Mel's PGC Blog 2023

My Inquiry Question: Will having a Strucutred Literacy focus in Instructional Reading , handwrtitng and Writing time help assist our learners with high learning needs show growth in attitiude, engagment, and data results Final assessment has been done for the year.  Although I am not especially caught up in Assessment as such it has been fantastic to see percentage shifts in Reading Accuracy and in Retell when I reviewed my Reading data.  A big group of tamariki made substantial gains within Reading and are really flying through the spelling patterns and heart words/fast words. Their oral language and abilty to encode and decode is astounding. I am so incredibly proud to say these children can read and should sustain their reading skills as they are embedded. Out of 22 children  (I do not count ORS Student and one student refused to be assessed) all moved in someway within Reading assessment. The top 6 student (our highest of needs) also succeeded. Their ability to Decod...

My Inquiry Question: Will having a Strucutred Literacy focus in Instructional Reading , handwrtitng and Writing time help assist our learners with high learning needs show growth in attitiude, engagment, and data results  A very busy yet rewarding term. For me, evaluating the impact has come from a range of sources- colleagues and children which is truly exciting. I feel that I have reviewed my delivery and my resources, in particular reading with the help of Rtlit. I needed to revisit my reading as I felt that because I was starting the journey with Jo and following her lead- then I took some big risks and started asking more questions of myself and what my students needed from me during the reading time. So our reading was quite textbook- far enough as we are following the script! However I feel these tactile and lower learners need more hands on visuals that could extend their oral language. I also needed to link in Handwriting better as the neatness I saw in HW wasn't coming ...

We are super happy with where we are tracking... Here is a few snapshots from our class. Phonic Assessment (Pink Term 1, Blue Term 2) Reading Accuracy   Writing (covering neatness, fluency, independence , fast feedback and JOY!)   Wellbeing I did three polls last week around Wellbeing and the connection to their learning in Literacy. Our class just loves to WRITE. If we dont it is like I have banned them from something like handball! What is fantasic is that all children Maori and European both have a very postive engagment with their skills and power to create! Whanau are noticing the improvment in engagement around Literacy and the books sent home. One parent even sadi- She is ACTUALLY reading the words not making them up! Planning ahead I feel that I want to keep on trucking. I have a handle on the assessment practises as well as my scripting when it comes to my Writing lessons and Reading Instruction. I will kepp learning and failing learning and failing along the wa...

  My Inquiry Question: Will having a Strucutred Literacy focus in Instructional Reading , handwrtitng and Writing time help assist our learners with high learning needs show growth in attitiude, engagment, and data results. Feedback, changes to ideas and resources to help me implement: I have been doing some great reading by professionals around structured Literacy. One particular source (Dyslexia Evidence based) really unpacks my journey well… Learning the code : This means developing the ability to decode and encode written forms of language. The focus is on the conventions of written language and the skills required to read and write letters, words and text. ‘Cracking the code’ is an exciting intellectual ch allenge for learners. Making meaning : This involves developing and using knowledge, strategies, and awareness in order to get and convey meaning when reading or writing. Thinking critically : This involves responding to texts at a personal level, reflecting on them, and fin...

 My Inquiry Question: Will having a Strucutred Literacy focus in Instructional Reading , handwrtitng and Writing time help assist our learners with high learning needs show growth in attitiude, engagment, and data results. The holidays allow me to retink and fine tune any workings...I spent alot of time relooking at my afternoon sessions and have developed some new ideas for my learners.I wanted that busy brain kinestic artistic vibe that work well with our high needs students with humour and catcy phrases that can draw in extension students...So Casey wins! Here are some picutres from our first Casey lesson...straight lines and butterfly eggs. This was very interstesting to watch as many students couldnt draw a straight line nor keep consitency with egg sizes. As a practioner it cements the fact of those early fine motor skills needed in ece and NE levels as well as the affect of neurological disorders affecting connections. With my new digital skills I was able to mesh some idea...

Observations have been ticking away. And within that I have started to create my thoughts and Inquiry for the year ahead. Not only am I considering our SG from our AOV but I have to think deeper and extend my new learning to the whole class.  I was lucky in the fact I was trusted to 'hand pick' my class. I  felt a real desire to seperate those children who I had already noticed as having real learnng in problems in the mainstream classroom. As a mum I alsways think what if that was my child? Is that teacher doing the best for my child at the presnt time? Are things resource/changes out there that could help those with high learnign needs without making them feel like they are different. This is important to me becasue I look araound everyday and internally I am stuggling with why and how they have got to this point. A: under radar? B: Resisilence? Resistance? C: Coping startgies such a micking, [parroting, behaviuor)...I dont know why and how they may have been missed but hope...

My Inquiry Question: Will having a Structured Literacy focus in Instructional Reading , handwrtitng and Writing time help assist our learners with high learning needs show growth in attitiude, engagment, and data results. SOOOOO...... My start... New Planning- Mixing YS, Sunshine and Helen Walls.This covers my WHOLE term of planning. A massive undertaking but hopefully in the long run creates a more effective way of reflecting and working through the weekly expectations   Reading: As per previous post it was importatnt to me to have my planning very structured and organised so it all matched the levels of learning that I had place children (using OTJ in first few weeks).  Using my new learning from Emma Nahnana I created a bookmark for my learners for books and eventually Ipads to show the consise process of learning. Now it was moving forward - gaining assessment. By refelcting on 2022, resrching , talking to RtLit I have used LLLL to create a  Reading Reco...