Transcript A Hands On Developmentally Appropriate Process that

“Planting A Literacy Garden”
A Hands On Developmentally Appropriate Process that teaches
Comprehension Strategies
to students ages 3 – 8
Michele Anne Polselli
Melville Elementary School
Portsmouth, RI School Department
Applying National Board Early
Childhood Generalist Standards
(nbpts.org)
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Understanding Young Children (prior knowledge)
Equity, Fairness, and Diversity (safe, secure environment)
Assessment (multiple assessment methodologies, formal and informal)
Promoting Child Development and Learning (cognitive, social, emotional, physical
and linguistic development)
Knowledge of Integrated Curriculum (DAP)
Multiple Teaching Strategies for Meaningful Learning (providing a variety of
practices and resources)
Family and Community Partnership
Professional Partnership (Lab Classroom Setting)
Reflective Practice (Portfolio and Literacy Coaching PD)
(Due to the application for EC Gen Certification to NBPTS in 2004, parental permission
was obtained to take pictures of students.)
Tools used to help students understand the
comprehension strategies are placed in their tool belts for
access at any given moment.
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Schema (seeds)
Visualizing (sunglasses)
Asking Questions (rakes)
Digging For Meaning (shovels)
Inferring (hoe)
Synthesizing (watering can)
Mosaic of Thought, Ellin O Keene, Heinemann /ISBN: 0-435-07237-4 / 1997
Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis, Stenhouse /ISBN: 1-57110-310-4 / 2000
The wheelbarrow contains tool belts. Each tool belt contains a whisper
phone that assist the facilitation of phonetic awareness. A pair of
sunglasses assist students to understand the strategy of visualizing.
Whisper Phones
Phones made from PVC tubing enhance each students phonetic awareness.
As students read alone or aloud, they listen to their own words. Hearing their
voice reinforces sounds and provides feedback. Listening to what they are
reading or saying helps them comprehend if what they are reading or saying
makes sense.
I make the analogy that students are much like seeds. Just like seeds grow
into certain plants, everyone’s thoughts in their minds are unique only to
themselves and their ideas will grow to be unique and special. Students
understand that making connections (schema) means relating prior knowledge
of ideas they have learned or experienced that are unique only to them.
The Visualizing Flower box contains useful words that assist students
when speaking and/or writing about pictures playing in their minds
(visualizations).
The rake represent questions students ask to find out what they do not know.
I explain how the rake leaves gaps in the dirt, just like not knowing answers
to questions leaves empty spaces in our thoughts. The Questioning Flower
box contains useful words that assist students to ask questions about what
they do not know.
The hoe represents information that is spread out throughout the story
that students needs to gather just like dirt after the seed is planted. The
Inferring box contains useful words that assist
students to speak and write about the “big idea” or making “predictions”
about the story.
The shovel represents “digging for the meaning” that the author wants
students to know. Each shovel contains an everyday sight word that
students use to write their stories.
The watering can represents a pouring in of any new ideas
students have created after reading text or listening to the teacher
read-aloud. Just as we water plants to sustain their growth, we
replenish our mind with new ideas that we have created.
1. Students begin by putting on tool belts that contain tactile tools that
will help them plant their “Literacy Garden.”
2. Students Sing A Song
I Have A Belt of Tools
(tune of Mary Had A Little Lamb)
I have a belt of tools, belt of tools, belt of tools. I have a belt of tools, I bring to school everyday.
The first tool helps me make connections about what I already know.
The second tool helps me visualize and make pictures in my mind.
The third tool helps me dig for meaning about what the author wants me to know.
The fourth tool helps me to ask questions about what I do not know.
3. In a Lab Classroom setting, the Literacy Coach and teacher begin
by asking students what they already know about the subject at hand.
Teachers read aloud and working collaboratively, difficult vocabulary
that has several meanings is discussed.
4. Integrating technology by utilizing a video projector connected to a
computer, enhances students visual and auditory senses. While
incorporating large motor skills, students use their bodies to act out
new and difficult words to promote each child’s development and
understanding.
5. Choral reading and acting out the words greatly enhances student
understanding.
6. After reading aloud, the teacher models by drawing a picture of
what is playing in their minds.
7. Students then turn to talk to a partner about their visualizations and
connections they have made with the text. They share the movie that is
playing in their mind.
8. All students must share their thoughts with the teacher and
classmates before beginning their drawings and writings on paper.
Students draw the visualizations they have in their mind with crayons,
markers or colored pencils.
9. Informal Teacher-made Rubric Visualizing
• Hot Air Balloon- Exceptional! Beyond the
Standard. Describes own mental images,
usually visual; images are somewhat
elaborated from the literal text or existing
picture and help him/her to understand more
that he/she would have without creating the
images. May include some emotional images
from connections they have made that
enhance the meaning.
• Bunch of Balloons – Great Work! Meets the
Standard, Describes some visual or other
sensory images; may be tied directly to text or
a description of the picture in the text
• One Balloon – Almost there! The student
has not yet met the Standard. The student
has drawn something that is not related to the
text. No response or unsure what he/she is
supposed to describe
Hot Air
Balloon
Bunch
of
Balloons
One
Balloon
10. Video gram Email
Students choose their favorite writings and read or talk
about it into a camera. The video is sent home as a video
gram email in an effort to keep parents apprised of their
child’s literacy progress.
11. Finally, everyone cleans up and returns their tool belts to the
wheel barrow.
PLANTING SEEDS
Students plant seeds in an effort to integrate literacy and
science because it is best practice. This integration provides
developmentally appropriate practices and a hands-on
experience.
Literacy Garden
The culminating integrated science and literacy project of
“Planting the Literacy Garden” is when students plant their
seedlings outside.
Outcomes for Session
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NAEYC Standards
Comprehension Strategies
Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop
Lab Classroom Setting
Integrate Technology
Developmentally Appropriate
Assessment: Informal Teacher made rubrics
Formal: Running Records/PALS/DIBELS
Parental involvement
Relevant Research
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National Boards for Early Childhood Certification
Harvey and Goudvis “Strategies That Work”
Ellin O. Keene, “Mosaic of Thought”
PEBC (Public Education and Business Coalition)
Reading Lady National Website
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
East Bay Educational Collaborative
Feldgus and Cardonic; Kid Writing
Evidence of Success
•Kinder Squirt/Planting A Literacy Garden
This site has downloadable worksheets and strategies teachers can
utilize when teaching K-2 students comprehension strategies developed
by Michele Polselli.
•Carleworks- Using books by Eric Carle, a powerpoint presentation was
created to be used with literacy lessons that address state and
national GLE’s while integrating technology.
•Mosaic Listserve Teaching Tools
This site has downloadable worksheets and lesson plans created by
teachers across the nation as they teach their students comprehension
strategies developed by Ms. Keene. Readinglady.com recognizes
“Planting A Literacy Garden” as a teaching tool for comprehension
strategies.
•Mosaic Listserve
Professionals joining this list serve engage in conversations with K-12
colleagues across the nation who are using best practices in teaching
comprehension strategies to their students.
Contacts
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Michele A. Polselli
Kindergarten Teacher
Melville Elementary School
Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871
401-683-1650
[email protected]
http://polsellikindergarten.tripod.com
http://carleworks.tripod.com
Implementation Activities
• This comprehension lesson about giraffes utilizes the
book of poems “Animals, Animals” by Eric Carle. The
poem about giraffes, written by Mary Anne Hoberman
on pages 48-49, is the basis of this lesson and is
located here at this online site Carleworks.tripod.com
• I begin by utilizing tools from “Planting A Literacy
Garden” to assist students to become better readers
and writers. Using the internet, a video projector
connected to a computer and our tool belts, students
can develop the comprehension skills necessary to
visualize and make connections using schema.