Portfolio of Jan Abernethy

1c Setting Instructional Outcomes 

 

Instructional outcomes for one student do not always look exactly the same as they do for another. Similarities include growth at the students ability level, learning using students' interests, encouragement from peers and adults, and learning to work with peers. The place I best meet this goal with my students is in their reading response projects. Each week, we read a story from the basal together as a whole class, then we break into leveled reading groups and read a short novel with the same theme. Students have a goal sheet that lists assignments they need to do to practice the week's skills we are learning. While the teacher(s) are working with the leveled groups the rest of the students are working on their goals. When their goals are done, they begin their reading response project.

 

What is the reading response project? Students have the opportunity to respond to the stories we read that week in any way they choose. They may choose to respond to the story in the basal or the story in the leveled reader. They may choose to work alone, or they may choose to work with a partner or in a small group. They may choose to create a Power Point or they may choose to create a play. The key word is CHOICE. The topic the students choose to do their project on is pretty open, too. While we are reading, students often take notes about things they wonder about. Often when they have come to read with me, it is their second reading, and they already know what they are going to do for their project. I used to worry when a student showed up with a laptop or iPad for reading group that thSo ey weren't paying attention. I eventually learned it was the opposite. They were taking notes for their project. Some may look at this as a bad thing, but students excited about learning something....anything? students taking charge of their own learning? learning about what they want to learn about? I feel this can only be good.

 

Student responses are varied based on ability, interest, and time. Some students are pulled during reading for intensive RTII instruction, but they still want to "do a project." Their projects may be shorter or less involved for this reason. Some weeks students have more time, other times students are so excited about their projects they edmodo them home to work on them and make them even better. The most important thing to know is that the project is not mandatory; it is not graded; there is no set topic they are required to stick to; they may use any medium they choose; and last but not least, rarely is there a student who does not participate and create a project.

 

So you may say, why am I putting this under this category? The category is "Setting Instructional Outcomes" and what I am describing is anything but setting instructional outcomes. It's more like, let the kids loose and let them set their own outcomes. As a matter of fact, don't even make a rubric for it. For that matter, don't even grade it. As you look through my portfolio, you will see plenty of examples that show I do set standards, I do write rubrics, and I do give grades, but honestly, I am most proud of my students' outcomes when I do none of those. 

 

Below you will see examples of student growth from the beginning of the year to near the end of the year. You will see a maturation in writing expression, a depth in topic exploration and in some cases use of more intricate tools. Below the growth examples, I have given a variety of ways students have chosen to respond to text. You can find more by  going to the blog.