I had just written a blog entry on communication between parents and students and shortly after I came across a website called Letterpop.com. This website provides many different templates to help make professional newsletters, announcements, and invitations (to name a few).
While exploring this site I came across many "school" related templates. These templates were colorful and designed for teachers. The templates give you plenty of space to write your text as well as upload pictures. You can change your font as well as spacing. I love this because you can pretty much design your work anyway you would like.
I think the site is set up is user friendly. There are plenty of instructions and it does not take much time to create the newsletter since the template is already created. I think this is a great tool for teachers since it is quick and easy and more than just a word document. I think parents would appreciate the extra "time" that teachers put in if their newsletter looks like one of these.
Go to http://letterpop.com/ to view examples and create your own!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Reading is Key
This past weekend my sorority put on a philanthropy at the Boys and Girls club in Lansing, called Reading is Key. For the event we set up different stations that incorporated some type of literacy activity, as well as some miscellaneous "fun" games. Some of the stations were reading stories, making bookmarks and playing word bingo. It was so fantastic to see all of these children so excited to be surrounded by literacy. This really showed me that if you (the teacher) are excited about a subject or activity it is very likely that the students will become excited as well.
Another part of the philanthropy was donating hundreds of books to the center. It felt so rewarding to see all of the books filling up the tables at the back of the room. Each child got to pick three to take home and the rest stay at the center. These students were sooooo excited to look through all of the books and decide which they were interested in the most. This was another time that I realized how important it is to present children with many different reading material. I remember a professor once explained to our class that as long as you can get children reading the content does not matter (in the sense of reading for pleasure).
I thought this philanthropy was so much fun and so rewarding as a future teacher. I hope to be able to come back to the Boys and Girls club to do more events! :)
Another part of the philanthropy was donating hundreds of books to the center. It felt so rewarding to see all of the books filling up the tables at the back of the room. Each child got to pick three to take home and the rest stay at the center. These students were sooooo excited to look through all of the books and decide which they were interested in the most. This was another time that I realized how important it is to present children with many different reading material. I remember a professor once explained to our class that as long as you can get children reading the content does not matter (in the sense of reading for pleasure).
I thought this philanthropy was so much fun and so rewarding as a future teacher. I hope to be able to come back to the Boys and Girls club to do more events! :)
Parent Communication
One of the things that I think is very important to students learning is good parent/teacher communication. I thin there are many ways that teachers can stay connected with parents. First, I think it is important for teachers to start the year with open arms to all of the parents/care givers of his/her students. This can be done by sending a letter home but I think an even more personal way to form a connection with the parents is by phone call or actually going over to the students house. I think you can get to know your students by getting to know their parents. If the parents are comfortable with the teacher right at the beginning, the parents will probably be more likely to come to the teacher if they have questions or concerns.
Another way to stay connected with your parents throughout the year is by handing out weekly news letters that explain what is going on each week. This way the parents are in the loop and nothing should be a surprise. Finally, I think it is important to make phone calls home every so often when the child has been exceptionally good. Parents need to hear the good just as much they do the bad.
Another way to stay connected with your parents throughout the year is by handing out weekly news letters that explain what is going on each week. This way the parents are in the loop and nothing should be a surprise. Finally, I think it is important to make phone calls home every so often when the child has been exceptionally good. Parents need to hear the good just as much they do the bad.
Kindergarten Comprehension
For my TE 402 class we were asked to read an article titled "Kindergarten Can Do It Too". This article discussed learning strategies to test early readers comprehension. I thought it was very interesting since I could relate to it since I am in a Kindergarten classroom for my placement. From observing my placement kindergarten class, I notice that the kindergarteners know and understand that being a good reader means being fluent however, they don't necessarily understand how to make connections and comprehend what they are reading. This article gave great techniques to get students to strategically comprehend what they are reading. The teacher in the article explains to her students what a schema is. I thought this was interesting since that is a pretty advanced concept for five year olds, but the teacher explained it in a sense that the students understood. She is hoping that by knowing this concept the students will make connections between the book and the outside.
Students make a "c" with their hand if they have a connection to share, a "v" if they have a visualization to share or they wiggle their finger if they have a question. Since the students have these techniques they are constantly listening for comprehension and making these text to self connections. Also, the teacher can gauge an understanding for where the students are in their learning. I thought it was great that she made a chart of questions before the book, during the reading, and after. This shows the students how the class is visually thinking.
Students make a "c" with their hand if they have a connection to share, a "v" if they have a visualization to share or they wiggle their finger if they have a question. Since the students have these techniques they are constantly listening for comprehension and making these text to self connections. Also, the teacher can gauge an understanding for where the students are in their learning. I thought it was great that she made a chart of questions before the book, during the reading, and after. This shows the students how the class is visually thinking.
I think that my kindergarten students in my placement would be able to use these strategies after much practice. While my CT or myself read, the students tend to get way off topic. I think that these strategies would really help them stay on focus. Overall, I loved these strategies. I'm hoping to try them out if I teach early readers!
I thought these might be some strategies you may like to try as well!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Importance of centers in early elementary.
I think the most productive part of the day during my kindergarten placement is when the students are participating in center time. During center time, the teacher assigns students a different game or task to do either individually or with a partner. There is rarely ever behavior problems when it comes to this time and guess this is due to the fact that they have a little more free time then the other times of the day. While the students are busy playing their game, reading in the book center or practicing their writing, my CT is able to do reading or math assessments with small groups and a table. She can focus on a smaller number of kids which is beneficial to each child's learning. Each group is strategically chosen based on their skill level. This way they are all primarily on the same page and have the same struggles. Without center time, my CT would struggle to collect any type of reading assessments.
My responsibility during center times is to call students over that need more one on one focus when it comes to practicing their phonics or numbers. Here we play "fun" games that allow the students to work on their skills. Usually these games are fast pace and I am able to get through about half of the class. Overall, I think students both need center time to have fun and work independently as well as get the one on one time with the teacher that is needed. Teachers also need this time to get their assessments done and develop a deeper look into the progress of each and every child.
My responsibility during center times is to call students over that need more one on one focus when it comes to practicing their phonics or numbers. Here we play "fun" games that allow the students to work on their skills. Usually these games are fast pace and I am able to get through about half of the class. Overall, I think students both need center time to have fun and work independently as well as get the one on one time with the teacher that is needed. Teachers also need this time to get their assessments done and develop a deeper look into the progress of each and every child.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)