Week 7 Blog

Hello, friends.

Week seven has been interesting. It feels as if we are slowing our intake of information and starting to increase our utilization of that information. At the beginning of the semester, it seemed that there was so much information to process, but now we are applying all of our learned knowledge.

This week at Washington Elementary was amazing. I got to read a chapter of Junie B. Jones, play short vowel sound bingo, and help students complete their workbooks for the chapter. We all gathered on the carpet in the floor to read the Junie B. Jones book. I loved being able to read to them because I LOVED those books when I was their age. I also liked helping them figure out the questions in the workbooks. I loved being able to answer their questions and challenge their questions with questions. It gave them an opportunity to think.

During my Teachscape training for EDUC 306, I learned about Vocabulary Development. I learned that students learn more vocabulary indirectly than directly. This was interesting to me because while the reading of novels, passages, and other literacy things are important the majority of a student's vocabulary comes from indirect learning. I think that it is so important to have meaningful conversations with students and answer their questions. I also think it is essential that teachers communicate in ways that students can understand. This often means finding a different way to communicate the same idea. This aligns with Standard 4H. "Teachers Communicate Effectively" If a student cannot understand what you are saying, they will probably not understand the vocabulary word or topic that you are trying to get them to understand. I realized I said something to a second grader that was probably of her head. I rephrased and said it in a different way, and she seemed to connect with that.

For my research this week I have found some great resources.

I am researching how to challenge my students, and I think that starts with some self-reflection. I found this great free graphic on Teachers Pay Teachers. I did not make this!  It allows students to evaluate themselves. It also works on the student's goal setting. When students set goals for themselves, they are more likely to challenge themselves and take responsibility for their learning. This way it is not just me presenting a challenge before them. This is something that I will incorporate into my classroom.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teachingisagift 

For my literacy research, I found a great website. http://www.footsteps2brilliance.com/ 

This website offers bilingual options for English and Spanish. It allows for great parental involvement, and it offers a range of ages from pre-k- 3rd grade. I thought this would be a great resource for not only school age parents, but for parents of pre-k too. This would be a great thing to have in my classroom. It provides different games, books, and songs for students to enjoy.

For my words of encouragement this week, I have chosen the following picture. I absolutely love old hymns and old gospel songs. One of my all time favorites has to be "It is Well." No matter what is going on in my life I can truly say it is well with my soul. God has saved me and redeemed me, and there is nothing else I could ask for in this life worth more than that. So, with that said, it is well with my soul, friends. I hope your soul is well, too.