My field placement is at Bath Elementary in a Kindergarten classroom. The students have been learning letter identification all year long and are now being introduced to inventive spelling. The teacher begins the mini lesson by reading a book to the whole class. From this point, the teacher engages in recitation with the students. The recitation is led by the teacher who asks questions about the book and the students answer them. If there is opportunity for small group discussion, such as "Name a time when you did something really nice for someone", the teacher will ask the students to share with their neighbor and then bring the focus back to the whole group. The teacher-led recitation allows the students a chance to answer questions about the book and share their opinions. Also, the teacher-led discussion provides opportunities for the students to make meaningful connections from the text to their lives. Additionally, the students are able to enhance their social skills by listening to their peers and taking turns providing answers. After the recitation, the teacher introduces what the centers will be for the day, and then the students disperse to their centers. After the winter break I've noticed the literacy center becoming more prominent and demanding. The students were given journals and each day they write in them. They either practice writing words from a word list the teacher has provided, or they respond to a prompt the teacher gave during the whole group discussion, such as "Write about one exciting thing that happened to you this morning." The students are encouraged to use inventive spelling to write as many sentences as possible. I find that the literacy center is the center that generates the most student discussions as well as the most frustrations. If the teacher has to unexpectedly cut her centers short, the literacy center is the first one to either be eliminated or simplified because of its time demand.
I find that the librarian in the school also does a great job of leading recitations with the class. Before reading a story, she announces, "After I read this book, I'm going to be asking you a few questions about it, so keep your ears open." The students are encouraged to raise their hands and answer her questions as well as bring in meaningful connections from their own lives.
I am looking forward to seeing these students develop in their literacy skills as the semester carries on. They have already come a long way from the beginning of the year. Even though they still have a long way to go when it comes to their confidence in literacy, they definitely have the motivation and desire to learn.
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Liz,
I am impressed by your teachers method of relating the text to students own life experiences. I believe it is important for students to make literary connections outside from what they are reading. It seems that it allows them to identify, compare and contrast and to reflect on what they have read. I also think it is great that she gave them time to talk about it with their peers. I always found it interesting to hear how other people connected with the story.
Another aspect of literacy that I liked how your CT is doing are journals. I don't think I started writing in a school journal until at least first grade. I am curious though if you have read any of them? If you have, have you noticed a gap between students writing? Do students work entirely on their own and try their best with spelling or is someone helping them?
Emily-
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