I found this chapter interesting and challenging, in some ways. In my experience, most of my students are past this stage in 5th grade but for those of them who are not, they are content with asking a neighbor how to spell a word or just misspelling it rather than trying to actually grasp the pattern or rules for why it is spelled a certain way.
My frustration comes with my students not particularly caring about being a competent speller. They spell like they talk and like they see their parents text and seem to think that I am a five-headed monster for expecting them to actually take pride in their written work and spell words correctly.
I think I will have to find more time (yeah right!) to focus on the word sorts to teach these critical skills. I just wish someone could simplify my classroom and group them accordingly to just allow me to get a grasp on what I should be doing and when I should be doing it. It is quite overwhelming for a 1st year teacher with 7 SPED students, 2 EIP students and 2 behavior disorders in a regular end classroom teaching all of the content areas. I just can't seem to keep ahead.
Try to find an experienced caring teacher to help you get over the hump. At least now you know what the situation is and perhaps you can use the summer to get organized for next year.
ReplyDeleteDid you give your students the "Word Assessment"? This would help you get an Idea of how to group them. I gave my assessment to a 4th grade class and they fell into 3 distinct groups. Good luck.
WOW, I think it is awesome that your students are PAST this stage by the fifth grade. I wonder how their learning will progress in the future. In my county, we have a number of students at the middle and high school level that are stull operating in this transitional stage. I wonder if they were in this stage in the fifth grade as well. I guess it would mean that as middle and high school teachers, we aren't doing much to move them along in their learning process. :(
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you feel so overwhelmed...I always felt that way when I first started teaching. I think that the problem you are haing with students not caring about their work is something that we are going to face more and more as the years go by. Spelling like they talk and spelling like they text are difficult to overcome, especially if you do not have the support of the parents. Unfortunately, a lot of students don't realize that they can't type a resume in "text-lingo" and expect to get a decent job after high school.
ReplyDeleteI too feel overworked and underpaid. As a special education teacher, it is easy to become frustrated. You are doing a wonderful job. You just have to keep motivated and incorporate the sorts in the class. Since I began this class, I have learned that it really helps the students to become better readers. True, my students have a long way to go, but we are off to a good start.
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