Donte
Q: Why when you on the moon it look half earth?
A: It said on the internet, what you see when you look at the moon depends on the location and the relationship of the sun and the earth. You see a different fraction of the sunlight bringing reflection from the moon to the earth.
Me: Can you put that in your own words?
Donte seems stumped
Kayla: What did he say?
Donte: What you see is when you like when you on the moon it's like how the moon orbits around the earth.
Jaymon: I agree with you because when we was watching the video it was saying how the moon orbits the earth. Because since the earth is going around the Sun, probably the moon orbits the Earth and the moon is at the bottom of it that's why we see a half.
Me: Can you explain why the moon is at the bottom of the earth?
Donte: On the internet it showed a picture of how when the Earth is by the sun, you really can't see the moon. When the moon is at the bottom of earth it's a quarter moon. When the sun is by the side of the earth it's a full moon.
Deavion: I think in this picture it looks the black sky is reflecting off your eyes to make the Earth look cut in half.
Jaymon: Since North America is up, the sun shines at the top. But in the morning, Africa is all asleep.
Kayla: I was going to say something similar to what Jaymon said, the Sun goes around
Jaymon: No, when the Earth goes around the SUn
Kayla: Half of the Earth is black, and that half is asleep and the half that gets sunlight is all woke.
Me: What would have helped us understand Donte's answer better.
Deavion: Read it clearer.
Kayla: Put it into his own words.
Me: COuld you visualize what he was saying? What would have helped us see it better?
Kayla: Draw pictures.
Deavion: He did draw a diagram.
Me: Can you explain it?
Donte wants to revise it.
New question
Deavion
Q: How come you have to wear helmets in space?
A: It's not a lot of oxygen in space or on the moon and then when you take it off, your face puff up.
Jaymon: At first, when I had, I want to answer her question. I thought when I first saw the man had on the thing, I thought they were football players. It's similar to the thing.
Kayla: The only reason why I had asked that question was because you don't have to wear them down here but up in space you have to wear that.
Jaymon: Trees help us breath. But in outer space...I feel sorry for them. Oooh, I got another question. If the people jump on the moon are they going to float?
Kayla: They going to float. i think it said it on the brainpop video because it don't got no gravity up in space
Donte: well it do, just not that much
Kayla: I agree with that, it do have some but not much like it do down here.
Jaymon: I agree with Kayla but how do they walk on the moon though. Do they have special shoes?
Deavion: they have spikes
Kayla: THey got space boots with spikes to help them.
Jaymon: but these look like regular boots.
Me: Sounds like another question you can research.
Jaymon tries to phrase question: "Do they have spikes on the bottom of their shoes?"
They all say it's closed
Me: Why?
Deavion and Kayla change their answers
Jaymon: because it starts with do.
Deavion: you said it start with why it's a closed question.
Kayla: I think it's open because you can like discuss it, like why do they have spikes on the bottom of their shoes and they might have a lot of good answers.
Jaymon: It's closed, do you think it's closed?
Me: I dont want to say.
Donte: I disagree with you because if they got spikes on the bottom of their shoes, how do they jump?
Me: Let's stick to whether the question is open or closed. It's closed because../. How can we make it open?
Kayla: Why do they have spikes on the bottom of their shoes?
Donte: How do they...
Deavion: I wonder if...
Me: What are astronaut's shoes made of?
Jaymon: Yeah, and it looks like the moon is made of lava. What kind or rock is it?
Me: it sounds like you guys want to ask more questions. Donte, can you work on the diagram for next time about why we see half moons? Let's start reading the next few pages of the book and ask questions.
We then went on to start reading the guided reading book with a focus on asking questions. Kayla wonders why it says that though the first Apollo mission succeeded, it did not put the first man in space. Donte infers that it must have been a different space program that was first.
Donte took the space book with him on our bathroom break. In the hallway, Donte raised his hand to show me the part of the book that says the USSR sent up the first spaceship with a human on board, Yuri Gregarin. He also realized that there was a difference between being the first to orbit the moon, and the first to orbit Earth. I wanted him to ask what the USSR was, but I didn't push it when he didn't ask. It's amazing how questions just lead to more questions, it's like the renewable resource of learning!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
quick note about Donte's comprehension
Today at the end of independent reading Davontae shared a cool insight on Lunch Lady. he noticed a frame with a visual clue of the assistant principal finding a robot arm (foreshadowing). This was cool because you could see that Davontae was gathering and synthesizing information around the plot and what he predicted might come next. Whether through pictures or words, this is a critical part of the reading process.
But what was cooler was that Donte raised his hand eagerly to say that Hector had been making a robot for the science fair (suggesting that this could be where the robot arm was from). Which was true! Donte hasn't read that book for weeks, and he was able to recall that tiny detail! Things that Donte reads seem to be sticking with him more, now it's just about how we get him to synthesize, order, and arrange all those things that stick in his mind. What goes on in Donte's mind? How is it organized? How does he structure his thoughts?
But what was cooler was that Donte raised his hand eagerly to say that Hector had been making a robot for the science fair (suggesting that this could be where the robot arm was from). Which was true! Donte hasn't read that book for weeks, and he was able to recall that tiny detail! Things that Donte reads seem to be sticking with him more, now it's just about how we get him to synthesize, order, and arrange all those things that stick in his mind. What goes on in Donte's mind? How is it organized? How does he structure his thoughts?
high guided reading group progress
So as I mentioned earlier, I've been frustrated with the ennui I sensed from Amaya, Alex (absent today), Brandon, and particularly Zeke during guided reading recently. Today guided reading with these guys went so much better! We started by sharing our answers to the question they prioritized last time: "How did Brian survive 3 days without food?" Zeke suggested that he drank water instead of eating food. Brandon didn't have an answer prepared.
Amaya: Brian had too much stuff on his mind so he wasn't hungry.
Me: Tell me more.
Amaya: He was thinking about the divorce and the secret and was too busy trying to solve the secret to think about food.
Zeke: I disagree. He thought about food and when you think about food it makes you want to eat it.
Me: Do you have text evidence?
(Zeke was able to find text evidence in the book after a minute that proved that Brian had been fantasizing about food.)
Me: Zeke you're right but do you think that the whole thing with the secret might have taken his mind off food?
Zeke: Even if he's got a lot on his mind, he's got to eat to survive. That's what people do.
Me: Amaya what do you mean he's trying to solve the secret?
Amaya: He doesn't know the secret of why they had the divorce. MISCONCEPTION: HE DOES KNOW.
Me: Do you have text evidence?
Amaya finds evidence from the passage where Brian has a flashback to when he saw a strange man in his mom's car.
Me: What do you guys think about that? A VERY OPEN QUESTION, IN MY MIND I'M TRYING TO DIRECT THE CONVERSATION TOWARDS THE NATURE OF THE SECRET, AND WHO THE SECRET IS BETWEEN, BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE OBVIOUS ABOUT IT.
Zeke: I still don't think he's thinking about that right now cuz he's on the island trying to figure out what he's going eat. MISCONCEPTION: BRIAN'S ON A LAKE, BUT HE'S ON THE SHORE, NOT ON AN ISLAND
Amaya insisted that this secret might have distracted him.
Amaya: He might be thinking about his mom's reasons for the divorce.
Me: What are the reasons for his divorce?
Zeke: Maybe his mom didn't like the dad anymore.
Amaya: Brian saw another man in her car. I think she fell in love with someone else. GOOD INFERENCE, I WONDER WHY SHE THINKS THAT BRIAN DOESN'T KNOW THE SECRET ABOUT WHY HIS PARENTS GOT DIVORCED?
Me: I agree with Zeke that it's more likely he survived for 3 days without food by drinking lots of water because I know that people can survive for weeks without food, as long as they have water. But I really appreciated Amaya's response because I'm wondering why when he's in the middle of the wilderness and starving, he's still thinking about the divorce?
Amaya connects Brian's dwelling on the divorce with her own thoughts when her parents divorced (for privacy reasons, I am not transcribing anything she said).
Zeke: He might not be thinking about it that much cuz he's hoping people will find him.
Amaya: I wonder if he's gonna find the hatchet? I think it's going to make him miss his mom even more. From the cover I think that when he puts the hatchet on it makes him feel strong because his face looks calm on the cover.
Me: Why do you think he'll miss his mom more?
Amaya: His mom gave it to him as a present.
Me: Why do you think it makes him feel strong?
Zeke: It's a weapon that can keep animals from messing with him because I went on the computer and found out that the book takes place in the Canadian wilderness and there's lots of animals there.
Amaya uses the summary on the back of the book to answer the question. She reads: "Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother has given him as a present -- and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart ever since his parents' divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self-pity, or despair -- it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive."
Amaya: Wait...that sentence...I think that the secret's not between his parents, it's between him and his mom. THIS REALIZATION MAKES IT CLEAR THAT SHE HAD PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT THAT BRIAN'S PARENTS WERE HIDING SOMETHING FROM HIM, AND THAT WAS THE SECRET.
Me: Can you explain that? I'M EXCITED THAT WE'RE FINALLY BEGINNING TO TALK ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE SECRET, SOMETHING I WANTED TO GET TO EARLIER.
Amaya gives an answer too quickly for me to record, it doesn't make sense. But then she says: "It makes me wonder, what is the secret that's tearing them apart?" WOW, SHE REALIZES SHE JUST DOESN'T FULLY UNDERSTAND THE SECRET, WITHOUT ME TELLING HER THAT SHE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND. THIS FEELS IMPORTANT.
I jump in with questions to get Amaya to realize that the secret is that Brian saw his mom with another man.
Me: Why do you think the secret is tearing him apart? Why would a secret do that?
Amaya: He has to keep it from his dad and he doesn't like that.
Zeke says that he might also be really worried about what that man in the car might be like, especially if he becomes his stepdad.
Zeke: My question is that in the text it says he just saw the mom in the car. Is the secret really between him and his mom? It didn't seem that his mom told him who the man was. Did she really tell him who the friend was?
Amaya: No, he's got to keep it from his mom.
Zeke: Did she see him (Brian)?
Amaya: Probably not.
Zeke: How are you not even going to tell your kid about something like that? Oooh, this is probably another thing that tears him apart because his mom won't talk to him about this strange man. YES! I HADN'T EVEN THOUGHT OF THIS. HERE'S THE ZEKE THAT I KNEW WAS UNDER THAT BORED EXPRESSION THE LAST TIME WE MET IN GUIDED READING.
Amaya: This reminds me of my life with my mom seeing someone else. When I first saw him I got mad because I hadn't seen my dad for a long time and wanted to see him.
Zeke relates his experience meeting his stepdad and the emotions that went into it.
I closed the session really pleased with the places the conversation went. It was really hard for me to not control it and ask more direct questions about who Brian was keeping the secret from, but they were able to get there on their own. I did ask them questions, but I feel like the conversation really took off when I asked about why he still thinks about the divorce even in his dire circumstances. They really personally connected to the divorce, and they began to ask their own questions without prompting. It seems like this personal connection was the fuel behind the flurry of self-generated questions.
The moment when Amaya realized from the back of the book that the secret was something Brian was carrying, rather than his parents, was so awesome. That light bulb is so much more satisfying when you see a kid get there on their own, rather than you pushing the understanding onto them. I can't say what exactly she learned from that moment, maybe that it's important to ask questions to understand the text better, that you will eventually find many of your answers by talking about your questions and thinking about them as you read the text? Plus, she came away with much better comprehension of Brian's dilemma.
The other moment that was really cool was when Zeke started questioning whether his mom knew that Brian knew, and then inferred that Brian was also being torn up because he knew his mom was trying to keep that man secret from him. Brilliant. I didn't think about it that way, probably because my personal experience is different than Zeke's. This feels like very fertile ground, but I don't want to kill it with a writing prompt (that feels forced). How do I extend thinking on this theme in a natural and nurturing way that keeps ownership on their terms and enthusiasm high?
One important note is that this conversation doesn't go anywhere near as interesting without Amaya's divergent (and perceptive) answer about the divorce being on his mind. The openness of the questioning protocol definitely demonstrated its utility here. Interesting how Zeke kept pulling away from this for awhile, but eventually convergent thinking emerged when they began thinking about the nature of the divorce and its effects on Brian (and their personal connections to this).
Amaya: Brian had too much stuff on his mind so he wasn't hungry.
Me: Tell me more.
Amaya: He was thinking about the divorce and the secret and was too busy trying to solve the secret to think about food.
Zeke: I disagree. He thought about food and when you think about food it makes you want to eat it.
Me: Do you have text evidence?
(Zeke was able to find text evidence in the book after a minute that proved that Brian had been fantasizing about food.)
Me: Zeke you're right but do you think that the whole thing with the secret might have taken his mind off food?
Zeke: Even if he's got a lot on his mind, he's got to eat to survive. That's what people do.
Me: Amaya what do you mean he's trying to solve the secret?
Amaya: He doesn't know the secret of why they had the divorce. MISCONCEPTION: HE DOES KNOW.
Me: Do you have text evidence?
Amaya finds evidence from the passage where Brian has a flashback to when he saw a strange man in his mom's car.
Me: What do you guys think about that? A VERY OPEN QUESTION, IN MY MIND I'M TRYING TO DIRECT THE CONVERSATION TOWARDS THE NATURE OF THE SECRET, AND WHO THE SECRET IS BETWEEN, BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE OBVIOUS ABOUT IT.
Zeke: I still don't think he's thinking about that right now cuz he's on the island trying to figure out what he's going eat. MISCONCEPTION: BRIAN'S ON A LAKE, BUT HE'S ON THE SHORE, NOT ON AN ISLAND
Amaya insisted that this secret might have distracted him.
Amaya: He might be thinking about his mom's reasons for the divorce.
Me: What are the reasons for his divorce?
Zeke: Maybe his mom didn't like the dad anymore.
Amaya: Brian saw another man in her car. I think she fell in love with someone else. GOOD INFERENCE, I WONDER WHY SHE THINKS THAT BRIAN DOESN'T KNOW THE SECRET ABOUT WHY HIS PARENTS GOT DIVORCED?
Me: I agree with Zeke that it's more likely he survived for 3 days without food by drinking lots of water because I know that people can survive for weeks without food, as long as they have water. But I really appreciated Amaya's response because I'm wondering why when he's in the middle of the wilderness and starving, he's still thinking about the divorce?
Amaya connects Brian's dwelling on the divorce with her own thoughts when her parents divorced (for privacy reasons, I am not transcribing anything she said).
Zeke: He might not be thinking about it that much cuz he's hoping people will find him.
Amaya: I wonder if he's gonna find the hatchet? I think it's going to make him miss his mom even more. From the cover I think that when he puts the hatchet on it makes him feel strong because his face looks calm on the cover.
Me: Why do you think he'll miss his mom more?
Amaya: His mom gave it to him as a present.
Me: Why do you think it makes him feel strong?
Zeke: It's a weapon that can keep animals from messing with him because I went on the computer and found out that the book takes place in the Canadian wilderness and there's lots of animals there.
Amaya uses the summary on the back of the book to answer the question. She reads: "Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother has given him as a present -- and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart ever since his parents' divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self-pity, or despair -- it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive."
Amaya: Wait...that sentence...I think that the secret's not between his parents, it's between him and his mom. THIS REALIZATION MAKES IT CLEAR THAT SHE HAD PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT THAT BRIAN'S PARENTS WERE HIDING SOMETHING FROM HIM, AND THAT WAS THE SECRET.
Me: Can you explain that? I'M EXCITED THAT WE'RE FINALLY BEGINNING TO TALK ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE SECRET, SOMETHING I WANTED TO GET TO EARLIER.
Amaya gives an answer too quickly for me to record, it doesn't make sense. But then she says: "It makes me wonder, what is the secret that's tearing them apart?" WOW, SHE REALIZES SHE JUST DOESN'T FULLY UNDERSTAND THE SECRET, WITHOUT ME TELLING HER THAT SHE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND. THIS FEELS IMPORTANT.
I jump in with questions to get Amaya to realize that the secret is that Brian saw his mom with another man.
Me: Why do you think the secret is tearing him apart? Why would a secret do that?
Amaya: He has to keep it from his dad and he doesn't like that.
Zeke says that he might also be really worried about what that man in the car might be like, especially if he becomes his stepdad.
Zeke: My question is that in the text it says he just saw the mom in the car. Is the secret really between him and his mom? It didn't seem that his mom told him who the man was. Did she really tell him who the friend was?
Amaya: No, he's got to keep it from his mom.
Zeke: Did she see him (Brian)?
Amaya: Probably not.
Zeke: How are you not even going to tell your kid about something like that? Oooh, this is probably another thing that tears him apart because his mom won't talk to him about this strange man. YES! I HADN'T EVEN THOUGHT OF THIS. HERE'S THE ZEKE THAT I KNEW WAS UNDER THAT BORED EXPRESSION THE LAST TIME WE MET IN GUIDED READING.
Amaya: This reminds me of my life with my mom seeing someone else. When I first saw him I got mad because I hadn't seen my dad for a long time and wanted to see him.
Zeke relates his experience meeting his stepdad and the emotions that went into it.
I closed the session really pleased with the places the conversation went. It was really hard for me to not control it and ask more direct questions about who Brian was keeping the secret from, but they were able to get there on their own. I did ask them questions, but I feel like the conversation really took off when I asked about why he still thinks about the divorce even in his dire circumstances. They really personally connected to the divorce, and they began to ask their own questions without prompting. It seems like this personal connection was the fuel behind the flurry of self-generated questions.
The moment when Amaya realized from the back of the book that the secret was something Brian was carrying, rather than his parents, was so awesome. That light bulb is so much more satisfying when you see a kid get there on their own, rather than you pushing the understanding onto them. I can't say what exactly she learned from that moment, maybe that it's important to ask questions to understand the text better, that you will eventually find many of your answers by talking about your questions and thinking about them as you read the text? Plus, she came away with much better comprehension of Brian's dilemma.
The other moment that was really cool was when Zeke started questioning whether his mom knew that Brian knew, and then inferred that Brian was also being torn up because he knew his mom was trying to keep that man secret from him. Brilliant. I didn't think about it that way, probably because my personal experience is different than Zeke's. This feels like very fertile ground, but I don't want to kill it with a writing prompt (that feels forced). How do I extend thinking on this theme in a natural and nurturing way that keeps ownership on their terms and enthusiasm high?
One important note is that this conversation doesn't go anywhere near as interesting without Amaya's divergent (and perceptive) answer about the divorce being on his mind. The openness of the questioning protocol definitely demonstrated its utility here. Interesting how Zeke kept pulling away from this for awhile, but eventually convergent thinking emerged when they began thinking about the nature of the divorce and its effects on Brian (and their personal connections to this).
Saturday, February 25, 2012
inquiry/research in guided reading groups
So, besides Socratic Seminar, I've also been trying to leverage the questioning protocol into the work of some guided reading groups. I first began trying it with my highest guided reading group because I've felt some apathy in their reading of the last few guided reading books. Right now we're reading Hatchet, which I chose specifically because I thought it would be a high interest book for my boys, but they never seem to want to read it on their own during independent reading, and I haven't found their conversations of the book during guided reading to be very comprehensive, insightful, or exciting at all.
So, at the beginning of this week we generated, categorized, and prioritized questions. They were able to go through this process quickly and succinctly. They ended up choosing a question about how Brian was able to survive for 3 days without food. I was pleased about how smoothly the process went and optimistic that when the group met again with me the following day, they would have excellent, insightful, well-researched answers to the question. Logistics were not in my favor however, because the next day I had to give a practice reading extended response, and the day after, I decided to pull my lowest guided reading group. I probably should have briefly met with the high guided reading group just to check in with them about their answers to the question and any further reading/questions they had done. I will meet with them this Monday. I do have a very good idea about 2 students' (Alex and Zeke's) answers because they stay with me after school a lot and I worked on their answers with them. At first they turned in very barebones answers. I think maybe partly because even though the questions are coming from them, since I'm telling them they have to answer the questions, it still feels like an assignment to them. Ideally I should just model for them how I research questions that arise as I read. I think I'm still too outcome-oriented, and this may strangle the life out of their inquiry before it even has a chance to sprout. I do need to change this approach I think. Anyhow, I pushed Alex and Zeke to find more specific, real world details about wilderness survival. They got more engaged when they realized they could use the internet to do research. The next day, I noticed that they went right to the computers during independent reading. Alex went to the book's website to look at extra features/information about the book. He also looked into ways that people can get their own food in the wilderness. He reported out at the end of independent reading about how people can fashion a fishing spear. Zeke researched where Hatchet takes place, learning facts about the Canadian wilderness. Both of them lingered by the computer table, continuing to research while we lined up, until I reminded them that they would be able to continue their research the following day. So it is possible to get them engaged in this inquiry/research process, I think I just need to scaffold it by pushing their focus into deeper and more interesting places to research, and modeling this process of questioning and research more consistently. This questioning protocol and the inquiry it begets really is a framework, a way of thinking, that I want to do a better job of fostering, it just takes restraint that I'm not used to exercising as the uber-controlling teacher I know I am sometimes.
I also wanted to reflect on how my lowest guided reading group reacted to the questioning protocol. As mentioned in earlier entries, it seems like the protocol has really excited them during whole class discussions. This excitement extended into their work with the guided reading book about space. They were eager to ask questions, and they came up with some great ones after we had only read a few pages:
My model: Why were they circling the moon for 24 hours?
Deavion: I wonder why the sky is blue on land but black in space? (question from visual of picture)
Donte: Why when you're on the moon it looks like half-earth? (question from visual of picture)
Deavion: Why does gas go in cars and fuel goes in spaceships? (semantics question)
Kayla: Why do astronauts have to wear helmets? (content question)
Jaymon: Why is Sputnik big like a basketball? (visual question)
Kayla: How many people can fit in Sputnik?
I find that a lot of these pictures are a lot deeper than the ones that my high guided reading group asked! Maybe this has to do with the genre of their book (science non-fiction) lending itself to deep questions, or at least a different sort of question than a realistic fiction book. I wonder how the types of questions, projects, and inquiry will vary depending on the book?
They were so excited to answer the questions, they kept having to remind themselves of the rule about no judging or discussing questions during the generating process. I told them they could answer the questions on their own when they left the guided reading table. In the hallway Kayla said, "I already answered all the questions, it was so easy." Now, I'm pleased with the enthusiasm and initiative. I'm guessing the quality of the answers will be lacking in much the same way as the higher group, and I'll need to model for them how use research tools like books and the internet to improve the quality of inquiry. We shall see...
So, at the beginning of this week we generated, categorized, and prioritized questions. They were able to go through this process quickly and succinctly. They ended up choosing a question about how Brian was able to survive for 3 days without food. I was pleased about how smoothly the process went and optimistic that when the group met again with me the following day, they would have excellent, insightful, well-researched answers to the question. Logistics were not in my favor however, because the next day I had to give a practice reading extended response, and the day after, I decided to pull my lowest guided reading group. I probably should have briefly met with the high guided reading group just to check in with them about their answers to the question and any further reading/questions they had done. I will meet with them this Monday. I do have a very good idea about 2 students' (Alex and Zeke's) answers because they stay with me after school a lot and I worked on their answers with them. At first they turned in very barebones answers. I think maybe partly because even though the questions are coming from them, since I'm telling them they have to answer the questions, it still feels like an assignment to them. Ideally I should just model for them how I research questions that arise as I read. I think I'm still too outcome-oriented, and this may strangle the life out of their inquiry before it even has a chance to sprout. I do need to change this approach I think. Anyhow, I pushed Alex and Zeke to find more specific, real world details about wilderness survival. They got more engaged when they realized they could use the internet to do research. The next day, I noticed that they went right to the computers during independent reading. Alex went to the book's website to look at extra features/information about the book. He also looked into ways that people can get their own food in the wilderness. He reported out at the end of independent reading about how people can fashion a fishing spear. Zeke researched where Hatchet takes place, learning facts about the Canadian wilderness. Both of them lingered by the computer table, continuing to research while we lined up, until I reminded them that they would be able to continue their research the following day. So it is possible to get them engaged in this inquiry/research process, I think I just need to scaffold it by pushing their focus into deeper and more interesting places to research, and modeling this process of questioning and research more consistently. This questioning protocol and the inquiry it begets really is a framework, a way of thinking, that I want to do a better job of fostering, it just takes restraint that I'm not used to exercising as the uber-controlling teacher I know I am sometimes.
I also wanted to reflect on how my lowest guided reading group reacted to the questioning protocol. As mentioned in earlier entries, it seems like the protocol has really excited them during whole class discussions. This excitement extended into their work with the guided reading book about space. They were eager to ask questions, and they came up with some great ones after we had only read a few pages:
My model: Why were they circling the moon for 24 hours?
Deavion: I wonder why the sky is blue on land but black in space? (question from visual of picture)
Donte: Why when you're on the moon it looks like half-earth? (question from visual of picture)
Deavion: Why does gas go in cars and fuel goes in spaceships? (semantics question)
Kayla: Why do astronauts have to wear helmets? (content question)
Jaymon: Why is Sputnik big like a basketball? (visual question)
Kayla: How many people can fit in Sputnik?
I find that a lot of these pictures are a lot deeper than the ones that my high guided reading group asked! Maybe this has to do with the genre of their book (science non-fiction) lending itself to deep questions, or at least a different sort of question than a realistic fiction book. I wonder how the types of questions, projects, and inquiry will vary depending on the book?
They were so excited to answer the questions, they kept having to remind themselves of the rule about no judging or discussing questions during the generating process. I told them they could answer the questions on their own when they left the guided reading table. In the hallway Kayla said, "I already answered all the questions, it was so easy." Now, I'm pleased with the enthusiasm and initiative. I'm guessing the quality of the answers will be lacking in much the same way as the higher group, and I'll need to model for them how use research tools like books and the internet to improve the quality of inquiry. We shall see...
Thursday, February 23, 2012
socratic seminar after cycle 1 of questioning
I wasn't able to upload the videos, but below are the transcriptions. Each video is centered around one of the prioritized questions we used to jumpstart discussion during Socratic Seminar. My cooked notes are in ALL CAPS. I also put in parentheses next to each person's name whether I thought they were low or high readers. This is a rough, vague sketch of course, but I think it helps illustrate how the lower readers dominated the discussion.
Video 1
Deavion (low): I wonder why byron and buphead don't pay attention in class. My answer is that they might think it's boring
Kayla (low): I agree with you because sometimes people in this classroom sometimes they may be juvenile delinquents because they don't be paying attention to what the teacher says and they have to flip their cards SHE'S CONTEXTUALIZING THE BOOK WITHIN HER LIFE (THE CLASSROOM)
Amaya (high): probably all they want to do is bad things and pick on people
Donte (low): i think they don't pay attention because since they went to juvenile they think they bad and stuff MISCONCEPTION ABOUT TERM: CONFLATING PLACE WITH PERSON
Jaymon (low): i think they think cool and juvenile delinquents but they really aren't inside WHAT DOES HE MEAN BY NOT COOL INSIDE? IS HE SAYING THEY'RE INSECURE?
Kayla: people be doing that because they think they cool and everything but they really not WHAT AN IDENTITY REVEALING THING FOR A GIRL LIKE KAYLA WHO HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN A GOOD GIRL TO SAY
Rashad (high) asks Deavion to explain more about his answer RASHAD IS LOOKING TO PUSH THE DISCUSSION DEEPER
Deavion: maybe they just go to school to talk to their friends
Kayla agrees again: because sometimes people do be thinking it's cool to talk to their friends but it's really not, it's cool to learn
me: why don't we start a new question?
Video 2
Jaymon: why Byron being nice to Kenny but at first in the story he wasn't? I think because when Kenny had came into the classroom and read to the whole 5th grade and he was only in 4th that made Byron proud because that made everyone think the same way about Byron. INTERESTING IDEA THAT HE'S INFERRING THAT BYRON WANTS PEOPLE TO THINK HE'S SMART (SHOULD I HAVE JUMPED IN HERE AND ASKED HIM TO EXPLAIN?)
Kayla: I agree with you because he was proud of Kenny
Rashad: I agree with you because in the story because when they were about to beat Kenny up Byron stopped them and let them walk with them. AGAIN RASHAD DEEPENS THE DISCUSSION BY GOING INTO THE TEXT FOR EVIDENCE
Me: Let's try to get new voices and call on people we haven't called on before I'M GROWING CONCERNED THAT THE SAME 5 PEOPLE (WHO BESIDES RASHAD TEND TO BELONG TO THE LOW GUIDED READING GROUPS)
Alex (high): I agree with Jaymon's first part of his answer but not the second because i think byron was having trouble with things and when kenny read that really helped him. but Jaymon what was the other part of your answer?
Jaymon: He came in the whole 5th grade room and read to them.
Alex: I disagree with you about him being nice to them because he was still being kind of mean to him because in the story it said that he said when it was about LJ and he had asked about the question he was still being mean to them. TRYING TO COMPLICATE THE DISCUSSION BY POINTING OUT THAT DISCUSSING BYRON SHOULD NOT BE DONE IN ABSOLUTES
Riana (high): I disagree with you because that's not really a part about Byron is being mean for his question VERY CONCRETE BUT CORRECT COMMENT ABOUT LIMITING THE DISCUSSION AROUND THE RELEVANT PART OF THE TEXT
Alex: No but he (Jaymon) said Byron wasn't being mean to him anymore but he sometimes byron could be mean
Jaymon: but im saying that was in the past though because remember...what's that called?
Donte: flashback
Jaymon: yea flashback that was a flashback because remember when he said that it was good to have a new friend not like LJ because LJ was stealing all his dinosaurs, that was in the past
Alex: Oh yeah, my bad.
Kayla: I disagree with you Alex because like some type of thing like you said (pointing to Jaymon) it was in the past and he talking about why was he being nice to Kenny but at first he was being mean to him.
Me: Ok good, let's get a new topic
Video #3
Olajuwon (high): How did Byron become a juvenile delinquent? My answer is he probably had did something bad. I THINK THAT OLAJUWON HAD TROUBLE READING HIS WHOLE ANSWER BECAUSE HE WAS MISSING A FEW WORDS, WHICH IS WHY IT SOUNDS FRAGMENTED
Donte: I agree with you, I think he did something to the police. INFERENCE WITHOUT TEXT EVIDENCE
Davontae (high): I disagree with you (Donte) because in the story it said you become a juvenile delinquent when you turn 13. CORRECT TEXT EVIDENCE
Riana: I disagree with you (Davontae) because they because they never said that Byron just turned 13 NOT TRUE and I disagree with Donte because they never said anything about Byron and the police. TRUE
Youngan (high): I think that he trying to just be a showoff or something. I think he has some friends that are juvenile delinquents.I think he's trying to show off. GOOD INFERENCE, I WONDER WHAT CLUES TOLD HIM THIS?
Josh (high): I think he's trying to be like Buphead because if he was getting in trouble and getting suspensions and stuff maybe Byron would try to stay home from school. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE LAST PART OF THIS COMMENT
Jaymon: I agree with Olajuwon and Josh, and I disagree with Donte. The reason I agree with Josh because I think he start being a juvenile delinquent when he had met Buphead because Buphead was a bad influence on him. GOOD INFERENCE, AGAIN I WISH I KNEW WHAT CLUES LEAD HIM TO THIS CONCLUSION?
Alex: I had wanted you to tell more (Olajuwon) about doing something bad. GREAT QUESTION TO TRY AND PUSH THE DISCUSSION FURTHER
Olajuwon: come back to me I WONDER WHY HE HAD TROUBLE ARTICULATING THIS? HIGHER KIDS SEEM TO HAVE MORE DIFFICULTY SPECULATING/PARTICIPATING AT ALL IN THIS FORUM. PERHAPS THERE'S A BETTER END RESULT FOR QUESTIONING THAT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES BETTER?
Briyonna (low): I agree with Jaymon and I kinda disagree because in the story it said Byron was always trying to pick on Kenny with Buphead so I think that Buphead is the one who always be getting Byron to pick on Buphead. MIXED UP THE CHARACTER NAME AT THE END, SHE MEANT TO SAY KENNY INSTEAD OF BUPHEAD
Khalil (high) (laughs)
Me: What's so funny Khalil?
Khalil: She said Byron is trying to pick on Buphead. CLEARLY ENGAGED, FACT CHECKING. THE HIGHER KIDS SEEM TO FACT CHECKING A LOT. IS IT BECAUSE I'VE CALLED ON LOWER KIDS TO START EACH DISCUSSION, SO IN THAT WAY I'VE PREDETERMINED THE HIGH AND LOW KIDS' ROLES IN THE DISCUSSION? IS THERE A HIGHER PROPORTION OF LOWER KIDS INVOLVED BECAUSE I'M CALLING ON THEM TO START THE DISCUSSION AND THEN THEY'RE CALLING ON THEIR FRIENDS WHO TEND TO BE LOWER TOO? ON THE OTHER HAND, OLAJUWON'S NOT LOW AND HE STARTED THIS DISCUSSION...
Video 4
Antwanay (low): Is Byron going to teach Kenny how to be a juvenile delinquent? I think yes because Byron is supposed to be the role model but he is teaching Kenny to be bad like him so he can...WHAT DID SHE WANT TO SAY AT THE END? WHY DID SHE STOP? ALSO IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE TODAY DONTE RAISED HIS HAND AFTER READING THE NEXT PART OF CHAPTER 3 AND SAID THAT HE THOUGHT KENNY WAS LIKE A ROLE MODEL TO RUFUS UNTIL HE MADE FUN OF HIM...SO DONTE IS TRANSFERRING CONTENT AND KNOWLEDGE FROM SOCRATIC SEMINAR AND APPLYING IT INTO HIS UNDERSTANDING OF FUTURE READING. SYNTHESIS!
Khalil: I disagree with you because in the story it didn't say nothing about Byron teaching Kenny to be a delinquent. FACT CHECKING AGAIN
Terran (high): I agree with you Khalil and I disagree with you Antwanay because in the story you didn't see BYron hanging out with Kenny for a while. TRUE, GOOD TEXT EVIDENCE
Kayla: I disagree with you and Khalil, I agree with Antwanay. I agree with Antwanay because he was trying to be a bad influence for Kenny because he's the older brother he's supposed to be the right way to be a person but he's showing him the bad way. and I disagree with you because what did you say? you said something? but he was trying to be bad, and trying teach Kenny how to be bad. SHE IS CLEARLY TAKING THIS BOOK PERSONALLY, FORMING STRONG OPINIONS!! SHE CONNECTS TO THIS BOOK IN SOME INTERESTING WAYS THAT I'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT
Class laughs at her assertiveness while speaking THIS ASSERTIVENESS IS NEW. THEY DEFINITELY SEE IT FROM HER AT LUNCH AND OUTSIDE OF CLASS, BUT NEVER IN CLASS
Jaymon: I had put the same thing (same question) My answer was Kenny was always following Byron and Buphead like when he had to go to school, when he would walk him to the bus and Byron didn't get on the bus, sometimes Kenny would go by himself. (Stops because he's distracted by all the people disagreeing)
Me: It's ok to put your thumb down, why don't you call on someone who disagrees.
Alex: I disagree because everytime when skips school he says that he always catches the bus and everytime Kenny walks down the street he walks home with him so he won't get in trouble.
Olajuwon: I disagree with you (Alex) because the time when we was talking about how he had missed school it never said he had catched back up with Kenny, we had predicted that. DISTINGUISHED TEXT EVIDENCE FROM OUR INFERENCES
Rashad: I agree with you and disagree with Alex because I think when Byron skipped school if he goes home by himself his mama is going to get mad at him because...(inaudible)
My reflections:
-Why didn't high kids participate more? Why did Zeke look so bored? I asked him about it afterwards and he said it was because he wasn't sure if his answers were right, if there was enough evidence. It fits with the narrative about high kids who are so used to being right, they aren't as inclined to take risks or make themselves vulnerable in a forum like seminar. This is a valuable thing I'd like him to learn, but how to facilitate this? Logically, since he had the chance to write out answers to his questions ahead of time, he had some scaffolding. I still think part of it is just that he was unmotivated, but why? Nothing to gain from the discussion? Not connecting to the book? Not the right questions? But he had the opportunity to create his own when we generated them earlier in the week! ARGH! How do I get the higher kids more involved? I think there's a definite dynamic between high and low kids. When I asked the class to reflect on the seminar, Amaya (high) expressed frustration because she believed some people just disagreed to disagree, without giving good text evidence. The higher kids seem to be more into synthesizing their thoughts with text, while lower kids seem more willing to put their thoughts out there. Would higher kids get more out of seminar if we split seminar into 2 groups, one high and one low? i think some of the higher kids wanted to be more involved but they just weren't getting called on. i need to step in more and call on them if i feel like they're getting ignored.
-Why did lower kids thrive in this discussion? What do they gain from this? Identity formation as thinkers, smart kids. Voice. Better comprehension. Better articulation (with practice- Kayla and Jaymon both struggle to read and speak fluently, even in this discussion, but they are practicing more and improving)
-How did questioning improve the quality of this Socratic Seminar? It definitely did, we saw a lot more inferring, a better focused discussion that was able to go deeper. I should probably have students complete a quick survey after cycle 2's socratic seminar, asking them what role questioning had in improving the discussion. does generating and prioritizing questions help them think about the text? discuss it? i wonder which kids would say yes and which would say no? I wonder what they'd be able to articulate about the role of questioning in facilitating deeper thought and discussion?
-Where do we go from here? Cycle 2 should see us get even better at questioning, will that result in an even better Socratic Seminar?
Video 1
Deavion (low): I wonder why byron and buphead don't pay attention in class. My answer is that they might think it's boring
Kayla (low): I agree with you because sometimes people in this classroom sometimes they may be juvenile delinquents because they don't be paying attention to what the teacher says and they have to flip their cards SHE'S CONTEXTUALIZING THE BOOK WITHIN HER LIFE (THE CLASSROOM)
Amaya (high): probably all they want to do is bad things and pick on people
Donte (low): i think they don't pay attention because since they went to juvenile they think they bad and stuff MISCONCEPTION ABOUT TERM: CONFLATING PLACE WITH PERSON
Jaymon (low): i think they think cool and juvenile delinquents but they really aren't inside WHAT DOES HE MEAN BY NOT COOL INSIDE? IS HE SAYING THEY'RE INSECURE?
Kayla: people be doing that because they think they cool and everything but they really not WHAT AN IDENTITY REVEALING THING FOR A GIRL LIKE KAYLA WHO HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN A GOOD GIRL TO SAY
Rashad (high) asks Deavion to explain more about his answer RASHAD IS LOOKING TO PUSH THE DISCUSSION DEEPER
Deavion: maybe they just go to school to talk to their friends
Kayla agrees again: because sometimes people do be thinking it's cool to talk to their friends but it's really not, it's cool to learn
me: why don't we start a new question?
Video 2
Jaymon: why Byron being nice to Kenny but at first in the story he wasn't? I think because when Kenny had came into the classroom and read to the whole 5th grade and he was only in 4th that made Byron proud because that made everyone think the same way about Byron. INTERESTING IDEA THAT HE'S INFERRING THAT BYRON WANTS PEOPLE TO THINK HE'S SMART (SHOULD I HAVE JUMPED IN HERE AND ASKED HIM TO EXPLAIN?)
Kayla: I agree with you because he was proud of Kenny
Rashad: I agree with you because in the story because when they were about to beat Kenny up Byron stopped them and let them walk with them. AGAIN RASHAD DEEPENS THE DISCUSSION BY GOING INTO THE TEXT FOR EVIDENCE
Me: Let's try to get new voices and call on people we haven't called on before I'M GROWING CONCERNED THAT THE SAME 5 PEOPLE (WHO BESIDES RASHAD TEND TO BELONG TO THE LOW GUIDED READING GROUPS)
Alex (high): I agree with Jaymon's first part of his answer but not the second because i think byron was having trouble with things and when kenny read that really helped him. but Jaymon what was the other part of your answer?
Jaymon: He came in the whole 5th grade room and read to them.
Alex: I disagree with you about him being nice to them because he was still being kind of mean to him because in the story it said that he said when it was about LJ and he had asked about the question he was still being mean to them. TRYING TO COMPLICATE THE DISCUSSION BY POINTING OUT THAT DISCUSSING BYRON SHOULD NOT BE DONE IN ABSOLUTES
Riana (high): I disagree with you because that's not really a part about Byron is being mean for his question VERY CONCRETE BUT CORRECT COMMENT ABOUT LIMITING THE DISCUSSION AROUND THE RELEVANT PART OF THE TEXT
Alex: No but he (Jaymon) said Byron wasn't being mean to him anymore but he sometimes byron could be mean
Jaymon: but im saying that was in the past though because remember...what's that called?
Donte: flashback
Jaymon: yea flashback that was a flashback because remember when he said that it was good to have a new friend not like LJ because LJ was stealing all his dinosaurs, that was in the past
Alex: Oh yeah, my bad.
Kayla: I disagree with you Alex because like some type of thing like you said (pointing to Jaymon) it was in the past and he talking about why was he being nice to Kenny but at first he was being mean to him.
Me: Ok good, let's get a new topic
Video #3
Olajuwon (high): How did Byron become a juvenile delinquent? My answer is he probably had did something bad. I THINK THAT OLAJUWON HAD TROUBLE READING HIS WHOLE ANSWER BECAUSE HE WAS MISSING A FEW WORDS, WHICH IS WHY IT SOUNDS FRAGMENTED
Donte: I agree with you, I think he did something to the police. INFERENCE WITHOUT TEXT EVIDENCE
Davontae (high): I disagree with you (Donte) because in the story it said you become a juvenile delinquent when you turn 13. CORRECT TEXT EVIDENCE
Riana: I disagree with you (Davontae) because they because they never said that Byron just turned 13 NOT TRUE and I disagree with Donte because they never said anything about Byron and the police. TRUE
Youngan (high): I think that he trying to just be a showoff or something. I think he has some friends that are juvenile delinquents.I think he's trying to show off. GOOD INFERENCE, I WONDER WHAT CLUES TOLD HIM THIS?
Josh (high): I think he's trying to be like Buphead because if he was getting in trouble and getting suspensions and stuff maybe Byron would try to stay home from school. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE LAST PART OF THIS COMMENT
Jaymon: I agree with Olajuwon and Josh, and I disagree with Donte. The reason I agree with Josh because I think he start being a juvenile delinquent when he had met Buphead because Buphead was a bad influence on him. GOOD INFERENCE, AGAIN I WISH I KNEW WHAT CLUES LEAD HIM TO THIS CONCLUSION?
Alex: I had wanted you to tell more (Olajuwon) about doing something bad. GREAT QUESTION TO TRY AND PUSH THE DISCUSSION FURTHER
Olajuwon: come back to me I WONDER WHY HE HAD TROUBLE ARTICULATING THIS? HIGHER KIDS SEEM TO HAVE MORE DIFFICULTY SPECULATING/PARTICIPATING AT ALL IN THIS FORUM. PERHAPS THERE'S A BETTER END RESULT FOR QUESTIONING THAT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES BETTER?
Briyonna (low): I agree with Jaymon and I kinda disagree because in the story it said Byron was always trying to pick on Kenny with Buphead so I think that Buphead is the one who always be getting Byron to pick on Buphead. MIXED UP THE CHARACTER NAME AT THE END, SHE MEANT TO SAY KENNY INSTEAD OF BUPHEAD
Khalil (high) (laughs)
Me: What's so funny Khalil?
Khalil: She said Byron is trying to pick on Buphead. CLEARLY ENGAGED, FACT CHECKING. THE HIGHER KIDS SEEM TO FACT CHECKING A LOT. IS IT BECAUSE I'VE CALLED ON LOWER KIDS TO START EACH DISCUSSION, SO IN THAT WAY I'VE PREDETERMINED THE HIGH AND LOW KIDS' ROLES IN THE DISCUSSION? IS THERE A HIGHER PROPORTION OF LOWER KIDS INVOLVED BECAUSE I'M CALLING ON THEM TO START THE DISCUSSION AND THEN THEY'RE CALLING ON THEIR FRIENDS WHO TEND TO BE LOWER TOO? ON THE OTHER HAND, OLAJUWON'S NOT LOW AND HE STARTED THIS DISCUSSION...
Video 4
Antwanay (low): Is Byron going to teach Kenny how to be a juvenile delinquent? I think yes because Byron is supposed to be the role model but he is teaching Kenny to be bad like him so he can...WHAT DID SHE WANT TO SAY AT THE END? WHY DID SHE STOP? ALSO IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE TODAY DONTE RAISED HIS HAND AFTER READING THE NEXT PART OF CHAPTER 3 AND SAID THAT HE THOUGHT KENNY WAS LIKE A ROLE MODEL TO RUFUS UNTIL HE MADE FUN OF HIM...SO DONTE IS TRANSFERRING CONTENT AND KNOWLEDGE FROM SOCRATIC SEMINAR AND APPLYING IT INTO HIS UNDERSTANDING OF FUTURE READING. SYNTHESIS!
Khalil: I disagree with you because in the story it didn't say nothing about Byron teaching Kenny to be a delinquent. FACT CHECKING AGAIN
Terran (high): I agree with you Khalil and I disagree with you Antwanay because in the story you didn't see BYron hanging out with Kenny for a while. TRUE, GOOD TEXT EVIDENCE
Kayla: I disagree with you and Khalil, I agree with Antwanay. I agree with Antwanay because he was trying to be a bad influence for Kenny because he's the older brother he's supposed to be the right way to be a person but he's showing him the bad way. and I disagree with you because what did you say? you said something? but he was trying to be bad, and trying teach Kenny how to be bad. SHE IS CLEARLY TAKING THIS BOOK PERSONALLY, FORMING STRONG OPINIONS!! SHE CONNECTS TO THIS BOOK IN SOME INTERESTING WAYS THAT I'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT
Class laughs at her assertiveness while speaking THIS ASSERTIVENESS IS NEW. THEY DEFINITELY SEE IT FROM HER AT LUNCH AND OUTSIDE OF CLASS, BUT NEVER IN CLASS
Jaymon: I had put the same thing (same question) My answer was Kenny was always following Byron and Buphead like when he had to go to school, when he would walk him to the bus and Byron didn't get on the bus, sometimes Kenny would go by himself. (Stops because he's distracted by all the people disagreeing)
Me: It's ok to put your thumb down, why don't you call on someone who disagrees.
Alex: I disagree because everytime when skips school he says that he always catches the bus and everytime Kenny walks down the street he walks home with him so he won't get in trouble.
Olajuwon: I disagree with you (Alex) because the time when we was talking about how he had missed school it never said he had catched back up with Kenny, we had predicted that. DISTINGUISHED TEXT EVIDENCE FROM OUR INFERENCES
Rashad: I agree with you and disagree with Alex because I think when Byron skipped school if he goes home by himself his mama is going to get mad at him because...(inaudible)
My reflections:
-Why didn't high kids participate more? Why did Zeke look so bored? I asked him about it afterwards and he said it was because he wasn't sure if his answers were right, if there was enough evidence. It fits with the narrative about high kids who are so used to being right, they aren't as inclined to take risks or make themselves vulnerable in a forum like seminar. This is a valuable thing I'd like him to learn, but how to facilitate this? Logically, since he had the chance to write out answers to his questions ahead of time, he had some scaffolding. I still think part of it is just that he was unmotivated, but why? Nothing to gain from the discussion? Not connecting to the book? Not the right questions? But he had the opportunity to create his own when we generated them earlier in the week! ARGH! How do I get the higher kids more involved? I think there's a definite dynamic between high and low kids. When I asked the class to reflect on the seminar, Amaya (high) expressed frustration because she believed some people just disagreed to disagree, without giving good text evidence. The higher kids seem to be more into synthesizing their thoughts with text, while lower kids seem more willing to put their thoughts out there. Would higher kids get more out of seminar if we split seminar into 2 groups, one high and one low? i think some of the higher kids wanted to be more involved but they just weren't getting called on. i need to step in more and call on them if i feel like they're getting ignored.
-Why did lower kids thrive in this discussion? What do they gain from this? Identity formation as thinkers, smart kids. Voice. Better comprehension. Better articulation (with practice- Kayla and Jaymon both struggle to read and speak fluently, even in this discussion, but they are practicing more and improving)
-How did questioning improve the quality of this Socratic Seminar? It definitely did, we saw a lot more inferring, a better focused discussion that was able to go deeper. I should probably have students complete a quick survey after cycle 2's socratic seminar, asking them what role questioning had in improving the discussion. does generating and prioritizing questions help them think about the text? discuss it? i wonder which kids would say yes and which would say no? I wonder what they'd be able to articulate about the role of questioning in facilitating deeper thought and discussion?
-Where do we go from here? Cycle 2 should see us get even better at questioning, will that result in an even better Socratic Seminar?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Prioritizing questions
Today was the day we prioritized questions. We did it in small groups. The enthusiasm and "success" varied greatly from group to group.
Table 2 (Olajuwon, Kayla, Khalil, and Alex) were very successful. They began right away by eliminating questions. When I asked them what their criteria for eliminating questions was, they said they eliminated questions that didn't make sense or questions that they already knew the answers to. I thought that they were clearly beginning to develop an understanding of what makes a good question.
The questions they chose were: "How did Byron become a juvenile delinquent?" and "Why was Byron proud of Kenny?"
Table 6 (Adonis, Kim, Anjahna, Donte) seemed unmotivated and uninspired by the task. They chose a question that didn't make sense: "I wonder why Byron went to juvenile delinquents?" I think they were confused about the term, which tells me that for the next cycle, I need to do a better job of solidifying their knowledge of key terms within the Qfocus before having them generate questions.
Table 5, and Terran in particular, had some confusion differentiating closed and opened questions, which means his understanding of types of questions is still developing. That's ok because since this is just the first of many questioning cycles, there will be time to solidify understanding in this area. Deavion in table 5 said that he thought they should choose the question that was talked about most in the book.
I also experimented with the questioning protocol in guided reading with my highest guided reading group. One student in particular, Zeke, had been unenthusiastic with this book, which surprised me since it seemed like it would be so engaging for a young male reader. I did see the questioning engage him in the book differently. He was definitely more active and motivated in the discussion. The Qfocus I gave them was: survival. Here are the questions they came up with:
-Why isn't he trying to do nothing, if he's seen movies about how to survive?
-Why didn't he pack a lunch or a first aid kit?
-Why doesn't he have a phone?
-How did Brian survive 3 days without any food?
-Why did Brian think he was going to die?
After they finished generating questions, they were able to categorize all the questions as open without much of a hitch. Then they prioritized the questions, which was interesting.
Brandon wanted to prioritize the question "How did Brian survive 3 days without any food?" At first they focused on answering the question, and I had to redirect the conversation around the merits of a question. This might be something that's not intuitive for even the highest students? But once I redirected, they went with it. Alex thought this was a good question to prioritize because "you can agree or disagree a lot...it's a question we can all ask questions about and say yes or no." Zeke countered by suggesting that they prioritize the question: "Why didn't he have a phone?" He explained this by saying that it was a good question because "There could be many different reasons why he didn't". Alex countered by saying: "I think it's not (a good question) because a phone is not as serious as food." This thinking shows that Alex was thinking about which question related most relevantly to the qFocus of survival. In the end, Amaya summarized why they chose Brandon's question: "It's a good question because it adds up to how he's able to survive." They were motivated and excited to answer the question as independent reading finished, let's hope they bring lots of good ideas to discussion tomorrow (I'm calling them to the table again for guided reading). I'm also considering letting them research survival methods more if they're interested...
Table 2 (Olajuwon, Kayla, Khalil, and Alex) were very successful. They began right away by eliminating questions. When I asked them what their criteria for eliminating questions was, they said they eliminated questions that didn't make sense or questions that they already knew the answers to. I thought that they were clearly beginning to develop an understanding of what makes a good question.
The questions they chose were: "How did Byron become a juvenile delinquent?" and "Why was Byron proud of Kenny?"
Table 6 (Adonis, Kim, Anjahna, Donte) seemed unmotivated and uninspired by the task. They chose a question that didn't make sense: "I wonder why Byron went to juvenile delinquents?" I think they were confused about the term, which tells me that for the next cycle, I need to do a better job of solidifying their knowledge of key terms within the Qfocus before having them generate questions.
Table 5, and Terran in particular, had some confusion differentiating closed and opened questions, which means his understanding of types of questions is still developing. That's ok because since this is just the first of many questioning cycles, there will be time to solidify understanding in this area. Deavion in table 5 said that he thought they should choose the question that was talked about most in the book.
I also experimented with the questioning protocol in guided reading with my highest guided reading group. One student in particular, Zeke, had been unenthusiastic with this book, which surprised me since it seemed like it would be so engaging for a young male reader. I did see the questioning engage him in the book differently. He was definitely more active and motivated in the discussion. The Qfocus I gave them was: survival. Here are the questions they came up with:
-Why isn't he trying to do nothing, if he's seen movies about how to survive?
-Why didn't he pack a lunch or a first aid kit?
-Why doesn't he have a phone?
-How did Brian survive 3 days without any food?
-Why did Brian think he was going to die?
After they finished generating questions, they were able to categorize all the questions as open without much of a hitch. Then they prioritized the questions, which was interesting.
Brandon wanted to prioritize the question "How did Brian survive 3 days without any food?" At first they focused on answering the question, and I had to redirect the conversation around the merits of a question. This might be something that's not intuitive for even the highest students? But once I redirected, they went with it. Alex thought this was a good question to prioritize because "you can agree or disagree a lot...it's a question we can all ask questions about and say yes or no." Zeke countered by suggesting that they prioritize the question: "Why didn't he have a phone?" He explained this by saying that it was a good question because "There could be many different reasons why he didn't". Alex countered by saying: "I think it's not (a good question) because a phone is not as serious as food." This thinking shows that Alex was thinking about which question related most relevantly to the qFocus of survival. In the end, Amaya summarized why they chose Brandon's question: "It's a good question because it adds up to how he's able to survive." They were motivated and excited to answer the question as independent reading finished, let's hope they bring lots of good ideas to discussion tomorrow (I'm calling them to the table again for guided reading). I'm also considering letting them research survival methods more if they're interested...
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Thoughts while reading Tatum's "Teaching Black Adolescent Males"
"Monitoring reading data too easily can become a scorecard of achievement. This can lead teachers to select a text based on the requirements of standardized tests or limit instruction to test-preparation practice...Effective teachers of black males understand that they must go beyond reading instruction. They understand, as my own teachers did, that focusing only on skills and strategies does little to address the turmoil many black youths experience in America, and it may do little to improve their reading achievement...They understood that the texts placed before me had to address some of the psychological and emotional scarring that results from the day-to-day experiences of being black, male, and poor in America. My teachers wanted to help me develop an identity that would be useful outside the walls of my school." (pgs.24-25)
This excerpt makes me think not only about how students may get more out of reading instruction that is relevant to student lives, but that teachers are better teachers when they see a connection between the content of their instruction and their students' lives. I think this is why The Watsons go to Birmingham is my favorite whole class novel. I see that students connect to in a different way, that they identify with characters and situations in rich and meaningful ways.
But I do think that effective instruction of black male readers still needs to incorporate the skills and strategies that help students maximize their comprehension and thinking around the text. I think that this is where I got stymied with comic book club. Students were able to connect and be entertained by what they read, so their engagement and enthusiasm for reading improved. But without targeted instruction around processes that highly literate readers employ, I don't think that their engagement in the text was leveraged as much as it could have been to ingrain good reading practices. So I'm trying to find a middle ground here where boosting engagement can improve comprehension, and vice versa. I think these two areas definitely support each other, and I think a very organic area for enriching this connection is inquiry. Inquiry could be a very powerful lynchpin because it facilitates students to further explore what engaged and excited them in the text. Basically, well-facilitated and scaffolded inquiry should push students to naturally extend their love of texts into deeper thinking and new types of learning. Inquiry also helps students make deeper, more meaningful connections between the text and their own lives, in the spirit that Tatum was describing.
This excerpt makes me think not only about how students may get more out of reading instruction that is relevant to student lives, but that teachers are better teachers when they see a connection between the content of their instruction and their students' lives. I think this is why The Watsons go to Birmingham is my favorite whole class novel. I see that students connect to in a different way, that they identify with characters and situations in rich and meaningful ways.
But I do think that effective instruction of black male readers still needs to incorporate the skills and strategies that help students maximize their comprehension and thinking around the text. I think that this is where I got stymied with comic book club. Students were able to connect and be entertained by what they read, so their engagement and enthusiasm for reading improved. But without targeted instruction around processes that highly literate readers employ, I don't think that their engagement in the text was leveraged as much as it could have been to ingrain good reading practices. So I'm trying to find a middle ground here where boosting engagement can improve comprehension, and vice versa. I think these two areas definitely support each other, and I think a very organic area for enriching this connection is inquiry. Inquiry could be a very powerful lynchpin because it facilitates students to further explore what engaged and excited them in the text. Basically, well-facilitated and scaffolded inquiry should push students to naturally extend their love of texts into deeper thinking and new types of learning. Inquiry also helps students make deeper, more meaningful connections between the text and their own lives, in the spirit that Tatum was describing.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Generating questions
Introducing rules and having students generate questions went really well. Most kids were super engaged. Everyone had trouble with rule #2: do not judge, discuss, or answer questions. Here are the questions they came up with:
Table 1:
-Why do you have to be 13 to be a juvenile delinquents?
-Do the parents know that Byron is skipping school?
-Could Byron be trying to be a juvenile delinquent by skipping school?
Table 2:
-Why does Buphead pick on Kenny?
-Was Byron adopted?
-How did Byron become a juvenile delinquent?
-Why don't they talk about the little sister?
-How do you become a juvenile delinquent?
-Why was Byron proud of Kenny?
-How did Byron get his lips stuck to the mirror?
-Why wasn't Buphead proud of Kenny?
-Why does Byron skip school sometimes?
Table 3:
-Do all juvenile delinquents have be bad all the time?
-Why do Byron and Buphead always pick on kids?
-Why Byron being nice to Kenny but at first he wasn't?
-Why do Byron and Buphead skip school all the time?
-Why Kenny the best son?
-Why do Byron and Buphead hates Kenny?
Table 4:
-How did Byron become a juvenile delinquents?
-What the reason of juvenile delinquents?
-Is Byron going to teach Kenny how to be a juvenile delinquents?
-How do a juvenile delinquents work?
-Do Kenny want to be a juvenile delinquents?
-Did Buphead teach Byron how to be a juvenile delinquents?
-I wonder how did Buphead become J-delinquents?
Table 5:
-Is juvenile delinquence bad?
-I wonder why juveniles don't pay attention in class?
-I wonder if juveniles go to school?
-I wonder juveniles eat?
-I wonder do juveniles like their parents?
-I wonder why juveniles don't like to go to school?
Table 6:
-I wonder did Bumphead go to juvenile with Byron?
-I wonder why they call Kenny "Poindexter"?
-I wonder why Byron miss school?
-I wonder why Byron went to juvenile delinquents?
-I wonder why Byron was proud of Kenny?
-I wonder why Byron wants to be like Kenny?
Tomorrow we categorize each question as open or closed, and switch some closed questions to open, and vice versa. I'll have to teach them that if you use "I wonder..." the sentence structure is that of a statement rather than a question.
Table 1:
-Why do you have to be 13 to be a juvenile delinquents?
-Do the parents know that Byron is skipping school?
-Could Byron be trying to be a juvenile delinquent by skipping school?
Table 2:
-Why does Buphead pick on Kenny?
-Was Byron adopted?
-How did Byron become a juvenile delinquent?
-Why don't they talk about the little sister?
-How do you become a juvenile delinquent?
-Why was Byron proud of Kenny?
-How did Byron get his lips stuck to the mirror?
-Why wasn't Buphead proud of Kenny?
-Why does Byron skip school sometimes?
Table 3:
-Do all juvenile delinquents have be bad all the time?
-Why do Byron and Buphead always pick on kids?
-Why Byron being nice to Kenny but at first he wasn't?
-Why do Byron and Buphead skip school all the time?
-Why Kenny the best son?
-Why do Byron and Buphead hates Kenny?
Table 4:
-How did Byron become a juvenile delinquents?
-What the reason of juvenile delinquents?
-Is Byron going to teach Kenny how to be a juvenile delinquents?
-How do a juvenile delinquents work?
-Do Kenny want to be a juvenile delinquents?
-Did Buphead teach Byron how to be a juvenile delinquents?
-I wonder how did Buphead become J-delinquents?
Table 5:
-Is juvenile delinquence bad?
-I wonder why juveniles don't pay attention in class?
-I wonder if juveniles go to school?
-I wonder juveniles eat?
-I wonder do juveniles like their parents?
-I wonder why juveniles don't like to go to school?
Table 6:
-I wonder did Bumphead go to juvenile with Byron?
-I wonder why they call Kenny "Poindexter"?
-I wonder why Byron miss school?
-I wonder why Byron went to juvenile delinquents?
-I wonder why Byron was proud of Kenny?
-I wonder why Byron wants to be like Kenny?
Tomorrow we categorize each question as open or closed, and switch some closed questions to open, and vice versa. I'll have to teach them that if you use "I wonder..." the sentence structure is that of a statement rather than a question.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
How I Plan on Teaching Questioning
So I've been reading this book on questioning called Make Just One Change by Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana. The book is so engaging because it's teaching me what inquiry really is, and how to teach it. It begins with the interesting observation that since the days of Socrates, education has centered around teachers asking questions to students. The impetus behind teaching questioning is to flip this paradigm so that students are the ones asking the questions. This is a lot harder than it sounds because we want to ask questions out of sheer habit, and fostering conditions that are fertile for student generated questions is quite a delicate process. The process is called the Question Formulation Technique (QFT). The authors argue that it promotes divergent and convergent thinking, and metacognition.
Here are the steps of the process:
1. Choose Question Focus (QFocus)
Probably the most important part, basically the idea is to give a prompt, but NOT a question. Example: Torture can be justified
2. Students generate questions that fall beneath this QFocus following 4 rules:
-Ask as many questions as you can
-Do not stop to discuss, judge, or answer any question
-Write down every question exactly as stated
-Change any statement into a question
(it's recommended that teachers allow students time to process and discuss these rules and why they are important to follow, before asking them to engage in generating questions-I like the idea of using a template to facilitate discussion around potential difficulties)
3. Categorizing closed and open-ended questions.
Self-explanatory, but the extensions of this process are cool (see step 4)
4. Improving the questions
After students have finished learning the difference between closed and opened, and have categorized the questions, you ask them to change one open question to a closed one, and vice versa. This gets them to think about how the format of a question can change the information one gets in the answer (metacognition). It teaches them how and why to be more explicit in the formation of their questions.
To scaffold the process, I will give them stems: open-ended questions usually begin with why and how?, closed questions usually begin with is, do, and can?, and words like where, who, when, and what? can start open or closed questions.
This process should be empowering. You might also ask them to create a list of situations in which different types of questions might be appropriate to use.
5. Students prioritize questions
Have students prioritize their questions according to a criteria that you set (this helps you funnel their prioritization towards the types of questions that will best facilitate the end goal you have in mind for them). Example prompts:
-choose the 3 most important questions
-the 3 that most interest you
-the 3 that will help you
It's also suggested that you ask students for the rationale behind their prioritizations. This work is done in small groups with a share out at the end. I wonder, will my students be over-enthusiastic or underwhelmed by this process? I think it all depends on how I build the activity up (emphasize its importance), and the language I provide them to use to discuss/argue their points.
6. Next steps
The questions that students ultimately prioritize, and this entire process more generally, can be used for sundry purposes:
-mid-unit assessments
-do nows
-test prep
-projects
-Socratic Seminar
One teacher used this process to have students modify, create, and explore math problems. He reported that it enabled greater differentiation in the class when students were able to engage in this process at will. Lower learners tended to ask more closed questions because they needed to learn and reinforce rules, patterns, formulas etc., while higher learners asked broader, more open-ended questions that enabled them to explore beyond the bounds of the textbook.
Another teacher found that asking questions allowed students to "unlock" concepts because the process coerced them to approach the concept from different angles. She also reported a shift in how they view themselves as learners: "They now have an ability to think and problem solve on their own, abilities they did know they had in them." (pg. 115)
I haven't finished reading the rest of the chapter, or the last chapter on "Reflection" but I'm sure they'll be equally informative. I'm excited to begin the process. I plan on teaching this process in conjunction with our reading of The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963. I want to use it in several cycles, here are the 3 Qfocuses I'm planning on using to launch each cycle:
1. Juvenile delinquents
2. Good families and bad families
3. Violence during the Civil Rights Movement
I like the idea of keeping the focuses broad because I don't want to stifle students before they get started. Also, the first 2 Qfocuses are being used to generate questions for Socratic Seminar so it makes sense that they're broader. The 3rd one is my launching point into a self-directed inquiry project around the Civil Rights movement. I think this ties well with the ending of the book (the Church bombing).
Here is my plan for the first week of implementing this process:
Day 1: go over rules for producing questions (students discuss pros and issues with these rules in groups)
-students generate questions in small groups with one notetaker on chart paper)
Day 2: -students categorize their questions as open or closed
-students improve their questions by changing one from open to closed, and vice versa. They then brainstorm the impact of such changes on the information the questions are likely to receive
Day 3: -students prioritize 3 questions under the criteria of “which questions do you think are the most important for us to discuss?”
-students compile these questions into a list, pick 1 of their own that they’d like to answer, and 1 from a different group. Students write answers either in class, or for homework
Day 4: -Socratic seminar using questions, and the answers that students have considered to these questions
Here are the steps of the process:
1. Choose Question Focus (QFocus)
Probably the most important part, basically the idea is to give a prompt, but NOT a question. Example: Torture can be justified
2. Students generate questions that fall beneath this QFocus following 4 rules:
-Ask as many questions as you can
-Do not stop to discuss, judge, or answer any question
-Write down every question exactly as stated
-Change any statement into a question
(it's recommended that teachers allow students time to process and discuss these rules and why they are important to follow, before asking them to engage in generating questions-I like the idea of using a template to facilitate discussion around potential difficulties)
3. Categorizing closed and open-ended questions.
Self-explanatory, but the extensions of this process are cool (see step 4)
4. Improving the questions
After students have finished learning the difference between closed and opened, and have categorized the questions, you ask them to change one open question to a closed one, and vice versa. This gets them to think about how the format of a question can change the information one gets in the answer (metacognition). It teaches them how and why to be more explicit in the formation of their questions.
To scaffold the process, I will give them stems: open-ended questions usually begin with why and how?, closed questions usually begin with is, do, and can?, and words like where, who, when, and what? can start open or closed questions.
This process should be empowering. You might also ask them to create a list of situations in which different types of questions might be appropriate to use.
5. Students prioritize questions
Have students prioritize their questions according to a criteria that you set (this helps you funnel their prioritization towards the types of questions that will best facilitate the end goal you have in mind for them). Example prompts:
-choose the 3 most important questions
-the 3 that most interest you
-the 3 that will help you
It's also suggested that you ask students for the rationale behind their prioritizations. This work is done in small groups with a share out at the end. I wonder, will my students be over-enthusiastic or underwhelmed by this process? I think it all depends on how I build the activity up (emphasize its importance), and the language I provide them to use to discuss/argue their points.
6. Next steps
The questions that students ultimately prioritize, and this entire process more generally, can be used for sundry purposes:
-mid-unit assessments
-do nows
-test prep
-projects
-Socratic Seminar
One teacher used this process to have students modify, create, and explore math problems. He reported that it enabled greater differentiation in the class when students were able to engage in this process at will. Lower learners tended to ask more closed questions because they needed to learn and reinforce rules, patterns, formulas etc., while higher learners asked broader, more open-ended questions that enabled them to explore beyond the bounds of the textbook.
Another teacher found that asking questions allowed students to "unlock" concepts because the process coerced them to approach the concept from different angles. She also reported a shift in how they view themselves as learners: "They now have an ability to think and problem solve on their own, abilities they did know they had in them." (pg. 115)
I haven't finished reading the rest of the chapter, or the last chapter on "Reflection" but I'm sure they'll be equally informative. I'm excited to begin the process. I plan on teaching this process in conjunction with our reading of The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963. I want to use it in several cycles, here are the 3 Qfocuses I'm planning on using to launch each cycle:
1. Juvenile delinquents
2. Good families and bad families
3. Violence during the Civil Rights Movement
I like the idea of keeping the focuses broad because I don't want to stifle students before they get started. Also, the first 2 Qfocuses are being used to generate questions for Socratic Seminar so it makes sense that they're broader. The 3rd one is my launching point into a self-directed inquiry project around the Civil Rights movement. I think this ties well with the ending of the book (the Church bombing).
Here is my plan for the first week of implementing this process:
Day 1: go over rules for producing questions (students discuss pros and issues with these rules in groups)
-students generate questions in small groups with one notetaker on chart paper)
Day 2: -students categorize their questions as open or closed
-students improve their questions by changing one from open to closed, and vice versa. They then brainstorm the impact of such changes on the information the questions are likely to receive
Day 3: -students prioritize 3 questions under the criteria of “which questions do you think are the most important for us to discuss?”
-students compile these questions into a list, pick 1 of their own that they’d like to answer, and 1 from a different group. Students write answers either in class, or for homework
Day 4: -Socratic seminar using questions, and the answers that students have considered to these questions
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
First, additional observations about the reading interventions I tried:
Partner reading, while very successful in engaging students, went too far when some students cared more about who their partners were than the books that they were reading. Like all fads, when its popularity crested, its meaning faded. I have to retool it so that it's more selective and focused on individuals and their needs.
Alex and other students in class love sharing their "Do it Yourself" sections of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. I think that's another reason why writing pairs so well about reading- students get to express their creativity about what they read and involve each other.
Deavion bought a second Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. When I asked him why he liked them so much, he said: "You can write in it." Sunshine and Kayla also now have their Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, and Alex has a Dude Diary.
Guided reading observations with California group (Deavion, Donte, Jaymon, Kayla):
When we begin and I pass out Mr. Putter and Tabby Walk the Dog, Deavion expresses disappointment. He thinks this level J book is too easy and asks why we always read baby books.
They start reading to themselves and I tap Deavion to read to me. Indeed, he has progressed as a reader. His fluency is much better. He reads in 3-4 word chunks. He still makes basic decoding errors: took --> told, frosty--> frost, cherries --> caramel. His comprehension and inferential thinking has really improved. When I asked him why the dog Zeke started being good, Deavion said: "The man told him he be a good dog he get a prize, so the man is persuading him so he is a good dog. The only reason he is a good dog is he knows he's going to get a treat.
When I asked Jaymon what the theme of the story was, he said: "Always be a good person." When I asked why, he said: "Because when Zeke wasn't being nice Mr. Potter said he'd give him a treat every time he be a dream dog."
When I asked them to tell me some of the questions that the story made them think of, they had trouble coming up with questions and instead tended to give me thoughts like:
Deavion: "Some dogs think like people because some people let themselves be bribed, so dogs are smart." Me: "How did you know the word 'bribed'?" Deavion: "My cousin tried to bribe me once. The Americans tried to bribe the Cherokee because they were going to protect the Cherokee but they didn't."
Jaymon: "I think Zeke was very smart because he understands what a deal was."
Deavion: "I think the dog is smarter than the man." Me: "Why?" Deavion: "The dog made him do the stuff he wanted to do."
As frustrating as it was that they didn't ask questions, the quality of Deavion's thoughts was awesome. The inferences he was making, about such a seemingly simple plot no less, was great.
Equally interesting was how Deavion reacted to Donte's questions (which were of similar depth to the ones noted in previous entries). Examples:
"I wonder why was dog sticking his tongue out at the elephant?"
"Why does Mrs. Teaberry like bandannas so much because... (points out all the pictures where she's wearing bandannas)?"
After that second question, Deavion seemed frustrated with Donte. He said: "Could you tell me more about that?" Donte showed him the pictures again. Deavion: "You're not supposed to pay attention to the pictures." Jaymon: "Sometimes the pictures give you context clues." Kayla: "I disagree with Deavion because sometimes the pictures help you out with the words." Jaymon gives an example where the pictures helped him decode the word "wrapping".
My interpretation of Deavion's response: that Deavion wanted Donte to push deeper than his usual somewhat superficial musings about characters and the realism of scenes as depicted in pictures. It's interesting that Deavion is developing this intellectual rigor in his intellectual life and identity.
My interpretation of Donte's penchant for pictures: he constructs knowledge heavily through what he sees. He can be very spacey in class, staring off in the distance a lot. He responds to visuals greatly, for example he bought several posters at the bookfair today. Also, this propensity for the visual explains his connection with graphic novels.
Partner reading, while very successful in engaging students, went too far when some students cared more about who their partners were than the books that they were reading. Like all fads, when its popularity crested, its meaning faded. I have to retool it so that it's more selective and focused on individuals and their needs.
Alex and other students in class love sharing their "Do it Yourself" sections of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. I think that's another reason why writing pairs so well about reading- students get to express their creativity about what they read and involve each other.
Deavion bought a second Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. When I asked him why he liked them so much, he said: "You can write in it." Sunshine and Kayla also now have their Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, and Alex has a Dude Diary.
Guided reading observations with California group (Deavion, Donte, Jaymon, Kayla):
When we begin and I pass out Mr. Putter and Tabby Walk the Dog, Deavion expresses disappointment. He thinks this level J book is too easy and asks why we always read baby books.
They start reading to themselves and I tap Deavion to read to me. Indeed, he has progressed as a reader. His fluency is much better. He reads in 3-4 word chunks. He still makes basic decoding errors: took --> told, frosty--> frost, cherries --> caramel. His comprehension and inferential thinking has really improved. When I asked him why the dog Zeke started being good, Deavion said: "The man told him he be a good dog he get a prize, so the man is persuading him so he is a good dog. The only reason he is a good dog is he knows he's going to get a treat.
When I asked Jaymon what the theme of the story was, he said: "Always be a good person." When I asked why, he said: "Because when Zeke wasn't being nice Mr. Potter said he'd give him a treat every time he be a dream dog."
When I asked them to tell me some of the questions that the story made them think of, they had trouble coming up with questions and instead tended to give me thoughts like:
Deavion: "Some dogs think like people because some people let themselves be bribed, so dogs are smart." Me: "How did you know the word 'bribed'?" Deavion: "My cousin tried to bribe me once. The Americans tried to bribe the Cherokee because they were going to protect the Cherokee but they didn't."
Jaymon: "I think Zeke was very smart because he understands what a deal was."
Deavion: "I think the dog is smarter than the man." Me: "Why?" Deavion: "The dog made him do the stuff he wanted to do."
As frustrating as it was that they didn't ask questions, the quality of Deavion's thoughts was awesome. The inferences he was making, about such a seemingly simple plot no less, was great.
Equally interesting was how Deavion reacted to Donte's questions (which were of similar depth to the ones noted in previous entries). Examples:
"I wonder why was dog sticking his tongue out at the elephant?"
"Why does Mrs. Teaberry like bandannas so much because... (points out all the pictures where she's wearing bandannas)?"
After that second question, Deavion seemed frustrated with Donte. He said: "Could you tell me more about that?" Donte showed him the pictures again. Deavion: "You're not supposed to pay attention to the pictures." Jaymon: "Sometimes the pictures give you context clues." Kayla: "I disagree with Deavion because sometimes the pictures help you out with the words." Jaymon gives an example where the pictures helped him decode the word "wrapping".
My interpretation of Deavion's response: that Deavion wanted Donte to push deeper than his usual somewhat superficial musings about characters and the realism of scenes as depicted in pictures. It's interesting that Deavion is developing this intellectual rigor in his intellectual life and identity.
My interpretation of Donte's penchant for pictures: he constructs knowledge heavily through what he sees. He can be very spacey in class, staring off in the distance a lot. He responds to visuals greatly, for example he bought several posters at the bookfair today. Also, this propensity for the visual explains his connection with graphic novels.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Final thoughts about the graphic novel/partner reading/writing about reading cycle
As I move on from engaging students through graphic novels, partner reading, and writing about reading, to enriching students' comprehension, I wanted to take a moment and reflect on this first cycle. Here are some things that stuck out to me from notes that I jotted down on my clipboard during January:
1/10/12
Tyshaun raises his hand in the hallway: "When I was reading Jackie Chan a paper fell out and it had like 2 graphic novels that you could order from the website and I wanted to read them so bad." --> To me this shows that Tyshaun was very engaged by graphic novels, to the extent that he wanted to own them. I see ownership here.
1/13/12
During comic book club, Cortez got extremely excited when he started creating his main character: "Oh my gosh, this is so cool."
2/2/12
I noticed during comic book club that when students read Lunch Lady there was a lot more laughter than usual. Students got a kick out of improvising voices and intonation of characters. I think the pictures of graphic novels give students more cues and clues about the action, the characters. I think there laughing means they were understanding the joke, hence the comprehension was there.
2/3/12
Deavion had a strong day in reading today. While we were discussing the Trail of Tears as a whole group, he said that the Cherokee learned a lesson of how when promises are broken people suffer because the US promised to protect the Cherokees but they didn't. When I pushed him further on this, he said that the lesson he learned was "don't trust anyone unless you know you can trust them." Deavion struggles with his speech sometimes, he always passes when it's his turn to share during morning meeting, so for him to be so vocal about the text was very encouraging.
I was also encouraged that Donte actually asked about comic book club and was excited when I told him we'd be having it that day.
I also interviewed Youngan and Alex who were partner reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Alex told me it was his favorite book, and that Lunch Lady was his second favorite. I asked him why graphic novels were his favorite genre. He said: 1. they're funny 2. it's like non-fiction because it's stuff that could really happen (interesting parallel here, why do these books seem more realistic to kids?) 3. teaches you stuff (he was referring to the brain teasers, puzzles, etc. that are included in Jeff Kinney books) 4. "I just like comics"
I also noticed that Alex was into the create your own comic book section at the end of the book. He said it was fun because, "It gives you things to do. You can get things from this page and put it into your own story." (yay! reading and writing connection!)
As an addendum, the school book fair this week stocked this same Diary of Wimpy Kid book and 7 boys and 1 girl have already bought it. Jeff Kinney is laughing all the way to the bank!
Clearly graphic novels, partner reading, and writing about your reading has a salient impact on boys' engagement with reading. I'm ready for a new cycle of research that leverages this engagement into greater inquiry and comprehension of their reading.
1/10/12
Tyshaun raises his hand in the hallway: "When I was reading Jackie Chan a paper fell out and it had like 2 graphic novels that you could order from the website and I wanted to read them so bad." --> To me this shows that Tyshaun was very engaged by graphic novels, to the extent that he wanted to own them. I see ownership here.
1/13/12
During comic book club, Cortez got extremely excited when he started creating his main character: "Oh my gosh, this is so cool."
2/2/12
I noticed during comic book club that when students read Lunch Lady there was a lot more laughter than usual. Students got a kick out of improvising voices and intonation of characters. I think the pictures of graphic novels give students more cues and clues about the action, the characters. I think there laughing means they were understanding the joke, hence the comprehension was there.
2/3/12
Deavion had a strong day in reading today. While we were discussing the Trail of Tears as a whole group, he said that the Cherokee learned a lesson of how when promises are broken people suffer because the US promised to protect the Cherokees but they didn't. When I pushed him further on this, he said that the lesson he learned was "don't trust anyone unless you know you can trust them." Deavion struggles with his speech sometimes, he always passes when it's his turn to share during morning meeting, so for him to be so vocal about the text was very encouraging.
I was also encouraged that Donte actually asked about comic book club and was excited when I told him we'd be having it that day.
I also interviewed Youngan and Alex who were partner reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Alex told me it was his favorite book, and that Lunch Lady was his second favorite. I asked him why graphic novels were his favorite genre. He said: 1. they're funny 2. it's like non-fiction because it's stuff that could really happen (interesting parallel here, why do these books seem more realistic to kids?) 3. teaches you stuff (he was referring to the brain teasers, puzzles, etc. that are included in Jeff Kinney books) 4. "I just like comics"
I also noticed that Alex was into the create your own comic book section at the end of the book. He said it was fun because, "It gives you things to do. You can get things from this page and put it into your own story." (yay! reading and writing connection!)
As an addendum, the school book fair this week stocked this same Diary of Wimpy Kid book and 7 boys and 1 girl have already bought it. Jeff Kinney is laughing all the way to the bank!
Clearly graphic novels, partner reading, and writing about your reading has a salient impact on boys' engagement with reading. I'm ready for a new cycle of research that leverages this engagement into greater inquiry and comprehension of their reading.
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