Module 3 - Learning Summary

A Love for Reading Video:

I truly enjoyed this video.  I think it could become true inspiration for parents with young children.  Children have a desire to read when they watch their parents read, whether that’s a book, a newspaper, a magazine, or any other type of print.  I have memories as a very young child of my parents and older sister reading to me.  The quote that really rang true to me was “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”  

SMART Table Video:

I have never seen a SMART Table in use, as my school system uses Activboards.  The video had many great examples of students using SMART Tables to learn collaboratively.  I like that more than one student can use the table at the same time.  For younger children especially, I can see students using the Table to build words and examine stories together.  

Exploring Social Studies and Technology:

Technology engages all learners, and it can easily be differentiated to meet all students’ needs.  I like the SMART Table examples given.  I think manipulating a map on the Table would be a great way to explore paths that explorers may have taken.  Students could use pictures and the document camera to show the types of foods and belongings they people they are learning about used or carried.  

Integrating Science and Literacy in Early Childhood:

I think it’s so important for students to not learn science topics straight from their textbooks.  When reading from our textbooks, I feel that there is frequently a lack of understanding and a lack of excitement.  Science can be integrated into reading just as easily as reading can be integrated into science.  I find it virtually impossible to teach science or social studies without teaching reading at some point.  Even when students are completing hands-on activities or labs, they still need to be able to read their procedures. 

Development of Literacy Strategies:

Information literacy, also known as IL, is understanding when and why information is needed.  IL also has a strong focus on knowing where to find the information, how to evaluate or learn it, and how to communicate it.  IL, to me, is extremely important to every age, including people no longer in school.  I found the information problem in the presentation to be very interesting.  I would agree that as convenient and easily accessible as search engines make finding information, people accessing that information cannot be certain about its accuracy and validity.  

Expository Text Structures and Signal Words:

I really like this reference.  This would be useful to students when reading from textbooks.  I like that there is an example of a graphic organizer that matches the text structure.  I also really like the cue words provided.  This is helpful when examining a nonfiction text, but I also think it is a fantastic reference for students as they write informational pieces.  The cue words show common transition words that they students may want to consider using in their writing. 

Article Expository Text Structures – Moss:

I like that Moss focuses on using trade books to teach text structure.  I can see where it would be difficult for students to understand the content in textbooks while also discovering and examining the structures of that text.  Using a trade book that is more familiar to what the students are used to reading to notice text structure and discuss how it can be used would be more beneficial to the students’ learning.