My notes on...

Chapter 3 Teaching the Critical Vocabulary of the Common Core by Marilee Sprenger

 I like how Webb's Depth of Knowledge deepens our understanding of how we think and learn.  The DOK  levels takes our thinking up a few notches.  Webb's challenges teachers to deepen their understanding of  and questioning skill ability and to provide students with the practice they will need to master a vocabulary word, a skill, or objective. Understanding how people learn and think is how teachers continue to improve upon their profession.  

Webb's 





What do these levels of thinking look like in your classroom?  How does this apply to learning vocabulary in your classroom?

Other Notes:

• Many of the critical vocabulary words are interconnected. You need to understand one critical word in order to define another. 
• Verbs are the DOs. 
• Use these VERBS daily in questioning, quizzes and other assessments.
• The brain seeks to hear and see it multiple ways. Priming the process helps encode the learning into LONG TERM MEMORY.

How can we make LEARNING BRAIN COMPATIBLE?

• MAP VOCABULARY>> GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
• MIND MAPPING
• PAPER FOLDABLES
• VOCABULARY NOTEBOOKS
• MY VOCABULARY CARDS
• JINGLES
• VOCABULARY CARTOONS
• ANALOGIES
• INTERNET SITES
• The magic is getting the vocabulary into long term memory
• Student created is more empowering

Vocabulary: Word Walls

                      Taught at specific times daily

                      Learning centers

                      GRR (Gradual Release Response)

We will plan to meet one more time to wrap up the study on this book.  Teaching the Critical Vocabulary of the Common Core will be referred to throughout the school year. At in service this August we will set common goals for us as a school to focus on in 2015-2016 school year. 

Last book study group will meet in Carrie's room July 15th at 10:00 a.m.

PLCs in the Park (Book Club)

This week we met and discussed chapters one and two.  Here are a few notes I took:  Chapter 1

• important to develop relationships with the students and their families
• create culture in our classrooms that make it safe and cool to learn
• the schema needs to have a variety of experiences in the world and environment in order to learn a new concept/word
• form~store~reform~restore
• We can improve student learning with MOVEMENT ~ ART ~ MUSIC!!! YEA!
• Tier 1, 2, and 3 vocabulary words
• NEUROPLACITY of the brain allows us to LeArN!!! 
• Mind Growth is empowering!
• EVERYONE is responsible for teaching vocabulary

Chapter 2

• Gradual Release Response (GRR)
• I do.  We do it together. You do it together. We do it alone.
• 2 Kinds of memory
• Declarative or Eplicit My life experiences
• Declarative breaks down into two areas Episodic and Semantic
• Episodic = life experiences things we remember
• Semantic = things we learn from watching, listening, reading, looking
• Black Hills Mount Rushmore e.g.  Some of us have been there to experience it live in person. Others have only seen it on tv, books, pictures.
• NonDeclarative breaks down into two  categories procedural memory (motor based like riding a bike) and procedural memory that is NOT motor based e.g. decoding the paragraph we read that was full of typos and misspellings. 
• Automaticity = the ability to do something without having to think about it at a conscious level.
• Working memory works with stored long term memories when comprehension is happening
• KNOWING vocabulary with automaticity allows the learner to free up working memory
• To help a student trigger a memory (something they have learned) ask a question that will get them to look up. According to Ruby Payne, looking down means we are "accessing our feelings rather than our memories"
• Finally, as quoted by Eric Jens, "Don't teach it 'til they get it right---teach it until they can't get it wrong!" 

PLCs will meet at Julie's next Tuesday July 7th at 10:00. Read Chapter 3 pages 23-34.  Chose a word you would use in your classroom and plan a lesson on how you would teach it using one of the strategies from the book. Be prepared to share. 

Road Tested Article: Chunk-Challenge-Chew-Chat-Check

Getting into a good routine and disciplining myself to commit to an hour or two of professional reading a day is going fairly well.  I enjoy knowing that I will be able to share either in person or via blog or tweet what I am learning.  I am trying to stay focused on a few main topics: vocabulary, growth mindset, and helpful strategies for teachers to read and reflect upon.  
Chunk-Challenge-Chew-Chat-Check was an article I read today from the ASCD's Education Update news June 2015. Emily Mather writes about how this model is different from the traditional model of sit and get.  
~Chunk: teaching for no more than 10 minutes. Has to be in depth and high quality. This part if done 100% by the teacher talking and students listening.  

~Challenge:  Here essential questions or tasks are performed. This must be very well thought out and planned by the teacher.

~Chat: My personal favorite. This is where students are given the opportunity to practice what is being taught. Expressing it in their words, disruptive dialogue is welcome. The teacher can actively monitor and listen for student understanding.

~Check: a formal way for teachers to check for student understanding. Cold calls, Ticket out the door, thumbs up or down.  

Reflecting on this I know you would have to be very well planned out. Know your questions in advanced as mentioned, be prepared with materials, keep the pace going smoothly and obviously the students would need to know how to work collaboratively.  It all sounds good on paper but we need to keep in mind that quality is important. 
Being 21st century Educators to 21st century Learners is a fabulous task we need to embrace as we hone our skills.