More Strategies

Now that most students have completed the ISAT tests, Mrs. DeYoung has returned to teaching comprehension strategies to improve reading, listening, and thinking. Third grade students are reviewing summarizing and questioning. The fourth grade language group practiced using context cues to comprehend unfamiliar words. Fifth graders are completing listening labs on the computer to develop the ability to recall information and answer comprehension questions. Many of these students have recognized their need to have information repeated and to ask for clarification. Finally, students at Lakeview have been introduced to the INSERT strategy.

The INSERT strategy helps students to monitor their thinking as they read. Students use the following symbols to code the text:

check mark Author confirms what you already knew- "I knew that!"

- Contradicts what you thought- " I thought differently."

? Confuses you- "I don't understand this!"

+ New Information- "I didn't know that!"

Students can write the symbols in the margin of the reading passage (in pencil if it is a text book) or use the symbols while taking notes. This strategy will also help to prepare for class discussions and to check their own understanding of curricular content.

March 3-6

Conferences:
Parent teacher conferences will be next week, March 9-12. Conference notes have been sent to parents of students whose annual reviews for speech are due this trimester. If you did not receive an invitation for a conference and would like to meet with Mrs. DeYoung, please contact her by telephone (630)783-5157, or email mdeyoung@ccsd66.org

ISAT Testing
This week students at Prairieview and Lakeview are taking the ISATs. Mrs. DeYoung will not meet with students if they are testing at their regularly scheduled time for therapy.

Thinking and Problem Solving

Solving online puzzles, riddles, and brainteasers are a great way to increase reasoning and problem solving. Discussing the problem and possible solutions boosts your brainpower and expressive language skills. Here are a few of Mrs. DeYoung's favorite brainteaser websites:

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/brainboosters/

http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/braint.htm

http://www.mindbreakers.com/

http://kids.mysterynet.com/

Reading Between the Lines/ Interpreting Text

In preparing for the ISAT assessments, this week language groups focused on interpreting what they read. The students read stories similar to passages on the ISAT and discussed how the author used details to convey meaning. (For example, when a writer describes the character's actions, the reader can interpret how the character is feeling. ) Group members were asked to summarize what the passages said and then explain the significance of the story events or tell why certain facts in a nonfiction article are important. Students with comprehension deficits often have difficulty making inferences in order to understand the writer's intent. Other children may be able to understand implied meaning, but struggle to put their thoughts into words. This activity provided an opportunity for pupils to develop critical thinking and then to express their conclusions.

Parents can help their children improve these skills by discussing reading selections with them and focusing on the inferences. Encourage your child to "read between the lines" to discover what the author is trying to communicate. Discussion questions may include:

• What does the author mean?
• What does this section tell you about the character?
• Why is this fact important?
• What is the purpose of this story? and most importantly...
• What can you learn from this passage?

At the recent American Speech and Hearing Association convention, one speaker told the audience of school speech-language pathologists, " Make the implicit explicit!" It was good advice- not only for those of us who teach students with language disorders, but also for parents who want to help their students comprehend and produce meaningful language.

February 2-6

Artic. Groups: This week students who are focusing on speech carryover skills handed in their January calendars in which they rated their speech last month. They have received new calendars and are setting speech goals for February. Some of the students have found it challenging to evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses. They are thinking of specific ways they can improve their communication at home or at school.

Other artic. groups continue to practice self-monitoring. They are making progress listening to themselves and identifying their own errors. Many of these children are beginning to need fewer reminders during small group discussions as well as when they practice word and sentence lists. At this point, students often speak at a slower rate in order to enunciate. Mrs. DeYoung is encouraging some children who are doing well with self-monitoring to increase their rate of speech and speak clearly so that they sound more natural when they talk.

Language Groups: Third graders have enjoyed playing "The Guessing Game" (similar to playing 20 Quesitons) to practice describing critical attributes and forming questions. This activity helps to develop analytical thinking skills as well as improve grammar.

The fourth grade language group reviewed science vocabulary about the animal kingdom. They are comparing and contrasing different types of animals and learning the terminology of classification. Next week students will complete a worksheet using the new vocabulary.

Older students have read a sample extended response and identified the necessary parts of the essay (main idea, text proof, interpretation, and extension). Mrs. DeYoung is showing them actual examples of student writing to demonstrate how they can apply target skills in their own work.

Using Graphic Organizers

"Graphic organizers are valuable instructional tools. Unlike many tools that just have one purpose, graphic organizers are flexible and endless in application. One common trait found among graphic organizers is that they show the order and completeness of a student's thought process - strengths and weaknesses of understanding become clearly evident. " (writedesignonline.com)

Graphic organizers can help students to summarize and comprehend information they have heard or read as well as assist them in preparing to write. All students, including children with language processing deficits, benefit.

Below is a list of ideas taken from http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/readingliterature/graphicorganizers.html on how to use graphic organizers with students.

• Provide a graphic organizer tailored to a specific reading assignment in a content area textbook, such as science or civics. The students can use the graphic organizer to take notes. The notes can be used as discussion starters in the content area class or as study guides for an upcoming test or quiz.
  
• Provide graphic organizers for your students to use as alternatives to book reports. Graphic organizers can be created for comparing characters, identifying the setting, mapping out the plot, etc.
  
• Provide graphic organizers that your students can use to organize thoughts during brainstorming or pre-writing exercises.
  
• Provide graphic organizers that your students can use to create the rough draft of a writing assignment.

Graphic Organizing-A strategy that works!

Making Progress

Artic(ulation). Groups
This week students working on articulation skills reviewed their speech calendars and/or practiced forming sentences using words containing their target sounds. Students have been focusing on their speech production and monitoring their speech while they are talking. Next week they will rate their own speech and identify if they are unclear.

Language Groups
Fifth, sixth, and seventh graders finished reading passages related to social studies and began writing another extended response about the articles. We are practicing writing extended responses in preparation for the ISATs in March. The reading portion of the ISAT requires students to read a selection and then write an essay in response to a question, or prompt, about the passage. Students are expected to formulate a key idea sentence stating their position, provide evidence from the text to support their key idea, interpret the information from the text, and then draw a conclusion and explain what they learned from the author. Mrs. DeYoung takes students through the writing process step by step to develop their essays.

Third grade language groups read and discussed a story. They enjoyed describing the characters and learning new vocabulary. Fourth grade students read about the causes of the Civil War and practiced using context cues to infer meanings of unknown words and define familiar vocabulary.