Chapter 3 - Vocabulary is the Content - By Heather Kelley

I was very excited to see that the chapter Mr. Clark asked me to write about was all about vocabulary. As teachers, I think we all struggle with determining the best way to incorporate vocabulary into our curriculum, and I was hoping for some innovative ideas to use in my classroom. Fortunately, the book did not disappoint!

 

One of the concepts that I found most interesting was that of tiering vocabulary words for our students. I know that in my classroom I have sometimes depended on the vocabulary lists provided in the literature book only to realize that there were many other words within the story that students were not familiar with. By allowing students to work with partners or in small groups, tiering words can also allow students to use their prior knowledge to help teach unfamiliar terms to one another.

 

I also loved the idea of having students keep a vocabulary log. I think most of us have at some time been guilty of the "write the definition and create a sentence" vocabulary assignment, only to discover that the students had no better understanding of the vocabulary after completing the assignment. With the vocabulary log, students will still write the word's meaning, but they will also have their own personal connection to that word through their own associations and illustration. By personalizing the learning experience, students are actually learning more without feeling that they are doing "busy work".

 

Although there were many other helpful tips and suggestions throughout the chapter, I think the most important thing we can do for our students is to encourage them to read. By providing positive reading experiences, we will allow our students to see that vocabulary is a part of the real world, not just the classroom. When students have a chance to share their experiences with others, whether through a word wall, classroom presentation, etc., it will hopefully spark their curiosity and help us to create a culture of learning within our school.

 

I am really looking forward to implementing some of these teaching methods into my classroom, and I hope you are too!

 

Points for Discussion:

 

 What methods for teaching vocabulary do you currently use? Which of these work best?

 

 Chapter 3 describes many strategies for teaching vocabulary. Which of these do you         think would work best in your classroom? What changes would you need to make in your planning and teaching methods to implement these changes?

 

  Studies show that reading comprehension and vocabulary go hand in hand. In addition      to textbook reading, what reading opportunities can you provide to your students to help       spark their interest in learning?

Chapter 2: Background Knowledge: The Glue That Makes Learning Stick

What great comments from the last weeks post on Engagement.   

I don’t know about you, but as I read about the importance assessing and building background knowledge, it made me stop and think about all of the lessons that I taught to my second graders.  The main focus of my planning was on how I would teach the new skill or information for that lesson.  I understood what previous knowledge they had developed while in my classroom and so as I created the lesson I would build upon that information.  I realized that not much thought or effort had gone into assessing what prior knowledge they had developed from other sources that would impact their full understanding of what I wanted them to grasp.  How much more successful would my students have been in 2^nd grade and beyond had I taken the time to intentionally use background knowledge appropriately?       

Throughout this chapter a variety of strategies were presented that that can be implemented into any unit as we seek to not only assess but build background knowledge in our students.  Accessing prior knowledge will help ensure that our students are a more than ‘a mile wide and an inch deep’ in their knowledge of the content you are teaching.  The statement that really made me stop and think was when the author quoted Gallagher who said “Those students who sit down to the exam with the broadest base of prior knowledge will have the highest chance of scoring well” p45  If this is the case then we can only benefit our students by making a conscious effort to enhance their background knowledge. 

Points for Discussion:

1)  It seems to me that the step of focusing on background knowledge is the easiest step to skip while planning / teaching a lesson.  Do you agree or disagree with this statement and why?

2) Out of the strategies given throughout the chapter which one or two are you considering implementing in your classroom and what affect do you think it will have on the way you plan?

 

3) If you always planned a unit with assessing and building background knowledge as an integral part would it change the way you looked at your current textbook or resources?

Chapter 1 - Learning: It's All About Engagement

What a great chapter to get us thinking about learning! Engagement…although it may be initially difficult for us to define, we can all think of particular lessons we have taught when we knew that our students were highly engaged in the learning process. I am doubtful that the lessons you are thinking about included a long lecture or having the students read 10 pages from the textbook and answer some questions at the end of the chapter.  I would imagine that the lessons you recalled were those lessons in which students were involved in the learning process through some form of collaboration or involved in problem solving and active learning. The classroom was not quiet and the desk were most likely not in orderly rows.  You were probably not sitting behind your desk or standing behind your podium.  And most noticeably, you might have been a little nervous if an administrator walked in. J

As noted in the reading, engagement was the meditating factor in improved student outcomes.  In our fast paced and technologically advanced society, it is important that our educational practices are meeting the needs of today’s students. The following quote stood out to me as I read this chapter. “Never before have students’ lives outside of school been so different from their lives inside the classroom.” (Lent, 2012)   As educators are we trying to force 21^st century students to learn in a 20^th century classroom? Do our classrooms develop the skills that our students will need to be successful in the 21^st century?

The chart on page 15, provided some great principles of engagement which you can use in the classroom. Take a moment and note which of these principles you currently utilize and I encourage you to pick two that you will seek to implement in the first two weeks of school. I would also encourage you to utilize the student evaluation noted on page 29 to evaluate levels of student engagement. How could you use this tool in your classroom? 

I am looking forward to next week as Julie blogs about “Background Knowledge: The Glue That Makes Learning Stick” Have a great week!

Points for Discussion:

As educators do we value compliance over engagement? As you reflect on your educational experience as a student was compliance or engagement valued most by your teachers? Are there policies at GCA that do not foster engagement?

 

What role do you as a middle school teacher have in developing students who are curious? How can you foster this desire in your students?

 

How can you specifically implement some of the principles of engagement as noted on page 15 in your classroom?