Literacy Tutoring Lesson 1

Instructional Decisions:

I recently started tutoring a Kindergarten student in literacy at a public elementary school.  I started by giving a little introduction to myself.  I showed my student, L, my “About Me” paper.  As I shared a little about myself, I asked L a few questions, as well, so I could find out a little more about L’s interests.  After spending a short time going through introductions and letting L know what my role was, I next decided to give the FAST survey assessment.  Not only did I want to make sure I had enough time to get to this, but I also decided to administer this first because it would give me a good indication on what I could work on with L.  There were some words that L did not know how to say, but I did realize L was pretty good at sounding out words that could be said phonetically.  During the test, L would say "I don't know" to a word L did not know.  I checked the words L knew and circled the ones L did not know with a pronunciation or marked with "I don't know" underneath.

The first 20 words from the FAST test.  A check marks a correct word, while a circle marks an incorrect word.  

The book we read! 

After doing 20 words on the FAST assessment, we moved on to the mini lesson.  For my first lesson, I focused on vocabulary.  I read the book “The Curious Garden” by Peter Brown.  Before starting the book, I asked L questions about gardens and if he had ever grown a garden.  L knew what a garden was, but L had never actually seen one before.  Throughout the book, L was really interested in the illustrations.  I asked L a few questions throughout the story, and I could tell that L used the illustrations to help guide his answers.  This shows me that L is good at using the resources to understand the context.  When the book was finished, I asked some follow up questions.  I wanted to know if L liked the story and what parts L liked.  We also talked a little bit more about gardens.  While reading the book, we looked for a few vocabulary words.  I wanted L to look for the words “plant,” “garden,” and “flowers.”  I showed L how to look for words, and then I had L place a sticky note of the word next to the word in the book.  During this part of the lesson, I realized that L had a little trouble understanding what to do and recognizing the words.  As I move forward, I realize that looking for simpler words may be more beneficial at this point.     

Post-Its with vocabulary words to find in the book!

                                           

Once the mini lesson was over, we had a few minutes to start the ABC book.  L really only had a chance to work on the cover and one letter of the ABC thematic unit book, and L enjoyed using the colored pencils to create a drawing.  I liked the format of this lesson, and I think that is something that I will continue to do. I like doing the assessment first because it gives me plenty of time and it allows me to see what the student knows and what work could be done.  I also liked moving to the book after the survey assessment because it is a little more fun for the student.  Finally, I will keep the ABC book last because there may be days we can’t work on it and I want to prioritize the assessment and mini lesson with the book.  


Differentiation:  To keep moving forward,  I think it will be necessary to continue to use books with good illustrations.  As an English language learner, L can use the pictures to help form ideas and better understanding while still working hard in learning to read the English language.  I also think I’ll have to rethink some of the words I use in the lessons to make them a little more simpler.  L is good at using the pictures to help.  L is also good at sounding out words.  Words such as “can” or “not” were good for L.  Words such as “by” and “we” were more difficult.  Understanding Ls background, it will be important that I help L learn the different sounds.  In this lesson, I tried to use some differentiation during the lesson.  Using the “I” do “we” do “you” do model during the vocabulary part of the mini lesson was helpful to show L what to do.  I also decided to use fewer words than I planned on once I noticed L was struggling.  Now I know the level and word recognition I should be working towards with L.

Goal Setting:  An overall goal I would like to work on is to allow L to feel more comfortable with me.  I want to also help L feel more confident with words.  L is quiet and often seems unsure, which is understandable especially as an English language learner.  I would like to encourage L to try even if the answer is not correct.  I would also like to work with L a little bit on sight words and practicing the pronunciation.  In my other lessons, I would like to move a little more slow and chose words that are more appropriate.  

Expanding My PLN with Twitter!

I participated in an International Literacy Association (ILA) chat on January 11. The topic of this chat was exploring what is necessary to effectively implement early literacy instruction.  Overall, I had a very positive experience.  At first I was a little nervous because I do not use Twitter very often and this was my first Twitter chat; I wasn’t quite sure how everything would work.  However, as soon as I introduced myself and starting seeing other people join the chat, I felt more comfortable participating. It was fun that there were a lot of preservice teachers, and not just from University of Northern Iowa.  There were fellow students from different parts of the country who were also interested in expanding their personal learning networks while learning valuable information, which was inspiring and hopeful to see.  Even with all of the preservice teachers participating, I felt very supported from experienced teachers and educators.  The experienced teachers seemed excited that there were so many preservice teachers on this Twitter chat.  

Introducing myself to others to get started on the chat! 

Through the more experienced teachers, I was able to learn quite a bit from others.  I was able to discover ideas and books to read aloud.  I learned that some of my thinking is similar to others, but I still can expand my thinking so much more.  For example, I agreed with many people that it is so important for children to be exposed to a good vocabulary at a young age.  Additionally, it is so important for students to have access to various types of print.  I also agreed with many teachers that reading is a good way to use transition time in the classroom.  However, I also learned and realized that many teachers think it’s necessary to not just use transition time, but to also make sure the teacher is creating time in the classroom for students to be read to.  I agree that this is important, and now I can use this belief to help plan my days once I have my own classroom.  Making time for a read aloud is so important.  

This question really caused me to think how important it is to make time for reading!

Not only did I learn different ideas from teacher, but my PLN has already expanded even after one Twitter chat.  First of all, I had never heard of ILA before.  Now, I am following them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  I am seeing a lot of really good resources appear from these pages.  I am also more aware of chats that are happening and the interesting topics they cover.  I am now following ILA, and I have also started following specific educators and authors who were participating in the chat, such as educator Colby Sharp and The National Writing Project. 

1:1 Mobile Learning

1:1 Mobile Learning can be used in classroom to help students grow and learn in an engaging and meaningful way.  In the class Education Technology and Design, instructional coaches from the Cedar Falls Community School District came to share some different ways to incorporate technology in the classroom.  Here, I will describe two of my favorite activities and why mobile 1:1 learning can be so beneficial to students.


The first activity that I really found to be fun and engaging is the Coding Caterpillar.  This technology tool is great for preschoolers to start to learn coding.  This tool allows students to use their hands to think about different ways to make the caterpillar move from one place to another.   I really liked this tool because students are able to make mistakes and then think about what they can do to to make a better solution.  Coding Caterpillar teaches hands-on learning and critical thinking to let students practice creating solutions. 


I also found the virtual reality headset to be engaging and informative.  Students can place the headset as goggles and explore the world around them through great visuals.  The teacher can chose to have control of the images used, and teachers can actually point out specific places on the image.  For example, I was able to experience a "Under the Sea" virtual reality, and the teacher pointed out coral reefs using arrows.  Even though students would have the individual device, they would be able to see the same thing.  The headset allows students to "travel" and see the world around them all while
in the classroom!  For more information on the benefits of using virtual reality in the classroom, check out this link from Tech Thought. 

Image Source: Andri Koolme, Virtual Reality

As schools move to become 1-1 learning, it is important to keep track of the technology tools that can be used to really enhance the classroom environment and create meaningful, engaging learning. Coding Caterpillars and Virtual Reality Headsets are two ways to do just that!

Personal Learning Network

In the class, Educational Technology and Design, we are learning how to expand our personal learning networks.  In order to expand my personal learning networks, it is important that I take time to research and understand different forms of technology I can use to connect to others and my classroom!  

Before taking this class, I drew a picture of what I thought was my current Personal Learning Network:

As you can see, most of my PLN includes people.  While I have a little section for "media," it is not expanded with specific ideas.  Throughout this class, my Personal Learning Network has expanded! Here's how:

1. Following on Twitter

To begin the process of expanding my Personal Learning Network, I created a twitter account.  I had never had a Twitter account before, but I can recognize the value of using Twitter to connect to the educational world. I started by creating my account name, @missmoeller18.

My favorite use of Twitter, so far, has been following some of my favorite authors.  In the future, it would be fun to help connect my students to one of their favorite authors.  Here are what some of my favorite authors share with the twitter world:

Mo Willems:  Mo Willems is one of my favorite children’s books author.  On his account, he shares tips and drawings of his famous pigeon and other doodles.  He also answers questions from fans.  Here is an example of Mo Willems’ doodles he shares with his fans:

Malala :I also enjoy following Malala, a strong advocate for girls’ education.  She shares stories from girls around the world earning an education.  She is a strong promoter of education, and 

young students can look up to her.  

2.  Posting on Twitter

Next, I decided to give tweeting a try!  Twitter is not just useful to gain information, but it is also useful to share this information with others.  I decided to tweet to share what I have learned with others.  One of my tweets includes sharing a piece I found on the Malala Fund.  Education helps girls live a more dignified life, so I tweeted that education is a right.  

3. Pinterest Board

Next, I created a professional Pinterest board.  Although I have used Pinterest in the past, I have never had a professional Pinterest account.  Having a professional Pinterest board will help me search for lesson plans, classroom management strategies, and even fun crafts that other teachers have used in their classroom.  This will be a good start in creating a classroom environment that is inclusive to all.  

I decided to follow a few boards pertaining to information literacy.  As a future teacher who will use technology in the classroom, it is important that I become more aware of how the presentation of words and images will affect the students.  I found a particular board by Aysin Alp that is full of informative pins.  Some of these pins lead to sources about finding facts vs fictions.  These pins relate to finding reliable resources on the information, which will be important s a teacher and a student to make sure I am getting the most accurate and reliable information.

4.  Zoom Meetings

I was able to expand my personal learning network during Educational Technology and Design. I had never heard about this form of communication until we talked about it in class! When creating a Webquest project, which was a project using collaboration, I was able to use Zoom to have a meeting with my teammates and professor.  Zoom allows people to meet with each other virtually in order to collaborate.  Not only could I use zoom to discuss a project with fellow students, but it could also be a way to “bring in” a guest speaker for a classroom.  Zoom allows the world to become a little bit smaller with access to people from all over the world!  

5. Symbaloo

After learning about Symbaloo in class, I decided to create my own account.  I decided to follow a board that had been created about elementary science.  Symbaloo is a great way to have many reliable resources for students in an extremely organized way.  When I created an elementary science board, many different subjects came up.  I can search through the sources to become more specific.  For example, if I want to learn about fossils, I can chose the “Everything Fossils” tab.  If I want to study the sky, I can click on “Types of Clouds.” Symbaloo is a great tool for having many great resources in one place.

6. Podcast

Another way to help grow my personal learning network includes listening to educational podcasts.  There are so many great podcasts that really dive deep into different educational topics.  Podcasts help with personal learning networking because it allows me to gain new information.  Additionally, it may connect me to specialists on a specific subject!

I listened to a podcast by “This American Life.”  Although “This American Life” is not strictly an educational podcast, it does have stories on educational topics.  I listened to an episode called “The Problem We All Live With.”  This episode deals with discussions about reforming schools. Particularly, this looks at desegregation.  This episode includes an interview with Nikole Hannah-Jones, a MacArthur Fellow who experienced attending a mostly white school as a black girl in Waterloo, Iowa.  This podcast episode is extremely relevant, and it helped me understand how connected this issue of segregation and race in schools is in our educational system.

7. Following a Teacher’s Blog

After learning more about different blogs in Educational Technology and Design, I decided to research different teacher blogs.  Since we were able to listen to a recorded lecture by teacher librarian Shannon Miller, I decided to start following her blog: The Library Voice. Shannon Miller’s blog can help keep me up to date on different activities to use in the classroom.  Additionally, she also posts about different events, such as The Follett Challenge.  The Follett Challenge is a contest for educators to create a video to share about something special that is occurring at their school.  Keeping up to date with contests and opportunities like the Follet Challenge allows me, as a future educator, to learn more about events that will help the school I’m at succeed.  This blog also has different ideas for student centered learning, so it is a valuable resource to use when creating lessons.  

8. Edutopia

I decided to join Edutopia.  Edutopia is a community that allows ongoing learners to “Connect, Collaborate, and share resources with people who are passionate about improving education.”  I have heard about this great resource in a variety of education classes, so I thought that I should look into it more!  This is a wonderful site with all sort of discussions being held over a wide variety of educational topics.  Some of the topics even include how to better incorporate education into the classroom. As I was looking at different topics, I decided to read an article about solving real world problems in the classroom! This article looked at a school in Washington DC that focuses on problem based learning. In planning problem based learning, it is important for teachers to ask the big questions that students can solve in a variety of ways!  I enjoyed reading this article, so I decided to comment on it.  Reading and engaging in comments can help me expand my awareness and connections!

9.  Reach out to an author

One of my favorite authors from childhood is Jan Brett.  In Kindergarten, I remember having The Mitten read to me.   We had a couple of her books in my house growing up, and I would always look for her newest books at the public library!  I had always heard that she was an author who would take time to reply to her fans, so I thought I would finally give it a try and send her a message.  Through Ed Tech and Design and a children’s literature class, I was inspired to get in touch with a favorite author.  I sent her a message telling her a little about myself and asked her for advice about inspiring creativity to young students.  I am hoping to get a response from her soon!  Reaching out to authors can not only be beneficial to me as a teacher wanted to learn more information and gain new resources, but it could also be a very fun activity for a classroom of students.  Reaching out and letting students contact and author can be an empowering experience.  They may also gain a new excitement about reading and literacy.  

10.   Follow on Facebook

Just like Pinterest, I have known about and used Facebook for quite some time.  However, as I take more and more education classes, I am recognizing the significance of using Facebook in a professional manner to follow and contribute to educational pages and sources.  I looked over a few lists of teachers to follow on Facebook, and I decided to check them out to see what they are all about.  One of my favorites so far has been “Clever Classroom.”  This is a page that was created by a teacher in Australia, and it offers a space for teachers to share their experiences.  Specifically, this page focuses on resources to use in the classroom.  One of my favorite things about this page is that it offers a chance for fellow teachers to have input about a certain experience.  This helps other teachers gain ideas for their classroom!  I started following a recent post asking what daily routines teachers use that they are proud of.  There are already some great ideas to develop routine in the classroom, such as having calendar time each day or meditation after lunch.  For now, it is incredibly helpful to receive such suggestions so I can think how I can incorporate them in a future classroom environment.  In the future, I hope to be able to contribute to conversations such as these!  

After working to expand my PLN, I created my post map to show how it has expanded.  While my pre-map appears to have a lot of circles, at a closer glance it can be obvious that most of those circles could be categorized under "people."  Throughout the semester, I was able to expand my awareness of my PLN and include many more resources, such as web and media sources and social media.  These, along with people I am in almost daily contact with, are great sources to continue to expand my education.  I hope you can use some of these ideas to expand your knowledge, too!

*All images unless otherwise cited are screen captured by Catherine Moeller

Gaming and Education

Gaming is an interactive tool that students can use to learn very practical problem solving and management skills.  I was able to play the game "Food Street" to experience the skills that a student may be able to gain while playing certain games.  Food Street is one of many games that teaches kids (and adults!) about a process.  As a character on Food Street, I am able to go through the process of collecting food from a garden to obtaining ingredients I need to create a certain food.  People playing Food Street are even able to name their own restaurant, which helps teach creativity!  The whole processes of gaming can really teach kids different lessons. Students are able to start simple and work to build up.  For example, players in Food Street begin by having simple ingredients at first and then more options at complex levels.  This game also teaches students how to work hard to have success.  It also allows students to use responsibility to properly manage their own business.  


If you don't have a phone or access to a computer, or just want an introduction to the game, take a look at the video below to get a better understanding of Food Street.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psm0Y8L1VXg&list=PLuNEEANP8AnG3ZbvZjQAQRPylNrbvlXvP

Food Street is just one example of a game that could be made educational.  I have done a little research on other great games for children to build skills. I have included this list from Teach Thought for ideas on other gaming sites.  By playing "Food Street" and looking around at other games, I have really started to shift my perspective on the positive aspects of gaming! I once saw it as something to do to have fun or even pass the time.  However, I do see the value of skills that games teach students responsibility, management, and cooperation! 

The Oregon Trail App is another game that     

teaches choices and responsibility! Image: MethodShop

Happy Gaming!  

Using Technology to Empower Children

Technology has become a part of every day life for a majority of the population.  As schools increase the use of technology in the classroom, it is important to notice that technology can be used as a wonderful tool to help empower students!  Students deserve a voice, and technology can help students communicate their thoughts and opinions.  Allowing students to teach each other is just as an important skill as being a learner.  It is said that the best way to learn is through teaching, so what better way to allow students to learn and share their own knowledge with others!  There are many ways to empower students, and this article from edutopia shows different ways to incorporate listening to the students' voice.  One of the ways this article suggests is to use meaningful technology in the classroom.

One very fascinating and meaningful technology tool is called Write Our World. Write Our World is a tool where kids can create their own stories and share it with other kids around the world!  Students can share their culture AND native language for other children to see and hear.  Giving the students the ability to create their own ebooks is a way to let children share their voice!

Image Source: iClipArt for Schools

Zoom Technology

In Educational Technology and Design, students had the opportunity to use Zoom Video Conferencing. Zoom is a tool that, as a future teacher, I could use with my own students!  During my experiencing using Zoom, I was working on a group collaboration project.  Zoom not only allowed all of us to come together to discuss what we needed to use, but we were also able to talk with our instructor, Dr. Ping Gao.  Dr. Gao was able to look at the work we had done so far on our project and provide constructive comments to my group.  She was also available to answer any questions that we had about our project. Using Zoom in the classroom could be a way to communicate with students over projects, like I was able to experience in this class!  It could also be a great tool for inviting guest speakers to the classroom.  It would be possible to use my connections from people around the world to share their expertise and knowledge in a classroom of any grade level! 

Image: Screenshot captured by me (Catherine Moeller) during a Zoom Conference with my group and Dr. Gao! 

If you're interested in learning how to join zoom and schedule a meeting, watch this video from Zoom to help you get started!