Learn & Serve 8

Today in the Computer Lab, the students were again working on Fast ForWord. This program has gotten very tedious and somewhat boring. I sat with a student during this time to make sure she got ten answers correct in a row. When we got back to the classroom, I noticed how the main word wall is across the classroom on the wall. I’m not sure if this was a good idea, considering how high up it was placed. My opinion is to have the word wall at eye level. The students sat on the Reading Rug, and Mrs. Capatosto went over the “Great Reader’s Steps.” The steps were all written in different colors to represent each level.
Activate Background Knowledge (Green)
Identify why background knowledge is helpful (Red)
Using what you know throughout the story (Purple)
Using clues to build knowledge (Black)
Asking questions to build your background knowledge (Blue)

Then, Mrs. Capatosto read, “Ox-Cart Man” while discussing the vocabulary words in the book. The students were asked to find similarities or connections from the cover, title, and background knowledge. First, Mrs. Capatosto shared her background knowledge, and then other students were called on to share their own background knowledge. Next, Mrs. Capatosto walked to the other side of the room to change the centers on her chart; the students instantly starting talking. To my surprise and amazement, a couple of students did the (clap, clap, raise hand) action to be quiet. I was very impressed by this; that the students took on the teacher role, and realized that they needed to be quiet. We started the centers either the computer, listening or guided reading station. As the students were working in their centers, I walked around the room noticing all the different vocabulary for each subject. For math, some of the vocabulary words were geometry, vertex, vertices, edge, cone, cylinder, cube, solid figure, flat surface, pyramid, sphere, and rectangular prism. About ten to fifteen minutes before I left, a student read their book to me. I love when the students ask if they can read to me because I get to see the excitement in their eyes as they proudly show off their reading skills. After this, I left the classroom and signed out at the front office.