Writing to Learn About Teen Decision Making

Hello Students
Today our lesson focuses on writing about a very important topic.

You are going to develop your writing skills using the RAFT prompt methods developed by Santa and Havens (1995).

RAFT means

R - Role (who is the writer? what is the role of the writer?)
A - Audience (to whom are you writing?).
F - Format (What format should the writing be e.g. is it persuasive writing, a letter, poem.
e-mail, diary entry, report, post card, brochure, newspaper article or invitation?)
T - Topic (what are you going to write about?)

1. The Topic we are going to write about is "Decision Making"

2. Look at the video below and think carefully about what you will See and Hear.

3. Use the design of the writing prompt above and create, write and post your work in the comment box.



Your Teacher
Mrs. Victoria Cunningham

Reading Diagnosis - Conclusion

After the diagnostic process, the teacher has to make qualitative decisions on how to best address the reading needs of each child. the child's frustration, instructional and capacity reading levels would have been identified. Note how the teacher uses his data to make appropriate decisions.

Victoria Cunningham

Reading Diagnosis - Part 3

Observe carefully how the teacher ascertain the child's level of comprehension. Aren't videos a wonderful and quick way to help teachers achieve their objectives? Think of how much time has been saved by simply viewing the video on how this process works.

Victoria Cunningham

Reading Diagnosis - Part 2

Observe carefully how the process of using an Informal Reading Inventory continues as the teacher interacts with the student to diagnose his reading levels.

Victoria Cunningham

Reading Diagnosis - Part 1

It is important that teachers put students at ease before they begin to diagnose them. This would involve getting to know about what interest them the most. If they are comfortable and begin to trust you, the results of your diagnosis is likely to be reliable. Note how the teacher gets to know the child he about to perform a reading diagnostic test. Also note the value of using videos as a teaching tool for Reaidng Specialists.

Victoria Cunningham

Diagnosing Struggling Form 1 Readers for the New School Year - An Introduction

Many teachers are concerned about the low assessment scores of students entering form one in September 2010. They fear and anticipate problems since many content area teachers are not equipped to teach students with reading difficulties.

For schools who are privileged to have Reading Specialists in training, it may be best to perform a diagnostic test in reading to ascertain each student level of reading so necessary remediation can begin as soon as possible. A group of teachers can be trained to conduct the test.

An ideal assessment tool which can be used is an Informal Reading Inventory (IRI). Note however, there are several of these assessment tools available. To help other members of staff see how it can be done I have located an interesting ICT tool - a series of Videos that can assist with the process.

Victoria Cunningham

Vitamin E-Books in Schools

You Reading Specialist out there, what do you think about E-books in schools? With all the fascinating features it offers to both teachers and students, maybe the Ministry of Education can contemplate replacing traditional texts books with electronic ones.

These are some of the benefits I can think of that I would like to share on this blog.

1. Less cost to tax payers, because buying all the texts books for student to use from infants to standard 5 is a lot. Furthermore the cost for secondary books from form 1 to form 6 is even more.
2. Electronic copies of all the texts students require can fit on a single e-book. Which means the heavy book bags on our children's backs can be eliminated.
3. E-books can also store dictionaries and thesaurus.
4. Students can store fiction and non-fiction books and select any book they require at any time.
5. Many students can read the same book at the same time. No need to wait until the book is returned to the library.
6. Students always have their libraries for reference when they need it.

I can go on and on and I am also sure additional benefits may be added. Therefore I am of the view that serious consideration ought to be given to this venture . However, it should not be done haphazardly and in isolation but rather within a theoretical framework and contextual needs of cost efficiency and proper planning. Using e-books is not beyond our students, but is a motivating tool that can be used to foster and encourage reading the way traditional texts are unable to. Hence, our students can be trained very early to use and care for the e-books to get the most benefits from them.