When helping out in the classroom or working with your child, a great way to encourage thinking is to ask them open-ended questions and provide opportunities for them to "think."
Good questions, and good listening, will help children make sense of the skills/strategies they are learning, build self-confidence and encourage deeper thinking and communication. A good question opens up a problem and supports different ways of thinking about it. The best questions are those that cannot be answered with a "yes" or a "no."
Getting Started What do you need to find out? What do you know now? How can you get the information? Where can you begin? What terms do you understand/not understand? What similar problems have you solved that would help?
While Working How can you organize the information? Can you make a drawing (model) to explain your thinking? What are other possibilities? What would happen if...? Can you describe an approach (strategy) you can use to solve this? What do you need to do next? Do you see any patterns or relationships that will help you solve this? How does this relate to...? Why did you...? What assumptions are you making?
Reflecting about the Solution How do you know your solution (conclusion) is reasonable? How did you arrive at your answer? How can you convince me your answer makes sense? What did you try that did not work? Has the question been answered? Can the explanation be made clearer?
Responding (helps clarify and extend their thinking) Tell me more. Can you explain it in a different way? Is there another possibility or strategy that would work? Is there a more efficient strategy? Help me understand this part ...
Where have all the desks gone?
At first glance, walking into our room, you may be wondering, “Where
are all the desks?” I am VERY excited to say that I use an idea to really
target the ways in which students learn best, and to create a classroom based
on their learning styles. This letter is a way to help explain what I am doing
and why I am doing it.
So what exactly
am I doing?
When you walk into our room it is obvious that there are not
enough desks for each child; however, if you look closely, you will notice that
there is PLENTY of room where your child can choose to work. Students will
self-select a work spot during each block of instructional time (Math Workshop,
Reading Workshop, Writing Workshop, Expedition Workshop). I call this “choice
seating”.Some children may choose
a table with several other children, while others may choose an independent
work spot, such as a desk, a bean bag or rocking chair, a stool, a pillow, or a
spot to lie on the floor using a clipboard.The amazing thing behind this idea is that your child,
through a series of mini lessons during the first part of the year, will be
given the responsibility to choose the spot where he/she can work most
successfully. This summer I have been in contact with teachers from across the
country that have implemented this style into their own classrooms and have had
HUGE successes with it. I am confident that your students will be successful,
too. I am excited to continue stepping “outside of the box” and chartering
these (mostly) untraveled waters. When I talked with students last year, I
realized that many of the students don’t really even LIKE sitting at their
desks most of the time. Instead, they prefer to sit under it, stand behind it,
or lie on the floor, and why not? Some of our best thinking is done lounging on
the couch at home!
I hope you will be just as excited as I am to see what a
positive impact this will have on your child’s success this year. I do realize
that this is a new concept for you. While I ask for patience in the beginning
(in order to work out any “kinks” that may arise) and time to allow me to teach
all of the lessons that go along with “choice seating,” I welcome your
feedback, questions or concerns as well.
Why am I
doing it?
The following
comes from The Learning Community @http://www.thelearningcommunity.us
What is a Learning Style?
We used to think
that everyone studied best in the same way —sitting alone quietly at a desk in
a well-lit room.Recently,
researchers have found that this “style” of acquiring new knowledge doesn’t
work for everyone.Some people
will remember a paragraph better if they read it while lying on the sofa rather
than sitting at a desk.Some
people will remember it better if they’re listening to music.The individual way in which each of us
learns best is our personal learning style.
Why is Learning Style Important?
Learning style is
more than a question of being physically comfortable while studying.A child who doesn’t study according to
his or her learning style will have trouble learning and retaining new
information.This mismatch not
only affects your child’s performance, but also his or her attitude toward
learning.In other words, learning
style relates to your child’s motivation.
It’s important to
remember that children can learn almost any subject matter if it’s taught in a
matter consistent with their learning style.By the same token, when learning style is ignored, your
child’s chances of failing increase substantially.By supporting your child’s learning style, you help make
learning easier and more enjoyable—a rewarding, lifelong pursuit for your
child.
What is my child’s learning style?
Notice the way
your children study.Do they like
to study in front of the television or with music?Do they close the door to their rooms and disappear for an
hour or two?If it works, don’t
try to change your child’s routine.It may seem hard to believe that your child is actually learning, but
remember, you may have a very different learning style.
Learning styles
can change.In fact, most children
start out with a more global learning style and move into an analytical style
(analyzing everything) as they get older.But this doesn’t mean that your child will eventually end up at a desk.
What happens when my child goes to school?
This is an
important question, because your child’s learning style doesn’t change just
because he or she leaves home.It
is essential that your child’s classroom teacher take different learning styles
into account in order to meet each child’s needs.
***One way to
determine whether your child’s teacher supports different learning styles is to
notice how the classroom is set up.It should at least recognize the difference between global and analytic
learners, for example, by offering different seating arrangements.One area may have traditional desks,
another may have rugs, pillows, or beanbag chairs.***
The key is whether
the classroom offers a variety of environments.Such a classroom will be divided into different areas so
that children with one learning style can study in one area without interfering
with children in another area where a different learning style is being
supported.
Smiles &
Peace, Carla
Many thanks to Mrs. Poovey & Mrs. Kilefor the framework of this letter
Coaching Your Child When They
Get Stuck On A Word
1. Count to three
2. Ask, "Do you need coaching or time?"
Coaching;
*What strategy have you used?
*Go back and reread
*Skip the word and come back
*Chunk sounds together
*What word makes sense?
*Look at the pictures
*Tell them, "I am going to sound this word out
with you,"
*Tell them, "I am going to tell you the word."
Reading With Your Child
My favorite part of the school day is reading to the students right after lunch each day. It is a time I share some of my favorite books and we have great conversations about them. This is when I believe I do my best teaching of reading because I am lighting the fire of the love of books and reading. I hope you use these questions in the same way. Please don't go through them in a check-off manner. It isn't an interrogation...think more about talking about a great book you just read with your best friend. If your child doesn't remember the word resolution...no big deal...tell them - 'you know the problem was solved.' Use your own words and let things flow naturally...
Before reading, ask…
What can you predict about the story from the front and back cover of the book?
What does the title tell you about the story?
Who or what do you predict this story will be about? Why do you think so?
Where and when do you think the story will take place?
What other stories have you read that are like this one? In what ways?
Have you read anything else by this author? Do you see any similarities between this story and the author’s other stories?
What questions do you have about this story?
After reading the first chapter or part, ask…
Were you right about your prediction? How do you know?
What has the author told you about the main character? What does the character look like? Act like? Say? Think? Feel?
What do you think the problem or conflict will be in the story?
How do the illustrations contribute to the story?
What questions do you now have about this story?
What do you think is going to happen next in the story? Why?
During the reading, ask…
How is the setting important to the story?
Who are the minor characters in the story? How do they contribute to the plot?
What can we learn about the characters from what they say and do?
What is the relationship between the minor character(s) and the main character?
What problem(s) does the character have to solve?
What is the most important event in each chapter or section of the story?
Does the author make you want to keep reading? If so, how?
Did you make a picture in your mind while reading? Describe the picture and tell the words that helped to give you this picture.
Can you relate any part of this story to an event in your life?
How do you think the story will end?
What questions do you have about an event or character in the story?
What do you think is going to happen next in the story? Why?
After reading, ask…
• How accurate were your predictions? What clues did you miss when you made your predictions?
• How did the story end? How was the problem or conflict resolved?
• Did you like the ending of the story? Did you expect the story to end in that way? Would you have ended the story differently? How?
• What clues did the author use to create the ending of the story?
• How did the minor characters contribute to the ending of the story?
• What could be an alternative ending for this story?
• What was the most exciting/interesting part of the story?
• Was there a part of the story that you didn’t like or found disinteresting? How would you change it?
• How did the main character change during the story?
• In what ways can you relate to the characters?
• What words would you use to describe the characters in the story? How and when did the characters show these traits?
• How did the problems/conflicts contribute to the pace/humor/drama of the story?
• Why do you think the author chose this genre to tell the story?
• In what ways did the story fit the genre?
• How did the author’s writing style contribute to the telling of the story?
• How did the author use imagery to tell the story?
• How did the author use dialogue to tell the story?
• Would you use a different title if you were the author?
• What did the author make you think about as you read the story?
• What questions do you have for the author?
• How is this story like/unlike other stories you have read?
• What are some questions you would ask someone else who has read this story?
• Would you recommend this story to your friends and family members to read? Why or why not?
The contents of this sheet were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.