Week 2 Assignment 1

1.  Shared Reading

• On your Observational Checklist, note the Essential Components that are addressed during the first part of the shared reading activity. How does this activity engage students who are at different levels of literacy development?

Ø  The students read together with the teacher. This builds fluency, automaticity and word identification skills.  In addition, struggling students receive guidance and are modeled proper reading skills.

• During her explicit phonics lesson, how does Ms. Perez support students’ problem-solving skills?

Ø  She guides the students to use the rules they already know to read new words and helps them apply what they learned in different scenarios.

• Based on what you saw in the video, what are the different ways that shared reading can be used to promote literacy?

Ø  The teacher models and guides the students to read fluently. She also has them interact and learn from each other.

2. Guided Reading

·        Why does she think it’s important for students to verbalize their strategies? What else do you notice about how she helps students build meaning in text?

Ø  The teacher has them verbalize their strategies so that they internalize the strategies better and will be able to use them on their own. She helps students build meaning in text by teaching them how to think. For instance, she has them make predictions and think about the text before they begin reading. In addition, she also covered a word and had them figure out what the word should be based on the rest of the sentence. In this way, she encourages them to build meaning in text.

3. Differentiated Instruction

• How does Ms. Perez organize her classroom to support a wide range of learners?

Ø   Ms. Perez has the students do different activities based on their individual strengths and needs. For instance, she paired up two bright students and had them read a 3^rd grade level book and do a research project based on what they read. On the other hand, she worked individually with a struggling student to develop her phonics skills. In this way she ensures that every student learns on their level.

• How are reading and writing connected in classroom activities?

Ø  She has students use the skills they learn to read and write. For instance, she has students create words and read them. She also had some students read a book and write about what they read. In this way, she connects reading and writing in her activities.

4.  Assessment

• How does Ms. Perez use ongoing individual assessment to guide her instruction? How can the class profile be used to help group students and differentiate instruction?

Ø  She uses the results of the assessments to determine what skills need to be worked on and design her lessons according to each students needs. The class profile can help her see which students are at the same level and to distinguish between bright, average and struggling students. Based on the type of activity, she can use group students according to their level or pair bright and struggling students.

• How can ongoing assessment be integrated into your own classroom practice?

Ø  It is important to constantly assess students and plan lessons accordingly. In my classroom, I would assess students informally by observing them daily to see where they are up to. I would also perform more detailed, formal assessments a few times a year to get a more detailed report of where they are holding.