Project Title: Teaming for Success

Columbia Middle School Columbia School District Contact: Mike Taylor mtaylor@csd.wednet.edu 835 Maple Burbank, WA 99323 (509) 545 8571

Population	Special Educ	504	Title I/LAP	ESL
227	28	1	45	3

 

 

Learning Models Developed at Columbia Middle School

Lynn Fulton, a 7th grade Language Arts/Reading teacher from Columbia Middle School, adapted this study guide example and individualized spelling program from Wilson Anderson and Joan C. Stoner's model demonstrated by Wilson during a professional development training session.

Instructions for developing a study guide:

• List from reading material vocabulary words that the students need to know.
• Divide the vocabulary words into syllables.
• Students will write the correct definition and use the word in a sentence.
• Write a focus statement so the students will understand the assignment.
• Write study questions based only on the material studied.

Study guide example:

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From Exploring the Titanic
By Robert D. Ballard
Study Guide

Focus statement:

We will be reading a portion of a non-fiction account of the sinking of the Titanic. Many of you have seen the movie Titanic and others of you have heard about the movie. When you read this story you will want to look for differences between the movie account and the facts. We will be discussing the differences between fact and opinion and non-fiction and fiction. When we complete this selection we will be watching the documentary film about the sinking of the Titanic so we may again compare how different people present information for different audiences.

Vocabulary:

ac com mo da tions
a.

b.

dazzl ed
a.

b.

Study Questions:

1. Everyone believed that the Titanic was unsinkable. How could this have contributed to the sinking of the Titanic?

2. Who are the young people that the writer is telling about in the story? What do you learn about them?

Fact and Opinion
When you have finished reading this piece, list at least three parts of the story that you feel are opinion and three that are facts.

Fact	Opinion
1.	1.
2.	2.
3.	3.

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Individualized Spelling Lists

Spelling Procedures:

I. All students start with 100 points and an A.
2. Words for each student's spelling list comes from the autobiography they write at
the beginning of the year.
3. Each student is given a baseline spelling test 1-3rd grade words. For some
students the missed words stay on their list.
4. Tests may be Tuesday or Thursday or Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
depending on schedule for the week.
5. Students are paired and test each other. If a student does not correct properly,
they lost 5 points.
6. After students spell words correctly five times, words that they missed from their
writings are added to their list, so each student always has ten words.
7. If students do not miss any words from their writings, science, social studies or
challenge words are used for lists.
8. Students are tested randomly to check for retention of all the words.

Lynn's comments about individualized spelling:

• Lynn has checked with other teachers and correct spellings are being used in other subjects, so the skill is transferring.
• The procedure originally took time to setup but now does not take any longer than correcting weekly spelling tests.
• Students use dictionaries more when writing so misspelled words will not appear on their spelling lists. Some students cannot pronounce words, learn new words and their meanings.
• Students were asked if they liked the old way of spelling lists and tests or the new way. The majority of them wrote in their journals that they like the new method because the words are their words so their have more meaning to them and they get to interact with other students more when they give and take a test.

 

Reference: C. Wilson Anderson, Jr. Education Consultants of the Midwest, Inc. 2812 SW Osborn Rd. Topeka, Kansas 66614-2438 cwajr@compuserve.com (785) 271-6668

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Directory of Programs

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This article is in the public domain and can be freely copied and used in trainings as handouts at parent and community meetings, and in creating your school or district programs. (Please cite all sources of materials you use.)

This information is provided by:
Office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Special Education
P O Box 47200
Olympia, WA 98504-7200
(360) 725-6088
Fax (360)586-1631
E-mail: dgill@ospi.wednet.edu