GMA/ Dr-TA, DRA, Request, MIA, TGIF, & LMNOP

With one blink you miss a moment, with eyes shut you miss it all. Our eyes and our brains aren't just neighbors in the same region of our bodies....they are one of the same. They have to get along in order to make everyone's lives simpler and more enjoyable but what happens when they simply become the Hatfield and the McCoys or the odd couple and they no longer can function together? Our body's begin to blink and we miss a moment or worse yet we close our eyes and miss it all. 

Where in the heck am I going with this?! Well, through a students perspective, the metaphor is to remind us that if they blink they might miss a big piece of the puzzle in learning which, down the road could escalate and leave them walking around with their eyes closed because they are so lost. On a teaching perspective...we can't allow any time for blinking. If we blink, we miss what/when/how/why and where the student got lost but if we close our eyes we just hit a wall and guide a student into that wall with us. Tonight's lesson was in a few different ways to reopen the eyes of the student that closed them or blinked. It also showed us ideas on how not to lead them into a wall. Chapter four showed us several ways to help make sense out of reading with techniques like: DR-TA, GMA, DRA and Request. As a history major the DRA makes the most sense to me but as a right brained learner, (yeah...yeah...there's no such thing as left n right brain...but, I am a walking example of a right brained if there ever was one), the GMA works wonders for me. The other two peak my interest as well. 

Chapter three taught us to understand readability. The first site I was given ended up not being a good one ( www.scout.wise.com) and the second one (www. Schrockguide) was a better example of how to comprehend sites. I found it a little over whelming with the options and a lot of them seemed just like one another but the deeper I dug the more I realized that the site made me lose interest because of all of the options and the lay out. 

We Also watched 2 videos tonight. One video on GMA which was great to see in motion. I love mapping/spider webbing and have used it regularly since it was taught to me in grade school. I use this method with my IEP students as well as my sped students. The second video was about request. I had a difficult time following it because I couldn't hear it very well which made it hard for me to follow.

The second to last project was to practice DR-TA. We read an article on effective parenting ( basically) and practiced by reading sections at a time and discussing each one before moving on. Good lesson. 

The final slice of the pie tonight was group work. Tinya and I decided after reading our article on Christopher Columbus that we would use DRA to help the students. There were tons of important vocab terms that needed to be addressed befor the actual lesson could be taught/understood. 

Our homework is to read 5 & 6 and work on lesson plans. 

I want to wish everyone a happy turkey day, remind all of us to be thankful, grateful and appreciative. Make sure to let someone know how glad you are to have them in your life and how lucky you are to be a part of theirs. Remind those students that are stumped that they are awesome and can get through this...help open their minds and remind them that they rock! Hug your babies and thank the man up stairs for watching those you love. Terrill, my heart goes out to you and your family and am so glad that there is a silver lining. Keep your spirits up and chin up. Keep your eyes open and thank the man above for the life that was not taken, God speed to you and your family. 

November 11

So, as the week flew past me last week I am finally typing my blog for the class on November 11, sorry for the delays. Right off the bat I have learned that I should blog directly after class or at the latest the next day....period. As I searched my memory bank...well, scrolled through others to refresh my memory bank and looked at my in class notes ( a sure fire way to resuscitate my brain that seems to have flat lined from the gap of the class night up until now....) I now remember what we did...phew! Long way of getting to the point of procrastination in a crazy busy life.

Our first activity was a group activity. Our group's highlight's regarding the value of expanded reading and writing programs in secondary schools ( based on the reading on pgs 16-17) were:

*Literacy is an ongoing eduction.

*literacy helps with understanding the subject

*literacy helps learn/ understand every skill that is needed to graduate

*classroom teachers are responsible for their literacy comprehension &a skill.

The three reason literacy should occur in subject area classrooms (pg 17-18):

*Discourse: in order to think deeply, the student must learn and understand the language.

* class teachers are responsible for their growth and teaching the skills needed to be able to grow.

*ELL students need special guidance to learn the content from the source, not the secondary teacher.

The second group activity consisted of looking at a cartoon, there were three great ones to choose from and we had to pick it apart and share with the group and compare on what "we saw/understood" . Our group had a set of knights on horses being observed by "mid evil scientist" dressed in modern day attire. The one knight was in a suit of cardboard and the other in the traditional attire of armor. Our group decided that after trial and error, and perhaps trying to find a lighter substitute that cardboard just wasn't going to cut it...why mess with tradition when the original works? Kind of the same concept with reading comprehension. Years ago when education became a necessity it was because our world was changing quickly and they knew that in order to move forward people needed to learn to read and write in order to learn and understand the new information. This theory has not changed but seems to have been forgotten at times throughout educational history. The responsibility as a teacher in secondary schools seems to have slipped into a frustrations get filled trend when they get these students that read at a third grade level. The trend seems to blame the teachers before them instead of taking owner ship of the issue and work like heck with these students to help give them the skills that they obviously have not picked up over the the years. Think of a high school student that reads at a third grad level as an abused puppy that needs to be rescued. Anyone with a heart will rescue the puppy and will give that puppy extra attention and be empathetic and sympathetic to its needs in order to help it heal, trust and love again. Any good hearted person that rescues this puppy will not sit by and do nothing except blame the previous owner...so why, do we as educators, think this is permissible for a student that is lagging skills that are needed in order to succeed in life after high school?! Yes, it will take extra time and certainly patience, but this is no longer so and so's problem to deal with, if you want this student to succeed...even if it's just in your class this week...then you have to show that student that you care enough to give them the time that they need, the courage to ask for help, not the shame in their ignorance. I could go on and on but I'm pretty sure the point has been made.

The final project was that the class was given an email, we were not allowed to give details as to what it was or what our roles we're at first. It was later disclosed to us that everyone got a description of the same house but our roles were all secretly different, without disclosing our roles (I was a house shopping btw) we had to describe the pros and cons of this house and the layout. As someone that used to flip houses with my ex-husband I was eager to get I t her and fix/repair/update and landscape and get it back on the market. My perspective was far different from the guy that was casingthe house   because he was a robber, or the raptor that he to pay attention to verbiage or the general house buyer that might be interested I actually keeping and living in the house.mthe point avian that was made...everyone reads things differently and in order to get the big picture collaboration is a must! 

Week 2/Snofke/ blog 2

   My first lesson plan....not real sure which topic exactly, I'll will need to check with my history teacher to see where his class will be by the time this is due but I'm thinking it will more then likely be one of the world wars.
   If sequence did not matter I would choose to do World War II. I would do a front loader involving a timeline of historic events, have pictures of the major players and inventions and have descriptions of  German words that are used to depict certain events. I would prepare an economic contrast so that the students would be able to relate to the monetary values and how much they have increased. My anticipatory set would include era appropriate music as well as images playing as they enter and to keep them busy and quiet upon entering. There would be a brief pretest to see what they know or think they may know before diving into the lesson.  (No matter the topic or era, I will be doing the front loader and anticipatory set the same way but obviously with the appropriate information for the selected unit). Once I get past the front loader I will turn them into a reading assignment but want them to journal as they read it by listing new terms that they learned  in the front loader and listing ones they are still confused about. After they are finished with the reading and listing I would have them add a journal entry which will include in the journal their version/comprehension. The assignment will be for them to pretend that they are the same age they are now but to imagine that they stepped back in time and we're living in the era. They would have to explain to me how they feel about the topic, what impact(s) it made as a whole, do they agree or disagree with what is going on and tell me why or why not.

Week 2/ Snofke/ post one

I am officially bummed out that I missed last weeks class. It is so refreshing to have a teacher be enthusiastic about teaching reading, which can be a daunting chore if taught the wrong way!
 
   I have discovered quickly that I have a lot of catch of reading of my own to finish, I love the quotes that were shared which only makes me want to dive in and finish even more. This book seems to be written in a very entertaining way that will help keep me wanting to know more. I like how Dr.Steffies  was checking our understanding along the way to use as a model for us to mirror. I learned the importance of front loading and the value of meta cognitive conversations. I can only recall a handful of teachers in my career from grade school to now that have actually used these and wish more of them would have. The video we watched opened my eyes to how to effectively incorporate meta cognitive conversations within any classroom and got me thinking about how I plan on doing the same thing.
 

About Stephanie Snofke

   I was born in a small town to a very unique couple and I knew from day one after looking at my parents that was destined to be a teacher.....lol, nope....I'm sure my first thought was I'm cold and turn off the lights...what person can say that they knew from day one what they were destined to be....ahhh, good ole entertainment. 

   So, here is the truth about me, obviously I like to keep life fun, light and enjoyable. Life is too short to be taken so seriously and it is up to me to make the most of my life because nobody can make my life for me. I am a single mom (divorced) to an amazing 5 year old boy by the name of Alexander and is in Kindergarten. We live at the Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri and I work in the district that he attends but at the high school as a para and bus driver.I have been employed at the district  for five years now and am currently post-baching to obtain my secondary Ed/  social science cert. I have a B/A in history with a minor in English from Columbia College.

   I was born and raised in St.Louis, grew up in Ferguson to be exact and graduated from McCluer Senior High School in 19 dicekty do. I began my educational path right after high school, got sick going into my Jr. year and had to quit to pay my hospital bills. I met my husband, we became over the road truck drivers and made more money then most of my friends with teaching degrees so never felt the need to continue/finish my degree. ...also thought I would be married forever so...then, life happened quickly and here I am...freshly 40...yikes... and finally finishing my degree. It has been a long road, but a great traveled path and would not reroute or by pass any part of it. I do plan on going right into my Master in Sped Ed after I get my cert.

   My hobbies are: long walks in the park, walking on the beach at sunset...blah...blah...blah....lol, no, not really. I am a tomboy at heart. I love all water sports, I swam competitively for 16 years and plan on coaching. I can play 3 instruments. I have seen 47:48 main land states...missing Montana. I love to be outside, snow ski, hunt, fish and ride horses and motor cycles. After driving 5,000 miles in 4.5 days for 5 years in a tractor I have lost a desire to travel and be away from home up until this past year. I've been to Ochos Rios, Puerto Vallarta and St.Martin. So many places that I want to see and explore yet and intend to take Alex with me. He is my world and will always come first.

   I'm excited about this class, I only have 4 classes left after this session and I'm excited about everyone of them..