Blog #8

I was impressed with how much front loading the teacher did to prepare the children for the book they were going to be reading.  She really seemed to focus on vocabulary and reading strategies.  Inferencing appeared to be the strategy the children were focusing on during this lesson.    The teacher used several strategies to shelter the lesson.  The teacher explicitly taught the objective.  She went through the vocabulary, representing the words in writing and with pictures.  The teacher focused on providing synonyms for the words as well as providing words in the students’ home language, when possible.  The narrator recommended previewing the story and using a graphic organizer to identify what children know about the subject.  I did not see the teacher use this strategy, but I could imagine that it would be very helpful.  I did observe the teacher guiding the children to use their background knowledge, using sticky notes to identify the connections.  Children were also encouraged to make predictions about the story.

During the reading, the teacher read the story aloud.  She read slowly and clearly so the students could follow along.  The students were reminded of the various reading comprehension strategies suggested during the lesson.  Repetition was used both with concepts and vocabulary.  The children had opportunities to practice making connections throughout the lesson.  The narrator had suggested giving children appropriate amounts of wait time, but when viewing the video clips, I noticed the teacher jumping in to answer the questions quickly.  I find it difficult to allow for silence while the children think.  My instinct is to reword the question because they probably didn’t understand since they are taking so long to respond.  When, in reality, the children are just thinking of the answer and getting their thoughts in order. 

The teacher did have the children review the lesson and the vocabulary at the end as well as focus on the various reading comprehension strategies.  The children were also given time in the text to continue to make connections and practice reading.

The teacher obviously spent a lot of time collecting and implementing many strategies for the students.  It was difficult to understand all that the children were saying, but the children were engaged in the lesson and were providing answers and discussion items to the conversations.  The teacher did not have the children work with a partner during the clips that I witnessed.  This would be a good strategy, and the narrator alluded to the fact that this does happen in this classroom.  I would also suggest that when a student answers a question, the teacher tries to encourage the child to elaborate a little.  This would also improve language development and comprehension.  I was definitely able to gleam a few good ideas from this clip.  I especially liked the “diary” suggested during the lesson.  What a great way to organize and review the information learned during the lesson.