Autumn Combs Try-It-Outs Chapter 1 Highly Effective Teacher Identify the characteristics of a highly effective teacher in you clinical

l setting. Which of the traits do you feel the most apprehensive about? o The characteristics of a highly effective teacher include his or her content knowledge, skill and competence. Research says that these three characteristics are essential for teachers to make a difference in the classroom. Teacher knowledge has been argued to be one of the best methods of closing the academic gap in the classroom. Teacher knowledge based on research is what will make the difference. Effective teachers also use assessments to look at next steps and ways that the lesson and material can be modified in order to enhance the learning. This should be a time to gather data and reflect about instruction and if changes should be made. Effective teachers should also evidence based teaching practices in the room in order to get the most out of the instructional time. Classroom management, print rich environments, and evidencebased techniques all help the classroom to succeed. Effective teachers also deal with differentiation of the material. It is important that high and low end learners are being pushed and are receiving the correct instruction that they need. An effective teacher should also motivate and engage students throughout the lesson. Technology is important as well in the classroom in order to give students different ways to express their ideas, handle the material, and stay engaged. Another important component of the effective teachers classroom instruction is that connections are made between the school and the family. This communication is important because family involvement increases the childs ability to succeed in school. All of these topics mentioned are characteristics and components of an effective teacher and the instruction. I feel that differentiation is something that intimidates me. There are so many wonderful resources that we have been introduced to that will help teach me what to do, but the idea of having different people working on different assignments at once is stressful. I also think that it will be hard to know exactly what should be done for the high end learners. It is tempting to simply give them more of the problems that they have finished but as we have learned, this is not effective and can bring about negative feelings about learning. Try it out! o My teacher has quite a library in his classroom. He owns all of his books and has been collecting them over many years. His books are arranged by authors last name for the fiction books. For his nonfiction, he has them arranged but subject matter such as math or seasonal. He has math books at the front of the classroom and books that relate to the current season separate. The children do not check books in and out from his personal collection. When they need a book they can either choose one based on their interests from the school library or they can check out books from the reading coachs room based on their individual reading level. These are the books that the students interact with on a daily basis. They really do not have access to the teachers library. Some other ways to organize your books would be by genre, reading level, or alphabetically by title.

Seasonal books separate from the rest of the literature.

Fiction books organized by authors last name.

Chapter 5 Fluency Discuss the most effective ways to teach and assess fluency. Discuss what research says about fluency instruction. o For effective fluency instruction, the lesson must be explicitly taught. There also must be a chance for the teacher to model fluent reading. Students should also receive regular daily time to practice reading. They should have access to the correct level of material, oral and silent reading practice, repeated readings, and wide oral reading. Teachers should also incorporate fluency oriented reading instruction with basal materials at the center. Choral reading and partner reading are also great ways to teach fluency and allow students a chance to practice their fluency. To assess fluency, teachers should look for effortless decoding of text, reading rate, volume, stress, pitch and juncture, and chunking text into manageable phrases. One way to assess fluency is by using the one minute reading sample where students read a passage for a minute and the teacher marks the words missed. At the end of a minute, the teacher counts the total number of words read and subtracts words missed to find the words correct per minute. Teachers can also test fluency by giving students the Multidimensional Fluency Scale which gives a picture of the students volume and expression, phrasing, smoothness, and pace. Another assessment is student self-assessment. Providing students with an explicit rubric will allow them to identify their strengths and weaknesses and modify their reading. Research that was put together in the National Reading Panel says that fluency instruction is most effective when students are able to practice orally, students have a chance to read a text over again more than three times, and when they receive constructive feedback. Instructional level text should be used for instruction and practice. Research also suggests that a fluency lesson should only last 15-30 minutes in length. Try it out! o I gave the Multidimensional Fluency Scale assessment to one of my students during Cub Club. (Picture Attached) She read a passage to me as I listened and marked her reading using the scale. This assessment is one that would be difficult for me to use in the classroom. It is very opinion based and hard to prevent bias opinions especially if there is more than one proctor. I think that this assessment is a good glimpse at the students abilities but should not be used for firm and succinct data. I would give this assessment again to get an idea of where my students are but I would not view it as a perfect indicator of fluency. My child seemed to be ok with the assessment. She became bored and frustrated with the thought of having to read all three passages that were attached to the assessment. She scored a five on the initial assessment. o I wrote and taught a fluency lesson plan to my class. This lesson used a Mo Willems book. We talked about punctuation and how it effects the way that you read text and respond to it. The lesson plan is attached. I would reteach this lesson if need be in my classroom one day. I think that it was an effective lesson. If I did teach this lesson again, I would read the book all the way through instead of doing a picture walk for the engagement. The children seemed to really enjoy this lesson. They were all excited about the book that I had chosen and were eager to see what would happen. They were engaged and interacted in the lesson. o During Cub Club, I used a Readers Theater to help my student with fluency. We read a Readers Theater together called Go Exploring in Books. I highlighted her parts so that she would be prepared when it was her turn and to help her stay on task. This Readers

Theater is attached. I would use this Readers Theater again but instead of one on one with a student, I would use it in a literacy station for my students to pair up and work on together. My student really enjoyed this Readers Theater and wanted to read it again. We talked about it after and what the play was talking about. I helped an ELL student with sight words. I created flashcards to use for recall and explicit teaching. We also used a whiteboard for the student to practice writing the sight words on. I would write the word, he would read it, spell it using magnetic letters that stuck to the board, then he would practice writing it himself. I also used parts from a sight word book that I found online. When we would review a sight word, I would highlight the word in the book so that he could take the book home and practice. Parts of the book that were used are attached. I would use all three of these techniques again in my classroom. They would be good fir literacy stations or for review with students. If I did use this again, I think that I would make sure that each child had his own dry erase board so that there is not much distraction while talking about the words. My child enjoyed the flashcards better than the assessment. They were not as stressful for him. He also enjoyed the dry erase board because he was able to interact with the words. He also liked his book. He took great pride, brought it back, and always searched for the new words that we would learn that day.

Multidimensional Fluency Scale given to my Cub Club student.

Examples of the sight word cards used for review.

Dry Erase board example working with EL student.

Sight word book for highlighting and sending home with ELL

Fluency Lesson Plan

Design for Learning

Instructor: Autumn Combs Lesson Title: Punctuation Counts Curriculum Area: English Language Arts Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: 2, Underbakke Date: November 14, 2013 Estimated Time: 2 days

Standards Connection: 21.) Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. [RF.2.4]

Learning Objective(s): Students will read sentences fluently by using punctuation to provide guidance for expression reading all three sentences correctly scoring a nine on the rubric.

Learning Objective(s) stated in kid-friendly language: Today class, we are going to talk about different parts of a sentence that shows us how to read that sentence. When we read it the way the author wants us to, it helps us understand what is happening.

Evaluation of Learning Objective(s): Students will be asked to read a set of three sentences to the teacher on an individual basis. Each sentence will have a different end punctuation mark. The rubric will be set up so that expression and reading based on the punctuation is key. For student to be considered proficient, they must read all three sentences correctly scoring a nine out of nine on the rubric. Engagement: (Teacher will complete a picture walk with the Mo Willems book Are You Ready to Play Outside?) Today we are going to look at the book called Are You Ready to Play Outside. In a picture walk we will simply flip through the book and look at the pictures to tell us the story first. (Teacher will slip through the book giving the children an overview of the story as she goes. Be sure to stop on a few pages to show the picture and ask what type of emotion looks like is being portrayed.) See Piggie here? Do you think he is happy, or excited, or sad? (Allow children think time) He does look excited doesnt he?. I wonder what he is excited about? Lets keep going.(Continue to read until you get to page 19) Look at all that rain! Does it look like Piggie is happy here? (Allow children time to look at the illustration and form opinion.

Continue this process through the book in order to get them thinking about emotion being brought out by the piece.) Well this is a fun book isnt it? I like this book and guess what, we are about to read it!

Learning Design:

I. Teaching: First we are going to talk about punctuation. Raise your hand to tell me what punctuation means. (Wait for appropriate responses) That is right! Punctuation comes at the end of a sentence and tells the reader what the voice should sound like. It helps us read more naturally so that we can understand what is happening in the book easier. (Write a period on the board) Put your thumb to your chest if you know what this is called when it comes at the end of a sentence. (Give children time to think of their answer. Make mental note of the number of thumbs that are up.) Great. This is called a period mark. It comes at the end of a sentence. When we see this at the end of a sentence we know that we should take a little break. Now lets look at a time in Are You Ready to Play Outside where a period mark is used and what it sounds like when we read that sentence. (Turn to page 25 and put it on the document camera for all students to see) Here, Gerald the elephant holds out his ear for Piggie to use as an umbrella and Piggie says Thank you, Gerald. See the period at the end? Did you hear how my voice sounded normal?Repeat it after me altogether. Thank you, Gerald. Good job. Did you feel how your voice was a normal voice? Next lets look at this mark. (Write a question mark on the board.) Put your thumbs to your chest if you have seen this mark before. (Check the room for responses.) Good. Im sure we have all seen this mark used in the books that we read. It is called a question mark. The author uses this mark to tell us that the character is asking a question and that our voice should go up at the end of the sentence. (Call on a child randomly) Ask me a question. Did you hear how his voice went up at the end? Turn to your neighbor and quietly ask them a question. Listen to your voices. When you are finished look at me. (Wait for students to ask questions. Walk around the room and listen to the conversation) Great job! Now I want you to raise your hand if your voice went up at the end of your question. (Check for appropriate responses). Ok well lets look at Elephant and Piggie again and see where a question mark is used. (Turn to page 4 and put the book on the document camera for the students to see. Read the sentence, Are you ready to go outside?) Did you hear how my voice went up at the end? Put you thumb to your chest if you heard a difference between the period mark and the question mark. (Check for responses. Call on student to share the difference) Can you explain what was different about my voice in the two examples that I have given so far? (Allow think and response time.) OK, if you heard that difference too why dont you give me the me too sign? Awesome! Ok, one more to look at for today. (Write an exclamation point on the board) Thumbs to your chest if you know what this mark is called. Ok, looks like most of us know. It is called an exclamation point and it tells our voice to be excited or mad when we read the sentence. (Turn to page 6 and read the sentence, We are going to do everything today!) Do you think this exclamation point is telling our voice to be excited or mad? (Call on student with hand raised) Yes I think it is supposed to be excited as well. They are really looking forward to playing. If I said the same sentence without the exclamation point would you know that I was really excited? (Say the sentence in a monotone voice) You could not tell that I was happy or excited could you. So we should remember that when we see an exclamation point, it is there to help us understand what is going on and how the character feels. Lets look at another example. (Turn to page 18 and read I do not like rain!) Do you

think that the author is trying to make our voice sound excited or unhappy here? Thats right. Piggie is very unhappy that it is raining so our voice should sound unhappy too. So does everyone see how the author uses these marks to help us know what to make our voice do? II. Opportunity for Practice: Now we are going to practice reading sentences and paying attention to the marks at the end so that we can read better and understand more of what we read. Will table one please meet me in your spot? Table two quietly walk to your spots. (Continue process until children are seated and ready to continue.) We have a play that we are going to read today. I need someone to be the narrarator. (Choose children to be different parts) Ok, now we are going to read our play. If you did not get a part today then you will be first to get one next time. Lets all read together so that we can keep up and we can practice the end marks in our heads. As you are reading, remember that those end marks are there to help us. Ok, lets begin. (As problems arise help children through the material. Allow the students to complete the Readers Theater) Great job everybody! Now lets quietly move back to our seats. III. Assessment Now we are going to go to our literacy stations and I will call you up to the desk with me. I will have a few sentences for you to read at my desk. Now look at the literacy station schedule to know where you are supposed to be today. When I call your name come on up to my desk and we can begin. (Call students up to read sentences to the teacher. The teacher will be looking for correct expression according to the punctuation in the piece and the rubric. As students are reading, grade each according to the rubric.) IV. Closure: (After all students have finished the assessment process, have them all come to their desks) So who can tell me what we talked about today. (Wait for appropriate responses.) Thats right! We talked about punctuation and how punctuation tells our voice what to do. What does our voice do when there is a question mark at the end of a sentence? (Wait for responses) It goes up at the end. And what does our voice do when there is a period mark at the end of a sentence? (Wait for appropriate responses) It just sounds normal doesnt it? And what about when there is an exclamation point at the end? (Wait for responses) Thats right. We have to have a lot of emotion in our voice. Good job you guys. I think that we have done a great job today. Materials and Resources: Document Camera Are You Ready to Play Outside? By Mo Willems The Meal Must Go On (Readers Theater) Sentence Assessment (attached) Fluency Rubric (attached)

Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners): H- These students will be given harder passages to work on in small groups while still focusing on punctuation.

L- These students will be given videos of people reading a sentence that ends in a period, question mark, or exclamation mark and will practice saying with the narrator the sentences. This will help him stress the importance of connecting the punctuation with the voice.

Data Analysis: I did not have any data due to the fact that I was unable to give my assessment on this day.

Reflection: I think that the Mo Willems book is the most important component of this lesson because it gets the attention of the students and makes them excited about what is coming. Many of my students were bright eyed when they usually sit and zone out. Formative assessment of the students during the lesson allowed me to see that they were engaged and were following the components of the lesson.

Samford University Design for Learning

The Meal Must Go On !-A Lesson in Cooperation

This skit takes place on Thanksgiving at the home of Grandma and Grandpa. There is a little arguing going on in the refrigerator, find out what happens....

Scene 1
(Thanksgiving morning at Grandma's and Grandpa's house. Preparations for the feast have gone on for days. Guests will be arriving soon.) (Scene opens inside fridge) Narrator- It's early Thanksgiving morning. Grandma Josephine and Grandpa Joe are still asleep, and in the refrigerator the food is chatting. Food- Hubbubing Cranberry Sauce- I can't wait for dinner! Turkey- But, I'm the traditional main dish! So I must be the best, in fact, I am the best! Mashed Potatoes- Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same without me! Mashed potatoes are always everyone's favorite! Stuffing- Turkey, you think your so important! But you're nothing without me, the tasty stuffing! Turkey- Tasty stuffing?! Even the dog, Sparky, doesn't like you! Pumpkin Pie- You all think you're so important! They always save the best and the sweetest for last! Cranberry Sauce-You're not the only one who can taste sweet, you know. Mashed Potatoes-You guys may be sweet, but I'm the favorite! Stuffing- Quiet everyone! Someone's coming!!

Scene 2
(Grandma opens the fridge door) Grandma- Joe? Must be getting old. I could of sworn I heard some rustling in here! Grandpa- You must be getting' old! Better start cookin'! The guests will be arriving soon. Grandma- What do you mean, me?! Don't you mean, we!

Scene 3
Narrator- Later that day, the guests are arriving. Grandpa- Josephine, I heard the doorbell! Grandma- Go get it then! Don't leave 'em out in the cold! (Guests enter open door) All- Happy Thanksgiving!

Scene 4
Mom- Oh, it smells wonderful in here! Dad- I'm starving! (Sparky enters) Sparky- Woof! Woof! Grandpa- Even Sparky came. Look! Grandma- Come in and sit down, dinner's almost ready. Megan- Do you need any help in the kitchen, Grandma? Rachel- I'll help, too!!! Taylor- Are there any good football games on today? Dad- We'll watch the games after dinner. (Girls bring food to the table)

Scene 5
Narrator- Thanksgiving dinner is over, and it's time to compliment the cooking.

Taylor- That meal was great! Sparky- Woof! Woof! Rachel- Sparky thinks so too! Grandma-Wasn't the turkey delicious!? Grandpa- It's especially good with mashed potatoes! Mom- The stuffing really goes well with the turkey! Megan-The Cranberry Sauce ties it all together. Dad-It just isn't Thanksgiving with out the pumpkin pie.

Scene 6
Narrator-The family went home and grandma and grandpa put the leftovers in the fridge. Turkey-I guess I have to admit the dinner was pretty good because of all of us. Stuffing- We do go together pretty well. Mashed Potatoes- I got a little cranberry sauce mixed into me and you did taste pretty good. Cranberry Sauce- Why, Thank you! You didn't taste too bad yourself.
Pumpkin Pie- Well, it goes to show you, that if you cooperate you can really put something great together.

Sentence Assessment

1. Where is my hat?

2. That hat is red.

3. I love my new hat!

Sentence Rubric Sentence #1 Score 1

Student reads the sentence with little or no attention to punctuation. Student reads the sentence with little or no attention to punctuation. Student reads the sentence with little or no attention to punctuation.

Score 2
Student reads the sentence with some attention to punctuation. Student reads the sentence with some attention to punctuation. Student reads the sentence with some attention to punctuation.

Score 3
Student reads sentence correctly based on the punctuation. Student reads sentence correctly based on the punctuation. Student reads sentence correctly based on the punctuation.

#2

#3

Total: ________________

Ch. 6 Vocabulary What does research say about effective vocabulary instruction? What are some best practices for teaching vocabulary? o There are four types of vocabulary: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. When it comes to effective vocabulary instruction, research says that reading and being read to increase vocabulary learning. In order for gains to be made in comprehension, vocabulary instruction should be age appropriate and ability appropriate. Repeated exposures to words also helps with vocabulary building. Research indicates that most vocabulary is learned indirectly but that some must be taught in an explicit way. Children learn words indirectly through experiences with oral and written language, being read to, and reading. The explicit instruction helps students also build the vocabulary. Research also talks about promoting word consciousness in students so that they are aware and excited about new words and being able to use them. Ten words per week is a realistic number for students to learn. Teachers should choose words that have a high frequency in text. High utility words are important during instruction. For teaching vocabulary, words should be taught incidentally and explicitly. The instruction should also teach students to look at context clues in order to determine the definition. The instruction should have deep meanings of words and connect them to other words so that students have multiple connections. Also, increasing the number of times that the students come in contact with the new words is ideal. This repetition helps students to have multiple exposures to the words and helps with remembrance. Instruction should include word banks that collect words that students learn, word walls that provide a visual for words that students have learned, and word sorts that push students to categorize words based on meanings. Graphic organizers also are effective in helping students to visualize the word and organize their ideas. Try it out! o I wrote and taught a vocabulary lesson. In this lesson there were four words included (introduce, unique, ponder, and reluctant). This lesson was based on a book that the class had read the previous week called What Mary Jo Shared. We talked about these words and explicitly learned their definitions. The lesson is attached. I would teach this lesson again. I thought that it was a fun lesson. If I retaught the lesson I would use a different method for practicing the words that matched up with my assessment better. The kids really enjoyed this lesson. They were able to get out of their seats and move around they all reacted very well to the fun. o During a lesson, we used a graphic organizer to help visualize the vocabulary words that we had gone over. The organizer called for the word to be written at the top, and the definition and an example to be written in separate bubbles coming off the main word. The graphic organizer and examples of students work is attached. I would use graphic organizers again in my lessons but if I did I would have to change the fact that I did not connect the graphic organizers bubbles together. This would have been a great organizer if they were connected and if my children knew how to write and were more comfortable with it. The children had difficulty with this organizer. Next time it would also help if I added pictures as visual aids. I do not think that vey many like using it. o I helped to create a word wall for the second grade to use in the hallway. This word wall was created in order for the second grade to keep track of the vocabulary words that

they learn throughout the year. A picture is attached. I would recreate this in my own classroom one day. I would change the scale of the wall and make it a classroom only wall instead of a whole grade wall. With them in my classroom, the students will have more opportunities to see them. The children like the board. A few of them saw what we had done once we were finished and they complimented its size and the title that we had given it. During one of my vocabulary lessons, I asked the children to close their eyes and imagine what a word meant. They had seen it in context before. After they had time to visualize, we discussed the actual meaning and then they were able to visualize the actual meaning in order to clear misconceptions. I would use this technique again if I needed to. I think that I would have to change and allow them more time to talk to their neighbor about their decision. I sometimes have too much control over when they talk so allowing more think pair share time would help. The students seem to enjoy this part of the lesson. They are able to use their personal connections and prior knowledge to make decisions about unknown words. They all participated in the visualization except for one or two of my ELL students.

Graphic Organizer that was used during vocabulary lesson.

Word Wall in the Second Grade Hall.

Design for Learning

Instructor: Autumn Combs Lesson Title: A Merry Lesson on Vocabulary Curriculum Area: Language Arts Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: 2, Underbakke Date: October 31, 2013 Estimated Time: 30 minutes

Standards Connection: [RI.2.4] Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a Grade 2 topic or subject area. Learning Objective(s): When given a vocabulary matching assessment, students will correctly match four of the four vocabulary words. Learning Objective(s) stated in kid-friendly language: Today we are going to learn new words that go with the book that you guys read last week. Evaluation of Learning Objective(s): The vocabulary matching assessment used at the end of the lesson will allow students to match the vocabulary word with the correct definition by drawing a line from the word to its definition. There will be two columns. On the left side will be four vocabulary words from the book that we will be dealing with. On the right hand side, definitions will be listed out of order. The students should correctly match all four vocabulary words with their definition to be considered proficient. Engagement: Teacher will ask the students to come to their square. Ok class now we are going to work on some vocabulary. Will (students name)s table tiptoe to their square? Now will (students name)s table go to their square? Great job! (Teacher will continue to call students to their square until all children are seated and waiting. Teacher will pull out a baby blanket.) Who can tell me what this is? (Wait for responses) I wanted to bring it to class today to share with you all because I made it. Isnt it pretty? (Pass the small blanket around and allow the students to feel the texture and examine the knit pattern) I made this blanket by knitting. I use yarn and a type of needle that is not sharp and knit it into this blanket. Put your thumb on your chest if you have seen a blanket that has been knitted like this before. (Observe thumbs that children have up) How many of you think that this is a cool blanket and something that is different than you have seen. Today we are going to read a book about a girl who brought something special to her class to show everyone. Kind of like I did today. Lets start reading. (Teacher will hold up the book) Raise your hand if you can tell me the title of this book. (Wait for hands and call on student) Youre right, it is called What Mary Jo Shared. Who do you think this book will be about? (Wait for appropriate responses) A girl named Mary Jo? Can anybody make a prediction about what you think will happen in the story with Mary Jo based on the title of the story and the illustration on the front cover? (Allow students to think about the question) Turn and talk to your neighbor about your predictions that you have. (Allow the students enough time to talk to their neighbors and discuss their ideas.) Ok lets begin the story. (Teacher will begin reading the story and stop during the part of the story where Mary Jo wants to take an umbrella.) Why do you think that she didnt want to share anything at school? Have you ever felt this way? (Allow children to think of personal experience and make connections. Continue reading story. Stop at the part where she decided to bring her dad) Why did she decide to bring her dad? Do you think that this was a good idea? Talk to your neighbor about her decision. (Allow students enough time to talk about their ideas about the subject. Continue reading the book through) How many of you believe that what Mary Jo brought to school was special? (Look for responses and call on a student to share.) Think of a time that you decided to bring something to school. How hard was it for you? (Allow students to share ideas.) Turn and talk to your neighbor about what you brought to school and if it was something that was unique or something that only you thought to bring.(Allow students to talk to

neighbors.) (Call on student) Tell me what your partner brought. Was it unique? (Wait for response.) Good, I think that is pretty unique. Ok, we are going to quietly go back to our desks so that we can start the lesson for today. We are going to learn some new words that come from this book. Learning Design:

I. Teaching: Teacher will introduce all four words at the beginning of the lesson. After introducing each of them she will then define and teach each word separately. Ok class, the four words that we are going to learn today are reluctant, ponder, introduce, and unique. Put your thumb to your chest if youve ever heard these words before. (Watch for reactions) Awesome! Well today we are going to find out what they all mean exactly. First lets start with the word reluctant. Everyone say it with me, re-luc-tant. Good job. Now lets spell it. (Teacher will show the reluctant card on the document camera while pointing to the letters as they spell the word) Now reluctant means that you do not want to do something. (Teacher turns the card over and shows the definition of reluctant on the document camera. She then opens What Mary Jo Shared to pages 4-5 as they talk about how Mary Jo was reluctant to share at school) Can you remember what Mary Jo was reluctant to do in the story? Why do you think she was reluctant to share in her classroom? (Allow students to recall and share what Mary Jo was reluctant to share) Another example of this word is that I was reluctant to get up this morning because I was still tired. I want you to turn to your elbow partner/neighbor and think about a time that you didnt want to do something or when you were reluctant. After you think of it, share it with your partner then I will call on groups to share. Please begin. (Wait for student groups to develop experiences. Walk around and listen to ideas) Put your thumb to your chest if your group came up with a time that you were reluctant to do something. (Childs name) would you like to share your experience? Great job. You were reluctant because you didnt want to do that werent you? Our next word is ponder. Lets say it together, pon-der. Good job! Now lets spell it. (Teacher puts ponder card on document camera. She points to the letters as they spell it together.) P O N D E R good job! Put your thumb to your chest if you know what ponder means. (Childs name) what do you think ponder means? Awesome. (Flip card over to show definition) Ponder means that you think carefully about something. Lets look at the book. Put your thumb to your chest if you remember what Mary Jo pondered about during the story. (Check for responses. Call on student to answer. Turn to pages 20-21 in the book. Read first sentence emphasizing pondered) See how Mary Jo had to think about what she will share? She pondered about it. Another example is that we had to ponder about our math problems earlier this morning. Ok, now its your turn to come up with an example of a time that you have pondered, or thought about something carefully. Think about it for a minute and talk to your same neighbor from before about your example. (Give students a chance to discuss. Walk around the room listening to the ideas) Put your finger to your chest if you came up with an example of ponder. (Childs name) share your example with the class please. Awesome example. You were pondering because you had to think carefully about it didnt you? Great job. We just learned two new words. Someone raise your hand to tell me what the two words are. (Teacher calls on student and puts both the reluctant and ponder card on the document camera for all to see) Great! So, reluctant means that you dont want to do something (flip over card and show definition once more) And, ponder means that you think carefully about something (flip this card over to show definition again) Now we have two more words to learn. The next word is introduce. Lets say this word together, in-tro-duce. Now lets look at how to spell it. (Put card on document camera and point to letters as word is spelled) Introduce, I N T R O D U C E. great. Who can tell me what introduce means? Remember to raise

your hands! Yes (childs name)? Good job, introduce means to present yourself or someone you know to another person. (Turn card over and show definition on document camera) What is something or someone that was introduced in our story What Mary Jo Shared? (Wait for appropriate responses) Lets look at the book for this word. (Open to pages 22-23 and read the first paragraph.) See how Mary Jo introduces her father to Miss Willet? Another example would be that on my first day here at school, Dr. Underbakke introduced you to me. Lets take a minute now to talk to our same neighbor about an example of introduce. When you have your example I want you to show me your eyes so I know you are finished. (walk around the room as students talk. When discussion has died down ask student to share his/her example) (Childs name) what was your example. Ok so when you met that person you were introduced to them. Our last word is, small drumroll please Unique! Lets say this word together, U-nique. Great work. Now lets spell it, (Put card on document camera and point to letters as you spell) U N I Q U E. What does unique mean? Raise your hand if you know. Wow! So many. (Show definition side of card.) Unique means that something is one of a kind and there are no other things like it. Lets think about this word. What do you think was unique in the story? Was it a person or a thing that was unique? (Allow students to talk about what they think is unique.) Lets look at the book for this word. (Turn to page 30 and read last paragraph) See how Mary Jo shared something that was unique about herself? She shared her father and that was unique because no one else thought to show their parents! Another example of unique would be that my fingerprint is unique. No one else has my same fingerprint! Now turn to your partner and talk about your own example of unique. Remember to try to make your example something about you or something that has happened to you. Put your thumb to your chest when you have your example. (Childs name) will you please share your example with us this time? Oh I like that example. Great thinking you all. So we just learned two more words didnt we? Someone raise your hand to tell me what the two words are. (Teacher calls on student and puts both the introduce and unique card on the document camera for all to see) Great! So, introduce means to present yourself or someone you know to another person (flip over card and show definition once more) And, unique means that something is one of a kind and that there is nothing else like it (flip this card over to show definition again). We just learned four new words! Reluctant, ponder, introduce, and unique. How great! Now lets practice some more. Now you guys will practice with the words that we learned. Each table group will work together to act out one of the words that we learned. I will tell you which word your group will act out but keep it a secret because everybody else will have to guess your word. I am going to put the four words on the board for us to see! Remember to keep the volume down while we work together. (Teacher will go to each group and give a word to the group for them to act out. Allow students time to talk and develop their ideas about how to act out their word.) When your group is ready I want you to have a seet at your table with your head down and give the others time to finish. (When all groups are finished ask for each to perform while giving time for the other groups to guess the word.) Ok, everyone please have a seat and listen. Group 1 will be our first group to perform. Everybody watch and try to think of the word that they are acting. When you think you know the answer, raise your hand. (After group is finished, ask child with hand raised what their word was. Continue to go through the different groups this way until all words have been addressed.) Great work everybody! Now lets have a seat and get ready for our next activity! II. Opportunity for Practice: Next I am going to pass out a worksheet for us to go over the words that we have learned today. I want all eyes on me first. (Teacher puts example graphic organizer

on document camera) We are going to use these organizers in order to practice the words. (Teacher will point to top circle) Your table group should write your word in this bubble. Your word is the same word that you acted out earlier. After you write you word in this box, the definition of the word goes in this bubble. (Point to the definition bubble) the definition can be in your own words but you should be sure that it is the same idea that we talked about. Finally, the last bubble is for an example that you come up with that uses your word. Make sure that you work together as a table group to come up with many ideas. After we all finish our chart, one person will come up and share with the class your organizer. (Pass out graphic organizers and allow time for students to work. As they finish, call one student up from each group to present their word for a last review) (Childs name) will you please come to the front and share your tables organizer with the class? You may use the document camera so that we can all see it better. (After student has shared the ideas call on another student and one at a time each table group should present. After all tables have presented, the teacher should collect the paper and prepare for the assessment.) Now that we are finished sharing I am going to come around and get each tables graphic organizer then we will move on to the next part of our lesson. III. Assessment: Now you are going to have a chance to show me what you learned from our lesson today. I am going to pass out a piece of paper to each of you and I want you to draw a line from the word on this side (point to word column) to the definition of the word on this side (point to definition column). Are there any questions about what we are doing? Ok. Make sure that you write your name at the top. You may begin when you get your paper. If you finish before other people are able to, please stay seated and stay quiet. We want to make sure that everyone is able to focus. IV. Closure: (After everyone is finished with the assessment, take up papers) Great work today everyone! Give yourself a pat on the back. Now real fast, before we end the lesson, someone tell me what you are going to tell your mom when you go home today? (Call on student) Good job! You can tell her that you learned four new vocabulary words. And what are those four words that we learned? (Wait for responses) yes, we learned the words reluctant, ponder, introduce, and unique.
Materials and Resources: Knitted Blanket What Mary Jo Shared Word/definition cards (attached) Document camera Graphic Organizer (attached) Vocabulary Matching Assessment (attached)

Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners): H- Write a story using all four of the vocabulary words correctly. L- Students will have extra practice matching definition cards to word cards.

Data Analysis:

Reflection:

Samford University Design for Learning

Name: ___________________________

Date: ______________________

Vocabulary Assessment
Reluctant when you think carefully about something

Unique

present yourself or someone you know by name to another person

Introduce

something that is one of a kind and there are no others like it

Ponder

when you do not want to do something

Name: ___________________________

Date: ______________________

Vocabulary Assessment
Reluctant when you think carefully about something

Unique

present yourself or someone you know by name to another person

Introduce

something that is one of a kind and there are no others like it

Ponder

when you do not want to do something

Reluctant

When you do not want to do something.

Ponder

When you think carefully about something.

Introduce

Present yourself or someone you know by name to another person.

Unique

Something that is one of a kind and there are no others like it.

Word

Definition

Example

Vocabulary Assessment Answer Key

Reluctant when you think carefully about something

Unique

present yourself or someone you know by name to another person

Introduce

something that is one of a kind and there are no others like it

Ponder

when you do not want to do something

Ch. 9 Childrens Literature Read for the Record: o The Read for the Record was a national program that Trace was participating in this year. The program was designed to encourage students to read and find enjoyment from reading. There was to be a skit performed, singing, and other festivities for the parents and students during the program. In preparation for this event, Trace called on Samford students to help decorate for Read for the Record. We split into teams and had the stage decorated in no time. At read for the record, some of the students sang songs while preschoolers walked in as farm animals. They children also sang farm songs. Finally, the book Otis was read and as it was read, some of the teachers acted out the story for all to see. There were also pages of the book set up so that children could scan the picture and experience an augmented reality through Aurasma. This event was fun for the children and motivated them to understand the importance of reading. Try it out! o I read the book called Interrupting Chicken to my class. It is a book about a chicken who interrupts the father over and over again and frustrates him. While reading this book I asked questions that connected the text to their own lives. I would read this book again. I think that it is a great tool to use to point out the fact that interrupting is something that should not happen. If I did read this book again, I would try to come up with an activity of some sort that would drive home the idea that interrupting is rude. The students enjoyed the book and thought that it was funny. They still missed the point that the book was trying to make because they still tried to interrupt during the story. o We completed a story-telling activity with a group of students during their library time. We read them the book called A Turkey for Thanksgiving. We also asked them questions that related back to the text before, during, and after the reading. After the story, we participated in an activity where the students were able to tell about their traditions by standing up or sitting down depending on their traditions. I would do this guided reading activity again if I could. If I did this reading activity again, I would ask more questions and I would also make sure that the area where the game was played was large enough. The children enjoyed the story and many had already heard and were not surprised by the mini plot twist. They did enjoy the game that was played.