Week 11 Blog Post

Hello, friends.

I hope you have all had a fantastic weekend and great start to your week. This past week, on Friday, I had such a wonderful opportunity to go to my first professional development symposium. It was held at Duke university. Here is some information from Duke's website about the training: Duke Center for Science Education, Duke Institution for Brain Sciences, and Duke Program for Education presents a symposium on understanding and educating children affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs)" https://dibs.duke.edu/events/FASD Getting up at 4 o'clock in the morning was not the most fun activity I have ever done, but the symposium was definitely worth it. From the talk, I learned that students who struggle with FASDs may look the same as all their peers, but they are biologically different. I also learned different ways to help students with FASDs be successful in the classroom. They need for their teachers to repeat themselves, for they may have trouble getting it the first time, to have patience, a strict schedule, and a sense of humor. 

In my research for the week, I have been researching technology for literacy and DOK strategies. 

A great tech tool for literacy is an app that is called Teach Your Monster to Read. 

There was a great activity for students to help with vocabulary knowledge. It is called Word Detective. Here is some more information:  "Your Monster to Read is a free, award-winning series of games that teach early readers or reading-challenged students phonics in a skills-oriented environment. Students create a monster and then teach him how to read so he can find his way home. This includes learning letter and vowel sounds, blends, segments, phonemes, graphemes, and eventually sentences. Reading skills are used in a series of adventures that incrementally move the monster closer to his goal. Student progress is tracked on a colorful map that shows what’s completed and where they must go next. Through class accounts, the teacher can monitor student progress and see where individuals might require assistance."  (http://askatechteacher.com/2016/04/18/5-tech-tools-to-inspire-reading/)

Word Detective (http://www.teachhub.com/teaching-strategies-5-ideas-instructing-vocabulary)

The most valuable thing that you can do to increase your student’s vocabulary is to encourage them to read. Research shows that wide reading is the main pathway for word acquisition. This activity enables students to see words in different contexts, therefore deepening their knowledge. It requires students to find new words as they encounter them in their daily reading. Here’s how word detective works:

• The teacher gives students a list of key words to search for.
• Students are to write each target word and its sentence on a sticky note, then place it on their desk each time they encounter a key word.
• At the end of each school day, devote a few minutes to reading each sticky note.
• You can even make a game out it by assigning each word a point. 
• Students then share the words and make groups and research their given words more in depth. 

The Teach your Monster to Read application aligns with the NCSOS standard 4. "Teachers integrate technology into their instruction" I love finding new apps to help the littles. 

Finally, I will share an encouraging word. 

No matter what anyone tells you, you matter. You are good enough. You are loved. 

Stay positive, peeps. 

Mallory