Culturally Responsive Teaching {Chapter 14 Synthesis}

What I Do Right...

Culturally responsive teaching is very important in today's world. Students come from all varieties of backgrounds, and it is important that teachers include practices in the classroom that will help all students learn to the best of their abilities. As a second grade teacher, I strive to foster a classroom environment where ALL my students feel like a welcomed and important member of our family. It is important to me that each child feels safe and valued in my classroom.

Relevance 
I try to incorporate lessons that are relevant. Our social studies regions tour is a perfect example. We "tour" the country from our very own classroom through virtual tours, read alouds, and project based learning. These tours help my students to build background knowledge and actually EXPERIENCE our social studies curriculum. Each phase of the tour {Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West} highlights different cultures that have influenced our nation. In the Northeast while visiting New York City, students researched immigrant groups that came through Ellis Island. They worked together to make a "pizza." This "Culture Pizza" was a great way to celebrate cultures from around the world. 

 This activity liked to our science unit on matter {students make the pizza by changing a solid through bending, cutting, stretching, and tearing}. 

 This activity was completed during reading and writing time. They had to work together to make the inside of their pizza and research the elements of the immigrant group's culture {language, food, dress, and celebrations}.

Collaborating

I try to incorporate cooperative learning into my lessons. One such example was during our weather unit in science and Midwest tour in social studies. While in the Midwest, we learned about the Mall of America and supply and demand. Students were divided into teams and asked to design a store full of things {supply} that would be needed {demand} during a particular season. {Sorry for the tilted picture again}.  

 Winter Season Store

Our Family 

I also try to promote a sense of family in my classroom. One such method is a song that we sing. This song sends the message that we all should care for each other and value each other because our class is one big family.  {Sung to the tune of We are Family by Sister Sledge.}

We also have a STAR of the WEEK. One student is selected each week to decorate a bulletin board with favorite pictures and their favorite things. Their families are asked to send in a secret letter that I read to the class, they bring their favorite book that I read to the class, their parents are invited to have lunch with them one day that week, and they bring something special in to share with the class. 

 {star of the week share time}

I also read Have You Filled a Bucket Today? at the beginning of the school year. Students work hard throughout the year to fill our class bucket by being kind and sharing. Any time I see them performing an act of kindness, they add two sparkles to the bucket {two because when you are kind to someone else, it makes you feel good, too}. When our bucket gets full, we will have a KINDNESS PARTY. During this party, we will complete a service learning activity to spread kindness outside of our school building. {I have not done this yet, so I am still gathering ideas because our bucket is almost full. I am thinking of having the kids put together care packages for people in a nursing home. I think that it will really help the kids see that they can do something good for others.}

What I Do Wrong...

I still need to work on learning more about specific cultures. I want to make sure that my teaching style matches the learning styles of all of my students. As the chapter mentioned, gaps in achievement of minority students could be due to the fact that teachers do not change their teaching styles to meet the needs of students from diverse backgrounds. I think that all teachers are in danger of getting STUCK in a rut for many reasons, and I need to make sure that I am constantly reflecting on my instruction to students that are culturally diverse. I think that I need to allow for more music, movement, debates, and share time for the students in my classroom. 

How I'm Going to Fix It...

I would like to research more about the cultures of my culturally diverse students. I think that the chart on page 323 in the text is a powerful resource for teachers to use when planning lessons to ensure that a variety of strategies are being incorporated into daily classroom activities. I have taught students of Mexican, Chinese, and Haitian descent. I think that a chart should be available for teachers to use for students from varied cultures. These charts would include ideas for teachers to use so that BEST practices of instruction are incorporated into lessons. This type of chart would ensure that culturally diverse students are not left behind, and gaps in achievement could be narrowed. 

 

Math {Chapter NINE Synthesis}

What I Do Right...

Math was never my strong subject in school. After reading the chapter, I think that I did have a deficient semantic memory. I had an AWFUL time memorizing anything mathematical {especially those dang multiplication facts}. It was difficult for me to solve the problems mentally or quickly because I would have to go back and think through all the steps...one...at...a...time. I drove my poor mother crazy when doing homework!

Now that I am a teacher, I find math more fun. I like to teach math, but it is not my favorite. The strategies that I learn toward are so NOT from a text book. My math experience taught me that hands-on, real world strategies are best. I want my students to solve problems creatively. I realize, however, that students HAVE to be able to solve problems using just paper and pencil...this is, after all, how they will be assessed. So the big questions...How can I provide a balance of hands-on and paper pencil problem solving instruction? How can my assessments be authentic AND prepare them for district and state tests?

Through trainings offered through our district and some independent research, I think I am getting better at teaching math. Here are some strategies that I find effective in my classroom:

Small Group Teaching {M&M Groups}
I give a pretest at the beginning of each math unit that I teach. This data that I collect from the tests helps me to divide the students up into 3 groups: ones who get it, ones who almost have it, and ones who need intensive instruction. I find that this helps me keep all my students engaged, excited, and enriched through the content. I call this time M&M Groups because it's math, and I use MAP data to help me place kids in groups as well. They rotate through the following 15 minute rotations {you can download the signs, laminate them, and then glue a magnet on the back for your own center rotations}:

work with the teacher {enrich, reteach, remediation} 

math games to practice the skills we are learning

independent practice of the skill at their seat

Here are the signs for the math groups {manatees=need intensive instruction, monkeys=almost there, then macaws=get it...ready for harder stuff} 

SMART board & Computers

Students can also work on a skill at the SMART board. I use it as both whole class teaching and games during M&M Groups. We also go to the computer lab once a week just for math. There are SO MANY amazing websites out there for students to practice math!

Group Work
I use a lot of collaborative group work during math. This helps them generate strategies, share ideas, and learn from each other.  

{generating strategies to figure out how much candy corn is in the container}

{creating a coin bubble map to describe the penny}

Interactive Math

I also love for students to get up to work problems. Any reason to get out of their seat is always fun! They can build a human clock, walk around the room to solve problems I've taped on the walls, or measure things in the classroom with rulers or non-standard units.

{comparing numbers}

What I Do Wrong...

I think that a large part of what I do wrong when teaching math is tied directly to the pacing of the curriculum. Too many times, I have to move on to the next unit of study way before some of my students have mastered the unit before.

Also, after reading the chapter I realized that there are a lot of strategies that I have heard of before, know to do, yet I don't do them consistently. Here are some ideas that I found and think might work for my students:

• I want my students to use manipulatives more and allow those who struggle to use them often. I saw at a training one time how to make counters with pipe cleaners and beads. These would really help my students who have a deficient semantic memory {like I did}. 
• I also want to use highlighters more when solving problems. I could have a color to stand for addition strategies and a color to stand for subtraction strategies. This would help them to use correct problem solving strategies.
• Design a problem-solving strategy appropriate for second graders that will teach them to self regulate. I found one that I like from another blog I read called Second Grade Shenanigans. It's called PSA, and it's a little bit more simplistic than the ones in the text. Basically, students P-identify the problem, S-identify a strategy, and then A-answer and check. Click here to read more about it.   

How I'm Going to Fix It...

I love the CRA {concrete, representational, abstract} sequence for direct instruction. I think that this method would help me, as the teacher, to not introduce the next step too quickly. Once I see that the students understand the concept concretely, only then will I move on to the representation step.

I also want to figure out a way that I can slow down the pacing for my students who are not ready to move on to new content. I think that I could keep old games from previous units available, too, so that students can go back and use strategies that we have already learned. I could also provide a review time during the first 10 minutes of math class. This would allow time to review content we have already learned and review the steps that we use to solve certain problems.

Assistive Technology {Chapter 13 Synthesis}

What I Do Right...

During one of my first years teaching, I had a student who used a form of assistive technology. If I remember correctly, he had a learning disability in writing. He had a machine that he would use that he could type into instead of having to write with a pencil onto paper. I remember that he had LOTS of trouble with this machine, and I really couldn't figure it out either. He did a lot of frustrated growls and fist shaking at the gadget {and I think I did, too}. Boy, would I love to go back in time to just sit in my classroom during those first years...I bet I would get TONS of laughs.

Since then, I have not had any students with a documented need {in their IEP} for any assistive technology. I use technology in my classroom, however, to assist students in many ways.

SMART board
I have a SMART board in my classroom. We use it every day. I use it a lot for whole class instruction. Smart Exchange is a website that offers tons of free lessons and resources that can be downloaded for instant classroom use. I also use the SMART board for word study and math games. The games prove to be a great strategy to use while I am teaching a small group because I can see exactly what is going on from any point in my classroom! A SMART board is an excellent tool to use for students with learning disabilities because it enables them to interact with the content through tactile manipulation and movement.

{we nicknamed our SMART board "Smarty Pants"}

Flip Camera 
I received a flip camera two years ago as part of a grant that I wrote for Donor's Chose. I use this camera to record students performing in reader's theater, presenting information as a group, or presenting reports and poems individually to the class. The Flip camera is an excellent tool to use for students with disabilities because it creates a motivational tool for them to participate with their group. It also helps them to go back and see themselves after their presentation or part is finished. 


MAP testing and Odyssey
One of the BIGGEST assessment tools that we use at my school is the MAP test {Measure of Academic Progress}. I love this test because it takes students from where they are at the beginning of the year, and then shows me how they grow throughout the course of the school year. Paper-pencil reading comprehension tests are so difficult for my students who have learning disabilities or perform below grade level. The MAP test, however, shows me that my struggling learners have indeed learned something. 


This year, I have started to use the Odyssey program. It links directly to the scores that students have made on the MAP test. I can pull up each child's page and see which areas they need to work on in reading and math. Odyssey will then provide computerized instruction, reinforcement, and games on the material that the children need extra practice with. 


What I Do Wrong...
There are two BIG issues with technology: time and money. There has to be money for the technology to be purchased, and then there has to be time for me as the teacher to be trained to become a proficient user of the technology. Unfortunately, the budget in my school district has been so tight these past few years. Our computer lab teacher was taken out and replaced with an assistant. We have two computer labs, but I have to be the one to sign up for a time slot and develop the lessons to teach. I have no classroom computers for the students to use. Anything that I want to learn or implement has to be researched and developed on my own.

How I'm Going to Fix It...
My school does seem to be turning around economically. I think that in any budget, however, that teachers need to be creative when utilizing technology. I have learned to think about what I have, rather that about what I do not. For example, I use my smart phone {such as an iPhone or Droid} in my classroom to snap and upload pictures and videos. I can then email them to myself and then upload them to my webpage. I also have found so many AMAZING and FREE websites out there for my students to use. The great thing about these sites is that they are all perfect for differentiating instruction. Here are a few of my {and my student's} favorites:

Fun 4 the Brain

IXL Math

Starfall

Spelling City

I also have a ton of websites already bookmarked on my school webpage. Just click here.

It does take time to search for websites, to explore them to see if they are appropriate, and to train ourselves and our students. Truthfully, however, I believe that it is necessary. Teachers HAVE to stay current for the sake of our students who come to us as digital natives in a techno world. 

Written Expression {Chapter EIGHT Synthesis}

What I Do Right...

Writing is such a fun subject to teach! Students get easily excited about topics, and writing can directly link to and flow from into our reading lessons. I have read a lot about teaching writing from Ralph Fletcher, Katie Wood Ray, and Ruth Culham and adopted some favorite strategies in my classroom that I think truly help my students become better writers.

A Special Place to Write...A Writer's Notebook

At the beginning of each year, my students decorate a marble composition notebook with pictures, foamies, and stickers. This becomes their writer's notebook. I am always AMAZED at how they are inspired to write just by having their own special place to record their thoughts. I show them my writers notebook, too, and even read some pieces that I have written. 

 {using the "watermelon/seed" strategy to zoom into details...all in her WRITER'S NOTEBOOK}

 

6+1 Writing Traits 

I use Ruth Culhams' 6+1 Writing Traits method of teaching writing in my classroom. This method teaches writing by looking closely at the 6 traits that good writers use {ideas, organization, voice, sentence fluency, word choice, and conventions...and the plus is for presentation}. The traits are an AMAZING tool to use because so many second graders think that writing is mostly about spelling words, but it's not! Spelling is just one small piece! 

Each trait includes a rubric that students can learn and practice when writing. Once they are familiar with that rubric, the teacher can conduct "The Writing Olympics." Students can go to the Education Northwest website and practice scoring authentic student writing. There is a section where the teacher can type in the comments that students generate, and then click to view the actual score the paper received. 

 

Practice scoring the traits!

Mini-Lessons and Mentor Texts

I am a strong believer that students become better writers when they see and hear good writing in the classroom. When we study a particular trait, we read lots of books. These books exhibit the traits at their best! Students can see what the author does, and then they can become inspired. I also model a lot in the classroom. Students, for whatever reason, love to read my writing...especially when it is in MY writer's notebook. But, I also model writing on chart paper for examples and anchor charts.

Here is a favorite book of mine to read for each trait:

Ideas  

Organization

 Voice

Sentence Fluency

Word Choice

Conventions

Conferencing

I strive to have conferencing time each week with my students. I keep a notebook at my back table to track what we discuss, make notes of student questions, jot about writing issues, and mention concerns that I may have for them as writers. Most students want help with spelling when they request a conference, and I think that is fine. I tell them that second graders SHOULDN'T know how to spell every word. I do want them to try those "big" words, though, so I give LOTS of praise for attempts. I then try to dig deep into the trait that we are studying. What did they pick up from the mini-lesson? What strategy did they use correctly? What is their writing still missing?  

Publishing

I celebrate the writing that my students complete in many different ways. We have an author's chair where they can read stories to the class. We also publish one book during the year {from barebooks.com}, complete art projects to illustrate our writing, hang our writing in the halls, publish across genres, and collect our writing in a growth portfolio. 

 {author's chair}

{art to illustrate his writing}

What I Do Wrong...

As the chapter suggests, writing is such a critical subject. I have found that my students who have disabilities {or ones that perform below grade level} struggle getting their thoughts down on paper. They need extra help and extra support when writing. As a classroom teacher, I often struggle differentiating my instruction due to time constraints and class size. I fear that some of my students that struggle are still making some of the mistakes, and are relying on some of the habits that they used at the beginning of the year. Some students need more guided writing practice because they lack the monitoring, self-regulation, and motivation strategies necessary to revise and edit their written pieces. I need to slow down my instruction so that I can better meet the needs of students who need help with handwriting, word spacing, sight words, and basic sentence formulation. 

How I'm Going to Fix It...

I really want to look back at the notes that I take during conferences. These notes can tell me volumes about what my students still need to work on. I really need to include more time for guided writing groups during our writing time each week. More advanced writers could form a group during this time to revise their work as a team, assess themselves with the rubric, and reflect on how they are using the trait that we are studying in their own writing. Meanwhile, I can pull those students who need remediation so that I can reteach skills that should have been mastered in kindergarten, first grade, or the beginning of second grade. 

Reading Comprehension {Chapter SEVEN Synthesis}

What I Do Right...

I think that the first important thing that I do when teaching comprehension is MODELING STRATEGIES. Students need to see some strategies over-and-over again to see how they really work. We create anchor charts together, investigate different texts, and then I give explicit instruction on how I use the strategy while reading. Once the students see how the strategy is utilized, it it time for them to practice it on their own.

I give each student a READING IS THINKING sheet each week. It has a box for each day of the week. In the box, the students have to practice the strategy independently that they learned during the mini-lesson. They might have to make a prediction, share their schema, write a connection, ask a "thick" question, or make an inference. I take these sheets up and grade them at the end of the week.

I try to give a variety of assessments so that I can see how students are comprehending the texts that they read. For example, this past week we studied the genre BIOGRAPHY. Each student read a biography of an African American during independent reading and then recorded important information from that person's life. The purpose was twofold: 

• to find the main idea of that person's life
• make connections from that person's life to our own

The students then wrote a paper about their famous person, and then presented what they learned to the class. They had to dress up or make a puppet. {This picture was being so stubborn and would NOT turn...but it was too cute not to include!! Sorry for the head tilting!}

What I Do Wrong...

I think that I need to work more on class-wide peer tutoring and cooperative learning models. I think that my students could help each other more with comprehension if they were placed within small groups. This way they are forced to share ideas, understand content, and internalize information. I know that, when I am teaching, I tend to talk too much. I really need to OBSERVE more. Observation would give me much more information so that I can truly gain a clear picture as to how my students are comprehending what they read. If students were forced to take a leadership role, then they would be able to implement strategies together, and I would serve as their facilitator. 

How I'm Going to Fix It...

I plan to grant more opportunities for collaborative groups during reading instruction. I do a lot of independent practice and small group instruction, but I very rarely let the students work together on the stories that they are reading. It would be very interesting for me to see what kinds of thinking would go on during their discussions. I would love to have groups of students complete an activity such as the Cooperative Story Map on page 177 in the text. This way, they can work together on understanding the stories they have read. They can then present their story maps to the class as an different way to retell what they have learned. 

 

Reading Instruction {Chapter SIX Synthesis}

What I Do Right...
I have always loved to read, and I LOVE to teach reading. I love it when my students get excited about books, and I love to help them find authors and genres that they can get excited about! Every year, I have such an incredible mix of kids. My second graders range anywhere from a 4th grade to kindergarten reading level. It can be challenging to keep up with such a diverse group, but I have found strategies that have really helped me!


I attended a conference last year at Furman by Dr. Richard Allington on What Really Matters for Struggling Readers. I learned 3 points that have really shaped my whole outlook on teaching reading:

• Struggling readers need to read MORE.
• Struggling readers need access to books that are on their independent reading level. This means they can read them with 99% accuracy.
• Struggling readers need more one-on-one time with a highly trained reading teacher.

{Read More}
In order to get my students to read more, I did away with centers during reading time. I felt that my advanced readers got really bored doing them and my struggling readers never really knew what was going on. Allington stated that the average struggling reader only reads for about 5 to 10 minutes a day. This fact was SHOCKING to me. Now, my students have a bucket full of books that they can read, and they read for over an hour every day. 

{Books They Can Read INDEPENDENTLY}
At the beginning of the year, I teach my students how to find a "just right book." We typically read Goldilocks and the Three Bears to illustrate this point. Goldilocks needs to find a book that is just right. Some are too hard, some are too soft {easy}, and others are JUST RIGHT! I use Beth Newingham's idea with t-shirts, too, and create a poster that illustrates this point for my students. 


This strategy works really well because it teaches all the students to find a book that they can read with success.


{More One-on-One Instruction}
This, or course was the hardest to implement! I just can't devote my whole day to teaching just a handful of students how to read. I have tried my best, however, to find ways to help those kids who are below grade level. Jan Richardson's book The Next Step in Guided Reading really helped me to find ways to meet with students and provide more meaningful lessons for them based on their needs. She has lesson plan templates for each level that truly changed the approach that I take with each guided reading group. 

What I Do Wrong...

After reading the chapter, I realized that I still need to work more on culturally responsive reading instruction. I loved the quote from the book that "the construct of culture is so much more that foods, holidays, and customs." As an educator, I need to dig deeper to learn how our diverse students see the world. I need to learn more about what my CLDE students value, how they learn, and how they interact with their family. 

How I'm Going to Fix It...
I think that I could design a survey to send out at the beginning of the year. This survey would help me see how culturally diverse students see the world, and what they value most. I could also research more into the culture of the students that I teach so that I have more background knowledge concerning students who are culturally different that I am. I loved the ideas from the chapter on how teachers could become more culturally and linguistically responsive. Some ideas that I would like to try are:

• more learning opportunities designed for students to make connections between what we are learning and their own lives
• more time to build background knowledge {maybe through read alouds or guided reading groups}
• more personal links established with parents to see how literacy is utilized at home
• more participation with the members of the community 
• more high expectations set for ALL students to achieve 

Assessment {Chapter TWELVE Synthesis}

What I Do Right...

I think assessment is a crucial part of education. I use a variety of assessments with my students. I use paper pencil tests, journal entries, projects, rubrics, running records, reading logs, reading folders, computer programs, math games, word study games, and quizzes. 

One idea that I did have {after the Assessment grad school class}, was for a 3-2-1 rubric. The students helped me generate a rubric that allows me to see, at a glance, how they are doing with a topic. I put a poster of the rubric on the wall in our classroom. I also have several typed up rubrics that I use to grade assignments such as handwriting, response journals, and reading logs. The students, in turn, can use their whiteboard markers to draw a face on their desk to show me exactly how they are feeling about an assignment. 

I also try to analyze the assessments that I give so that I can determine if the students still have an area of weakness. I try to see who has mastered the content, who needs help on one certain area, and who needs the lesson to be re-taught to them. I can then break the students up into small groups to enrich, reteach, or re-mediate them on a particular topic of study {particularly in reading, writing, and math}. 
 
What I Do Wrong...
I think that I still need to work on assessment strategies to help students who do not qualify for resource, yet need something extra in the classroom. I have a hard time figuring out how to find other interventions that I can apply ALONE in my classroom for those students who perform below grade level. I also need to learn more about how to progress monitor students so that I can see if my instruction is working, and so that I can track progress {or the lack thereof}. By progress monitoring, I can analyze the effectiveness of my instructional methods.

How I'm Going to Fix It...
I would like to keep more detailed anecdotal records on my students who are performing below grade level. I think that I should begin tracking progress through the use of a data notebook. A notebook would keep track of notes, tests, running records, and writing samples so that I can see a progress throughout time. This notebook would also serve as documentation to parents so that I could show how successful the child is in the classroom.