Journal 1- Courtney Ellis

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

            While reading this week, I have several things that I want to try in my classroom. The first is the use of dialogue journals. Having students write about their day, what they have learned, or even what is on their mind and then taking time to respond to them is a great idea. This helps them to learn that writing has a purpose and is meaningful. Since we only have nine weeks left of school, I think this is something that I could try and see if it works with my class. Then I could incorporate it at the beginning of the year with my students next year. The teacher that teaches next door to me has students write about their day in a bus journal during dismissal. When they finish, they come up and show her what they have written and she talks to them about it. It only takes about two minutes per student and they get really excited to have the opportunity to share their writing. I want to find a balance between these two ideas in my classroom.

            Another good idea that I want to try is to incorporate more technology in my classroom. I basically have been sticking to what is quick and easy using resources like Brainpop Jr. and PebbleGo. There are many new things that I learned about that I would like to try. One of them is to use short videos or songs to pre-teach a skill or help them remember one. I have seen several great songs to teach grammar skills like adverbs and adjectives. Music is a fun way to remember concepts and I have seen beginner ELL students remember things they learned in songs from music class.  My students all seem to like music so that would be something fun and different to try. I could also post the videos/songs on my webpage so that the students could access them at home. This would also be a great way for them to teach their parents as well.

            Another idea I really liked was the one shared in our class last week about recording different stories for students to listen to. I think this is a great way for students to hear what a fluent reader sounds like and would be great for ELL students who still need help reading books. I know my students love the listening center in the classroom and I could even play these recordings there for students that cannot access them from home. This also does not have to just be limited to recordings of stories. In Social Studies, we learn a lot about different people from the history of our state. We do not have enough of the books to send home with the students. I could record these biographies and then email them to parents so that the students could hear the information at home. This will help the parents that want more resources for their children at home.

            Overall, I have some great strategies and ideas that I can’t wait to try using in my classroom for the remainder of the school year. Trying these new things will help keep my students motivated and focused on learning during what can be a crazy time in the school year.