Hi and welcome to our course! Please remember that one of the benefits of a blogging course is to have communication between participants. Remember to read and respond to other participants' comments each week. We look forward to working and learning with you. Please try to keep your responses within one allotted "comment" space to ensure that the blog remains manageable for all participants.
Also, you may want to type your comments in a Word Document and either copy from Word and paste onto the blog or save it in a folder on your computer and then post it to the blog. I have written a couple of lengthy comments that I lost before I was able to post it to the blog. This extra step may save you some frustration later on this term.
Last of all, we will write our comments to your posts on the blog, so you will need to check back to the corresponding week for feedback (and to make additional comments if you wish.)
Let us know if you have any questions. You can email us, but please put the words "Question for Classroom Instruction" in the subject line so that we can respond in a timely fashion.
Assignment #1: Introductory paragraph. Please post your introduction to the course blog in the blog archive under the posting: Week One: Introduction - Please tell us a little about yourself. Where do you teach? What grade and how long have you been teaching? How many students are in your class and do you have instructional support? What does your current literacy program look like? (If you aren’t currently teaching let us know what your educational background and experiences are.) What is your knowledge/training in the area of literacy? Does your district provide literacy training? If so, what exactly have they offered? Also, let us know a little about you outside the classroom: Interests/ Hobbies/ Family Life.
Also please read: Classroom Instruction that Works - Chapter 1 – Applying the Research on Instruction: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
Sign in to the blog (follow directions below)
o Click on the comment link below. If you do not have a Google account you will need to create a free one. Underneath the “leave your comment” box – click where it says “no Google account? Sign up here.” Then follow the direction to create an account.
o After you create your account you can just type in your user name and password from when you created the account and then click the button “publish your comment” and it will be posted. You should post Assignment # 1 explained below as your first comment.
(Please Note: In addition to posting your first assignment (Introduction) to the blog, please email it to us. This is to enable us to contact you individually should the need occur. Please also make sure that you label your assignment with your name when posting to the blog to ensure that you receive proper credit for your work.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
13 comments:
My name is Randy Ball, and I am the Sandy High Auto teacher. This is my first time teaching, I have been teaching for almost three years now. I came from Industry, 25 years, including two years in my own shop. The transitions to teaching has been both fun and challenging, but a fun and learning experience. My hobbies are working on cars and racing, as well as camping and spending time with my family. I am looking forward to learning new tools for teaching my kids. My classes are a mix of 9-12 students. I find that it is easy to get attached to my students, and confused in how to reach some. I hope to touch each one in a positive way and to share my knowledge of my years of experience.
Hi, my name is Molly Frisch and I teach first grade at Roseway Heights School in Portland, Oregon. This is my 6th year teaching and I love it. Currently I have 25 students and I receive some support from our school’s literacy specialist 2-3 days a week. I also have an instructional assistant 2 days a week and she gives additional reading support to students who are not yet at benchmark.
My literacy program includes using the Scott Foresman curriculum for reading and the 1st grade writing notebook for writing which teachers from our district wrote. I begin the morning by doing a warm-up with some phonics practice. It is part of the Scott Foresman curriculum called enhancements. I do just a few cards so that I hold their interest. Next I pull reading groups while the rest of the class does a phonics and word work sheet and then does free writing and reading. In the afternoons I do a read aloud and then I do a mini-lesson on whatever the focus is for the day. I have students turn and talk before they go to their writing so they can have time to think and share before getting started. While students are writing I meet with students and discuss their writing. The last 5-10 minutes of writing are for sharing. I usually choose 2-3 students who have used whatever skill we have studied during the mini-lesson and have them share their writing.
I work for Portland Public Schools and in the past they have had some helpful training in literacy. Last year our district had exemplary writing teachers open their doors to classroom teachers to watch them do a complete writing lesson. The district paid for substitute teachers to cover teachers’ classrooms so we could watch these writing lessons and then debrief with the teacher. It was very meaningful and made me reflect a lot on my teaching.
Outside of the classroom I enjoy spending time with my partner, Richard. Last summer we did a lot of tandem cycling in Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Germany. When we got back we realized we needed to get a tandem of our own. We love riding downtown to the food carts on the weekend and getting good Indian, Thai, or Korean food. We always bring our panniers to fill them with delicious food to bring home as leftovers. I also love cooking and reading books about cooking. On the weekends I often try a new dish inspired by one of the cookbooks I’m reading. Richard will attest not all of my experiments are successful, but it makes me happy to try new things and be in the warmth of my kitchen. I am excited to be taking this course and look forward to learning more to improve my teaching.
Hello Randy and Molly! Welcome to class.
Randy, I'm sure you bring a great perspective to your school after having worked in Industry for most of your career. What type of racing do you do?
Molly,
My last district, I'm currently home with my new baby, also was starting to use the talent of their master teachers in addition to paying for presenters to come to the schools. As you said, the experience was pretty positive and the teachers really enjoyed learning and debriefing with their peers.
My neighbor is big into cycling and tandem writing. In fact, that's how she met her (now) husband. Your comments about not all the dishes working out made me laugh. I love to try new things, but they don't always turn out like I hope.
We look forward to working with you this term.
I drag race in sportsman class now but have also raced in tuff truck.I have 3 classes a day with about 25 kids each.
Hello. My name is Hope Long. I am currently in my fifth year of teaching. I teach second grade at a Title I school named Fir Grove Elementary in Beaverton, Oregon.
My class size is at 29 this year and I share one instructional assistant with two other classes for 50 minutes a day. We have one Title reading teacher and assistant who see some of my students throughout the day for reading intervention instruction.
I use the Daily 5 model for my literacy instruction. I balance whole-group mini-lessons, small-groups, and reading conferences for my literacy instruction. I have been using this model for four years and find it to be really successful.
My only literacy training stems from my graduate coursework, district in-service and classes, and collaboration with other teachers. My district offers occasional classes in various literacy topics through title grants. We also have monthly collaboration time where we are focusing on developing writing instruction.
Hello Hope! Glad to have you join the class. Jackie and I love The Sisters! (Randy- two sisters who are literacy authors and consultants that created The Daily Five and CAFE menu.)
Talk to you soon.
Hi! My name is Raquel Vasquez and I teach Spanish Immersion Kindergarten in Lake Oswego, Oregon. The class is a 50% English and 50% Spanish model, primarily because all reading instruction is done in English. All my students speak English as their first language. I receive instructional support only during our half hour reading block. We use the Read Well curriculum as the basis for literacy instruction and break into leveled groups with the other Kindergarten classes. The rest of the day is just myself and my wonderful 25 five and six year olds.
Lake Oswego School District has offered several literacy based classes and inservices. I have been Kindergarten and First Grade Read Well trained. I have also attended various writing "workshops."I have my MAT in Elementary Education and have taken literacy classes at the graduate level. I have been a substitute in grades K-8, but have spent my certified teaching years in 3rd grade and Kindergarten. Despite my teaching experience at different grade levels and in different districts, I still do not feel like a literacy expert. I would love to grow in the area of literacy instruction because it is so vital to a child's success in school and life.
Outside of school I enjoy spending time with my friends and family. I am married with one 22 month year old son. He is extremely active and consumes the majority of my "free" time. I RARELY get to pursue hobbies of my own, but enjoy cooking and eating various ethnic cuisines, dancing, couponing, doing Jazzercise, soccer, creating art, participating in outreach ministries through my church, and going on simple vacations. The beach is my place of serenity! Overall, I lead a simple, yet insanely busy life.
Hello! My name is Sarah Thorud, and I’m currently in my 12th year as a public school teacher for the Clatskanie School District. I spent the first seven years of my career teaching grades 6-8, mainly Language Arts, before transferring to the elementary school and teaching 2nd grade for two years. Currently, however, I am our district’s K-6 Reading Specialist/Title I teacher/Title I Coordinator/Building Test Coordinator/Data Team Leader…and so on, and so on, and so on! In my role as the Title I teacher, I, with the help of two educational assistants, serve approximately 75 of our school’s 380 students in a Targeted Assist Title I reading program. In my role as our building’s Reading Specialist, I work with all teachers and all students, coordinating progress monitoring and planning and carrying out interventions. When I’m not seeing students, I am working to learn everything there ever was to know about the world of Title I, and all the mandates that go along with such federally funded programs. Though it’s maddening at times, I love my job!
With my struggling readers, I use a variety of programs, including: Recipe for Reading, Reading Mastery, Read Naturally. I’ve never found a literacy program that I didn’t feel had to be enhanced in some way. So, I’ve spent a lot of my professional development dollars and time arming myself with a wealth of strategies to target my students’ individual needs. I’ve found that I’ve learned more about literacy instruction in this position than I ever could have imagined possible when I was getting my Masters degree and reading endorsement several years ago.
I feel blessed to be married to a teacher who understands what this profession is all about! Outside of work, my husband and I stay quite busy raising our two sons, Connor (14) and Gavin (11). We love to spend time at home, but we also really love to travel. We have been on two family trips to Europe, the most recent being this past summer when we spent 3 months “off the beaten path” with a leased car and a tent exploring Ireland, Scotland, England, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Craotia, The Czech Republic, Hungary, and Croatia. Our love for travel and other cultures has also prompted us to host exchange students (one from Brussels, the other from Prague) who, along with their families, have become very important “members” of our family. Though the travel bug has bitten and we’re feeling a little bit restless, we plan to stay home this summer to try our hands at raising chickens and growing vegetables!
Hello my name is Brad Thorud and I am a 5th grade teacher at Clatskanie Elementary School in Clatskanie, Oregon. I am currently in my twelfth year of teaching, all of which has been in the Clatskanie School District. I have taught many subjects and grade levels, from 5th grade self-contained to high school social studies. My wife, who currently is the Title 1 Reading Specialist at CES, and I are both graduates of Clatskanie High School. We returned home after graduating from Western Oregon University in the spring of 2000 where we currently reside in Clatskanie with our two boys, Connor and Gavin. When I’m not teaching I enjoy spending my time with my family, traveling, and coaching football.
Greetings Raquel, Sarah and Brad! Welcome to the course.
Raquel you do have a busy schedule! I taught in LO for 3 years before moving over to Sherwood when they eliminated the librarians. Have they brought back certified librarians yet? I know I continue to hear such sad stories about the cuts and budget issues in Oregon. Sarah and Brad, I also love to travel. I just had a new baby last year, so with me staying home with her and the lack of funds we haven’t done much lately. (Luckily Montreal is under 2 hrs. away from Northern Vermont so we can get a little taste of a big city with an international feel.) Sarah, it’s overwhelming at times how districts continue to put more and more demands and responsibility on teachers, it seems that you have a positive attitude though. Brad and Sarah it’s great that you are able to take this class with each other; I know I always find that I appreciate bouncing ideas off a co-worker when I take classes or workshops.
By the way, Lake Oswego has not brought back certified librarians. We have media assistants, but they are not the same as before. I came into Lake Oswego as an assistant six years ago and they had just done away with librarians. Unfortunately they have cut Physical Education drastically as well. Kindergarten does not get PE unless teachers teach it, which we do. On the bright side, Lake Oswego has not had to lay off teachers like many other districts. I feel so fortunate to have a job in these hard economic times.
That is sad to hear. It sounds like you have a positive attitude though which is so important in these economically trying times.
Post a Comment