C. Evans: Journal Reflection 1

Refine:  How will you use the information in your classroom?

            When planning lessons for my class I tend to look at the “big picture” of what I need to teach in regards to curriculum standards. What is often difficult for me is taking apart the big picture in order to differentiate for the wide range of needs in my class. I think using the scaffolding method of asking who, what, how, and how well mentioned in Chapter 5 (Peregov, 2013 would help me to quickly think about the specific needs of the different groups within my classroom and how I can go about teaching to those needs.

            I also liked the idea of the students having personal word books mentioned in the differentiated instruction lesson. This word book, along with one of the websites listed in chapter 26, (Zainuddin, 2011), has given me an idea that I plan to try with my class next year. One activity that I currently have my kindergarteners do during our literacy block is “read the room.” They get a clipboard and paper and walk around writing words that they can read in the classroom. In exploring several of the ESL websites from chapter 26, I discovered one that had great picture cards organized into categories perfect for young learners. I plan to post a different set of words around the room each month that are related to that particular month (for example in March: spring, wind, leprechaun, clover, etc.). The students would then walk around and write and illustrate these words in their word books. We will also use the journals to add any new vocabulary words that we learn from texts read during read aloud time. The word books would be ongoing throughout the year, and the students can keep them in their book boxes to practice reading during independent reading times.

            I also plan to explore some more of the websites mentioned as well as experiment with using more technology in my teaching.