Charlotte Verity Professional Learning (School Based)

Literacy Processing is how the brain works with the text to get a message (reading) or create a message (writing). Reading recovery children will need to go through every level.  Able - very able readers may move through the colours (i.e. may not spend long on each level) The workshop leader suggests that the book going home is not  a guided book; it should be a phrased, fluent book (even if from browsing book). The take home book should be enjoyable  and not labour intensive. Green level: teach chunking....  a much more effective strategy than sounding out. Other strategies to teach:  * Self-correct * Notice errors * Monitor or checking * Search for information * Find the information (e.g. look for a cue in picture and finding it) * Use the information * Self-correcting * Cross checking Taking running records: * Text must have been seen and taught (guided text) * Record on Marie Clay Running Record Sheet * Include on form: the level, the...

TEACHING AS INQUIRY: WRITING  Focusing Inquiry What is important given where my students are at? I have chosen to focus on three students in writing. A full description of their current development can be found here . Teaching Inquiry What strategies (evidence-based) are most likely to help my students learn? * Providing rich motivations * Giving students audiences/platforms for sharing their writing (wall, blog, sharing with other teachers) * Writing criteria (visual) and explicit feedback (verbal) * Individual modelling, prompting, praise and questioning Teaching & Reflection - (Action) T erm 1 The Baseline Situation * Variation in writing stimulus and topics engaged students * Modelling was kept short, but didn't engage all students. How can I increase involvement during modelling? * We did lots of writing about ourselves: favourite playground, a family member * Students loved ...

RESILIENCE FURTHER RESOURCES: http://www.reachinginreachingout.com/ WHAT I WILL DO DIFFERENTLY AS A TEACHER * How can I be the positive / supportive adult that a child who is struggling with adversity? For the one child I am thinking of (OH), I will do this by  spending time playing and talking with him,  and giving  positive affirmations. * Teach children how to BREATHE from the diaphragm.  * Model the calming strategies I use for myself (e.g. deep breaths, self-talk) * Brain Breaks - aim for 3 x per day * Help students develop:      1. self-regulation e.g. asking is this helpful? (see below)      2. focus attention e.g. stop and count the circles (silently) in the room      3. persevere e.g. articulate past success; set up achievable challenges; model perseverence  MY QUESTIONS How can we build resilience in our parents/whanau? MY LEARNING FRO...

Kate introduced her six stages of Inquiry (Copyright EduKate), see details below: My Next Step  after this learning: * I am going to try planning backwards, flexibly planning according to needs of children and then documenting the learning as we go. * Focus more on FORMATIVE and SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT e.g. a wall display or verbal statement from the children of their learning. This is EVIDENCE OF LEARNING AND TEACHING.  * Spend time unpacking key words, questions and ideas through engagement e.g. picture sorts, ask an expert etc 1. PURPOSE - So what does this mean for our Identity Unit: I will suggest to team that we spend  longer  on engaging the students into the concept of Identity and why its important.  e.g. tell a personal story about why my family is important OR start with the word identity on the board and have students draw/write what they think it means OR cut / sort paper words related to identity. 2. EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO TAKE OWNERSHIP ...

Progress to date One student may achieve the standard for After One Year at school. The other children are working at a 1B level. However, the group have made huge personal steps: * All students now plan and start their stories independently. * 2 of the students include initial and end sounds in words. 3 children consistently use initial, middle and end sounds * 4 students write and re-read their stories independently. 3 make corrections as they re-read.  * 3 of the children include conjunctions, and consistently write 3 or more sentences.  What remains challenging? Letter formation causes 2 students to work very slowly (and they see writing as physically taxing). Developing letter formation causes two other children to have problems when re-reading their work. The group would benefit from correct high frequency word spelling, and could add more details to their responses.  My next steps as a teacher * Continue to offer writing experience activities in rea...

Background: observing colleague with 4 students, who have been at school for two terms. Modelling focused on using sound words (roar, crash etc) and the picture book, Demolition , as stimulus. My colleague was interested in helping the children add detail to stories and use think alouds . Students all used sound words, used finger spaces, were actively re-reading and sounding out words. Some children also added detail. There was a positive climate; colleague praising students' effort throughout; writing was truly  co-constructed  between students and teacher ( kids encouraged to have a go!). There was explicit teaching, repeated throughout modelling e.g. stretching out words 'like chewing gum' and modelling knowing/looking words. Strengths colleague demonstrated / Next steps for me: * Clear reading-writing links made by teacher, often using questions, 'What would our readers want to know?' 'How should we read it?' * Model varied starts for sent...

The Treaty - Why is it important? * We need to understand the past to understand the present * Bi-cultural practise = treaty-based practice * All students should have opportunity to learn about Te Reo,  Māori culture  * Teachers have a role in helping the future generation understand their past and each other (students) * Our country's history (and ours) is a woven mix of  Māori and European culture  Assimilation European migration carried a social policy known as 'assimilation', or that races were hierarchically from 'savage' to civilised races. The British government of the time saw themselves and their culture as superior, and that other cultures should be taught how to 'be' British. Native schools were established to 'assimilate  Māori to the habits and usages of the European' (Consedine, R & Consedine, J (2001) Healing Our History: The Challenge of the Treaty of Waitangi ). The Treaty Debate 'Māori seek justi...

My Questions For Observation *How can I use this to help my more advanced writers? *How is teacher  and / or peer feedback provided? Writing Modelling Book Lesson Outline Students were sharing facts about space, in preparation for writing factual reports about space (stimulus / ignition).   The teacher revisited yesterday's modelling, on putting facts in order. Students had a reason for writing  and the specific teaching of genre was woven in according to this purpose. Clear WALT (learning objective) in modelling book. Independent writers were given feedback the day prior, and sent off to continue with their work. Modelling for First Focus Group Teacher Focus Group 1 The teacher ran a focused group with target writers (WALT: use our picture plan to write), creating a modelled/shared piece of writing. Teacher and students discussed  facts related to the picture plan. The teacher used questioning and probing to help students think of further i...

This month, I am collecting work samples of target students' writing. Hyperlink to: Individual Monitoring Documents Four out of six students can now: * Say a sentence and draw a picture plan * Identify (at times, with teacher prompting) the initial sound. Children use the phonics card for this, or known sounds * Three of the students are writing known high frequency words: the, to, Mum * One student is now using spaces consistently, and writing middle and end sounds for most words (VF) What has worked: * Sharing info with home - so parents can do further practise with students * Phonics practise and cards (songs, chants, games with parent help) * Explicit modelling on finding start sound and using 'knowing words' * Giving individual feedback to each child after writing * Slowing down handwriting teaching - teaching each letter over two days, and modelling/explaining how to write each letter for students * Holding a teacher focus group with ...