Module 1 Summary
PowerPoint-Expository Text-Understanding Text Organization
I really enjoyed this PowerPoint, as text structure is a big
part of fifth grade reading curriculum. It served as a good reminder what each
structure can be used for and key words that are associated with each. I truly
enjoy using the various graphic organizers associated with each structure to
analyze text.
Video-Reading Strategy for
Struggling Readers
I found this video to be very informative, seeing that it
served as a good reminder of the reading instruction that takes places in
younger grades. Being a fifth grade teacher, I do not work much with
phonological awareness. I do spend time with my struggling readers on fluency
and decoding, but for the most part, our focus is on reading for meaning. The
definitions of the key reading terms were very helpful and seeing how each of
the activities related to the particular skill shown. I am very excited about
using the website provided, as the resources are abundant and engaging. It is
important for students to understand that regardless the subject; it is not too
late to learn. As the student was complaining about reading, it reminded me
that many students have it engrained in their head that they are a horrible
reader (and always will be), causing them to shut down at the sight of a
comprehension passage. As health is a hard subject to fit in weekly, I often
times use health comprehension passages for a grade. I have found that my
struggling readers do great on the health passages, but when it comes to a
comprehension passage completed during our scheduled reading time, they do
poorly. We must remember to encourage our students and remind them that they
can be lifelong readers at any age. With implementation of the shown activities
in the video, I hope students begin to see that reading can be fun, exciting
and achievable.
Trip to Hawaii
The Trip to Hawaii videos were very engaging and informative
regarding the use and purpose of graphic organizers. I personally enjoy using
graphic organizers in my classroom. I find that when I use them, especially
during reading time, the students tend to take ownership of their work. One
graphic organizer that I do not have experience with but will definitely be
using in the near future is the Vocabulary Prediction Chart. What a neat and
engaging way to build and develop vocabulary skills. Another point that was
made in the videos I really liked was that it is not just important to use
graphic organizers, but it’s important that you make the graphic organizers
creative and interactive. Graphic organizers are not grade specific which I
love, as ones mentioned for kindergarten in the videos have been used and found
very successful in my 5th grade classroom. I also think that
students enjoy using graphic organizers, especially ones they are able to
create on their own.
Katie,
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting reading through many of our powerpoints and watching videos because I too am a fifth grade teacher and reading instruction in the upper grades looks very different. We are our students biggest fans and cheering team so we need to work hard to make sure they feel as though they can be successful at reading no matter what stage they came to us at the beginning of the school year. I too think graphic organizers are a fast way for students to get their ideas down on paper and for us to assess were they able to gain meaning from the text they were reading. I hope that by the end of their year with me that students are able to create their own graphic organizers that best display their thinking and understanding. Thank you for your thoughts on this module.
Katie,
ReplyDeleteI also teach fifth grade and enjoyed the PowerPoint on text structures presented in this module. I also find graphic organizers to be incredibly beneficial for my students. I also found the Trip to Hawaii videos to be a very engaging way to present information about graphic organizers. This was a great reminder of the importance of making learning interesting for our students regardless of the topic. Who would have thought that graphic organizers could be taught through a trip to Hawaii? :)
Katie - I teach fourth grade and I agree with Anne and Lisa that the PowerPoint was very informational. I wish I could go to a conference in Hawaii, which would be a dream! : ) I use graphic organizers a lot in fourth grade since they are a great way for students to organize their thoughts and get them down on paper quickly. I try to have my fourth graders help me design their graphic organizers, yet sometimes I get artsy and draw them out to be creative and appealing to their eyes. I think it is important to make the graphic organizers friendly but also interactive and fun so the students study and actually use the organizers. I agree that is hard to break the habit of thinking “I’m a horrible reader” because I still think that about myself. Thank you for helping students out, I wish I had more teachers like you when I was younger. Keep learning fun and students will learn and prosper through their years at school!
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