Time to Think About the First Day of the School Year!

Fall is in the air and that means it is time to start thinking about the first-day of school with your new class. So many meetings! So much information! It is hard to know what to set as your priorities for the start of the new year. No matter what the curriculum or your district requirements, setting your routines and expectations needs to be of top importance.  

It is key that you take time to map out your routines and the expectations you have of your classes so you know what your plan is when the students do not comply with something. This is often the biggest misconception in student behavior because the students do not do what you might expect and then you are left to react rather than having a planned response for their interpretation of your expectations. 

Many classrooms have “Classroom Rules.” Think about dropping the word rules and replacing it with expectations. When there is a rule that someone does not follow it usually results in some form of consequence. Schools are an environment of learning and practicing, therefore using the word expectations goes along with our pedagogy of learning and practicing. If we do not meet an expectation we are able to step back and try again without consequences. 

Taking the time in the first few days to set expectations such as those for lining up, washing hands, and using the restroom will provide additional instructional time later in the year. Students want to know what is expected of them and if it is left to them there is a high chance they will assume incorrectly and you will then spend the next few months trying to correct their interpretation. 

Help set your students up for success. Phrase things in questions. This takes the responsibility off of you and puts it on the students. An example might be instead of telling the student to put their name on their paper because you see it is missing, ask them, “Is your name on the paper?” This puts the responsibility on the student in a positive way with the same outcome. 

You also might consider listing some of your expectations on a poster in the classroom. You will find the poster will save your voice. That way when you take a quick glance at the student’s work you can just say, “You need to check number 4.” You have now put the responsibility onto the student without telling them to go put their name on their paper. It can also be used if you have listed work at a whisper voice with your partner and they are at the shouting volume. All you have to say is please review number 5. This will cut down on your teacher talk in the classroom and put the responsibility back on the students. There is no question that at some point you are going to ask them to comply with one of the expectations and you may have to stop the class and provide a short lesson to reteach what is expected, but even so you are providing the students with the opportunity to take control of their own behavior. 

Set your expectations high and make sure your students know what is expected and you all will achieve your goals. Enjoy this school year. 

Understanding Reading Comprehension

Reading and comprehending what is read is the ultimate goal of every reader and teacher. Achieving this goal can often be a great struggle. There are several key skills which need to be in place before most students are able to fully have success in comprehending what they read. Often struggling readers have a hard time understanding what they read, while there are some good readers who also have difficulties. Identifying the skills used to accomplish reading understanding may assist you in identifying just where your students are struggling with mastering reading comprehension.

Comprehension is a natural skill that begins at birth when the child begins receiving responses which please them from caregivers (Knoph, 1986). As the child becomes aware of sounds (language) they begin building their language comprehension. Babies are able to understand words long before they are able to speak (Holinger, 2012). Many parents teach their children sign-language as a way to communicate prior to them speaking. These simple steps are building pathways of understanding in the brain which allows the child to express their understanding.

As the child develops and grows they are building their vocabulary. Vocabulary forms a foundation for comprehension (Robb, 2015). Vocabulary is a skill in which we mainly absorb the meanings of words. Therefore the more we are exposed to the language and use our language the better we are able to connect the dots to make meaning and understanding.  The first step in building vocabulary is hearing words and connecting them to objects or events. As we develop, we also gain information for context clues. When hearing a word we are unfamiliar with, we must determine the meaning of this new word. We use the information we have gathered to make a meaning determination. All of these steps happen prior to the child ever reading any words. Vocabulary, therefore, is a language skill which begins at birth and is a vital component to future reading comprehension ability.

As a person begins learning to read they are transferring their language skills to texts. Many children have no difficulty making this transfer. For others, it is not so easy. Listening and speaking is a natural skill whereas reading and writing are man created skills and often people struggle with mastering these skills (Moats & Tolman, ND). If a person is having difficulty picking up reading skills their language development and vocabulary levels may need to be checked. Building those skills will strengthen the foundation of their reading and comprehension.

People who are struggling with reading may need to take time to focus on decoding and building their understanding of how our language is put into print. As these skills are presented to students in school, they are often presented several at a time, and some just get confused while others catch on without difficulty. If a student struggles to read, they are most likely going to struggle with writing. Some may have a strong language ability and be able to explain what they have heard, but may not have a strong understanding of word structure and most often won’t write well. This is an observation point. They are able to take and tell, but not read and write. The focus area for these students would be word structure (phonics).

Then, there are the students who have decoding down and have no problem reading but have absolutely no idea what they have just read. These students need assistance with reading comprehension. The first thing to check is language comprehension. Are they able to tell about an event or activity? Can they explain something that they watched? Can they retell something that has been read to them? If they are able to complete these tasks then chances are great they just need some support and guidance to transfer the language skill to their reading. If they are unable to do any of those tasks, step back and spend some time focusing on language comprehension.

Reading comprehension is a transferred skill from language comprehension. Prior to teaching reading comprehension, we need to check to make sure the students have an understanding of their language. Once they have language understanding, a strong vocabulary must be built. The next skill is to infer the meanings of unknown words from texts to build their vocabulary. Most students also need support and practice to retell events or passages read to them. Once they have mastered these skills, in most cases, the transfer to reading comprehension is smooth.

Letter / Word Reversals - Learning Disability?

In your classroom, do you have students who reverse letters or words such as “b” and “d,” or “saw” and “was?” Truly, this is very natural and normal for young children to make these errors. It does not necessarily indicate that there might be a learning disability or dyslexia. Our brains are designed to be able to interpret objects in 3D. Written communication is a man-created/designed form of communication using letters in the case of English. Our brains are designed to see an object and remember that object in 3D, such as a cup. When we see a cup our brains know it’s a cup if it is on its side or upside down. We are also able to transfer that information we know about a cup if the cup is larger or smaller. A cup is a cup. When we move to learn about writing, all of a sudden the rules change. The letter “b” they discover is no longer a “b” when it is turned around. It is a “d.” Upside down it is a “p.” Until the student is able to understand that letters do not operate the same way as objects. all children might have reversal problems (Macdonald et al.,(2017).

Seeing letters backwards is not an indicator of dyslexia. Macdonald et al. (2017) found that 50% of educators and 76% of the general public felt that children seeing letters backwards were an indicator of dyslexia. Students who struggle with not being able to recognize letters in isolation or write them might need some scaffolded instruction in letter identification. They need to be seeing letters in words where both letters the student is struggling with appear, such as teaching letter-naming using words like, bed, bip, dip, was, saw. Their brains need to become aware that writing is not like seeing objects, and are found in specific places in words to represent sounds.

Macdonald, K., Germine, L., Anderson, A., Christodoulou, J., & MaGrath L. M. (2017). Dispelling the Myth: Training in Education or Neuroscience Decreases but Does Not Eliminate Beliefs in Neuromyths. Front. Psychol., 10 August 2017 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01314

Understanding Instruction

What is your pedagogy when it comes to instruction? Are you on the inquiry side or the direct delivery side? What is the best method of instruction for your students? These are a couple of questions you might consider when determining your instruction and your students’ performance in the classroom. 

First, we need to refresh ourselves on the forms of instruction. The two major ones most often found are inquiry or exploratory instruction and direct instruction. Both are key when it comes to instruction there is no question, but when used inappropriately, each can create student struggles along with frustration for everyone. This can often lead to misbehaviors from the students. 

Exploratory or inquiry-based instruction was penned in 1969 by Joseph Schwab based around the exploratory pedagogy or constructivism. You build knowledge based on what you know while learning from questions and applying information to answer those questions. Being able to explain how you were able to achieve your answer allows the learner to be working in the upper levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Instructors using this pedagogy often use questions such as, “What do you think this means?” requiring the learner to apply their background knowledge to respond.

Siegfried Englemann in 1964 introduced the instructional pedagogy form which direct or explicit instruction has been developed. Within this form of instruction, the instructor provides the learner with the information they are learning. Then guidance is provided while students are processing followed by the learner being able to perform the task at a high rate of success. Direct instruction is often associated with scripted instruction, where the instructor is expected to read exactly what is written in the curriculum. This is extreme direct instruction in every possible way, but Englemann focused on the elements of direct or explicit instruction as, “I do it, we do it, you do it”, followed by some form of assessment demonstrating mastery. 

A strong teacher uses both forms of instruction with their students at some point in each day. One key factor in using either one is knowing the students. The background of your students may have a larger factor in your students’ learning than you thought. Even if you enjoy teaching in an exploratory or inquiry-based environment you can run into problems and students not understanding or who are unable to pass the assessment. Therefore, we also need to examine our students and what form of instruction might be best for them in each instructional situation to fully understand the concepts.

Most commonly classroom teachers find themselves using the inquiry or exploratory form of learning. You can observe this by questions the teacher asks,  such as, “What do you think this is?” Then they start fishing the classroom looking for the response they want. If the students do not have the background knowledge to draw their response from you get guesses or they just look at you. English as Second Language learners may not have the vocabulary to draw from to respond, or there may be other factors in which a student might not have the language development to give a respectable response. Therefore, you have to use this form of instruction cautiously because, in the end, you may simply have to provide the students the answer. When the students are unable to respond they become frustrated and talk or work to get you off task creating other discipline struggles.  As long as you know when to use this form of instruction it can provide excellent results.  

Students with limited background knowledge most often thrive with direct or explicit instruction. Their teacher provides them with the information and they are asked to recall that information building their knowledge bank so, later on, they can learn and understand how to determine an answer with their own knowledge. Often as adults, we want to push our students into inquiry before they have the knowledge necessary to be successful, which assumes they have that knowledge. But in reality, some groups still need explicit instruction where you are giving the students the facts for them to store for later use. 

Our students are our barometers for instruction. Their behaviors are your largest indicator of whether your instruction is on point or not. If the students deem the information you are teaching not relevant, whether it is or not, they are most likely to begin to act out. This also might happen if you are working with a group of students who have a large knowledge base and you are trying to instruct explicitly. They are ready to start applying the information rather than hear you talk about it. Whereas, students with limited background knowledge may be fully engaged because this form of instruction meets their learning needs. The same thing may happen when you are using inquiry. The students with limited background are unable to apply the information so they begin to act out or disrupt, while those who bring a wide understanding to the concept are fully engaged. It is also important to note that vocabulary may also need to be taught in two different groups and with two different approaches to meet the needs of all your students because of their wealth or lack of background knowledge they bring to the lesson. 

As you become aware of how your students respond to the different types of instruction and observe their behaviors you will become aware of what type of instruction each student responds to best and which helps them achieve success. This is a case where one size does not fit all and knowing your student base along with your instruction presentation format can resolve many classroom behavior problems.

Where Should They Be Now? -- Kindergarten in December

Kindergarten – Christmas break is just weeks away. Phonemic Awareness is the skill your students should have mastered before they head into the break. In the science of reading it has been shown to be the foundational skill for students developing strong reading and writing skills.

Using your data (screenings or teacher assessments) you need to be able to show parents by documentation if their child can or cannot meet the phonemic awareness benchmark.

Just because it was taught in the curriculum doesn’t mean your students are fluent. What you are working on is for the student’s brain to be able to hear and identify sounds within our language. Building those pathways in the brain will provide the students with the understanding of sounds as you move towards Alphabetic Principle.

Helpful Hints:

·      When the students line up or move back to their seat have them give you the sounds in words.

·      When they are walking out the door or you are walking down the hall with your class ask 4 or 5 students the sounds in one or two words.

·      Put a sticky note or tape a card to students who you want to have additional practice with 4 or 5 words and have them give you the sounds to a couple of the words.

·      When you have the students come back to the carpet for an activity have them give you the sounds in a couple of words.

·      When they come to the teacher center have the students segment a couple of words.

·      Have the students segment their math words.

·      When you are teaching vocabulary segment the single syllable words.

Narrative Writing using Show & Tell!

Narrative Writing

Narrative writing is a lifelong skill student are able to start developing as early as kindergarten and even preschool.  Developing the skill of narrative writing starts with language development and learning to share information orally with others. Oh the dreaded Show and Tell in kindergarten and first grade where the student simply say, “This is my------------truck” is often seen by teachers as a waste of time because they feel there are so many more important skills which need to be addressed. Therefore, this critical language skill often gets skipped.

One option teachers might consider when implementing Show and Tell for language development is to have students share in small groups. There could be four centers; where the sharer sits in a chair and for two minutes shares about their object. The other students are divided up and sit on the floor to listen and ask questions. After 2 or 3 minutes the students who are sharing rotate to the next group. Then they get to share again. This gives the sharer a chance to share four times and practice four times. When the rotations are complete the four students sharing can stand in front of the class while the rest of the students go back to their workspaces. The students sitting at their work spaces then share what they learned with the class about the objects brought in for that day. I guarantee that your students will improve in their language ability and time spent sharing will actually be shorter. Bring back Show and Tell !

Once children are able to talk openly about a subject or object they are ready to begin their writing journey. When writing students are working at one of the highest levels of Blooms Taxonomy. So, if a student is struggling with writing, step back and allow them to process using their language skills. They still might not be ready to do their own writing and additional scaffolding may be needed for them to be successful, but processing orally fist will help students get their thoughts in order which is critical.

Below is a chart created using the Common State Standards for grades k-3 along with expectations, possible activities and assessments teachers might consider using. Writing is a transfer skill which is developed from oral language development. If students cannot talk about it they are not going to be able to write about it.