Session+3

=3.1 Monitoring Understanding= Monitoring students' understanding within my classroom takes various forms from individual summative and formative assessments more commonly referred to as quizzes, quests, and tests as well as more interactive and game-like formats where students share out loud in small to whole class activities.
 * ** How do you monitor students' understanding in your classroom? **

I know that each class includes on my part a deliberate attempt to perceive student understanding of skill or content objectives and that my ability to evaluate their understanding has a great influence on how I proceed.

I have included the use of student designed responses using technology as a method for assessing understanding. For example, students have used slide shows to facilitate Book Talks and to present jigsaw type assignments to "teach" to the rest of the class. Students use technology for many writing, research, and literature assignments from the classic research paper, to letter writing, to pamphlet creation.
 * ** How might that practice change as you implement more technology? **

So to the question, as my ability increases so will the variety of methods for using technology increase. I would love to have a blog or other online methods for students and teacher to repeatedly and interactively explore and exchange ideas. I am excited although daunted by the potential methods for using technology - so much of which is new and unknown by me.

Thus, the use of technology should improve my ability to monitor students' understanding while simultaneously increase the variety of tools students could use to show what they do or do not understand. = = = =

Page line break goes here? What is it? Where do I get the directions for creating the page line break? Not in the editing mode I quess.
=3.2 Summary and Reflection on //The Before, During, and After Reading document//=

I think all of the discussed reading and learning process strategies are necessary and useful. Most of the strategies are used regularly in my English classroom and would be considered both key and useful. There are some strategies I utilize less than others and on reviewing the following, I believe I will revisit them within the classroom. Summarizing for example is a strategy I have moved away from because students historically or hysterically, depending on the student, have all too often used as their only method of response. Rather than questioning or inferring or predicating, summarizing became the default method for responding to all open response or essay prompts. Yet, within this course, we have been asked to summarize, and my expectation is that when reviewing my summaries I will find the responses valuable and available for other future tasks. I also feel that for the practice of providing sufficient background information can be neglected especially with heterogeneous classes and faulty assumptions relying on generating what is already known as being sufficient background preparation; I think presenting a panoramic view of background information may be a strategy I would spend more time on in the future. I am unsure about what is exactly meant by constructing graphic organizers. We do two-column notes or at times 3 - 4 section written responses to excerpts, and Venn diagrams for example, but I don't think these are what you mean by graphic organizers all though they use spatial organization to help identify different types of responses. I'm hoping there is a wealth of valuable organizers I'll learn about through this course. The other strategies I find key are helping students integrate new data with prior knowledge, the metacognitive modeling, reassessing predictions, checking out usefulness of guide questions, and the mental imaging using various senses if possible.
 * 1) 1 -Some key literacy strategies and How they are useful:

All the strategies noted above plus the others in the reading are useful both in helping the students understand, retain, and use what they read and in helping the teacher assess student understanding. The strategies are a win-win in the classroom and further help teach and cement productive and life-long reading habits.

Technology allows the teacher to bring documentaries, interviews, slide shows, videos, music, museums, photo galleries, and so much more right into the classroom. I did use technology to build background information in preparation to teach //Night// and the Holocaust. There were so many photos available that were easily paired with key scenes and images from the book. Using technology to build, review, and revisit knowledge is an effective strategy. I also used interviews and presentations with or by authors because there is so much available. Mitch Albom the author of //Tuesday's with Morrie// has a short presentation explaining his life and how he came to write this novel. I use the PBS site of This I Believe so that students can listen to essayists read their own essays. I played dramatic scenes of //Antigone// to help students get some sense of Greek drama and the characters. Clearly, the more the teacher knows is available the more effective the adoption of technology to enhance any of the listed literacy strategies.
 * 1) 2 How can we use technology to promote use of these literary strategies?

I did use the smart board to help in pre-reading activities, to identify questions during reading, to present visual representations of characters, and to have fun with reviewing for or taking quizzes. Clearly, there are a lot more ways to use technology to adapt the literacy strategies and I am hoping to learn.

=**3.3 __Before Reading Activity - Wordle__**=
 * What does it seem that Wordle can do for the user?

It clearly identifies the major subjects of the text - not only clearly, but dramatically. It is student-friendly; there is a type of invitation implied in the presentation which is engaging and entertaining. The wordle says to the student "let's play and see how much you can figure out."


 * How useful does Wordle seem to be as a before reading strategy for students?

It would be a very useful and valuable before reading tool. By relying on print size to indicate major details it seems, although I haven't read the text it refers to specifically, that as a before reading strategy it can be used as a reading guide, as a type of question generator, and as a spark for curiosity and thus inquiry.
 * What type of learners would benefit from using a Wordle?

Students with strong visual memories could certainly use this tool for before, during, and after reading support. Students with artistic and spatial intelligence would also appreciate the wordle as a visual interpretation of regular text. Students who are slow or reluctant readers would also be harnessed or intrigued by the condensed representation of text presented by the wordle. I might also think that students with any of multiple learning challenges would find this format pleasant because it is unusual; it demands a sort of game-playing and hunting through the presentation with no penalty. The wordle spells FUN as opposed to work and failure. Also, because of the various print sizes, the wordle isn't something that a 30 second glance would be adequate to appreciate. Therefore, the wordle would require time to view and evaluate, would be perfect for small group activities, and would help generate student conversation before reading.

I liked this a lot when I first saw it displayed in the student work samples; I remember how the student use of the wordle improved from the first to the second presentation. I was figuring I would try to learn to make my own.

media type="custom" key="9871105" Based alone on the wordle I can predict that there has been death and fighting and that death has been the dominant reality. I can also predict that death has included children as well as the old. Emotions or feelings are important because of the size of the word heart. The idea of freezing and cold and the names of different individuals will be important to note.
 * == What observations and predictions about your article can you make based on this Wordle? What connections to your background knowledge can you make? ==

="3.4 Annotated Article - During Reading Strategy"= ==

Well, death was certainly a dominant reality and the wordle made that clear and the emotional impact of the death was tremendous and painfully and never sentimentally expressed. The connection between death and freezing was poignantly made in both wordle and text.

I really enjoy annotating a text already because it makes me more attentive and attuned both to the text and to the author. Obviously, I have no idea what was in Chief Joseph's head or heart, but I certainly feel his tremendous sense of loss and hopelessness. These emotions can be shared on an individual, small scale or can be connected to all those around the world today dreaming of freedom but experiencing tremendous waste and death. In retrospect, I have a greater respect for this short speech and strong curiosity about how the speech impacted history of the Nez Perce and others past and present.

Marking up the text is an extremely valuable tool during reading, and enjoyable if you have the time and inclination.

3.5 Top Five Vocabulary - After Reading Activity

5 most important terms brief definition in your words, which also incorporates the importance of the term to understanding the overall reading.
 * words || denotation ||  ||
 * dead || deceased, lifeless || Within the text, Chief Joseph literally uses dead to indicate the fact that so many of his people have died. Beyond the idea of literal death is the feeling that hope is lifeless, dreams are frozen, departed, the people as a whole are minimized and capitulated. The idea of dead is permeating the reality of the scene and the future of the people. ||
 * surrender || give in or give up || Chief Joseph admits defeat of his people and their attempt to escape to Canada. The surrender is not just of this one battle but is a surrender of freedom, a way of life, the future of a culture and tradition. The term implies submission and a ceding of beliefs about land and again freedoms. ||
 * fight/fighting || hostility, warfare, combat || Joseph literally agrees to stop the combat and retaliation, but he also suggests that his people will cease struggling and rebelling to hold onto their beliefs and culture. The hostility in its varied permutations will cease ||
 * blankets || covering, bed covering || While the literal importance of having blankets in escaping through the freezing temperatures and snow storms is obvious, the word blanket metaphorically suggests security, safety, and coverings that represent family and home. The image of snow coverings replacing blanket coverings further creates the feeling of freezing to death with no hope of protection. ||
 * sick || ill, unwell || In the text, "sick at heart" has more of metaphorical meaning than simply an ill or unwell heart. Chief Joseph's heart is ailing, decaying, decomposing. Sick here implies more a malignancy that will never be healed or cured. The heart or all the emotions and visions of prosperity or even just being are sick, ill, malfunctioning, compromised. The work sick goes far beyond its denotative meaning and blankets the will to live and the ability of a culture to flourish. Here sick also seems to mean poisoned and dying. ||