Friday, January 29, 2010

Understanding Expository Text/ Helpful Websites for Parents and Teachers

Here are some useful resources when introducing expository text to students. For further information, go to http://www.literacymatters.org/content/readandwrite/expos.htm


Reading Expository Text: The Choice for Some, A Challenge for Others

This article explains why reading expository text is difficult for some students. It discusses factors that affect students' success with reading expository text, including reader and instructional factors. www.big6.com/showenewsarticle.php?id=248


Expository Reading

This site includes links to sites with strategies and activities related to expository reading.www.beavton.k12.or.us/jacob_wismer/resources/expository_reading.htm


Reading Expository Text (Textbooks, Essays, Articles, Reports, Workplace Documents)

This site provides basic information that students need to know in order to read expository text. .www.englishcompanion.com/room82/readexpository.html




Friday, January 22, 2010

Language Groups

Third grade language students are practicing formulating and writing complete sentences using correct noun-verb agreement. The sentences need to contain a subject and verb (predicate). The students will organize their sentences in the correct order to form a brief narrative. They will be introduced to transition words (first, next, last, also) that help them to sequence ideas.

Older students continue to focus on support and elaboration. The fifth graders have used graphic organizers to brainstorm reasons, examples, and supporting details in response to a prompt. Next week they will be introduced to various strategies for putting these ideas into words when writing.

This week students at the jr. high discussed text related to topics they are studying in science and social studies. For example, seventh grade students read notes from Mr. Little's blog and listed reasons that colonists settled in the New World. They gave the reasons and then provided evidence or examples and interpreted their significance. This group identified how the early settlers were able to accomplish their goals. The groups used colored post-it notes to differentiate between evidence and interpretation, and organize ideas.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Articulation Groups

In speech therapy sessions this week, students with goals to improve articulation skills have begun using the audio recorder to record their speech and practice listening to themselves and self-evaluating. They pronounced sentences or read passages aloud and rated their speech (good, fair, poor) and identified words that were unclear. Some of the children are very adept at recognizing their own errors, while others have a difficult time perceiving their mistakes. They may have attention deficits or weaknesses in auditory discrimination that interfere with self-monitoring. Children who are unable to discriminate their own errors will be reminded to focus on oral kinesthetic cues and tongue placement to improve self-awareness. In some cases, using the mirror can be a helpful tool for self-correction. These are great activities to do at home to practice carryover skills. Speech homework second semester will continue to focus on self-assessment and carryover.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Mrs. DeYoung's New Year's Resolution

Many people resolve to make changes and improve their lives in the new year. As we have returned to school after winter break, I am reconsidering how I hope to improve the lives and skills of my students in 2010. They will be expected to perform at a higher level this coming semester than last and I need to figure out how to help them meet that goal.

For example, just this afternoon, a sixth grade teacher came to me asking if I would assist one of our students with his persuasive essay. It is an assignment that prepares students for the upcoming ISAT exam. As I looked over the graphic organizer that the sixth grade team provides for students and began to instruct the particular student and other members of his language small group, I realized that they were not able to complete the activity for numerous reasons. First of all, the level of critical thinking and interpretation required to pass the sixth grade Illinois writing assessment is above the developmental level of a typical eleven-year-old. Students are rarely exposed to the type of expository text that they are being asked to produce. Sixth graders generally do not read extended persuasive articles like those found in letters to the editor or scholarly journals. Also, most adults (myself included), do not use the style of writing that is expected on the Illinois achievement test. In this blog I have hardly begun to provide the thesis statement, evidence, transition statements, or interpretation outlined in the expository writing rubric for middle school students. I wouldn't score well on the ISAT.

Before mid-March, Lakeview speech and language groups may get the opportunity to "grade" Mrs. DeYoung's blog according to the Illinois standards. In the meantime, they will be reading examples of expository writing that approach the standards, practice elaborating and forming meaningful associations, list reasons, benefits, or advantages, brain storm types of evidence, and be encouraged to interpret or explain how the evidence supports their reasons. They will present their opinions orally and in writing. Some of the children may not "meet standards," but all of us (myself included) will make progress and improve our reasoning and writing skills. I will have met my annual New Year's resolution.