Balanced Literacy Project
Overview: Today we are going to be taking a look at some activities that I thought worked well this week; as well as, looking at some of the information that I was able to acquire during my one-on-one and group sessions. This short presentation is also a good example of how you can use a website to help create lessons for your own classroom.
Who is this guy???
Activity (Brainstorming): Take the next minute and write down as many things as you can about the man in the picture above. This is a great opportunity to do a brainstorming activity to give the students a basic understanding of the topic you are going to be covering. It will also give them the opportunity to reflect on the background knowledge that they already know!
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
This would also be a chance to add a couple things that maybe the class did not even know...................
Activity (Reflection): What does Abraham Lincoln have to do with reading and writing??? Clink on the link above 'ABRAHAM LINCOLN' and watch a short film about Lincoln.
- Do most of our students have the same drive to read and learn as Lincoln???
- This video would be a fantastic introduction to Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War... but how could it also be used in an ELA or Writing classroom??
Civil War: Reading, Writing, and Comprehending
While working with the students throughout the week we came to the realization that they had a difficult time pronouncing, spelling, and understanding larger vocabulary terms. *I believe that this type of activity can work for any subject.* We will be looking at a Math example later on... How exciting!!!! (Sarcasm: another vocabulary term that I taught my group. Oddly enough, a few of them correctly used the term throughout the rest of the week!!!) Teaching does not always have to be content to be effective! |
Another Good Activity (Extra)Pictures are also a great way to introduce a topic. You can use them for a 3-2-1 activity (drawing conclusions), or just having the students point out things they see in the picture and having a discussion (speaking), or write a short reflection of what they think is taking place (writing).
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Breaking words into syllables.
- Vocabulary words are already chosen by the teacher; however, words can always be added if teacher notices difficulty.
- Word list for this activity: Abraham Lincoln, Southerner, Northerner, Slavery, Antislavery, Rebel, Union, Confederacy, Abolitionist, Factory, Plantation
- This list is perfect because not only are we defining the necessary vocabulary terms, but we are also looking at a majority of the words having prefixes and suffixes, which gives us the opportunity to find the root words and will help with determining a definition.
Step 1
- Read independently or aloud.
Step 2 (Optional)
- Marzano Defining Strategy. Here we had students either discuss as a group and come up with a definition, or use the text/glossary to determine the definition.
Step 3
- Discussion about syllables (review topic for 7th grade)
- Teacher models using a vocabulary word from the list. EX: Plan-ta-tion showing the word broken down, saying it aloud while doing so, and clapping, tapping, or snapping with the syllables
Step 4
- Students take the vocabulary words assigned and break them down with a partner
Step 5
- Vocabulary terms are placed on a map illustrating whether the term is part of the North or South (this illustrates basic understanding of the differences)
- While child is placing their term: student says the word, student repeats the word using the broken down version, and student defines term while explaining why they placed it where they did (this gives the entire group/class the opportunity to hear the definition again, as well as the student's reasoning behind the placement of the word)
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*You can click on the photos to see a larger version and also to see a short caption*
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What was the outcome of this activity? What else could a teacher do to build off of this?
With my Group
This activity really gave students the understanding of the particular terms, the spellings, the pronunciations, and a basic overview of the content that was covered. I also feel as though the drawings on the Marzano vocabulary sheet, and the placement of the vocabulary word on the map really helped students get a visual of the term. |
With my One-on-One
While working with my student individually we had more time to explore the vocabulary and also find similar words that he was struggling with.
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One last little activity: When I had my student write reflections, I would have him read it aloud first. Next, I would read it back to him while he was writing it again word for word... this was a great way for me to see what similar mistakes he had, and what he got correct on both! It is a great way to have a conversation about their writing...
Example: He wrote the following words on his reflection:
Are you being LAZY? Are you GUESSING? Are you not REREADING your work?
I would then ask him which one was correct.... Oddly enough, he chose the correct spelling every time.
Activity (Discussion): Take a minute and discuss with your elbow partner what you think this evidence illustrates about our student..
Example: He wrote the following words on his reflection:
- would, wold
- theese, these
- reason, reson
- wouldn't, woldn't
- becase, because
- choices, choises
Are you being LAZY? Are you GUESSING? Are you not REREADING your work?
I would then ask him which one was correct.... Oddly enough, he chose the correct spelling every time.
Activity (Discussion): Take a minute and discuss with your elbow partner what you think this evidence illustrates about our student..
I feel as though my student was being.......
Math and Syllables
I just wanted to take a minute to show an example of how this activity can also be used in the Math classroom.
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