Breanna Miller

EDR 317 02
Dr. Selvaggi
15 October 2014
Journal 6: September 15, 2014
The first official day of field for my whole class seemed to go very well. I have
been mostly observing during Readers Workshop, but today I watched Ms. Neild
conference with two students. During independent reading time, the students found a
nook from the list of appropriate possible spots to read in the class, and they had 13
minutes to read two books independently. They have been working on building their
reading stamina up to 20 minutes, and Ms. Neild has a chart to mark where their reading
stamina is for the day, which is an idea I like. When Ms. Neild conferences, she takes
notes on her personal iPad using the app Confer. The app has her students names
listed and under each of their names is a file where she can write notes from the
conference. It gives her options to put strengths, weaknesses, general notes, and more. I
definitely want to use this app to help me keep track of when I met with which students,
and the next time I go to meet with a student, I can quickly refresh what I discussed with
him or her last time before meeting again with him or her. This way, I do not have to
keep track of sticky notes and papers of my notes.
I also did my read-aloud for the students: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
by Jon Scieska. Many of the students laughed, which indicates they understood the
humor, and other students had already heard the book. Ms. Neild gave me positive
feedback, which is great to hear. Next time, I want to remember to do more thinking
aloud while reading the book to model to the students how I make connections to the text.
Before I left, I heard Ms. Neild touch base with an ESL teacher who will be working with
an ESL student in the class. It is interesting to hear Ms. Neild ask the ESL teacher for
tips of how to best support the student in her classroom. Overall, it was a very good day
to observe.
Journal 7: September 17, 2014
The assembly today unfortunately took up the majority of readers workshop.
Ms. Neild did an interactive read aloud with the book by Jonathon London, and then, she
used the same book later as a mentor text in Writers Workshop. I am wondering if
teachers often use the same book in Writers Workshop and Readers Workshop, and
whether or not that is a good idea. I liked being able to spend the half hour this morning
with my teacher before the students arrived since it allowed me to help her out with
classroom items she needed to finish as well as hear what she had planned for the day.
The students started doing Lending Library, which means they take a book home, read
for twenty minutes that night, and bring the book back to school the next day. She holds
them accountable by sending the books home with reading logs and instructing the
parents to sign it. The book and reading log go into a big yellow envelope, which has the
directions on the front of it for the parents to reference. I think the Lending Library
system at General Wayne is phenomenal for promoting reading outside of school since it
offers a rich range of books for the children to choose from. It provides a solution for
children whose families do not have a stocked library at home or the resources to invest

in one. I think it is interesting that in school during independent reading the students are
only expected to read 13 minutes right now since that is where they are on their stamina
chart. However, at home, they are expected to start off reading 20 minutes, and I heard
some students voice concerns over having to read for that long. I wonder what the
logic is behind the time of 20 minutes. That is a question I will have to ask my
cooperating teacher. I am hoping that next time in the field I can start conferencing with
students on my own or discuss me doing my first IRA.
Journal 8: September 22, 2014
There were pros and cons of field today. One con is the substitute teacher since I
felt I lost an opportunity to watch Ms. Neild model reading instruction. One pro is Ms.
Neild did Benchmark testing using Fountas and Pinnells benchmark reading
assessments. I observed Ms. Neild give one of the students the assessment, and then,
when the student left the room we discussed her results. From going over in our class the
different symbols teachers use when doing a running record such as SC for self
correct, I was able to easily follow along with her notes. It is very rewarding applying
what I learn in class to the field. We discussed the students overall score, independent
and instructional reading levels, and observations we made when we heard him read
aloud. I think giving assessments and processing the information is very interesting,
which feeds my motivation to pursue my masters in reading to become a reading
specialist. Another pro from the day is I enjoyed feeling more control over the classroom
in Ms. Neilds absence. For instance, I helped the substitute with the classroom routines
or any questions she had, which showed how much I have learned in the past month. Ms.
Neild has a sub binder that she prepares for a substitute teacher, which is an idea I am
definitely going to take with me to my future classroom. I selected the student I want to
do my case study on and began taking notes on her. I also plan to teach my first IRA
next week possibly. Something I need to work on is using the iPad in the classroom. On
Wednesday, I want to use the iPad to conference with students during their independent
reading time.
Journal 9: September 24, 2014
We have been discussing how to select just right books by using the Five Finger
Rule, and then, today in Readers Workshop we discussed how the Five Finger Rule is
not enough. I am really glad she explained that part of picking a just right book is
whether or not the student can understand the story. A student may be able to read a
story without stumbling over any words, but if you ask the student to retell what they just
read they may have no idea. Finding an interactive read aloud to use for the minilesson
would be difficult. I thought it was a great idea that she had the students read aloud a
book she created that had words they would be able to decode, but they made no sense.
For example, it read something like this: She and him go dock. It pink and is water but
grass clouds should she and he Her sample emphasized that even though the students
could read all of the words, they were not becoming better readers by reading a piece of
literature that they did not understand.
During independent reading time, a student approached me to help him try to find
a just right book. At first it was difficult since I am not familiar with the students
reading level or the reading levels of the books in the library. Ms. Neild showed me a

chart she has on the wall by the library that specifies the level of the books in her library,
which is what I will refer to in the future. Eventually I helped him find a book, but it
took up most of his independent reading time. I cannot wait until the future when I am
very familiar with the books in the library regarding content and reading level. Then, I
will feel more confident helping my students during book selection time or even
recommend new books to children.
Journal 10: September 29, 2014
This Monday morning, time flew by in the field. While the students did their
morning routine and morning meeting, I felt very comfortable and aware of what would
happen next, which is a great feeling. However, there are still some moments when the
students ask me where papers are supposed to go or what they are supposed to do next,
and I am unsure simply due to not being wholly accustomed to the classroom procedures.
I cannot wait until I am a master of all the miniscule details since I want to gain the
respect of my students and for them to feel that I am competent. I know the knowledge
will come with time and experience. After morning meeting, I did my second IRA, The
Snatchabook by Helen Docherty and connected it to the exciting news of the day, which
is that they would be finally receiving their book boxes. Ms. Neild suggested the lesson
idea and provided me with some book options. I really appreciate my cooperating
teacher because after the lesson, she immediately gives me feedback without me having
to even ask. She explains some strengths as well as weaknesses, and then, gives
suggestions for how to improve my weaknesses. Therefore, I am becoming much more
comfortable already with receiving constructive criticism from her.
The most difficult part of the lesson was actually the classroom management
aspect of it. Most of the students respect me and view me as a teacher like Ms. Neild, but
a few continually called out during the book. From my observations of Ms. Neild doing
IRA, she typically ignores the student or reprimands him or her depending on the
situation. In the moment, I could not decide which way of responding to one particular
student was best. I expressed the concern to Ms. Neild and she helped me determine
what to do next time. I hope during the semester to learn that gaining respect from my
students is more important than being their friend. From babysitting and other more
casual interactions with children, I am used to being friendly with students. Making the
transition to a more formal and respectful relationship that has to exist between a teacher
and a student is an uncomfortable experience at first. However, I do not want to go too
far the other way where my reprimands cause humiliation to a student. Classroom
management is certainly a fine balance that I am working hard to determine.
Journal 11: October 1, 2014
Every Wednesday there is a time blocked off during morning meaning that is
designated for the teachers at General Wayne Elementary School to do a community
building exercise in their classroom. I really like how Ms. Neild used a read aloud to
send an anti-bullying message to the students and teach them ways to cope with having a
bad day. In my reading seminar class, I am learning about bibliotherapy. This is a
great example of bibliotherapy: My cooperating teacher using a read aloud to tap into an
issue her students may be facing and help them resolve the issue by examining what the
characters from the book do in a similar situation. It reminded me of one of the purposes

of reading, which is to experience a connection with a character. It is important while

teaching Readers Workshop day to day to remind my future students of the purposes of
reading. Therefore, they will not lose sight of the benefits of reading through the muddle
of decoding, benchmarking, etc.
During Writers Workshop, I experienced reading groups for the first time. Ms.
Neild is in the process of using the Reading MAP scores to group her students in the next
few weeks, but for now, we have some informal reading groups set up. I took a group of
four students who need some extra help, and together we went through a book they are
familiar with to post-it-note places where we observe the author using a craft (I.e.:
punctuation, dialogue, repetition, etc.). It was empowering to be given a group of
students to work with in a small group, and I felt confident in helping teach them this
strategy. The challenging part during the guided practice was the students who could not
sit still and kept calling out. Three of my four students are very outgoing and expressive.
It taught me to consider students personalities when grouping my students. It also gave
me practice with managing a small group, which I find has its own set of potential
management challenges. For instance, a small group is a more informal and low-risk
environment designed to allow the students to feel more comfortable, but it cannot be so
informal that the students forget the rules of the classroom. Thus, it is a fine balance that
I am learning.
Journal 12: October 8, 2014
The classroom oddly was very warm today, and I noticed it affected the teachers
and the students by making them feel drowsy and slow moving. It is interesting how
heavy of an influence the environment can have on instruction and the students
performance. During planning time today, my cooperating teacher and I sat down to
come up with a game plan for the next couple weeks. I will be teaching two read-alouds
and one read aloud followed by a minilesson. My cooperating teacher is very helpful and
supportive. She gave me book suggestions and ideas that flow right along with what they
are doing in Readers Workshop. Any questions or concerns I had I could ask her or
email her as I am creating the lesson plans. I really liked that I am comfortable asking
her questions and we were able to work together very well to accomplish our goals. I
hope to use these lessons for Lesson 4, and possibly, Lesson 5. For the read aloud I am
doing on Monday, I plan to work on managing the students who call out during the read
aloud since that is what discouraged me last time during my read aloud.
I enjoyed observing Ms. Neild confer with students during independent reading
time, writing, and strategy group work. I am learning from her by watching and taking
notes. Then, I practice conferencing with students on my own by doing what I have seen
her do. I think I need to start writing downs questions for Ms. Neild that pop up in my
head throughout the day. Therefore, when I finally have an opportunity to ask her them, I
will have them to reference, which ensures I do not forget them.
Journal 13: October 13, 2014
I can hardly believe all that I accomplished in the three hours I was at General
Wayne Elementary School this morning. During my time with Dr. Selvaggi and my
classmates, I was excited to hear that the reading specialist would be coming in next
Monday to talk to us. I am a reading minor and the more reading classes I take, the more

interested I am in the subject. Then, I started off the day delivering my second interactive
read aloud to the students. It made me smile when I heard their murmured excitement in
response to Ms. Neild announcing that I would be doing the read aloud during Readers
Workshop. Then, the students sat very quietly, answered my questions, and participated
in the turn and talk during my read aloud. I was very proud of them and the respect they
have for me! Once I got passed my nerves, I enjoyed showing my cooperating teacher all
that I have learned from watching her over the past weeks. Even after Dr. Selvaggi
examined the strengths and weaknesses of the lesson, Ms. Neild gave me a little sheet she
had written on with strengths and ways to improve she noticed. I am very appreciative
that she cares enough to help me improve, and I am happy she is playing such an active
role in my field experience.
As required by my yearlong experience, I sat in during the first RTI meeting of
the school year. I used what I remembered from having Mrs. Phoenix, the RTI
coordinator, come explain the RTI program here at the school to our class, and the
knowledge I have of reading assessments from my classes to follow along in the meeting.
I observed the way the teacher addressed and spoke to one another and how the principal
communicated with them. It was very beneficial to see the RTI meeting in action with all
the faculty members there since it is one thing to talk about it and another to actually see
what it looks like to have all the teachers in one room. It was interesting to hear the
teachers advocate for their students either against placing them in Tier II support or for
placing them in Tier II support. The teachers provided me with copies of their papers,
and I was permitted to take notes. I recorded information about the students in my class
such as what kind of support and when they will receive it. Even though the meeting was
long, I would not mind sitting in on others.
Journal 14: October 15, 2014
The day had a different feel to it today due to a substitute teacher being in for Ms.
Neild and the rain outside. It is incredibly as I have mentioned before how the
environment may affect the behavior of students. I found myself dealing with more
classroom management issues today than on any other day. Many students came to me
tattling on other students and their listening skills were subpar. Fortunately, I did my
read aloud at the beginning of the day, and they were great participators when I asked a
question and great listeners while I read. I did a read aloud today with a picture book that
sends an anti-bullying message to the students. We discussed how to overcome being
excluded by a group of students, which is a form of bullying. General Wayne mandates
teachers set aside time to do this weekly with the students, and I have observed Ms. Neild
do several anti-bullying read alouds and activities. Compared to my read aloud on
Monday, my timing was much better, and I finished in 15 minutes. I wore a watch today,
and I discovered it was easier to pace myself by looking at my watch rather than the
classroom clock since it is not easily visible from the reading rug. In addition, I had time
to more consciously respond to each of the students responses since I was not so focused
on delivering the read aloud. Overall, I felt even more comfortable reading in front of the
students.
During student teaching, I am wondering when there is a substitute teacher
whether the sub takes over for the day or the control remains in the hands of the student

teacher. It was difficult today to get used to another persons style of teaching, especially
since the sub has a very different teaching style from Ms. Neilds.