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meeha/ece/tx - Hi! Welcome to this evening's early childhood chat!
peach10 - is there a topic tonight
meeha/ece/tx - peach, tonite is another "open topic" night -- any suggetions to get us started?
peach10 - how about skills and assessments
Denise - Skills and assessments sounds good.
meeha/ece/tx - skills and assessments ... determining where children are at any given point in time, how much progress they have made, and where to go next? Does that sound about right?
Denise - Yes, we are using the Developmental Reading Assessment this year and it has been a new experience for me.
peach10 - yes, but also in relationship to curriculum
peach10 - How do you like it Denise
meeha/ece/tx - When you talk 'assessment' it means something quite different than the level at which I assess my special needs preschoolers!
meeha/ece/tx - How does the DRA work, Denise? Do you use running records? specifically graded (for challenge) text? sight word calling or comprehension? What are the 'benchmarks' withiin Developmental Reading Assessment?
peach10 - meeha, are you required to do IEP's
cw - thanks, this is just what i needed. anyone using Lexia?
meeha/ece/tx - peach -- yes ... at present I have 18 children with IEPs in my classroom.
Denise - The DRA is a running record.
peach10 - oh my goodness, you have tons of paper work then
meeha/ece/tx - cw -- what is Lexia?
peach10 - the computer program cw
meeha/ece/tx - There is a lot ... but we have the system down fairly well now ... still fine-tuning!
Denise - There is a comprehension part also. At this point in first grade we expect them to be on a level 12. and at a 16 by the end of first grade.
cw - is't a computurized assesment, it covers phonics and decoding, sight words and reading comprehension, all done on a computer
meeha/ece/tx - What does everyone teach? I work with special needs preschool aged children.
peach10 - yes Cw, we started using it last year
Denise - I teach a regular first grade class room.
peach10 - Kindergarten
ruthie - I work with full-day kindergarten students
cw - peacxh10, howdo you like it so far?, i teach first
milymo/oh/2 - I teach 2nd.
peach10 - I like it and much easier to keep records
meeha/ece/tx - ruthie -- what kind of literacy assessment tool do you use with your students?
cw - how do you get the kids ready in between testing sessions?
peach10 - at the beginning of the year we test as far as the child can go
meeha/ece/tx - Kindergarten through Second grades in Texas use TPRI ... Texas Primary Reading Index ... I can't tell you much about it except that it is done 1:1 with each student several times a year!
peach10 - and we do the assessment at the end of the year
meeha/ece/tx - Hi Melissa! welcome to this evening's early childhood chat!
ruthie - We have our own district leveled assessments for letter identification and consonant sound assessment.
Melissa - hi thanks...this is my first timeI have open house tommorrow....
peach10 - we use Saxon Phonics and our own reading/language arts
Denise - Does anyone have help in the room during the assessments? That is the hard part for me, finding a quiet time/place while watching the others.
Melissa - and i need a quick activity(sometihing they can do in an hour or so)
Melissa - I would like it to be something that can sit on their desks since our walls are full
peach10 - we have para-professionals in Kindergarten but not first and up
Denise - We used the TPRI also last year. This year we are using the PAPI and it is less time consuming.
Melissa - any ideas?
meeha/ece/tx - The teachers on our campus are fortunate ... administrators are supportive enough to pay for one or two days of substitute teacher support each time they have to do it (3 time a year!)
Denise - Subs! That would really help.
peach10 - That is great meeha
meeha/ece/tx - Melissa ... what age students do you work with? Is there a "theme" for you open house?
Melissa - 1st grade..no theme
cw - central office decided that out test could only be given by certified personnel.....parapros could cover your class while you test...
Melissa - but it needs to be lang arts related
Denise - How long will the parents visit in the room?
Melissa - 1 hour
meeha/ece/tx - Do you have writing samples from the children early in the year? (A story they wrote, a journal page ...) Could they write a story/book and illustrate it tomorrow?
Melissa - maybe an extension of a read aloud....or a self made book....I'm stressed
Melissa - his is my first year..can you tell?
meeha/ece/tx - hi, Steph! welcome to this evening's early childhood chat!
cw - hey, how about a self portrait accompanied by a writing piece describing what they wish to be,
Steph - what is the spanich word for dinner?
peach10 - they cover our classes also cw, we do have to admin the test
cw - sena or comida
Melissa - meeha...did that!....
bette/tx - evening
Melissa - i would like a little project
Denise - How about a riddle book that they could share? See if the parents can get the answers?
milymo/oh/2 - Melissa - how about a scavenger hunt for things in the classroom and around the school. Ex. Show your parents the story you are reading? Find your favorite book in the library corner. Find the PTA table. Etc...
cw - oh. i thought we were the only ones
Melissa - i feel like I have boring stuff comapred to other teachers
bette/tx - if i leave fast ..it is because i have problems in the this room
bette/tx - hello milymo ltns
Melissa - hmmm denise
peach10 - I wish they could give it cw
bette/tx - milymo that is a cute idea
Melissa - this is going so fast
peach10 - Hi bette
cw - do the kids have journals or writing folders that you could put out for parents to enjoy reading?
meeha/ece/tx - Steph -- I think "cenar" may be the word for dinner ... or possibly you could use 'comida de la tarde' --
bette/tx - hello peach
Melissa - milymo...I'm doing that
Steph - How about the spanich word for bed and I take a shower or bathe?
Melissa - but I also want a project
Melissa - of some sort
milymo/oh/2 - Thanks... Got the idea from a kindergarten teacher!
bette/tx - melissa a self portait is cute and a short story or drawings of favorite items
cw - do the kids have journals or writing folders that you could put out for parents to enjoy reading?la cama and Yo me tomo un bano
bette/tx - bath = bano
Melissa - cw yeah..but I still feel boring
meeha/ece/tx - Melissa ... have the kiddos write directions to make their favorite food ... then write five things about the person who makes it for them!
Denise - My kids had done a comparison of their dads to some animal...My dad is like a beaver because he is always busy. My dad is like a porqupine because he needs to shave. etc.
Denise - My kids had done a comparison of their dads to some animal...My dad is like a beaver because he is always busy. My dad is like a porqupine because he needs to shave. etc.
Denise - My kids had done a comparison of their dads to some animal...My dad is like a beaver because he is always busy. My dad is like a porqupine because he needs to shave. etc.
Steph - anyone know?
cw - parents LOVE to read their kids thought, it shows what you have been doing and shows a child's improvement in many areas
bette/tx - meeha i did that in prek....for mothers day....how thier mother made their favorite food
cw - steph, what was your question?
meeha/ece/tx - Steph -- Spanish is the spelling ... do you have a text book? a web site? un diccionario? (in whih to look)?
Melissa - wow nice ideas
Melissa - thanks
peach10 - make nests using chow mein noodles and chocolate bark, add jelly beans for eggs
Steph - what the word in spanish is for "I bathe" and the word for "bed"
Denise - Sorry, did not mean to do that.
milymo/oh/2 - You could have them do a glyph about themselves and have the parents try to guess what child is theirs.
Steph - nope no dictionary
cw - bed: la cama I bathe: Yo me tomo un bano
Melissa - I have no where to hang anything
meeha/ece/tx - Melissa ... it is tough being the new teacher on the block (or hall) Don't beat yourself up!
Steph - thanks cw
bette/tx - here steph http://members.aol.com/alvareze/spanish/frame.html
cw - Melissa, sometimes less is more...
Steph - alright last question..."I take"
Melissa - I just feel like I'm being compared...especially on these nights
Melissa - cw you think?
meeha/ece/tx - Have the kiddos do a self-portrait and write about 'when they were little' ... always some interesting 'memories' there!
Melissa - I want a little soemthing that doesnt lay flat on their tables...a project incorporating lan\g arts
cw - well that's just a natural feelinmg, but you just focus on your room that night, take time to reflect where you have taken these children, the experiences that you've shared that no one else knows, the kids don't know or care how long we have been teaching...
meeha/ece/tx - Melissa -- you know the children ... you care about what is happening ... just go with what happens! It will be okay!
bette/tx - melissa how about something in a shoe box?
peach10 - Make bird nests and relate it to a story,
Melissa - yeah if it wasn't tommorrow...I havent collected shoe boxes
Melissa - yeah if it wasn't tommorrow...I havent collected shoe boxes
Denise - How about a mobile that hangs?
Melissa - /spring type story?
bette/tx - peach10 the one that someone just said with the chow main noodles
meeha/ece/tx - Are children coming with parents? Will you have centers out (learning stations)? Can the kiddos share their favorite times of the day ... and learning activities ... with parents?
milymo/oh/2 - Read RENCHENKA'S EGGS and have them dye an egg.
meeha/ece/tx - Are children coming with parents? Will you have centers out (learning stations)? Can the kiddos share their favorite times of the day ... and learning activities ... with parents?
Denise - Could relate to their favorite book or to their family or to anything you are working on now.
