A Hands On Developmentally Appropriate Process that teaches Comprehension Strategies

to students ages 3 – 8Michele Anne Polselli

Melville Elementary SchoolPortsmouth, RI School Department

Visualizing

Making Connections

Questions

Digging for Meaning

Inferring

Synthesizing

“Planting A Literacy Garden”

Applying National Board Early Childhood Generalist Standards

(nbpts.org)

• Understanding Young Children (prior knowledge)• Equity, Fairness, and Diversity (safe, secure environment)• Assessment (multiple assessment methodologies, formal and informal)• Promoting Child Development and Learning (cognitive, social, emotional, physical

and linguistic development)• Knowledge of Integrated Curriculum (DAP)• Multiple Teaching Strategies for Meaningful Learning (providing a variety of

practices and resources)• Family and Community Partnership • Professional Partnership (Lab Classroom Setting)• Reflective Practice (Portfolio and Literacy Coaching PD)

• (Due to the application for EC Gen Certification to NBPTS in 2004, parental permission was obtained to take pictures of students.)

Mosaic of Thought and Strategies That Work Comprehension Strategies

byElin Oliver Keene, Stephanie Harvey, Anne Goudvis

• Schema (seeds)• Visualizing (sunglasses)• Asking Questions (rakes)• Digging For Meaning (shovels)• Inferring (hoe)• Synthesizing (watering can)

Mosaic of Thought, Ellin O Keene, Heinemann /ISBN: 0-435-07237-4 / 1997 Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis, Stenhouse /ISBN: 1-57110-310-4 / 2000

The wheelbarrow contains tool belts. Each tool belt contains a whisper phone that assist the facilitation of phonetic awareness. A pair of

sunglasses assist students to understand the strategy of visualizing.

Whisper PhonesPhones made from PVC tubing enhance each students phonetic awareness. As students read alone or aloud, they listen to their own words. Hearing their

voice reinforces sounds and provides feedback. Listening to what they are reading or saying helps them comprehend if what they are reading or saying

makes sense.

I make the analogy that students are much like seeds. Just like seeds grow into certain plants, everyone’s thoughts in their minds are unique only to themselves and their ideas will grow to be unique and special. Students

understand that making connections (schema) means relating prior knowledge of ideas they have learned or experienced that are unique only to

them.

The Visualizing Flower box contains useful words that assist students when speaking and/or writing about pictures playing in their minds

(visualizations).

The rake represent questions students ask to find out what they do not know. I explain how the rake leaves gaps in the dirt, just like not knowing

answers to questions leaves empty spaces in our thoughts. The Questioning Flower box contains useful words that assist students to ask questions about

what they do not know.

The hoe represents information that is spread out throughout the story that students needs to gather just like dirt after the seed is planted. The

Inferring box contains useful words that assist students to speak and write about the “big idea” or making “predictions”

about the story.

The shovel represents “digging for the meaning” that the author wants students to know. Each shovel contains an everyday sight word that

students use to write their stories.

The watering can represents a pouring in of any new ideas students have created after reading text or listening to the teacher

read-aloud. Just as we water plants to sustain their growth, we replenish our mind with new ideas that we have created.

1. Students begin by putting on tool belts that contain tactile tools that will help them plant their “Literacy Garden.”

2. Students Sing A SongI Have A Belt of Tools

(tune of Mary Had A Little Lamb)I have a belt of tools, belt of tools, belt of tools. I have a belt of tools, I bring to school everyday.

The first tool helps me make connections about what I already know. The second tool helps me visualize and make pictures in my mind.

The third tool helps me dig for meaning about what the author wants me to know. The fourth tool helps me to ask questions about what I do not know.

3. In a Lab Classroom setting, the Literacy Coach and teacher begin by asking students what they already know about the subject at hand. Teachers read aloud and working collaboratively, difficult vocabulary

that has several meanings is discussed.

4. Integrating technology by utilizing a video projector connected to a computer, enhances students visual and auditory senses. While

incorporating large motor skills, students use their bodies to act out new and difficult words to promote each child’s development and

understanding.

5. Choral reading and acting out the words greatly enhances student understanding.

6. After reading aloud, the teacher models by drawing a picture of what is playing in their minds.

7. Students then turn to talk to a partner about their visualizations and connections they have made with the text. They share the movie that is

playing in their mind.

8. All students must share their thoughts with the teacher and classmates before beginning their drawings and writings on paper.

Students draw the visualizations they have in their mind with crayons, markers or colored pencils.

9. Informal Teacher-made Rubric Visualizing

• Hot Air Balloon- Exceptional! Beyond the Standard. Describes own mental images, usually visual; images are somewhat elaborated from the literal text or existing picture and help him/her to understand more that he/she would have without creating the images. May include some emotional images from connections they have made that enhance the meaning.

• Bunch of Balloons – Great Work! Meets the Standard, Describes some visual or other sensory images; may be tied directly to text or a description of the picture in the text

• One Balloon – Almost there! The student has not yet met the Standard. The student has drawn something that is not related to the text. No response or unsure what he/she is supposed to describe

Hot Air Balloon

Bunchof

Balloons

OneBalloon

10. Video gram EmailStudents choose their favorite writings and read or talk

about it into a camera. The video is sent home as a video gram email in an effort to keep parents apprised of their

child’s literacy progress.

11. Finally, everyone cleans up and returns their tool belts to the wheel barrow.

PLANTING SEEDS

Students plant seeds in an effort to integrate literacy and science because it is best practice. This integration provides

developmentally appropriate practices and a hands-on experience.

Literacy Garden

The culminating integrated science and literacy project of “Planting the Literacy Garden” is when students plant their

seedlings outside.

Outcomes for Session

• NAEYC Standards• Comprehension Strategies• Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop• Lab Classroom Setting• Integrate Technology• Developmentally Appropriate • Assessment: Informal Teacher made rubrics• Formal: Running Records/PALS/DIBELS• Parental involvement

Relevant Research

• National Boards for Early Childhood Certification• Harvey and Goudvis “Strategies That Work”• Ellin O. Keene, “Mosaic of Thought”• PEBC (Public Education and Business Coalition)• Reading Lady National Website• Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory• East Bay Educational Collaborative• Feldgus and Cardonic; Kid Writing

•Kinder Squirt/Planting A Literacy GardenThis site has downloadable worksheets and strategies teachers can utilize when teaching K-2 students comprehension strategies developed by Michele Polselli.

•Carleworks- Using books by Eric Carle, a powerpoint presentation was created to be used with literacy lessons that address state and national GLE’s while integrating technology.

•Mosaic Listserve Teaching ToolsThis site has downloadable worksheets and lesson plans created by teachers across the nation as they teach their students comprehension strategies developed by Ms. Keene. Readinglady.com recognizes “Planting A Literacy Garden” as a teaching tool for comprehension strategies.

•Mosaic ListserveProfessionals joining this list serve engage in conversations with K-12 colleagues across the nation who are using best practices in teaching comprehension strategies to their students.

Evidence of Success

Contacts

• Michele A. Polselli• Kindergarten Teacher• Melville Elementary School• Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871• 401-683-1650• mpolselli@cox.net• http://polsellikindergarten.tripod.com• http://carleworks.tripod.com

Implementation Activities

• This comprehension lesson about giraffes utilizes the book of poems “Animals, Animals” by Eric Carle. The poem about giraffes, written by Mary Anne Hoberman on pages 48-49, is the basis of this lesson and is located here at this online site Carleworks.tripod.com

• I begin by utilizing tools from “Planting A Literacy Garden” to assist students to become better readers and writers. Using the internet, a video projector connected to a computer and our tool belts, students can develop the comprehension skills necessary to visualize and make connections using schema.