Weekly Response #10

Patrick Rainville
EDU-3265
Weekly Response #10
November 11th, 2012

"When readers read nonfiction, they make predictions about the text, too.  But they don't make predictions about the kinds of things they expect will happen.  They make predictions about the kinds of things they expect to learn" (Debbie Miller).  Miller's quote is one mirrored in Bloom's Taxonomy.  When students are making predictions and informed judgments, they are analyzing, and evaluating what they believe will transpire in the text.  The Kindergarten teacher I am currently observing does a marvelous job at allowing time for children to discuss the nonfiction they are reading in class and to provide suggestions or inferences for what may happen next.
"I model using the various nonfiction strategies, showing the children what it looks like, and what my thinking is, as I skim and scan, access the index and the table of contents, use the headings to guide me, read the picture captions, and so on-all to find out what I need to know" (Debbie Miller).  Robert Di Giulio would agree whole heartedly with this quote from Miller.  Both educators would agree that modeling is key for students to know where to start.  The Kindergarten teacher I observed last semester always modeled behavior and how to carry out assignments.  This is turn allowed students to see what the teacher was asking and to go about starting the task.
"Questions we can't answer are posted outside the classroom, under a sign that reads: HELP!  Can you help us with the answers to these questions?  If you can, PLEASE write a note to us and put it on our teacher's desk" (Debbie Miller).  This strategy is similar to Dewey's thoughts on experiential learning.  Miller has her class ask for help and seek out other resources.  This teaches the class through experience that it is ok to ask for help in solving a problem.  The kindergarten teacher I observed last year always used this type of display outside her classroom, but instead of having people put their answers on her desk, she would have a pen available for them to write the answer on the display.







After reading the tenth chapter of Debbie Miller's text, "Reading with Meaning", I have thought about many of her points related to determining importance in nonfiction and establishing guiding principles of teaching in the classroom.  There is one point I would like to discuss and elaborate on further.  The point I would like to talk about is making predictions about what one expects to learn while reading nonfiction.  The Kindergarten teacher I am observing at Morristown Elementary uses a nonfiction book related to the particular theme of the day.  Every Friday at Morristown Elementary is considered a theme day, where teachers have more flexibility with the curriculum and what it is they wish to have their students carry out.  This particular teacher uses the theme throughout the day, in all lessons or subject areas.
This past themed Friday, the Kindergarten teacher used a nonfiction book about animals in the forest.  Before reading the book, students created a list of what they knew lived in forests as well as personal experiences or encounters related to the topic.  Once a list was generated from these predictions, the teacher read aloud the story to the class.  When the book was finished, the teacher had the class look back at their predictions to see if they were right, needed some correction, or if we had left something out.  She then had the class discuss the setting and characters, and indicated that nonfiction shares certain similarities with fiction texts.  The rest of the day was comprised of a nature walk, mathematic counting of various animals, and literacy centers all dealing with animals in the forest.
As a future elementary teacher, I look forward to helping students get as much joy and pleasure reading nonfiction as they do reading fiction.  I hope I will be as fortunate as my host teacher to work at a school that allows more flexibility in terms of curriculum and gives teachers freedom to teach the best way they know how.  Hopefully one day this will be universal and less worries will have to be focused on preparing for standardized tests.

Miller Response #10

Patrick Rainville
EDU-3265
Weekly Response #10
November 11th, 2012

"When readers read nonfiction, they make predictions about the text, too.  But they don't make predictions about the kinds of things they expect will happen.  They make predictions about the kinds of things they expect to learn" (Debbie Miller).  Miller's quote is one mirrored in Bloom's Taxonomy.  When students are making predictions and informed judgments, they are analyzing, and evaluating what they believe will transpire in the text.  The Kindergarten teacher I am currently observing does a marvelous job at allowing time for children to discuss the nonfiction they are reading in class and to provide suggestions or inferences for what may happen next.
"I model using the various nonfiction strategies, showing the children what it looks like, and what my thinking is, as I skim and scan, access the index and the table of contents, use the headings to guide me, read the picture captions, and so on-all to find out what I need to know" (Debbie Miller).  Robert Di Giulio would agree whole heartedly with this quote from Miller.  Both educators would agree that modeling is key for students to know where to start.  The Kindergarten teacher I observed last semester always modeled behavior and how to carry out assignments.  This is turn allowed students to see what the teacher was asking and to go about starting the task.
"Questions we can't answer are posted outside the classroom, under a sign that reads: HELP!  Can you help us with the answers to these questions?  If you can, PLEASE write a note to us and put it on our teacher's desk" (Debbie Miller).  This strategy is similar to Dewey's thoughts on experiential learning.  Miller has her class ask for help and seek out other resources.  This teaches the class through experience that it is ok to ask for help in solving a problem.  The kindergarten teacher I observed last year always used this type of display outside her classroom, but instead of having people put their answers on her desk, she would have a pen available for them to write the answer on the display.


















After reading the tenth chapter of Debbie Miller's text, "Reading with Meaning", I have thought about many of her points related to determining importance in nonfiction and establishing guiding principles of teaching in the classroom.  There is one point I would like to discuss and elaborate on further.  The point I would like to talk about is making predictions about what one expects to learn while reading nonfiction.  The Kindergarten teacher I am observing at Morristown Elementary uses a nonfiction book related to the particular theme of the day.  Every Friday at Morristown Elementary is considered a theme day, where teachers have more flexibility with the curriculum and what it is they wish to have their students carry out.  This particular teacher uses the theme throughout the day, in all lessons or subject areas.
This past themed Friday, the Kindergarten teacher used a nonfiction book about animals in the forest.  Before reading the book, students created a list of what they knew lived in forests as well as personal experiences or encounters related to the topic.  Once a list was generated from these predictions, the teacher read aloud the story to the class.  When the book was finished, the teacher had the class look back at their predictions to see if they were right, needed some correction, or if we had left something out.  She then had the class discuss the setting and characters, and indicated that nonfiction shares certain similarities with fiction texts.  The rest of the day was comprised of a nature walk, mathematic counting of various animals, and literacy centers all dealing with animals in the forest.
As a future elementary teacher, I look forward to helping students get as much joy and pleasure reading nonfiction as they do reading fiction.  I hope I will be as fortunate as my host teacher to work at a school that allows more flexibility in terms of curriculum and gives teachers freedom to teach the best way they know how.  Hopefully one day this will be universal and less worries will have to be focused on preparing for standardized tests.

This weeks Field Notes

Patrick Rainville
EDU-3265
Field Notes and Exploration 4
10/31/12

Today's Schedule: Explore, Snack, Literacy Centers, Recess, Math Groups, Movement Break, Morning Meeting, Read Aloud, Lunch, Quiet Time, Math Stations, Recess, Literacy Groups, P.E, Guidance, Dismissal.

Explore- helped students paint ghosts.  All of the explore choices were halloween themed.


Literacy Centers- Mrs. Gresham reads the class a book about halloween, "Big Pumpkin", that featured rhyme and student interaction/acting.  After having read the book once, Mrs. Gresham then gave props out to students to act out the book while reading it a second time.  Discussion followed about how teamwork helps get things done.


 Mrs. Gresham has students view the calendar, then uses the Adams Family theme song with the days of the week.  Review of the months in the year, specifically the one that follows October takes place.


Math Groups: working with intervention group today.  The students work on a number line.  The students take turns rolling the dice.  The number they roll is the number they frog jump to on the number line.  The students then write the number on the designated spot on the number line.  Mrs. Gresham facilitates the activity by asking students questions to answer, like what number should we start at on the number line.


-Students learn about four new numbers today and how to represent them using base ten blocks.  The numbers 14, 15, 16, and 17 are the new numbers and students take turns representing them with the blocks.  Many students are eager to have a chance to show the class how to represent these numbers.


-Students are paired with a partner and take turns rolling dice.  One partner rolls the dice, and the number landed on is represented by the other partner using base ten and one blocks.  The dice have the numbers focused on in today's lesson (14-17, two of which are repeated to total the six sides of the dice).

-Mrs. Gresham explains to me that the teens numbers are the hardest for the students to grasp concept wise.  Once they have this concept mastered the students will have little trouble counting and recognizing numbers all the way up to the hundreds.  Mrs. Gresham also indicates that the numbers 11, 12, 13, 15 do not sound like the numbers that represent the quantity.


Movement Break: the students move around the classroom like different halloween characters.

Morning Meeting: Student greet each other with spooky halloween voices.  They definitely enjoy this.

-Students have a short moment to share whether they will be going trick or treating tonight.

-One student reads the morning message to the class, and the class repeats it aloud.  The same student circles the sight and popcorn words written in the morning message.

-The class then plays an halloween sequencing game.  "I went into a haunted house and saw.....a goblin."  Each student adds to the game by stating what they witnessed.  Each student must restate what has been said before them and then end with what they saw in the haunted house.

-The class listens to a story about raccoons and talk about the characters or the "who?" and the setting or the "where?"


Quiet Time: Students play with different color base blocks and listen to soft music.  Mrs. Gresham uses this time to assess a few students on number recognition.


Math Stations:

-Workstation #1 --> Students work on recognizing shapes.

-Workstation #2 --> Students work on measurement through the "Pumpkin Report."  Students take various measurements of the pumpkin.

-Workstation #3 --> Students work on coloring Charlie Brown pumpkins, and then cut them out.  They then place them in sequence on a sheet of green paper.


Literacy Groups: I worked with the intervention group today.  We worked on letter recognition and the sounds of letters.  We then read a book called "I see."

Math: Helped students count candy corns.  They had to place ten into a circle.  At the end all the students had to see how many groups of ten candy corns we had.








5 Good Questions:

Why is recess time being cut back, especially when physical activity has a positive effect on our cognitive thinking?
Should teachers incorporate more movement in their lesson plans?
Should current events be talked about in Kindergarten?
How do early education teachers figure out the appropriate pace to instruct when students enter school and many different levels in comparison to their peers?
Why do schools in America offer far less time for lunch than other school systems throughout the world?  Is it the focus on standardized testing that cuts lunch and physical activity time in American schools?  

Weekly Reading Response

Patrick Rainville

EDU-3265

Weekly Response #7

October 22^nd, 2012

(1.)         “Reading and thinking aloud gives teachers opportunities to model the cognitive processes used to construct meaning” (Debbie Miller).  Miller’s quote is one that can be seen from Bloom’s Taxonomy.  This method or strategy of teaching allows children to think at a higher level and learn to analyze and evaluate what the teacher is stating or reading.  Both Kindergarten teachers I have observed have been great at using read aloud to stimulate classroom discussion and allow for student higher level thinking to take place.

(2.)         “Models constructed from clay and paper illustrate a child’s learning and demonstrate understanding” (Debbie Miller).  Miller’s example is one that Howard Gardner would be very fond of and pleased.  Modeling with clay is a bodily-kinesthetic or visual intelligence in which children can make sense of their learning.  The Kindergarten teacher I am currently observing allows students to use materials such as clay, paint, glitter, and so forth, that way they can use more than just lined paper and a number two pencil.

(3.)         “One Children begin to integrate their learning into their play, the materials are no longer an end unto themselves; they’ve become another means for creating understanding and constructing meaning.  They’ve become a means for living the learning” (Debbie Miller).  The last sentence of Miller’s quote can be connected to John Dewey and his experiential learning theory.  Dewey believed the best way to learn was through real life experience and application.  Dewey saw these real life encounters as a way of enriching one’s learning and expanding one’s understanding of the world we live in.  When I was in third and fourth grade I can remember my teacher would teach some history or current events.  Often times the current events would begin to be seen in the classroom in the form of student play.  Drawings, role-play, and building blocks were all ways I remember myself and fellow classmates would live out our learning.

                 After reading the sixth chapter of Debbie Miller’s text, “Reading with Meaning”, I have thought about many of her points related to “Digging Deeper” and establishing guiding strategies of teaching in the classroom.  There is one point I would like to discuss and elaborate on.  This point is Miller’s quote, “One Children begin to integrate their learning into their play, the materials are no longer an end unto themselves; they’ve become another means for creating understanding and constructing meaning.  They’ve become a means for living the learning.”  I feel this quote speaks volumes for what is vitally important for students and their education.

If teachers can get students to live what has been taught, then their will be students who appreciate the power of learning and the many pleasures it can bring.

            As a future educator I find myself learning more and more about educational theorists and their respective theories.  Perhaps one of my personal favorites is experiential learning.  John Dewey for me is up there with Vygotsky as one of my favorite theorists.  From the very day I get handed with my classroom I will seek to teach in ways in which students can connect to experience and their lives.  This connection will create the sweet learning as explained in Sweet Words.  When students take the initiative to incorporate learning into their play is establishes that they understand the concepts and more importantly enjoying the process of learning.

            I am thankful for many of the early education teachers I had and their ability to get me to experience learning, not just memorize or write.  Vital skills such as communication of learning, problem solving with others, and respectfully offering different perspectives, are all positives that come about from experiential learning.  For these reasons, there is no doubt in my mind that I will strive to help students live their learning and help them enjoy their new found understanding.