All of us have worked with assessments in our classes last year, this year, even when we were younger as well. But now as we, future teachers, are going through the process of these different classes and assessments that come up, we begin to learn more about what we are comfortable working with and also what we can use for different types of assessments. Whether they are formative or summative, it's always good to see the progress of the students when it comes to the knowledge of any subject that is taught in school. I know for me, I always hated getting tests and quizzes. I can say that I dreaded it. But now that I am going to be a future teacher,, that testing really allows me to see the thinking of the students and also how they are adapting to everything that they are being taught to. Also another thing to consider is how they are able to apply it to their learning in schools and all in the subjects that are in school as well. I'm able to see it at my observation school and my mentor teacher does a nice way to assessing the assessments as well. Very structured and has a nice way of working things out.

My question is how do you plan on using assessment to help formulate the student's thinking? Like the way your mentor teacher does it, or with what the article says? (the article by Victoria Gillis and Ann Van Wig)
What are some of the different ways that you've seen assessments been implemented that make you want to use them in your class too?

GO CUBS!

Strategic Content Literacy Assessment, also known as SCLA, is something that I’ve honestly never heard of but it makes sense. It’s interesting to me that it has different ways for different subjects. I think as a teacher I would definitely use these assessments during the year to document their growth in disciplinary literacy. Summative assessments have literally taken over the classroom and I’m sure we’ve all seen it. That’s all some teachers really focus on. Formative assessments are basically super underrated these days to be honest. 

So I have some questions for ya’ll 

1. Do you see formative assessments going on in your placements? If not, how do we bring them back?
2. Do you agree with the form of assessments the author though of? Because it kind of bothered me that for science, social studies and english, the teacher picks texts that don’t require prior knowledge. Isn’t that the one thing we’re taught to do? I don’t know. Just a thought. 

See you all tomorrow!

Assessment is a "four-letter word" these days. (Strategic Content Literacy Assessment)

The article "Disciplinary Literacy Assessment: A Neglected Responsibility" mentions things that I agree with, for example "Summative assessments of learning have overshadowed formative assessment for learning." I agree with that statement because I have seen summative assessments as parts of standardized testing which have consumed our educational system.
Although summative assessments are being focused on more, formative assessments are still, in my opinion, very important to assess students understanding right there and then. Formative assessments also let you know if you need to change your lesson plan or keep going.

The article also mentions the development of "Strategic Content Literacy Assessment (SCLA). This type of assessment allows the teacher to create assessments that assess students' abilities to read and comprehend discipline-appropriate text by using guidelines from SCLA. SCLA can be used for every discipline including English, Science, Social Studies, and math.
I include the table that was provided on page 457

SCLA Elements	Disciplines
	English	Science	Social Studies
Text selections: Texts	Narrative, fictional text that is a complete story or a non- fiction text [perhaps one that would provide background for an upcoming short story or novel]. In general, choose text that is relatively self- contained and that does not require excessive amounts of prior knowledge.	Use an excerpt from the textbook/internet with diagrams related to the key ideas, or provide a description of lab procedures with data (modify the SCLA questions appropriately as indicated below).	Use an excerpt from the textbook/internet that is relatively self- contained or choose two to three short primary documents, provide quotes from primary documents, or highlight segments from primary documents and direct students to read only the highlighted text.
Cognitive Processes: Questions addressing prior knowledge	What did you know before you read the text that relates to the information in the text? How did you use this knowledge to understand the text?	What did you know before you read the text that relates to the information in the text? How did you use this knowledge to understand the text?	Contextualization: What previous or concurrent events might be related to these documents?
Cognitive Processes: Questions asking students to summarize text	If using fictional text, consider asking students to identify the theme of the story. For non- fiction, ask students to show the most important ideas in the text in any way that makes sense to them [diagram, summary, map].	If using a textbook/internet excerpt, ask students to indicate the most important ideas in the reading in any way that makes sense [diagram, summary, map]. Drawing conclusions: [When using a description of lab procedures with data]. What conclusions can you draw from the lab report?	Close reading: What are the key ideas from these documents?
Cognitive Progress: Questions requiring students to draw inferences	What is something you think is true based on the text, but that is not said in the text? Why do you think this is true?	[When using a textbook/internet excerpt] What is something you think is true based on the text, but that is not said in the text? Why do you think this is true? [When using a description of lab procedures with data] What pattern(s) do you observe or see in the data? What inferences can you draw from this pattern(s)?	Sourcing: When was this document written? Who wrote it? How does this influence your reading? Close reading: How does the language in these documents influence your reading? Is there evidence of bias? If so, what words indicate bias and how do you know?
Cognitive Process: Questions requiring students to make connections	Identify two ideas from the text (X and Y) and ask: Two ideas in the text were X and Y. How are these related? In fiction, you might ask about connections between the setting, characters, and/or events in the story.	Identify two ideas from the text (X and Y) and ask: Two ideas in the text were X and Y. How are these related? In fiction, you might ask about connections between the setting, characters, and/or events in the story.	Corroboration: What are the similarities and differences between [among] these documents?
Cognitive Process: Questions that assess students’ knowledge of vocabulary	Select about three words – one that you believe students should know [prior knowledge]; one that is explicitly defined in the text; and one that is implicitly defined in the text. Identify the terms and ask students to tell what the words mean and how they know this.	Select terms in the text/internet excerpt or lab procedures and data that are crucial for understanding the readings. Be sure to include terms that are implicitly and explicitly defined in the text.	Choose terms that are crucial for understanding the documents. You may wish to provide the meaning of archaic terms and phrases parenthetically, and ask questions related to the use of these terms or phrases.

Questions:
Can you see this assessment being implemented into our classrooms?
In your opinion is this beneficial or just another complex teaching strategy that will not be used?

Let's Talk About Assessments

I am going to be blogging about the one word we all dread hearing. Assessments.  The article that I am focusing on is "Disciplinary Literacy Assessment: A Neglected Responsibility" by Victoria Gillis and Ann Van Wig.  This article focused on the Strategic Content Literacy Assessment.  I found this assessment interesting because I never heard about it before reading this article.  I am so used to seeing the usual tests that come directly from the teachers editions of the curriculum.  The part that I like most about this assessment is that it is a teacher created assessment.  The assessment is created to assess the students abilities to read and comprehend text in each discipline.  The key part of this is that it is comprehension in each discipline.  This form of assessment is different because I have never seen the teachers that I have observed assess the students on comprehension and reading in each discipline.  Since I have never seen it before, I was not too sure on what it entails.

A quote that helped clarify it for me is, "The assessment measure students' abilities to connect what they read to their prior knowledge, summarize what they read, draw inferences, make intertextual connections, comprehend vocabulary terms that are explicitly and implicitly defined in the text, and think metacognitively"(page 455).  

As I was reading this, I was thinking about how I would implement this into my classroom.  I was thinking of doing it at the beginning of the year, so I could understand what I would have to focus on teaching.  This is a formative assessment for disciplinary literacy.  I think this is important because the assessment addresses the students needs and it is a way to collect the growth of the students comprehension.  

My questions for you guys are: what do you think about this form of assessment?, do you see this in your classroom now or in previous classrooms you have been in?, how would you implement this in your classroom?, and do you think it is beneficial?

Feel free to answer one of them or all of them. The choice is yours my friends! 

Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!! 

Thank for reading my post!

Tina Skukan :)

Hi Guys!

My blog post for this week mainly focuses on student self-assessment.

The article, “Classroom Assessment of Literacy Growth and Content Learning”, pointed out some important forms of assessment, but it touched on one particular aspect that I found especially crucial. The authors mentioned that, “effective assessment involves students”. Some ways that students can be involved in the assessment process include: helping decide assessment activities, using rubrics and checklists on their own work, and participating in self-evaluation. The authors also mentioned that by doing these things, students are able to determine their strengths and weaknesses, reaching their success.

After reading about this topic, I started reflecting on my experiences in field work, and thinking back to moments my mentor teachers have allowed students to participate in their own evaluation. I remember one teacher in particular, who gave her students a rubric to use to reflect on their work, so that they understand how they will be assessed. Although, the teacher didn’t allow students the chance to pick out their own assessment criterias, it was helpful for the students to use the rubric as a guide for what they missed or included in their writing.

I am curious to know what you have observed with student self-evaluation in your placements, or past school experiences.

Questions to consider for reflection  

Have you had any teachers when you were a student in elementary school, middle school, or high school, that allowed you freedom in choosing your own assessment?

Have any of your past mentor teachers, or present mentor teacher, involved students in the process of assessment? If so, how?

How would you involve your future students in assessing their learning?

Multimodal Classrooms

When I first saw this week’s readings I asked, “what could be new about literacy?” And then I read.

To answer my own question, a lot of what is “new” about literacy revolves around technology and how it changes the ways to be literate. Some people can make meaning out of Shakespeare but not out of a 140 character or less Tweet, yet for some reason plays that are almost 500 years old are typically seen as more important to teach. A lot of this needs to change if we want to prepare students for the modern world in which they are living.

I really loved the multimodal focus in the idea of schools of new literacy. I thought the idea of having studios was especially awesome because it would give students different settings in which to learn. When the reading said students would also be evaluated in a multimodal way I started to think about how that could make assessment so much more fair for students.

I have just one question this time. You do not have to answer it in your response, but if you would like to here it is:

1) Can you think of a multimodal way to assess your students? (give a brief overview what you would be assessing) 

Lankshear & Knobel

The educational world today that we live in has so many different things changing. The technology is increasing and making it more "useful" for teachers and students to be able to access anything that is at the touch of their finger tips. I think when I was in high school, our teachers wanted us to always have the physical text books and sometimes would be able to bring a digital copy of it as well. I remember talking about the topic of digital copies versus physical copies. A lot of my classmates enjoyed the physical copies better than the digital copies and I even said that for myself as well. But coming into college, I've realized that I am more into the digital copies than the physical copies of readings/articles into school.

What are your preferences when it comes to reading?

This article mentions a lot of being able to see the diversity of digital literacy and this can also help with differentiating the differences of a conceptual versus a standardized operational definition of digital literacy. We all know from our previous classes, that literacy meant the ability to read and write, but nowadays it's turning into the definition of having the ability to concepts of digital literacy. I think it's important to note this change of the definition because it shows that literacy is changing in the forms that it is being used from reading on a physical book to a digital copy that is on any electronic device.

How do you plan to implement digital and physical texts or do you plan on only using one form of texts/literacy plans?
What were some ways that you enjoyed in middle school or high school that helped you with reading or any literacy strategy?

Asking Questions: Crucial Component in the Process of Writing an Arguement

Teaching Argument for Critical Think and Writing: An Introduction

George Hillocks Jr.

"When the data are curious, do not fit preconceptions, they give rise to questions and genuine thinking. Attempts to answer these questions become hypotheses, possible future thesis statements that we may eventually write about after further investigation" (Hillocks 26).

In other words, a good argument begins with looking at possibly evidence or data that can possibly support an argument you are trying to make. This evidence or data all comes from the texts we decide to showcase to our students and have the explore, questions, and draw conclusion that all them to make considerable theories and arguments.

So now the question is, how do we as educators  motivate and support students in making meaningful and strong arguments?

Well, according to the text, "students will have to become engaged in a highly interested activity that is both simple and challenging, for which feedback is immediate and clear, that allows for success and inspires further effort" (Hillock 27).

One way that text can play a critical role during students' learning process is by choosing culturally responsive texts that not only connect to students' lives, but also challenges them to think deeper about the world around them. For example, in the reading the teacher played a "mystery game" with the students and shared a visual that sparked many questions and ideas about what may have happened and future arguments.

Based on this idea of engagement in writing arguments,

• What kinds or texts or contexts do you think would spark YOUR students' interests or engagement?
• What are some culturally responsive topics that students would be interested in writing about?
• How does asking questions connect to reading strategies we've already learned about?

Gallagher 2011

This particular article focused on writing and  what it means to be a good writer. Before I read the article, I thought to myself, "well a good writer has perfect grammar and their writing makes sense".  The article noted that that there are three elements of good writing which are clarity , vocabulary and spelling. I for one think that people struggle with vocabulary. For example, there are many people who still struggle  with using words such as  (their, there, they're) as well as ( by, buy, bye) among other words. Additionally the article brings up the importance of writing in the real world. It mentions that alot of today;'s jobs require you to submit a piece of writing  in order to be considered for the job.  Gallagher states, “People who cannot write and communicate clearly will not be hired, and if already working, are unlikely to last long enough to be considered for promotion". Gallagher brings up a important point. People should be able to be not only good speakers but great writers. However, there are many people, including me at times, who simply can't put thoughts on to paper. So, I feel like jobs should allow people maybe a retake or even a follow up prompt were people like me can have a second opportunity.

Gallagher states, "students who are taught how to write without being taught the real-world purposes behind authentic writing are much more likely to end up seeing writing as nothing more than a school activity—nothing more than a series of obstacles to overcome in order to pass the state test or to get to graduation. It is incumbent upon us to show them that the ability to write well serves as the cornerstone of a literate adult life". I believe that in order to get student to become great writers they should be allowed to write whatever they're passionate about. This doesn't mean that they wont follow guidelines in fact it means they'll follow the guidelines as a way to make their writing stringer, One can also have a broad topic or a large selection of writing prompts to get kids to want to write, of course these topics should be relevant to the students you're serving.

^ The images show how different grade levels address writing in the classroom.
Questions:
1) What was one time you wrote on something you felt passionate about?
2) What do you think makes a good writer? spelling? perfect grammar?
3)What are ways to keep kids actively writing?

-Ashley

Make the critical writing real critical.

Think back my educational experience in China, the most popular essay question in our tests were asking us to write an argument based on  a scenario or a reality in society. Mostly, they were also the easiest essay for us to write. Why? Because we had a great amount of models and samples to follow. Teachers gave us sample starters, sample conclusions, sample examples, and sample words to use. Believe it or not, some of us even memorized significant famous persons and their quotes. If there was a chance to read what we wrote, they were pretty much about the same. When we were in the college, we found out all those practice only served for exams, we didn't learn anything about critical writing.

Here, it was kind of similar when I took ACT. I didn’t go to high school here so I didn’t have any idea how high school students prepare for ACT. But I realized if I want to do better on writing test, I’d better know the model and some specific sentences beforehand, such as what to write in the beginning, what examples to support my opinion, and how to write a good conclusion. It seemed we were writing a critical essay, but we didn’t really think critically.

However, jump out of the circle of modeling, making an argument is very important to our life. As teachers we can’t just teach students write for exams or tests. We need to teach them write what makes sense to themselves by providing evidences. It is our responsibility to teach students how to write supported by rational reasons.

Question:

Do you have experience that you have to write for tests or exams?

What would you do to balance between real critical writing and "write for tests" in your teaching?

Critical Thinking and Writing

Teaching Argument for Critical Thinking and Writing

Hillocks

“Literacy education lies at the center of achieving our stated goals of fostering critical thought, critical dia- logue, and a circumspect and vigilant American citizenry . . . [and] has particular value and potential in a culture increasingly unable to distinguish fact from fiction, truth from lies” 

Critical thinking and making arguments in writing was definitely let out of my education growing up. I was able to relate to this article when it stated most schools settle for persuasive wiring and leave it at that. Once I was in college I realized that the styles and mechanics of writing I was taught wasn't going to cut it anymore. 

The idea from the quote above, "distinguishing fact from fiction, truth from lies" really stood out to me because if we do not foster critical thinking and argument at the heart of writing it does not do anything else other than make a claim. So, as teachers we need to teach our students to write with logic by creating arguments that are backed by evidence. We have all heard that before, add supporting evidence but by providing evidence with data that allows the audience to create new questions. The outside research and data that one puts into their writing allows for warrants and backings to be made on the overall claim. 

My key take away from this reading is that our writing is based on arguments of probability. By teaching our students to critical thinking and argue with logic, it will lead to successfully distinguishing a truth from a lie.

I liked the idea from the text about the activity relating to solving a crime to implement critical thinking. From the picture, students argued their thoughts with logical reasoning for their reasoning. It made it like it's own mystery to create a claim and provide backings, while arguing your point. Those are all aspects of our writing but how it was taught was a new, fun and interactive way for the students. 

How would you teach this style of writing in your class? 
Do you believe that argument writing should be taught this way?

Building Real World Writers

I focused on this particular section of the reading because it is an important topic that we rarely discuss. As educators one of our main goals is to prepare our students for their lives and involvement in the real world. Writing is the basis to much of our society, used on a daily basis from homework, to emails, to text messages. Learning to not just write but write correctly, both in grammar and syntax, is a necessary part of our society.

The reading stated, "writing well does not begin with teaching students how to write; it begins with teaching students why they should write. Students who are taught how to write without being taught the real-world purpose behind authentic writing are much more likely to end up seeing writing as nothing more than a school activity..." When I think back on my own educational experience the truth is that I don't remember teachers ever discussing writing as a lifelong necessity instead it simply seemed as if I needed to learn because its what my teacher wanted. In particular when I think of the emphasize that was placed on learning to write in cursive, it was simply here are the way the letters look practice, practice, practice.

I can still remember thinking why do I need to learn this if I already know how to write, this is just fancy writing!









I hope to in my own classroom that I can teach writing in a way that students will never question its value but instead see writing for the necessity and strength it really is. To me that means allowing students freedom in their writing and always modeling the value of writing when I teach and write. The article also touch on this being an important aspect to create value that teachers must not only model it but also make it clear that all students and the teacher are equal. And that is something that I would really like in my classroom a community where we are all learning from each other valuing all the knowledge we all bring to the classroom.  

Questions:
How will you help your students see the value and necessity of learning to write?
In your education did you ever have teacher that emphasized the real-world importance of writing?
What about in your field placements?


Thanks for reading guys! :)

Learning to Read vs Reading to Learn

Hey guys! :)

So this week, one of our arictles was about why adoleleacents begin to struggle in comprehension middle school. During k-5 students are taught essential skills that they need in order to become a good reader, just the process of decoding. While on the other hand, 6th graders through 12th graders use reading as a tool to learn or access new information and should already be masters in  decoding. 

What's the problem you may ask? I understand that students need to focus on the basic reading skill in the younger grades but that does not mean they should not be able to practice comprehension from a young age. Also in middle school some students still need the extra support decoding the words so they could get to the text. This is even more prevellent in English language learners, which is a big portion of CPS. As teachers I think we have to remember many of our students need the extra support not only in decoding in middle school but making sense and analyzing text from a younger age. 

I personally remember being in 7th grade and the teacher constantly complementing my reading skills so I was asked to read aloud. I remember I would feel so much pressure to read accurately and fluently that I would not know what I was reading. I would have to go back and reread the text for myself in order to be able to understand what I had just read. I was often nervous that my teacher would ask what I had just read before I had a chance to reread it, I had access to the content when I wasn't solely focused on my reading accuracy. 

So I guess I wasn't to know what you think about this. Do you this current method is working? Should we be trying to give students support with both things through their academic career? Or is one skill more valuable than the other? 

Thanks for read, I look forward to hearing your opinion!

-Jess

"Just as there are limitations to the range of genres that students learn to read in other content area courses, there are also limitations in the range of texts to which students are exposed in literature classes, particularly in schools in low income communities serving students of color and in basic skills oriented classes in departments that are tracked"

This quote stood out to me from the Reading Literature subsection of Lee and Spratley. The quote explains that not everyone is taught literature the same way nor using the same books. Some schools are fortunate enough to have the money to buy books for  all students whereas some don't. The problem may also be that some schools have books but are out of date for the current students. Books need to change according to the needs and relevance of students life. If we do that then we will have kids engaged in literature. I recall that my school grade school didn't have money for brand new books, so instead we would read excerpts from the books we needed to read. There were times when I didn't mind reading the excerpts but there were times when I wished I had the full book to read. We were given excerpts from different genres or short stories but it wasn't as engaging or interesting. We were taught to read but not to think critical of what we were reading. In grade school, we werent encouraged  to ask questions. It was simply, if its in the text then thats what it is otherwise its simply unknown.

Additionally, the reading indicates  five strategies for reading which are
1. asking questions; 2. making predictions; 3. testing hypotheses; 4. summarizing; 5. monitoring understanding and deploying fix-it strategies as needed.

These strategies are pretty self explanatory; the images also note some strategies used for reading.From the images I recall my school having us focus mostly on summarizing and making predictions thats as far as I was taught in grade school. In high school,  I was taught the strategies mentioned in the book as well as the ones used in the images. It was a big difference and it really got me to become a critical reader which I am thankful for now but it was a challenge shifting from just summaries and predictions to making connections ect. 

Questions: 

What strategies were you taught in grade school? in highschool? 

How do we get kids to engage in reading different genres?

How do we get access to books if our future school(S) dont have the resources?

Reading is the Disciplines: History and Being Critical

Reading is the Disciplines: History and Being Critical 

By Whitney Jean 

It can be challenging for adolescents to interact with written text and reading comprehension in different subject areas and assessments.  For this blog, I choose to focus on history since it is my specialty.

There has been a lot of talk about the importance of literacy and as it relates to history or social science. To understand history, it s important to not only rely on textbooks but primary sources and documents. From my experience, a lot of textbooks can be sugar coated or even misleading. There is even a Texas textbook refers to slaves as “workers”. There are a lot of textbooks that are bias and even untruthful. If a school curriculum makes it mandatory to read or follow a curriculum with those books, it is important to have students compare such text to primary sources that give a more truthful side.

For many years, textbooks have Columbus being the hero but there is another perspective, another story. It will be more beneficial for students to understand primary sources and being able to interpret and interact with them in this case. We can look at diaries or writings that describe the horror Columbus caused. From these primary sources, students can form a better opinion.

In today’s society, it is important for youth to be able to look at situations, analyze them, and form their own opinions. In history when interacting with text we can interpret things of the past and even compare them to events going on in the present. I feel that it is necessary, for the liberation of black and brown minds, that students are able to inform themselves and understand issues around them and critique them. In the reading it explains, “The ability to read historical documents including contemporary explications about societal, economic and political issues provides perhaps the most direct link to literacy as preparation for citizenship, which presupposes an ability to conduct informed debate.” Students should be able to articulate what they are going through or what is going on around them and have a stance.

At Niles North High School we had a class called ALCUSH or American Literature, Composition, and U.S. History. This course was amazing and helped us link literature with the history we were learning at the time. During this class we focused on units about the genocide of indigenous people, slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War, WW I and II, and Chicago history. For this class we rarely relied on textbooks and focused on narratives, observations, literature, and primary sources like speeches and old fliers. This strengthen the knowledge of the content.

In my placement social science has not been introduced yet and even literacy is questionable. But when I teach my first lesson on the election, I will be using readings and speeches of the candidates’ kind of like the reading shows us with Lincoln. I will let students form their own opinions without showing bias, even though it will be tough!  

Question/answer: Ask questions about the reading and provide tentative answers

·      Why is it important to have students look at different sources and not only text books?

·      Given this information on how literacy is used with social studies and history, do you feel that common core is fair in making all social studies standards related to literacy?

·      What would be the benefits?

·      What would be the difficulties?

Reference the standards below:

Key Ideas and Details:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.3
Identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).

Craft and Structure:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.5
Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6
Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.8
Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.9
Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.10
By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.