Week 12 Metacognitive Assessments and Comprehension

1. Go to this website: http://www.learner.org/workshops/teachreading35/session3/index.html
2. Watch the video

In this video, Professor Nell Duke defines what good readers do as they process text and what teachers can do to improve students' reading comprehension. You will also see classroom examples that illustrate the strategies and research Professor Duke describes. As you watch the video, consider the following questions:

Ø  What do good readers do?

Ø  What can teachers do to develop comprehension?

Ø  What can teachers do to help struggling readers?

3. Answer these questions on the Discussion Board (due April 26)

Think about what you have learned about comprehension instruction from Professor Duke's comments and the classroom examples. Write a summary of what you have learned. Use the questions below to guide your thinking. When you have finished, save your written reflection to submit as an assignment and, if you are taking this workshop for credit, include it in your Literacy Practices Portfolio.

1. Which ideas from the video struck you as most relevant to your teaching of comprehension?
2. What new instructional practices will you implement in your classroom?
3. How will you use the ideas presented in this video to improve the comprehension of your struggling readers (students you are observing)? 

Week 10 QRI-5 vs. DIBELS

Reflection on the use of DIBELS and compare it with QRI-5.

Week 8 What contributes to an effective writing program?

Watch video segment (first 13 minutes): http://www.learner.org/workshops/teachreading35/session4/sec2p2.html and answer the following questions.

• Discuss the components of an effective writing program and why they are important.
• How might you rearrange your schedule to create more time for students to write in general and, in particular, for students to write about their personal experiences?
• How can you create ways for students to make personal connections in different subject areas through writing?
• How can student work help you decide which conventions to teach?
• When can you promote student inventions and experimentation with different formats in writing?

Week 7 QRI-5 Administration and Scoring (Practice Case)

Please follow instructions (sent to you via email) to finish this assignment.

Week 6 Informational Comprehension Assessment in Primary Grades (Concepts fo Comprehension Assessment, COCA)

Online Activity:

1. Go to Literacy Achievement Research Center and register for the Informational Strategic Cloze Assessment (ISCA): http://msularc.educ.msu.edu/what-we-do/
2. Each of you would study the Concepts of Comprehension Assessment (COCA) and present in class the assessment tool, procedures, and data interpretation. Post reflection on Blog.

Week 5 Reading & Writing Connection: Christopher Myers, A Writer's Story

Online Session: Reading & Writing Connection: Christopher Myers, A Writer's Story

1. Watch the video clip
2. Post your reflection (relate to your writing project if possible) on blog
3. Generate question(s) for discussion

Week 4 Podcast and Interview

Assignment#1 Online Activity:

1. Go to IRA Podcasts website: http://www.reading.org/General/Publications/Podcasts.aspx
2. Choose a podcast (topic) to your interest
3. Listen to the podcast and post your reflection on the blog
4. Read and comment on each of your peer’s podcast reflection

Assignment#2 Interview Transcript:

1. Interview with teachers, reading teachers or resource room teachers to find out what types of assessment schools use, especially on what is necessary to achieve each assessment purpose (i.e., screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, outcome). In addition, interview with the cooperating teacher using the guiding questions provided here.
2. Transcribe your interview on your blog

 

Week 3 Reader Response to RTI and Assessing Thoughtful Literacy

1. Read the above two articles: one on Response to Intervention and the other on Assessing Thoughtful Literacy.

2. Write a page summary report for each article (focusing on your reflection upon the topics)and post it to your blog.
3. Come up with one question to generate discussion and make sure you also comment on all your peers' questions.

Week 2 Reader Response

Reader Response on the two articles read: Organizing instruction for struggling readers in tutorial settings & Linguistically responsive teacher education: Preparing classroom teachers to teach English Language Learners

Week 1 Project Preparation and Timeline

Project timeline

Week 1:

• Project overview

Week 2:

• Discuss with cooperating teachers to identify target ELL student
• Discuss how to proceed with or obtain student assessment information
• Discuss how timeline for your project
• Obtain cooperating teacher's consent form (the teacher keeps one copy).
• Obtain parental consent form (the parents keep one copy).
• Create your own blog and answer questions on the blog

Week 3 to 4:

• Interview with the cooperating teacher (using the guiding questionsprovided)
• Work closely with the cooperating teacher to align the writing activity with the curriculum.
• Work closely with the cooperating teacher to conduct evaluation using the rubrics (writing rubric, and SOLOM Matrix), and identify intervention strategies
• Document challenges you have encountered this week (e.g. from cooperating teacher, parent, student, or school administration...)

Week 5:

• Transcribe interview summary and post it unto your blog
• Start the observation and the writing activity
• Observe and document the target student's learning performance, learning motivation, and how they develop ideas in writing
• Document your observation and reflection on your blog
• Document challenges you have encountered this week (e.g. from cooperating teacher, parent, student, or school administration...)

Week 6-10

• Work with cooperating teacher to mentor ELL