This blog aims to record and reflect on ways I demonstrate knowledge and application of Our Code, Our Standards as outlined by the New Zealand Education Council. This blog was created in 2018 and the intention is for it to continue to be used in years to follow.
Sharing - An example of another teachers task board:
Task boards might be more than one week. Think of ways to keep a balance so we don't have 'link city'.
A taskboard from Hinemoana Roa-Sampson:
I was feeling really bad about not being able to get much of my mahi done from being out of the class so much, but after hearing from other teachers, it sounds like we are all feeling it. (They have just been more onto it than me).
Have a look through the other cohort Mahi Tracker for ideas about how to utilise these documents.
TEXT SELECTION: Choosing Appropriate Texts
Where are ākonga at as far as the national norm goes?
Do I know what hooks and engages my learners?
Am I building a Community of Readers?
Do I know what is in our school curriculum coverage tracking doc?
An example of tracking coverage:
Texts To See Myself
Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors
What resonated? I hadn't heard of the sliding doors. One participant said about False reflection - fiction which made me think about how different cultures, particularly Māori, have been represented in texts in the past.
We need to have a diverse range of texts. Vocabulary is extended through the texts.
When ākonga are selecting texts for themselves:
Instructional group time needs to challenge and extend our readers.
Independent level is good for when reading independently.
What scope is there in your school for ensuring learners have access to window, mirror and sliding door texts?
For me: I need to plan ahead for the rest of the year to ensure I include poetry, plays etc.
How do you consciously monitor the text types that are chosen for learners across a term?
One Way: Teacher Workbook
This text coverage sheet is something I need to try for next term. I have made a start on this for Term Three. My Teacher Workbook
From In The Book Room Video -
Select texts that relate to learning outcomes and include fiction and non-fiction text types.
The task we did with grouping students based on interests and shared learning intentions, was a bit tricky at first, until we assigned a different group for each member.
Kiri Kirkpatrick - How we Group Learners For Reading
We want mixed ability and levelled grouping. Heterogeneous multi
Mixed ability is part of a 'flexible' response to targeted, guided instruction.
It's a good time to use WALHT.
Ideas - Lots of books can allow for mixed ability sessions where we can identify author's purpose, inferencing etc.
I love this. I haven't thought of using a picture book to work on these learning outcomes. This might be a good one to start myself off.
Flexible Grouping: Ambitious Outcomes
See the flea video. If we are limited, we might think we need to stay within our group level. Make texts available for high-interest topics, which will encourage ākonga to extend themselves.
Think about what I am offering. In what ways am I limiting my ākonga?
Key points:
Limit the range.
Make sure kids are comfortable.
Offer texts that have been identified as high interest in the survey.
When do I review groups? I think we need to do this in our hub.
Avoid...in the bottom group and staying in the bottom group at the end of the year.
Make my groups be designed for purposeful, responsive grouping
Reflection:
How are learners grouped in your space? LW - My groups are currently based on their levels.
On average, how long does a group remain a group? LW - I usually have the same groups until mid-year and move around depending on identified needs/level.
How do you ensure that all learners are getting a chance for ‘reading mileage’ at an instructional level across the week? LW - We have Literacy rotation times so the teacher sees a teacher most days. We also have volunteers who come in to support with mileage. I have tuakana/teina reading happening where my kids work with another hub. We do independent reading too.
Ideas from others - Mixed levels could read a big book together.
For me - I need to adjust my groups and allow for multi-level moments. How will I organise my planning side of things and the learning site? Ooooh. I am quite excited about this now.
Dorothy's Kōrero
The power of digital tools to enhance learning for students and teachers. Digital and print are equally important and we need to be managing both. Can be frustrating not having enough print texts. (I think it goes both ways).
Good apps, when effectively used, definitely have a place, however it is teachers who provide the actual instruction. Need to have systematic reading logs or systems for ākonga to share about what they have done when using these apps.
Digitising Print Text - The Tools The Tools
Voice Typing
Google Keep - Take a photo of any text and it will give you the digital version. (Need to look at this).
Preview software on a Mac.
Video form like YouTube -
Adobe Express - This will be awesome for when kids are recording their reading.
Screencast -
Google Vids -
Smart Chips in Google Docs - Never heard of it...need some up-skilling.
Multi-Text -
Multimodal Text Sets - Teachers contribute text sets to this shared resource.
Chat GPT - Watch the toolkit recording. Prompts available and ChatGPT can change the reading ages of the same text.
Planning and Finding Texts For Groups - Some time to search for and select texts.
ARBS Text links column is the focus. What will I need for guided reading and instructional sessions? Guided, independent and shared, but mainly guided.
I am looking for texts based on the Olympics, Cook Islands and then...tukutuku.
Coverage: Multimodal
Text Sets
I need to: Have a hunt for culturally representative texts. Maybe make an online resource through my Cultural responsiveness site.
To determine themes, look for the big idea, what the main character learns and what changes.
When planning a sequence, we can use Journal Surf to look for the topic and then branch out to deeper themes. Challenge texts can be used.
T-Shaped Literacy
See Multi-text Database. I can add to it if things are not there already.
Designing a Text Set - Mine is Olympics Based
(Check the National Library Books Box...that was disappointing. We only have four Olympics books from two boxes).
Look for New Zealand Olympic Team information, sites and biographies. Online stoies.
Challenge:
Scaffolding Text -
Complementary Text -
Tension/Challenge Set -
Student Selected Text -
Skill Builder - Summarising (This will continue to grow over the rest of the course and include a range of comprehension skills).
We could run reading strategy clinics that they can opt into.
Increase opportunities for ākonga to reflect on their learning and the learning intention. Blogs can be used for this.
Read Up on This Guy: Timothy Shanahan's Blog Model deleting the unnecessary information. This highlights the key information. Use of lessons from the Grammar Project.
I should introduce the Reciprocol Reading roles.
Text Selection
Create more opportunities to read. (Buy this)
Be sure to model think alouds.
Shared reading allows all learners to access the text. We can integrate other learning.
Know what the specific focus is on and be prepared to be responsive in teaching.
Read aloud is emphasising the fluency and use of voice to tell a story. Shared reading allows for pause and teaching and discussion. You want to model strategies e.g. summarising. It is important because good readers summarise as they read through a text.
Don't forget about Paired Reading. Buddying up after instructional sessions offers a range of benefits.
Buy this book too.
Make sure fluency is the focus. Ākonga can use supports such as laminated prompts. Add it to the timetable.
Definitely buy this book.
SSR for ten minutes can frustrate learners. Do it for at least twenty or don't do it at all. Timetable in time for independent reading.
A reading club might be cool to do. Look at Chapter Chat.
Long texts build stamina, enthusiasm and engagement across long texts.
Stocktake & Tune Up of My Programme
I haven't quite finished this but it was helpful to have a stocktake today of the reading opportunities I create in class. The main one that needs addressing is shared reading and me actually timetabling it.
I got heaps out of today. I feel so much clearer and in a better mindset about multi level groupings. As I shared in our breakout room, this has caused a bit of disharmony recently due to differing ideas about it and clarity.
I am excited to have a shuffle around of my groups as we head into the second half of the year.
I have a list of books to buy so I am looking forward to that.
I liked the sharing about the Grammar Project, as we have been using the Syntax Project for Writing.
One 'Ahhh yeah' moment for me was when we watched the video with a picture book that didn't have a lot of text but loads of skills for reading could be taken from it, such as inferencing and author's purpose. I can see this being really engaging and opening up opportunities for talk.
My challenge now, is to pull all of these ideas together at the planning stage and implement them in class. I will also be in class more next term, so I can't wait to get started.
Single-Paragraph Outline (From the Writing Revolution).
Task: Write a topic sentence based on Summer.
Single Paragraph Outline: Topic sentence, activities, what I wear, food and closing sentences. The idea is to give scaffolds for students to write. We can direct students with specific criteria and include specific sentence types.
Use articles and videos to enhance knowledge bases and note taking.
Revising - Putting flesh on the bones of our writing.
Editing is correcting errors where revision is clarifying the content of your writing. Editing happens after revision. Helps make our writing clear and interesting.
Our Task: Write a topic sentence about tropical cyclones.
Vary Vocabulary - Watch out for overused words.
We had a fun time.
You can co-create a list of alternatives for each of these words.
Example: Create a list of adjectives to describe who we are writing about.
Using transition words...time and sequence, illustration, conclusion, time and sequence, emphasis...(Missed the rest).
Use a model of a paragraph of text with transition words missing.
Revising an unelaborated paragraph. Provide students with an unelaborated paragraph and ask them to revise the paragraph using the following strategies:
Improve T.s and C.S, expand sentences,...missed the rest.
Sequence for Teaching Paragraph Revision:
Revise unelaborated paragraphs.
Put it on the board and student suggest improvements.
Work in pairs or independently with specific directions.
Work in pairs or independently without specific directions.
(One more here but I missed it).
SD1: Supporting Detail #1
Keep coming back to sentence level work and revision of sentence types. Ensure that kids leave space for revising.
MPO - Multiple Paragraph Outline
A composition is a series of paragraphs united by a common theme.
See the drive above for more templates.
Prior to using this template, do the underlining and note-taking activities for your main text.
The thesis statement will include something about each of the paragraphs that follow.
Our Task: Manatees were mistaken for mermaids.
Write a thesis statement:
Manatees, who were often mistaken for mermaids, created all kinds of havoc for pirates and drunk sailors.
Introductions GST General sentence, Specific sentence and Thesis sentence.
General - Broad statement (Understand)
Specific - Hone in on the topic or character.
Three step formula -
Over time... People have observed... Many... + who/what + effects.
Each element of the MPO needs specific teaching and instruction.
Aotearoa NZ Histories has a lot of the general statements. We can provide different parts and get students to create the other part.
Conclusions - Thesis, Specific, General.
MODULE FIVE: How do we bring reading, writing and spelling all together?
Things to consider: Doug Lemov 'Teach Like a Champion'.
Anita Archer's 'Archerisms'.
Sample Literacy Blocks
Daily Lessons
Background knowledge and vocab: set children up for success
Introduce text: unpack carefully, read together, check comprehension - even sentence by sentence.
Fluency: Choral read, echo read, partner read.
Sentence level activities: Review one previously taught. Introduce new skill (or develop newly introduced skill). Multiple examples, practice.
Scaffolded SPO: could write a supporting detail sentence, conclusion, choose best topic
MPO: Can write over two days (Once 2-3 texts have been explored) as We Do tasks.
Monitoring: Very low stakes (Keeping at We Do, or You Do Together), low stakes (whiteboard), higher stakes for assessment 9on worksheet or in books).
Something to develop: Increase the interaction with students, as a start, 3 per minute.
Also, what questions do I have for next week's Year 3-6 session?
To start - We had a sharing session about our mahi kāika and how things have been going over the last few weeks.
My to do: Meet with my mentor, complete homework tasks from Day #1. Do ground rules for talk. Add links to the Mahi Tracker.
Dorothy Burt's Kōrero: Wider Picture of Manaiakalani
The RPI is grounded within the wider picture of Manaiakalani. This has come as a response from principals, wanting learning for teachers.
One of Dorothy's memorable teachers was one who allowed students to choose books for their National Library class collections.
Knowing our learners is not a new concept.
Literacy Cycles -
Teachers looked at how many opportunities students had to read. Multiple opportunities to read through each part of Learn, Create, Share. (Have a look at Kōrero Pt England podcasts).
Good idea: Students do reviews of New Zealand books with one student being the podcast DJ.
Shows literacy inclusion throughout the learning process.
share.manaiakalni.org Recommended for students to access as part of their reading learning. Very important part of a reading task board or tumble. The more students read of other student learning, the more achievement and progress.
Chalk and Talk - Assessment 101
Whatever type of assessment we use, we need to actually use it or it's a waste of time. Planning for ambitious outcomes.
WHY?
Anything over .4 is exceptional. All of these, have a significant impact on reading achievement results.
Formative assessment feeds directly into our teaching and learning. Summative is beginning, mid and end of year for tracking progress. Standardised so gives us a good indicator of how we are doing as teachers.
BreakOut Activity
We shared about what types of assessment we use for Reading. What do we do and how do we use it?
Two main documents: New Zealand Curriculum and The Literacy Learning Progressions.
If the things on the left are being done, the things on the right will happen.
The Teacher Work Book: Don't freak out!!! Today we are focusing on the first tab. Thoughts: Hero can track really well if it is being used to its full capability. PAT Next Steps: Populate Google Sheet with this information.
My Workbook -
Task: Treasure Hunt of a Workbook -
1) Reading age 9 - 10 years 2) 11/24 are below 3) Damon is working at Level 2 4) Novels and chapter books - Got this wrong. 5)talk about the purpose of the text (entertain, persuade, inform). 6) - Infer meaning from punctuation (e.g. exclamation); - inferring meaning from personification;
Tracking Reader Profiles
Knowing our learners as readers.
We went through how to copy and paste results from the learner survey to our workbooks.
For me, complete the reader profile survey, but in the meantime, use data from Mel's survey that she has shared. Choose a student selected text to read by myself.
We looked at how to sort survey questions to help gather information.
My Group to Focus On:
Common Personal Reading Goal: 'Read bigger and longer words'.
One Book: Goosebumps
A cool tip for Google Sheets is how add drop down boxes in columns, which will be good for grouping kids. I like it.
Book Share: Porangi Boy by Shilo King
Good to have a mirror book which is where they see themselves reflected.
Discuss survey findings with learners, particularly the part about reading for enjoyment.
Reading Challenges Task Boards. Giving options and choices.
Using Our PAT Data:
We can pull all of our data into our workbook. Use scale score as stanines don't show you shift.
Ambitious learning outcomes for students.
Look at Ed Potential data. Grey line is the norm. Black is average.
Use Item Report to identify gaps.
I identified that Retrieval is a gap.
Check out the teacher workbook. This is an example of an individual report from my class.
This is so cool and great to how different functions work and how to interpret. It is important to share the information with ākonga. With students, what derailed us and what skills did we need to see success and understanding?
Task Boards:
The boxes in red identify the activities that support the learning outcomes. The response to Text piece is an independent task and shows evidence of meeting the learning outcomes.
To Check Out: ARBS
User name - arb
Password - guide
I think my life has just changed although I need to look at how to share with students and ensure that I get results. First step would be to set up a teacher account.
Developing Assessment Capable Learners Using Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
Stick to one of these as it doesn't really matter which one.
You can use the learning progressions, and adjust them in your workbook. Hero also has this function.
Don't write learning intentions like this...
They are too broad.
Coming back to this.
Ensure that the success criteria relates to the learning intentions. The learning task board also contains the learning intentions and success criteria.
Activity - Organise statements into the right category.
Ask students what they learned. Over time, students become part of the creation of success criteria.
Task: Add learning intentions to group planning page.
Pulling it All Together
Assessment 101
Keeping track of learning
Assessment tools
Learning intentions and success criteria
Start what is manageable. Repetition embeds learning.
If students are adding links to the hand in sheet, get them to use their initials. Rows can be assigned and locked to one learner so ākonga can't edit anybody else's. Good tip for protecting sheets.
My Reflection of Today
Today I made my notes directly onto my blog instead of a doc. I saved it as I went along. I just found this easier than last time when I recorded notes onto a doc.
Pinning the agenda helped me keep track of all of the slides.
I like the task board and will add a template to the current slides that I use for my groups.
I am pretty glad that I have seen and started using the workbook, even though I haven't used it to its full capability. I think if it was completely new to me, I may have felt quite lost.
Some of the data that is currently in my workbook came from Mel's survey. I need to decided if it's a good idea to conduct the survey again with my learners.
Looking at the PAT data and what NZCER Assist has within its platform, was fantastic. I didn't realise that the scale score showed movement so that's something new that I will start focusing on, rather than the stanine, which is what I have been focused on.
I was also very interested in ARBS as I haven't used this before. I am quite keen to try this with one of my groups to see how it goes and what information I can gather. I really liked how the texts were available through this site.
Reading in foundational aspiration of Manaiakalani programme.
Reading is essential. If we want children to have equity, they need to be confident readers.
Poor reading ability has a detrimental effect on life and makes school difficult. The ability to read is a social justice issue and is associated with disadvantage. Some kids have to make more than one year's progress each year. Acceleration is hard work. Teachers are working hard and smart to meet these needs.
Ākonga also have to work harder.
Railway line: One side is effective teaching, and the other is the digital world. To harness the potential, we need both sides of the track.
Framework - Describes the Manaiakalani Programme and the relationship with schools in the partnership.
The Why - Three consecutive years or more of being in a class for three years or more, young people get the rewards.
Reading requires intensive competence in teachers.
National Relevance - Student feedback across the country says they have been doing less reading.
What characterises a good reader?
-Understanding of what is read.
-Being able to interpret information
-Learn from what is read
-Enjoyment for reading
-Make meaning
-Reading mileage.
-Word knowledge and vocabulary
-Good readers participate
-Good readers read widely. Show better academic outcomes.
Reading Role Model - Kids Tell Us Why We Read.
For me: Share more favourite books and delve into what we share as a class, what kids have read and the recommendations ākonga might have.
Reading survey - Libby for online reading. Needs a library card barcode. Only 36% of schools have libraries.
Books I might read with the class: David Walliams Mr Stink maybe.
Pillars of Practice
Reading to Learn
Cover a range of genres, hook kids in, and use a range of relevant contexts. Comprehension strategies - skills that need to be learned. Reading is everywhere. Reading and writing are connected. A library in a school shows we value reading. Can create a hub-type community in the library space. Reading is Core to Learning video from Richard.
The New Zealand Curriculum -
How can guided reading capitalise on local and current contexts?