My Action Research

1. After viewing the test data from Harrison County, Simpson Elementary, I viewed their social studies scores are the lowest in novice. Reading: mastery - 28%, above mastery -26%, distinguished - 9%. Math: mastery - 26%, above mastery - 17%, distinguished - 11%. Science: mastery - 29%, above mastery - 21%, distinguished - 10%. Social Studies: mastery - 17%, above mastery - 15%, distinguished - 8%.

2. Students learning needs are reading comprehension in social studies.

3. The instructional interevention used for the social studies is graphic organizers and concept mapping to improve reading comprhension in social studies. This can include Own the Word where students break the definition down and draw or either find a picture to represent that definition.

4. Cues, questions and advanced organizers - (1)research shows that advance organizers, including graphic ones, help students learn new concepts and vocabulary. (2)Presenting information graphically in advance organizers reinforces vocabulary learning and supports reading skills. (3)

5.

Action Research

1. Title -What happens to a third grader's writing when they participate in a letter writing program? Research Question/Definition of Problem.

2. Problem - Third grade writers struggle with language development, such as letter formation, spacing of words, use of punctuation, and capitalization. The problem found in this teacher's third grade class is students struggle with all components of letter writing, dialouge, organization, sentence structure, flow, text-connections, vocabulary, mechanics, support from the reading, and making references about themselves.

3. Instructional Intervention - Implications of the writing process was a link to classroom pen pals. Pen pal activities to reinforce vocabulary and mechanics.

4. Strategy - Reforcing Effort

5. Evidence - Reinforce effort. Students who are recognized for effort will make the connection between effort and improvement. Students should be helped to internalize the value of effort to make a strong connection between effort and the desired outcome. Making connections.

7. Analysis of data - All randomly selected students demonstrated growth in the letter writing process.

8. Results - Their occurrence of errors decreased and their level of writing increased. However, the majority of them continued to struggle with vocabulary and mechanics.

Rubric

Click here to view my rubric on simple machines.

Formative Assessment Redo

Sorry about not making it public. I thought I did that. Here is the new link.

Driving Question Redo:

I am going to change my driving question to the one you suggested: Which simple machine is most benefical to human beings? For the task I was going to have them be separated into 6 groups. Each group will create a simple machine. Each simple machine will be used only once. The CSOs, that I was trying to find, did not have any about simple machines. So I have selected these 2: SC.O.4.3.2 - create models as representations of real things. SC.O.4.3.7 - use an appropriate engineering design to solve a problem or complete a task. Are those 2 CSOs fit the task?

Multiple Intelligent Survey I gave to my struggling student

On Wednesday, I gave my struggling student a MI survey. I didn't want to single him out, so I gave the whole class the survey. As I suspected my struggling student is a kinesthetic and social learner. He is also musical.

Click here to view the survey I gave to my students.

Formative Assessment

Click here to view my web about simple machines.

Anchor Video

Click here to view my video on simple machines. This is a 5:45 video introducing Bill Nye the Science Guy discussing simple machines and its uses.

Driving Question:

Which simple machine is most important?

My lessons are going to be about simple machines for 4th grade.

Clinical Lesson

This is the lesson I would like to teach. Power Standard 5: Students will conclude that changes occur gradually, repetitively, or randomly as they explore factors that affect the forming and eroding of various soils and rock types, investigate the cause and effects of volcanoes, earthquakes and landslides, and relate environmental changes to the geologic time scale, best fits with the lesson I have chosen to do.

This lesson would best fit with my 4th graders because they enjoy working in groups and I was going to make this lesson a group project. Also it would fit with my struggling student, because he seems to be very kinesthetic and this would satisfy his needs. This lesson would allow students to play the role as scientists and explore.

Howard Garner - MI

My top three intelligences are social-3.86, self-3.57, and spatial-2.86. This fits me perfectly because I always felt that I was a social person and an extreme visual person. I would look at pictures or diagrams before I read the directions or magazines. When I was an elementary student, I did not receive instructions based on my learning style and that made it difficult for me to pass any subjects. I would have to sit in my desk and read the chapter. But what would have really helped me and any other students like me would be graphs, pictures, discussions with a classmate or groups, models of representation, and videos. I can't sit in a classroom and have another student read the part of the chapter, I don't comprehend that way.

Observing a Student's Behavior

The student that I observed was a bright, intelligent child but was very disruptive and lacked social skills. This student was told on by another student that he was talking during a make-up spelling test in the hallway. My host teacher sat him down and explained that he wasn't allowed to talk during a test and that the same rules apply when students are in the hallway taking make-up tests. She threatened that he should get an F even though he studied and got a 100%. But she did not give him a zero, she gave him a 100%. The student remained silent as she talked to him. But this student was sly. He would get out of his seat, not follow directions, and pick on another student all behind my host teacher's back. The student was unaware that I was observing him. But my host teacher knows that he is a student that is disruptive and is an instigator.

Reflection Part 3

Reflection Part 2

Reflection Part 1

Clinical II Schedule

Mondays and Wednesdays 10am - 2pm

Final Draft - Where I'm From

Where I'm From

Where I'm From Poem

This is an extremely rough draft.

Where I'm From by Rosalba Oliverio

I am from the mountains that hold true beauty and grace

From home-made chocolate pudding pie and campfire s'mores

I am from the house with tan siding

I am from the rhododendron bushes, morning glory, and snow covered pine trees

I am from Sunday dinners and talking hands

From Poppie and Nonnie and the Oliverio legacy

I am from the unconditional love and stubbornness

From deafening voices and unbalanced coordination

From no dream is too small and always trust whats in your heart

I am from devoted Catholics, from stained glass windows, welcoming doors, peaceful prayers, and forgiveness

I'm from Bridgeport, West Virginia

From across the Atlantic Sea

In a small town called San Giovanni in Fiore, Italy

From where laughter and long talks meet over spaghetti and meatballs

From the father who started with nothing and came to America to succeed in a dream, and the mother who shares not only her love but her stories

I am from a home built by love, trust, and warmth, and bullying big brothers

From a home that I proudly call my own.

Student Interest Inventory

This is a online student interest inventory for a 5th grade classroom!

I like this inventory because it is online which makes the student more interested in filling it out!

https://sites.google.com/a/jpsonline.org/bursley5/Home/links/interestinventory

As Soon As She Opened Her Mouth

When I read this quote on page 13, it made me feel angry with the teacher. Just because the mother had an accent, the teacher made her feel stupid and not worth her time. The teacher didn't even feel remorse for belittling the mother's concerns for the education needs of her son. As teachers we should educate any student who wants to learn. We should help students understand and apply that knowledge; not leave them behind and pass them to another teacher so we don't have to deal with them. It doesn't matter if the student looks poor or has an accent that isn't standard, we should educate that student because we are educators and we took that job to educate each and every student. Personally I love all types of accents. I would encourage students to keep their accent because it is a trait of who they are. Just because they talk weird or different doesn't make them stupid.

Mountaineers

Reflection: The video about West Virginia stereotypes was nothing new that I haven't heard. West Virginia has a lot of pre-determined thoughts and ideas from outsiders who certain that WV is a poor, raw, and evil mountain men who want to eat you. However, I ignore or shrug off these general stereotypes and embrace my state. The video was a nice reminder of why I think WV is a wonderful place to live and a reminder on how to address those stereotypes in a positive way.

#1: I have stereotyped my own state. I have used the phrase "hillbillies" but in a positive situation. I would use the terms "hicks," "hillbillies," and "rednecks" but never in a negative way. I have never avoided parts of WV, I enjoy discovering different parts throughout the state. I have never been ashamed of saying "I am from West Virginia." I have never been ashamed of the rural areas in the state because poverty is a problem throughout America. These areas exist because the people that live in them are from a low economic status. I am unaware what help is being done today in the rural areas of WV. Throughout America,especially in major cities, they provide food banks and other types of welfare assistance.

#2: The TV caricatures of mountain people can sometimes be over exaggerated. Some of these characters such as The Beverly Hillbillies and The Waltons are lovable shows because of how the characters present themselves. For example The Beverly Hillbillies were uneducated and poor living in the rural areas until they struck gold and moved out of their element. The characters had to be over exaggerated to show how out of place they were and how uneducated they were. Because of that, it made them lovable and memorable characters. The viewers would feel a comical sympathy for the characters on those types of shows. Some of the situations can ring true, for example there are people in rural areas that live off the land and hunt their own food or make their own medical remedies. But there are other times were it is absurdity to make the TV show more enjoyable.