Week 3, Assignment 2

• How does this activity engage students who are at different levels of literacy development?

The activity provides students with the opportunity to engage in a group activity where they are guided in sounding out words.  Ms. Perez actively assesses students’ abilities and provides them with the opportunity to participate in the instruction.  When a student gives an incorrect answer she uses that as a teaching moment rather than shutting the child down.  In a group setting and an activity that is visually appealing students are able to participate no matter what reading level they are at.  There was also an appropriate entry level to the lesson.

• During her explicit phonics lesson, how does Ms. Perez support students' problem-solving skills?

When the students struggle with phonics and distinguishing between letters Ms. Perez allows them to find and rectify their own mistake rather than giving them the answers.  It is essential that students are given enough “struggle” time so to say to figure things out for themselves and have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.  The teacher allows the students to actively problem solve and models for them a letter when necessary.  In my own math classroom I find it very valuable to allow students to figure things out for themselves without my interference or telling them the correct answer.

• Based on what you saw in the video, what are the different ways that shared reading can be used to promote literacy?

Hearing other students sound out words and read aloud is a great way to improve a student’s reading abilities.  We learn language by hearing words being spoken around us.  Similarly to when children are babies they are exposed to language and that is how they are able to mimic and begin using language on their own.  Shared reading allows students to participate as a group in improving literacy skills at all levels.  The lower level students can learn from the higher level students and the higher level students can become more confident in their reading.  Even if the lower level students are not the ones reading aloud all the time they are still be exposed to literacy by listening to their classmates.  It is important to allow students in any classroom to build off each other rather than just the teacher.  Students learn better from each other, seeing and hearing.

• Why does she think it's important for students to verbalize their strategies? What else do you notice about how she helps students build meaning in text?

In order to make sense of things and apply strategies it is important for students to verbalize those strategies.  Learning is all about making connections between concepts and their application in our lives.  As far as making sense of things, Ms. Perez gives students the opportunity to use parts of text to figure out missing words.  The ability to determine missing fragments of a sentence reveals student understanding of the meaning in a text. 

• How does Ms. Perez organize her classroom to support a wide range of learners?

Ms. Perez sets up her classroom so that students are able to work at their own level of literacy.  By forming differentiated groups according to skill level she gives her students the necessary support to be successful and make progress.  The group work also allows her and her assistant to work with small groups and individual students that require additional assistance.  Small group instruction can be very beneficial to students especially lower functioning students that require more of a one on one instruction.

• How are reading and writing connected in classroom activities?

Classroom activities allow students to read and write about what they read.  In order to become better writers students need to be exposed to multiple texts.  Reading and sounding out words helps students become fluent in phonics and ultimately improve their writing skills.  Using context clues to figure out parts of text also help students in their own writing.  Some students are asked to write their own story about an independent book they read. 

• How does Ms. Perez use ongoing individual assessment to guide her instruction? How can the class profile be used to help group students and differentiate instruction?

Ms. Perez actively assesses her students during instruction.  She gives her students enough time to sound out words and correct their own mistakes but is able to keep track of their progress during these read alouds.  She keeps track of the pace and number of words.  The running record allows her to track student progress with reading.  Keeping track of her students from the beginning of the year and throughout the year she is able to gauge where they are at skill wise and group them accordingly.

• How can ongoing assessment be integrated into your own classroom practice?

The usage of checklists of understanding, exit tickets, quizzes, and informal discussions can be used to assess students continuously.  The checklists for each unit help me to assess students throughout the unit.  Keeping Common Core Standards checklists allows myself and students to track their proficiency in the standards throughout the year as well.  Peer assessment and self assessment are also great tools for students to continuously assess themselves and each other.