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Fish! Sticks (last few chapters)

Fish! Sticks was a very good book.  I highly recommend it for everyone in any job situation.  The whole book just explains how we should communicate our thoughts, feelings, and ideas to others so that we have a positive work environment for everyone involved.  A lot of times it seems as if our thoughts, feelings, and ideas are never heard, but keep on believing!  Live your life through your actions as much as you do through your mouth and eventually you will be "COACHING" people you never thought you could or would be able to coach!  When things seem to be negative, try to find a positive!  My Kindergarten ladies live this everyday.  They are always the first ones to point out a positive on a bad day!  I love my girls!!!!!

Fish! Sticks (2nd part)

While reading the second part of Fish! Sticks, I found myself dwelling on my attitude toward work, students, parents, and other cohorts.  It is very important that we all bring our "IT" to work everyday.  We all play a part in making East Central the school to send kids to.  We also pave the students' attitudes toward school.  I really have to make a conscious effort not to be sarcastic or say things that I will later regret.  I feel like you have to be true! If you say you are who you are, then you have to live it and show everyone else around you to build that reputation and trust. I feel like my part at East Central is to smile and show the students, parents, and my cohorts that I care about them.  Granted, I know it isn't always that way, but I am a working progress!  What is your "It" for East Central?  Do you "BRING IT" everyday?

Fish! Sticks

I am reading Fish! Sticks.  So far, I can relate to the book.  It is very easy to be excited in the beginning and then go into a "cruise control".  Rhonda is trying to keep the energy level of her colleagues high, but keeps comparing herself to a previous department head.  I can't wait to see what Rhonda learns about keeping good attitudes in the work place in a way that fits her personality and style.

Revisiting The Reading Workshop (Chapters 7-8)

In chapter 7, the authors discuss how to initiate independent reading through an orderly classroom environment, sharing a teachers passion for reading, reading with others, story chats, and guided reading.  I agree with the authors because I have seen this in my own classroom.  The love for reading has grown exponentially since I have been conducting a "readers workshop" type environment.  The students love to read to me, but I am surprised at how they enjoy grouping up and taking turns reading and discussing books.   The chapter gets more interesting when the authors suggest different ways to conference and allow the children to respond to different texts.  I plan to use these type questions during my reading workshops.

In chapter 8, different forms and types of assessment are shown to aid in a productive analysis of student reading and work.  At this time, I do not use any forms because the students are just now learning to read; however, before the year is over I want them to be able to produce a true "log" that they will be doing in some first grade classes.

Overall, this book has helped put a true meaning to "The Reading Workshop".  I have really enjoyed my reading time this year because of the workshop aspect.  I plan to continue with this student-centered environment and bring in new ideas from this book.

Revisiting The Reading Workshop (chapters 4-6)

Before I had read these three chapters, I tried some of the techniques listed in the past chapters.  I had some of my students buddy read and discuss our pre-decodable book.  This worked out well for both the students and myself.  It actually gave them practice before reading and sharing with me.  I plan to continue this with more of my students.  After reading the next few chapters, I learned more about mini lessons, and have actually thought of ways to implement them on a kindergarten level.  I plan to do my reading group a little differently from now on.  I am going to go with the book and model for a few weeks before I turn them loose on their own, but then, I want to see them talking to each other about the story, different grammar marks used, and different elements that they may discover.  I'll let you know how it works!  Until next time...  

Revisiting The Reading Workshop (Chapters 1-3)

In the first chapter, the authors discuss the meaning and initial set up of a reading workshop.  Practically, this is a time for students to aquire their own understanding of a book, make their own predictions, and share with a buddy.  The other chapters discuss how to manage your workshops and distinquishes between traditional reading groups and the newly found reading workshop.  I do a type of reading workshop that is more age appropriate for kindergarten.  Most of my students are barely reading and writing, so we are at the very early stages of a true readers workshop.  I am going to add more of the buddy reading and buddy discussions to my readers workshop.  I am going to also try to pull in harder books for my higher students. 

Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics K-3 (chapters 9-12)

In reading the last four chapters of this book, I found different strategies of teaching fractions, patterning, reasoning skills, and probability.  During the kindergarten years we do not go in depth of any of the four areas; however, we initiate the interest by doing fun activities such as people patterns, six chips, spinners, etc.  It is really amazing to see just how much the students pick up and create their own understandings.

In reading this book from cover to cover, I have found many ideas that I will use to spark an interest of math into students at an early age.

Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics K-3 (Ch. 5-8)

In reading the next few chapters I found it interesting that the author still places a big emphasis on not telling a child the answer is wrong or right.  He continues to stress this fact as he did on page 161: "The method of computing is not the objective, the ability to compute is the goal."  Another thing he mentioned was to use the word traded instead of regroup when you're dealing with tens, ones, and hundreds.  I am going to adjust my vocabulary and see if I get better response.  In reading the geometry part of Ch. 7, I was surprised to see that Kindergarten students can be prepped for learning geometric strategies.  What I as a kindergarten teacher can do is more sorting with shapes, allowing the students to lead the sorting activity.  Next year with the GPS standards we will actually be introducing 3D shapes which will allow the students to view early geometric figures.  Another strategy that will help prepare our young children for advancement in math is measurement skills.  I always teach longest, shortest, etc. as well as measuring with linking cubes, but I don't do a lot with rulers.  This book suggest not only to introduce rulers and practice measuring, but to not always align to the end of the ruler.  On page 226, Van de Walle tells us that only 24% of 4th grade and 62% of 8th grade students could give the correct measure of an object not aligned with the end of the ruler.  Where a ruler is the most important measurement tool for primary aged children, it is good to show other attributes using informal units.  Allow the students to explore and draw conclusions based on different measurement tools.

I plan to continue to involve the students more and give them a chance to explain their answers before we do whole group activities.  I would also like to take more time when teaching measurement and geometry strategies.

Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics Grades K-3

In reading Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics  chapters 1-4, I found a better understanding of how students develop mathematical concepts.  While most may think that math is either a right or wrong answer and teacher instructed, it is the opposite.  As a teacher, I have to provide my students with the environment and engage them in learning, but they develop the understanding of math themselves.  It is imperative that teachers begin teaching "efficient strategies" to children as young as Kindergarten.  After strategies are taught then you may begin centering lessons to encourage use of the strategies.  As I have begun in my classroom to discuss "efficient strategies", I have found the statement made in chapter 4 to be true: "...there will not be a time when the whole class uses nor understands the same strategy."  In closing, model strategies and be patient while the students develop understanding on their own.