, if a child was able to read the text and understand it, they probably would love it.

As I reflect on my past experiences, I have only seen teachers use the same text for the entire class. No wonder, some kids had no idea what was happening in the chapter they were to read for homework. They probably could not even read it to understand.

I love to read and it has always been something that I have enjoyed. It makes me very sad to think that there are children out there who are not getting the help that they need. As a teacher, I want to make a difference and help those children who may need an easy version of a story. I intend to keep this article close and share it with other teachers that I know. It is a wonderful tool.

One of my Favorite Poems

A Kindergarten teacher at a local school uses this poem in her class. You will understand if you have ever worked with children. I think I may have this posted in my classroom! I cannot stand to see this!

 

Warning

By Shel Silverstein

Inside everybody’s nose

There lives a sharp-toothed snail.

So if you stick your finger in,

He may bite off your nail.

Stick it farther up inside,

And he may bite your ring off.

Stick it all the way, and he

May bite the whole darn thing off.

Response to readings~ Poetry

All the Small Poems and Fourteen More- This book had to be my pick out of the three we had to read. I thought the vivid words in each of the poems made it very appealing to me. I enjoyed reading it. It made me think of things that I normally would not have , for example the poem about the fence. (pg 39) How many times have I seen a fence that had fallen down and not ever wondered why or how? I loved how Valerie Worth took everyday items and made them feel important.

Brown Angels-  I also enjoyed this book. However, the poetry was not the reason why I liked it. I loved it for all the pictures. I love old pictures! The author said that he had gathered the pictures from yard sales and flea markets. I thought that I was the only crazy person that enjoyed looking at old pictures at flea markets. One time, my husband even ask me why I wanted to buy something like that because I did not know anyone in the picture. It makes me want to try to find out who they are and what their life was like. I also think of how much fun children would have if you gave them old pictures and ask them to make up a story about the people in the picture. That would be so much fun. This book makes me want to go back to flea markets and try to find old pictures once again.

Love that Dog- Oddly so, this was my least favorite book. I had a hard time following this poem. I think maybe I was looking into it more than I should have been. After our class discussion though, it helped. I think that my student’s could relate to the poem and they would probably enjoy reading it.