Title: A Hands On Developmentally Appropriate Process that teaches Comprehension Strategies to students ages 3 – 8 Michele Anne Polselli Melville Elementary School Portsmouth, RI School Department
1A Hands On Developmentally Appropriate Process
that teaches Comprehension Strategiesto students
ages 3 8Michele Anne PolselliMelville
Elementary SchoolPortsmouth, RI School
Department
Planting A Literacy Garden
Visualizing
Digging for Meaning
Questions
Synthesizing
Making Connections
Inferring
2Applying National Board Early Childhood
Generalist Standards (nbpts.org)
- Understanding Young Children (prior knowledge)
- Equity, Fairness, and Diversity (safe, secure
environment) - Assessment (multiple assessment methodologies,
formal and informal) - Promoting Child Development and Learning
(cognitive, social, emotional, physical and
linguistic development) - Knowledge of Integrated Curriculum (DAP)
- Multiple Teaching Strategies for Meaningful
Learning (providing a variety of practices and
resources) - Family and Community Partnership
- Professional Partnership (Lab Classroom Setting)
- Reflective Practice (Portfolio and Literacy
Coaching PD) - (Due to the application for EC Gen Certification
to NBPTS in 2004, parental permission was
obtained to take pictures of students.)
3Tools used to help students understand the
comprehension strategies are placed in their tool
belts for access at any given moment.
- Schema (seeds)
- Visualizing (sunglasses)
- Asking Questions (rakes)
- Digging For Meaning (shovels)
- Inferring (hoe)
- Synthesizing (watering can)
Mosaic of Thought, Ellin O Keene, Heinemann
/ISBN 0-435-07237-4 / 1997 Strategies that
Work, Harvey and Goudvis, Stenhouse /ISBN
1-57110-310-4 / 2000
4The wheelbarrow contains tool belts. Each tool
belt contains a whisper phone that assist the
facilitation of phonetic awareness. A pair
ofsunglasses assist students to understand the
strategy of visualizing.
5Whisper PhonesPhones made from PVC tubing
enhance each students phonetic awareness. As
students read alone or aloud, they listen to
their own words. Hearing their voice reinforces
sounds and provides feedback. Listening to what
they are reading or saying helps them comprehend
if what they are reading or saying makes sense.
6I make the analogy that students are much like
seeds. Just like seeds grow into certain plants,
everyones thoughts in their minds are unique
only to themselves and their ideas will grow to
be unique and special. Students understand that
making connections (schema) means relating prior
knowledge of ideas they have learned or
experienced that are unique only to them.
7The Visualizing Flower box contains useful words
that assist students when speaking and/or writing
about pictures playing in their minds
(visualizations).
8The rake represent questions students ask to
find out what they do not know. I explain how the
rake leaves gaps in the dirt, just like not
knowing answers to questions leaves empty spaces
in our thoughts. The Questioning Flower box
contains useful words that assist students to ask
questions about what they do not know.
9The hoe represents information that is spread out
throughout the story that students needs to
gather just like dirt after the seed is planted.
The Inferring box contains useful words that
assist students to speak and write about the
big idea or making predictions about the
story.
10The shovel represents digging for the meaning
that the author wants students to know. Each
shovel contains an everyday sight word that
students use to write their stories.
11The watering can represents a pouring in of any
new ideas students have created after reading
text or listening to the teacher read-aloud. Just
as we water plants to sustain their growth, we
replenish our mind with new ideas that we have
created.
121. Students begin by putting on tool belts that
contain tactile tools that will help them plant
their Literacy Garden.
132. Students Sing A SongI Have A Belt of Tools
(tune of Mary Had A Little Lamb)I have a belt
of tools, belt of tools, belt of tools. I have a
belt of tools, I bring to school everyday.The
first tool helps me make connections about what I
already know. The second tool helps me visualize
and make pictures in my mind.The third tool
helps me dig for meaning about what the author
wants me to know. The fourth tool helps me to
ask questions about what I do not know.
143. In a Lab Classroom setting, the Literacy
Coach and teacher begin by asking students what
they already know about the subject at hand.
Teachers read aloud and working collaboratively,
difficult vocabulary that has several meanings is
discussed.
15 4. Integrating technology by utilizing a video
projector connected to a computer, enhances
students visual and auditory senses. While
incorporating large motor skills, students use
their bodies to act out new and difficult words
to promote each childs development and
understanding.
165. Choral reading and acting out the words
greatly enhances student understanding.
176. After reading aloud, the teacher models by
drawing a picture of what is playing in their
minds.
187. Students then turn to talk to a partner about
their visualizations and connections they have
made with the text. They share the movie that is
playing in their mind.
198. All students must share their thoughts with
the teacher and classmates before beginning their
drawings and writings on paper. Students draw the
visualizations they have in their mind with
crayons, markers or colored pencils.
209. Informal Teacher-made Rubric Visualizing
- Hot Air Balloon- Exceptional! Beyond the
Standard. Describes own mental images, usually
visual images are somewhat elaborated from the
literal text or existing picture and help him/her
to understand more that he/she would have without
creating the images. May include some emotional
images from connections they have made that
enhance the meaning. - Bunch of Balloons Great Work! Meets the
Standard, Describes some visual or other sensory
images may be tied directly to text or a
description of the picture in the text - One Balloon Almost there! The student has not
yet met the Standard. The student has drawn
something that is not related to the text. No
response or unsure what he/she is supposed to
describe
Hot Air Balloon
Bunchof Balloons
OneBalloon
2110. Video gram EmailStudents choose their
favorite writings and read or talk about it into
a camera. The video is sent home as a video gram
email in an effort to keep parents apprised of
their childs literacy progress.
2211. Finally, everyone cleans up and returns their
tool belts to the wheel barrow.
23PLANTING SEEDSStudents plant seeds in an effort
to integrate literacy and science because it is
best practice. This integration provides
developmentally appropriate practices and a
hands-on experience.
24Literacy Garden
The culminating integrated science and literacy
project of Planting the Literacy Garden is
when students plant their seedlings outside.
25Outcomes for Session
- NAEYC Standards
- Comprehension Strategies
- Readers and Writers Workshop
- Lab Classroom Setting
- Integrate Technology
- Developmentally Appropriate
- Assessment Informal Teacher made rubrics
- Formal Running Records/PALS/DIBELS
- Parental involvement
26Relevant Research
- National Boards for Early Childhood Certification
- Harvey and Goudvis Strategies That Work
- Ellin O. Keene, Mosaic of Thought
- PEBC (Public Education and Business Coalition)
- Reading Lady National Website
- Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
- East Bay Educational Collaborative
- Feldgus and Cardonic Kid Writing
27Evidence of Success
- Kinder Squirt/Planting A Literacy Garden
- This site has downloadable worksheets and
strategies teachers can utilize when teaching K-2
students comprehension strategies developed by
Michele Polselli. - Carleworks- Using books by Eric Carle, a
powerpoint presentation was created to be used
with literacy lessons that address state and
national GLEs while integrating technology. - Mosaic Listserve Teaching ToolsThis site has
downloadable worksheets and lesson plans created
by teachers across the nation as they teach their
students comprehension strategies developed by
Ms. Keene. Readinglady.com recognizes Planting
A Literacy Garden as a teaching tool for
comprehension strategies. - Mosaic ListserveProfessionals joining this list
serve engage in conversations with K-12
colleagues across the nation who are using best
practices in teaching comprehension strategies to
their students.
28Contacts
- Michele A. Polselli
- Kindergarten Teacher
- Melville Elementary School
- Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871
- 401-683-1650
- mpolselli_at_cox.net
- http//polsellikindergarten.tripod.com
- http//carleworks.tripod.com
29Implementation Activities
- This comprehension lesson about giraffes utilizes
the book of poems Animals, Animals by Eric
Carle. The poem about giraffes, written by Mary
Anne Hoberman on pages 48-49, is the basis of
this lesson and is located here at this online
site Carleworks.tripod.com - I begin by utilizing tools from Planting A
Literacy Garden to assist students to become
better readers and writers. Using the internet,
a video projector connected to a computer and our
tool belts, students can develop the
comprehension skills necessary to visualize and
make connections using schema.