Alright gang! Post away! Reflect on your first day. How was your student (s)? How did assessing go? What did you discover from assessing? What do you hope to learn more about? Hope this leads you to great posts, but I still need time to decide what I am going to post!
After meeting my student, I found that I am enjoying the 1:1 ratio. I feel she gets more focused attention and that we were able to get through assessments while still getting to know one another.
ReplyDeleteI already have figured out her strengths and needs, for the most part. Her strengths are fluency (reading as phrases and even with expression), writing main ideas and details, and comprehending concepts. Her needs are in spelling, overall reading comprehension of texts and writing complete and detailed sentences.
I noticed that my student does not want me to think she cannot read and write so she rushed through reading and writing. When I would ask her to slow down, she was able to read with 100% accuracy and spell more words correctly with writing. I want to work on confidence as well with my student.
She is at a N instructional level, any suggestions for good chapter books for a girl who enjoys fashion?
I don't know any off the top of my head but here's the link to book wizard: http://www.scholastic.com/bookwizard/
DeleteIt is super helpful!!!
Don't limit yourself to chapter books. See what's available for someone who is interested in fashion. See what the library has to offer. Going with her interest is always good.
DeleteThe first day went really well, I also have one student and it allows for a much more personable interaction with the child. I am excited that I will be able to focus all my efforts towards her achievement and improvement. I also was very happy with the environment our whole classroom has set up for the children. Many times we work independently with our student(s) and at times we work together to allow for students to feel entirely comfortable with the whole group. This also provides co-teaching opportunities and further exposure to various student needs to help improve our abilities as teachers.
ReplyDeleteMy child was eager to learn and work with me, she constantly asked for feedback on the assessments we went through. She has expressed that she does not mind writing and word study tasks but dislikes reading very much. So my strategy is to hopefully tap into more books and reading activities that interest her.
I have found that my child has high word recognition abilities. She reads with great expression, pace and pausing. She also is able to comprehend most concepts, certainly the main idea of the story. She would benefit from improvement with further exposure in comprehension of supporting ideas in the story, "harder suffixes" and base and root words. We still have to complete our writing assessment.
I also would benefit from any suggestions for good books (level P-S) for an unmotivated reader; she has only expressed interest in comic books and a series that she has read called Dork Diaries... If anyone has any ideas send them my way please!
I like how your room has started out. It will benefit all of your students.
DeleteDo you think your student might like a biography? Or, could you find magazine/newspaper articles, or short books that would interest her. That way, she has variety and you can keep her interest better.
My first day also went really well! I am really excited to be working with only one child too :) Michelle reads really well but I haven't had a chance to formally assess her, I going to do that this coming Tuesday, but we managed to get through all the other testing.
ReplyDeleteI think that Michelle was nervous at first but she is really open and we had a lot of good conversation. I learned a lot about her in just one session!
We are going to start reading the Hunger Games which I am really excited about. It fits the genres she likes but it is a 'lower' level reading book. But I talked with her about it and she is definitely willing to read it. I told her that we could really get into some of the political and more critical aspects of the book.
Ashley- if she liked Dork Diaries maybe she would enjoy Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I don't know if you read it but that book is hysterical! There are pictures but I would consider it a book with illustrations over a comic book.
You and Michelle certainly seemed to hit it off. I'm glad that she doesn't seem to feel too self-conscious about being here. How does she feel about the Hunger Games? Has she seen the movie?
DeleteLike all of you, my first day went very well. I have 3 kids though--but I was amazed at how much we got done. We got through the Fountas and Pinnell readings and while I did that one on one, the others filled out surveys and did a writing piece. Next week should go by quickly again, but I have to start thinking about what I'm going to do with them, since I'm combining capstone research with this class. My kids and I are going to do a lot with comics and comprehension, so if Jessica Klee or Rachel want to join in one day, we can try to do a group thing.
ReplyDeleteMy kids and I are going to work with graphic novel texts. We'll use Robot Dreams and probably American Born Chinese, since that text looks at racism and diversity, which I feel will be good to look at, since all my students are black.
Kit, the books sound interesting. I'm interested to see what you do with them. It's good to see you excited this semester.
DeleteThis past week was different for me. Going from one student last semester to three sure is a change. I am also going from a student with a reading level of D, to levels Q and T. I am looking forward to working with my students!
ReplyDeleteI thought working with three students would be difficult but we were able to get a lot done and the time went by very fast! One of my student's did not show up so I am a little behind but I was able to get so much done with my other two students that I feel that I will be able to play catch up rather quickly. It is going to take a lot more planning of time management to make sure I will be able to get everything done in a giving tutoring session with my students. I am noticing similar strengths and needs with my students, which will allow me to do more group activities within my group of three students.
One need I am noticing is that one of my students reading abilities is very high but there is a lack of motivation, I am going to have to work hard to see what I can do with my student to motivate him.
Overall I am excited to be working with my students and to see what this semester holds.
I'm glad you're adjusting to three rather than one student. It is very different, especially since your first student was only a 1st grader!
DeleteAny ideas about how to motivate your student? I'll be looking to hear more about what you do with him.
What is your student interested in? Does your group have a competitive nature? It would be interesting to see if you could "Fish Bowl" their interests to motivate the particular student. For example- if you wrote everyone's indivdual interests on sheet of paper. At the end of each session, a person could choose the next session's theme from the Fish Bowl.
DeleteLaura:
ReplyDeleteI also had a good first tutoring session with my practicum student. What a difference it makes having only one student, instead of three very active students! The student that I am working with this semester was excited to be coming back to St. John Fisher, but was very nervous to meet with me. Within a few minutes of bringing her to the room, I realized that she was anxious to get started so I had her begin her writing sample write away. After she wrote, she seemed to be more relaxed, so I asked her questions about herself as she decorated her notebook. She shared about school, her pet, her sister, and her love for writing. I noticed that she made a point of not talking about reading, and did not seem excited about working on reading with me.
During the first session with her, I was able to complete all the needed assessments, including a writing sample and two interest surveys. One thing I had to keep in mind was some of the information I had gathered from her paperwork in her folder. The student I am working with has an IEP, and struggles with auditory processing. I have worked with students who have IEPs in both self-contained classrooms and a resource room setting, and was excited to be able to use some of those skills I have acquired. (Special Education is my true passion for teaching, so I am excited to combine that with my reading instruction this semester.) In reading her paperwork, I also noticed that her native language is Spanish. I spoke with her mother about this on the first day, and she said that although they speak both languages at home, English is her primary language. Throughout the tutoring, I may try to see if there are any books at her level that include Spanish words or phrases, which was something her mother thought may be fun for her.
While it seems like things got off to a great start the first day, I do have a few concerns for this semester. I can already predict that the noise level in the room is going to be distracting for my student. She has some trouble focusing, and was very distracted by some of the other tutors’ loud and excited lessons, as well as their students moving around the room a lot. This is something I’ll have to keep a close eye on and may have to move with my student to a less distracting area at times. Also, since auditory processing is a struggle for her, I noticed that I needed to be very aware of my rate of speech, as well as increase the wait time I gave her. She seems to be a good advocate for herself (asking me to repeat, slow down), but I will need to monitor my teaching as well. Also, I think it will be very helpful to have graphic organizers and written instructions for my lessons. This will require me to be very organized and prepared with my materials this semester. Overall, I think this tutoring process with be very different than last semester. I’m looking forward to what I will take away from this experience.
I'm glad that you're excited about working with your student. I knew you had the special ed background, so kept that in mind when we were assigning students.
ReplyDeleteYOu have very good ideas already about working with your student. Do what you need to with the noise level. Who else is in your room? Maybe they don't realize that they are as loud as they are. You might want to talk with them a little about the noise level.
The organization ideas are good for both you and your student. Keep me posted.
I had a great time with my group (two female students). I wasn't able to get through all of my assessments. I am still working on locating a literacy level for my first student. However, I was alerted to many needs of her needs by her parents and getting to know her through surveys and review of her writing sample. The student struggles with literacy due to auditory processing needs, is currently in a 12:1:1 classroom that is not conducive to her as a learner (majority of the students are emotionally disturbed) and is being bullied in the hallways (physically). This causes a lot of anxiety in regards to her esteem as a person and as a student. I had the opportunity to speak with the parents at Fisher and over the phone. I am very glad that her parents are advocating for her needs as a learner and for her safety on a daily basis with their school. The student felt that Fisher was a safe environment to share some of her experiences with me and the other student at our first meeting. (The other student also attends the same school and is in the same grade, but their paths do not currently cross.) My second student is a very fluent reader but struggles with comprehension, spelling, and focusing her thoughts clearly when writing. With guidance from Lauren and Allison, I will be reading Misfits as a Read Aloud text to model comphrension strategies and open discussions on bullying. I hope to further use my classroom time to strengthen their writing academically as well as a way to build bridges of friendship and healthy expression of thoughts and feelings. My second student will be leaving early each session. I plan on using this as an oppportunity to work one on one with my first student that struggles with reading due to auditory processing and building her confidence. As I complete my F&P assessments with this student, I hope to learn what needs to focus on first to assist her in her growth as a reader. Collaborations with the other members of my room will be great to bring on added friendships and confidence!
ReplyDeleteRachel, it sounds like you have some good insight into your students already. I'm looking forward to seeing how they respond to The Misfits and to what other book/s you select. It will be good for your student to have that one-on-one time with you after the other student leaves.
DeleteI am pretty excited (and nervous) about tutoring this semester. I feel more comfortable, knowing what to expect. It will definitely be a challenge, going from one student to three. I feel like I still struggle with time management, but collaborating with the grade level group will be very helpful.
ReplyDeleteOf my three students, two are new to the program. Last week, I focused on the two students that I have very little information on. I discovered that they can read! My focus will be on comprehension when reading. I have not collected a true writing sample, other than surveys, so I am not quite sure where my focus will be on writing instruction, aside from a final poetry piece. So far, I have only been able to perform the Fountas and Pinnell with two of my students. I found the activity center to be very helpful for the students who were not receiving the one-on-one attention from me. I was able to hone in on the reading levels of the students who I had very little background information on.
Going from an emergent reader last semester to fourth and fifth graders, I learned that the focus of assessment and instruction is no longer on decoding words. I have had a chance to hear oral reading and view some writing…there presents another challenge. The difference in reading/writing levels does not seem to be very extreme. I feel like I can present mini-lessons that meet each of the students’ needs, while using materials that are within two to three reading levels.
I feel comfortable with the components of the case studies. I am utilizing the templates I created during last semester to plot information and data that I receive during my assessments. I was able to gather a lot of information about students’ interests about reading and writing, both in school and in recreational settings.
I feel like I still have a lot to do to complete assessments on all of my students. I feel like I have a nice balance of whole group and individual assessments to perform. I do not want to become too dependent on my grade level group for occupying students who are finished with tasks.
Leslie, I had to laugh out loud when I read your comment that your two new students can read! This group will definitely be a contrast to last semester's student. I really liked the "activity center" that your room set up. Maybe you can all share that with the class tomorrow.
DeleteOn another note, do any of classmates have copies of Robot Dreams and/or American Born Chinese that they would be willing to let me borrow? I have three kids and only have my own copy, which I'll need to help when working with them. I promise the books will stay in my basket at school and if the kids want/need to take one home, they'll take my copy.
ReplyDeleteHi Kit! I have a copy of Robot Dreams. I will bring it on Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteThanks Leslie!
DeleteLike most people I was excited and nervous to meet my student...oh wait...studentS. I love that they are both very polite and eager to learn. Reading and writing aren't two activities they truly love but when I explained what we were doing that didn't complain.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest concern was management, both time and behavior. I figured out a couple behavior and introduced them the first day. The behavior chart has a lot of levels and I really like that I can award them for good choices they make. Even with all the different levels, they were still able to explain to me what each level meant and why we want to reach for OUTSTANDING! Each student has their own sticky note and at the end of the session I write in their notebook, how they ended the day. They were both very excited they earned outstanding.
As for the assessments, I felt comfortable with administering them. It is alot different when you have multiple students with alot to do in a little amount of time. I quickly realized they are going to be on very different reading levels. One student uses fingerpointing and has trouble comprehending. The other student reads fluently and doesn't a great job making connections while he reads. Therefore, I think I will try to focus on non-fiction books. This will help me choose books on their individual levels and they will still receive the same lesson. I have started to identify some of their strengths and needs. This is much different than Practicum I. Because I think they are going to have various needs, the Continuum book is really going to come handy. I love the detailed descriptions of the various kinds of readers. This is going to allow me to understand what they are thinking and how I will help them achieve their goals.
Like I've stated many times before, this will be a challenge but I'm excited to see what we can achieve in the upcoming weeks. I will be using as many resources as possible and gather up a nice list.
You're off to a good start, Mary. I'm glad that you're going to enjoy working with the boys.
DeleteOverall, I had a very successful first tutoring session! I was able to get to know my students, their interests, and what they would like to learn throughout our time together.
ReplyDeletePrior to Tuesday, the tutors in my room and I decided that it would be beneficial to do a group 'getting to know you' activity. This is because we plan on undergoing many whole group lessons/activities and felt it was important to build a sense of community in our room. As a part of the introduction activity, the students were assigned to decorate folders using various supplies we brought in. This center was available for the students to work at throughout the whole night (when necessary). This helped me a lot and allowed me to assess one student at a time while the others worked on their folders.
Although I did not complete all of the assessments, I was able to get a lot done and already have an idea of my students strengths and weakness. This gives me a better idea where I need to gear my instruction throughout the remainder of this semester. I'm looking forward to working with my group throughout the next several weeks!
Love your enthusiasm! Again, the activity center is such a good idea. Please share this week.
ReplyDelete