I have been looking forward to this particular session on vocabulary, and pleasingly I got a lot from it.
It was interesting hearing Dorothy speak about her preferred apps for vocabulary, those being Wordwall, vocabulary.com, and Quizlet. The only one of these that I am familiar with as of recently, is Wordwall. I find this really effective as a follow-up activity when planning The Code. I did learn that I need to explore Google more, as I have no idea about Smartchips.
I did get a lot from the session about tier 2 and 3 words and appreciated the resources to use and adapt. It is always very useful to try these activities ourselves, and appreciate the time to do so.
Sharon's morphology session was also excellent. I will be taking the time to look through the shared resources before our next session, but I did think the Matrix Maker, with the Latin root words all there looked very appropriate for my students who are graduating from Years 7 and 8 of The Code. I am on the lookout for resourcing this group, and I believe that will come in handy.
'Morphemes have meanings, phonemes do not.'
When asked to reflect on what we want to plan for and achieve in the coming weeks, this took a bit of thought and prioritising as there is so much I want to, and will, implement. Baby steps! So the word wall, and accompanying game (yet to be dreamt up) is my immediate priority. As well, of course, fitting everything into a very hectic timetable!
Kia ora Sharon
ReplyDeleteI was so pleased to read that you got a lot from today’s RPI focus on Vocabulary (& decoding), particularly the sessions on tiered words, robust approaches and morphology. I agree, the Matrix Maker is a versatile activity, that can also be gamified, and connects well with The Code work you are already doing.
Do take some photos of your future word wall and let us know how learners engaged with it! As we covered today, the key is purposefulness and student interaction with the space, so its functionality extends beyond making words visible. Of course a ‘word wall’ elevates word consciousness as a display in its own right, but there are sustainability affordances that can be realised through student contributions and interaction with the wall. I’m really looking forward to hearing about your design and experimenting with these features.
It was fabulous to hear you sharing your success with the Read Like Writers, Write Like Readers task. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the student writing samples you shared, particularly the park, and the graveyard settings. All three writers have used the question device at the end of the paragraph really effectively to elevate suspense and a sense of foreboding. Like you said in the break out, do have a look at what others have done for further opportunities, and share back with us!
It’s good to hear you will have some of your regular timetable back next week so you can implement the homework opportunities you have identified.
We look forward to reconnecting again in Week 1 of Term 4 and to catching up on your further successes!
Nga mihi nui
Naomi R.
Literacy Facilitator - Manaiakalani Reading Practice Intensive