Week 7 - Assignment 1

1.     What texts and materials do teachers have in their classrooms that support students' development of fluent reading?

The teacher has a word wall for all subject areas where new vocabulary words are added on a weekly basis. The word wall is visible to all students so that they can refer to it at any given time. Over the course of a week at least 10 to 15 words areas added from a combination of subjects.

2.     How do they select vocabulary to teach in all areas of your curriculum?

The vocabulary that is selected is content related. For example, in one lesson students were reading an informational text that explored animal adaptations such as hibernation, migration, mimicry and camouflage. The class worked on defining those words and using them in sentences to get a better understanding of the words. 

3.     How much time do they allocate to word study?

On average the teacher spent about 45 to 60 minutes weekly on vocabulary related activities. The word wall is a big focal point in the classroom as all new words are displayed there. Activities such as word webs, semantic maps, word search and crossword puzzles are all incorporated into the vocabulary lessons.     

4.     What word study routines do they teach and encourage their students to use?

The word study routine that is used in the classroom to encourage students is to use them in sentences. The first day students work to define the words and make flash cards. The next day, students fine several synonyms and antonyms that are related to the word. On the third day, students write sentences using the words to fully demonstrate their understanding.

5.     How do they differentiate instruction and tasks based on their students' needs?

The only differentiated instruction that is visible is when students are grouped together to define the words and find synonyms and antonyms. The teacher pairs up students so they can help each other use the online dictionary and thesaurus to find synonyms and antonyms.