{"content":{"sharePage":{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"74586751","dateCreated":"1439167814","smartDate":"Aug 9, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"chf27","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/chf27","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/thefacultyroom.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/74586751"},"dateDigested":1532760696,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"The Plainer Truths, Cnapter 1","description":"When I started reading, I didn't stop until I reached the end of Chapter 3. Botel had me at the first sentence, my VIP 1, "Transacting with texts focuses on the development of active, motivated readers who engage in reading for a variety of authentic purposes both in and out of school." Students appreciate the authentic, the real. Through increased use of a BDA structure and a variety of learning activities, business elective information can help to create more active, motivated readers as students engage over topics that focus on their future and the reality of their world.
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\nVIP 2, "teachers in all content areas can create the environment for such reading transactions through discussion, enactment, presentation, writing and other media." All content areas. We are all responsible for the success of our students. Unfortunately, they are not always all receptive. My greater success lies in creating that spark of interest in a topic that leads to more.
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\nVIP 3, "Literacy is a complex, co-constructive process by which learners make meaning as they transact with texts: oral, experiential, and written." Literacy happens as life begins and builds as we grow ... I'm still growing. Start with a nursery rhyme, a bedtime story, a fairy tale, continue with short stories, fiction and non-fiction, textbooks, recipes, technical manuals ... transacting with text is a lifetime experience, one that we can nurture as educators and hope that we pass our passion on to others.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"74585877","dateCreated":"1439154850","smartDate":"Aug 9, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"dih","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/dih","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/thefacultyroom.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/74585877"},"dateDigested":1532760696,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Reflections on Reflections!","description":"Wow! The postings by you folks have been insightful and tremendously productive! Possibly the best collection of reflections I've ever witnessed in my 11 years of teaching PLN:) The math folks gathered additional techniques and strategies in their reading and make sure to keep these suggestions in mind as you develop your BDA lessons. For the folks who read and responded too the Botel reading in The Plainer Truths, it is great to reflect upon what we ask our learners to do on a regular basis, as well as to remember the "test prep" mania will not yield the depth of rigor that we should be teaching with. Great job folks!","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"74582139","dateCreated":"1439057841","smartDate":"Aug 8, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"traviszook","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/traviszook","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/thefacultyroom.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/74582139"},"dateDigested":1532760696,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Student Interaction in the Math Classroom - Travis Zook","description":"The article begins with the most important point: in order for students to achieve deep understanding classroom discussions and other types of interactive participation are paramount. If we want our students to be able to be the best that they can be and truly understand the principles that we are teaching we need to create time for interactive participation in our classrooms.
\nAnother very important point presented in the article is a challenge that teachers face, the increased requirement for facilitation skills and attention to classroom dynamics. This is something that I need to improve upon. Many times in science class I find myself \u201ctalking to the class\u201d instead of getting them involved with the material that they are learning. Two years ago I started using the think, pair, share strategy in my classroom and have really enjoyed using it. The students enjoy talking with one another about their answers, and as the research shows, the discussions among my students have helped improve their understanding of the content. I still find it challenging to keep some classes on task and to properly facilitate these types of activities.
\nThe third very important point is the strategies that are presented to encourage high-quality student interaction. Students need to be presented with powerful problems that allow for a range of solution or a range of problem solving strategies. I teach science, and like math, I think much of the time I am focused on questions from the textbook or labs that have a right answer and a wrong answer. If students are going to have good classroom discussions where they can discuss, agree, and disagree I am going to need to plan and create questions that are going to lead to more debates about the correct answer or the best way to arrive at a similar answer. I think in my class there are lots of opportunities for me to create the types of questions that will drive good group discussions but I am going to need practice and some trial and error to create these questions.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"83202641","body":"I can say that I also have caught myself "talking" to the class. That is when I need to switch it up and get the students involved in some way. I am going to strive to practice the strategies learned through this class. And, I also am going to plan and create questions that will be better used for collaboration and interaction on behalf of the students.","dateCreated":"1439176406","smartDate":"Aug 9, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"Alh24","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/Alh24","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"83203079","body":"A lot of math and science teachers get the correct answer and go on to the next question. Even when we ask students to justify or explain their answer, it usually ends there - one student answers and that same student justifies. I would love to see a video of a whole-class math-talk lesson. I was thinking that maybe I could have the guidelines on notecards - one per card, as well as posted on the wall, and then be ready to hand them to individuals who are reluctant to speak, or to a student when the discussion has stalled. Another idea I had was to give each student a notecard (after a challenging lesson) as they leave and have them bring it back the next day with a comment about the day's lesson. (I could have some of my own ready to use, in case of duplicates or to encourage higher-order questions.) This could be the main idea or a question, or a concept that the student still does not quite understand. The notecards could be used the next day to facilitate group interaction. A third idea I had is to require an exit pass on days where whole-class math-talk is desired. A student would receive an exit pass, i.e., a ticket, after participating in the group discussion. (The teacher determines whether the quality of the student's verbal contribution is worthy of a ticket or not.)","dateCreated":"1439179970","smartDate":"Aug 9, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"SonyaDRiden","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/SonyaDRiden","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"83203081","body":"A lot of math and science teachers get the correct answer and go on to the next question. Even when we ask students to justify or explain their answer, it usually ends there - one student answers and that same student justifies. I would love to see a video of a whole-class math-talk lesson. I was thinking that maybe I could have the guidelines on notecards - one per card, as well as posted on the wall, and then be ready to hand them to individuals who are reluctant to speak, or to a student when the discussion has stalled. Another idea I had was to give each student a notecard (after a challenging lesson) as they leave and have them bring it back the next day with a comment about the day's lesson. (I could have some of my own ready to use, in case of duplicates or to encourage higher-order questions.) This could be the main idea or a question, or a concept that the student still does not quite understand. The notecards could be used the next day to facilitate group interaction. A third idea I had is to require an exit pass on days where whole-class math-talk is desired. A student would receive an exit pass, i.e., a ticket, after participating in the group discussion. (The teacher determines whether the quality of the student's verbal contribution is worthy of a ticket or not.)","dateCreated":"1439179974","smartDate":"Aug 9, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"SonyaDRiden","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/SonyaDRiden","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"74547901","dateCreated":"1438638861","smartDate":"Aug 3, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"B8ker","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/B8ker","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/thefacultyroom.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/74547901"},"dateDigested":1532760696,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Plainer Truths Chapter One","description":"One thing that really struck me from the reading is the need or authentic informational texts. With the push toward the Keystone, we have come to rely on the workbooks that are engineered to focus on testing skills. But is a five page article about the process of cheese making an authentic connection to the English classroom? Taking these random articles out of a vacuum and using them in the classroom is not going to resonate with the students. If it feels like a disposable lesson they will treat it as such. It is common sense, but we have gotten away from keeping authentic connections to the sources we select.
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\nI also really love the idea of reading as a transaction. There must be that interplay between the text and the reader. So many students want to be passive. They want to sit back and wait for the answers to be given to them, and that does not allow for any real learning. The reading, writing and speaking come together to create this transaction. Students must be willing to take the initiative and the risk to really connect with the readings. The risk piece is key. The classroom environment must be an emotionally safe place for students to venture forth their interpretation of a text or the meaning they have constructed. If they feel they are going to be shot down my a fellow student or, heaven forbid, from the teacher for a constructed meaning that is slightly different from the expected, they will never venture to make their own meaning. Looking back on my own education, the best learning experiences I had were the classes where, under the guidance of a professor or teacher, we hashed out a topic until we came to some understanding. I always had a better appreciation after a discussion with someone with a different perspective because it challenged me to really focus on my original interpretation and adjust. That is a skill I sometimes wonder if we are teaching our students. But it is a skill they desperately need.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"83181761","body":"I liked your description of a "disposable lesson." Reflecting on the workbook that was used in some of our 8th grade reading classes last year; rather than it being labeled as it was, "consumable," I feel that "disposable" is much more appropriate. Although very well organized into units with very specific focus, the stories and articles felt...out of tune. I'm looking forward to putting some of these new resources for informational texts to use.","dateCreated":"1438892798","smartDate":"Aug 6, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"jyuhas722","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/jyuhas722","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"83192493","body":"I too am struck by the idea of reading as a transaction. Interacting with the text is definitely going to be a bigger focus in my classes. I agree that students are often passive in their learning. Students must be truly involved in the learning in order for the learning to occur.","dateCreated":"1439008239","smartDate":"Aug 7, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"Afosselman","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/Afosselman","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"74547835","dateCreated":"1438637868","smartDate":"Aug 3, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"DelFuller","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/DelFuller","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/thefacultyroom.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/74547835"},"dateDigested":1532760696,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Plainer Truths","description":"When reading Rosenblatt's piece about transactional texts it takes me to a socio-cultural perspective on making meaning. That a reader brings more to the table than just the words on the paper. The interact with the text. They interact in a manner that brings their background into the meaning making process. For this reason readers may have very different interpretations of the same text. The schemata one develops will vary across cultures. For this reason we need to create situations where readers can interact with one another to provide perspectives within a group.
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\nI also see that using a before, during and after model for instruction providing a method to create the conversation. In using the BDA model students have a purpose for reading the text and the after provides a means of conversation. This produces meaning making for each person in all transactions with the text and an integration of new material.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"83151215","body":"I also enjoyed the reading on socio-cultural perspective. I find that along with socio-economic impact is very unappreciated in our district. According that lots of research it surely shouldn't be. Our students really struggle with perspective and have a narrow point of view.","dateCreated":"1438649498","smartDate":"Aug 3, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"ncb460","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/ncb460","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"74547291","dateCreated":"1438631717","smartDate":"Aug 3, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"drussler7","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/drussler7","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/thefacultyroom.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/74547291"},"dateDigested":1532760696,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"The Plainer Truths-Part II, chatper 1","description":"Plainer Truths-part II, chapter 1
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\nOne of the first interpretations I made in \u201cThe Plainer Truths\u201d is when transacting with texts, whether the reader is young or very experienced, we relate to what we know, piece together new information on top of that, and make meaning from it. I teach high school and on a collegiate level. The motivation of the student is different, however, prior experience and knowledge are essential for meaningful learning.
\nAnother interpretation from the reading is that the reader has to know what to do with the text given. Hearing, seeing, and doing are crucial factors to understanding. Having the learner take ownership of the text and the teacher in the mediator role scaffolding, I feel taps into the prior knowledge allowing the integration of new information to occur.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"83188127","body":"I completely agree with your comment about prior knowledge and its role in transacting with the text. Often students can miss the importance of a work because they do not have the prior knowledge to apply to the material. That is why the BDA model is so important. By adding discussion to the Before lessons, students are comparing prior knowledge and learning from each other before applying it to the text. So often I get caught in the trap of forgetting the diversity of their backgrounds and I assume they know things they don't. The BDA method would allow me to get a better understanding of their prior knowledge before we get into the middle of the lesson. And if their are holes in their background knowledge, I can work to address those.","dateCreated":"1438960124","smartDate":"Aug 7, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"B8ker","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/B8ker","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"74547169","dateCreated":"1438630472","smartDate":"Aug 3, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"Afosselman","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/Afosselman","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/thefacultyroom.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/74547169"},"dateDigested":1532760697,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"The Plainer Truths - Chapter 1","description":"The Plainer Truths \u2013 Chapter 1
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\n\u201cCreating a learning environment in school in which meaningful reading transactions or co-constructions occur frequently\u201d seems at first glance to be a fairly simple task. However, creating that learning environment in an effective way can be overwhelming and often daunting. One V.I.P. that stood out to me at the beginning of the text- \u201cReading is viewed as a complex interplay of many factors, not the simple exercise of skills.\u201d I can remember in my own schooling, reading was definitely more of an exercise in skills as opposed to the complex interplay of many factors. Fortunately, there is so much more involved with teaching reading today. Students just don't read and regurgitate what they read. They need to interact with the text to make learning meaningful and relevant. Students today need to learn how to interact with text to get meaning. It's not so much about what they read but learning how to monitor their reading successes and failures. Critical thinkers learn to monitor their reading, use effective reading strategies to comprehend, and thus delve deeper into the information. I agree completely that readers need to \u201cbecome actively engaged with texts, to take a tentative or questioning stance, to go beyond initial or surface understanding, and to become responsible for their own interpretations.\u201d Teachers today need to guide their students rather than give them the information.
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\nAnother V.I.P. that stood out was \u201cIf reading in school is regarded as \u2018completing assignments\u2019, readers are unlikely to learn to read strategically.\u201d Strategic reading is a \u201cskill\u201d students need to be successful with in order to become better communicators. So much of what students are given across the curriculum falls under the category of completing assignments. Students will never learn to read strategically if they are not required to interact with the text on a personal basis. Without the interaction they will never understand and employ different strategies to become a better reader.
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\nThe final point that stood out for me, like a flashing neon light, was the importance of oral reading. I haven't read much to my students out-loud. I do quite regularly for my low-level classes, but not for the reason mentioned in the text. I read to them to make sure they get it without too much frustration \u2013 which is important. However, I love that reading aloud \u201cgives all students access to more sophisticated and linguistically complex texts than they may handle individually.\u201d It also struck a cord with me that modeling how a successful reader reads will help students see how to interact with texts. I plan on reading a lot more aloud in the future and especially with all students. My top section students never want me to read to them. It occurred to me that it is probably because they know that if they read individually they will complete the assignment quickly. This needs to stop because it's not about speed and finishing the assignment. It's about getting involved with the text.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"83181789","body":"I also noted the emphasis on oral reading. I read a lot to my students, especially in the struggling sections and I was glad that this method was justified. Sometimes I felt like my reading to students was taking away from their opportunities to read, so I feel better knowing that this modeling is helping them to become better readers themselves.","dateCreated":"1438893016","smartDate":"Aug 6, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"jyuhas722","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/jyuhas722","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"83200141","body":"I agree with both of you about the oral reading with struggling readers. I'm glad to see that oral reading isn't looked down entirely. I feel that reading aloud to students who struggle gives the teacher a chance to model strong reading strategies while also giving all students a chance to experience a text that may be difficult for them. I also liked what Andrea said about oral reading with higher level students. I never really thought that they disliked it because they felt that they could complete an assignment quicker by themselves. That absolutely makes sense and ties back into the idea that we need to make sure we aren't teaching students to just complete an assignment or answer some questions. We should be teaching them to interact, think about, and discuss the text.","dateCreated":"1439154840","smartDate":"Aug 9, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"jayhuerbin","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/jayhuerbin","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"83201111","body":"AI like the part of reading is more than just skills but an amalgamation of many factors that lead to meaning.","dateCreated":"1439165901","smartDate":"Aug 9, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"DelFuller","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/DelFuller","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"74546553","dateCreated":"1438624208","smartDate":"Aug 3, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"bac27","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/bac27","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/thefacultyroom.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/74546553"},"dateDigested":1532760697,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"The Plainer Truths ","description":"After reading The Plainer Truths, several things stood out to me. The first thing that stood out was the importance of students developing as active and strategic readers. For this to be possible, we as teachers need to provide the students access to many different types of texts in all classes. Teachers should be reading to students on a daily basis. The English and Language Art classes are not the only ones responsible for getting students to read, write, and speak on a daily basis.
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\nThe second thing that stood out to me was the different types of text that student\u2019s should be exposed to. Literary texts will broaden a student\u2019s pleasure and appreciation for reading. When reading literary texts, students should be asked questions with more than one right answer. With literary texts, students should make personal connections and previous experiences. Each student will have a different interpretation of the text and its meaning. It\u2019s also very important for student\u2019s to read his or her own work.
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\nInformational texts should expand beyond the textbook. Newspapers, magazines, journals, and primary documents should also be used. Reading these types of texts gives students an opportunity to read a text that is intended of other types of audiences. It also gives students the opportunity to think critically and creatively. Students are not exposed to these types of text enough within the classroom.
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\nFor the upcoming school year I plan to have students read current event articles every other Friday. Teaching ancient world history, it\u2019s hard for students to see the importance and relevance of what they are learning. I feel using current events will not only give students a better perspective of what is happening in the world, but also giving students the opportunity to read, write, and discuss a current event of interest. My plans are to read the articles together at fist and then pair-share\/group discussion. Eventually, my hopes are to have different groups reading and discussing different articles.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"83188155","body":"Thank you for saying that it does not all fall on the English and Language Arts classes! Non fiction falls naturally into other content areas, but English is often instructed to move away from the literature that is the heart of our content and expected to focus more on non fiction so students are prepared for the state testing. So thank you for that statement! I also agree with the types of text students should be exposed to. It goes back to the the authentic reading. Once our students leave school, many of them will not be faced with text books again, but they will have other types of reading that they must be able to understand.","dateCreated":"1438960344","smartDate":"Aug 7, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"B8ker","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/B8ker","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"83199101","body":"Exactly! The English and Language Arts classes should never be thought of as the only place responsible for daily reading, writing, and speaking! We are all to be held responsible. Reading, writing and speaking on a daily basis is critical to every aspect of learning throughout the day.
\nInformational text in a business elective expands to newspapers, magazines, journals, etc., that give students the opportunity to think critically and creatively. Twenty different answers to one question indicates to me that each student has made a personal connection to their reading and can exhibit a better understanding of the content.","dateCreated":"1439138467","smartDate":"Aug 9, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"chf27","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/chf27","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"74545009","dateCreated":"1438611810","smartDate":"Aug 3, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"makratzer7","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/makratzer7","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/thefacultyroom.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/74545009"},"dateDigested":1532760697,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Botel - The PlainerTruths","description":""In addition, the teacher's role as oral interpreter and mediator enhances comprehension by showing the reader what to do with texts."
\nAfter reading the excerpt, I finally feel validated in reading aloud in my classroom. That had to be the M.I.P for me. Over the years, some veteran teachers have given me negative feedback on this. They call it "spoon feeding" or making it too easy. But, I always find that students are more engaged and simply do better when we read together. They are able to make the authentic connections and read for a deeper meaning. It also gives me the opportunity to have them pause and explain, make a reflection, or prediction on the spot.
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\nAnother point that hit home for me when Botel stated that "Part of the difficulty students encounter in writing in the middle and upper grades may be explained by their limited exposure - as readers - to materials which take a position and argue it." I realized that I need to acquire real world materials that show students how to effectively argue a point. I take them through the argumentative \/ persuasive writing process with scenarios. However, I don't really show them what it looks like in the real world. Ideally, I need to find some writings that would argue the same point but from different stances or points of view. This has now been added to my "to do" list.
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\nFinally, my third point has to do with student's prior knowledge and "schemata." I have found that by 7th grade students expect their classes to be compartmentalized. They have a hard time when I start asking them pull what they know from other classes and my struggling readers often don't realize how much background knowledge they already have. It also isn't enough just to give them a K.W.L chart and say "ok.. fill it out." As introductory activities, I actually have to make the students brainstorm and then scaffold the background knowledge before we can start a reading on a particular time period. While this is sometimes a daunting task, I think that it is an important part in having the students become more actively engaged with the text.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"83201039","body":"I have heard the spoon feeding comments also. I do find that reading our text aloud while I have it projected with some of my lower readers helps them grasp the meaning much better. When doing so my class last year actually followed along. It was a small class and by following they were able to pull the pieces of information they needed. A lot of the time it would spark some really good conversations and questions that I don't think would have come about had they read the text themselves. The students were much better verbally than reading words on the page.","dateCreated":"1439165362","smartDate":"Aug 9, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"DelFuller","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/DelFuller","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"74543211","dateCreated":"1438576878","smartDate":"Aug 2, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"SonyaDRiden","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/SonyaDRiden","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/thefacultyroom.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/74543211"},"dateDigested":1532760697,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Math Article about Student Interaction in the Math Classroom","description":"I have always realized the importance of listening, reading, writing, and speaking in the math classroom. I always felt that if a student can explain his\/her reasoning, then he\/she truly understands the concepts. However, it has always been challenging to me, as a teacher, to get the students to interact in a large group setting. In highly competitive classes, such as the ones I teach, students do not ask many questions because they do not want to publicly admit that they are not grasping as quickly as others. A lot of students will ask for help before school or after school when there are no other or only a few other students and the setting is less intimidating. Furthermore, students are often times afraid to disagree with or challenge the \u201csmart\u201d kid.
\nAfter reading the article, I realized I have been on the right track, as far as encouraging whole-group discussion in my classroom. First of all, a lot of the questions in my classes are DOK Level 3 and I consistently ask students to explain their reasoning. I sometimes interrupt a student\u2019s explanation and ask another student to explain the next step, or ask another student to re-explain a solution. I often have students justify steps on written exams. Initially, students are not very efficient at this, but when it is a graded assignment, they quickly become more willing to do it and do it well, as they are highly competitive. Furthermore, I have good wait-time, which allows the students to develop their thoughts before I call upon them.
\nEven though I feel there is a lot of communicating of mathematics in my classroom, I would like to see the learning in my classroom become student-driven. Therefore, I will need to do more prompting and modeling of affective discussion so that student achievement and deeper understanding will increase. The reading suggested showing the students what high-quality math-talk looks like. I could surely try to do this during the small group help sessions before or after school. Then when the whole group is together, the \u201ctrained\u201d students can model the newly learned math-talk. I feel I will need to spend a lot of time on developing prompt cards and coming up with good questions that will have the outcome for which I am aiming.
\nI like the idea of posting guidelines for whole-class math-talk in the classroom. I am still a little overwhelmed with the notion of this endeavor. It would be nice if our district would allow us to spend some in-service\/professional development hours on this strategy.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"83195099","body":"I also feel that developing prompt cards to guide student discussions will be challenging. For me it is hard to get away from questions that have a right and wrong answer as opposed to questions that can have multiple answers and\/or multiple ways to arrive at the same answer. I think this will also be challenging for some of the students who are accustomed to one solution to a problem.
\nI find the more competitive the students the more heated the debates can become, especially the disagreements. I think with proper facilitation though, it can add a lot of fun to the class as well as creating the deeper understanding in our students that we all are striving for.
\nSome inservice\/professional development in this area would be welcomed from me as well.","dateCreated":"1439058533","smartDate":"Aug 8, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"traviszook","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/traviszook","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"83202587","body":"I would also love to see inservice\/professional development time scheduled for us to further develop these ideas we are learning through this class.","dateCreated":"1439175713","smartDate":"Aug 9, 2015","userCreated":{"username":"Alh24","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/Alh24","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]}],"more":true},"comments":[]},"http":{"code":200,"status":"OK"},"redirectUrl":null,"javascript":null,"notices":{"warning":[],"error":[],"info":[],"success":[]}}