Fall Learning Day

1. Fall Learning Day September 2013 Language Arts- AM Math- PM

2. Agenda • Word Work Focus • Table Talks • Figuring out Figure 19 (part 1) • Background • Vertical Progression • Focus on Inference • Work Time

3. Schedule Break around 10:00 Lunch 11:30 Math TEKS begins promptly at 12:30 **INTRODUCTIONS**

4. Word Work Consider the following from the perspective of Alamo Heights or in your own classroom: • Why is spelling, as a subject, so hard to teach and difficult to learn?

5. Words Their Way Overview of Program Assessment Class instruction Table leaders (3- 4- 5) Borrow Woodridge books

6. Time Out- Take 5

7. Figuring Out Figure 19

8. FACULTY FEUD

9. Rationale for Figure 19 42 2 41 12 3

10. Name the Skills Included in Figure 19 42 2 2 41 12 3

11. Vertical Alignment of Skills Look at Figure 19 vertical alignment document What do you notice? What surprises you? How do genres relate to Figure 19?

12. Blue: Fiction Yellow: Poetry Green: Expository Orange: Persuasive • If you consider all the text you will put in front of your students over the next month, what would be the weak link?

13. Deep Dive with Inference

14. Define Inference • As a table, come up with one definition for inference. • Inferences are evidence-based guesses. They are the conclusions a reader draws about the unsaid based on what is actually said. • Inferences are cognitive processes that enable and enhance comprehension. • S. I. Hayakawa, Language in Thought and Action (2nd ed.) p. 41

15. Types of Inference SkillsFrom When Kids Can’t Read, What Teachers Can Do by Kylene Beers 1. Recognize pronoun antecedents 2. Use context clues to figure out the meanings of unknown words 3. Understand the grammatical role of unknown words 4. Recognize character tone 5. Identify the beliefs, personalities, and motivations of characters 6. Understand character relationships 7. Provide setting details 8. Provide explanations for events and ideas in the text 9. Understand the author’s point of view 10. Recognize the author’s bias 11. Construct conclusions based from the facts in the text

16. Examples of Inference

17. Teaching Inference Skills Challenge is to think like a child. Where might inference skills break down? Where should you start with inference skills? What progression of skills makes sense?

18. Instructional Considerations • Begin with “enabling” inferences • If a pollen grain from a flower lands on the pistil of the same kind of flower, it grows a long tube through the pistil into an ovule. This is the beginning of a seed. • Lefty said, How about sharing that pop, Bud?” Uh-oh. He took one look and handed it back. • She used her binder, a notebook with three rings to hold paper, to keep all her homework papers organized. • Juan gave her his umbrella because she was walking home.

19. Instructional Considerations • Move into “enhancing” inferences with a lot of modeling. • When her teacher praised her, Karen lowered her eyes and blushed. When her friends congratulated her, her face got even redder in the face. • Type of inference skills 4-11

20. Summary Understand the needs of the reader Develop a sequence for teaching inference. It may be challenging to try to learn all types at once. Provide clear initial instruction with a lot of modeling. Increase the complexity of the text and provide examples across genres. Consider structure of guided practice. Most enabling inferences are done online while reading, but many enhancing inferences are done offline after reading.

21. Using Images to Teach Inference

25. Teaching Inferencing

26. Inferencing with Images Think of an upcoming unit. Consider what kind of images you could use…

27. Westward Expansion

29. What do you notice?

30. What do you notice?

31. What do you notice?

32. What do you notice?

33. Putting it back together 4. Recognize character tone 5. Identify the beliefs, personalities, and motivations of characters 6. Understand character relationships 7. Provide setting details 8. Provide explanations for events and ideas in the text 9. Understand the author’s point of view 10. Recognize the author’s bias 11. Construct conclusions based from the facts in the text Title?

35. Other Graphic Sources What do the colors on the map represent? • Blue-increasing income • Grey- stable • Red-shrinking

36. Inference Character Relationships, Emotions and Changes

37. Other ideas for teaching inference Character Facebook Page Lost camera – Found Memory Stick Riddles Fossils or footprints Cartoons without captions Graphic Organizers Mysteries

38. Work Time Plan around word work Plan around inference Plan around integrated LA/SS Create assessments for LA

39. Lunch Back at 12:25