I love to read children's literature! I have found that books are the perfect way to engage students. Even with my own children, I have more success getting them to follow the advice of the protagonist in a book than to follow my own. For this reason, among others, I read aloud to my children as much as I can.
Reading to my kids gives me the opportunity to review books that I want to use in the classroom as well. Reading a book before introducing it in class is very important. A teacher can capitalize on many teaching opportunities if they read a book prior to using it in class. I like to keep a log of all the books I've read and note key topics, content areas addressed, and any ideas the book sparks. I also underline all of the vocabulary words that children are likely to need defined (in my own copies, of course!).
In order to use books as a teaching resource, I buy my books at places like Goodwill or Deseret Industries. You can find excellent titles in used books for a few dollars this way. Doing this gives me the freedom to pencil in notes and lesson ideas as well as note vocabulary words. I have found my own children ask me what words mean when they see them underlined. This is important because children get more out of their reading when they understand the meaning of all of the words.
I've included some of my favorite books at the bottom of this blog to guide selection for lesson plans. I also recommend the site Worldcat.org for finding book information and citations. It's a wonderful resource for teachers and students alike.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Assessing notebooks for primary grades
Assessment is an important part of the learning process. In order to determine students' understanding, design future lessons, and grade individual performance, teachers need to assess students thought-process frequently. This can be challenging in the primary grades when reading and writing skills are still developing. When designing notebook activities for Kindergarten students, for example, assessment involves interpreting each student's reasoning to capture his or her development over the school year.
Teachers must consider how to plan notebook activities so that students' reasoning process is built-in to the work that is demonstrated on the page. How will students demonstrate their thought process? Will students use best guess spelling or pat answers provided by the teacher? Will the teacher circulate and pencil in students' responses as a record for later evaluation? These are important things to consider when planning out your notebooks because the reasoning process is the best way to show growth. How will you capture student explanations in the notebook?
Some thoughts about documenting students' work are to: 1.) meet with students in small groups and review the activities together, making notes on individual pages as you listen to each students' reasoning, 2.) meet one-on-one with each student weekly and document their reasoning i thier notebook as part of your conference, 3.) circulate the classroom as the activity is being completed, writing the comments students make about their reasoning at the bottom of the notebook page. 4.) keep a separate record in the form of a chart or rubric that can travel around the room with you, allowing you to document comments in that way.
The main thing to consider is that you want an efficient way to demonstrate students' progress that will make grading, future lesson planning, and teacher-parent conferences hassle-free and efficient. Keep in mind that the assessment process should be valuable to all who access the results, including the student, the parents, and the teacher. Because Kindergarten students cannot usually write out their responses in words, teachers must find the most valuable, least time-consuming way to track students' verbal explanations of their work. This is no easy task, but will save lots of time and headache later if a plan is built into the notebook concept from day one.
Teachers must consider how to plan notebook activities so that students' reasoning process is built-in to the work that is demonstrated on the page. How will students demonstrate their thought process? Will students use best guess spelling or pat answers provided by the teacher? Will the teacher circulate and pencil in students' responses as a record for later evaluation? These are important things to consider when planning out your notebooks because the reasoning process is the best way to show growth. How will you capture student explanations in the notebook?
Some thoughts about documenting students' work are to: 1.) meet with students in small groups and review the activities together, making notes on individual pages as you listen to each students' reasoning, 2.) meet one-on-one with each student weekly and document their reasoning i thier notebook as part of your conference, 3.) circulate the classroom as the activity is being completed, writing the comments students make about their reasoning at the bottom of the notebook page. 4.) keep a separate record in the form of a chart or rubric that can travel around the room with you, allowing you to document comments in that way.
The main thing to consider is that you want an efficient way to demonstrate students' progress that will make grading, future lesson planning, and teacher-parent conferences hassle-free and efficient. Keep in mind that the assessment process should be valuable to all who access the results, including the student, the parents, and the teacher. Because Kindergarten students cannot usually write out their responses in words, teachers must find the most valuable, least time-consuming way to track students' verbal explanations of their work. This is no easy task, but will save lots of time and headache later if a plan is built into the notebook concept from day one.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Do's & Don't's of Notebook Design
Do's and Don'ts - Interactive notebook design is an important factor in the success of a notebook. How beneficial a notebook will be to your students depends a lot on how well it stand up to use. This post is dedicated to the do's and don'ts of interactive notebook design.
I have observed notebooks that were falling apart by the end of the year because students were using notebooks with perferations to help the pages tear out easier. This design makes the notebook weak. Because interactive notebooks incorporate a lot of handouts that are glued to the pages, the notebook paper has to resist tearing out. Perferated edges are not a good thing in this case.
Teachers need to point this out before students purchase their notebooks. Notebooks without perferations should be recommended to students. The other option is to purchase the correct type of notebooks and provide them for students. Notebooks are usually on sale the weeks before school starts. It's a good idea to have a few extra notebooks on hand for students that enter the class later in the year.
If the students are responsible for purchasing their own notebooks, keep in mind that students learn best by seeing. Have a sample notebookcreated with perferated pages on hand to show the students what happens under the weight of all those handouts. Once students see the ripped pages, they will understand for themselves why they need to select their notebooks carefully.
I have observed notebooks that were falling apart by the end of the year because students were using notebooks with perferations to help the pages tear out easier. This design makes the notebook weak. Because interactive notebooks incorporate a lot of handouts that are glued to the pages, the notebook paper has to resist tearing out. Perferated edges are not a good thing in this case.
Teachers need to point this out before students purchase their notebooks. Notebooks without perferations should be recommended to students. The other option is to purchase the correct type of notebooks and provide them for students. Notebooks are usually on sale the weeks before school starts. It's a good idea to have a few extra notebooks on hand for students that enter the class later in the year.
If the students are responsible for purchasing their own notebooks, keep in mind that students learn best by seeing. Have a sample notebookcreated with perferated pages on hand to show the students what happens under the weight of all those handouts. Once students see the ripped pages, they will understand for themselves why they need to select their notebooks carefully.
Notebooks specifically for younger grades
This post is meant to provide insights on notebooks for younger students. If anyone has a favorite link, PLEASE post it here... thanks a ton! (I'm still stumbling through this whole blogging concept - LOL)
The Benefits of Interactive Notebooks
Interactive notebooks are a great way
to get students to create their own meaning from the things they learn in the
classroom. There are huge benefits to having students in the primary grades
keep interactive notebooks. Notebooks are a fun way to introduce the concept of
taking notes and organizing ideas. As a matter of fact, Dinah Zike states that
interactive notebooks "help students focus on and remember key
points." In addition, she points out how notebooks "that are
three-dimensional also make the student interact with the data kinesthetically"
(n.d.). This is so important when helping students retain information. English
language learners can especially benefit from the combination of written
language combined with images.
When it comes to teaching, I'm all for anything that will help children engage and get them excited to learn. I worked in a Title 1 classroom full of struggling learners this past year and I recognize the need to provide consistent, organized ways for kids to process and review information they are learning. As an adult with ADHD, I totally understand the need for structure and opportunities to respond to what’s being taught. I'm all about arts and crafts, so to me, interactive notebooks are the ultimate teaching tool. Who's with me?
Reference:
As I continue to pursue my BS degree
in Elementary Education, I am starting to realize the potential for interactive
notebooks in the primary grades. I was introduced to some excellent examples by
a 6th grade teacher this past school year and would like to extend those ideas
to the lower grades. I guess you can say that I was bit by the notebook bug!
Now I want to create a place to share all the ideas I plan on finding and
hopefully gain insights from those of you that have used them and would like to
share some of your own ideas and experiences. The possibilities for this
concept are truly endless!
I'm totally new to blogging so bear
with me, please. I'm enthusiastic about teaching and about learning. I know
many teachers who use blogs to help familiarize their students with technology as
well as to help them respond to ideas in authentic ways. This is my maiden voyage
into the world of blogging. I think this is another excellent form of education
technology. All for a good cause, right?
When it comes to teaching, I'm all for anything that will help children engage and get them excited to learn. I worked in a Title 1 classroom full of struggling learners this past year and I recognize the need to provide consistent, organized ways for kids to process and review information they are learning. As an adult with ADHD, I totally understand the need for structure and opportunities to respond to what’s being taught. I'm all about arts and crafts, so to me, interactive notebooks are the ultimate teaching tool. Who's with me?
Zike, D. (n.d.). Dinah Zike’s Teaching with Foldables –
Science/Math. Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. Columbus, OH.