Blog 17: Answer 3

1. What is your Essential Question?

How can an elementary school teacher most effectively produce fluent readers? 

2. What is your third answer? (In complete sentence format)

An elementary school teacher can most effectively produce fluent readers by expanding their vocabulary and tracking any to all progress made.

3. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.

• R1: By tracking students progress, the teacher could adapt further instruction according to the students needs to excel fluency proficiency. In Essentials for Effective Reading Instruction, the University of Texas Health Science Center found that this way of teaching left no student "inferring what they are supposed to learn" because they knew what was expected of them.
• R2: Expanding a students vocabulary allows them to better comprehend reading content. During mentorship, the students who knew the meaning of words on their weekly spelling words list better understand the accompanying story which used them.
• R3: Teachers that track a students reading progression is able to provide parents/guardians with ways they could help at home. My mentor does weekly fluency reading assessments on short stories and tracks students performance on individual folders. The student is then able to show their parents where they are at and what the goal for the following week is.

4. What source(s) best supports your answer and details?

Essentials for Effective Reading Instruction by Carolyn A. Denton (ART)

Great Habits Great Readers by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo (BK)

Teaching All Students to Read in Elementary School by Joseph Torgesen, Debra Houston, Lila Rissman and Marcia Kosanovich (ART)

5. Tie this together with a concluding thought.

In my research, I found there are various ways to track students' reading performances and no one set way to go about it. But by my using both traditional (paper) and modern (tech) documentation methods, of a students progress, the student, parent, and teacher benefit from it.

Blog 11: Holiday Project Update

Content:

1. It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school. What did you do over the break with your senior project?

During the break, I picked up a couple of books on my topic and worked on my independent component. For my independent component, I have the unit outline completed and am currently designing a classroom layout that encourages creativity. Visuals COMING SOON. In a previous blog post, I mentioned how my mentorship [where I work with third graders] at an elementary school, were ALSO on break. (Meaning that I'm kind of behind on mentorship hours.)    

2. What is the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why? What was the source of what you learned?

The most important thing I've learned is the significance of time management for educators. Teachers are expected to plan and properly execute lessons plans, and meet standards; their worst enemy being time itself. I've learned that by creating a welcoming learning environment and building routines, a teacher is able to "make more time." I believe this most important because time management is a skill that not all teachers have and it's one I want to have as a future educator. I attained this new found knowledge from the books I checked out from the library before and during the break.

3. If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers for your EQ, who would you talk to and why?

My EQ is "How can a teacher most effectively use the arts to produce fluent readers?" If I were going to do an interview on questions related to answers for this EQ, I would defiantly try to interview my new mentor. She has specifically worked with child development in reading and has been teaching elementary for some time now. She gave me an idea of what I wanted my senior topic to be during the summer and I believe that she'll be able to help me answer my essential question. 

Blog 10: EQ

Content

1. Essential Question 

Once a topic is chosen, the student will develop a working essential question.  The purpose of the working essential question is to help the student build a strong foundation of research which will allow her or him to create an essential question that encourages depth and rigor in the chosen topic.  An essential question must:

•    Provide a framework for studies (It calls for breadth and depth of research, Is not a yes/no question)

•    Take a stance (It allows you to argue some point, Cannot be a recitation of facts or a list)

•    Format (It is specific, The wording makes sense)

I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ.

2.  Review the following EQs: Tell us if each meets the rule of three. Tell why they do or don't.

 a.  What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?

Does NOT meet rule of three. The question doesn't allow "breadth and depth of research" because it isn't specific enough. 

 b.  What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?

Meets rule of three. The question is clear and concise, allowing for a wide range of possible answers.

 c.  What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?

Does NOT meet rule of three. The question isn't formatted for yes/no answers, but it creates list answers.

 d.  How can an anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?

Meets rule of three. The question takes a stance, allowing you to research properly and the format meets rule(s).

3.  Based on your review of the rule of 3 and your experience with assessing four EQs, please write another draft EQ for your senior project.  

What is the most effective way to produce fluent readers in elementary school with the basis of the arts? 

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

1) What is your working EQ?

What is the most effective way to produce fluent readers in elementary school with the basis of the arts? 

2) What is a possible answer to your working EQ? Please write the answer in thesis format.

What is the most effective way to produce fluent readers in elementary school with the basis of the arts? 

• Determine whether the student is a visual and/or an auditory learner by utilizing classroom resources and supplies.
• Assess each child individually to conclude their capabilities and potential, directing them to the appropriate reading star level.

 3) What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working Essential Question?

Visual Thinking Strategies by Philip Yenawine (BOOK)

The most important source I have used that has helped me come up with an answer to my working essential question is a book by Philip Yenawine. His book, Visual Thinking Strategies: Using Art to Deepen Learning Across School Disciplines, was published recently (last year!) by the Harvard Education Press in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The main reason why I deem this book to be the most important source is because it explained how it was able to teach VTS, Visual Thinking Strategies, to educators in the nation. I especially enjoyed the way the book was written! It was easy to follow and provided specific references to studies conducted for the development of VTS.   

4) Who is your mentor, or where are you doing your mentorship, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

As mentioned in my previous blog, my mentor is Mary Peterson, an educator at Lark Ellen Elementary School in Covina. I have not been able to go to mentorship much this month, due to conflicting schedules, but the times I've been able to go has been full on exposure with the children (both first and second graders). What I am doing relates to my working EQ because being able to observe and learn about social interaction amongst children allows me to better understand how they process information. Thus, allowing me to determine the ideal way to address their academic needs. 

Blog 5: Mentorship and Research Reflection

Based on what you have done for your senior project so far, answer the following questions (be specific and use examples). 

1) Mentorship question: Describe your experience in how you found your mentorship? If you haven't found one yet, describe your experience so far in the search of a mentor.

For my senior project, I knew that I wanted to do something in education and the psychology behind it. But, it was a challenge to find a mentor in that field of study due to the fact that most psychologists require people to be at least 18 years old to work or intern with them. In late November, I will be reaching the tender age of 17 which, unfortunately, limited me when trying to find a mentor. 

I like to think that I am the definition of a visual learner. Just today, I had a presentation for my social studies class where my group and I had to discuss two court cases that dealt with matters of equal opportunity. We were required to create a poster for both cases and had to draw out five visuals that represented our case. When researching information on the assigned cases, I would read the text and understand the factual information. But it wasn't until I drew out pictures to represent the cases, that I actually grasped the information. Everyone in the world is different, so I understand that education may differ upon factors such as geographical region, gender, religion, etc. But what if applying arts into the curriculum could give someone a competitive edge over someone without that influence?

After some great thought, I decided upon the idea of having my senior project explore teaching, with fundamentals found in art. At first, I wasn't sure of what grade levels or age group to focus on, but then I remembered that I generally found younger kids, six to seven year olds, more compelling because both my brothers were once in that stage of life. I had emailed a couple teachers from my local elementary school and was able to complete my summer mentorship with them. When I had to search for my current mentor, my fifth grade elementary school teacher came in mind, and so I sent her an email as well. I discovered that she was teaching a combo class this year, second and third grade, so I took it as a sign and graciously asked if I could mentor with her.               

2) Research question: What has been your most important article you have read so far and why?

From what I have read so far, I believe that my most important article would be by Sally Gifford from the NEA, National Endowment of the Arts. The article New NEA Research Report Shows Potential Benefits of Arts Education for At-Risk Youth was electronically published in March of 2012, so the information is current for my topic and the author provided specific references to data by the U.S. Department of Education. The article itself reports of a study where students have a "better academic" standing if they have had accessibility to art. The activities used to track the levels are art forms were music, theater, leadership, and more. The author wrote that students with these high exposures to art have a 47% higher rate in volunteering and were "more civically engaged" than low income students. I believe this article was important because it reveals that the arts could help low income students due to the studies results of better academic outcomes from those with significant art exposure. 

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Working EQ

1. List your topic here: Teaching Elementary with the Basis of the Arts

2. Write a question that helps to focus your research this month.

How does applying the arts to a child's education affect their psychological development?

3. Post the working bibliography (WB) on the right hand side of the blog and share it so anybody can view it.

My working bibliography (WB) is posted on the right, under my Mentorship Log, but it is also here.

Blog 1: 2-Hour Presentations

1. What presentations did you see?

In two long weeks, I attended 16 different presentations that were both insightful and tiresome. People of my age have an attention span of about 15 minutes, so the idea of observing up to three “2-hour” presentations per day was thought of as torture by my fellow peers. But, by trying to keep a solid poker face and performing the occasional head nod when necessary, allowed students to get through the horrors of senior presentations. After viewing the presentations, I can look back and say I’m glad that I was a part of the seniors’ final days at I-poly, for they gave me an idea of what I will do for my own senior project in the future.

Below is a list of all the presentations I attended.

            Karate – Lizzeth Acuna

            3^rd Grade Teaching – Regina Rizo

            Creating a Franchise – Gabriel Mendoza

            Criminology – Arianna Castellanos

            Teaching 1^st Grade – Xena Perez

            EMT (First Aid) – Jeremy Ethridge

            Beauty Salon – Brianna Osorio

            HLE Officer – Devanna Terry

            Piano – Alyssa Casey

            Theater Tech – Johnathan Shoemaker

            Counseling – Kimberly Gonzalez

            Marketing Management – Vanessa Pacheco

            Business (Corporate Leadership) – Juan Munoz

            Theater Acting – Gustavo Rios

            Party Planning – Leslie Nunez

            Product Marketing and Advertising – Miguel Samonte

2. What questions do you have that haven't been answered about the senior project? This can be about the senior project in general, any components or about a presentation topic you saw or what they said.

•      How much is our project grade factored into our core classes?
•     Is there any paperwork our mentor must fill out, other than mentorship hours?
•     How much time is spent crafting our essential questions and when do we need to have our               EQ set in stone?


3. What has the most important part of the senior project based on what you are seeing in the 2-hour presentations?

Based on what I saw in the 2-hour presentations, the most important part of the senior project was for the student to understand their essential question and be able to properly execute their answers from their research. There were several presentations where they quoted their slides and didn’t go into depth with their answers. They have been at I-Poly for almost four years and I understand that not everyone is great at presenting, but reading from slides alone won’t guarantee that your audience is on the same page as you.   

4. What topic are you considering doing and why?

A topic I am considering doing is teaching elementary and how applying art into the curriculum impacts child development, as well as the learning experience. There have been psychological studies that have revealed that having an artistic outlet while learning has created a positive effect on students. I enjoy working with children and teaching in general has been a career path I’ve always wanted to pursue, so in choosing elementary teaching, I wish to better understand the different educating methods allowing me to develop my own style of teaching.


5. What are you doing for your summer mentorship?

For my summer mentorship, I plan to shadow a current 3^rd grade teacher at a local elementary school. I will also help the teachers at the school with decorating classrooms, organization, and possibly learn how their lesson plans are created from state standards. I will be spending plenty of time at the school, so I wish to familiarize myself with the area and meet faculty members while learning about what their job requires of them.