Teacher Interview

Teacher Interview

Deborah Grimes

3rd Grade

Stagecoach Elementary

1. Did you have to supply everything in your classroom; does the school give you an allowance to supply, prep, and/or decorate your classroom? 
    I have collected all of this over the past decade. My school is fortunate enough to be able to supply each teacher with $200 to help to whatever she wants for his/her class. Some use is wisely and pick and choose, others like a first time kindergarten teacher down the hall used all of hers on a fancy rug that matched her classroom. It was ruined before Christmas. If your blessed enough to receive money for your class, use it wisely! Get discount books, go to yard sales and thrift shops, and check with retiring teachers. Some sell their old stuff really cheap or even give it away!

2.  How much would you say a teacher spends out of pocket on their classroom?
    It just depends on the teacher. Some will only use that $200 given to them and make it stretch all year, and others spend so much that they should have an insurance policy on their classroom. It's a personal preference. I personally spent a couple of hundred dollars my first year or two. Now, my classroom is full of frogs and I have supplies from three years ago, so I usually only spend more money when plan something new... Maybe $50-$100 for the whole year.

3. What system do you use to access/check-out books from your personal library?
     Students have to bring the book they wish to take home to my desk, and let me check both their current reading level, and the books. They each have a colored dot on the spine that tells me the level. Once I okay it, I write it in my book journal; it's a simple printout that has a blank for book title, author, date, and student name. When they return it, I highlight their name.

4. Do your books tend to come back damaged, or do they last okay?
     I've had a lot of my books since before these kids were born. Some books I got used and others, new, but if students are actually carrying the book with them and reading it, it's going to get some wear and tear. Unless a book becomes unreadable, it's fine to go back into the library. If one student did an obscene amount of damage, I may ask them to replace it depending on the child and the book. But for the most part, it's not a huge issue.

5. Are your books categorized or sorted in any way?
     Mine are sorted my Genre, and have a colored dot on the spine telling the book level. Each child knows his/her color.

6. Do you have both fiction and non-fiction books?
     Yes, I carry both in my library, but I mostly stock non-fiction.

7. Where do you get your books? Are there discount sites/stores you've found useful?
     I've acquired mine throughout the years at yard sales, a discount book store that went out of business, and teachers before me. When I want to add new material I use Scholastic quite often. If your class orders books and spends a certain amount of money, you get some free books.

8. Do your students test or do some sort of assessment for reading chapter books on their own?
     Yes, we so AR testing where they can test on either books they've read on their own or that we've read as a class. They get points and need to hit a certain amount per grade, and for those who excel, they get a prize at the end of each nine weeks.

9. When are your students allowed to check out books?
     They can visit our class library or the school's library any time as long as their work is complete and it's not during class.

10. Do your students utilize the class library?
       I always advise them to look through our class library first before going to the school's library. I think they use it wisely.

11. Are all of your books in English?
       Yes. I have a section of books inspired by other cultures, but because we try to mainstream students and get them in an English setting, I don't keep other languages in my class. I also don't know that I would unless I spoke that language before putting that book in my classroom. I'm responsible for all the material my students take from my classroom, and I personally read my books carefully before putting them in the library.

4th Grade Guided Reading

Guided Reading Lesson Plan- 4^th  Grade

Text Title: Sarah Plain and Tall

Level: Lexile 560L

Interest Level: 4.2

Guided Reading Level: R

Fiction/NF: Historical Fiction

Book Introduction (Before Reading)

The students will be in pre-determined groups arranged by reading level (based on how they did in previous reading assessments). The students will be grouped into 4-5 student reading groups, each one assigned a different color. I will call the students to the table, “Will Pink group please come to the back table?”

I would start with introducing the book to the students:

·         “What is the title of this book?” They should reply, “Sarah Plain and Tall”.

·         “What do you think this book is about? What is that on the cover? When do you think our story takes place? What do you think will happen?” Pause and listen for predictions and thoughts.

·          “Some background knowledge I think you should know is that this book takes place back in the late 1800’s. That’s before cars were around and you had to use horses as the main source of transportation. You lived on a farm with your family, even children helped because it was how the family survived. Moms and dads didn’t go away to work, they hunted and grew their own food, made their own clothes, and most children get to go didn’t go to school.

(Bring up video on ipad for students to get a physical picture of life on the prairie back then.)
"These are what the farms look like today. No one is there anymore, but it should give you an idea of the landscape, homes, and lifestyle they lived in the book."

"Now also, the book is going to start after the two main character's mom has died. What you need to keep in mind is that back in this day, every family needed a dad, a mom, and kids for the farm to function properly. So if their mom died, what do you think their dad has to do?” (Let them ponder this and give some theories.)

**This is only for the first day of reading the book. Each day after, we will begin by recapping what happened last time we read, what we think will happen next, and review our new vocabulary.

·         “Remember, while we’re reading this new book, we made find a few words we don’t understand or haven’t seen before. What do we do when we see an unfamiliar word? (Pause for them to answer… Looking for something like, “We can sound them out and use the rest of the sentence to figure it out.”) “Is it okay if we get them wrong?” (Expect students to say yes. I had a host teacher say this all the time, saying how students often get discouraged from speaking up in class for fear of being wrong, but if you make it known early on that being wrong is okay, that helps eliminate some of that fear. So if students hesitate to say yes, you say “Yes! It’s perfectly fine to mess up. This is a harder book and I just want you to try your best!”)

Phonics Focus: (CC):

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.4.4.C

Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

Word Work Activity (Hyperlink):

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/212935888609849992/

            Word Work Activity

Students will be given a similar sheet to use this during reading; theirs will include vocabulary from the book. They will be given one sheet per chapter.

Vocabulary Focus:

As they read through the chapter, I will ask the students to follow along with their finger and when we find in the book, new words we don’t know, to write it on the handout and we will discuss what the students think they mean based off of context clues in the text. They we will write the word, page number, and two context words in the corresponding columns. (Handout is under ‘word work activity’).

·         Pg. 1 "It was dusk, and the dogs lay beside him....”

o   Before sunrise; middle of the night.

·         Pg. 4 "I would have named you Troublesome," I said, making Caleb smile."

o   Cause difficulty or annoyance.

·         Pg. 6 & 7 "Then the door opened and wind blew in with Papa, and I went to stir the stew."
I spooned up the stew and lighted the oil lamp.

o   Meat and vegetable soup

·         Pg. 8 "She snored in a high whistle at night, like a teakettle, and let the fire go out."

o   Snorting or grunting noise you make in your sleep. (Demonstrate.)

·         Pg. 8 "Her hair was the color of turnips and she laughed."

o   A creamy white vegetable that grows underground.

·         Pg. 9 "But I am not mild mannered".

o   Gentle and not extremely emotional.

During Reading

The first chapter is 8 pages. I expect to have four students in this group, so I will alternate pages and each child will get to read two full pages. As we go, we will stop at our new vocabulary words; they will be pre-highlighted in the book as I intend to use the class set yearly with the same vocabulary. When we come across a new word we will write the word, page number, and two context words in the corresponding columns.

I.e. “Starting on page one, [Choose one child] will you start reading at the top of the page, stopping after you finish the sentence with the highlighted word?”

Student: “It was dusk, and the dogs lay beside him on warm hearthstones.”

Teacher: “What do we think “dusk” means?”

(Hoping students say it’s a time of day. Lead them in that direction… “If they’re lying by the fire, it’s probably a cooler part of the day, maybe even dark.”)

(Continue in this format the entire chapter.)

Fluency and phrasing

To check for fluency, after reading the book. I would have the students, one by one, to read a page of the book, without pausing for vocabulary, to me and see if they read with ease and expression. I would ask them what a word that we earlier didn’t understand meant, seeing if they can recall from the reading before. This tests their fluency and their comprehension.

Word decoding

I will use formative assessment on the students by asking questions:

-"How can we read the words we don’t know how to say?" (Expect them to say something like, “You sound it out or break down each syllable to sound the word out.”)

-"How do we find out the meaning of words we’ve never seen before?" Expect something along the lines of, “We will use the other words on the page as context clues to help us figure out what the word means, or we can look them up.”

After Reading

            After reading the chapter, I will ask the students questions as we discuss what happened.

·         “Who are the main characters in our story?” (Caleb, Anna, and Papa.)

·         “Why do you think Caleb always asks about his momma?”

·         “Why do you think Papa put an ad for a wife? How do you think Anna and Caleb felt?”

·         “Sarah lives be the sea. How do you think you’ll react to life on the prairie?”

·         “What do you think Papa’s opinion on cats is?”

·         “Why do you think Anna asked Papa to ask if Sarah sings?”

Afterwards, ask “Do we think Papa will right back?”

            To show comprehension, on the back of their dictionary packet, ask them to a paragraph (five sentences) summarizing the chapter in their journal. Under that they will draw a line. Underneath they will write a letter back to Sarah as if they are Anna or Caleb. They can ask her questions, tell her about the prairie, anything they think the kids would want to ask or tell her. The letter must also be five sentences.  

Supplies:

            Classroom supply of book

            Dictionaries for group

            Pencils

            Dictionary Skills printouts

            Student Journals

            Reading the Book:

2nd Grade Guided Reading

Guided Reading Lesson Plan- 2^nd Grade

Text Title: Everything Spring

Level: Lexile AD860L

Interest Level 3

Fiction/NF: Nonfiction

Book Introduction (Before Reading)

The students will be in pre-determined groups arranged by reading level (based on how they did in previous reading assessments). The students will be grouped into 4-5 student reading groups, each one assigned a different color. I will call the students to the table, “Will Yellow group please come to the back table?”

I would start with introducing the book to the students:

·         “What is the title of this book?” They should reply, “Everything Spring”.

·         “What do you think this book is about? What is that on the cover? When is spring? What makes you think about spring time?” Pause and listen for predictions and thoughts.

·          “Let’s flip through the book together. Be sure to not read the words, just focus on the pictures.” (Pause and allow children to flip through the book for about 30 seconds) “What did we see? Does that change what we think the book is about? What do you think?” We just went through a picture walk allowing the students to get an idea of what the book will be like and can adjust their original theories. For instant, some students may have assumed the book was just about ducks, or baby animals.

·         “Now this is a 3^rd grade book, but you guys are so smart, I know you can handle it! But, because this one is a little harder than the last one, be looking for some new words you may not know. Remember we can sound them out and use the rest of the sentence to figure it out. Is it okay if we get them wrong? (Expect students to say yes. I had a host teacher say this all the time, saying how students often get discouraged from speaking up in class for fear of being wrong, but if you make it known early on that being wrong is okay, that helps eliminate some of that fear. So if students hesitate to say yes, you say “Yes! It’s perfectly fine to mess up. This is a harder book and I just want you to try your best!”

Phonics Focus: (CC):

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.2.3.f

Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

Word Work Activity (Hyperlink):

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/98868154289941075/

            Word Work Activity

Students will use this during reading; they will have 4 (there are two per page) printed out and stapled together. There are six words I found, but an extra sheet is included for good measure in case they want/need to look up more.

During Reading

We will start by reading through the book. I will have the students read in their heads or in a whisper voice to themselves. Before the students will get started I will make sure to have them look for words that they don’t know. They will write these on the handouts, that I provide them, before they start reading.

Vocabulary Focus:

As they read through the first time, I will ask the students to follow along with their finger and when we find, in the book, new words we don’t know, to write it on the handout/booklet and afterwards we will discuss what the students think they mean based off of context clues and pictures in the text. They will write the word and page number on their sheets of paper given to them earlier (Under 'word work activity'). Then we will discuss what all of the vocabulary actual is after the book is read. Some of the vocabulary words that we will go over is:

·         Coaxing – to persuade

·         Undergrowth – a dense growth of shrubs and other plants, especially under tree

·         Fawn – baby deer

·         Slumbering – sleeping

·         Unfurl – to unroll

·         Bend – sharp curve in river

Fluency and phrasing

To check for fluency, after reading the book. I would have the students, one by one, to read a page of the book to me and see if they read with ease and expression. I would ask them what a word, that we earlier didn’t understand, meant, seeing if they can recall from the reading before. This tests their fluency and their comprehension.

Word decoding

I will use formative assessment on the students by asking questions:

-"How can we read the words we don’t know how to say?" (Expect them to say something like, “You sound it out or break down each syllable to sound the word out.”)

-"How do we find out the meaning of words we’ve never seen before?" Expect something along the lines of, “We will use the pictures and other words on the page as context clues to help us figure out what the word means.”

After Reading

            After finishing the book, I will have the student’s discuss new words from the text.

“Based on our context clues, what do we think ________ means?” Facilitate and guide students to the right answer. Repeat with each one. For ones they just can’t get, have them look it up in the dictionary. Have them write a quick definition like above on the second line of the sheet.

Afterwards, ask “What did we learn from the book? What was it about? What animals did it mention? What are some new words we learned?”

            To show comprehension, on the back of their dictionary packet, ask them to write three sentences about the book including two new words we found. Then I will have the students complete the packet by using each word in a sentence and draw a picture.

I will make sure to ask the students if they have any questions about what we did during our reading. Making sure that they fully understand the phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension of the informational text that we read as a group.

Supplies:

            Classroom supply of book

            Dictionaries for group

            Pencils

            “Dictionary” printouts (6 per student)

           

Reading the book: