Mira Mira on the table...

1.  What did I learn?

There are many more manipulatives for math than I ever could have imagined.  Manipulatives can be costly or inexpensive and you can make your own or use more affordable options (like poker chips) as alternatives to the ones manufactured for math learning.  This week we learned about miras, a tool I hadn't heard of before or had the opportunity to use.  I have to admit it was pretty cool.  Using the mira was actually pretty fun and didn't really feel like math at all.

2.  What do I have questions about?

I just am curious what other tools are out there that I don't know about yet?

3.  What are the implications for classroom practice?

If the mira was fun for me to use (I was a student who dreaded math), I think it's safe to assume it will be equally enjoyable for students who might not find math particularly interesting.

Analysis of Student Writing and Lesson Plan- Rough Draft

    I only obtained one writing sample from A.  The writing sample was constructed after a prompt of what the students would do if they woke up one day and suddenly realized that animals could talk.  A was particularly fond of this prompt because she loves animals and enjoys writing about them.  The main animal character in the story is a hamster called Oreo who is modeled after her real life pet.  She informed me that imagining that Oreo could talk was good inspiration for her on this piece.

    In terms of the six traits this paper is overall very strong.  Her topic is very focused and the idea is well developed which can be partially credited due to the specific prompt she was given for this piece.  She provides adequate details to give the reader a thorough picture of the events that unfold and doesn't leave any loose ends.  The story is fairly short (just a few pages), and she chose a fairly short time frame during which the events take place (one night) so it doesn't feel rushed or vague at all.

    The story is very well organized.  If I was judging Alexis' writing solely off this piece I would say organization is one of her strongest skills.  She has a clear beginning, middle, and end and the sequence of events is very logical and linear.  I think she may have been actually focusing too closely on sequence of events and perhaps should have put a little more thought into developing her ideas first.

    While organization is As' strong area, voice is perhaps her weakest.  It was clear from our discussion that the topic was interesting and exciting for her and she even made is personal by including her real life pet in the story.  Despite the connections to her interests this piece is lacking in voice.  She tells a story with all of the details I'm sure the teacher requires of them but I didn't really hear her in the piece at all.  It felt a little cut and dry and a lot of the colorful adjectives were ones added after the teacher's corrections.  The story was a little predictable and could have been more engaging.

    As' word choice in this piece was adequate.  Like I mentioned previously, her teacher crossed out and replaced many of her  words with more colorful or descriptive ones.  Some examples include referring to the hamster by it's name instead or merely calling it "my hamster," or replacing "said" (which was the only verb used with dialogue) with "demanded."  A also used some inappropriate word choice for the beginning of sentences (but).

    Sentence fluency on this piece was decent.  A got the job done but she started many of her sentences in a similar manner and the flow was not always smooth.  Her conventions were similar.  Her spelling is strong, I only noted a few minor errors (all most, wonnderd, hungrey, and considently- consistently).  Her punctuation was spot on and every sentence started with a capital.  Her grammar was often off however, I noticed she mixed up tenses quite a bit and these were among the most common corrections by her teacher.

Lesson Outline

Objectives
To analyze her writing and to discover more colorful words to include in her revision of "The Day the Animals Could Talk"

Standards
GLE 1.3.1:  Revises text, including changing words, sentences, paragraphs, and ideas


Materials
Pencil, paper, thesaurus

Instructional strategies
This lesson will occur in a writing-conference context.

I will discuss word choice with Alexis and how word choice can make a piece more exciting and enjoyable for the reader. 

I will then have Alexis read the first page of her draft and we will brainstorm some words that could be replaced with more interesting ones. 

Initialy,  I will give Alexis some suggestions for more interesting words and ways to find alternatives (such as using the thesaurus).

After I feel Alexis has an understanding of the task I will select a dozen or so words for her to replace and leave her to complete the task.  I will also ask her to come up with some words on her own that she thinks could be improved.

Alexis will have 25 minutes to work on the revisions and then we will meet back to discuss her work.

Assessment
I will assess her understanding of the concept of word choice by noting the words she chooses to replace and the words she substitutes in, checking to make sure the replacement words make sense and are an improvement upon her previous selections.


   

More math

1.  What did I learn?

I learned that you can use manipulatives for algebra- mind boggling.  I forget what their called but the tiles that have different colored sides to represent positive and negative made algebra seem so logical.  I can't believe I've never heard about these before.  I was one of those student who struggled with algebra and the whole "foil" concept and I wish I had something like this available to me when I was in school. 

2.  What do I have questions about?

I guess I'm just curious about the impact using manipulatives in a higher level classroom might have.  Certainly by the age kids start doing algebra they are well aware of who's good at math and who struggles.  I wonder if using manipulatives would only make the difference more obvious.  Of course you could always require all students to at least try the manipulatives but there are sure to be some who just prefer to do the equation straight out.

3.  What are the implications for classroom practice?

I think using manipulatives in higher level math is a great idea.  Just because students are older does not mean they wont benefit from having concrete examples to work with.  I wonder about possible concerns from parents who are used to doing math the old way and might see the use of manipulatives as taking a step back...

Using an ipod in the classroom

I have a few students with unique needs who could possibly benefit from using an ipod touch in the classroom.  The first one, let's call him S, is ELL and he also has an IEP.  S is very shy and communication with him is difficult, more so because he is reluctant to engage adults in conversation.  I don't think S struggles with communicating in English but I suspect he might have some difficulty when reading in English.  I have had the opportunity to play around with several apps but have not come across one that I think would match S's needs, however I don't doubt that there is an app out there I have not yet come across. 


Another student with special needs is C.  C has behavior issues and is frequently disrupting classmates.  I think having an ipod touch at his disposal would keep C engaged and occupied and limit the disruptions to the class.  The main concern with using an ipod with C would be a concern that he would use it inappropriately or not take proper care of it. 

The last student I know of that needs differentiated instruction is A.  A has a 504 for his vision and it's not always clear how much that is affecting him and when.  A is one of the lower readers in the class and is not yet at benchmark.  I am not sure exactly how an ipod touch could benefit A, but it seems worth exploring.   

Math blog 1

1.  What did I learn?

I learned a lot from the Reinhart article about how to engage students in meaningful classroom discussions.  I learned that asking the right questions is what's really important.  As Reinhart so aptly puts it, "a good teacher is... one who gets students to explain things well so that they can be understood." (478).  I also learned some strategies for getting all the students involved, like having students summarize what their classmate just said.
 

2.  What do I have questions about?

I am curious about how long to give students who are struggling to arrive at the answer and when to move on to avoid causing the child embarrassment.   When can I offer the child support and what ways are the most beneficial?

3.  What are the implications for classroom practice?

This has huge implications for classroom practice.  Like Reinhart says, it involved a whole new teaching style for him.  I think using these strategies in the classroom will promote deeper levels of thinking/understanding as well as improve student's communication skills and teamwork skills.  

My final thoughts on technology (for the quarter)

We are wrapping up one of the most hectic quarters of my education to date.  It has been a whirlwind of information and introduction to new tools.  I have just revised the blog and video we viewed at the start of the quarter and I don't think my reactions are very different.  I am from the generation that is considered technology natives (albiet I'm on the cusp for sure).  I was fortunate to have a computer at a fairly early age and even remember dabbling in html in my teenage years.  I made my own website rudimentary website before we even had the premade layouts at our disposal.  I taught myself and have always found technology to be fascinating.


That being said, I actually find some of these tools more frustrating then doing thing the hard way from scratch.  When something doesn't work properly or is down for whatever reason it can be challenging.  I know things are constantly improving and so my goal is to keep familiarizing myself with all the tools that are available so I can find the ones that will best suit my needs.

Peacock Glitter Art

We did a fun art project this week.  It was peacock art and we jazzed it up with glitter and sequins.  It was a bit messy but the kids loved it!  The first thing we had the kids do was sketch out their peacocks.  The next step involved coloring them in.  We used crayons and water colors (crayon resist technique) for the base.  After a day or two of drying (which actually turned into a week on account of the snow) we had the kids add glitter and sequins at their discretion.   The results turned out fabulous and we hung them in the office for everyone to see!