Here is a summary of my teaching practise from week 1 - week 5 of Term 2. This will also be my last report regarding my first target students.

Next week onward, I will be having different group of target students for all my target students will be moving to a new classroom with a new teacher next week. The reason behind this shift is because my class is getting bigger and bigger.

It is sad in some to see these learners left but from experience, I will be working together with the new teacher in filling in gaps in these learners’ learning.

However, at the beginning of this term, here is what I have set up and tried to change/adapt in terms of my teaching practise in order for my learners to achieve what I have identified as learning goals for them.

Achievement Challenge: Lift the achievement in writing for all students, with a particular focus on boys and Māori students.

Hypothesis: I think my learners’ problems are:

• they need to know ways of recording words in their story independently and with confidence.
• and they need to write more than one sentence for their story.

Hunch - That knowing how to use the resources in the classroom (eg. word wall, etc), and how to record new words (using of clapping hands to hear the dominant sounds) will accelerate progress in writing (eg. phonemic awareness).

How did I do this?

#1 When on a topic, put topic words on a board and display for the length of the study. Write words as the children say it, and keep them up only for the length of that study.

#2 Use 'storyboard’ to encourage writing more sentences for their story.

GOAL - end of the fourth week, target students will be able to enjoy writing using 3 sentences in their story independently.

Learning Experience

Learners to use ‘story board’ for planning and use pictures drawn to write their story, one sentence for one picture.

What did I do during the four week period?

• Students to draw pictures as their planning
• Students to create a story about those pictures and share it with a friend (3 different friend)
• Students to create one sentence for each picture (All sentences must be related to create a story)

What did I do differently?

• Learners to pick 3 different topic words from our display board and use those words to create a story - making one sentence for each word.
• Topic words display for the length of the study
• 10 mins conversation every morning was about the topic studied - learners to use topic words as they talk

What surprised me?

• I found 2 learners (VT and IM) motivated to write their story on their own. They were never in the past sat and wrote a story without disturbing others. Maybe with topic words provided, and having to work in a mixed ability group (with capable students) may have been the positive factors.
• Some learners use capital letters incorrectly most of the time - which is so different from what they told me before going off to write on their story - these learners (I  think) need to practise more of using capital letters.

Next Steps:

Continue to use ‘story board’ for children to write few sentences for their story.

Focus on some surface features - eg. capital letters, high frequency words to be written correctly etc.

Improve pace of their writing - practise writing a little bit faster (includes more time for handwriting)