tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27616265107426796582024-02-07T19:16:02.846-06:00Literacy Log - Resources and Strategies for All Kinds of TeachersLiteracy news and strategies for all kinds of teachers.
literacylog@gmail.comBrian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-88229453721070360222010-06-24T11:39:00.003-05:002010-06-24T11:47:04.354-05:00Readings: Keeping It In Perspective<blockquote style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span style="font-size:130%;">I ... followed a golden rule that whenever a published fact, a new observation or thought came across me, which was opposed to my general results, to make a memorandum of it without fail and at once; for I had found by experience that such facts and thoughts were far more apt to escape from memory than favorable ones. Owing to this habit, very few objections were raised against my views that I had not at least noticed and attempted to answer.</span></blockquote><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Charles Darwin, 1958, quoted in Wiggins and McTighe's "Understanding By Design," 2005 p. 96.<br /><br /><br /></span></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-85563947781454803582010-06-15T09:33:00.009-05:002010-06-24T11:48:29.540-05:00Readings: The Vocabulary Window<span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><blockquote style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >University of Chicago psychologist <a href="http://psychology.uchicago.edu/people/faculty/jhuttenlocher.shtml">Janellen Huttenlocher</a> has found that the frequency with which normal parents speak to and around their child during the child's second year significantly affects the size of the child's vocabulary for the rest of his or her life. The more words a child hears during this sensitive period, whether it's "cat" or "existentialism," the stronger the basic language connections.</span></blockquote><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">From "A User's Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain. John J. Ratey, M.D. 2001. </span><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-75631510897393600142010-06-11T07:31:00.009-05:002010-06-11T09:10:05.848-05:00The Importance of a Book-Filled HomeDuring my elementary school years, my bedroom was abutted by two walk-in closets. One of these was filled with clothes and other closet-type things. The other was chock-full of books. Our living room downstairs had bookshelves with perhaps a thousand books, but there was enough overflow that the book closet upstairs was piled high with reading material. I spent countless hours in that room, exploring these compelling, sometimes strange and often inscrutable texts.<br /><br />It seems that I was predisposed to reading from day one, but there is plenty of evidence to <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8ppb1DBG0nVwWkXHyR35Ux5GPrERAby49sACV9i4zRFoViK4rMc2UfnJTTi4OwN6_BTvk-bY5SIletxnM9TAGOvpcnZ3A1m1SqHumdnMviNfqdLPtH15yysmCkNa7MGEK8WR4W6LGuk/s1600/Bookshelf.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8ppb1DBG0nVwWkXHyR35Ux5GPrERAby49sACV9i4zRFoViK4rMc2UfnJTTi4OwN6_BTvk-bY5SIletxnM9TAGOvpcnZ3A1m1SqHumdnMviNfqdLPtH15yysmCkNa7MGEK8WR4W6LGuk/s320/Bookshelf.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481517260182012690" border="0" /></a>suggest that being surrounded as I was by books had a lot to do with my future literacy and might even account for the years I've spent in graduate school.<br /><br />Salon's Laura Miller writes a <a href="http://www.salon.com/books/laura_miller/2010/06/02/summer_book_giveaway">compelling survey</a> of recent evidence of the effects of a book-filled home on future literacy development. The impetus for the article was the release of a <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B82Y4-4YC2XKM-1&_user=1450828&_coverDate=02%2F10%2F2010&_alid=1342741897&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_cdi=33048&_sort=r&_docanchor=&view=c&_ct=2&_acct=C000052773&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=1450828&md5=2bd324eff4fab9d9bd36a84cbc836883Let">study</a> by the journal <span style="font-style: italic;">Research in Social Stratification and Mobility</span> with the following abstract:<br /><br /><blockquote>Children growing up in homes with many books get 3 years more schooling than children from bookless homes, independent of their parents’ education, occupation, and class. This is as great an advantage as having university educated rather than unschooled parents, and twice the advantage of having a professional rather than an unskilled father. It holds equally in rich nations and in poor; in the past and in the present; under Communism, capitalism, and Apartheid; and most strongly in China. Data are from representative national samples in 27 nations, with over 70,000 cases, analyzed using multi-level linear and probit models with multiple imputation of missing data. </blockquote><br /><br />If you didn't find something like that compelling, you wouldn't have read this far. And you'll be happy to know that this study is only the latest in a long line of research into the importance of the print climate in a child's home. In "The Read-Aloud Handbook," <a href="http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/">Jim Trelease</a> devotes an entire chapter to "The Print Climate in the Home, School, and Library." He cites a handful of studies going back to 1983 that connect the number of books in a child's home to that child's motivation to read and future success in school:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Lesley Mandel Morrow, "Home and School Correlates of Early Interest in Literature," <span style="font-style: italic;">Journal of Educational Research</span>, vol. 76, March/April 1983, pp. 221-30.<br /><br />Susan B. Neuman and Donna Celano, "Access to Print in Low-Income and Middle-Income Communities: An Ecological Study of Four Neighborhoods," <span style="font-style: italic;">Reading Research Quarterly</span>, vol. 36, no. 1, January/February/March 2001, pp. 8-26.<br /><br />Susan B. Neuman, Donna Celano, Albert N. Greco, and Pamela Shue, <span style="font-style: italic;">Access for All: Closing the Book Gap for Children in Early Education</span> (Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 2001).<br /><br />Nell K. Duke, "For the Rich It's Richer: Print Experiences and Environments Offers to Children in Very Low- and Very High-Socioeconomic Status First-Grade," <span style="font-style: italic;">American Educational Research Journal</span>, vol. 37, no. 2, Summer 2000, pp. 441-78. </span></blockquote><br /><br />That's all for today. But as I've written before, the more I learn about how reading works, the luckier I feel.Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-22683921688564127352010-06-09T15:10:00.002-05:002010-06-09T15:23:41.590-05:00Chapter Title and Quotes of the WeekIn my endeavor to design a course of study for my test-takers, I cracked open my heretofore pristine copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Design-Expanded-Grant-Wiggins/dp/0131950843/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276114958&sr=8-1">"Understanding By Design" by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe</a>. It is a compelling -- if a bit intimidating -- text designed to inform the way teachers design curricula and other learning activities.<br /><br />Chapter 2 is titled, rather awesomely, "Understanding Understanding." And if that isn't enough to draw you in, the authors feature these two quotations as hooks:<br /><br /><blockquote>"The most characteristic thing about mental life, over and beyond the fact that one apprehends the events of the world around one, is that one constantly goes beyond the information given." Jerome Bruner, <span style="font-style: italic;">Beyond the Information Given</span>, 1957, p. 218<br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">Education</span>: That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding." Ambrose Bierce, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Devil's Dictionary</span>, 1881-1906</blockquote><br />The first quote will be useful in my current project, as inferential reasoning is one of skills this test purports to assess. Perhaps I will have them use the <a href="http://literacylog.blogspot.com/2010/06/teaching-students-how-to-use-context.html">context clues</a> (another name for inferential reasoning) to figure out the meaning of <span style="font-style: italic;">apprehend</span>.<br /><br />The second quote, like all of the definitions in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_dictionary">The Devil's Dictionary</a>, delights me to no end.Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-83110537755377539262010-06-08T14:08:00.004-05:002010-06-09T21:34:04.125-05:00Teaching Students How To Use Context Clues<span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >[Note: I am being vexed by formatting issues in Blogger. Please forgive the sudden font size changes.]</span><br /><br />I have switched from teaching 1st graders basic reading skills to working with high school seniors who are trying to pass a reading exam which is required for graduation. Like most such tests, vocabulary questions play a leading role. We all know that one must use context clues to ascertain the meaning of an unfamiliar word, but how often do we think through exactly how that is done? </span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">I recently ran across a line in my copy of Wiggins and McTighe's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Design-Expanded-Grant-Wiggins/dp/0131950843/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276114958&sr=8-1">"Understanding by Design"</a> that resonated with me in regard to how we teach a skill that we perform intuitively, like using context clues. In a different context, the authors write that when we achieve understanding, "something that once required a chain of reasoning to grasp hold of no longer does: We just 'see it.'" </span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Well, if I am to help my students start "seeing" context, I must first understand the chain of reasoning that lies behind that skill and devise a way to show my students how to apply it. I decided to try and find out if anyone had done this before.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><br />My first impulse was to go to <a href="http://www.curriki.org/">Curriki.org</a>, which I <a href="http://literacylog.blogspot.com/2009/06/exploring-curriki.html">featured</a> in these pages a year ago. The first resource I found is <a href="http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Coll_rmlucas/ContextClueWorksheet">this worksheet</a> contributed by Robert Lucas and designed to make explicit the thought process students should use when confronted with a new word. It isn't exactly what I was looking for, but it might be a useful way to give learners plenty of "at bats" with using context. Here is the simple process Lucas has his students use:<br /><br /></span><blockquote style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MYSTERY WORD #1:</span><br />Sentence in the story:<br />My guess for what this word means:<br />Why I think my guess makes sense:<br />What the dictionary says:<br />Was the guess right or wrong?:<br />Explain:</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></span></blockquote><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Quite simple, to be sure, but it would help impress upon the students that the sentences containing the "mystery word" often will hold the key to deciphering its meaning. Also, it compels them to explain their rationale for their guess and provides an opportunity for metacognition at the end. All in all, I think it would be a decent way to introduce this strategy.</span><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"> <span style="font-size:100%;">Unfortunately, that was the only context clue-specific resource yielded by Curriki. I have read about the use of "signal words," which are words that reveal the relationship between different parts of a sentence. Come to think of it, these are basically prepositions or prepositional phrases.</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;">For example, signal words for </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >comparison</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> include </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >also, both, than, too, resembling, akin to, etc. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;">There are also signal words for </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >contrast, definition, and examples.</span></span></span></p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update 6/9/10:</span> I posted a request for context clue teaching ideas to my Twitter list and <a href="http://twitter.com/BOTTURArodrigo">BOTTURArodrigo</a>, an ESL and Reading teacher in Sao Paolo, Brazil, kindly responded. His term "glue words" is a clever rebranding of the "signal words" concept. He says, "I like to use 'the glue is the clue.' [Students] infer the meaning my using words like 'and' or 'but.'"</span></span></span><strong><br /></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left; font-weight: bold;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-size:14pt;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">BONUS QUESTION:</span> What grammatical role does "for example" play in a sentence? Is it a prepositional phrase? Since I am saddled with a degree in the humanities, I have absolutely no idea. English geeks, can you help?<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update 6/9/10:</span> See the comments below for an answer to the bonus question.<br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>25</o:Words> <o:characters>144</o:Characters> <o:lines>1</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>176</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page</style><br /></span>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-60043672773027454782010-02-16T09:52:00.001-06:002010-02-16T09:54:18.810-06:00Replay: 826 Valencia<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">[Originally Posted on April 7, 2009</span>]<br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"What we really need is just more people, more bodies, more one-on-one attention, more hours, more expertise from people that have skills in English and can work with these students one-on-one."</span></blockquote><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span>This is what <a href="http://www.ted.com/index.php/speakers/dave_eggers.html">Dave Eggers</a> kept hearing from his friends who were teachers. They could see that their efforts during the school day were not sufficient- they felt like they were fighting a losing battle.<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><br />But Eggers, whose novel <span style="font-style: italic;">A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius</span> was a finalist for the Pulitzer prize, realized his life was full of the kinds of people ("writers, editors, journalists, graduate students, assistant professors") who could help improve the literacy skills of students outside of school hours.<br /><br />In the TED Talk featured below, Eggers tells the story of <span style="font-weight: bold;">826 Valencia</span>, the tutoring center that arose from this insight. Eggers is not an educator, but he seems to have understood intuitively what educators know about the importance of building community, connecting with families, providing one-on-one attention, creating real products, and bringing together learners with various levels of expertise.<br /><br />Check out Dave's talk, and let us know what you think!<br /><br />Further Reading<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/dave_eggers_makes_his_ted_prize_wish_once_upon_a_school.html">Dave Eggers Makes His TED Prize Wish</a> (Great comments and links about this talk.)</li><li><a href="http://www.826valencia.org/">826 Valencia Hompage</a></li><li><a href="http://onceuponaschool.org/">Once Upon A School </a>- The site that sprung from this TED wish.<br /></li></ul><object height="326" width="446"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/embed/DaveEggers_2008-embed_high.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/DaveEggers-2008.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=233"><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#ffffff" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/embed/DaveEggers_2008-embed_high.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/DaveEggers-2008.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=233" height="326" width="446"></embed></object>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-22085364210346776532010-01-28T12:47:00.005-06:002010-02-16T09:52:07.480-06:00Learning To Walk: Update<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I'm blogging in fits and starts lately, but it's for a good cause. My Internet was down on Monday and Tuesday, and I've been observing some grade school reading and writing classes. I'm sure next week will bring another outpouring of what I've learned. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am also still in the process of reading and rereading <i>The Read Aloud Handbook</i> by Jim Trelease and <i>Proust and the Squid</i> by Maryanne Wolf. </div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYZLdKrP1Iqld7dfxbyAH2WtPGuNTOuZY9lRy0-BjZj3MZs8yn8_FhBgOnDu4SaeVMJRQO6RdZqgvyZomtRphytx1MjmVky2PgCD8QEoX5qv-XZbFr82l_pofqDU-0nZ62IBAzG3rwQ8/s320/MyDeskJan2010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431868518363196018" border="0" /></div><div>Back in September, I posted a <a href="http://literacylog.blogspot.com/2009/09/johnson-and-louis-learning-to-walk.html">powerful passage</a> from Johnson and Louis's <i>Literacy Through Literature</i> that likened learning to read to learning to walk. In <i>Proust and the Squid</i>, author Maryanne Wolf includes a quote from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penelope_Fitzgerald">Penelope Fitzgerald </a>that reminded me of the Johnson and Louis passage:</div><div> <blockquote>Twice in your life you know you are approved of by everyone -- When you learn to walk and when you learn to read.</blockquote>I am positively obsessed with giving my students the key to that kind of approval. Soon, I will tell you a bit about a sixth grader I'm working with who reads at a second grade level. This student is so sweet and earnest, and has devised ingenious strategies to make up for a lack of reading skill. I am determined to figure out how to help. Stay tuned and I'll tell you how I did it. </div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-61510776838723879892010-01-21T11:47:00.004-06:002010-01-21T11:52:13.592-06:00Why I Love This Job<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Yesterday was one of my most frustrating days at our after-school literacy program. Everyone was just a bit more squirrelly than normal, and I might have been a bit too tired. But this note from a 3rd grade student who left the program put me on cloud nine.<div><br /> <div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKhjnnNrZ8VNzlw9MGkWECiNJghGHE6VyNqGtGAkBzMXIibF55IA7BgDroJ7SgPdTPuTRPr249nynxWKPCbXqIIyr1vKdQg7ipVIr2YaHqsQ76jcZvzGD4P4yw7RVT7G3GZ5i2hdJ_Wk/s400/ThankYouNote.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429251928814028562" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I would love to think I actually taught this child how to learn, but I have to remain humble. In all honesty, his parents probably forced him to write it. But I have it hanging up on my wall nonetheless. </div></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-58979709150484145362010-01-21T11:28:00.000-06:002010-01-21T11:28:43.803-06:00Clippings: 1.21.10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4rIxesSO-H9ZnJdH6ArEvFMasuGMImHdMtxtFz-x7DGVG2y7aaDWFSXwjT0ia9RbJDKw7n1BAaCMzRX5wtbbucWVV7C5Ug8ujciLmZM-vk0tXyZYTpFL8FCoQ2uQyab1rgyTP2l0zgM/s1600-h/BrainPic.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4rIxesSO-H9ZnJdH6ArEvFMasuGMImHdMtxtFz-x7DGVG2y7aaDWFSXwjT0ia9RbJDKw7n1BAaCMzRX5wtbbucWVV7C5Ug8ujciLmZM-vk0tXyZYTpFL8FCoQ2uQyab1rgyTP2l0zgM/s320/BrainPic.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429245170917741858" /></a><br /><a href="http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/science-technology/Brain-Study-Sheds-Light-on-Language-Use-81708192.html">New research</a> is shedding light on Broca's area, a center of reading activity in the brain.<br /><br />Braille <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/magazine/03Braille-t.html?sq=listening%20to%20braille&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=all">is being replaced</a> by technology that many consider far superior.<br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.growupwithbooks.com/">Grow Up With Books</a> offers Netflix-style children's book rentals. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/7026278/Text-messages-help-improve-childrens-reading-ability.html">Researchers in the UK argue</a> that "textisms" such as LOL might bolster phonemic awareness, and thus general reading ability. </div><div><br /></div><div>Numerous studies are decrying the <a href="http://education.change.org/blog/view/why_kids_learn_less_when_schools_get_rid_of_recess">death of recess</a> in American primary schools. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://babelhut.com/about/">Babelhut</a> discusses the literacy benefits of <a href="http://babelhut.com/study-methods/language-learning-tip-3-learn-to-cook/">learning to cook.</a> </div><div><br /></div><div>And Free.edu lists their <a href="http://www.associatesdegree.org/free-edu/100-best-education-blogs-of-2009/">100 Best Education Blogs of 2009.</a> </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">(Illustration by Flickr user </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/labguest/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Labguest</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">. Thanks!)</span></div><div><br /></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-70326232212236368522010-01-20T12:05:00.006-06:002010-01-20T12:51:15.465-06:00Media Use By Young Americans Rises Sharply<div>The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) <a href="http://www.kff.org/entmedia/mh012010pkg.cfm">just published</a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Generation M</span></span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">2</span></span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">the third in a series of "large-scale, nationally representative surveys" about how young people use various forms of media. According to KFF, it is "among the largest and most comprehensive publicly available sources of information about media use among American youth." The survey reveals that 8-18 year-olds devote more than seven hours a day to various types of entertainment media, and that much of that time is spent using more than one type of media. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">This short documentary produced by KFF provides a glimpse of the study's findings. </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><object id="flashObj" width="486" height="412" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/1875349721?isVid=1&publisherID=1875348214"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=61772365001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kff.org%2Fentmedia%2Fhr012010video.cfm&playerID=1875349721&domain=embed&"><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com"><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/1875349721?isVid=1&publisherID=1875348214" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="videoId=61772365001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kff.org%2Fentmedia%2Fhr012010video.cfm&playerID=1875349721&domain=embed&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" swliveconnect="true" allowscriptaccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">An article in the New York Times (</span></span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/education/20wired.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">If Your Kids Are Awake, They're Probably Online</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">) reports that the study's authors, "who had concluded in 2005 that use could not possibly grow further," were "stunned" by the results.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">I would encourage anyone with interest in these matters to read the </span></span><a href="http://www.kff.org/entmedia/8010.cfm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">study</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> or the </span></span><a href="http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia012010nr.cfm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">press release</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> themselves. Below, I will paste some of the findings that caught my eye. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b>Mobile Media Usage</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"over the past five years, there has been a huge increase in ownership [of mobile devices] among 8- to 18-year-olds: from 39% to 66% for cell phones, and from 18% to 76% for iPods and other MP3 players."</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"...young people now spend more time listening to music, playing games, and watching TV on their cell phones (a total of :49 daily) than they spend </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">talking</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> on them (:33)."</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b>Media in the Home</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"About two-thirds (64%) of young people say the TV is usually on during meals, and just under half (45%) say the TV is left on 'most of the time' in their home..." "Seven in ten (71%) have a TV in their bedroom." </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"The amount of time young people spend with media has grown to where it's even more than a full-time work week." -Drew Altman, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Effect on Grades</span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">About half (47%) of heavy media users say they usually get fair or poor grades (mostly Cs or lower), compared to about a quarter (23%) of light users. </span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">These differences may or may not be influenced by their media use patterns."</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b>Types of Media Consumption</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Time spent with every medium other than movies and print increased over the past five years: :47 a day increase for music/audio, :38 for TV content, :27 for computers, and :24 for video games. </span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">TV remains the dominant type of media content consumed, at 4:29 a day, followed by music/audio at 2:31, computers at 1:29, video games at 1:13, print at :38, and movies at :25 a day</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">."</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Reading</span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Over the past 5 years, time spent reading books remained steady at about :25 a day, but time with magazines and newspapers dropped (from :14 to :09 for magazines, and from :06 to :03 for newspapers).</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The proportion of young people who read a newspaper in a typical day dropped from 42% in 1999 to 23% in 2009. </span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">On the other hand, young people now spend an average of :02 a day reading magazines or newspapers online"</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Texting</span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"7</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">-12</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> graders report spending an average of 1:35 a day sending or receiving texts. (Time spent texting is </span></span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">not </span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">counted as media use in this study.)"</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px;font-size:11px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"practically every waking minute -except for time in school - using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device..."</span></span></div></blockquote><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I am sure I'll write more about this as I get deeper into the study, but for now I'll leave you with a quote from the above-mentioned New York Times a</span></span>rticle: </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px; font-size:15px;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Boston who directs the Center on Media and Child Health, said that with media use so ubiquitous, it was time to stop arguing over whether it was good or bad and accept it as part of children’s environment, “like the air they breathe, the water they drink and the food they eat.”</span></span></blockquote></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px;font-size:15px;"><br /></span></span></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-3727864212199550372010-01-19T21:56:00.003-06:002010-01-19T22:10:18.932-06:00James Geary: The Power of MetaphorWhy did so many people take out mortages based on the assumption that housing prices would continue to climb? Professional aphorist <a href="http://www.jamesgeary.com/">James Geary</a> argues that it may be due to the fact that "climb" in that sense is an "agent metaphor." Agent metaphors, which imply the deliberate action of a living thing pursuing a goal, are very seductive to the human mind.<br /><br />If you are a lover of metaphor, you will love Geary's short <a href="http://www.ted.com/">TED</a> talk, posted below.<br /><br /><!--copy and paste--><object width="446" height="326"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param> <param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/JamesGeary_2009G-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/JamesGeary-2009G.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=716&introDuration=16500&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=2000&adKeys=talk=james_geary_metaphorically_speaking;year=2009;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=how_the_mind_works;theme=words_about_words;theme=art_unusual;event=TEDGlobal+2009;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;"><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="446" height="326" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/JamesGeary_2009G-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/JamesGeary-2009G.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=716&introDuration=16500&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=2000&adKeys=talk=james_geary_metaphorically_speaking;year=2009;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=how_the_mind_works;theme=words_about_words;theme=art_unusual;event=TEDGlobal+2009;"></embed></object><br /><br />And, a bonus metaphor from one of The Greats, John Prine:<br /><blockquote>Some humans ain't human. Some people ain't kind.<br />You open up their hearts and here's what you'll find:<br />A few frozen pizzas; some ice cubes with hair;<br />A broken popsicle; you don't want to go there.</blockquote>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-16334627175842168292010-01-14T08:01:00.011-06:002010-01-14T11:22:26.290-06:00Clippings: 1.14.10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyv_ikIC9Brib04mtgQ-cgnaGEntFRKvumVMRgK5Gf5dAtX-InpwXhmcFRrA9nz630jZ2ij-Wzd_N5sRcA1hqiTlMJv40Yf6TSVb3qfNrydjFTYWqeL4_gi3lbEoEBj5wAMPTJcZO95zQ/s1600-h/Computer+Lab.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyv_ikIC9Brib04mtgQ-cgnaGEntFRKvumVMRgK5Gf5dAtX-InpwXhmcFRrA9nz630jZ2ij-Wzd_N5sRcA1hqiTlMJv40Yf6TSVb3qfNrydjFTYWqeL4_gi3lbEoEBj5wAMPTJcZO95zQ/s320/Computer+Lab.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426646192538987474" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br />A National Literacy Trust (UK) survey </span><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8392653.stm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">showed</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> that students' online technology use "drives their enthusiasm" for other kinds of writing.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://literacytoolbox.wordpress.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Literacy Toolbox</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> is a great place to find literacy games and activities. For example, here's a list of online literacy games for pre-readers.<br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">ProProfs provides a free </span><a href="http://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">online flashcard-maker.</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> Not perfect, but pretty cool.<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">The Economist reports that the Harry Potter books have been an economic stimulus package all by themselves. (Hat tip to </span><a href="http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2010/01/wednesday-afternoon-visits-january-13.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Jen Robinson's Book Page</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> and </span><a href="http://www.omnivoracious.com/2010/01/en.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Omnivoracious</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">.)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">SEDL provides an interactive </span><a href="http://www.sedl.org/reading/framework/welcome.swf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Cognitive Framework for learning to read.</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> This is a stellar graphic - it would be perfect if people could embed it (hint). </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">And finally, the video of the week: </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk&feature=youtu.be"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Everything's Amazing And Nobody's Happy</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> by comedian Louis C K.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">(Picture courtesy of Flickr user </span></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thearchigeek/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Archigeek.</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> Thanks!)</span></span></div></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-37722909884249710272010-01-13T12:28:00.009-06:002010-01-14T07:47:02.082-06:00Notes: Dr. Ginger Campbell Interviews Dr. Maryanne Wolf<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpbQXs9YMFSLGjKaGisqgxoSJzgNWviMpy4YCGQY6viGbQfKhg0Ji4c9VLia1AsbA98GhOHOOEe81EqjDCwuW5V1csatCZcRajMZnHR0I2HzpbGCotv1vUAfgVychAcloWMVZEJYt9G8/s1600-h/ProustandtheSquid.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpbQXs9YMFSLGjKaGisqgxoSJzgNWviMpy4YCGQY6viGbQfKhg0Ji4c9VLia1AsbA98GhOHOOEe81EqjDCwuW5V1csatCZcRajMZnHR0I2HzpbGCotv1vUAfgVychAcloWMVZEJYt9G8/s320/ProustandtheSquid.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426300558166246754" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">As I mentioned the other day, I'm immersed (now in my second reading) in </span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Proust-Squid-Story-Science-Reading/dp/0060933844/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263407472&sr=8-1"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain. </span></span></i></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> The author, </span></span><a href="http://ase.tufts.edu/crlr/staff/maryanne.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Dr. Maryanne Wolf</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> is the director of </span></span><a href="http://ase.tufts.edu/crlr/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">The Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University. </span></span></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Anyone who loves reading or is passionate about helping others learn to read will find this book riveting. Among other things, Wolf sets out to tell us about the development of different writing systems over time, how the human brain "rearranges itself" to make reading possible, and what happens in the brains of those who have difficulty learning to read. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">A search for interviews of Dr. Wolf led me to the </span></span><a href="http://docartemis.com/brainsciencepodcast/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Brain Science Podcast</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">, which is conducted by Dr. Ginger Campbell, an emergency physician who has been blogging about brain science since 2006. I first listened to </span></span><a href="http://docartemis.com/brainsciencepodcast/2007/11/brain-science-podcast-24-reading-and-the-brain/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Podcast #24</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> which, over the course of about an hour, concentrates on some of the main ideas of Proust and the Squid. I would recommend it for those who do not intend to read the book or who need a refresher. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">This morning, I listened to Campbell's </span></span><a href="http://docartemis.com/brainsciencepodcast/2008/01/brain-science-podcast-29-interview-with-dr-maryanne-wolf/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">interview of Wolf.</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> Both are quite engaging (Wolf's voice reminds me, in a way that reveals how much of a geek I am, of Barbara Kingsolver's voice). </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">As I said, if you have any interest in reading, you will find this compelling. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the interview. All are from Dr. Wolf. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></div><div><!--StartFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></div><blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">“Language is what prepares a child to read.”</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">“Nothing is better in the very beginning than the simple act of reading and speaking to your child. That does not take money; it simply takes time and love.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><!--StartFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">“Reading is a long, beautiful process that has many parts and can be arrested in many phases of development" "…it begins literally on the lap of the beloved who is first reading to us and we’re catching by hook and by crook all kinds of information from that loved one’s voice…”</span></span></p><!--StartFragment--> <!--EndFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Regarding children experiencing "word poverty," who upon arrival at Kindergarten have heard millions fewer words than their peers:</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> “… that means their brain is literally processing language at a different level with a different level of sophistication and we who are determined to educate all our children to reach their potential have to be so serious about what those differences are at the Kindergarten door.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Regarding the ever-more-common attempts to make children learn to read at early ages (3-5, say):</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> “On the backs of three-year-olds are being visited the anxieties of parents.” </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">These attempts are</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> “pedagogically and physiologically premature and unnecessary.”</span></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Dr. Wolf also refers to </span></span><a href="http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2007/10/28/rush_little_baby/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">this article</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> by Niel Swinney in the Boston Globe of October 28, 2007. The article, called "Rush, Little Baby" is about the aforementioned attempts by parents to hurry up the process of learning to read. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Also, Dr. Wolf makes reference to the book </span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Leisure-Basis-Culture-Josef-Pieper/dp/1890318353"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Leisure: The Basis of Culture</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">,</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> by Josef Pieper. She mentioned it in the context of her fears that the Digital Age is robbing us of the experience of deep, meaningful, enjoyable reading. </span></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">That's all for now, though I will certainly write about and refer to this fantastic book more in the future. I wholeheartedly recommend the summary and the interview by Dr. Ginger Campbell. In fact, a perusal of the Brain Science Podcast site is likely to yield something of interest to nearly "anyone with a brain," as she puts it. </span></span></p><!--StartFragment--> <!--EndFragment--> <!--StartFragment--> <!--EndFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><!--EndFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-76362720867255933382010-01-12T08:00:00.002-06:002010-01-12T08:07:07.537-06:00Photograb Letter Recognition Game - Medium DifficultyA month ago, I <a href="http://literacylog.blogspot.com/2009/12/photograb-high-frequency-word-game.html">posted</a> a game that I created using Photograb, a very cool game-design tool available for free from <a href="http://www.shufflebrain.com/">ShuffleBrain</a>. It's intended to let people make games using pictures on their Facebook or Flickr pages, but I thought it might be a good way to teach letters and words. <div><br /></div><div>I set out this morning to create a very easy Alphabet game. As I mentioned the other day, I've been reading <i>Proust and the Squid</i> by Maryanne Wolf. She tells me that the ability to recognize and name a letter is a very good predictor of future reading success. I thought a game like this might help burn these letter images into the brains of my young students. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I said, this was supposed to be easy, but it is even moderately difficult to me. I'll try a very basic one later. For now, enjoy! (And a BIG thank you to ShuffleBrain for allowing me to embed this game!!)</div><div><br /></div><div><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://widgets.clearspring.com/o/49b7d53c5d96b480/4b4c81f27e90b42e/49b7d53c5d96b480/4f32381/mediaSetID/2757/-storeInPid/true" id="W49b7d53c5d96b4804b4c81f27e90b42e" width="600" height="450"><param name="movie" value="http://widgets.clearspring.com/o/49b7d53c5d96b480/4b4c81f27e90b42e/49b7d53c5d96b480/4f32381/mediaSetID/2757/-storeInPid/true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></object></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-88048814670048432322010-01-11T07:40:00.015-06:002010-01-19T22:40:17.095-06:00Game: Erase The Face - CrossWord Edition<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh7gYowv-2iwZ0NrH6HPgi974iVinY6Xu5oOLUflo8D1WQRbzuTJImWwXFrwgpo_bwc0vBuR1fHHPTHKxk0sLXI6uoKIoG7hIkYsqLmzGMZIjuk9B4WYoUT9jNwJ2_qQFsrdrgMvXnYlw/s1600-h/EraseXwordSetup.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh7gYowv-2iwZ0NrH6HPgi974iVinY6Xu5oOLUflo8D1WQRbzuTJImWwXFrwgpo_bwc0vBuR1fHHPTHKxk0sLXI6uoKIoG7hIkYsqLmzGMZIjuk9B4WYoUT9jNwJ2_qQFsrdrgMvXnYlw/s320/EraseXwordSetup.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425482673388335234" border="0" /></a><div><b>All Ages</b></div><div><b>10-20 Minutes</b></div><div><b>Best in Small Groups</b></div><div><br /></div><i>A month ago I told you about </i><a href="http://literacylog.blogspot.com/2009/12/game-erase-face-aka-hangman.html"><i>"Erase The Face,"</i></a><i> a variation of Hangman that my students love. It's a great game, but I found that my more-advanced students guessed the words too quickly, negating much of the benefit for them and for the younger students. </i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>So, I invented a new version. I got the idea while doing last Tuesday's NYT crossword and I am calling it "Erase The Face - CrossWord Edition" until I think of a better name.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Materials</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-family:'times new roman',serif;font-size:medium;" >All you need is a writing utensil and a surface. Since I'm working with small groups of students, I use my whiteboard. This could easily be done with paper and pencil, of course.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Directions</span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">First, you need to <b>make your grid</b>. I have found that grids containing six or seven words can be constructed</span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-family:'times new roman',serif;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">in five minutes or so. I try to use high-frequency words, or "sight words." I use a list in the back of </span><a href="http://www.heinemann.com/products/E00051.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"Word Matters" by Pinnell and Fountas</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, but you can find </span><a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&q=high+frequency+words+list&btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">all kinds of lists</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> online. Pick a long word to start, and then build off of that.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" ><b>On the board, draw your grid, a box for wrong answers, a "Word Bank," the alphabet, and any kind of face you like.</b> I started writing the alphabet on the board because it greatly reduced the amount of time it took my</span></span></div><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-APf36wVK9NgK0b-lsV8nKDS2edwhTsjOENEeFDmqd82VXNFgyoNiLzadi5roPtmedjxxmA8NiSRAbAZWsSwLkkzlg333RmhTpxHJlms8MF_4oGjRjc5N_TKRxF1PB1txMyYIanuuS08/s320/EraseXWord3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425485248905243538" border="0" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-family:'times new roman',serif;" >students to guess a letter.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" >One by one, <b>students guess</b> letters. If they guess a letter that is in your grid, fill in the boxes. If not, write the letter in the Wrong Answers box and erase part of the face. If you want to really get them going, make them erase their own facial features at the same time. For example, erase the nose and say, "Everybody erase your nose!" Guaranteed giggles all around.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" ><b>When a student completes a word</b>, make sure everyone can see it and then write it into the Word Bank. I do this to make sure everyone gets a good impression of the word. Also, some students might have trouble seeing through all of the boxes or reading vertically, so this will help them get something out of it.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" >The game ends when the grid is filled in or when the face is erased, whichever comes first. I have played this game a hundred times and I have <i>never l</i>et the students lose. What would be the point of that?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Benefits</span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;font-family:'Trebuchet MS',Trebuchet,Verdana,sans-serif;" ><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I think this game has a lot going for it. It is a great way to reinforce <b>vocabulary</b>. I use it in conjunction with my "Word Wall," which has the 100 most <b>frequently-used words</b> Velcroed to it. My students have spent hours studying this board as a result. You could do this for new vocabulary from a textbook or a story just as easily.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span></div><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeps2BrB7gtP5jIr883EnLLrCdIzy7seyuN9kXtUF8RPYdYo0pPfoDMbwQElrVUgsTWqAZtl6vUn-efUGjGGVl5KAI_KQ-hbb9CaRAkDRu_43PcUEc-3j8REt_4EkwYAAmmOpkzN-98B0/s320/EraseXWord4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425485585841927362" border="0" /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Furthermore, I think that this game teaches some </span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">essential <b>word-solving skills.</b> The students really want to know what that word is, and as they try to figure it out they are compelled to imagine what sounds and letter would fit with the ones already guessed. It's kind of like sounding out words in reverse.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The CrossWord Edition of this game is an attempt at differentiation. I can incorporate words of varying difficulties, and I have found that I can get students of many different reading levels (including adults) engaged simultaneously. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">I would welcome suggested variations. Also, if you can think of a catchier name, feel free to suggest it in the comments.<br /><br /></span></i><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: times new roman;" class="Apple-style-span">Update 1/19/10: After trying it a few more times, I've decided to use 4-5 words in a puzzle instead for 6-8. If you have older students or especially engaged ones, you can use more, but I've found that I lose them towards the end.</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></i></span></span></div></span></span></span></div></div></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-24970372768787110752010-01-09T14:16:00.007-06:002010-01-30T09:39:05.094-06:00Phoneme Breakdown - Woodchuck Twister<div>Here's a breakdown of the phonemes present in a popular tongue twister. I am not a linguist, speech language pathologist, or anything else with an 'ist' on the end, so this should be considered a rather crude analysis. Still, I thought it might help me be more intentional about what sounds I'm strengthening in my classroom.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am still learning about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet">the phonetic alphabet.</a> For this post, I am using <a href="http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/folkchart.htm">this English phoneme chart. </a> I am open to information and advice about how I might refine my knowledge. In this post, I will use my best approximation of the symbol on the chart and also provide a word that exemplifies the sound I'm referring to. /e/ means 'e as in pet', for example. The number behind the phoneme show us how many times it appeared in the passage.</div><div><br /></div><div>OK, we'll start with a classic: </div><div><br /></div><b><i>How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?</i></b><div><br /></div><div>Breakdown</div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HfxmRp1sRFJuPdUh0ZRIJoFMkd4fJrmmwkdkBQ2vhd0Pb_YBLeZv1Savqm5e6_1AmLWW6AvntRSRFbe1ggeV75KKMYl-AK-5-nD-HSrKr-BGGm8vGs2gQArK5R5GwWWYLN1l_Pw_Wl4/s320/Woodchuck+Pic.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424841722605380130" /><div>/h/ 'hat': 1</div><div>/au/ 'cow': 1</div><div>/m/ 'man': 1</div><div>/^/ 'luck' : 5</div><div>/tf/ 'chop': 5</div><div>/w/ 'wet': 4</div><div>/u/ 'good': 6</div><div>/d/ 'door': 6</div><div>/k/ 'cat': 6</div><div>/ago/ 'ago': 2</div><div>/I/ 'pit': 1</div><div>/f/ 'fan': 1</div><div><br /></div><div>So there you have it! I don't expect this be a revelation to you, but I think that if we had many rhymes and tongue twisters broken down in this way, we would know where to turn when we encounter students struggling with certain sounds. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:webdings;"> </span></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-29940586070745183652009-12-10T13:17:00.004-06:002009-12-21T08:04:52.530-06:00PhotoGrab High Frequency Word Game<div>I watched a TED.com video by Scott Kim, a master puzzle designer. At the end of the video, he discusses <a href="http://www.shufflebrain.com/">Shufflebrain</a>, an online tool that combines social networking with puzzles. It allows you to make your own puzzles out of pictures that you have on Facebook or Flickr. </div><div><br /></div><div>I will include Kim's TED talk below, but I want to show you the puzzle I created first. (I am very excited about this!!)</div><div><br /></div><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://widgets.clearspring.com/o/49b7d53c5d96b480/4b21491af267ad34/49b7d53c5d96b480/8639a8b1/mediaSetID/2338/-storeInPid/true" id="W49b7d53c5d96b4804b21491af267ad34" height="375" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://widgets.clearspring.com/o/49b7d53c5d96b480/4b21491af267ad34/49b7d53c5d96b480/8639a8b1/mediaSetID/2338/-storeInPid/true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></object><div><div><br />How cool is that? I made pictures of some of the 100 most frequently-used words using <a href="http://www.wordle.net/">Wordle.net</a>, I uploaded them to Flickr, and I created the puzzle using Shufflebrain. The entire process took about a half hour, and this was just the first time. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think this game could have tons of value for students. Anything that compels them to recall part of letters and words is useful. I will definitely be refining my technique and posting more puzzles in the future. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here is Kim's TED talk: </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 42, 6); white-space: pre;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11px;" ><!--copy and paste--><object height="326" width="446"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/ScottKim_2008P-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/ScottKim-2008P.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=705&introDuration=16500&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=2000&adKeys=talk=scott_kim_takes_apart_the_art_of_puzzles;year=2008;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=art_unusual;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=tales_of_invention;event=EG+2008;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;"><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#ffffff" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/ScottKim_2008P-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/ScottKim-2008P.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=705&introDuration=16500&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=2000&adKeys=talk=scott_kim_takes_apart_the_art_of_puzzles;year=2008;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=art_unusual;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=tales_of_invention;event=EG+2008;" height="326" width="446"></embed></object></span></div></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-42877340699831625102009-12-10T10:36:00.012-06:002010-01-14T07:50:32.259-06:00Game: Erase The Face (AKA 'Hangman')<img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2tGAZlvWPf3skrbQH3rBZqdhsw2TUPF6E4d71BWCizvmy61E-hHtd-jX0iu3LnvIj6hFs85MliKzO_A5p7SYUvcvfVc0s5ah-gYcgJILVy5OA1M2qKMkuhjxgX7MulFdHir9rY0DyZU/s320/EraseTheFaceSetup.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413665369099105394" border="0" /><b>All Ages</b><div><b>10-20 minutes</b></div><div><b>Best for individual students or small groups. </b></div><div><br /><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Hangman has been a go-to activity in any class I've led. I used it with middle schoolers and middle-aged housewives in Japan, it was invaluable in my one-on-one tutoring sessions with struggling sixth graders, and my current groups of seven and eight year olds can't get enough of it.</span></span></i></div><div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Come to think of it, I don't know anyone who isn't at least a little fond of Hangman. Heck, the </span></span></i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel_of_Fortune_%28U.S._game_show%29"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">US's longest-running game show</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> is basically Hangman with a wheel. </span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">I only have one problem: I think there might be something slightly wrong about drawing an execution scene step-by-step in front of groups of children. Read this guide to setting up the game from Wikipedia and tell me it doesn't creep you out a bit:</span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i></i></span></span></span></div><blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">The exact nature of the diagram differs; some players draw the </span></span></i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallows" title="Gallows" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 43, 184); background-image: none;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">gallows</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> before play and draw parts of the man's body (traditionally the head, then the torso, then the left arm, then the right arm, then the left leg, then the right leg). Some players begin with no diagram at all, and drawing the individual elements of the gallows as part of the game, effectively giving the guessing players more chances. The amount of detail on the man can also vary, affecting the number of chances. Many players include a face on the head, either all at once or one feature at a time.</span></span></i></span></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">In my classroom, I've replaced the body and gallows with an obnoxious smiley face. My kids literally beg me to play this game. I can put it on the agenda every and guarantee myself at least twenty minutes, of</span></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> happy, focused students. Here's how we play. <span style="font-weight: bold;">(January '10 Update: </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://literacylog.blogspot.com/2010/01/game-erase-face-crossword-edition.html">Click Here</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> for Erase the Face CrossWord Edition)</span><br /></span></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Materials</span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" >All you need is a writing utensil and surface. Since I'm working with small groups of students, I use my whiteboard. This could easily be done with paper and pencil, of course.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b>Directions</b></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" >Draw a face on the board. Clumsy artists are welcome. Include as many facial features as you like; the more you include, the more guesses your students have. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-family:'times new roman',serif;font-size:medium;" >I like to write the entire alphabet on the board. This way, the students have an easy letter bank to choose</span></div><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifDnIbX7xoILe4sf03IzVj9qPH0PAD5NLjUYs62YqD6zcRc9OK9JljEDtzCWt2bHYyteLyyRXHCpqif4XlWNdP2baVMv50ytyutwcUmicNdP6E0eqn41T5jW5E6huB9mfvQuOro2unaQ/s320/EraseTheFace2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413668862619954418" border="0" /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-family:'times new roman',serif;font-size:medium;" > from. I found that some students took forever to search their brains for a letter. This speeds up the process. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" >Technically, when the face is gone before the word has been solved, the game is over. But I never beat my students at this game; I will draw it out while they guess more letters. It's fun to watch them figure it out, and it gives them more practice.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" >When I erase part of the face, I ask my younger students to pretend like they are erasing theirs as well. Much giggling ensues. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Benefits</span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" >I think this game has a lot going for it. It is a great way to reinforce vocabulary. I use it in conjunction with my "Word Wall," which has the 100 most frequently-used words Velcroed to it. My students have spent hours studying this board as a result. You could do this for new vocabulary from a textbook or a story just as easily.</span></span></div><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHoEu1BX89LDBY_WtkNgluJkc28v4rdCWwHyXrMGWzwfdWyeNpuPkoPLy3aOizIJx1-i5mYY3AHSlj94w1dfQMxRZVSXiuNHIaqd0JGXUs0vIWyZ_n9uZOPjGGWFWlRBj_t6tkWdLzj4/s320/WordWall.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413669263281722594" border="0" /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" > </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:medium;" >Furthermore, I think that this game teaches some essential word-solving skills. The students really want to know what that word is, and as they try to figure it out they are compelled to imagine what sounds and letter would fit with the ones already guessed. It's kind of like sounding out words in reverse. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">As the year has gone on, students have become increasingly capable of running this game by themselves. They take turns picking a word, drawing a face, and eliciting guesses from their classmates. I can pull students out for one-on-one time or just sit back and enjoy the show. </span></span></span></div></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-60795519908103821242009-11-21T07:32:00.008-06:002009-11-21T07:57:44.813-06:00Readings: 20 Sounds, 5 LettersFrom the fascinating (really)<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=MT6uxS04XUsC&dq=History+of+English+culpeper&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=2eO_b6nyJe&sig=FOqDUp9HDZ8fxVq7RC7FzQ_Y-xI&hl=en&ei=3e0HS8SpGND9nAfzn7DFCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false"><i>History of English</i></a> by Jonathan Culpeper, an explanation of why English speakers have a particularly difficult phonemic system to wrestle with: <div><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 143px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEe7LYz5odUsXEJCBNR5iuJcTcRAU798fhpvN4p2PW1FE4lAxQoX7vrl5uFZ0IDRTRYaPAEDxviFNFZ1ok04MTSFk9U1B8vXMygKkD5JVEJeSQiovm8by2aGRomUXrTzvfdaoOWafmqI/s400/HistoryofEnglishCover.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406554793850108130" /><blockquote><i>Why has the spelling system become less phonemic? Why is it now so complicated? History, as we shall see, can provide an explanation. Initially, English was written in <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i>a germanic alphabet - the </i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runic_alphabet"><i>Runic</i></a><i> alphabet. Only a few Runic English texts survive, such as the inscriptions on the </i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruthwell_Cross"><i>Ruthwell Cross</i></a><i>, thought to date back to AD 700. Christian missionaries, arriving in Britain in 597 and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i>spreading literacy, used forms of the 23-letter Roman alphabet: A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T V X Y Z. And this is the first problem for English spelling: it adopted the Roman alphabet, in other words, the alphabet of another language -- Latin. Today, we have </i><a href="http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/phon00.htm"><i>over 40 phonemes</i></a><i> in English, but only 26 letters by which to represent those phonemes. In particular, note that we have about 20 vowel sounds in English, but only 5 vowel letters...</i></span></i></span></i></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I have addressed the importance of conquering this phonemic dragon <a href="http://literacylog.blogspot.com/search/label/phonemic%20awareness">quite a few times</a>, including games and activities to strengthen phonemic awareness. </div><div><br /></div></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-78365901320771409752009-11-17T12:55:00.009-06:002009-11-25T11:26:44.696-06:00Readings: A Dialect With an Army and a Navy<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcqeG9_Os8dGprSCutP_O9VOblyFsrBYpOw31ZvVHR9AQ6kDQbfhBtLfj2Do0vXd4_gydZf-YqnyJzBJ_oT9Fz_sT5fLNW6zT42P8kDrODHMuAbn4NW9sGGmXvh89w0TjxR2BIyPw5t8/s400/The+Language+Instinct+Cover.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405156637775237890" border="0" /></div><div><blockquote></blockquote>I finally purchased <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinker">Steven Pinker's</a> <i>The Language Instinct</i>. Pinker is by no means light reading; a professor at Harvard, he has the ability to write about almost any subject with a sophistication that puts me in way over my head. But in over my head is a place I love to be, and I've always enjoyed digging through Pinker's books. </div><div><br /></div><div>At the beginning of The Language Instinct, Pinker is making his case that humans' ability to use language arises not out of experience but from the complex and intricate machinery of our brains. I was reminded of my urban public school students when he began to discuss the perception by some that the language of others is cruder or less complex:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote>"Actually, the people whose linguistic abilities are most badly underestimated are right here in our society. Linguists repeatedly run up against the myth that working-class people and the less educated members of the middle class speak a simpler or coarser language. This is a pernicious illusion arising from the effortlessness of conversation. Ordinary speech, like color vision or walking, is a paradigm of engineering excellence -- a technology that works so well that the user takes its outcome for granted, unaware of the complicated machinery hidden behind the panels. Behind such "simple" sentences as <i>Where did he go?</i> and or [sic] <i>The guy I met just killed himself</i>, used automatically by any English speaker, are dozens of subroutines that arrange the words to express the meaning. Despite decades of effort, no artificially engineered language system comes close to duplicating the person in the street, HAL and C3PO notwithstanding.</blockquote><blockquote><div><br /></div><div>"But though the language engine is invisible to the human user, the trim packages and color schemes are attended to obsessively. Trifling differences between the dialect of the mainstream and the dialect of other groups, like <i>isn't any</i> versus <i>ain't no</i>, <i>those books</i> versus <i>them books</i>, and <i>dragged him away</i> versus <i>drug him away</i>, are dignified as badges of "proper grammar." but they have no more to do with grammatical sophistication than the fact that people in some regions of the United States refer to a certain insect as a <i>dragonfly</i> and people in other regions refer to it as a <i>darning needle</i>, or that English speakers call canines <i>dogs</i> whereas French speakers call them <i>chiens</i>. It is even a bit misleading to call standard English a "language" and these variations "dialects," as if there were some meaningful difference between them. The best definition comes from the linguist Max Weinreich: <b>a language is a dialect with an army and a navy." </b>(emphasis added)</div></blockquote><div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Those of us who were privileged enough to acquire the style of speaking that happens to have the most value in our society often fall into the trap of interpreting differences in language as differences in intelligence. As anyone who has truly listened to a non-"standard" English speaker knows, nothing could be farther from the truth. Pinker continues with a discussion of the Black English Vernacular, or BEV. I won't quote the entire chapter for you, but if this is a subject that gets your motor running, you will definitely want to read <i>The Language Instinct</i>. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Bonus: You know I love TED.com. <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/steven_pinker_chalks_it_up_to_the_blank_slate.html">Here's a link to Pinkers's TED talk</a> dispelling the myth of the "blank slate." </div><div><br /></div><div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoWeSDIYblRVMGWQKbtrdm1ml1jmuWoqKgZqQcDpvDtX5p71SrrELt8JSj4_ilwBWW4QXOeCeeDrNaooYlyMU5bls30NLYO4r8q9N3394ivdmBOA8YSGDtAh4gxLWXPLdOopjCJ8QGK2s/s400/PinkerTEDPicture.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405156346711551506" border="0" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-71049494209334094652009-11-05T09:23:00.011-06:002009-11-06T08:52:23.814-06:00Game: Construct - A - Word<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnfLpXr4a_lMamxnr8DLszBC_9CVCVjsCT6JBtiGSaZ1VekDyzQUvcsJdkpFhsMAGUaL2Z5iwuHU4xsyw3yjoxBtAKSTApbFAb57x6RNHGZDd9gqmuFmYnuHicqM5YmVnrU-UkawuTUc/s1600-h/IMG_0765_2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnfLpXr4a_lMamxnr8DLszBC_9CVCVjsCT6JBtiGSaZ1VekDyzQUvcsJdkpFhsMAGUaL2Z5iwuHU4xsyw3yjoxBtAKSTApbFAb57x6RNHGZDd9gqmuFmYnuHicqM5YmVnrU-UkawuTUc/s400/IMG_0765_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400653756149379842" border="0" /></a><br /><div><b>All Ages</b></div><b>5-15 minutes</b><div><b>Best for individual students or small groups.</b><br /><div><br /></div><div><i>Construct-a-Word is meant to bolster </i><a href="http://literacylog.blogspot.com/2009/09/importance-of-phonemic-awareness.html"><i>phonemic awareness</i></a><i> by way of </i><a href="http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/nrp/findings.cfm"><i>Analogy Phonics</i></a><i>, which the </i><a href="http://www.nationalreadingpanel.org/default.htm"><i>National Reading Panel</i></a><i> defines as "teaching students unfamiliar words by analogy to known words." It also strengthens PA by giving students repeated opportunities to manipulate onset and rime. </i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Materials</span></b></div><div>Post-It Notes, marker or pen, notebook</div><div><br /></div><div>I stole this idea from the online game that I featured <a href="http://literacylog.blogspot.com/2009/03/strategy-and-web-resource-construct.html">here</a> last spring. I was working with a 5th Grader who needed some help with her basics, but we did not have Internet access, so I converted the game to Post-its. It turned out quite well; the Post-its are colorful, inexpensive, portable, and good for use on almost any surface, be it a table top or a whiteboard. If you do not have Post-its at hand, you could substitute index cards. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Directions</span></b></div><div>On individual Post-its, write each letter of the alphabet and the phonemes "ch," "bl,""sl,""dr,""cl,"and "sh." Using a different color of Post-it, if possible, write the endings "ig,""ot,""ed,""et,""in,""un,""op,""an," and "at." You can add or substitute any other endings you like. When finished, the complete set should look something like this:<br /><br /></div><div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIj-Jn-l0OXIz8e3gurTYpo4qUo611orm_izb8V95pvuMFhUV7jJ0tu_TpzmMVsBoPzgmBORPk00Iq5to1ZFT7yAq4HQD3p6DUztjSEEhuNw_LGaMcGdPHbCKPSqgQ5hyphenhyphengoBKnlcdTuZQ/s1600-h/IMG_0766_2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 281px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIj-Jn-l0OXIz8e3gurTYpo4qUo611orm_izb8V95pvuMFhUV7jJ0tu_TpzmMVsBoPzgmBORPk00Iq5to1ZFT7yAq4HQD3p6DUztjSEEhuNw_LGaMcGdPHbCKPSqgQ5hyphenhyphengoBKnlcdTuZQ/s400/IMG_0766_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400653994943242578" border="0" /></a></div><br /></div><div>Your student should be intrigued about the colorful array of letters in front of her. Invite her to select an ending from on the yellow Post-its. Tell her that her challenge is to use the other Post-its to make as many real words as she can. When she finds one, invite her to set the onset letter aside and write the word in a notebook.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoIcoQvXVOyoN5_eSh3uILUP49Cpsw-UYmYdP_0Y1b3u_X5u4sYlenA-EXE-n9cDu6MrztZwczMroTWXU5-Mi5BxH30k4y6BTdgNl6_Dw7hbPxPKmWh7s-Ke7TbDhmDeohrn0F0Tuea40/s1600-h/IMG_0770_2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 184px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoIcoQvXVOyoN5_eSh3uILUP49Cpsw-UYmYdP_0Y1b3u_X5u4sYlenA-EXE-n9cDu6MrztZwczMroTWXU5-Mi5BxH30k4y6BTdgNl6_Dw7hbPxPKmWh7s-Ke7TbDhmDeohrn0F0Tuea40/s400/IMG_0770_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400654405363492002" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>When there are real words left on the board that the student does not see, I suggest providing clues and, eventually, pointing out the new word and encouraging the student to practice and writing it down. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Benefits</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>This game bolsters phonemic awareness by compelling a student to practice joining sounds together to make new words. It will also introduce or solidify the concept that words have a beginning and an end, which is a bedrock concept in PA. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is also a good game for basic vocabulary. </div><div><br /></div><div>There will inevitably be errors made and a few words that the student does not know. Both the errors and the new words have as much or more value than the correct answers. Even erroneous answers compel our student to practice joining an onset and a rime, strengthening phonemic awareness. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-8798135513834994362009-11-04T08:59:00.005-06:002009-11-05T08:50:08.164-06:00Strategy: Book Tour<i>A few months ago, I wrote about a </i><a href="http://literacylog.blogspot.com/2009/07/book-reviews-whole-new-mind-and-short.html"><i>presentation</i></a><i> I gave to a class full of teachers in the Twin Cities area. They were mostly Math and Science teachers who were hoping to learn how to include literacy strategies in their classrooms. I invited them to share what they learned with Literacy Log, and got one great response. I highly recommend a look at Emily Kjesbo-Johnson's </i><a href="http://sites.google.com/site/literacymath/"><i>literacy strategies site</i></a><i> for Math teachers. Today, I'll talk about just one of the strategies she includes.</i><div><br /></div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAXZlWV_34eLj6vJK5gbGeKf-DtTEqKXkaS2pCQxnwY92MtO3nufZG4JQWph9YZoZc6RvKFtFCAwaWaktqYcbIqmY5pbn49zQwyJk4ZeUBTDaWGiBfmWhD9lvAg6G5jNL7qSreXbZLbw/s400/Textbooks.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400269493418151298" /><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">Book Tour</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">10-30 minutes.</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Any age level. </span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; font-size:medium;">I have seen variations of this strategy before, but Emily describes it very well <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/literacymath/literature-strategies/book-tour">here</a>. She includes a downloadable version of the handout she used.</span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Directions</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal;font-size:medium;">The Book Tour is meant to introduce students to a textbook or any other new reading material. According to Emily, "it can be a worksheet that groups work on together, or a tour of the book's features led by the teacher." </span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal;font-size:medium;">Be sure to compel your students to find the most important sections of the book. For a textbook, this would include the Table of Contents, Chapter Review section, the Index, and nowadays a website. </span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b>Benefits</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal;font-size:medium;">Think of this as part of an extended version of the <a href="http://literacylog.blogspot.com/2009/02/kwl-know-want-learn.html">KWL</a> strategy. The Book Tour will help your students assess what they know and what they want to know about the subject matter covered in the book. It will also make the book much less intimidating. </span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal;font-size:medium;">Just before the school year began, Emily wrote about why she would start the year off with a Book Tour. "Our math textbooks are loaded with many helpful resources," she wrote, "but students are often so intimidated by the book that they never look past the practice problems." </span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal;font-size:medium;">Recently, I asked Emily how it went, and she was pleased with the results. "I think that as students went through it, they saw how the book wasn't just an intimidating giant book, but could be a valuable resource for their work during the year," she said.<br /></span></span></span></b></span><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Variations</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The <a href="http://literacylog.blogspot.com/2009/11/strategy-alphabet-words.html">Alphabet Words</a> game I featured yesterday could be used as a component of a Book Tour. It might be especially useful for introducing students to the Index or Glossary.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:x-small;">Photo: "Middle School Textbooks" by Flickr user "</span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/herzogbr/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">herzogbr</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">." Thanks!</span></div></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-53064606328597048212009-11-02T11:12:00.008-06:002009-12-10T12:25:10.110-06:00Game: Alphabet Words10-15 minutes<br /><br />I found "Alphabet Words" in Peggy Kaye's fantastic <span style="font-style: italic;">Games For Reading: Playful Ways to Help Your Child Read</span>. It is incredibly simple to implement and I have been pleasantly surprised by how much my students enjoy it.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Directions</span></span><br />Simply write each letter of the alphabet on the board and tell your student(s) that the goal of this game is to think of a word for every letter. When you have them all, invite the students to repeat the words after you to review. That's it. The final product will look something like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vFF_73gXF8TLHWHgrk66_FEc75uc8gMyZnFY272DShM14vFLUHEwHhWELzzh5eoKRdnIu2OIoy8IHvARtwESIT96SnuPHB5Ik3P6MeBDNAuw6HHDE1K9ZqdNZ3USOC2bytItGi7Loz0/s1600-h/Alphabet+Words.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 513px; height: 365px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vFF_73gXF8TLHWHgrk66_FEc75uc8gMyZnFY272DShM14vFLUHEwHhWELzzh5eoKRdnIu2OIoy8IHvARtwESIT96SnuPHB5Ik3P6MeBDNAuw6HHDE1K9ZqdNZ3USOC2bytItGi7Loz0/s400/Alphabet+Words.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399563726864468146" border="0" /></a><br />This was the result of our Dictionary Alphabet Words game. As you can see, students come up with some strange words. Since this was a group of first and second graders, we were not striving for comprehension of words such as "helenistic." Simply compelling the students to look through the dictionary and spell new words is enough for me.<br /><br />This game can be done in small groups or with an individual student. With a group, I assign each student a letter, which maintains a bit of order and gives them time to think. With five students, for example, the first will have A and the last will have E. Once we've filled in those blanks, I assign F through J.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Variations</span></span><br />It is easy to think of variations for this game. The first time I used it, we just thought of any old word for each letter. A week later, I included it in my "Introduction to Dictionaries" lesson. With a dictionary in hand, students had to find an interesting word for each letter. I was delighted by the way this game motivated them to dig into their dictionaries and by how excited they were by the strange words they found.<br /><br />Kaye recommends the use of categories for this game. For example, you might set out to find an animal name or a food that begins with each letter. This might also be useful as a review for a particular subject or book for older kids. For example, challenging your students to think of alphabet words related to <span style="font-style: italic;">Charlotte's Web</span> or American History might help them review the material and provide cues for recall later on.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Benefits </span></span><br />This is a great way to build <span style="font-weight: bold;">vocabulary.</span> It also can help with <span style="font-weight: bold;">phonemic awareness</span> and strengthen skill with specific <span style="font-weight: bold;">letter sounds</span>. As I mentioned, it could also be a way to <span style="font-weight: bold;">review material</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">build comprehension</span>. Additionally, as mentioned, I have used it to introduce students to their <span style="font-weight: bold;">dictionaries. </span>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-53923068895081197522009-09-16T20:22:00.004-05:002009-11-21T07:59:28.346-06:00Readings: Johnson and Louis - Learning To WalkI began reading <span style="font-style: italic;">Literacy Through Literature</span> by Terry D. Johnson and Daphne R. Louis today and was immediately struck by the their gentle but persuasive argument for a whole language approach. I will certainly be sharing what I learn as I get deeper into this book. Here's a particularly lovely paragraph to whet your appetite. Even if you have different views about how literacy should be achieved, this is a great example of argument by analogy.<br /><br /><blockquote><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTP4i42xrWEFSoIsd7emTqY8T_pndcrWRwgTUgpdAygJaLI23rq812KLjO8wW7JyarSB3VIcpxZ-vDyzU7uTaN6TlpP5uuDSnGaqD9mbFIDMBCrqK-WmtKm-ElK5MX39RngutqMF5I5M/s1600-h/LiteracyThroughLIterature.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 177px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTP4i42xrWEFSoIsd7emTqY8T_pndcrWRwgTUgpdAygJaLI23rq812KLjO8wW7JyarSB3VIcpxZ-vDyzU7uTaN6TlpP5uuDSnGaqD9mbFIDMBCrqK-WmtKm-ElK5MX39RngutqMF5I5M/s320/LiteracyThroughLIterature.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382243848589642002" border="0" /></a>"Children will not benefit from being told about language. What they do need is help in getting started, gentle feedback on their attempts to do so, and kind tolerance of their errors. Learning to walk offers a useful analogy. Very young children clutch at furniture for support, tire easily and fall down a lot. When all else fails, they regress to crawling. The role of the expert walkers around them is instructive. They act as if there is no doubt the children will eventually learn. Praise is given for effort, and support is rushed forward to eliminate the consequences of error. No one sneers at the first fumbling attempts. Perfection is never expected. No one imagines that explaining to a child how one walks will help her or him do so. Success, given adequate physical equipment, is essentially universal. Few children are sent to remedial walking schools!"</blockquote>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761626510742679658.post-80439665292409624642009-09-16T16:53:00.003-05:002009-11-21T07:59:59.700-06:00Readings: The Importance of Phonemic AwarenessThe concept of phonemic awareness has been discussed <a href="http://literacylog.blogspot.com/search/label/phonemic%20awareness">a few times</a> on Literacy Log. The U of Oregon's <a href="http://reading.uoregon.edu/">Big Ideas in Beginning Reading</a> page has a <a href="http://reading.uoregon.edu/big_ideas/pa/pa_what.php">great rundown</a> of what phonemic awareness is. Basically, phonemic awareness is <span style="font-weight: bold;">the knowledge that words are made up of sounds and the ability to hear and manipulate those sounds. </span><br /><div><br />This may seem pretty basic, but if students get off on the wrong foot with phonemic awareness, it can seriously hinder their journey toward literacy. In <em>Word Matters: Teaching Phonics and Spelling in the Reading/Writing Classroom</em>, Pinnell & Fountas make a great argument for the importance of phonemic awareness:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfcafLLM8sblqmmEZ-fi94KSSq7SaZKb6gQnBGuCnKh7jYsH-hHmHRW4aG3ovjKH-1FPLarCYcHJLt9GC23ofXGVgCKE3nNhy-X4VPp7ybv3UWLmMnjhPj_w1hYXbQpGKMm2tFH_UOCM/s1600-h/WordMattersCover.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfcafLLM8sblqmmEZ-fi94KSSq7SaZKb6gQnBGuCnKh7jYsH-hHmHRW4aG3ovjKH-1FPLarCYcHJLt9GC23ofXGVgCKE3nNhy-X4VPp7ybv3UWLmMnjhPj_w1hYXbQpGKMm2tFH_UOCM/s320/WordMattersCover.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382103047146886818" border="0" /></a></div><div><p></p><blockquote>Why is knowing about the sounds in words so important for literacy learning? In English and in many other languages, there is a close relationship between the sounds we speak and the way in which they are represented in written symbols. The relationship is not a perfect one; but in an alphabetic written system, it is critical for the users of language to recognize this relationship and use it to write and read. Children who realize that words are made up of sequences of sounds, called <em>phonemes</em> by linguists, can more easily relate these sounds to the sequences of letters and to letter groups. As children learn to read and write, understanding the sound-letter relationship is key, and this understanding begins in oral language experiences. </blockquote><p></p>I am in the process of designing an after-school literacy program for young readers, so phonemic awareness is going to come up again and again. Having established its importance, I hope to find a ton of good lessons, activities, and games to bolster phonemic awareness. I'll keep you posted, and I welcome your contributions!<br /><p> </p></div>Brian Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340433245998258050noreply@blogger.com0