Finally!

Finally! The last of the Mohicans had finally completed the case report! Thank you, Drs. Rivera and Stoicovy, for your continued support. It's such a great feeling to have wonderful professors.

A lot of work and there's still a lot more next semester. Soon I can actually fill the shoes of a reading specialist. I hope all of you have a great Christmas holiday!

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." --

Benjamin Franklin

In reflection of this past semester, this quote suits well. I was told that reading was the key to a learner’s success. And I forgot and I went on teaching….I was taught that reading was the key to a learner’s success. And I went remembered and I went on teaching….I was involved in learning that reading was the key to a learner’s success…Now I just learned that reading is the key to a reader’s success.
The image reflects of the teamwork that we have among us in the inner circle because it is the sincerity of friendship and support that makes the struggle a little fun and easier.
I can say that I have learned so much during my coursework and all that I have learned was used in this course. I look forward to next semester’s classes with my inner circle of friends. Until next semester….my friends….

The Inner Circle

"It is not what is poured into a student that counts but what is planted." -Linda Conway

Knowledge is not like water that is poured and has to go somewhere and dry off. It is like a vine that grows and grows to a lengthy plant.

Was that deep or what? I was feeling so conscious about what Dr. Rivera said. She said I had deep reflections. Were they making any sense at all? Sometimes when I write, I can ramble on and on. Let me know, somebody, please!

I enjoyed being in this class. Lot of work and still wrapping up! Wait for me. I'm still part of the Inner Circle, right? Thanks for the laughs and support. We need them till we're done! Have a great Christmas holiday! See you all next sem!

Our last session was great! My meeting with Mrs. Vila went extremely well and she is pleased with the outcome of Ahrian being enrolled in the Literacy Center. My Livetext just needs a few fix-ups, but I'm practically done. I wanted to say "AWESOME JOB!" to everyone in completing the semester with style. We are almost done! One more semester until UOG stands and claps at the Language and Literacy Spring Class of 2009! Go Inner Circle!

The quote that I chose was short, but it summed up why I wanted to go into teaching and of course to become a reading specialist.

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." Albert Einstein

This is Ceferino Duarosan Jr. signing off....

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh

Well...we made it! Another successful semester complete. Tonight's class was a wonderful way to unwind and destress after a long diagnostic case report write up. I really do appreciate all the support you all gave me throughout the semester and during my slight meltdown last week; it's always nice to know you are there to listen and support, and going through the same thing. The stress will be worth it next semester though when we see our students making progress and having success in reading and writing. We will make a difference in their lives and the satisfaction will be truly fulfilling. The quote I chose has always been a favorite of mine and I try to live by it especially with my own kids. I think every teacher should read it at the beginning of their day and again at the end. It's very inspiring and a great reminder of the immense difference you can make in a child's life.

"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank...but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child." -- Forest Witchcraft

"Don't limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve". --Mary Kay Ash, Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

I love this quote. I believe that we can all achieve our dreams and goals that we put our minds to. We are just a semester and a diagnostic report away from graduating. Let's all reach for the stars!

By the way as a Mary Kay Representative, does anyone need to buy any cosmetics? I need to make sales. The holidays are right around the corner. HAPPY THANKSGIVING LADIES!

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Thank you

to my inner circle of friends who have been there thick and thin,

...at midnight and early morning hours,

...texting and sending messages,

...answering phone calls of HELP!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

"Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants." -- John Gardner

My interpretation is that as an educator we must always keep in mind what our goal is for our students. Why do want the learner to take away from my instruction. Would this lesson be of some value to his life? Learning would be much more effective when a learner is given the opportunity to investigate and research independently and to find their own answers rather than the information given to the learner and the teacher expects the same information to be just given back. I also believe that not all learners learn the same and not all learners come to a solution the same way. So as an educator, I have to keep in mind- differentiated learning. It may be a difficult task but we don't pick and choose who comes to our classroom doorway. If I try, I may have a classroom of young gardners with a variety of flora...not a withering pot of plants.

Hahahaha.......

"A very wise old teacher once said: "I consider a day's teaching wasted if we do not all have one hearty laugh." He meant that when people laugh together, they cease to be young and old, master and pupils, jailer and prisoners. They become a single group of human beings enjoying its existence." -- Gilbert Highet

As I read through the list of quotes, this one caught my attention in a huge way. I interpreted it as that every now and then we may be seriously engaged in our work and everyday lives that we sometimes tend to forget to laugh to break the monotony of our existence in this life. Laughter tends to bring out the human in ourselves no matter who we are. I find this very true especially when I my students are placing their challenges on my plate all throughout the day until someone or something creates some kind of hoopla to bring out laughter from everyone.

I think I can, I think I can

My favorite quote at the website was this one:

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement, nothing can be done without hope and confidence." -- Helen Keller

Just when I thought I was done, my diagnostic case report was returned to me with a lot of "red", I'm not use to seeing that :) I spent the night awake, my stomach in knots and my head throbbing because I could not figure out how I would be able to squeeze one more assessment session in this week since it is a very short school week.

I feel a bit better this morning (even after no sleep). It's 7:30 am but I have already talked to my student's mother (God Bless you Lucille!) and will be able to complete my parent interview in two hours when she is available to talk. My next step will be to work out one last session with Nathaniel and his mother. I have a feeling of optimism this morning. I can get this done, a few red edits is not the end of the world and a little time crunch kind of makes this exciting.

I also get to end the week with a much needed family vacation to Australia. This will be the first trip we've taken off Guam that my husband will be home for and we are all very excited to get away. We leave Thanksgiving night and will be back bright and early Monday morning. Hopefully my case report will be ok'd by Wednesday or I'm bringin my laptop with me. Optimism, optimism, optimism.

I'm thinking of all of you this morning as I was last night. We can get through this, we are almost done and I am so thankful that I have my inner circle to go through this with (I might even reconsider and walk through graduation with all of you).

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Pain...The Pain

Hey, everyone! I’m back! It is so wonderful to be back at home and in front of the computer, blogging! I have been in the past week and a half laid up at GMH nursing myself back to health due to a gi-mongous gallstone nestled in my bile duct. The gallstone was removed along with my gallbladder. I am now “gallbladder-less.” It may seem a bit funny but having the pain wasn’t. I had an attack one Sunday which made me stay out of work the next day, the day we have classes for ED643. I had to see my regular doctor who finally told me that I had to have surgery. Because it was a stone that was mobile, she thought it would be a laser procedure. Well, it wasn’t.
I was in so much pain after leaving school on that Wednesday that I made a trip to the Emergency Room. I was admitted that evening. After two days of liver function tests showed pretty high numbers and several Demerol shots later, I was told that surgery would happen on Saturday morning. Well, I didn’t feel a thing until after the anesthesia wore off. Several more Demerol shots were ordered to alleviate the pain. I was starting to think to myself that was the kind of high drug addicts enjoy. I tolerated the pain as much as I could. I was off oxygen the following evening. I was starting to use the breathing exercises and coughing to help get better.
I still feel soreness. Anyone would after having major surgery. I still have a four-inch incision stapled along with a bag that helps drain the fluids from the inside where the incision is located. Every day after my showers, I have to have the dressings changed so I don’t develop some kind of an infection around the site. It is such a task! I walk at a slower pace and can’t lift any thing heavier than 15 lbs. I hate feeling so helpless and at the same time, I don’t want to open up the stitches. I am moving around a lot so I can gain more strength. All in all, I feel better!

Image source: writelysew.wordpress.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear ED643 Students,

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the holiday with your family, and be sure to give them thanks for supporting you in your academic endeavors. Good luck with completing your final course requirements!

Best regards,

Dr. Rivera

Up the Ladder..We Go!

Here we go..up the ladder! Who would think that we are this close to our final semester of our program?!!

Monday evening's session was enlightening for Andrew and me. After we reviewed the reading assessment results, we agreed on some reading goals for himself. It will be another semester of commitment but both Andrew and I will be working closer toward our personal goals- meeting reading goals for Andrew and for myself- the completion of my graduate work!

Time is ticking (quickly) for the diagnostic reports and the end of this Fall semester. This only we are getting closer to going "up the ladder."

Image: therecruitingedge.blogspot.com

I am happy about the turn out of tonight's class as it was very productive. I understand what I need to do and it is just a matter of me getting around to do everything before the due date. I really like my quote today, "Those who lose dreaming are lost." I always do picture myself daydreaming about the "what ifs" in life and always wanted to pursue higher education. I thought that having my bachelor's degree in teaching would keep me content, but I am so close in obtaining my master's. Who would have thought that the shy kid with a problem with reading comprehension who was always stuck with the smart, obnoxious GATE students in elementary is just a semester away from being a reading specialist? Dreams do come true! All we have to do is go after them.

I enjoyed tonight's "duo" session of ED643 and ED638. I am relieved I fully understand the Geo-Narrative now even if it took me FOREVER to understand what Dr. Rivera was explaining. I sure was a few yards short of the finish line tonight-- Sometimes I worry about myself!

It's amazing to me that there are only two weeks left in the semester and our diagnostic case reports are due on Monday. Time sure does fly by.

Hopefully the full inner circle will be back next week--Lucille we miss you! I hope you are home soon and feeling better!

Kate

We're Getting There!

After a bout of ear infection, bronchitis (Andrew with the ear and I had the lung thing) and parent teacher conferences..., we're getting there. I had to squeeze in the sessions in between. Andrew seems to slowly "enjoy" reading. We actually finished a book together. As we both read the chapters, we used some strategies to strengthen our comprehension and maybe enjoy reading books.

Throughout the reading sessions, I came to a realization that Andrew could choose books of his interests then maybe then he would enjoy reading. After the story, "Tuck Everlasting", I asked Andrew if he could go to the school library and select a book of his choice. He went home with a book title "Code Talker." Andrew chose this particular book to connect to a topic in his Social Studies class this quarter. I am not sure if his teacher introduced the book title in class or if it was his own choosing. For whatever reason it may be, I am just satisfied that he was able to make a choice and actually enjoy reading it. I would catch him reading before his volleyball practices and on the rides to school and home.

We're getting there...See you all in class!

Last session with Ahrian

Today was my last session with Ahrian and to my surprise we had the whole reading lab to ourselves. Imagine that!

Ahrian is such a trooper. He was out the whole last week because of the flu. I wanted to keep the session short today, but he just kept wanting to read and read despite his cough and runny nose.

I did a couple of running records and retellings with Ahrian. He got to read two books that he chose. They were Sammy the Seal and a Clifford Book. He was so excited!

I have seen so much improvment with him since the first session now that I get to see him at Machananao for reading. His writing has improved as well since we do journal writing in the morning. I am just happy that I get to see him progress.

To my inner circle-don't forget to finish off your sessions with your students. Our diagnostic reports are due in two weeks. Have a great week and hopefully, I will see all of you next Monday.

Good Luck Lucille!

I hope your appointment with the doctor went well Lucille. I remember what that pain was like and I feel so bad for you! Watch what you eat and take it easy. I will see you on Wednesday unless the doctor has different plans for you. In the meantime, I will light some red candles for good health you! I hope everyone else is doing well. I will use tonight's class time to start typing up my case report.

Until next week, take care everyone!

Kate

Getting There!

Andrew and I have meeting outside our home life to meet our reading goals. We completed the story, "Tuck Everlasting." It was a struggle to read the chapter when we could and go over the chapter's events each time. I learned that before we begin to read a chapter, I remind Andrew that when we finish reading the chapter, we will share the details of what was read. As I prepared him, I was hoping that by thinking aloud, it will model and help him create a habit each time he reads. I want him to prepare his mind before he reads and to be able to recall information about what he read.

Andrew will take a test on our school program, Scholastic Reading Counts on the story. It will benefit his reading goals with the reading clinic at UOG, the school's reading goal for each student (to read 25 books in a school year!), and to build his comprehension skills.

We are getting there..not quite but almost...

Orlando Trip

I returned from a trip to Orlando, Florida, accompanying my husband to a Warrior Leadership Conference for the United States Army. My husband was a recipient of the United States Army Reserve Top Recruiter of the Year.





Along with the Awards Ceremony, there were a couple of days of training for the spouses or FRG (Family Readiness Group) members. An interesting workshop that I attended was on DODS ( Dept. of Defense Schools). The group was educated on the transition life and academic life of the military child. It was beneficial for me both as a parent and as an educator in the school system.

Image: Disney World, Orlando, Florida www.iifc-hq.org

Military children are faced with many challenges on top of their move. The workshop highligted on the concern that despite the challenges, the school system goals were to applaud the high test scores and to push for even higher achievement most especially in the area of reading and writing.





The workshop supplied a laundry list of ways to support the child's reading. It gave ways to improve comprehension and expand vocabulary. The training proved to be educational on my part as a parent, an educator, and a graduate student in Language and Literacy.





It was an enjoyable trip!

Post Halloween Booos

Hello Circle!

We are not meeting tonight so I just wanted to say "Hey" and I will miss everyone but not the mold infested literacy lab that has kept me sick all month (Lucille we should meet in your classroom every week)! Actually, what am I saying? Because there is no meeting tonight I now have to go to some reception for visiting Japanese sailors. This means wearing a dress and heels. I will really really miss everyone tonight!

I cannot believe we are just about done with the semester, it went by so fast!

See you all next week,
KT

TRICK OR READ!

I just wanted to wish my Inner Circle a safe and happy halloween. I'll let all of you decide which one is who. Have a great weekend and see all of you soon!

Sesssion Number......Three!

My session today, post Parent-Teacher Conference, was kind of odd. I didn't have the one room to myself and my student, Charlene. I had a big room which I shared with Kate and Nathaniel. I kept telling Kate beforehand that my school didn't look like Camelot (DoDea-McCool).

I know it wasn't a "busy" classroom. Because of the Direct Instruction program, I didn't put too much resources on my walls. I normally put up many things but why do it? Some of the teacher resource posters have info that we does not apply to DI.

Today's session was filled with reading two narratives with pre-concept questions from Level three. During the pre-concept questioning, I could already tell where this was leading to. I have this great feeling that Charlene and I will have to work closely with comprehension and how to answer the 5 W's. Overall, she's a real trooper. As we get closer to the end of the semester, I am narrowing down what the plan will be. See you all in two weeks!

Image source: www.telusplanet.net/~boxcars/dice5ws.jpg

Happy Tuesday everyone! I really enjoyed myself at today's session with Nathaniel. We met in Lucille's classroom after school. He seemed much more relaxed today which could be a combination of meeting on his 'home turf' and his getting to know me better. He smiled a lot today. We worked on some more retelling and I tried the San Diego Quick Reading Assessment. He did well on everything but is definitely reading below grade level.

I liked getting to see Lucille's classroom too, it gives me ideas of what I'd like to do in my own classroom someday. I am visiting Lorna's classroom tomorrow and Thursday to practice shared reading. I really appreciate all the help the sisters have given me this semester!

Have a great week!

Kate

Another session with Ahrian

Hi everyone! I hope that everyone had a pleasant Parent Teacher Conference. Mine went pretty well and quiet. As for my session #4 with Ahrian, it went well. He was excited as usual, but wanted to go to the reading lab. I did three listening comprehension activities with him. He frustrated in all three of them. I know that I need to focus on more listening activities with him on my next session as well as in the spring.

He's going to start at Machananao Elementary School tomorrow (Tuesday, 10/28/08). I convinced his mother to transfer him over so I can work more with him since he will be in my reading class. Miss you guys and I will see you all in two weeks. Have fun and take the time to do something that you have been putting off doing.

Session #2

Charlene is quite an interesting girl. I see her physical form as an older fourth grader but her soft-spoken voice can almost sound like that of a younger child. She seems confident when she reads to me but is unaware that she made a few errors.

I know her mother very well. She ensures that Charlene is prepared with things that will keep her from being bored on the ride to UOG with crayons and a coloring book. I am beginning to wonder if she's treated like that at home. I know that after she completes this course with me, she'll be a little more confident in her reading and writing. She may even want to read chapter books.

Session #3

Tonight's session was great. I'm getting the hang of things with my student. He seems more confident than ever, but he still needs help in many areas. I like my quote for tonight.

"If you don't paddle your own canoe, you don't move." Katherine Hepburn

From my interpretation, if I want to get things done then I have to do things myself diligently and not rely on anyone else to do the job for me. So true! And if you don't like what you have done, you have only but yourself to blame.

Puddles...

This is a late entry-had some trouble with my server...Last class session was a little hectic with having to shift kids....finally I have a reading buddy....my own son, Andrew. It may work out for both of us. I do have a personal goal in choosing my child as my reading buddy. According to some school assessments, it has shown that Andrew had dropped in his reading level. I wanted to work with my own son to see which areas he was struggling in and I would like to close that gap.
From a parent's viewpoint, Andrew is a good reader. He is able to attack words with strategies that he has learned from his primary grades so it puzzled me that he scored lower than expected. After Monday's session, I realized what areas he neede to work on. Since his accuracy and fluency were on grade level, we will be working on comprehension and retelling of stories. I hope to share strategies that Andrew can work with when reading passages. With my personal goal of seeing my child succeed, I hope to go through my "puddle" this semester and find success in Andrew's reading skills.

This is a puddle in my reading clinic path...and I hope to use this experience with my students...to have personal goals for each child to achieve success in reading...

Assessment 1 (2nd attempt)

I am so glad that I found a child that fits the criteria of our reading lab. Charlene is a very soft-spoken child that shows some struggle in her reading fluency and comprehension. Next week, I plan on getting more narratives for her to read. I will bring a couple of Junie B. Jones books for her to read when she's not with me. I saw her enthusiasm this evening. I also observed what she likes to read. Come to think of it, I have good vibes on this reading clinic this semester.

Productive session

I really enjoyed tonight's session. My student is a sweetheart and worked very hard. He does struggle a bit so I really saw the value of the assessments tonight. I plan on trying some writing assessments next week and more retelling assessments as he had the most difficulty with retelling. I know by the end of the sessions I will have a very good idea of what to work on with him next semester.

Have a good week everyone!

Kate

"Every path has its puddle."

It was a great session tonight! I thought that I wasn't going to get everything done by today's class, but I managed to do my midterm reflection and session report #1. I was saved by the flexible make-up day and a sudden burst of energy from feeling better after resting on Saturday and Sunday. I continued with Narrative Passages with my student. I think I wore him out with all the passages, but he kept on going! He really enjoyed the last activity where he reread the book "Henry and Mudge" from last session. He got to draw his favorite part of the book. He wrote about the picture and then he retold what he wrote to me. Not a bad second session at all!

Let's continue the great work that we are all doing because the puddle in every path that we take in this journey called LIFE will only make us stronger, hard-working, and intelligent people that we aspire to be daily.

Assessment 1

Well, my student wasn't one valid candidate. I tried. I thought that because she is a second language learner and that she came to Guam in 2006 she would be a good candidate. Apparently, she's not. I found a back-up candidate that would work. My school has many and parents are willing to have their child be part of the reading clinic but transportation is a major issue. I have taken up the position to transport two of our student candidates to school every Monday. I really don't mind that at all. It's the feeling that I get when the word, "liability" becomes part of the conversation. I'm hoping that every thing will turn out fine.

1st Session

Monday's session did not go as planned....I had the same result with my child (my nephew)....He was not a good candidate for the reading clinic. I hope we can find another child who may utilize the extra reading support.

As I was reading through the assessment books, I felt that the lesson planning was similar to the literacy planning that I do for my guided reading groups in my classroom. I just hope that I am able to meet the child's needs throughout the next couple of semesters.

See you next session!

Assessment Session 1

I had a great time tonight! Lucille, Angela is a hoot and a joy. I would love to have her as a student in my classroom, she is so full of spirit; she can wear her tiara in my class anytime! I will miss her next week but that child so does not need reading help. Thank you again for having another student waiting in the wings. I don't know what I'd do without your help.

Lorna, great job on the power point. You are quite savvy with the 2007 version, I am an imbecile. What was I thinking buying it?

Cef: A+++++ on finding the "perfect" reading student. You'll do a great job with him. Hope you are feeling better soon.

Have a great week everyone!

Kate

Hi Lorna and Lucille,

I am only re-checking the posts this morning, but yes, we can absolutely get together to review anything you want from Monday night. I'll email you both later today and see what we can come up with.

Kate

Words of the Day

I enjoyed reading and putting the ppt together on this particular chapter..I
liked it that much to share what I had learned from my reading...I was able to connect my chapter highlights on vocabulary to today's events..." planning vocabulary instruction to relate to a child's personal, previous experience,.."

Well, what an eventful week....after a whole month of planning for actually only 2 days of excitement ...I did not make it to class this past Monday evening as I had mentioned....A ribbon cutting ceremony took place today at CDR W.C.McCool Elementary Middle School (PHEW!) with many important people in attendance...Our school was graced with the presence of CDR William McCool's family, our Dept. of Defense School's higher ups, many people in brass uniforms....and other island leaders...and the most important guest was an astronaut from NASA- who had trained with CDR McCool .

Astronaut Dr. Garrett Reisman inspired the students with his experiences as a student. Writing was important to him and remembers writing on that he wanted to be an astronaut in one of his 5th grade writing assignments.

The faculty and staff of McCool were able to visit with our head director- Dr. Shirley Miles from DODEA headquarters- who shared her vision and direction of our school district...In relation to my chapter presentation Chapter 14- Adapting Instruction to Focus on Vocabulary, I picked a couple of "words of the day" from today's visit. Words of the day - "differentiated learning" , congruence, "competent and nice"...

Between the astronaut and Dr. Miles, vocabulary plays an important role in both lectures. As Reisman wrote about what he wanted to be when grew up, he used vocabulary words that were a result of his personal experience of visiting space museums and studying about space.

Dr. Miles chimed off words that left an impression on me and others....to make our teaching styles reflect differentiated learning, to be competent and nice teachers and to have some congruence in our teaching throughout the district...Again, vocabulary plays an important role..After listening to the talk, my vocabulary experience stretched...

I am done for the week...and will see you all on Monday....

Is Something In The Air?

I just recovered from lack of sleep since Sunday night. It's been a very stressful two nights. My daughter who can be so dramatic developed a high fever Sunday afternoon and what a mother I am by just treating it with Tylenol. Well, the fever never went lower than 101. When your child complains of having neck pain and sensitivity to light along with a high fever, any worried parent would panic. I did! That's ok even if the only public hospital will charge you $483. 72 for two teaspoonfuls of Tylenol #3, some drawn blood and a shot of the famous fast-acting antibiotic, Rocephin. I must've been that tired yesterday afternoon because I was supposed to call back my pediatrician around 4 before his office closed. I didn't because I was in snoozeville. He called me. I felt so bad because he must've waited for my call. He just might charge me more next time! Well, I have taken sick leave for my daughter and tomorrow I will be taking off again for my mother's doctor's appointment. I am going to top Cef's big number of absences this semester. Ha!

Hey! Where's everyone?

Monday's class seemed like a course by conference for Kate and I. Regardless, we found ways to entertain ourselves. We even learned how to hyperlink an image. How cool is that! Kate's presentation on the QRI, gave me a better understanding of how I will do my assessment of my child. Her presentation was straight to the point! Kudos.

My Chapter 13 presentation reminded me of all the fun activities that I had the privilege of doing for Dr. Stoicovy's class such as Choral Reading and the Shared Reading Experience. I miss my Ulloa students! Have a great weekend everyone and I can't wait until Monday when we get to do our first session with our students. Until then :)

The Inner Arc

That's what class was tonight without the sisters...the inner arc instead of the inner circle. Lucille I hope Angela is ok!! Lorna, I am looking forward to your presentation next week because I really liked the chapter too.

We did a good review of the last section of the QRI so I have a better idea of which assessments I'd like to try next week. I'm glad we have the rest of the semester to practice giving assessments; it should give us a good idea of which ones we like, which ones are fairly easy to administer and which ones involve more in depth processing.

I hope everyone has a good week and is feeling better soon.
Kate

Monday night

I enjoyed Monday's class as usual and I'm really looking forward to meeting the students and starting the assessments. Reviewing the QRI was very helpful and informative and I'm starting to get an idea of which assessments I'd like to try. I'll be working on my power point for Monday and I plan on going to the other microsoft website to see if I can find nicer backgrounds...wish me luck!

No more gagging! We can do this!

Kate

ALL IS WELL!

All my jitters and gagging stopped, but I think I caught the flu bug! I liked Chapters 9 and 10 rather than my chapter. We got to discuss the QRI a little bit more which made me more comfortable when we do begin our clinicals. I liked Lucille's presentation. I was reminded of the good old days of when I did DEAR and SSR. Have a great week everyone!

YIKES!

I think after tonight's class, I will pick up Cef's motto.."I think I can, I think I can..." Just looking at the thickness of the sample diagnostic reports...phew! Cef's ppt presentation only reiterated what my school district's superintendent's key word during her video conference on Friday during a teacher in-service training....differentiated learning....as educators, we need to meet our client's needs- which happens to be our students...according to Dr. Vaughn-Wiles, "the children are our customers, we need their sales.." In comparison to what Cef's chapter revealed to us was to match teacher and student expectations.

On second thought, maybe I could re-phrase my motto.." I will make it...I will make it..." A, A minus here we come...! Have a good week!

Enjoyed This Evening's Class

All the information that I learned in ED 640/645 is all coming back to me. It does help when you REREAD. Repeated reading, according to Samuels, does build fluency and comprehension. Hahaha! The QRI-3 is starting to absorb. I guess I have to wait till one of us starts it off. I just want to make sure I am doing something right. Within this inner circle of support, we'll do just fine. Thank you for your help and laughter. It's good feeling. See you next week!

There were a couple of messages that came to mind after Monday's chapter presentations. The first one was as an educator, I should keep in mind the cultural diversity of the classroom. As I plan myf lessons, strategies and assessments especially in literacy, it should be considerate of where my students are as far and to build on their prior knowledge and their life experiences. Another concept to consider is the expectations of the teacher and the expectations of the students. Classroom instruction and assessment have to reflect "no mismatch" of the expectations of both teacher and student.

It was an enjoyable time in class - Monday evening! Dr. Rivera, I am feeling a little at ease as we meet and ask and ask questions about our upcoming Comps Exam.....Happy Belated Birthday, Cef! I am sure you had a good day!

I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!

Hello ladies! Monday's class was really great! All your power point presentations were wonderful. Each of you touched up on important parts of your chapter that made it meaningful to me. Remember if we all stick together then we can do it!

Useful Information To Go, Please

A switch of direction regarding the subject discussed, presented by us, the students, gave more of an insight about what we all will be doing in the next few weeks. I remembered pretty much of what was taught a whole year ago by Dr. Stoicovy. Dr. Rivera just enhanced it more in an intimate setting with the four of us. Small "sidebars" kept the discussion from dragging and brought on the great camaraderie. It's not always laughter but the seriousness of the learning that we are all experiencing. Enjoyed this evening's class session. See you all next Monday!

Chapters and Power Points

I enjoyed class tonight. Having several of us present power points on the book chapters was a nice way to discuss the information. The underlying theme for all the chapters, in my opinion, is: know your students in order to prevent mismatching. The variety of assessment activities that were presented are valuable ways to gain a better understanding of a student's learning style and literacy background.

The banana bread was delicious too!!

Have a great week everyone!
Kate

30 is the new 20!

Hi Inner Circle! I hope everyone is doing well and working on their power point presentations to present to me on Monday. I had one of the best birthday parties ever. My best friend threw me a party today at Machananao Elementary. All the teachers joined in the celebration. The menu was chinese food and I also had a birthday cake from LSG. How awesome is that! It was the best! Even though my birthday is not until Saturday, I am looking forward to turning 30. Have a great weekend everyone! See you Monday. Take Care, Cef

Happy Birthday Cef!

I had a great time in class on Monday. I am really looking forward to working with my student. Lucille thank you so much for finding one for me! All of you have made my experience at UOG simply fantastic. I have two classes now without any of you and I miss you all!

I am preparing to burn some midnight oil to work on my power point for class Monday. We have Navy functions every night starting tomorrow so it is going to be a very busy weekend.

Have a wonderful birthday Cef...the big 3 0...turning 30 rocks ( I've turned 30 many times now!)

Kate

Trust Your Gut!

Hello my Inner Circle! Today's class was awesome. It just reminds me of how much I miss my classmates! Chapters 1 to 4 was a review from all the classes that we took with Dr. Stoicovy. I am reminded of Public Law 94-142, great seminal authors and reading strategies we studied. Who knew that we learned to so much. I am so proud of us four. We made it to the Reading Clinic Room. That's enough to celebrate our accomplishments in Language and Literacy. With Dr. Rivera's guidance, we can do it!

Good Evening! After such a rough first class session and today's mandatory meeting, I had such a good time this evening. I learned so much despite being overwhelmed with the work load.

I am looking forward to working with my student and with my support group- Kate, Cef, Lucille and of course, Dr. Rivera- because we will need your help!

Chapter 3

I enjoyed reading about the assessment-instruction process and the detailed steps that are involved. It gave me a better idea of how we will be assessing our students in a few weeks, and I am alittle more comfortable with idea now.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 discussed the learning factors that influence reading and writing performance. Of all the factors listed I agree heavily with the factor of prior content knowledge. This has been a recurring theme through several of my SOE classes and to me it seems so logical that it is hard to believe that some schools still do not take it into account. Children come from all degrees of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds which play heavily into the levels of content knowledge students bring with them to the classroom. Teachers need to familiarize themselves with these backgrounds to gain a better understanding of the reading and writing skills their students have.

Chapter 1

Hi all,

I liked the overall message of Chapter 1 that perspectives of reading and writing ability need to be looked at from a variety of strategies and resources. Every child learns differently and approaches reading and writing differently therefore teachers need to base their instruction from a combination of sources to determine which strategies will work best for the student.

The information in this chapter should be common sense to everyone involved in a child's education, unfortunately it seems that sometimes the decision makers do not take the child's best interest into account.

Have a good weekend!
Kate

First Blog ED 643

Hello Everyone!

I am really looking forward to working with all of you this semester. I think we are going to have alot of fun together.

WELCOME

Hafa Adai and welcome to our class blog! I'm glad to see that a couple of you have already made entries. You will be posting your entries here weekly throughout the semester. Take care, and happy blogging!

-Dr. Rivera :)

Appreciate Your Help

Dr. Rivera and Class,
I made it to the site! So, I feel like I'm on my way . . .
Thank you for offering to assist in locating textbooks for the course and students for the case study.

Edna

ED643 First Blog

Hi Dr. Rivera and ED643 Classmates (Kate, Lucille, Lorna and Edna)!

Tonight was great! A little overwhelming, but I think that all of us can have a great fall semester. I'll see everyone on Monday. Have a great week!