Try-It-Outs

Chapter 1
Identify the characteristics of a highly effective teacher in your clinical setting: Take
pictures of posters, talk to your teacher, or make copies of ideas/ lesson, etc. that
describe any of these traits. What of the traits do you feel the most apprehensive
about?

One of the first things that I noticed about my teacher was how she treated her
students. I am in the first grade and she has the only two special needs children in
that grade level. Not too long after I arrived she brought one of the students up to
her work area and introduced me to him. I was almost brought to tears by the way
she spoke to him and cared for him. I have always assumed that special needs
students were a burden on teachers. I suppose that is because Ive never witnessed
a teacher respond to them in the way my corresponding teacher did. Not only did
she treat the students with special needs with care, but worked individually with
students who were behind on curriculum. She did not let their circumstances hold
her back from helping them succeed.
Another thing that resonated with me deeply was the way my teacher said good
morning to every student before they started the day. After morning intervention,
every student gathered around the teacher before she read a book aloud. She looked
at every individual student in the eye and told him or her good morning by name.
They all responded back to her in a similar manner. She went over a few rules due to
there being new faces (Samford students) in the classroom. I could not think of a
better way than to start the morning like that with your students.

Try-It-Out #1:
Examine your teachers classroom library. Write a reflection of how the books are
arranged. What organizational system is used? What procedures are used for checking
books in/ out? What are some other ways you can organize books? (Take a picture as
evidence)
The number of books that my teacher had in her classroom was one of the first
things I noticed. The teachers at Trace have many large cubbies in the back of the
classroom and my teacher used them as her library. She also had bookshelves that
she had brought in herself that housed more books. In the back of the classroom
they were alphabetized. On the other bookshelves they were assorted into popular
authors. It was very organized and students could easily pick out books. Reading is
the first area that they focus on in the morning. The first day that I observed the
teacher read a book aloud to them. They then broke off into silent reading where

they each had their own baskets of books that they had checked out and could read
from. After a certain time had passed where they could read to themselves, they did
partner reading. I loved the idea of having baskets for each student to collect books
that they wanted to read from. It was an organized way of having their picks in one
place rather than having to find the book they wanted each time. There is nothing
that I would change about the classroom library. There were so many books and it
was organized in a way that was easy for both the teacher and students to use
effectively.

Chapter 4
Discuss the most effective ways to teach and assess fluency. Discuss what research says
about fluency instruction.

The best way to teach fluency is through oral reading practice, repeated reading,
and appropriate guidance and feedback for students from teachers, parents, and
peers. When practicing, students should be given instructional level text that varies
between poems, narratives, and expository texts. Instruction should range in length
between 15 and 30 minutes to show positive reading development. When assessing
fluency, these four different components should be considered: accurate and
effortless decoding of text, reading rate or speed, use of volume, stress, pitch and
juncture, and phrasing or chucking of text. Teachers can formatively assess or
students can self assess by a Multidimensional fluency scale. Assessing words
correct per minute is also a way to assess reading rate. As the book says, Fluency
may unlock the door, but it does not open the door to reading comprehension.

Try-It Out #1
Give a fluency assessment. Include the assessment and the results. (pg. 8)
I gave this Fluency and Comprehension assessment as my first assessment for action
research in my first grade classroom. The students read the passage and I followed a
long with a separate copy and marked the words that they missed. This assessment
is going to be ongoing and will help me to identify any progress as well as what
areas need specific focus and help. After reflecting on how I gave this assessment I
realize that I should have given them more instruction and guidance on what was
expected. I also think it would have been beneficial to read the passage together
before they read it by themselves and I checked them on it. I basically gave them a
cold read and that is not always the most beneficial. I am having trouble knowing
where students should be at their grade level. Before giving another assessment I
want to study the standards for that grade level and specific instructional strategies
to better help these students in their fluency skills.

Try-It-Out #2
Use Fry phrases with students to practice fluency (pgs. 13-15)
For my action research group I gave students Fry phrases based off of their ability. I
had heard of Fry words before, but I didnt realize how many there actually were. I
had to first start off by assessing what list they should be reading the phrases from.
After I saw where there level was I gave them phrases where they could read the
sight words in a sentence. Each student had different strengths and weaknesses. Out
of the two students, each were on different levels but still had trouble with a few
words in each list.


Try-It-Out #3
Use a poem to teach or model fluency. Include the poem (pg.12)
Before I gave students Fluency and Comprehension assessment about cats I read a
poem about kittens to connect them to the content as well as model fluency before
they read the passage. I asked the students questions about the poem after I read it
to see if they comprehended the material. As I reflect on it, I realize that I should
have asked more specific questions about how I modeled fluency. I also think that it
would have been beneficial to ask the students questions prior to reading the poem.
Next time I read them a passage or poem I will ask tell them specific things to look
and listen for as I read the passage. As I read a passage I could also give a non-
example of what it looks like to read fluently. I did not use this poem as a tool to
engage the students to its full potential and have come to the conclusion that asking
more questions will be the best instructional strategy for using a poem or passage to
model fluency.

Try-It-Out #4
Practice sight words with students using a game
During first grade morning intervention I led the students in a game of sight word
bingo. One thing that I have struggled with is knowing how much assistance to give
to students when playing a game with them, reading with them, or even teaching
them. It is also hard being in a classroom where I dont quite know what level each
student is at in order to truly know how to help him or her. I read the sight words
out and the students placed the red squares on the sight word when they heard it. It
is a great game to engage the students in. They enjoy it but are also really practicing
listening and pairing sounds with written words. This is something I want to use in
my classroom for practice or engagement.

Chapter 5
What does research say about effective vocabulary instruction? What are some best
practices for teaching vocabulary?

Vocabulary instruction is vital because research says that reading comprehension and
writing composition are dependent on word knowledge. One of the best ways to teach
vocabulary is through exposure in various contexts. The NRP said that vocabulary
instruction does not lead to gains in comprehension unless the methods used are
appropriate to the age and ability of the reader. Research says that most vocabulary is
learned indirectly, but what is learned explicitly must be taught intentionally. Pre-teach
words before reading a text so that students are familiar with it when it is read in
context is a great way to explicitly teach. Teaching words and building on background
knowledge or schema is also very effective. This coincides with teaching multiple word
meanings. Activities that support those strategies are word walls, word webs, word
banks, and word sorts. Teachers must learn how to plan vocabulary instruction
effectively by discerning the type of text, the context, and creating student-friendly
definitions. The Frayer Model is a great tool to use in helping with instruction. Like
fluency, this is just another building block in helping students reach the end goal of
reading comprehension.

Try-It-Out #1
Teach a vocabulary lesson in the content area
I taught a vocabulary lesson using a guided reading passage from Trace Crossings book
room. I selected the words that they highlighted with difficult for some children and
developed strategies throughout the lesson to help them find meaning in those words. I
used an anchor chart, prior knowledge, a Frayer model, and a word web in this lesson to
show them the many different ways to find the meaning of the word. I really tried to
focus on context clues. I told them that they were detectives and had to explain the
meaning of the words context clues. The students whisper read the passage and then we
went back and looked at the words that were tricky. They were all really similar so the
answers seemed to be repetitive. I should have focused on the similarities between the
words. They are actually synonyms or could be used to describe the other. I did not feel
very confident after I taught this lesson. I should have more clearly laid out and
unpacked the objective before I taught. I also think that the words were too easy for
them. I would definitely use the tools that I did to explain words, maybe just not the ones
that I chose to do. The lesson was written out well, but the level was too easy for the
small group of students that it was catered towards.

Try-It-Out #2
Use the Frayer model to teach students vocabulary (pg.9)
I taught a vocabulary lesson and one of the words that I explained was giant. The
sections of the Frayer model were definition, characteristics, example, and non-
example. We started with characteristics and ended with the definition so that we could
gather more information about the true meaning from characteristics we saw from the
text and from examples and no non-examples. The word was too simple for the students,
but I think that the examples and the non-examples really helped them elaborate more
on the meaning by understanding what was and wasnt giant. I really liked this
technique and it is something that I would use to explain the meaning of a word again to
students. Next time I might display it on the board as an anchor chart and have the
students write on a sticky note what they think, making them more engaged and
involved.

Try-It-Out #3
Use semantic mapping, webbing, semantic features, analysis, etc. with students (pg.11)
I used a semantic web as a practice tool for the students in the lesson that I taught. I gave
them a word from the text that they did not know and they used it to figure out the
meaning using context clues. They had never used one before so I had the opportunity to
explain it to them. At first they put many words in one bubble and then I explained how
one bubble usually is just one thought. They can add many more bubbles off of the one
that they already had. If we had more time I would have given them more opportunities
to elaborate on the words that they used to describe the main word. It was a good tool to
use for practice, but I think that next time I would use it in my instruction, really
engaging the students in their thinking and prior knowledge.

Try-It-Out #4
Select vocabulary words from a text and teach them to students. Write a reflection
describing why these words were selected.
For the lesson that I taught I chose a guided reading passage called Strange Plants. The
students that I taught were all at the same reading level, so I intentionally picked a
passage with words that were on their level and could be elaborated on. Even though the
passage and words were on their reading level, it seemed too simple for them. If I were
to teach those three students another lesson I would choose words that are more
academically challenging. Intentionally planning and picking words for my audience is
something that I view as very important. After teaching this lesson and seeing them not
take away as much as I would like, I believe that effective planning for various levels
should take place prior to the lesson is vital.

Childrens Literature:

Try-It-Out #1
Ashley Bryan
Ashley was born in Harlem in 1923. His childhood was filled with music and art. His
inspiration came from Kindergarten where he wrote his first book. His teacher encouraged
writing and Ashley was praised for his work. From then on he loved to write and even
illustrate. During the Great Depression when resources were scarce, Ashley and his sister
created a home library with empty crates. Ashley says that books in the home are very
valuable and that is evident by the way he was raised. Because Ashley is African American,
he encountered many barriers. He had been encouraged to write and illustrate all through
high school, but when he applied for college scholarship he was told it would be a waste if it
went to him. Ashley ended up attending Cooper Union for free after passing a three-part
test. Ashley put his mind to things and strove to attain the goals he set, no matter the
obstacles. I love what Ashley said in an interview about the significance of reading and the
emphasis on the voices. He said It is one of the most creative things you can do to read
because you engage the mind when you read. You create the scene, you create the
instant, you create the action, and everything about it is being created. Ashleys zeal for
reading is evident in the way he speaks and writes. He has many different types of writings,
but his work has mainly been to open up contributions to the audience of black people
because it had been closed for so long. Ashley is also a supporter incorporating arts into
schools. Many schools seem to cut that program out thinking that it costs more and is
unimportant, but Ashleys view is becoming more renown so that students gifts are
recognized and encouraged. Ashley seems like a wonderful person and writer. I look
forward to reading and learning more about his work.

Try-It-Out #2
Help librarian
Trace Crossings has a book room where they have boxes of guided reading books for all
reading levels. This room is an incredible resource that I have had the opportunity to use
for lessons that I have taught. From my understanding, it is a new resource therefore our
job is to help organize and sort. There are five to six books per packet and our job was to
put the guided reading sheet for teachers in the packets. I have been so amazed by these
resources and it was helpful for me to insert the pages and see the different types of
childrens literature that these students are exposed to and the intentional questions and
objectives that fit to those readings. Compared to some of the libraries I saw last semester
at the schools we observed I was extremely impressed and grateful that these students
have these resources.

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Little Kittens
Five little kittens playing on the floor,
One smelled a mouse, then there were four.
Four little kittens fat as fat could be,
One saw a puppy, then there were three.
Three little kittens watched how birdies flew,
One ran far up the tree, then there were two.
Two little kittens snoozing in the sun,
One chased a rabbit, then there was one.
One little kitten looking for some fun,
He fluffed his tail and scampered off,
Now there isn't even one.

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