Every year, there's one or two kids that are just not ready to move on to the next grade. I dread having these conversations with parents. I know what a challenging decision it is for them - it's hard to say "my kid is behind." Parents worry about the social aspect of being older than their classmates. Some parents might be afraid that this is the first step in having a child enter special education.
Retention is not an indictment of parenting skills. Some kids learn at different rates. Especially in lower grades, I just see kids who are not ready to read at the same time as their peers. Maybe they need an extra year to mature and develop. I really believe in retention in lower grades. Socially and academically, it's so much easier to held back at 6 or 7 than it is at 10 or 11. In kindergarten and first grade, you get a chance to master the foundational skills that will carry you through the rest of your academic career. The older you get, the harder it is to teach those skills in a general classroom setting.
I have a student this year who desperately needs to be retained. The student's parents agreed to retain them after kindergarten, then changed their minds just before the school year started. We've all worked so hard with the student this year, but they are just still not ready to move on. I love this kid and would love to teach them again next year - but I still feel like I've failed them and their parents. It was my job to get them caught up, and I didn't.
How do you feel about retention? I've heard DCPS sees 3rd grade as the year to start holding kids back. I think this is way too late.
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Thursday, March 24, 2016
teacher books
One of my favorite parts of teaching is that it's profession where you can continue to learn and improve your practice. I spend way too much on Amazon buying books about classroom management, child development, and improving instruction.
I'm particularly trying to work on my guided reading groups right now. I have a few students who still haven't reached that fluency hump where they are decoding with automaticity, and I'm trying to problem solve. I've noticed one relies heavily on print and phonics without using any context or picture clues. Every guided reading lesson seems to be a lesson on using skills such as "skip the word" and "use the pictures" to find what word would make sense. I'm reading a few books about guided reading to get some more ideas to help her.
Some of my favorites right now are "Preventing Misguided Reading" and "The Continuum of Literacy." I've had "Preventing Misguided Reading" for about a year and I never got around to reading it until the past few weeks. One of the most important takeaways I've had is the importance of lowering books levels for students struggling with comprehension. It's so counter intuitive as a teacher - it's all about rigor! However, we can't get students to engage deeply with a text when they are spending so much time on the the decoding process.
I've found "The Continuum of Literacy" to be really helpful as I'm trying to improve my guided reading instruction as well. It has one to two pages of notes for each guided reading level that have quick hits for comprehension and word work. I've had it open on my desk when I plan guided reading and when I'm teaching my groups as a quick reference.
Does anyone else have good recommendations for "teacher books" they're loving right now?
I'm particularly trying to work on my guided reading groups right now. I have a few students who still haven't reached that fluency hump where they are decoding with automaticity, and I'm trying to problem solve. I've noticed one relies heavily on print and phonics without using any context or picture clues. Every guided reading lesson seems to be a lesson on using skills such as "skip the word" and "use the pictures" to find what word would make sense. I'm reading a few books about guided reading to get some more ideas to help her.
Some of my favorites right now are "Preventing Misguided Reading" and "The Continuum of Literacy." I've had "Preventing Misguided Reading" for about a year and I never got around to reading it until the past few weeks. One of the most important takeaways I've had is the importance of lowering books levels for students struggling with comprehension. It's so counter intuitive as a teacher - it's all about rigor! However, we can't get students to engage deeply with a text when they are spending so much time on the the decoding process.
I've found "The Continuum of Literacy" to be really helpful as I'm trying to improve my guided reading instruction as well. It has one to two pages of notes for each guided reading level that have quick hits for comprehension and word work. I've had it open on my desk when I plan guided reading and when I'm teaching my groups as a quick reference.
Does anyone else have good recommendations for "teacher books" they're loving right now?
Thursday, March 3, 2016
vocab and the word gap
The 30 million word gap is something that I remember first learning at a Teach for America training 4 or 5 years ago. Even after 5 years of teaching and watching so many students struggle with an obvious vocabulary deficient, it's still hard to comprehend. 30 MILLION WORDS. And those are my kids who are suffering, and my kids who we aren't reaching.
As I'm sure I've mentioned before, this year my class has a high ELL population. Of my 19 students, 16 speak a language other than English at home. The word gap is wider and harder to close for them. In January, I tested a student on TRC. His fluency is amazing - he read every nonsense word on DIBELS with time to spare and can decode books we ask third graders to read. However, he couldn't pass a mid-first grade level on TRC because of two words - "greedy" and "lesson." Watching his confusion as he struggled to understand was so frustrating! If only I could ask in Spanish! If only I had taught him "greedy" when describing character traits instead of "brave" or "persistent."
Over the past few weeks, I've really enjoyed learning more about teaching vocabulary and trying to implement it in my classroom. My first attempt at a vocabulary square was pretty feeble, but it gave me a lot to learn from. For my second tiered lesson, I was much more intentional about the vocabulary I chose. Was it something that my kids could understand and access, or was it one of those "Tier 3" words that wasn't as essential to their understanding. It was actually pretty fun to watch my kids engage with new words and recognize them in other settings.
I'm excited to continue trying new ways to introduce vocabulary in my class. I have to keep thinking of it as small steps. It's not 29,999,995 more words to be exposed to, but five more words they've learned.
As I'm sure I've mentioned before, this year my class has a high ELL population. Of my 19 students, 16 speak a language other than English at home. The word gap is wider and harder to close for them. In January, I tested a student on TRC. His fluency is amazing - he read every nonsense word on DIBELS with time to spare and can decode books we ask third graders to read. However, he couldn't pass a mid-first grade level on TRC because of two words - "greedy" and "lesson." Watching his confusion as he struggled to understand was so frustrating! If only I could ask in Spanish! If only I had taught him "greedy" when describing character traits instead of "brave" or "persistent."
Over the past few weeks, I've really enjoyed learning more about teaching vocabulary and trying to implement it in my classroom. My first attempt at a vocabulary square was pretty feeble, but it gave me a lot to learn from. For my second tiered lesson, I was much more intentional about the vocabulary I chose. Was it something that my kids could understand and access, or was it one of those "Tier 3" words that wasn't as essential to their understanding. It was actually pretty fun to watch my kids engage with new words and recognize them in other settings.
I'm excited to continue trying new ways to introduce vocabulary in my class. I have to keep thinking of it as small steps. It's not 29,999,995 more words to be exposed to, but five more words they've learned.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
the observation jitters
Does anyone else get unnaturally nervous during observations? I've been teaching for five years, but I feel like a first year teacher every time someone walks in my room with a computer. Today, I was observed during my scripted phonics block. I'm actually a big fan of the program we use, but I was stumbling over words and got through only half of my lesson.
I think there are some great things about observations - in particular, the chance to identify areas of strength and weakness and set growth goals. DCPS using the IMPACT framework to conduct observations. I got some great ideas and feedback from my Master Educator (a role which will NOT be a part of IMPACT data), but I know she didn't see me at my best. It's so frustrating that my performance as an educator can be reduced to one score taken from a 30-minutes snapshot, teaching one of my hardest lessons of the year to an autistic student, an ELL newcomer, and a student with moderate developmental delays. Yes, I believe all children can learn, but is it fair to judge my teaching of that particular small group on the same criteria you would judge me teaching my students who are performing above grade level? I don't know. Is it fair to have someone unfamiliar with my class or my students making passing judgments about us, either?
As a teacher, I really love feedback. I enjoy learning new things and getting better. But wouldn't it help if observations were a tool for growth, not a penalty for an off day or a tough group of students or a skill you're still learning? If I practice with my students before I give a test, shouldn't I get to practice with my evaluators before it counts? What if we could take their feedback, practice it, then be evaluated on the implementation later?
I think there are some great things about observations - in particular, the chance to identify areas of strength and weakness and set growth goals. DCPS using the IMPACT framework to conduct observations. I got some great ideas and feedback from my Master Educator (a role which will NOT be a part of IMPACT data), but I know she didn't see me at my best. It's so frustrating that my performance as an educator can be reduced to one score taken from a 30-minutes snapshot, teaching one of my hardest lessons of the year to an autistic student, an ELL newcomer, and a student with moderate developmental delays. Yes, I believe all children can learn, but is it fair to judge my teaching of that particular small group on the same criteria you would judge me teaching my students who are performing above grade level? I don't know. Is it fair to have someone unfamiliar with my class or my students making passing judgments about us, either?
As a teacher, I really love feedback. I enjoy learning new things and getting better. But wouldn't it help if observations were a tool for growth, not a penalty for an off day or a tough group of students or a skill you're still learning? If I practice with my students before I give a test, shouldn't I get to practice with my evaluators before it counts? What if we could take their feedback, practice it, then be evaluated on the implementation later?
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
The lost art of writing
This year is my first teaching DC Public Schools. After several years of charter school life and long workdays, I've taught a variety of curriculums and ideologies. Some schools have emphasized math over reading, others phonics and grammar over comprehension. As I drew up my daily schedule with the first grade team in August, we dedicated time to close reading, math, guided reading, and phonics, but, as in years past, writing was relegated to an "end-of-the-day, if-you-have-time" activity.
Donald Graves argues that good writers make good readers, and vice-versa. In my first three years teaching in Memphis, writing was always part of my daily schedule. I imagine most teachers have noticed the same things I noticed then - my students who were the strongest readers were the best writers. Likewise, students who were weak in reading were also weaker in writing. However in my experiences teaching in both DCPS and a large charter network in the city, I've found that writing tends to be ignored for other parts of the literacy process.
At the end of the day, I try to provide my students with some free write time by providing a menu of writing options, such as "What did you do at recess?" "What did you learn about today?" and "What did you have for lunch?" However, I usually don't have the time to complete essential parts of the writer's workshop process like conferencing, revisions, and sharing. I haven't taught writer's workshop in a few years, and re-reading the launching process made me think about ways I can weave writing into my curriculum more. For example, how can I use familiar texts (i.e., what we are reading in close reading during the week) to give my students writing experiences that go beyond written responses? My kids are constantly making self-to-text connections with the books we read during class. Their storytelling and oral fluency are very strong, and I could channel this into a time to work on personal narratives with the launch, "what does this story remind you of in your life?"
My schedule is pretty tight during the day, but my students do have writing time during centers and some extra time at the end of the day. I want to think about some ways to use this extra time to put a stronger emphasis on building their writing skills.
Donald Graves argues that good writers make good readers, and vice-versa. In my first three years teaching in Memphis, writing was always part of my daily schedule. I imagine most teachers have noticed the same things I noticed then - my students who were the strongest readers were the best writers. Likewise, students who were weak in reading were also weaker in writing. However in my experiences teaching in both DCPS and a large charter network in the city, I've found that writing tends to be ignored for other parts of the literacy process.
At the end of the day, I try to provide my students with some free write time by providing a menu of writing options, such as "What did you do at recess?" "What did you learn about today?" and "What did you have for lunch?" However, I usually don't have the time to complete essential parts of the writer's workshop process like conferencing, revisions, and sharing. I haven't taught writer's workshop in a few years, and re-reading the launching process made me think about ways I can weave writing into my curriculum more. For example, how can I use familiar texts (i.e., what we are reading in close reading during the week) to give my students writing experiences that go beyond written responses? My kids are constantly making self-to-text connections with the books we read during class. Their storytelling and oral fluency are very strong, and I could channel this into a time to work on personal narratives with the launch, "what does this story remind you of in your life?"
My schedule is pretty tight during the day, but my students do have writing time during centers and some extra time at the end of the day. I want to think about some ways to use this extra time to put a stronger emphasis on building their writing skills.
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