Blog #8

I checked out Brittiney Gardner's blog about what presentation she liked the best. She really liked think tac toe and learning menus and gave some fabulous ideas. I especially liked the one on the think tac toe of working with character, setting, and theme. I would like keep in touch with Britt after school but she is a brain I'd like to pick!

I then read Kj's blog from the other cohort. I read her blog #4. I can tell she is going to be a great teacher I really like how she says she wants to take the time to call student's parents to let them know how well their child is doing. Sometimes it is not enough to just work on the students weaknesses, we need to acknowledge their strengths too. Think of how much that would mean to a student and their parents if you called them up just to praise them on being such a great student.

Blog #7

Part 1: This is a hard question because I really liked all of the strategies especially mine which was the RAFT but for this purpose I would say cubing and think dots.

Part 2: Since I am going to be teaching a second grade class I think they would really like the idea of rolling dice to pick their assignment. I think I could use it in many applications. I really like the idea of using it in the writing center. You could use it as a way to find out what topic you should write about and in what format. Or I really liked Kim's idea in class where you could have domino's in a jar and they can pick one out and the two numbers could lead to an assignment. This a fun way for students to pick their assignments and I think they will really enjoy it.

Blog #6

When I see a student struggling and to the point of giving up that's when I know that I have to differentiate for this student. They need something that will mean something to them. I know from personal experience that when something holds interest for me I am willing to work twice as hard and accept being challenged. I personally feel like you can always use some form of differentiate in your classroom because you have so many students and get one is so different. I loved what you quoted in class one day and I want to remember it as a teacher. "Every student deserves a full year's growth." I think that this won't be an easy task but with differentiation I can achieve this goal.

Blog #5 Classroom Routines

• Flexibility from routine so that you can adjust to different learning needs.
• Facilitate individual learning and shared community
• Develop an autonomy should be the primary goal for students so that they can become more independent.
• Teach your students flexible room arrangements so that when necessary they can quickly and quietly change the room around if necessary.
• Have predictability at the start of the day so that student can come in know what they need to do quickly so that you can start your class.
• Have certain routines so that students have access to help when they need it. For example a cue for when they need to listen because the time for questions will soon be off limits. Have one or more student who can where a hat or clipboard that can be there to answer questions about directions or work. Students can have stop go card to let the teacher know who he/she is doing. Green means the student is fine, while red means they need some assistance. Another option is using a Red Cross Emergency can. Each student is given a stick with their name on it in a white can. When they need emergency assistance they put their stick in the Red Cross can and they teacher will check there first when circulating the room.
• Use visual cues such as signs posted around the room to remind students where to turn in their work, steps to follow at a given work station, class schedule, etc.
• Pre-establish groups by planning a head with several group arrangements for the weeks ahead.
• Use goal cards regularly. This means when a student is working with small groups or independently have them write a goal for the following activity.
• Teach for smooth transitions. Be aware of how you would like the room to look when students leave for recess, lunch, or to go home. Then teach a process of how you would like things put away and the room cleaned up and how they should wait to be dismissed.

Blog #4

A1- It sounds like morning meetings are a great way to create a community in your classroom. Students are free to express themselves and have people listen to what they have to say. Students learn to bond with their fellow classmates. They can learn that everyone has great ideas to contribute. When everyone trusts each other there are hardly any behavior issues in the classroom. I would like to try morning meetings in my classroom someday. I would like try and get my class to have synergy in the classroom. I want to try her method of vegetables and medicine, etc. That way the students can understand what we are trying to accomplish through morning meetings. I also want to give my students a lot of responsibility during morning meetings. I think that the students will want to do their best in the things that they do when they know the whole class in counting on them.

B1- How a teacher can response to a student's needs...

1. Invitation: wanting to get to know the student, have time for them personally, respecting them, seeing their value, etc.
2. Opportunity: having important, worthy, challenging things for them to do to open new possibilities.
3. Investment: making an enjoyable place for them, to reflect them, to help them grow and succeed.
4. Persistence: they are always growing, learning. There are many different ways for them to learn.
5. Reflection: After watching and observing you I know what to do to help you learn better. I try to see things through your eyes. Asking yourself what you can do to make things better.

I think that investment sort of encompasses all of them in a way. When you make an investment in something you want it to win so you can win. You will take the time to get to know what you are investing. You are always thinking of way to get the most out of your investment. As a teacher I am going to invest in all of my students and I want for us all to win. When I was in elementary school I didn't really feel like a lot of my teachers were really there for me. I want all my students to know that I know who they are and that I have a plan to help them succeed.

Blog #3

1- I like Thinking About My Reading, where they make a smiley, frowny, or average face as answers to what they do while reading. I want to teach a younger grade so I think it will pretty easy for them to understand. It will also give me insight to how they read and how they feel about reading. I think I would add more questions like what type of books do you like to read. I think I would use this at the beginning of the year. I think I could use this test to put students into different kinds of groups based on the type of books they like to read and maybe the could start a book club. I can also use this test to create student profile. Based on their responses you could easily make different kinds of groups to fit their readiness or interest. It will definitely tell me the student's affect and how they feel about reading.

2- I also liked Group Observation Reading. This one is like a chart where I can make a record of how they are reading and what they need to work on. I think I would also add a category of how they like to read. I think that I could use the chart to create a learning profile into groups based on their readiness. If I add a category about how they feel about reading and what types of books they like to read, I think it would prove this chart quite a bit. I personally love reading and I know my teachers like to enrich my reading experience by offering more insightful, challenging books. I think a student should have some input about they type of books they have to read that way they will enjoy it more.

3. I also like Getting a Writing Sample, because I think that it is a good way to find out the student's readiness for writing. I would probably simplify it for my class. I really liked the task it wants the students to do. Step one what motivates you to write, step 2 write a sentence. This will give you a clear picture step by step what they students can do. Based on this information you could create writing groups where they student on the same level or interest can help each other out.

#2 Favorite Quote

Here is my favorite "quoted section" from Chapter 1 of Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom (it's begins on the top right side of page 10):

"Such teachers are willing to be vulnerable learners. The puzzle pieces of knowledge and ideas the"own" make sense more fully to- teachers as well as student- when combined with the mysteries of each of their lives in the classroom."

I think I liked this statement so much because I believe that teachers should put more effort into their learning how to be a better teacher as they expect their students to learn from them. When teachers understand their students better they can teach them better, it's as simple as that. This requires a constant effort from the teacher.