Well done; you were able to make basic reading skills simple and fun. You brought to my attention how one class could have various levels of readers. I never considered how there may be so many various levels of readers in one class but that you can also accommodate this. Thanks for the insight
This seems like a really good approach to learning to read that is simple for the teacher; especially a new teacher that may appreciate an easy to follow method. It’s great that it involves parents and has the students working in ability groups. I especially like that there are extensions to the program, because I think that is necessary to address the different learning styles. You mentioned writing on each others’ backs- that is something I remember doing in the tub with my sisters with soap. Kids love that kind of game, and they are learning. This is definitely a program I would be interested in.
The felt I could really use the ‘Words Their Way’ program in a classroom. The group demonstrated how it can be an effective way to teach phonics without the need for exhaustive writing on the part of the students. I think the kinaesthetic aspect of moving bits around allows students to be more open to reorganizing sets of words because they needn’t spend time erasing and rewriting. I’ve also seen this done with classifying pictures and it was interesting to see the different ways students come up with to classify, all of which could be justified. Much of the appeal for me was in how it’s a program that could be levelled in a manageable way in the classroom.
Great presentation, the "words their way" method seemed a great route for new teachers...I wish they had something similar for secondary subjects! The only critique I could see is that when doing the initial choral reading of the similar words, it would be more visually clear if the different sounds were highlighted with different shapes ( ie put a box around the "at" sounds, underline the "it" etc.) Overall a very informative presentation.
This lesson was very thorough and lead us through many important concepts in teaching reading to young students. I enjoyed the Mix and Fix game, extending the overhead activity into a hands-on game where students can further their interaction with the material. One question for the group: What do you think about teachers 'owning' their material? I have struggled with this aspect of following a book program or a pre-made unit. Does that remove the excitement for a unit that a teacher would have because they did not plan it themselves? I understand that teachers are busy people and good resources are effective to hold onto, I just wonder, in my own teaching practice, if I would begin to "slack off" or become less excited about my reading unit if it was completely laid out for me and all I had to do was photocopy and regurgitate. Just a personal reflection, I guess, that might relate to your lesson topic...
This program looks like a great tool to use. One of the aspects I appreciate most about it is the parent involvement. In some settings, this would be difficult, but at least this program provides materials at the parents’ fingertips that they can use, which makes it much more likely that they’ll follow through. There are many good activities, and I think that the routine of it is helpful for the students (and parents) because they feel safe and competent to do the task...as long as the teacher continues to add a little variety here and there too.
Right after presenting our math/reading lesson for secondary students at first it was difficult for me to switch into the level of grade two students. However, it didn’t take long for you guys to turn my feelings around with choral reading. It was sweet. I felt I am back in elementary school myself. It was also very age appropriate, in my opinion, to have this activity with the “mystery bags”. What got me interested the most is thorough and systematic method of assessment in this program. Although the use of different colours in your presentation has been already mentioned I can’t stress it enough. In my experience the colors make a tremendous difference in understanding newly explained math concepts, so probably it would have similar impact in categorizing words.
It was nice to be exposed to another technique of teaching onsets and phonics. I really like this technique because it addresses a variety of parts that students normally struggle with such as sounds, onsets, short and long vowels. It can be expanded on simplified to the different level of readers. I enjoyed the mix and fix activity, that was a great teaching strategy. The most important part of your presentation to me was when you presented possible extension activities such as picture sorts, book hunts, and tracing the words for kinesthetic learners. It demonstrated how you were able to take a by-the-book program and adapt to different learners through multiple intelligences. A lot of thought and research was put into your presentation and it really showed!
Thanks for the info on "words their way." I really like this presentation and the reading program - especially the chart that you put on the overhead that can be used to "point out" where a given student is having trouble with phonics and fluency. Now I just wish there was a book with worksheet templates for secondary math that I could buy! I like how you included extensions and modifactions within your presentation. Very clear and informative. :)
Erin.M. Class 5 Group 2 Words Their Way This was a great lesson. I appreciated the thorough explanation at every stage and that you clearly laid out your rational at the very beginning. The activity with the short vowel consonants gave me a lot of ideas for teaching ESL students with pronunciation problems. The materials were not costly to prepare and easy to implement. Like you said, I can actually send ESL students home with these materials to practice at home on their own time. I enjoyed your lesson and learned a lot from it.
After participating in your lesson I felt confident in the benefits of administering this tool myself. While doing the activites I saw how the use of sight and sounds in different activities and contexts can be beneficial for multi- ability levels in classrooms. You went through all of the components of the book and thoroughly demonstrated how to use them in your lesson. I especially liked the asssessment component of words their way because it's easy to administer and can accurately show how students progress over an extended period of time.
I enjoyed your lesson on implementing the "Words Their Way" strategies into the classroom. I have witnessed the success of this program during my 405 practicum as well as as a T.O.C. It is an effective and enjoyable method that provides students with an opportunity to develop their reading skills in a collaborative manner (with students, teachers, and parents). There are also several games and activities (extensions)that can easily be utilized in association with this program to account for different learning styles and to prevent any sense of monotony in the classroom. Implementation of this method in a classroom provides teachers with functional classroom management and assessment tools as students are placed in different ability groups where they can work at their own level and be assessed at regular intervals during their progression.
Being a secondary science teacher, this kind of lesson was very new to me. I really liked the mix and fix activity that the students could do and it is easy to see how grade 2 students could have lots of fun with that activity. I liked the way that the rimes were introduced into the lesson and the extensive methods in which to test the students on what they have learned. That book is a great resource and I wish they had something like that for all grade levels and all subjects. Can those activities be altered for any type of class or classroom dynamics?
It can be hard sometimes to get the class to partiipate and have them role-play being in grade 2. I think you did a good job in your use of language and activities to help us reach into our minds and find the young student still within us. The worksheet template sounds like a great idea too, what a great way to find lessons that match your students for difficulty. I like the fact that students are not bombarded with tons of different rimes; I think using three related rimes was a good way to progress the lesson for struggling students - I would imagine that most students would find success and feel good about themselves.
Although there was considerable preparation, and work involved in your lesson, it was definitely worth the effort. The cut and sort, say and sort, teacher assessment, and say and share with the whole class was a neatly developed activity. The phonemic grouping activity provided a goood opportunity for the teacher to assess the student's progress unobtrusively. I also liked your ideas for extension activities, the picture word associations, and the writing/tracing activities. The word knowledge link between reading and writing was developed well. I like the idea that this allows for different ability groups to work together.The emergent and the advanced readers can work at their own pace.
Your presentation on the “Words Their Way” program was interesting to me, as I had never heard of the series before. I enjoyed experiencing how children can sort, mix and fix words into word families.
The part of your presentation that I found most beneficial was the area regarding assessment when using the program. The assessment tool/worksheet appeared to offer a very straight forward method of tracking students’ progress, and what I really liked about the resource was the way it could help a teacher provide differentiated instruction in the classroom.
chantel I was also thinking about doing it that way, thanks. it might have been more interesting with that change up sherman thanks for all the comments
"Words Their Way" I believe from what you showed us is a very simple, practical theory to apply to the classroom. Students are able to interact and have fun with the materials while catering to their level. You were able to find a fun and exciting way to present such dry and boring material. Thanks for the brief introduction into this particular approach. VERY INfORMATIVE!! :-)
I would love to have a copy of the words their way program, it seems very teacher friendly. What I liked most was how flexible it was for using with different ability groups as every class will have wide ranges. This also goes for being able to modify and adapt reading programs for students. Thank you for introducing us to this great program.
Words Their Way – Lindsey, Neha, Sherman, Christiana I thought that this was a good presentation it was relevant to teaching emergent readers to recognize word patterns and develop reading literacy. I think that this lesson really helped to demonstrate to me that a teacher always has to look at differentiating for their students and making sure that all students are learning at their level. I think that this program demonstrates a simple yet effective way for teachers to organize their classes into ability groups and gear lessons to each student
21 comments:
Well done; you were able to make basic reading skills simple and fun. You brought to my attention how one class could have various levels of readers. I never considered how there may be so many various levels of readers in one class but that you can also accommodate this. Thanks for the insight
This seems like a really good approach to learning to read that is simple for the teacher; especially a new teacher that may appreciate an easy to follow method. It’s great that it involves parents and has the students working in ability groups. I especially like that there are extensions to the program, because I think that is necessary to address the different learning styles. You mentioned writing on each others’ backs- that is something I remember doing in the tub with my sisters with soap. Kids love that kind of game, and they are learning. This is definitely a program I would be interested in.
The felt I could really use the ‘Words Their Way’ program in a classroom. The group demonstrated how it can be an effective way to teach phonics without the need for exhaustive writing on the part of the students. I think the kinaesthetic aspect of moving bits around allows students to be more open to reorganizing sets of words because they needn’t spend time erasing and rewriting. I’ve also seen this done with classifying pictures and it was interesting to see the different ways students come up with to classify, all of which could be justified. Much of the appeal for me was in how it’s a program that could be levelled in a manageable way in the classroom.
Great presentation, the "words their way" method seemed a great route for new teachers...I wish they had something similar for secondary subjects! The only critique I could see is that when doing the initial choral reading of the similar words, it would be more visually clear if the different sounds were highlighted with different shapes ( ie put a box around the "at" sounds, underline the "it" etc.) Overall a very informative presentation.
This lesson was very thorough and lead us through many important concepts in teaching reading to young students. I enjoyed the Mix and Fix game, extending the overhead activity into a hands-on game where students can further their interaction with the material. One question for the group: What do you think about teachers 'owning' their material? I have struggled with this aspect of following a book program or a pre-made unit. Does that remove the excitement for a unit that a teacher would have because they did not plan it themselves? I understand that teachers are busy people and good resources are effective to hold onto, I just wonder, in my own teaching practice, if I would begin to "slack off" or become less excited about my reading unit if it was completely laid out for me and all I had to do was photocopy and regurgitate. Just a personal reflection, I guess, that might relate to your lesson topic...
This program looks like a great tool to use. One of the aspects I appreciate most about it is the parent involvement. In some settings, this would be difficult, but at least this program provides materials at the parents’ fingertips that they can use, which makes it much more likely that they’ll follow through. There are many good activities, and I think that the routine of it is helpful for the students (and parents) because they feel safe and competent to do the task...as long as the teacher continues to add a little variety here and there too.
Right after presenting our math/reading lesson for secondary students at first it was difficult for me to switch into the level of grade two students. However, it didn’t take long for you guys to turn my feelings around with choral reading. It was sweet. I felt I am back in elementary school myself. It was also very age appropriate, in my opinion, to have this activity with the “mystery bags”. What got me interested the most is thorough and systematic method of assessment in this program. Although the use of different colours in your presentation has been already mentioned I can’t stress it enough. In my experience the colors make a tremendous difference in understanding newly explained math concepts, so probably it would have similar impact in categorizing words.
It was nice to be exposed to another technique of teaching onsets and phonics. I really like this technique because it addresses a variety of parts that students normally struggle with such as sounds, onsets, short and long vowels. It can be expanded on simplified to the different level of readers. I enjoyed the mix and fix activity, that was a great teaching strategy. The most important part of your presentation to me was when you presented possible extension activities such as picture sorts, book hunts, and tracing the words for kinesthetic learners. It demonstrated how you were able to take a by-the-book program and adapt to different learners through multiple intelligences. A lot of thought and research was put into your presentation and it really showed!
Thanks for the info on "words their way." I really like this presentation and the reading program - especially the chart that you put on the overhead that can be used to "point out" where a given student is having trouble with phonics and fluency. Now I just wish there was a book with worksheet templates for secondary math that I could buy! I like how you included extensions and modifactions within your presentation. Very clear and informative. :)
Erin.M.
Class 5 Group 2 Words Their Way
This was a great lesson. I appreciated the thorough explanation at every stage and that you clearly laid out your rational at the very beginning. The activity with the short vowel consonants gave me a lot of ideas for teaching ESL students with pronunciation problems. The materials were not costly to prepare and easy to implement. Like you said, I can actually send ESL students home with these materials to practice at home on their own time. I enjoyed your lesson and learned a lot from it.
After participating in your lesson I felt confident in the benefits of administering this tool myself. While doing the activites I saw how the use of sight and sounds in different activities and contexts can be beneficial for multi- ability levels in classrooms. You went through all of the components of the book and thoroughly demonstrated how to use them in your lesson. I especially liked the asssessment component of words their way because it's easy to administer and can accurately show how students progress over an extended period of time.
I enjoyed your lesson on implementing the "Words Their Way" strategies into the classroom. I have witnessed the success of this program during my 405 practicum as well as as a T.O.C. It is an effective and enjoyable method that provides students with an opportunity to develop their reading skills in a collaborative manner (with students, teachers, and parents). There are also several games and activities (extensions)that can easily be utilized in association with this program to account for different learning styles and to prevent any sense of monotony in the classroom. Implementation of this method in a classroom provides teachers with functional classroom management and assessment tools as students are placed in different ability groups where they can work at their own level and be assessed at regular intervals during their progression.
Being a secondary science teacher, this kind of lesson was very new to me. I really liked the mix and fix activity that the students could do and it is easy to see how grade 2 students could have lots of fun with that activity. I liked the way that the rimes were introduced into the lesson and the extensive methods in which to test the students on what they have learned. That book is a great resource and I wish they had something like that for all grade levels and all subjects. Can those activities be altered for any type of class or classroom dynamics?
It can be hard sometimes to get the class to partiipate and have them role-play being in grade 2. I think you did a good job in your use of language and activities to help us reach into our minds and find the young student still within us. The worksheet template sounds like a great idea too, what a great way to find lessons that match your students for difficulty. I like the fact that students are not bombarded with tons of different rimes; I think using three related rimes was a good way to progress the lesson for struggling students - I would imagine that most students would find success and feel good about themselves.
Although there was considerable preparation, and work involved in your lesson, it was definitely worth the effort. The cut and sort, say and sort, teacher assessment, and say and share with the whole class was a neatly developed activity. The phonemic grouping activity provided a goood opportunity for the teacher to assess the student's progress unobtrusively. I also liked your ideas for extension activities, the picture word associations, and the writing/tracing activities.
The word knowledge link between reading and writing was developed well. I like the idea that this allows for different ability groups to work together.The emergent and the advanced readers can work at their own pace.
Your presentation on the “Words Their Way” program was interesting to me, as I had never heard of the series before. I enjoyed experiencing how children can sort, mix and fix words into word families.
The part of your presentation that I found most beneficial was the area regarding assessment when using the program. The assessment tool/worksheet appeared to offer a very straight forward method of tracking students’ progress, and what I really liked about the resource was the way it could help a teacher provide differentiated instruction in the classroom.
Thank you!
chantel I was also thinking about doing it that way, thanks. it might have been more interesting with that change up sherman thanks for all the comments
"Words Their Way" I believe from what you showed us is a very simple, practical theory to apply to the classroom. Students are able to interact and have fun with the materials while catering to their level. You were able to find a fun and exciting way to present such dry and boring material. Thanks for the brief introduction into this particular approach. VERY INfORMATIVE!! :-)
I would love to have a copy of the words their way program, it seems very teacher friendly. What I liked most was how flexible it was for using with different ability groups as every class will have wide ranges. This also goes for being able to modify and adapt reading programs for students. Thank you for introducing us to this great program.
Words Their Way – Lindsey, Neha, Sherman, Christiana
I thought that this was a good presentation it was relevant to teaching emergent readers to recognize word patterns and develop reading literacy. I think that this lesson really helped to demonstrate to me that a teacher always has to look at differentiating for their students and making sure that all students are learning at their level. I think that this program demonstrates a simple yet effective way for teachers to organize their classes into ability groups and gear lessons to each student
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