Session+3

=__**Session 3**__=

**3.1- Monitoring Conversation**
1. How I do monitor students' understanding in the classroom? I obviously monitor through the usual, projects, papers, quizzes and tests. But I also monitor through guided discussions. Many times, I "clipboard," which is essentially a teacher's way of assessing the conversations between my students as they discuss the assigned topic(s). I also use whole-class discussions to assess their understanding. Sometimes, through one or two questions, I find out quickly that we need to revisit a topic. Or I find out, even more quickly, that, "yea, yea, Ms. Trombley, we understand, let's move on!"

2. As I implement technology, I will not take away some of these strategies because they are simple and they do work. However, with the technology, I'll be able to add more to my box of tools. Guided discussions online, especially on the wiki, will be a bit easier to assess because I can spend more time really reading their discussion. Sometimes, when clipboarding, I find I miss some of their conversations because I'm trying to listen to every conversation. Students will also be able to monitor each other and answer each other's questions when they arise.

**3.2**
This article gives teachers a great tool for strategies to use with our students before, during, and after reading. It clearly states the responsibility the teacher has to prep students before reading and gives tools/strategies to do so. The article also helps us choose the appropriate activity for our students. There are also strategies like note-taking for during reading and suggestions for students to look back at pre-reading predictions as a way to reflect.

I use most of these strategies in my classroom already. For pre-reading I like to have students predict what they will be reading about using pictures, headings, and key words (a tip from Judi Allen). During reading, I like to chunk the text and reflect with students after each chunk. I also like to make sure my students are asking questions or making connections during their reading. I know that I do not spend enough time on the after-reading portion. I spend so much time before and during that I sometimes forget how important it is to go back and reflect on our original predictions and notes.

**3.3- Wordle as a Before Reading Strategy**
1. ** What does it seem that Wordle can do for the user? ** Wordle can definitely be a fantastic preview before reading the text. My students would be pulled in by the look of the Wordle and be able to make thoughtful predictions about what they will be reading.

2. **How useful does Wordle seem to be as a before reading strategy for students?** I believe the Wordle will be useful as a before reading strategy because it will catch the eye and the interest of my students. Because it catches their interest, they will be more inclined to try and :figure it out" than just using my usual prereading strategies.

3. **What type of learners would benefit from using a Wordle?** I think it will benefit all types of learners but it will definitely benefit those who need visual stimulation and who immediately focus on the larger, more important words.

History Losing Out Wordle

1.** What observations and predictions about your article can you make based on this Wordle? ** The words that stand out are "history" and "students." (I cheated a bit because I was searching for a specific topic!) But, I can tell through the larger words that this article will stress the importance of teaching history to today's American students. I can also predict that the article will focus on standardized testing the weight placed on math and english.

2. **What connections to your background knowledge can you make?** Obviously, I can connect to the years of experience teaching and the connections/support I've seen social studies give to the other subject areas. I know many students, like myself at school-age, who have a love for history. I couldn't imagine having social studies taken away as an option for these students.

**3.4- Annotated Article-During Reading Strategy**


1. My thoughts differ only slightly from just viewing the Wordle to reading the article. I definitely knew the article would make the case for providing more time for history in schools. What I wasn't aware of were the statistics supporting this case and how the article made me a bit scared about the lack of history knowledge in our students. And also upset about the possible doors never opened to students through learning about history, government, politics, etc.

2. This process was awesome! I loved doing it online as opposed to marking up a text on paper. Many times when I mark up a text on paper, the paper looks like such a mess that I don't want to go back and re-read the notes I've taken. This makes the mark-up so much easier and appealing.

**3.5 Top Five Vocabulary - After Reading Activity**
1. ** History **- The subject matter in jeopardy in our schools (along with other social sciences).

2. **Students** - Young people who are not being taught enough history and are losing out every year.

3. ** School **- The safe place where learning takes place. Where all subject matters should be available and promoted to our learners.

4. ** Take **- Students should experience classes from all different types of curriculum. (Take history!)

5. ** U.S. **- Students from this country are failing to understand the birth and history of their own country.