Resources to Help Struggling Readers

               Many students are struggling readers. As we are learning in our READ 411 class, a struggling reader isn’t easy to identify physically. Those students may participate excellent in class by answering questions based on others comments, but essentially isn’t able to perform as an independent reader. This is one of the most difficult tasks for teachers to overcome is helping a dependent reader become independent. There are many online resources available to teachers and students to help them make that transition. Students may feel anxious to openly ask a teacher for help because it can be embarrassing to admit that they aren’t able to grasp the readings as well as other students. Of course it is the obligation of the teacher to help the student, but giving the student the option of online support as well as in class support might better help the student rather than them feeling self-conscious.

                One of the troubles of identifying a struggling reader is that it will become noticeable once the student is older, which can make the transition from dependent to independent reader all the more challenging. There are reading intervention programs available online which caters to the five components of literacy (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary). For students who are in elementary school, one way to help them read is that caters to phonics so they can interact with practicing their abilities with Computer- Assisted Instruction and Reading. There is a site used called Starfall.com which reads aloud sentences to students and they must place the correct word in each sentence. By completing this exercise on a daily basis can help students become more confident with their reading skills by understanding the structure of sentences and their components.

                Besides phonics, students have difficulty understanding texts. Some students can read pages and pages of words and not be able to even give a description of what they just read. When students are asked to tell the teacher what they read, most teachers met with a blank stare. This is because students aren’t able to articulate their understanding of the text or simply they do not understand it. There is an online program called GEMM Learning which assists students through games, reading exercises, and other activities to help build reading fundamentals from grades Kindergarten to Adults. The programs are specifically catered to students’ needs in order to work with texts. For example, children who are entering kindergarten will have a specific learning target. Their target is to use the program 30 minutes a day with a computer game called GEMM city which helps them navigate through mainly phonics; since during ages 4-7, comprehension isn’t a huge part of the curriculum since students are still learning the basics. As the age levels progress, so does the program and its levels of learning.

 

 

               Reading Assistant Technology offers students an opportunity to be assessed on their reading skills online. The technology will also be able to cater to that student’s needs and help them with specific areas they are struggling with. This software is crucial because it helps the child as they are being assessed, that way they are able to understand how they can improve in that exact moment. Also, there is oral feedback given from the program that acts as an online tutor every step of the way. This software is optimal and will ensure that every student is getting the attention they need in order to become an independent reader. All schools should buy this software for struggling students. This software can give students who are struggling a piece of mind that they can have an opportunity outside of the classroom to receive guided instruction.

http://www.readingrockets.org/helping/
http://www.gemmlearning.com/reading-programs-for-kids.php?1=on
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/42401/

Reflection of Interactivity #4

I decided to choose a lesson plan that focused on point of view in a 7th Grade Language Arts Classroom. The main idea of the lesson was to engage students with two similar texts, The Three Little Pigs and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf. I have seen this lesson done in the classroom and it is a great way to introduce students to the concept of point of view. The lesson plan was very well done and it incorporated a lot of different pieces of literature to further the discussion on point of view. I think that by using so many different texts if gives the students a more thorough look into the concept, but it may also overwhelm the students. I chose to simplify the readings and add more interactive assignments for the students to do so they can apply what they have learned.

All of the activities were aligned appropriately with the standards, strategies, and technologies used. Many of the standards could've easily met more than one strategy on this lesson plan, but how the chart is set up, it shows how each particular strategy and technology would best meet the expectation of the standard. For example, there were many different strategies I could have chosen to have the students engage with the concept of point of view. For that one standard I chose to have the students for the strategy participate and develop a mock trial to reflect the two Three Little Pigs stories we covered in class. There would be the Wolf vs. The Pigs and the students would be divided and work for either side they are given. Their job was to come up with a solid defense for their side to justify who was truly in the wrong based on both stories. The student were to use a power point presentation  to show the class the evidence, photos, claims, and facts produced from their further understanding of the stories after studying point of view. This activity solidifies the cliche that there is two sides to every story and further more that not just one side is always the right one. The teacher would then decide based on their arguments and supporting claims who in fact is the guilty party.

The use of technologies allows the students the opportunity to work with the concept of point of view in a variety of ways where they are actively participating. Most of the activities the author decided to do involved creating Venn Diagrams. There are only so many Venn Diagrams a student can make before they are completely turned off from them. So instead, I wanted them to create a character chart to prepare them for a specific assignment where students were to read certain fairytales and then rewrite them by retelling the story in a different character's point of view. This activity is great because it allows the students the opportunity to creatively engage with the concept and perhaps think differently about an all too familiar text. Regarding the mock trial, the students are asked to participate and give their beliefs on who is in fact innocent or guilty by completing a blog on blogger where they need to comment on atleast 2 other classmate's blogs whether they agree or disagree with their decision. This would happen before the teacher gives the verdict.

Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Auxbf2gsFYKRdGFaWWdfRjVKNUpzS20tTVVCTE5QcEE

Are Cliff Notes Academically Ethical?

I have been struggling with the idea of whether or not Cliff Notes are exactly ethical within the English classroom. I searched the internet and came across an internet debate on just that. I swore to myself that I would NEVER use cliff notes in the classroom and would do everything in my power to make sure students do not use those guides instead of reading the text. There are many websites which claim that students should not resort to using the cliff notes because they deter the student from reading the text in its entirety. On the other hand, some claim that cliff notes actual benefit students in the classroom by not necessarily replacing the text, but providing aide to the text. Both sides provide pretty strong arguments, but as a student and a future educator, I am at a stand still regarding which side is technically correct.
As a student, I must admit that I wasn't a fan of reading. I hated it. I never read a book cover to cover until college, so in order to achieve high grades, I used cliff notes. It didn't feel like cheating, but looking back and thinking of the time other students put into actually reading the text, I think I took the easy way out. I did very well in all of my English classes and always was active in discussion about the texts, but when it came time to discuss certain details about the novel, I couldn't contribute because I read a summary instead of the narrative. Since cliff notes weren't necessarily helping me as much as I would have liked, I found another website which went above and beyond all of my expectations. The site is called Gradesaver.com and it has all the major texts discussed in high school and college classrooms. It brings up topics of discussion, which would help me to begin discussions and be able to argue specific points about the text, even though I had not read it.
After I began reading novels that I couldn't lie my way out of, I fell in love with reading and I felt like I cheated myself by not reading novels from middle and high school, which I have actually gone back and read now. As a teacher, I want to encourage my students to read, even though some may do what I did. I feel like I can't tell them not to use it because that would be extremely hypocritical of me, but I don't want to encourage them to use it either. While reading the arguments for both sides, something stuck out, READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS! Both sides agreed that cliff notes help students better understand novels instead of relying solely on the novel. One of the people in the debate is a Language Arts teacher who originally looked down upon those who resorted to using cliff notes, but he changed his tune when he saw how it helps students, "One of the primary ways that I used a Cliffs Notes guide in my lesson plans was as a companion reader for more difficult texts. For example, Nathaniel Hawthorne's text The Scarlet Letter is exceptionally hard for mid-level and struggling students in the tenth grade. (To be honest, that text can be difficult for adult readers.) To help my students, we would keep both texts on our desks side by side" ( Walter Allen, 2008), I think that using both texts together is an excellent way to utilize cliff notes, without the students using one instead of the other. I think after each student reads the chapter of a novel, they should be able to look at a guide like cliff notes to reinforce what they read and help them to grasp some themes or situations they may not have understood while reading.

The other side who believe that cliff notes have no place in the classroom argue, "Despite its usefulness, it is one of the most abused learning tools in the American public school system. Over ambitious students swamped with school work use them as short-cuts for actually reading the novels. Others, looking to avoid reading all together, use them without ever opening the book it was meant to demystify" (Dean Traylor, 2008). As someone who has done exactly what this person is referring to, I cringe at the thought of my students using just the cliff notes. The guides are embarrassingly abused in the public school system and that is why it wil be mortifying to know my students will be doing exactly what I did. I want to deter students from using them and one of the ways I could do that is to make the text exciting and meaningful. Class discussions would be a group effort and I would help students make connections from the text to their own lives, perhaps giving them an incentive to read the novel. I don't want to be one of those teachers who gives a quiz after every chapter to make sure that everyone is reading, but I would want to assess in some way that my students are reading. I think that participation in class discussion, though not necessarily justifying that they read would help me to see who is engaging with the text and who is not.

Overall, I believe that cliff notes have no place in the classroom, but I do believe they are beneficial to students who may have difficulty understanding the texts read in class. I have come to the conclusion that some students are going to use cliff notes, but if I have an opportunity to show them how to use the guide appropriately, then I want to do that. I would definitely apply the guide's chapter summaries and distribute them at the end of each chapter, that way my students can comprehend what they read and they then can respond to the reading. I would have my students read and respond, which would be graded either as an online blog or an in-class journal. I think that would be the most appropriate balance of both reading sources within the Language Arts classroom.
Works Cited:

http://www.helium.com/debates/163678-is-the-use-of-cliffs-notes-academically-honest/side_by_side

Hurricane Sandy's Effects on Technology

After the recent hurricane, I have begun to realize how dependent we are on technology! In a classroom setting, it is extremely important to have regular access to the internet. This experience has caused a hiccup in most of my classes and my ability to complete midterm assignments. I feel extremely fortunate that my professors felt that it was necessary to extend deadlines in order to accommodate all students who were affected by this terrible storm.

Technology has progressed so much over the past decade and with that, so has the way teachers approach education. The past two weeks have made me think and rethink the way technology plays into education and what teachers can do to make sure all students are equipped to deal with technology snafus. The Interactivity that we had to complete in groups was extremely difficult for some to complete. I was able to finish the assignment before the storm hit, which made it easier for me to communicate with my group members before the storm and collaborate before the impending loss of power. It was difficult to communicate with and help my group members who weren’t able to complete or access the assignment until after the storm hit. I tried the best I could to use my smartphone in order to extent the line of communication with other members of my group, but I felt terrible about the inability to get the assignment completed before the initial deadline due to loss of power.

Teachers should encourage students to attempt to complete assignments ahead of time if at all possible in light of conditions such as a hurricane so all members are able to achieve the group’s goal. Also, teachers should encourage and remind students to save all documents and work that may pertain to their assignments beforehand. I know that I was able to save all my blog posts to be posted throughout the week beforehand because I tend to lose documents frequently. I had midterms to finish which required me having access to online journals. It is important to remind students of the ways students can access those documents without internet access and show them how to do it. I was able to copy and save those articles as word documents onto my desktop to read and respond to despite having no access to the internet.

On a personal level, loss of power is very stressful. I, like so many others had no access to the world outside my freezing house. It was difficult to communicate with others. It puts into perspective the ways in which we take advantage of the technologies we are accustomed to. So many students weren't able to see whether they had school or not during that period of time. Our school was able to directly contact students via text message, which is a great way to communicate. I had no internet on my smartphone either, so I had to leave to find wireless internet elsewhere in order to see if I had work within my school district. Since most homes in my community had no power for upwards of 10 days, schools had difficulty opening.

It is insane how much techonology runs our lives and without it, we feel helpless. In wake of this absolutely devastating tragedy, I hope that many are able to recover. I cannot tell you how many facebook statuses I encountered of people complaining about not having internet and cable, while others are without their houses (It puts things into perspective). Technology has forced us to live in some kind of secure bubble where we feel that this is our normal way of living and we aren't exactly in touch with actual "reality." This hurricane was tragic and I hope that people will appreciate what they do have and help those who do not have much left.