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Kidblog, Artifact #3 (Integrating Technology)

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Kidblog, Artifact #3 (Integrating Technology)

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This resource is best used for older students. The teacher begins by creating a blog for the class. All of the students are then able to access the blog and write their own posts. This resource allows students to express themselves through writing, but in a different format than the typical essay. With the amount of technology that students are exposed to in their daily lives, blogging is a great way to integrate technology into the classroom. Kidblog is also monitored and safe, so can help students learn about internet safety.

www.kidblog.org/home

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BrainPOP, Artifact #2 (Integrating Technology)

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BrainPOP, Artifact #2 (Integrating Technology)

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BrainPOP is a website that teachers can use in the classroom. The website engages students by using videos, interactive quizzes, concept mapping and many more techniques. The website has all different subjects and topics within each subject. The teacher can have the students watch the video, create maps and do activities all online or on a SmartBoard. The content of the website is also aligned to the Common Core Standards, so the topics are relevant to what must be taught in the classroom. This website is an interactive way for students to learn about necessary topics.

www.brainpop.com

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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Artifact #3 (Children's Literature)

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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Artifact #3 (Children's Literature)

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This idea encompasses the reading of a children's literature book with a project to help the students with his/her letters. The book helps students learn the alphabet and the project can be used as a follow up to reinforce the reading. After reading the book, each student is given play doh and they practice making each letter out of the play doh. This helps the student practice the formation of each letter in a tactile way and reinforces what he/she learned from the book.

http://creating-our-home.blogspot.com/2012/10/chicka-chicka-boom-boom-31-days-of.html

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Rainbow Fish Project, Artifact #2 (Children's Literature)

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Rainbow Fish Project, Artifact #2 (Children's Literature)

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For young/elementary aged children, it is very important to have an activity following the reading of children's literature books to help comprehend and remember what was read. In this activity, the teacher first reads the book "The Rainbow Fish" out loud to the class. After the reading is finished, each student colors in a picture of the "rainbow fish". After completing the coloring, the class can discuss and write down different traits of a good friend, taken from the book at first, but then allowing students to come up with his/her own ideas in addition. This activity incorporates a very well know children's literature book into a lesson.
http://www.feelslikehomeblog.com/2013/07/the-rainbow-fish-by-marcus-pfister-37-fishy-activities-art-projects/

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Comprehension Question Fans, Artifact # 3 (Comprehension Strategies)

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Comprehension Question Fans, Artifact # 3 (Comprehension Strategies)

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To use this technique, the teacher must have different comprehension questions on different pieces of paper. The pieces of paper are cut into strips and made into a fan, fastened with a clip. The comprehension questions are split into different categories, allowing the teacher to guide his/her students to the right questions after reading a text. By having these fans readily available to students, it allows them to check for comprehension independently each time he/she reads a new text.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Comprehension-Question-Fans-305274

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Connection Chart, Artifact #2 (Comprehension Strategies)

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Connection Chart, Artifact #2 (Comprehension Strategies)

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This activity is something that a student can do independently, or the class can do together after reading a text. In the activity, a chart is made and the student(s) think and write down different types of connections to the text. The categories of connections include: text to world, text to text and text to self. In a text to world connection, the student is to think about the big picture or themes. In a text to text comparison, the student thinks of another text that has been read that has some sort of connection to what was read. Lastly, in a text to self connection, the student thinks of something that has happened in his/her own life that connects to the book. Making connections can help students comprehend and understand the text better.

http://newadventuresinfirstgrade.blogspot.com/2012/02/craziness-reading-comprehension.html

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Independent Writing, Artifact #3 (Writing as a Process & Writing Workshop)

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Independent Writing, Artifact #3 (Writing as a Process & Writing Workshop)

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Independent writing is a process in which each student is working on his/her own piece of writing. Students are learning to use writing for a variety of purposes and is able to complete the writing with little to no support from the teacher. The mini-lesson is still a part of the workshop even once students are working at the independent level. In addition, the teacher is still available for support and guidance where needed.

(Cohen & Cowen, 2011)

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Guided Writing, Artifact #2 (Writing as a Process & Writing Workshop)

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Guided Writing, Artifact #2 (Writing as a Process & Writing Workshop)

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Guided writing is a technique that can be used to help students who already are able to write independently, but still need a large amount of support. In this technique, the teacher is providing the students with guidance, either in small groups or individually. The teacher's job is to work closely with the students during all parts of the writing process through conferencing and scaffolded instruction. During this process, students are able to write independently, but still have the support where/when needed.

(Cohen & Cowen, 2011), and http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/guided-writing-30685.html

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Read and Roll, Artifact #3 (Readers' Workshop and Centers)

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Read and Roll, Artifact #3 (Readers' Workshop and Centers)

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This activity is used for fiction works only. After reading a book, each student is given dice. They roll one of them and depending which number is rolled, depends on what activity the student completes. The options of activities are: writing a summary, writing a book review/rating, creating a timeline to outline major events in the story, creating a venn diagram to compare him/herself to the main character, write questions that would be used to interview the main character or writing an acrostic poem using either the title or main character's name. This artifact would be best suited for upper-elementary aged students. There is also an option to use after reading non-fiction works.

http://www.classroomfreebiestoo.com/2012/10/read-and-roll-reading-responses.html

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Story Map, Artifact #2 (Readers' Workshop and Centers)

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Story Map, Artifact #2 (Readers' Workshop and Centers)

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In this activity, each student creates a story map after reading a book during readers' workshop. Each student will have an outline of a story map given to them. Each student is to fill out the title, setting, characters, problem and solution. Along with writing each one out, the student also draws a picture to go along with his/her explanation. This helps the students pick out the important information from a story that is read, and also implements other skills such as writing and drawing throughout the lesson.

http://mrswilliamsonskinders.blogspot.com/search/label/penguins

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Word Jar, Artifact # 3 (Vocabulary Development)

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Word Jar, Artifact # 3 (Vocabulary Development)

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This is not a specific one time activity, but rather something that can be done throughout the school year. The teacher creates a jar and labels it "words". Each time a student or the class encounters a new and unfamiliar word, write it down and place it in the jar. The teacher should set aside some time each week (or bi-weekly) to pick a few words from the jar. These new words should be defined, and students should use them in a sentence. If there is ever down time in the classroom, words can be picked as well. This method will help students identify new words and help all the students in the class acquire words into their vocabulary.

http://playfullearning.net/2014/02/growing-childs-vocabulary/

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Vocabulary Four Square, Artifact # 2 (Vocabulary Development)

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Vocabulary Four Square, Artifact # 2 (Vocabulary Development)

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In this activity, students are taking a new/complex vocabulary word and filling out a chart to help them further understand the word. In the center of the chart, the student writes the vocabulary word. Then there are four boxes that the student must fill out:

1. definition

2. use the word in a sentence

3. synonym

4. draw a picture

This activity helps students grasp vocabulary and have a great understanding of the new words and gives them the skills to use them in the future.

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Read Alouds, Artifact #3 (Types of Reading in the Classroom)

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Read Alouds, Artifact #3 (Types of Reading in the Classroom)

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Read alouds are another effective type of reading used in the classroom. Doing a read aloud allows the teacher to share favorite stories. It is also often used during Reading Workshop as part of the mini-lesson. By the teacher reading out loud, he/she is modeling fluency while addressing different themes and vocabulary. It also allows students access to books that may be above their independent reading level and allows for interesting conversation and learning.

http://www.lauracandler.com/strategies/readingaloud.php

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Guided Reading, Artifact # 2 (Types of Reading in the Classroom)

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Guided Reading, Artifact # 2 (Types of Reading in the Classroom)

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In guided reading, the teacher is working with a small group of students who are on similar reading levels. The text should be easy enough for the student to read on their own, with some support from the teacher. The students should be able to read the passage/book with some fluency, but still have opportunities to work on strategies with the teacher. Guided reading allows students to read new materials but apply old skills with the support of the teacher. It is a stepping stone toward independent reading.

http://www.scholastic.ca/clubs/images/whatisgrl.pdf

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Silent Sustained Reading (SSR), Artifact # 3 (Fluency)

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Silent Sustained Reading (SSR), Artifact # 3 (Fluency)

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In Silent Sustained Reading, the student is reading quietly and independently. The student is able to spend a pre-set time reading books of their choice. This activity allows the student to spend time reading pleasurable texts, increasing motivation and ability to focus. It is important that this time is interrupted, as the student needs to be able to "get into" what they are reading, which helps increase fluency.

http://www.k12reader.com/reading-fluency-and-instruction/

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In this concept, a teacher or parent/guardian reads a sentence or short paragraph and the student(s) repeat the sentence/paragraph. While the adult is reading, the student/child should be following along with their finger, until it is their turn to read the text. An activity such as echo reading helps increase confidence and develop reading proficiencies. This method can also help encourage structured reading practice when at home in addition to at school.

http://www.readingresource.net/readingfluency.html

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Fluency is when students are able to read smoothly and at a rate that is reasonable. When a reader who is fluent reads out loud, it is done without effort, and with speed, accuracy and expression. Being a fluent reader allows the student to focus on the ideas in the text and comprehend as opposed to being focused on trying to figure out how to read the words in the text. Reading fluency can be measured by the words read per minute.

http://www.education.com/reference/article/what-reading-fluency/

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Consonant Digraph Garden, Artifact # 3 (Phonics)

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Consonant Digraph Garden, Artifact # 3 (Phonics)

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In this activity, the students will be making digraph flowers. Each student is given a consonant digraph as the middle of their flower. Then for each petal, the students, must write words using the digraph that is in the center of the flower. Students will be given different digraphs and all of the flowers will be placed together on the bulletin board, creating a "garden". This allows students to work on different digraphs while doing the same assignment.

://www.icanteachmychild.com/consonant-digraph-garden/?_szp=313151

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This activity helps students practice and learn different words that are in the same word family. The teacher gets plastic eggs that separate into to parts. One one part goes a word family. (for example: "an", "ad"). The other part has different letters that would make a word when combined with the word family on the other half of the egg. The students will turn one half of the egg and see the different words that can be creating by changing the first letter and using the same word family.

http://1plus1plus1equals1.tumblr.com/post/3190790821/learningwithbella-word-family-eggs-from-living

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When learning about phonics, students are learning about the different sounds and graphemes. More precisely, the relationship between the graphemes and sounds. In order to begin learning phonics, the student/child must have previously mastered the alphabet and know what sounds match to what letters. The student must not only understand what phonemes are, but also be able to identify and recall a number of them. It is important for students to learn about phonics in the early grades (K-1), or else the reading ability of the student will be impacted.

http://www.k12reader.com/what-is-phonics/

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Syllable Count, Artifact # 3 (Phonemic Awareness)

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Syllable Count, Artifact # 3 (Phonemic Awareness)

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Students will be given laminated cards with various pictures of objects. Each card will also have the numbers 1-4. The students will then figure out how many syllables each word has and circle the correct number with a dry-erase marker. To figure out how many syllables there are, students can use various techniques such as clapping out each syllable or by placing their hand under their chin and feeling how many times their hand hits their chin. The students can then categorize the different words based on how many syllables they have.

http://www.themeasuredmom.com/fun-syllable-count-activity/

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Rhyming Match Artifact #2 (Phonemic Awareness) 

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Rhyming Match Artifact #2 (Phonemic Awareness) 

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In this activity, students will practice their rhyming skills. Students will be given pieces of paper with pictures of different objects. The student then has to find the objects that rhyme with each other and paper clip them together. The students will say the words out loud to practice them and then write the pairs of rhyming words on a piece of paper to help them comprehend the rhymes.

http://www.conversationsinliteracy.blogspot.com/2013/07/picture-books-for-math-rhyming.html

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Uppercase & Lowercase Scavenger Hunt, Artifact #3 (Early Childhood Literacy Development)

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Uppercase & Lowercase Scavenger Hunt, Artifact #3 (Early Childhood Literacy Development)

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During early childhood literacy development, it is important for students/children to be comfortable recognizing and knowing all the letters of the alphabet, both uppercase and lowercase. In this activity, the students are given a piece of paper with lowercase letters. The teacher (or parent, depending where the learning is taking place) will hide foam uppercase letters throughout the room. The student/child must then go on a "scavenger" hunt to find the uppercase letters. The students must place the uppercase foam letter on top of the corresponding lowercase letter on the paper.

http://handsonaswegrow.com/letter-number-scavenger-hunt/

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ABC Match, Artifact #2 (Early Childhood Literacy Development)

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ABC Match, Artifact #2 (Early Childhood Literacy Development)

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An important component of early childhood literacy is the student/child doing activities and learning the alphabet. One activity that can be done with children to help practice and improve alphabet recognition and skills would be an ABC match. There will be a magnetic board with various letters on it. The student will be given magnets with the same letter and the child/student will have to match the magnetic letter to the letter already on the board. This activity helps the child learn and be able to identify the different letters of the alphabet.

http://busytoddler.com/2015/09/abc-match/

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Children's literature can be explained as the different books/writings and accompanying pictures that are created for children's entertainment or instruction. This genre includes a lot of different categories including but limited to picture books, easy to read stories, world literature, fairytales and folk songs.

http://www.britannica.com/art/childrens-literature

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There are many ways that technology can be integrated into a classroom. One way is by using technology for literacy. Electronic literacy is all activities that are delivered, supported, accessed or assessed on computers or other electronic means.

There are many different categories included in electronic literacy such as: electronically supported reading, electronically supported writing, electronic communication, electronic literacy assessment, speech-to-text technology and social networking.

(Cohen and Cowen, 2011)

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Writing as a Process & Writing Workshop, Artifact #1

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Writing as a Process & Writing Workshop, Artifact #1

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The writing process has many different stages that all come together as a final writing piece. There are different stages which must happen in order as each stage builds up to the next. The stages include prewriting, drafting, revising, editing and postwriting. The process focuses on what to write, and how to get ideas into the paper.

The writing workshop allows students to use the skills learned from the writing process. It is a student centered approach as the main goal is the development and expression of each student's idea. There are four steps to the writing workshop which include: an introduction (view yesterday's work, activate background knowledge etc), a mini-lesson (teach specific writing skill/strategy), independent writing and conferring and a wrap-up or sharing of experiences.

(Cohen and Cowen, 2011).

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Readers Workshop and Centers, Artifact #1

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Readers Workshop and Centers, Artifact #1

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The readers workshop was created as an alternate method of teaching the skills for reading. The focus of the readers' workshop is for students to feel and develop a love for reading through reading self-chosen books and responding by writing, conferencing and sharing. There are different parts to the Readers' Workshop that include an introduction (read aloud), mini-lesson (short focused lesson), independent reading and student sharing (share what they read in a small group).

(Cohen and Cowen, 2011)

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There are many different strategies used to help students learn and increase comprehension. Some of these strategies include:

-Metacognition- the student thinks about why they are reading a piece prior to beginning. Throughout reading the student monitors comprehension and works through any problems understanding the text. Lastly, after reading, the student checks his/her understanding of what was read.

-Graphic organizers- can help the student focus on text structure, help a student examine and see relationships in a text and help the student create an organized summary of the text.

-Monitoring Comprehension- the student is aware of what he/she understands and does not understand. For what is not understood, the student is able to partake in appropriate matters to clarify it.

-Answering Questions- providing a student with questions to answer can be beneficial in many ways. Questions allow the student to focus, see a purpose in what they are reading, and encourage the student to monitor his/her comprehension.

These are just a few of many different strategies used for comprehension.

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/seven-strategies-teach-students-text-comprehension

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Vocabulary development can be explained as how people acquire words and language. It begins with infants babbling, and continues on to speaking. After the babbling stage, infants begin to produce their first words and the vocabulary builds. Throughout the school years, language and vocabulary builds and develops. In addition to building vocabulary and speech, it is vital that we also teach and learn the meanings of the words being learned. Methods of helping develop vocabulary include, direct instruction, active processing, different contextual situations, and practice applying new words within reading and writing.

(Cohen and Cowen, 2011)

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Types of Reading in the Classroom, Artifact # 1

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Types of Reading in the Classroom, Artifact # 1

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There are many different kinds of reading that take place in a classroom. Some examples of these are, read alouds (teacher reads to whole class), guided reading (teacher works with small groups), shared reading (read a big book or enlarged text) and independent reading (student reads on own). These different kinds of readings each have their own purpose and benefits.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/alternatives-to-round-robin-reading-todd-finley

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Phonemic awareness is the student's ability to hear, identify and manipulate different sounds, which are also known as phonemes. When learning about phonemic awareness, students will be able to understand how sounds work along with that words are made up through different speech sounds. Phonemic awareness is important because it helps students learn to spell and can improve their comprehension.

There are different aspects to phonemic awareness that students must be familiar with. These aspects include, syllables, rhymes and beginning sounds.

http://www.begintoread.com/articles/phonemic-awareness.html

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Early Childhood Literacy Development, Artifact # 1

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Early Childhood Literacy Development, Artifact # 1

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Early literacy is everything that children know and are aware of about reading and writing before they acquire the skills. These include the supports the children know and receive before entering the grades in which they begin to read and write. Some examples of this early literacy include, children scribbling and "reading" their pictures, helping hold the book while a parent/adult reads, and adults helping make connections between text and real life examples. The essential parts of early literacy include: rich conversation guided by the teacher, storybook reading, phonological awareness activities, alphabet activities, emergent reading and writing support, shared book experiences and content focused activities.

https://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200303/Essentials.pdf