feliciaticklefall2011re4030

Reciprocal teaching and vocabulary go hand in hand when it comes to help children to understand the meaning of their readings.  Reciprocal teaching is used to guide students into leading their own discussions with the use of questions.  Reciprocal teaching can be easily broken into 4 steps.

Step 1 -Students begin by asking questions (guided by their teacher if necessary).

Step 2 – Students will then ask each other about vocabulary in the text to make sure that they comprehend any new vocabulary.

Step 3 – Students are then asked to summarize the text to make sure they understood the plot line.

Step 4 – Students will be asked to make a prediction about what they believe they will learn or what will happen as they progress through the text.

It is easy to see how this can be connected with teaching new vocabulary as well.  Students are given strategies to assist with learning new vocabulary terms in this activity by asking questions about what they think the meaning is and how they came up with that meaning.   Students again are using questions to comprehend the text as well.  The vocabulary activities in section three of The Capture are a prime example of the powerful affects of questions in learning.  In section three there is a section entitled “Have you ever?” which promts students to discuss personal connections they have to the vocabulary through the usage of questions.

As far as using a Glog in the classroom to facilitate instruction this is a new concept to me and is not something that I have been introduced to prior to this class.  At first is was somewhat difficult for me to understand the benefits of yet another online assignment but I realized after completion that this can be a great way for student to combine digital media and resources into a single location in a clear and organized manner.  An example of my own personal glog for the book The Capture can be found below.

http://ticklefd.edu.glogster.com/wantedsorenre4030ticklefd/

This article focuses on how internet workshops and blog publishing sites can be used to teach, instruct and guide students in their learning of practically any topic or subject (the topic used for this article was about pirates).  I really like how we were able as a class to complete the internet workshop in correlation to this article.

In section 1 it talks about how students have support and are scaffold as they are led to certain websites that have already be found for them to use to gather and evaluate information that they find.  I thought it was important that there there was attention given to the fact that it can be difficult to find websites that are appropriate for children to use in the classroom.  It made note of the fact that websites had to be easy not only to read but also to navigate.  I know that on the owl website that had been given to us to use on this assignment it was always easy to read the text and also to navigate among the pages about where to look for certain information.  I also thought it was beneficial to us to make a point of recognizing the planning process for designing a research project of this level.  When planning a internet workshop, the goals of the learning experience must be kept in mind for each step of the project to make sure that they are being met.

In the second section there is the discussion of blogs or ” web log.”   In the article it discusses how teachers are generally the sole manager of these classroom blogs and it never occurred to me until recently (when I started to blog) how important this was.  Some blogging websites can be quite difficult to navigate so I think that this would be best because the teacher can organize how students place their different information on the classroom blog.  One  thing that was brought to my attention was the fact that these classroom blogs are cooperative learning experiences.  Although I knew that each child would be contributing to the site I was still under the impression that it was individual work;  however, when students are sharing comments and remarks with each other they are helping each other to learn and grow.

With all the advances in technology and increases in the amount of web-based research that students are completing for class, and their assignments online, I thought it was great that it was brought to attention the importance of sharing with students how they should not post their personal information online.  Many times students will use only their first name or even a psuedonym.

Barn Owls

1. List the barn owl’s scientific name.

Tyto alba alba

2. What does the barn owl look like?

The under side is a light grey with numerous fine dark lines and scattered pale spots on the feathers. There are buff markings on wings and on the back. The underparts are white with a few black spots, occasionally none. Feathering on the lower legs may be sparse. The heart-shaped facial disc is white with a brownish edge, with brown marks at the front of the eyes, which have a black iris. Its beak is off-white and the feet are yellowish-white to brownish. Males and females are similar in size and color, females and juveniles are generally more densely spotted.

2. Describe the habitat of a barn owl: Where do they live? What kind of shelter do they need?

The barn owl is found in many different habitats but is mostly found in open woodland areas.  They are normally found roosting in hollowed trees but have also been known to seek shelter in caves, wells, out-buildings and thick foliage.  Their nests are typically about 20 meters high.

3. How is the barn owl especially equipped to catch its prey?

Very long legs and talons to help grasp their prey.

4. What do barn owls eat?  Where do they find their food?

Barn owls typically will eat small ground mammals.  The majority of this includes rodents such as gophers, mice, rats and shrews.  Often these owls will perch themselves higher up where they can watch an open grassland for these rodents.

5. Describe any “special talents” of the barn owl.

Barn Owls are short-lived birds. Most die in their first year of life, with the average life expectancy being 1 to 2 years in the wild.  Owl ears are located one higher than the other, increasing sound reception.  During flight, the left ear captures sounds below while the right ear focuses on sounds from above.

6.Describe the life cycle of a barn owl.  (including reproduction)

Barn Owls are short-lived birds. Most die in their first year of life, with the average life expectancy being 1 to 2 years in the wild.  Barn owls are able to breed at any time of the year depending on the food supply.  During courting, males may circle near the nest tree, giving short screeches and chattering calls. Barn Owls will lay 3 to 6 eggs at 2 day intervals. The eggs are incubated 30 to 34 days. Chicks are covered in white down and brooded for about 2 weeks, and are fledged in 50 to 55 days. After this, they will remain in the vicinity for a week or so to learn hunting skills and then rapidly disperse from the nest area. Young birds are able to breed at about 10 months.

7. What are some cool facts you learned?

Barn Owls are found on every continent, except for Antarctica.  Barn Owls do not hoot, they screech.

Elf Owls

1. List the elf owl’s scientific name.

Micrathene whitneyi

2. What does the elf owl look like?

The Elf Owl is the smallest of all the owls in North America.  It’s only 13-15 cm long.  It has a wingspan of
38 cm and a very short tail.  It has spots of puff or white dapple.  This owl has brown plumage and brown streaks on its breast.  It has white eyebrows arched above its’ yellow eyes and its’ round head has no ear tufts.

3.  Describe the habitat of an elf owl: where do they live? what kind of shelter do they need?

In the Sonoran Desert region, elf owls are found mainly in riparian habitats (places where there is water), or in areas where saguaro cactus are plentiful.

4. How is the elf owl especially equipped to catch its prey?

Elf owls have “silent flight” which means they don’t make any noise as they approach their prey. The sound of their wing beat is muffled by softened feathers on the leading edges of their wings.

5. What do elf owls eat?

They feed primarily on invertebrates such as moths, crickets, scorpions, centipedes and beetles.

6. Describe any “special talents” of the elf owl.

Elf owls will play dead if they are captured or if there is a predator near by.

7. Describe the life cycle of an elf owl.

In the wild, elf owls live 3-6 years. In captivity they usually live longer, between 6-10 years. The female Elf Owl will lay 2 to 4 white eggs.  It takes about 24 days to hatch and 28 to 33 days to fledging.

8 .  What are some cool “WOW” facts that you learned?

The Elf Owl will spend most its day hiding in a hole or dense leaves. They come out at dusk to hunt. Elf owls are sometimes drawn to campers’ fires, probably for the bugs circling the light. They also eat centipedes, scorpions, and occasionally small birds or lizards.  If the owl is threatened, it will usually sit still and camouflage itself in the trees, looking like a broken branch.

Great Gray Owls

1. Strix nebulosa

2.This owl is dark gray with bars and flecks of light gray and white.  It has yellow eyes, a long tail and a big head.  It has a white mustache and a black bow tie.  These owls make about as much noise as other owls but become more vocalized when they are mating and rearing their young.

3.  These owls are most common in North America in swamps and forests.  During migration they can be found in some fields as well.

4. They locate hidden prey with the help of large facial disks that funnel sound to their ears.

5. It eats small mammals and other small animals.

6. Great Gray Owls are able to plunge with enough force when catching their prey that they can crush a layer of snow strong enough to hold a 180 pound person.

7.  Typically when these owls lay eggs they will lay three eggs about two days apart. They will hatch have to 28 to 36  days and will fledge after about 28 days.

8.  The most likely place to find them is in Minnesota.

Burrowing Owls

1. Athene cunicularia

2.It is a small ground dwelling bird with a round head and no ear tufts.  They have white eyebrows, yellow eyes and long skinny legs.  It is sandy colored on the head, back and upper parts of the wing.  There is white on the chest and belly.  They are easy to see because they are active during the daylight.  This owl can make more than 17 different noises.  These noised are mostly made during courtship.

3. This is a ground dwelling owl.  They need prairie like terrain that has low vegetation, deep soil for burrowing mammals that dig burrows and have a good food supply.

4.

5. They eat insects, small rodents, lizards and birds that they find in the prairie like terrain.

6.  These owls are able to eat half of their own body weight each day.

7. Nesting season for this species is from late March and during April.  They will lay 6 to 12 eggs.  They hatch in about 14 days and the young are able to leave the nest after approximately 44 days.

8.  The name curicurlaria is latin for miner, given to the owls because of their ability to burrow into the ground like a miner.

Screech Owls

1. Megascops

2. The Eastern Screech Owl (Otus Asio Linneaus) is one of the varieties of screech owls commonly found in the United States.  Like the Western Screech, it is the smallest eared owl at only 8 inches long with a 2-foot wingspan.  It typically has 70 feathers per square inch of its body.    Depending on where it lives, screech owls are red, brown, or gray.  In its Rufous, or red color phase, the Eastern Screech Owl is North America’s only reddish eared owl.  Eastern Screech Owls make a whinny or trilling sound.  It descends in pitch. Loud calls are made when hunting and soft calls when begging or courting. If they are threatened, they will start to click their beaks.

3. These owls tend to reside in woodlands, deciduous forest, parklands, and lots more.  They will also avoid dense forest because Great Horned Owl use that habitat.  Eastern Screech Owls roost mainly in natural cavities in large trees including cavities open to the sky during dry weather.

4.  Given that these owls are darker colors of browns and red, the screech owl is able to camouflage itself among the trees.

5. These owls mainly eat fish, insects, small birds and mammals.

6. Mother owls will attack animals twice their size to protect their infants.

7.  An Eastern Screech Owl lays 3-7 eggs.  It takes about twenty-six days for the eggs to be incubated and hatched. 

8.   They will click their beaks together if they feel threatened.

Snowy Owls

1. Nyctea scandiaca

2.  The White Owl that has a rounded head, yellow eyes and black bill. The feet are heavily feathered. A distinctive white Owl, their overall plumage is variably barred or speckled with thin, black, horizontal bars or spots. It is only vocal during nesting season and is rarely heard at any other time.

3. The Snowy Owl lives in the Arctic tundra or open grasslands and fields. They rarely venture into forested areas. During southward movements they appear along lakeshores, marine coastlines, marshes, and even roost on buildings in cities and towns. In the Arctic, they normally roost on pingaluks (rises in the tundra) and breed from low valley floors up to mountain slopes and plateaus over 1,000 meters (3,000 feet) in elevation. When wintering in the Arctic, they frequent wind-swept tundra with little snow or ice accumulation.

4.  The Snowy owls are able to camouflage themselves against the ice and snow of the arctic tundra that they inhabit so that their prey does not know they are there.

5.  These owls prefer a sit an wait technique of hunting their prey,  this means that most of their prey is small mammals and other birds.

6.  They will sit and wait for hours for their prey.  Females are better at catching prey when hidden with bushes and the like, whilst the male is a better hunter in flight because it is almost solid white.

7.  These owls lay 5 to 7 eggs on the ground of the tundra.  The females will incubate the owls for about 32 days while males bring the females food.

8. During hot weather, they can thermoregulate by panting and spreading their wings. Snowy Owls are very aggressive when defending their nest.

Great Horned Owls

1. Bubo virginianus

2. This owl has tail feathers that are motted with brown.  The throat is pure white with under parts that are barred with black.  The tufts or feathers are what gives the owl the “horns.”  It has yellow eyes with large feet with big talons.   It can either be reddish brown or a grayish color.  The owl calls 3 – 8 hoots but most often 6.  These hoots are quite deep. 

3.  The owl is a very adaptable bird and can live in coniferous forest, arid desserts, wooded city parks, trees, caves, cliff ledges and even on the ground.  They can be found in cities, residential areas and industrial developments.

4.   With their large talons and massive wing size these owls are able to overtake their prey.  It can also turn its head 190 degrees and has binocular vision.

5.  It can feed on almost anything, including: mice, rats, birds, fish, frogs, lizards, muskrats, large insects,  squirrels, cats, rabbits, snakes, small dogs and other owls.  

6. It can turn its head 190 degrees.

7.   This owl does not build its own nest but will use the nest of other birds.  They will raise 2 -4 young owls called owlets.  The mother is very protective and after 7 to 10 weeks the owls begin to fly and leave the nesting area.

8.  Often called a tiger with wings.

As Good As Anybody by Richard Michelson and illustrated by Raul Colon

Passage 1: “The way things are,” his father preached, “is not the way they always have to be.  In the next world, people of all colors will live together and respect each other.”  (page 4, paragraph 2)

1 – What it means to me: The statement by Daddy King in this passage holds far more importance and foreshadowing than I think some younger students might grasp and understand.  It is a very deep and bold statement that is talking about change.  A change that was important and necessary for the development of this country and the freedom it is suppose to stand for.   Although my mother was not talking to me directly about segregation and the civil rights movement, my mother always told me that if something wasn’t the way I thought it was suppose to be or if I didn’t like something it was up to me to change it.  I think this is what Daddy King was trying to tell Martin.

Passage 2: “That winter a colored woman refused to stand and move to the back of the bus so that a white man could sit down.  She was arrested and sent to jail.”  (page 7, paragraph 3)

2 – What it means to me:  I know because of prior knowledge that the woman being discussed is Rosa Parks, and I know that this short book meant for giving students a chance to learn about Martin Luther King Jr., but I feel like Rosa Parks was so important they could have at least told their audience what her name was.  Her actions were similar to the straw that broke the camels back and acted as a catalyst for these marches.

Passage 3:  “Decent  people know that prejudice is wrong,” he said, “but many are too frightened to speak out.” (page 10, paragraph 1)

3 – What it means to me:  I think that this concept applies to much more than just prejudice.  I think people often won’t speak out about anything that could be considered wrong or atypical.  People are frightened of many different things that factor into their decision to not speak out against these events and crimes.  I think people are mostly frightened of the consequences that might occur because of what they did or didn’t do.

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Passage 4: “I hate poverty but I love the poor,” his father said, slipping the last coin into his son’s hand.  “We can always find someone in greater need than ourselves.”  (page 12, paragraph3)

4 – What it means to me:  I can completely agree with this statement.  I passionately hate having to worry about how I am going to pay the bills for this month and how I’m going to afford just living, but I know that there are some people out there who are much worse off than I am and that need even more help.  For instance, I know that recently my mother bought a new furniture set for her living room and was going to let me have it for an apartment when I move back home; however, my fiance’s aunt and uncle’s couch literally fell through and they didn’t have anything to sit on, so we gave it to them instead.  My point is that even though I needed the furniture there was someone who needed more than me.

Passage 5:  Martin took a step forward.  Abraham took a step beside him.”  (page 24, paragraph 1 and 2)

5 – What it means to me:  These are two very short sentences.  Two sentences that I believe are quite powerful.  It signifies and stands for everything that this book stands for and is trying to convey.  It wants to convey that people are all equal, no matter their race, religion, and beliefs.

Websites for kids relating to the books:

Social Studies for Kids

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/martinlutherking1.htm

Kaboose

http://holidays.kaboose.com/martin-luther-king-jr-day.html

Apples for the teachers

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/martin-luther-king-jr-day/

Read the rest of this entry »

As a student intern in the elementary schools, I actually see quite a bit of shared reading and have experience performing these readings with students ranging from per-kindergarten to fourth grade.  I completely agree with these studies that show how shared reading in the classroom shows students how to interact with text by modeling different ranges of literacy skills and knowledge at the word, sentence and text level through the context of a shared text.

According to the article there are four main parts of shared reading.  These four parts are comprehension, vocabulary, text structures, and text features.  It is essential that while students are participating in these shared readings students have the opportunity to increase their vocabulary and also their understanding of the text.  It is also crucial to shared readings that students are given the chance to how the structure of the text and the text features can also provide information to the students.  Students can use these parts of shared reading to recognize the flow of a text and how the information is being broken down for their understanding as well.

I also thought it very important that in the article it mentions that shared reading is a type of modeling “that should be followed opportunities to practice and apply skills.”  I really like that this article recognizes that students need more than just examples to learn by.  It is important that teachers recognize that shared reading is meant to have a purpose in it’s instruction and that  it is not meant to add more time to the whole class instruction.  Shared readings should be looked at as a guided practice or an engagement activity for the lesson for that day.  The research form this article also recommended that shared readings not be the only strategy used and that it should not be used for all instruction.

When using this strategy for books such as Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles and As Good As Anybody by Richard Michelson, it will be important that as the instructor students are shown important aspects of the text and the structure as well as new vocabulary.   In Richard Michelson’s short story this is most prominently shown in the repeated usage of “WHITES ONLY” because it is showing how iron-clad laws were at that time.  The same can be said in Freedom Summer as well.

The following file is a self-made lesson plan for a Shared Reading Lesson with the book Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles.  Shared Reading Plan

In reading this article I was really able to connect to what the article was saying.   Especially in the beginning when it talks about how poetry is narrow-minded in elementary school.  I can remember being in elementary school and the only poems and poet that we read from were those who rhymed such as Dr. Seuss.  My first memory of Acrostic poems is from the 6th grade.  However the acrostic poems we were given to write seem very different from those mentioned in the article.  Our acrostic poems were one word adjectives that described us in each of the letters of our names.  I really enjoyed seeing how these poems from the article used phrases to create longer poems.   I read the acrostic poem about Black Beard several times because I thought it was so interesting.   I had never realized that you could write informational poetry.

I believe that children are not exposed to poetry often enough for children to understand poetry.  As a child I do not recall ever reading poems in class, much less being able to create my own.   My first recollections of doing actually working with poetry was in late middle school and early high school.  I enjoyed reading Love That Dog and getting to see that Jack was exposed to so many different poems and types of poems.  I think children do not often understand that there is more to poems than a rhyme scheme and some obscure meaning.

The very first statement read from this article promotes blogging and discusses how blogs can prepare students for new literacy of the internet.  When I was in elementary school I had no clue of what a Blog was and our classes never used the computer for anything other than playing educational games such as JumpStart.  It was not until late middle school and high school that I learned anything about the internet.  Students now use the internet frequently and the newest sensation in classrooms for education is classroom blogging.  Students are able to use their blogs for publishing their own works, to communicate their questions and answers with other students.  This article can be very beneficial to teachers in that it provides step by step information on how to set up a blog for your classroom and how to prepare them for placing information on their own pages.