This assignment gave me the opportunity to do something that I do not often have the chance to attempt: see another (fabulous) teacher in action. The assignment asked for me to visit an ESOL class. What luck?! The school where I have taught for almost five years is the ESOL center for Clay County. One of my best teacher friends, Toni, is the Kindergarten teacher for the ESOL program at my school. It was a privilege to see what she can do with her students!
The focus, very clearly, of Toni's lessons is to prepare her students for first grade. The students that Toni get are from a variety of backgrounds and speak several languages. Her purpose on top of preparing the students for first grade is to help them become more fluent with academic English, as well as their conversational English.
I find that in Toni's classroom there is a LOT of talking. Not just from Toni to the students, but also the students trying to use their English with each other (often the only language that they share). There is also a LOT of singing. The students have a routine working with the calendar and the math skills involved. There is also a LOT of moving. Dancing is a typical part of their day. Also, Toni is VERY expressive with her gestures and facial expressions, helping add another strategy for student comprehension of English. There is a lot of repetition and annunciation in Toni's class during her teaching.
Toni's classroom is full of colors, centers, and words (things are labeled). Books line the walls and can be found in bin after bin. There are quite a few computers in the classroom with various programs the students use for learning. Toni has also personally bought Leap Pads and other Leap Frog products for her students. In addition, she purchased individual CD players for students to use with the read aloud stories that accompany the reading series.
Toni has access to an aid for a small period of time a day (she used to be staffed with an aid all day every day, but budget cuts made that impossible). Other than the additional products that Toni supplies, her kindergarteners have a very similar experience to their peers in regular educational classes.
Toni's commitment to her students, her ability to bring fun into the classroom, and her concern for the success of her students make me proud to work with her and to call her a friend. Watching Toni work is a great pleasure due high level teaching she does day in and day out.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
5-Minutes of Emma
I love love love love love love (did I mention love?) all things Jane Austen! She was ahead of her time and yet her stories have the classic happy ending that I secretly long for in all books. When given the opportunity to try out the website DailyLit, I immediately looked for the Jane Austen selections. I had never read Emma entirely, and thought this would be a good time.
There is a light that I hit at Kingsley and SR 17 EVERYDAY! This light is the feign on my drive and catches me all the time. I end up sitting at this light for a solid 7 or 8 minutes, usually scrolling through something on Facebook. I was glad to have a change when I started getting my Emma delivered to my smartphone a few minutes before I left work and just in time for that particular light.
The first few days were just fine. I stopped, pulled out my phone, and read. However, I found that there were some days that I wanted to continue reading (which I could not find a way to do). So, what I ended up doing was saving them and reading them two at a time (essentially reading every other day). This was exactly the right amount of the story that I needed at that stop light. I believe there was a way to change the amount delivered, I just continued with my system.
While I enjoyed having Emma to read every day, I had a hard time keeping up with the story (probably because of the way I was reading it). I had to go back, reread the one from the day before and continue on. This began to get tedious, so I switched back to reading only one bit a day of Emma.
The short snippets from the stories were actually really helpful when it came to understanding the vocabulary. For example, Emma is written in dated English and some words and phrases take a moment to extrapolate the meaning. Having such a small amount to read, it didn't feel useless taking the time to make sure I understood what I was reading.
Since I started using DailyLit, I recommended it to a librarian friend of mine who is also enjoying getting snippets sent to her smartphone. I, also, have taken to reading another story using DailyLit. I hope to somehow incorporate this website or strategy into my classroom in order to make reading enjoyable for kids who believe that reading is nothing but work. Maybe, just maybe, when they are adults (and assuming there are still such things as traffic lights) they will sit in traffic and read a classic just for the sake of reading.
There is a light that I hit at Kingsley and SR 17 EVERYDAY! This light is the feign on my drive and catches me all the time. I end up sitting at this light for a solid 7 or 8 minutes, usually scrolling through something on Facebook. I was glad to have a change when I started getting my Emma delivered to my smartphone a few minutes before I left work and just in time for that particular light.
The first few days were just fine. I stopped, pulled out my phone, and read. However, I found that there were some days that I wanted to continue reading (which I could not find a way to do). So, what I ended up doing was saving them and reading them two at a time (essentially reading every other day). This was exactly the right amount of the story that I needed at that stop light. I believe there was a way to change the amount delivered, I just continued with my system.
While I enjoyed having Emma to read every day, I had a hard time keeping up with the story (probably because of the way I was reading it). I had to go back, reread the one from the day before and continue on. This began to get tedious, so I switched back to reading only one bit a day of Emma.
The short snippets from the stories were actually really helpful when it came to understanding the vocabulary. For example, Emma is written in dated English and some words and phrases take a moment to extrapolate the meaning. Having such a small amount to read, it didn't feel useless taking the time to make sure I understood what I was reading.
Since I started using DailyLit, I recommended it to a librarian friend of mine who is also enjoying getting snippets sent to her smartphone. I, also, have taken to reading another story using DailyLit. I hope to somehow incorporate this website or strategy into my classroom in order to make reading enjoyable for kids who believe that reading is nothing but work. Maybe, just maybe, when they are adults (and assuming there are still such things as traffic lights) they will sit in traffic and read a classic just for the sake of reading.
The Act of "Reading" an Audio Book
I am an auditory learner. With that being said, it would be logical to think that I would enjoy an audiobook. However, I had never even tried it before (until I had to). My reasoning was simple: I am a reading purist. I like the act of flipping pages, running my finger along texts, and the gratifying feeling of more pages being held down by my left thumb as I make my way through the written journey page by page. Having someone read the words the words aloud seemed childish to me (I did love when my mother read to me when I was younger though). I really did not go into this experiment whole-heartedly.
In order to make what I had intended to be my dread more bearable, I listened to an Evanovich story (I know, not brilliant literature but she is one of the few writers who makes me laugh out loud). Here is a simplified run down of the week it took me to listen to the story.
I have a long drive from where I live in St. Augustine to where I teach in Orange Park. It is close to 100 miles round trip each day that I am in my car. Due to all of the talking I do and have to listen to in a day, I enjoy the drive with ONLY songs playing (sometimes even without lyrics). No talk radio allowed! When I was assigned to "read" an audiobook, I knew it wouldn't take long to get through.
On the first day, I ended up only getting through about 30 minutes of the story. The person reading had GREAT accents for each of the characters (which I found enjoyable). However, the rate at which she read I found to be tedious (some of the characters were southern and she seemed to really take the stereotype to heart about talking slowly). I also historically have difficulty getting into a story if it does not capture me within the first few pages (I am the kind of person who will stay up all night to finish a book - putting a good one down is not an option).
The next day, after being a bit more familiar with the reader's style and tempo, I found myself less annoyed. The story also began to pick up and I listened for my entire drive both to and from home. This pattern continued until the end of the week. I found myself waiting in to car and taking longer ways home in order to get in more "reading" time. The story was coming to an end and I was unable to do what I usually do - skip to the last few pages and find out what is going to happen (it is harder to mark your place in an audiobook if you skip around).
By the end of the week (and the story) I could see how easily some people choose to use audiobooks as their means of exposure to literature (I do feel that listening to classics like the Iliad on audiobook would have to be some sort of blasphemy). Audiobooks are easy to multitask (using an iPod doing cardio at the gym, driving, using and iPod while grocery shopping) and are reasonably priced. The library also offers a wide array of audiobooks to choose from.
After this experience, I wanted to do a little experiment on my kids. I read the BOB books to my homeroom every morning, but we lose so much time to routine (lunch money collections, notes, unpacking, etc.) it seems a shame. Using the program Audacity, I recorded myself reading a chapter from the book we were reading called The Secret of Zoom by Lynne Jonell. As soon as the kids started walking in, I pushed play and my voice could be heard around the class on the speaker system. The kids at first were startled, but continued on with their routine (I use a powerpoint to give them directions about what they are to do and it is projected for all to see). I was able to take attendance, collect lunch money AND finish the chapter! I can never do that when other things take the place of reading.
When we finished the chapter, I asked the kids what they thought (a brief, qualitative study, if you will). Most of the students thought it was cool and enjoyed being able to hear me read. A few students remarked that they missed watching me read. Apparently, I use my hands and make faces which help them remember the story. However, they did ask if I could record more of me reading the story, which, of course, I will.
I believe that audiobooks have positive implications not only for the adults who don't have time to pick up an actual book, but for our struggling readers. It is much easier to listen (for some) to a story and not have to worry about the decoding part and just enjoy the artistry of a story. Isn't that the whole point of reading, after all?
In order to make what I had intended to be my dread more bearable, I listened to an Evanovich story (I know, not brilliant literature but she is one of the few writers who makes me laugh out loud). Here is a simplified run down of the week it took me to listen to the story.
I have a long drive from where I live in St. Augustine to where I teach in Orange Park. It is close to 100 miles round trip each day that I am in my car. Due to all of the talking I do and have to listen to in a day, I enjoy the drive with ONLY songs playing (sometimes even without lyrics). No talk radio allowed! When I was assigned to "read" an audiobook, I knew it wouldn't take long to get through.
On the first day, I ended up only getting through about 30 minutes of the story. The person reading had GREAT accents for each of the characters (which I found enjoyable). However, the rate at which she read I found to be tedious (some of the characters were southern and she seemed to really take the stereotype to heart about talking slowly). I also historically have difficulty getting into a story if it does not capture me within the first few pages (I am the kind of person who will stay up all night to finish a book - putting a good one down is not an option).
The next day, after being a bit more familiar with the reader's style and tempo, I found myself less annoyed. The story also began to pick up and I listened for my entire drive both to and from home. This pattern continued until the end of the week. I found myself waiting in to car and taking longer ways home in order to get in more "reading" time. The story was coming to an end and I was unable to do what I usually do - skip to the last few pages and find out what is going to happen (it is harder to mark your place in an audiobook if you skip around).
By the end of the week (and the story) I could see how easily some people choose to use audiobooks as their means of exposure to literature (I do feel that listening to classics like the Iliad on audiobook would have to be some sort of blasphemy). Audiobooks are easy to multitask (using an iPod doing cardio at the gym, driving, using and iPod while grocery shopping) and are reasonably priced. The library also offers a wide array of audiobooks to choose from.
After this experience, I wanted to do a little experiment on my kids. I read the BOB books to my homeroom every morning, but we lose so much time to routine (lunch money collections, notes, unpacking, etc.) it seems a shame. Using the program Audacity, I recorded myself reading a chapter from the book we were reading called The Secret of Zoom by Lynne Jonell. As soon as the kids started walking in, I pushed play and my voice could be heard around the class on the speaker system. The kids at first were startled, but continued on with their routine (I use a powerpoint to give them directions about what they are to do and it is projected for all to see). I was able to take attendance, collect lunch money AND finish the chapter! I can never do that when other things take the place of reading.
When we finished the chapter, I asked the kids what they thought (a brief, qualitative study, if you will). Most of the students thought it was cool and enjoyed being able to hear me read. A few students remarked that they missed watching me read. Apparently, I use my hands and make faces which help them remember the story. However, they did ask if I could record more of me reading the story, which, of course, I will.
I believe that audiobooks have positive implications not only for the adults who don't have time to pick up an actual book, but for our struggling readers. It is much easier to listen (for some) to a story and not have to worry about the decoding part and just enjoy the artistry of a story. Isn't that the whole point of reading, after all?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)