3 Core Beliefs and Plans for Project

• I believe my students need to be actively engaged in order to learn and make connections.
• I believe students not only need to be given the tools to be successful but they must be taught how to use these tools.
• I believe  students need to feel safe and respected in the classroom in order to participate and learn.
• I believe students can support each others learning and don't always need the teacher to be involved.
• I believe all students can and will learn but it will be different amounts at different rates and at different times.
• I believe students learn from their mistakes and through trial an error, and frustration will eventually get them to think for themselves.
• I believe student learn best through experience and connections.

Independent Reading Revamped

The problem: I feel my students don’t know enough English language in order to express themselves fully.  I need to make sure that my students are actually reading and being exposed to vocabulary as well as be able to define it and make a connection to it.  Students should not be embarrassed or ashamed of the size or the title of what they are reading. They also need to have student voice with options to show what they know.

I believe:  I believe students need access to high interest, engaging text but also need to be motivated and encouraged to read.  In order to do this they must be offered a wide variety of genres and be given choice in what the choose to learn about through their reading.  I also believe that students need to be able to feel confident and safe in order for learning to take place so I build this confidence through helping them be successful in meeting their goals.  I believe students need to be part of the process of setting up their learning and being accountable to promote their success in meeting goals. I believe we need to provide students with the tools that will best help them learn.  For my ELL, IEP, and below level reading students, I believe they will benefit from the text to speech capabilities of the the kindles and audiobooks while others will just enjoy being read to or will mute it and read it themselves.  I believe the kindles will help avoid other students drawing attention to the size and level of the text.

My Project: I want use a 10 day scheduler to meet with students in one on one conferences to plan reading goals and discuss progress, difficulties, and to know each other better.  I set up a goal sheet for both student and teacher to be shared digitally and  I created a choice board for student voice in how they will demonstrate their learning.  The different Irla level checklists will be used in goal setting. (Google drive links here: 2Red, White, Black, Orange, and Purple)

Kindles:

• Plan mini-lesson to teach dictionary feature on Kindles and practice using it

• Download EPIC (My class account) and Raz Kids (My school district subscribes so all students have accounts)
• Print and laminate QR codes for books and organize them in ziploc bags by IRLA level color
• Set up vocabulary.com and quizlet to be used on chromebooks or Kindles.

New Vocabulary Incentive:

My making meaning curriculum has a 5 word weekly vocabulary that my students work with and are tested on weekly.  In order to build this vocabulary component and maintain it throughout the year I am going to set up a contest of sorts.  I’m going to call it Jolly, Magnificent, Vocabulary!  Each time a student finds the word or hears the word they can come and tell the class earning themself a jolly rancher from my seasonal candy jar!  Once the candy is gone we will earn a class reward voted on through mentimeter.

My Why: As a school district we constantly talk about “closing the gap” between ESL students and their mainstream counterparts.  This buzz word comes up over and over but in my 5 years we continue to look at the data that continues to show this gap and although strides have been made in grade 5 and 6 it’s not closing and in our 7th and 8th graders it is widening. I believe the gap exists because we keep making excuses about their language interfering with their learning rather than changing the way we are teaching.  We need to give each student whatever it is they need to learn, achieve, and be successful but instead we focus on delivering content and following pacing guides.

I know I need to get my students excited and motivated to read.  I need them to want to read instead of it being something forced.  Choice in what they will read will encourage them to read and I think the kindles will be advantageous once the students are taught how to use the features of it.  They will provide confidence and support to even my most reluctant readers.

Student voice is another belief I have and would incorporate this through use of a choice boards which gives students choices in showing what they know.