I learned the word procrastination in seventh grade English class and it is the one word that I seem to live out constantly. I start second trimester tomorrow and I had two weeks of vacation to prepare. BUT I was on VACATION and I must say that even the work I have done has been a little grudgingly...although I am excited to get going. I want my next vacation to really be a vacation.
So anyways, what did I leave to the day before class? I kept putting off making a poster with the calendar on it so that I could get it laminated today. Well, today is January 1st, and unbeknownst to me, it is a holiday worthy of closing business in a Muslim country. So, the calendar is ready to be laminated and there is no where to take it. Oh well!!!
Procrastination is not a teacher's friend.
Friday, 31 December 2010
Monday, 27 December 2010
Preparing for Trimester 2-Math
11 weeks January 2-March 17 / Week 12 - Assessment March 20-24 / Spring Break
This is an ESL classroom in a Muslim country. I teach English, Math, Science. The students are all girls. They live in a town outside of the city. The school and the surroundings have far less resources than those in the city. It seems that most of the girls did not come to my class with enough prior knowledge from 1st grade so I am needing to start there.
The instructional base I will start at is First grade. For differentiation I will give some students 2nd to 3rd grade level activities and for some I will give Kindergarten activities. There are skills that all of the students need to learn regardless of current levels so I will focus on 1st grade material to introduce those skills.
Resources Needed that I Don't Already Have:
1. Projector!!!!
2. Large Dice
3. Rulers
4. Number Strips
Target Learning Objectives:
1. Counting 1's to 100
2. Number recognition to 100
3. Counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's
4. Addition up to 20
5. Subtraction up to 20
6. Measuring time, length, weight
7. Problem Solving
8. Word Problems
9. Money
10. Colors
11. Shapes
12. Weather
13. Ordinal Numbers
14. Patterns
Sunday, 26 December 2010
Preparing for Trimester 2-English
11 weeks from January 2-March 17 / Week 12 - Assessment March 20-24 / Spring Break
This is an ESL classroom in a Muslim country. I teach English, Math, Science. The students are all girls. They live in a town outside of the city. The school and the surroundings have far less resources than those in the city. It seems that most of the girls did not come to my class with enough prior knowledge from 1st grade so I am needing to start there.
The instructional base I will start at is First grade. For differentiation I will give some students 2nd to 3rd grade level activities and for some I will give Kindergarten activities. There are skills that all of the students need to learn regardless of current levels so I will focus on 1st grade material to introduce those skills.
Materials Needed That I Don't Already have:
Headphones
Tape Decks
Clothes Pins
Folders of Different Colors
Projector!!!!!
Letters for Each Week:
T, V, Q, Y, Z, W, X, B, P, C, S, K -
Weekly Letters to Correspond With Alphabet Resource Pack:
Vocabulary Linked to Letter, Sight Words in Readers, Sentence Building in Readers, Drawing and Writing Exercise in Pack
Centers for Grade Level K-1, 2-3:
Phenomic Awareness: (K-1, 2-3)
(K-1)
1. Rhyming Words
2. Alliteration
3. Sentence Segmentation
4. Syllables
5.Onset and Rhyme
6. Phoneme Matching
7. Phoneme Isolating
8. Phoneme Segmenting
9. Phoneme Segmenting and Blending
10. Phoneme Manipulating
(2-3)
1. Initial Sound: Focus on matching words/pictures with same initial sound.
2. Ending Sound: Focus on matching words/pictures with same ending sound.
3. Medial Sound: Focus on matching words/pictures with same middle sound.
4. Vowel: Focus on differentiating between the vowel sounds and matching words/pictures.
A pretty diverse vocabulary is needed for these aims to be achieved. I will utilize the Alphabet Pack as much as possible at first and will need to introduce other words for the students to be able to do these activities. I will make the activity cards provided in the link given to me by Dr. Christy into flashcards initially to help the students to become aware of the words and sounds.
Phonics: (K-1, 2-3)
(K-1)
1. Letter Recognition
2. Letter Sound Correspondence
3. Onset and Rime
4. Encoding and Decoding
5. High Frequency Words
6. Variant Correspondences
7. Syllable Patterns
8. Morpheme Structures
(2-3)
1.Letter Sound Correspondence
2.High Frequency Words
3.Variant Correspondences
4.Syllable Patterns
5.Morpheme Structures
I will focus on the first two targets in this trimester. Many students are actually still at Kingergarten-Grade 1 level with vocabulary/high frequency words and Phenomic Awareness. Once again these activities are vocabulary based so I will use the activity illustrations to as flashcards first.
Vocabulary(K-1):
1.Word Match
2.Contractions
3.Synonyms
4.Antonyms
5.Homophones
6.Adjectives
7.Verbs
8.Compound Words
9.Prefixes
10.Multiple Meanings
11.Word Meanings
12.Word Analysis
13.Same and Different
14.Words in Context
If I can get the students through Grade 1 to the beginning of Grade 2 before they go to 3rd grade it will be a miracle. I am not sure if I will be able to get them through grade 2 so they are ready for grade 3. I am not sure how much time I will need to spend on each target. I am thinking at least 2 weeks for each one.
Fluency(K-1):
1. Letter Recognition
2. Letter Sound Correspondence
3. Words (Rime)
4. Connected Text
5. Readers Activities
Comprehension (K-1):
1. Sentence Meaning
2. Narrative Text Structure
3. Expository Text Structure
4. Text Analysis
5. Monitoring for Understanding
Spelling:
1. Sight Words
2. High Frequency words
Flash Back: The First 2 Months in Abu Dhabi
Monday, November 1, 2010 at 2:38pm:
My days at the Intercontinental Hotel feels like it happened a year ago. So much has happened in just 2 months that when my mind goes back to that month staying in a five star hotel I am almost convinced it was a dream. Although I am happy and at peace with being here I must say that I am also very aware of the less than wonderful aspects of my time here, especially as a teacher.
I guess I will begin with the weeks proceeding my first day of school. Between visits to the beach, spa, and spending time with new acquaintances we had professional development workshops. Some were very effective some were less than helpful. I enjoyed most of the activities that were planned for us. Underlying all of this was an air of restlessness amongst many of the teachers. We had been at the hotel for almost a month and people were running low on money. The hotel restaurants were very expensive and taxi rides to food places outside of the hotel was starting to add up in cost. When it came to the attention of the Abu Dhabi Education Council that many people were getting low on funds we were informed that everyone would receive a payment advance. This alleviated many people's money worries. I think this time was particularly worrisome for families. After not receiving the advance for another two weeks we were told at the close of one of the PD events that the bank was there with atm cards for everyone. People erupted in cheers. After waiting in line, some for nearly 3 hours, people began to receive news that there was no money in the accounts! Yep, no money. This went on for another week. Up until this point I had only seen what seemed to be a very organized ADEC. This was to be only my first taste of just how disorganized things can be.
The other big mystery was where people were going to be placed to teach. We had received our city placements and some people were really struggling with that issue. For me, I was happy. I was placed in Abu Dhabi but honestly had come here with very few expectations so I wasn't attached to being in one particular place. It was wonderful to be placed where I had already made contact with my religious community and with the Latin dance community. Things really came together for my life outside of work. At the same PD when we got the atm cards to empty bank accounts, we received our school placements and I found out I would be in a place called Al Shamkha at a girls primary school called Al Asalah. After looking on a map I found out that the town I was going to be in was a 40 minute drive from Abu Dhabi. I needed to find a carpool!
One thing I have discovered that is a constant here is the eventuality of promises being kept or that sometimes what you are told initially will change at some point. I have learned it is best to wait a little and see what comes up in the following days. I will have to quote something one of my friends who has been here for many years said to me, "You know, when I interviewed for my job, on the application there was a place to rate yourself. One of the statements that I was asked to rate myself on was, 'Has a high tolerance for ambiguity' " HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! NO JOKE!! I have experienced ambiguity so intimately now that I am pretty sure I am changing my entire thinking pattern.
So, back to the carpool. By this point I had moved into my apartment and Ryan was to arrive two weeks later. During a PD session when people began to bring up their concerns about the money and getting to work, the advice of the workshop leaders was that ADEC would eventually get everyone the money and to wait until we got to our schools to arrange carpools. Well, I didn't have to wait that long. Somehow, through word of mouth a woman in my building found out I would be at the same school as her and two other women in our building. I now have the BEST carpool group!!! Me and two of the women are teaching second grade so we plan together and share ideas. It has been wonderful to ride to and from work with these women. We have had some very deep conversations and sometimes I have laughed until tears have come out of my eyes.
My first day of school was September 14th. This was unlike ANY first day of school I have EVER experienced. Teachers, brace yourselves. As you probably have guessed, we did not have any pre-school prep time in our classrooms. On September 14th we thought we were seeing our school, our classroom and our students for the first time. We had no curriculum. On the first day of school the principal had not arrived yet. There were no students. The students had not been split into classes. We were not assigned classrooms. We were not assigned grade levels. We had no books. No internet. No computers. We talked and drank tea for 5 hours and then went home. We did not meet the principal. We returned the next day, the last day of the working were told what grade level we would be teaching and attended a meeting with the principal. When we left on that day we still did not know where our classrooms were and we had no books. Sunday was the first day of the working week and that Sunday one of my friends aptly called, "The 3rd first day of school."
On the "3rd first day of school" I found my classroom just before the students. It was mayhem. Parents were confused. Teachers had no information. The poor students were lugging these crazy heavy rolly backpacks up and down stairs. Lots of crying on this day.
I was assigned second grade, my favorite age and grade to teach. During our hours of down time I made a sign for my door and when I went home I got some crayons as well as alphabet and number flashcards. We found a print out in one of the teachers' things from last year that I copied and had ready for my students along with a letter of the alphabet to color. My first class. I can barely remember it well. It seems so long ago.
The students were so well behaved and seemed to enjoy their time in class. I am a staunch believer in the methods that Dr. Harry Wong has in his "First Days of School" book. That book SAVED me my first days, weeks, and month. I will be using it all the time.
One student really stands out in my mind. Her mother was in class with her. I started teaching and meeting the students. I noticed that this kid was looking really wary so I didn't bother her. Then all hell broke loose when her mother tried to leave. I had placed a letter to color on her daughter's desk but she refused to do it. Her mother tried to encourage her but she was defiant. Then, MAN, it got downright CRAZY!! The mother tries to leave and this kid is hanging onto her mother for dear life. I honestly have never seen anything like it. Then her mom calls me over gives me her daughter's hand as she dashes out of the room. Y'all, this kid went berserk! I had to let her go because she was throwing herself on the floor, hard. Meanwhile, I have this class of 20 something students staring in absolute shock...silent. Once I let her go she ran out of the room and you could hear her screaming for her mother all the way down the corridor. Me and my new students just looked at one another for a moment and went back to work. A few minutes later the social worker comes with the girl in tow and sits her in a desk. She isn't crying now but she is raging inside. Livid is the only word to describe her expression. I found that the desks were too close as students trickled in and when we tried to move her desk she refused to move so I moved her chair with her in it. She threw herself on the floor and sat there. I let her stay and kept working with the other students. As if that wasn't enough. Who should come through the door but Barney and one of his friends. This is a teacher's worst nightmare for the first day of school. Here I am trying to set the tone for the year and I have a mom in class, her daughter going crazy, and now BARNEY!!!! BUT, as I have found with being flexible, sometimes you get an unexpected outcome. Barney and the social worker got the girl off the floor, in her desk and SMILING!!!! Dude, it was weird. This kid went from livid to happy in a nano second and was all about participating in class afterwards. Believe it or not, this girl was in the wrong class the whole time. That was the first day.
Ryan arrived on the 15th of September. It has been wonderful having him here. He is over jet lag now, making new friends, and working on his resume. Most of the time he gets up early in the morning with me to make my breakfast and lunch. We are hoping that he finds a job soon.
The days following the "3rd first day" have gone MUCH smoother. I focused mostly on classroom management and routines the first few weeks. My students are really starting to respond well. I am ready to take them out of rows and put them in groups.
My most exceptional student was my biggest challenge at first. I think maybe a week or two into teaching one of my students arrives with another little girl. I realized right away that this new student was completely blind. I was not told that I would have a blind student and that she was sent with a student and not a teacher was unbelievable to me. I had nothing in my classroom for her. I had almost nothing for my sighted students. I was angry. Not at having a blind student but at the lack of consideration for her and for me. How was I supposed to teach her? Much later in class a special ed teacher shows up and starts asking me for things to use for the blind student. Pissed is what I was. She interrupted my class, wants my undivided attention, and was talking to me as if I had known all along and was prepared for Asma. Eventually one of my teacher friends gave me some cut outs of letters and numbers. I remembered the movie, "The Miracle Worker" and wrote letters in Asma's hand. When I think about it now she must have thought I was crazy.
I think I had Asma in my class for about three weeks before there was a meeting called for all of her teachers. I was sooooo happy after this meeting!!! I met her previous English teacher and she was AMAZING!!! A beautiful, high spirited soul with love oozing out of every pour. Asma came too and I watched in amazement and sadness as she typed on her braille machine in English and responded to her teacher's requests in English. I was amazed because this child was worlds ahead of my entire classes and I was close to tears, sad that I had not known it. I remembered the days when I was still establishing classroom management and rules, when the rest of the class had my entire attention, she sat quietly in her desk for hours doing nothing. I did not know what to do with her. I was so angry every time the special ed teachers would come because I would not know they were coming, they brought no resources, they were not helpful, it made it hard to manage my class, and they kept talking to me as if I was supposed to know what to do. Her previous teacher Suneeta is my angel. We work closely together. She typed up for me the braille alphabet and I was able to start Asma on practicing typing letters, words, reading, and spelling. I have found ways to include her in class but also let her do work independently so she can keep building on what she learned previously.
Now I have Asma working on something most days and I push her because I know that she is capable of more than the others at the moment. I now have a brailler in class. I send Suneeta the lesson plans a week in advance so she comes to class once a week with lessons typed up for Asma. It has been a wonderful process of learning and growing as a teacher.
So, how do I teach, you may ask. First, I greet my students at the door. I shake their hands, look in their eyes, and call them by name. I have some simple task ready on their desk. (Weeks of repeated practice to bring backpacks to the back of class, take out pencils and colors, sit at your desk...led up to this.) They know that this is a quiet activity. Then I use, "1, 2, 3 Eyes on me." and they reply, "1,2,3 Eyes on you" every time there is a transition. They know to put down their pencils and colors because they are going to get some directions. I have the class agenda on the board and when we move from one subject to the next I use something called Power Teaching...T: Class. S: Yes? T: Learning positions. S: OK! T: English time or Math time or Science time. Of course, all of this was practiced ad-infinitum for a couple of weeks as an intro, as a game, and a practice activity. As a teacher I know that I am teaching more than writing, reading, math, the five senses. The students have to feel that they know what is expected of them. They need this to feel at ease learning. Predictable routines and expectations are so important.
So, this has been my first couple of months teaching. The scheduled has changed so many times I have stopped counting. ADEC is loading us up with work that could have been done before school even started. Lots of ambiguity but at least in my class I see my students growing. I feel me growing and that is really all that matters. Everything else is superfluous.
I May Not Be Working But My Brain Sure Is...Overtime
I am in the second week of my winter break and I cannot sleep. I woke up around 5am, "I can ask friends from home to send me books for class" was the thought that brought my eyes open. I have been thinking ever since. First thing I did was to write to four people enlisting their assistance in helping me to create a class library. I have had many sudden wake ups in the past few months since I began teaching second grade in Al Shamkha. Usually they are ideas for improving my classroom or my teaching. To maintain my sanity I decided it was time for me to start keeping a teaching journal.
In the posts that follow I am hoping to keep track of my thoughts, their application in my classroom, basically a running record of reflection and learning.
To Ask Is to Receive an Answer
Sounds like you have a good framework in place. Were I in your shoes, I would consider the following:
15 minutes - Bell work, record keeping, homework check
10 minutes - Whole group phonemic awareness/phonics work (Letters, letter/sound correspondence, beginning sounds of one-syllable words, ending sounds of one syllable words, then progress to blends and spelling patterns)
30 minutes of literacy stations with at least 10 minutes in each station - Differentiated literacy stations to include phonemic awareness/phonics, vocabulary/sight words, fluency, spelling, and reading comprehension. Different colored folders could be set up in each station. One color could be more challenging work, one could be "on" work, and one could be for students who are struggling. Students would know which color folder to pull. Stations should have two "must do" tasks that students have to complete in a notebook that you will see, and then two "may do" assignments that can be completed after the must do tasks. Having all the students assigned to stations with appropriate level work will permit you to pull small groups, work with Asma, or to walk around and monitor.
I would follow the same set up for math, with 10 minutes whole group and then centers with differentiated practice in number sense and basic math facts (addition, subtraction, telling time, and money).
Visit this site:
for some excellent and research based activities that you can use in your literacy centers.
What do you think?
After Reflection
WOW!!!! Thank you for your reply!!! Thank you for asking these questions....here are my answers:
What is the name of your school?
What is the name of your school?
Al Asalah Primary Girls School
I haven't made a specific schedule for phonics and vocab but this is what I taught the first trimester. I have done writing and spelling sporadically. I haven't touched comprehension yet. I have a class agenda: 15 minutes bell work and review, 40 minutes English, 40 minutes math, 30 minutes science, 15 minutes closing with 5 minute transition time between subjects.
I very recently got a computer in the classroom and the internet so I may be able to work out a schedule for the students to use it. There is also a very helpful librarian who has technology I would love to have in my classroom so as an "outing" I will be scheduling weekly visits to the library.
I do not have this but it is something I can arrange. I bought a tape recorder that I recorded my voice on for my blind student which really helped. That tape recorder went missing so now I have to buy a new one.
I was recently provided with an alphabet resource kit which I wish I had had at the beginning of the year. It is amazing! Each letter has numerous flashcards that are suited for differentiation. The flashcards are the vocabulary words I focus on and there are 6 reading books for each letter of the alphabet with the vocab, pictures and sight words. There are also letter books that the students can write the vocab and draw the corresponding picture. The books have the target sight words, sentences and punctuation. The library does not have many English books but we recently received big books and leveled books to do running records for sight word recognition.
I have access to a web cam at home but not in class.
My blind student Asma showed up to class maybe two weeks into school. She was brought to class by a classmate. I received no communication that I was going to have a blind student and the special ed teacher did not come until near the end of class. She had no resources but kept asking me for stuff to use with Asma...of course this is while I am also trying to manage a class of 29 sighted students who are using the lack of attention to them to act the fool. I was livid. Not for having Asma in my class but for the disregard of her as a student and me as a teacher. I did what I could with her for 3 weeks remembering scenes from the movie "The Miracle Worker". I am sad to say that some days she sat with nothing to do all class. Luckily an amazing woman came to a meeting that was finally held about a month into the trimester for teachers with special needs students. I tell you I nearly cried at that meeting when I discovered that Asma could understand some spoken English, could type in English on a brailler and could read. The woman's name is Suneetha and we have become champions for Asma's learning and close friends. At that meeting she typed out the letters of the alphabet in braille for me to use in class, braille paper, and I was given a brailler for the class. I send Suneetha the lesson plan for the week along with the materials we will use and she and her husband translate the material into braille. Now Asma's parents are very angry because she is doing well in English and not Arabic. I went to an IEP meeting last week and they really thought Asma couldn't write and read until I showed them the work she has been doing in English class.
I want more time to work with her and with the students in my class that I think are severly learning disabled, I just can't seem to get my mind around how to do this with so many students and give attention to the gaps in learning. I have a couple of students in my class that I do believe could be in third grade English classes. Their reading, comprehension, and writing is far above where the majority of the students in my class are, this includes Asma. So they are also a concern of mine.
I am on vacation at the moment so I have time to put things together and it is for this reason that I am writing to you. I remember you and your class fondly. I think I can start using some of the strategies that were discussed in class.
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your quick reply. I was not expecting it. I am very grateful that you made the time to ask me such reflective questions.
Thanks A LOT!!!
Adalia
Have you given the students an oral reading fluency assessment?
I have not done this. I know that I need to. I am trying to figure out how to with so many students.Have you assessed sight word knowledge?
I have not done this either. Ditto to my answer above.How much time is scheduled for literacy each day and are all literacy skills integrated into that time (writing, phonics, spelling, vocab and comprehension)?
Can you tell me a little more about the twice weekly centers?
I have 10 centers in all. The students are in groups of 4 or 5 and mixed skill levels:
Center 1 focuses on word/picture association using vocab flashcards. The students write the word and draw the picture related to it.
Center 2 focuses on math skills. I have two dice and the students take turns rolling the die and then writing an addition equation with the answer. There are manipulatives at the table to help with adding the numbers rolled.
Center 3 focuses on math again using laminated activity sheets and dry erase markers.
Center 4 focuses on spelling. The students take turns verbally spelling words with one another.
Center 5 focuses on fine motor skills along with math and art. Using tweezers the two students try to pick up and place the most beans on their plate before a third student finishes counting backwards from 10. There is also play dough for the students to create objects with. I will be adding cutting activities in the new tri-mester.
Center 6 focuses on writing the vocabulary words and when the students are finished they play a memory game with word and picture flashcards.
Center 7 focuses on reading with me. The reading material contains the vocab and sight words.
Center 8 focuses on problem solving skills using various puzzles.
Center 9 focuses on letter recognition using alphabet flashcards. The students quiz each other on the letters.
Center 10 focuses on number recognition and counting. The students quiz each other on the numbers.
Center 1 focuses on word/picture association using vocab flashcards. The students write the word and draw the picture related to it.
Center 2 focuses on math skills. I have two dice and the students take turns rolling the die and then writing an addition equation with the answer. There are manipulatives at the table to help with adding the numbers rolled.
Center 3 focuses on math again using laminated activity sheets and dry erase markers.
Center 4 focuses on spelling. The students take turns verbally spelling words with one another.
Center 5 focuses on fine motor skills along with math and art. Using tweezers the two students try to pick up and place the most beans on their plate before a third student finishes counting backwards from 10. There is also play dough for the students to create objects with. I will be adding cutting activities in the new tri-mester.
Center 6 focuses on writing the vocabulary words and when the students are finished they play a memory game with word and picture flashcards.
Center 7 focuses on reading with me. The reading material contains the vocab and sight words.
Center 8 focuses on problem solving skills using various puzzles.
Center 9 focuses on letter recognition using alphabet flashcards. The students quiz each other on the letters.
Center 10 focuses on number recognition and counting. The students quiz each other on the numbers.
Do the students have access to technology during literacy?
Do you have a listening station with headphones?
What types of reading materials can you access? Is there a library with multiple (4 or 5) copies of titles?
Do you have access to a web cam?
Are the students well-behaved and capable of independent work?
The students are well-behaved and capable of independent work if I do proper introduction and modeling.
Background:
When I arrived on the first day of school, it was literally my first day. There was no principal, no students, the students weren't split into classes, no classroom, no books, no resources, no curriculum, no internet, and no computers. I bought alphabet and number primers and flashcards from a store in my building, printed coloring pages of letters from the internet and made copies. This is what I used the first month of school. I also found resources online using Sparkle Box, Math Worksheets, DLTK, and a few other sites for the two months that followed. LOTS of copying. In the last month I got the English resource kit and three months ago I got math books that are too advanced for my students so they are still in their boxes. Plus the books are not for ESL learners. Honestly I spent most of the first trimester on classroom management, the alphabet and numbers. I probably have one of the best behaved classes so now I am trying to figure out just how much material I need to have for 25 students to do independently so I can do things like assess sight words and literacy with 5 at a time or work with Asma.Background:
My blind student Asma showed up to class maybe two weeks into school. She was brought to class by a classmate. I received no communication that I was going to have a blind student and the special ed teacher did not come until near the end of class. She had no resources but kept asking me for stuff to use with Asma...of course this is while I am also trying to manage a class of 29 sighted students who are using the lack of attention to them to act the fool. I was livid. Not for having Asma in my class but for the disregard of her as a student and me as a teacher. I did what I could with her for 3 weeks remembering scenes from the movie "The Miracle Worker". I am sad to say that some days she sat with nothing to do all class. Luckily an amazing woman came to a meeting that was finally held about a month into the trimester for teachers with special needs students. I tell you I nearly cried at that meeting when I discovered that Asma could understand some spoken English, could type in English on a brailler and could read. The woman's name is Suneetha and we have become champions for Asma's learning and close friends. At that meeting she typed out the letters of the alphabet in braille for me to use in class, braille paper, and I was given a brailler for the class. I send Suneetha the lesson plan for the week along with the materials we will use and she and her husband translate the material into braille. Now Asma's parents are very angry because she is doing well in English and not Arabic. I went to an IEP meeting last week and they really thought Asma couldn't write and read until I showed them the work she has been doing in English class.
I want more time to work with her and with the students in my class that I think are severly learning disabled, I just can't seem to get my mind around how to do this with so many students and give attention to the gaps in learning. I have a couple of students in my class that I do believe could be in third grade English classes. Their reading, comprehension, and writing is far above where the majority of the students in my class are, this includes Asma. So they are also a concern of mine.
I am on vacation at the moment so I have time to put things together and it is for this reason that I am writing to you. I remember you and your class fondly. I think I can start using some of the strategies that were discussed in class.
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your quick reply. I was not expecting it. I am very grateful that you made the time to ask me such reflective questions.
Thanks A LOT!!!
Adalia
Reflection
Of course I remember you and it is good to hear from you. Sounds like a challenging environment - perfect for you! What is the name of your school?
Have you given the students an oral reading fluency assessment?
Have you assessed sight word knowledge?
How much time is scheduled for literacy each day and are all literacy skills integrated into that time (writing, phonics, spelling, vocab and comprehension)?
Can you tell me a little more about the twice weekly centers?
Do the students have access to technology during literacy?
Do you have a listening station with headphones?
What types of reading materials can you access? Is there a library with multiple (4 or 5) copies of titles?
Do you have access to a web cam?
Are the students well-behaved and capable of independent work?
Janice
Not Too Proud to Beg
Dear Dr. Christy,
I am not sure if you remember me or not but I was one of the lucky students who took your class in the M.A.T program at CCU. My name is Adalia Ellis. I am now living in Abu Dhabi where I am teaching second grade English, Math and Science. It has been a LEARNING experience to say the least. I have 60 students, two classes of 30. And in one class I have a student who is completely blind and she is exceptionally bright.
I am writing to you to ask your help. I am wondering if you would be willing to give me input on how to differentiate learning for such large classes, with some students who don't know the alphabet and others who are reading. I have the students in learning groups by abilities and then we do centers twice a week and the students are in mixed ability levels. The problem that arises is that my students who are high performing finish tasks very quickly while the low performers are more dependent on me to give them personalized instruction. To add to this, my student who is blind is extremely smart and is capable to working independently, but I need to "show" her what to do guiding her as she reads braille and types with her brailler. This takes time so I have my students all at different levels needing different levels of instruction and one on one interaction.
I am certain that I have at least 6 students who are severely learning disabled. They don't do well in Arabic or English classes. There are no special ed classes available to focus on the learning disabled. I am in a school situation where there are very little resources and support.
Despite all of this, I love my students and the ways I have been forced to grow as a teacher. This has been the most challenging situation so far. I truly feel that I have learned to be a teacher as a result of this experience.
I hope you are doing well and the school year has been wonderful so far. Thank you in advance for your help.
Sincerely,
Adalia Ellis
I am not sure if you remember me or not but I was one of the lucky students who took your class in the M.A.T program at CCU. My name is Adalia Ellis. I am now living in Abu Dhabi where I am teaching second grade English, Math and Science. It has been a LEARNING experience to say the least. I have 60 students, two classes of 30. And in one class I have a student who is completely blind and she is exceptionally bright.
I am writing to you to ask your help. I am wondering if you would be willing to give me input on how to differentiate learning for such large classes, with some students who don't know the alphabet and others who are reading. I have the students in learning groups by abilities and then we do centers twice a week and the students are in mixed ability levels. The problem that arises is that my students who are high performing finish tasks very quickly while the low performers are more dependent on me to give them personalized instruction. To add to this, my student who is blind is extremely smart and is capable to working independently, but I need to "show" her what to do guiding her as she reads braille and types with her brailler. This takes time so I have my students all at different levels needing different levels of instruction and one on one interaction.
I am certain that I have at least 6 students who are severely learning disabled. They don't do well in Arabic or English classes. There are no special ed classes available to focus on the learning disabled. I am in a school situation where there are very little resources and support.
Despite all of this, I love my students and the ways I have been forced to grow as a teacher. This has been the most challenging situation so far. I truly feel that I have learned to be a teacher as a result of this experience.
I hope you are doing well and the school year has been wonderful so far. Thank you in advance for your help.
Sincerely,
Adalia Ellis
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