Printables and books

Today was another good day for Peter Pan class, although Gary didn't have a great start. Actually, we had a good day but we all didn't have a great start. I often try to do too much. In this Teacher Jojo helps me a lot. For one thing, she helps me keep focused on things that you and the school find important, the schedule and the books. She teaches me the reasons why these things are important. She also gives me some flexibility to expand the scope of what the children learn. We both believe that everything the children need to learn doesn't come out of books.

Anyway, I tried to do too many things in the first lesson. The dance class comes right after, and I always find my self in a rush on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, so maybe I rushed some explanations this morning. It worked out all right in the end.

We had a reading test today, and almost everyone impressed me with their abilities. Some need practice with their reading tests, but we will get some spare time to help them later (right now we need to help those who fell behind when they took some time of at the beginning of the semester). I would like to tell you about Nado's reading test. I often tell you about Nado and I hope you don't feel I have favourites. I use Nado as an example, because he learns in a non-standard way. Someone at home obviously helped Nado practice for the test. He said the sentences very well and pointed to the words as he said them. However the words he pointed to were not always the words that he said. On one sentence he mixed up the word order, but didn't change the meaning of the sentence. I think he practice to say the sentences, even though he did not know how to read the words. Although this is not perfect, it is really great and complements his learning and thinking. He is smart, he can remember the sentences, he understands the meanings and he can talk well, so it shows how he can talk. Sometimes we will do things in a non-standard way, ways that are imperfect. But as a teacher of mine once said, "Fake it until you make it."

While I did the reading test with the students, I had them finish their books and color-in their printables. They may have brought them home to show you.

Before lunch, Teacher Jojo and I had a discussion. Teacher Jojo feels that the books are very difficult for the children and maybe if we had extra things (flashcards, props and real items) the children will be able to remember the words better. I take a slightly different view. The books are meant to be used for students from a different cultural background. When they view the items in the book, they are not learning new things, but identifying the items to the sounds and the letters. The words in many of the books are taken out of context and are not intended to be used to teach content, but the sounds and letters. It is virtually impossible to learn the world alphabetically. So I draw on the students prior knowledge if they know the items, we all name the items, and them use the sounds as the book intents them to be used. It means that not all the items that the students come across in one will be remember, but some will. What the students do get out of the exercise is an opportunity to learn and practice their listening skills and their phonic awarness. For example, an interaction with Nado:

Teacher Glen: What's this?
Nado: It's a boy.
Teacher Glen: Does boy start with 'B'?
Nado: BBB, /b/ /b/ /b/. Yes.

I take this view because of what I believe is important in education. I also try to move beyond the books and expand the children's world. Teacher Jojo agrees, but understands your desires better. So if you can helps us. What do you think? What do you want us to do?


We played a game as we prepare for the spelling test, and I think everyone had fun doing that. The test itself was interesting again this week and I will use two of our exemplary students. Nado obviously didn't get as much help with his spelling test as he did with his reading test. However, I said the words slowly and he identified the sounds and was able to spell many of the words. Sean, how knows how to spell, forgot how to spell one word and refused to go on. Oh, well.