Word work is something they learn in primary grades… but is it?
I loved the example of the PE teacher supporting the district efforts by using language that would expand his students vocabulary. I think that it is important that we remember that every teacher (regardless of the content area) can have an impact on students. When there is a district or building initiative to focus on word work, the PE teacher can be just as important as the ELA teacher.
-How do we support students who did not master “breaking the code”?
I think that this ties in with the value of small group instruction. During small group instruction, teachers are able to meet the individual needs of students. Small group offers the opportunity to incorporate word work and meet students where they are at.
-What did you learn in this chapter and how will you apply it to your instruction?
I really like the idea of creating a whole school list that students can focus on. I think that when students see a unified approach, they find value and importance.
-Small group instruction is most useful for remediation.
I believe that small group is powerful for all instruction, not just remediation. Small groups allow the teacher to connect to the student. Students are unable to hide in small groups, therefore the teacher is more easily able to identify areas of strength and weakness.
Do you incorporate these into your teaching? How could you?
I often see teachers work in small group during ELA instruction. I think small group math instruction is also so powerful. I have seen some of our second grade teachers work in small groups to teach students a conceptual understanding through the use of math manipulatives. From an administrator standpoint, those teachers that have established small group instruction, also tend to be most effective in their practice.
-Name & Summarize (a few sentences) about the “other” chapter you read
I read chapter 11-Pre Teaching Vocabulary. I love some of the strategies that Beers shares in this chapter. I like the idea of having students work in groups to create semantic maps of words that will be important and then share them with the class. This allows pre-teaching to occur while maximizing instructional time.