Formative Assessments

Having read the article, “A critical analysis of the use of formative assessments in schools,” by Colin Marsh, I have to agree that formative assessments are necessary in the classroom and beneficial for all students. Formative, meaning tests that are not graded but that are used to inform both teachers and students to guide and enhance their learning. Having students self evaluate themselves is also key. Students who reflect over their work are actively involved in their own learning and it allows them assess their work and understand how to improve.

With the No Child Left Behind Act and heavy emphasis on standardized tests teachers have shifted focus and conduct more summative assessments, rather then formative. With all the examinations and pressure to reach high academic results, teachers don’t necessarily have time to focus on how much progress a student has made but instead must make sure that the student is at or above the minimum standard.

There are several ways instructional strategies can be used formatively. I think as a teacher it’s important to constantly observe your students. It allows the teacher to gain a sense of what the student knows and understands and guides them in how they should plan instruction. Also teachers should set goals for their students and get them involved.  Establishing a goal will get students to understand where they need to be and how they are going to get there. Students can also keep portfolios and running records of their work to help them see where they’ve started and the progress they’ve been making.

Marsh, C. (2007) A critical analysis of the use of formative assessments in schools. Educ Res Policy Prac, 6, 25-29.

Drawing Inferences

In chapter 8 of our textbook it talks about teaching kids how to draw inferences and how to read between the lines. Having never taught older children I can only imagine how difficult this must be.  Having students comprehend the literal meaning of the text is often hard enough. Drawing inferences requires higher-level thinking and teaches students to look beyond the text.

            Our textbook outline four steps in teaching students how to draw inferences. First, they must activate their prior knowledge related to the topic. Second, they need to look for the author’s clues when reading. Third, they should ask questions and try to connect their background knowledge to the author’s clues and then finally they can draw inferences by answering their questions.

            I think the key in helping students learn how to draw inferences is to model the steps together as a class and provide several examples. It is also important to read and reread the text. This way the students can comprehend the literal meaning of the text and then they can go back and look for the deeper meaning.

The Millennial Generation

Living in today’s society one cannot escape the use of technology in everyday life and as teachers we must bridge the gap between the literacy skills in the social environment and in the classroom. In this week’s article, about the Millennial Generation it talks about how we need to weave media literacy into the classroom. We cannot assume that students are media savvy but instead teach students about the media and supervise and guide their online encounters.     

            In our group discussion, someone brought up a good point in asking how effective is media literacy when it comes to reading. Sure it can be helpful in areas such as social studies and math but how do we incorporate technology with reading. I think this brings up a good point especially when it comes to teaching reading for younger students. Most of the technology that is being used seems more like “bells and whistles” and entertaining students rather then being an effective tool. Does anyone have ideas or suggestions?

            With older students, I definitely think it’s important to teach them how to analyze and evaluate all text whether they see it in print, online or in a book. Media messages can have a powerful effect and it’s important that students are knowledgeable and can construct meaning from their messages. They need to be able to evaluate information for relevance, accuracy and authority. 

            We as educators need to build upon our students' skills and develop a curriculum that is both relevant to them and that keeps them engaged. This will allow children to connect to the traditional curriculum while gaining technological skills.

Word Walls & Choosing Words to Study

In chapter 7 of our textbook it talks about how to choose words to study. There are three levels: basic words, academic words, and specialized words. The first tier or the basic words are common words that are used in everyday conversation such as animal, clean and laughing, The second tier or the academic words are those words that are more frequently in writing rather than oral language, (i.e. community, evidence, greedy) and the last tier are specialized words that are content specific. (i.e. osmosis, suffrage, and minuend) Researchers say that although words from all three tiers should be displayed on word walls teachers should focus on the academic words due to the powerful impact on a student’s vocabulary development.

I think word walls in the classroom can be a very effective tool. It not only helps students identify words, and learn how to spell them but it also exposes them to new words and their meaning. Teachers need to teach activities with the word wall so that students will be engaged and internalize the words. Some activities may include taking 5 minutes to review the words daily, clapping out the syllables, playing bingo or even playing hangman. Some teachers even cut the words into configuration shapes to give students clues or use different colored paper to indicate the level of difficulty. I think the key no matter what strategies you use is to encourage students to use the word wall as a tool whether it helps them in their reading, writing or in their daily conversations.

I found an article online by Mary Rycik called “How primary teachers are using word walls to teach literacy strategies.” The article not only gives examples on how to use word walls but it also talks about the impact word walls can have. In her article Rycik talks about Patricia Cunningham and her Four Blocks of Literacy framework, which includes working with words. Cunningahm’s eight-year study of the four blocks program had impressive results. Of the 10-15% of children who did not read at grade level at the end of first grade, half were reading on or, in some cases, above grade level at the end of second grade.

Word walls are an important tool for all students whether they are struggling or proficient readers and writers. It is not only a scaffolding tool but allows students to be more self-reliant and become more independent.

Rycik, M. (2002). How primary teachers are using word walls to teach literacy strategies. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4064/is_200207/ai_n9098510/?tag=content;col1

Round-Robin Reading

           The traditional form of round-robin reading usually consists of students sitting around waiting to take their turn to read aloud. In chapter 6 of our text, Tompkins points out that there are several reasons why round-robin reading is no longer recommended.  First of all, students don’t have the opportunity to preview and rehearse the text. Second, they feel pressure to read at the same pace as their peers and third, struggling readers often feel anxious or embarrassed. Also many students fail to pay attention until it’s their turn to read.
           When I was in elementary school, we did a lot of round-robin reading in my classes and looking back I totally agree the time could have been spent more efficiently. We would go around the room and each student would read a paragraph aloud and to be honest, I was so worried about reading my paragraph that I wasn’t paying attention to whoever was reading. I was too busy counting how many students were before me and then counting down to see what paragraph I was going to read aloud. Then I would quickly preview it to make sure I knew how to pronounce all the words.

            I’m glad that the focus on round-robin reading has shifted because there are so many other great oral reading strategies. One thing that I think is important is to allow students to preview the text and try reading it silently to themselves.  The teacher can then read the text aloud and have the students practice choral reading, echo reading, repeated reading or they can even read to a partner. This helps take the pressure off and allows the student to really practice and focus on their reading.