TC Name: Heather Taylor

RICA Domain: Domain 4 “Vocabulary, Academic Language, and Background Knowledge”

RICA Competency: Competency 11:Vocabulary, Academic Language, and Background Knowledge: Instruction and Assessment 

Grade Level: Kindergarten 

Any Additional Descriptors: Mainstream with three EL Students

INSTRUCTION:

I observed Mrs. X teaching her students vocabulary, academic language and background knowledge. The day I observed her lesson on certain vocabulary, Mrs. X, was focusing on the word “run.” The students are presented with a new word every day.  Mrs. X presents the word to the class during their morning meeting. She firsts asks the students if they know what the word means, then she uses it in a simple sentence, for example, “I like to run.” She then writes the sentence on the board so her students can visually see what the word looks like. Mrs. X also models the word. This is key to helping her EL students and struggling readers to better grasp the word of the day. Later during the day, the students participate in their centers. One of the centers is a reading center where the students are re-introduced to the word of the day. In this observation, the students read the short story, “I Like to Run!” The students read along with the teacher and were directed to circle “run” every time it appeared in the story. At the end of the story there was an activity page to further their understanding of the word “run.” In this short story, the activity was to trace the sentence, “I like to run.” They were also tasked to circle and match “run” to “run” that were written in two separate columns.  By having the children actually use the word in activities such as writing sentences, Mrs. X helps improve their understanding even more. From activating background knowledge in the beginning of the lesson to reading a story that incorporates the word on every page, and finally having the students use the word “run” on their activity page, Mrs. X comes full circle in her instructional activities to support what students have learned. 

Mrs. X, also has her students’ “rainbow” (AKA sight) words posted on the white board. Every week students are tested on a different colored column of words. As the weeks go on, the words get harder and more challenging. In order for her students to learn these words, Mrs. X uses them in similar activities such as the one described in the “I like to Run!” short story. She also makes sure to read her students books that incorporate these sight words as well. 

INSTRUCTIONAL SETTING:

Mrs. X has a variety of support for her students to learn key vocabulary in her classroom. For example, she has her sight words posted on her white board. These words are kept there all year. Additionally, whenever there is a new word presented she writes it on the board in big, visible, letters for the students to reference throughout the day.