Leah Davis~Reading Specialist

Writing in the Content Areas Just as reading is a thinking process, writing is a student’s thinking in print (Koppelman, 2017, p.176).  Informal Writing~ draft stage writing, quick or brief responses; examples include: exit tickets, journal entries, quick writes, etc Formal Writing~ Essays, analysis including lengthy projects that are usually evaluated through rubric   Technology in the Content Areas Connecting disciplines Making topics more real Encourages collaboration Promotes inquiry and data sharing Encourages higher level thinking Deepens understanding of research Encourages questions, not answers Promotes inquiry Social context learning Encourages discussion at a variety of levels Critical and Creative Thinking Problem based learning Real life investigations 1st person experiences Inquiring minds Oral history project Poetry, Music, Drama, and Art Poetry Acrostic Cinquain Diamante D...

Rethinking Dyslexia At the beginning of the summer, I was a student in training for an approach to teaching students with dyslexia called, Take Flight , offered through Texas Scottish Rite Hospital. This was the most intense eleven days of learning and training in all my years of education. Having been a reader from a very young age, I truly had no recollection of actually learning to read or the techniques used to teach me. As a teacher, I felt that any student, with or without dyslexia, could learn to read if they “just found the right book for them”. The TSRH instruction I received was very humbling and eye-opening. This video, The Big Picture, is completely inline with everything I learned through Texas Scottish Rite Hospital. More specifically, I was required to read numerous pieces of text by Sally Shaywitz. Although I have always had a heart geared to the struggling reader, my passion was renewed as I completed this training. All professional participants brought sever...

Comprehension The constuctivist’s theory maintains the belief that students construct knowledge by connecting new knowledge to what they already know. This concept follows the schema-based learning development which suggests that learning takes place when prior knowledge is activated. We learn through multiple literacies that activate different types of learning. Guiding Thinking Readers need to be thinkers in order to connect and interact with the selected text. Self-questioning, monitoring or clarifying, and visualization can be utilized to enhance learning. Question and answer relationships I wonder statements Paired questioning KWL and KWLS Guided imagery and guided gallery Extending Thinking It is valuable to extend knowledge beyond text to real-world application and connections. Bio and narrative pyramid Paired summarizing Sketch to stretch Discussion web QUIP (questions into paragraphs) Evaluative questioning Venn diagram ...

Introduction to Ed6313 My fur baby, Reba! She is now a year old. I will post more pics of Reba soon! Leah learner Inquisitive, compassionate, stubborn, dedicated Lover of family, friends, and education Who enjoys reading, swimming, and napping Who believes in a student’s ability to achieve Who wanted to make a difference, leave a legacy, and encourage the positives in life Who uses tenacity, patience, and variety to reach her students Who gave us books, encouragement, and love Who said, “I may not always like you, but I’ll ALWAYS love you!” Davis