Blog #4

While reading chapter one I had another flashback to Dr. Boyce’s class that I took last semester.  We discussed many different strategies that can be used in order to help students with comprehension.  The chapter mentioned the DR-TA which is the first strategy we discussed in her classroom.  Think-Pair-Share was also in this chapter; Dr. Boyce would have us use this strategy many times in the classroom after reading something.  We would turn to the person next to us and discuss our opinions about a subject or what we had read.  This is a great strategy in order to develop literacy skills through discussing thoughts with another classmate.  When I saw that there was a section on reciprocal teaching, I remembered a video from Dr. Boyce’s class.  We watched a video of a teacher who was using the reciprocal teaching strategy while reading a book.  It was very helpful for teachers planning to use this strategy. 

The thing that stood out to me the most in chapter eight was the section on writing to learn in mathematics.  I really enjoyed this section because, as I have said before, I would love to teach math.  Every time that my teachers say we should incorporate writing into every subject I was always very concerned as to how I would incorporate it in a math classroom.  This is excellent information for math teachers who would like to incorporate writing in their classrooms.

student.TH!NK.center

I had a great experience at the student think center.  I would really like to go back so that I could get the individual assistance that they were talking about.  I really enjoyed the setup of the room that we were in.  I love the idea of the tables being covered in paper so that you can write any ideas on, or just doodle.  I did some of both.  I would love to use that in my future classroom!  The presentation was great and really kept me entertained for the entire hour.  The information was very interesting and I can’t wait to go back and learn more about myself.


What exactly are they going to tell me when I go back to the student think center?
Is there a type of survey I could give to my future student to help them figure out what type of                  learner they are??

Blog #3

While reading the design thinking article I really enjoyed the way they gave you specific examples of how to use this strategy in the classroom.  The six steps were very simple to follow and would work great in the classroom for solving a real life problem.  While reading, I focused more on the ways to use it in the classroom rather than the strategy itself.  It was a lot easier to understand rather than having to read the step and think of ways to use it in the classroom.

The article written my Barbara Moss was very interesting and actually brought up a lot of my own background knowledge from courses in the intermediate block.  I did not realize that informational text was such a big problem in the schools today.  When I was observing classrooms on Tuesdays and giving a reading lesson in a kindergarten classroom, I realized that students seem to enjoy expository text more than narratives.  Therefore, in my opinion, this article was correct when they discussed how reading to learn motivates students to learn to read.  The students loved when I read them expository texts and I was helping to build their background knowledge.  In my opinion, teachers would get a lot more feedback from their students if they used more expository text. 

The article also talked about using strategies to help students to comprehend what they read.  We learned a lot of different strategies that teachers can use in order to help their students comprehend what they read.  A great strategy that seems to work for a lot of different ages was the KWL strategy.  It helps students to comprehend what they have read and  has a specific format for them to follow. I plan to use these strategies in my classroom because I got the chance to experience them through a lesson and they were very helpful.  

What are some really good expository text topics that children enjoy reading?


What are some specific ways to incorporate expository text into a lesson?