Response to Double Entry Diary Instructional Framework

I enjoyed learning what a Double Entry Diary was in another article we read. This framework helped me to see an example of a diary for a book we actually read. This was very helpful and allows me to see how it is laid out and what to look for in regards the kinds of connections I would want my students to make. I like the idea of breaking the book into sections and giving students things to focus on while they are reading.

Response to Power Point on I Poetry

I agree that doing I Poems helps students to delve deeper into a character’s life. It gives them a sense of what the character believes and how they feel. It is important for students to be immersed in information about a character or topic before writing one of these poems to help aid them with their construction of the poem. Images are also a great way to illustrate the poem. There is no better way to learn about somone or something than to take on their particular role whatever it may be.

Response to Share Readings

Modeling is a great way to show students what kinds of things they should be thinking about as they read a text. The 25 teachers in this study modeled thier own thinking in shared reading. They did not ask students specific questions. Students did particiapte though by talking with a partner, writing a reflection, indicating agreement with certain statements or asking questions. I especially liked the section on vocabulary and the three strategies students can use to figure out a word they don’t know instead of asking the teacher. The first one is inside-the-word strategies which means looking at word parts such as prefixes and suffixes and thinking about what they mean. The second is outside-the-word strategies including looking at context clues or other parts of the sentence to deduce the meaning. And finally there are outside resoures such as peers, the dictionary or the internet. I also found it useful to realize that you need to figure out a purpose for the piece of reading you are modeling whether it be focusing on comprehension, vocabulary, text structures, or text features. It may include a combination and sticky notes can be useful here.