a. What students learned and which students struggled with the lesson.
The three lessons that I turned in consisted of the first lesson being one where I introduced what making inferences. I did this in a fun and round-about way by pretending that we found someone’s bag and had to try to figure out whose bag it was by taking each item out of the bag and then using what we know about that item to make an inference about the owner of the bag. For example, there were Band-Aids in the bag and the students knew that people use Band-Aids when they get hurt, so they made the inference that the owner gets hurt a lot or is around people that get hurt a lot, such as students on the playground. The second lesson was one where I read the book, ‘The Paper Bag Princess,’ aloud to the students. They then discussed what the book was about and what they learned about the main character, Elizabeth, with a partner and then with the whole class. The third lesson consisted of rereading the book aloud to the students. While I read the book, they tried to make inferences about the main character, Elizabeth’s, personality. They then shared the inferences they made with a partner and then the whole class. I really feel that my students learned what making inferences is and how to make inferences particularly about a character’s personality through these lessons. They each participated in the first lesson and easily made inferences about the owner of the bag using what they knew about the items in the bag. All of the students, regardless of their level, struggled a little with the chart that I used to organize their information, which had three columns consisting of a column for what the item was, another column for what the students knew about the item, and a column for what the students can infer about the owner using what they know about the item, but understood it once they got used to it. However, we have now converted that chart into one that they use to make inferences in their own individual reading, so they are very comfortable with it now. All of the students also struggled a little with clearly explaining what making inferences is after being explained what it is in the second lesson, but now after so much practice, they can tell you that it is using clues in a book to figure something out that they author did not actually ever say in the book. They were just confused by how vague of a concept it is. Moreover, I was pleasantly surprised in the third lesson with all the different and related inferences my students made about the main character in the book. Without prompting, they told me she was smart, mean, ugly, brave, mischievous, tricky, clever, stubborn, and pretty. I was astonished about their use of vocabulary to make accurate inferences about the main character. When asked what part of the book made them think that, they were able to retell the part that connected to the inference. Just from this, I would say that my students had a strong grasp of what making inferences is and how to make inferences. They told me that they had heard the word prior to the lesson, but did not know what it was. Of course, since this was a whole class discussion on making inferences, I can only be certain that the students who participated actually know how to make strong inferences about characters using what they know about the character from what they do and say in the book. I think that my students who are quieter and lower level may have understood what making inferences is at this point and agreed with the inferences about the main character that were made by the other students, but may not have been able to make as strong of inferences about the main character on their own.
b. What are alternate reads of your students’ performance or products?
An alternate reason for why I may have gotten such good results in terms of what my students learned about what making inferences is and how to make inferences about characters from these three lessons could have been because they have had practice doing it in previous grades, but just did not remember doing so. It also could have been that I had had lower expectations of them since my CT told me that making inferences is the hardest comprehension strategy for the students to learn, so then when they were able to make the inferences that they made, I was more impressed than I should have been. One more alternate reason why I could have gotten such good results could have been because my students were relying on the stronger students in the class and their partners during the partner shares of the inferences they made to tell them what inferences they made about the main character and what parts of the book made them think that rather than coming up with their own ideas.
c. What did you learn about your students’ literacy practices that extend beyond your objectives?
I learned that my students do really well with partner shares, which surprised me. I thought that they would be off task and just chatting about random things. They almost always first talk with a partner before they share as a whole class. I walk around the room during these partner shares to make sure that the students are staying on task. I love it because I always hear so much great sharing of the inferences they made. I also hear the students taking turns by saying, “alright, now you go.” I think they do really well with this because they are so talkative to begin with that it helps them get out everything they have to say before they have to be quiet again. Do not get me wrong, as some pairs finish before others they start to get off task, but this is inevitable. I also learned that my students cannot for the life of them, sit on the floor with their partners during a read aloud. They cannot stop moving around, playing with things, and talking. I have officially moved them back to their seats for the read aloud and they have to just work with the person sitting next to them. This has worked much better for the lessons. I also found out that the transition from talking about their ideas to writing them down has presented a problem. I get such rich ideas from them in our discussions, but their written product is not reflecting this. This is something we need to work on. I have been using more formative assessments of listening to their answers than using the written work they have been producing.
d. When and how will you re-teach the material to students who need additional support?
I have a couple of different plans for re-teaching this material to my students who need additional support. We are continuing teaching making inferences in Making Meaning for the next month or so in addition to teaching the students to make inferences in Reader’s Workshop in their own individual reading. We model with new chapter and picture books at the beginning of each lesson to make sure that the students are able to see the steps they should be going through for making an inference. I plan on pulling a small group that consists of about seven lower and quieter students. I have noticed that they do not participate as much in the lessons and it may because they do not understand what making inferences is or they may not understand how to make accurate meaningful inferences. By pulling them aside, I will be able to determine what they problem is. I will also be able to model how to make inferences with them even more, but this time I will be able to make sure that they are actually paying attention to what I am saying. I can also have them practice making their own inferences about their books with me so that I can see their thought process to see where any misconceptions may lie.
e. If you were to teach this same lesson again, what would you do differently and how do you think the changes would improve students’ learning?
If I were to teach this same lesson again, I would have the students do short writing assignments about what making inferences is and about the inferences that they make about the books that I read aloud. By starting in the very beginning, they would have a lot of practice writing about it and may not have had as much trouble transitioning from discussing it orally to writing their ideas down on paper. As they learned how to discuss it, they would have learned how to also write about it. I would model how to write about an inference they made in a clear, concise, and comprehendible way to make sure that my students understood my expectations. I think that I would also try a book club model next time with the book, “The Paper Bag Princess.” I feel that it would have been very interesting for the students to sit in groups reading the story aloud to each other and then to have discussed what they could have inferred about the main character, Elizabeth, using what they read in the book. This may have been much harder to make sure that all of the students were on topic, but it would have been such a different experience for them being responsible for their own learning and responsible for running a successful group discussion. I wonder how their inferences about the main character may have differed. Would they have been stronger or weaker? My initial guess is strong, since two or more heads is better than one. However, I could be wrong. I would still love to try the book club model in the future! Maybe when I have more freedom to do what I want in the classroom!
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