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Video 2

Kristen A- I liked the idea of doing formative assessments, where teachers are doing small check-ins with students. This means students can gain feedback and make immediate changes. One of the people in the video brought up how we often write feedback on a student’s paper, but then don’t always give them opportunities to re-write or redo the assignment before we end up moving on to the next thing. 

Assessment should be ongoing, varied, and used as a guide for the future instruction; it should not solely be seen as a way to grade students. In P.E. (especially at the elementary level) we use a lot of different types of observations to assess our students, but I also use self-assessments, peer feedback, reflections, exit slips, and rubrics. It is important to focus on the student’s overall growth and not just their performance in that one task or unit.             -Kailey B.

One key idea that stood out to me is that assessment should be ongoing and include different ways for students to show what they know. This is important because as an art teacher, I see that students express their learning through projects, critiques, and reflections, not just written tests. Using different types of assessment helps me better understand their creativity and growth. - Kaela S.

One key idea that I took away from the video is effective ways for assessment. Assessments aren’t always accurate measurements of students' knowledge. Giving students opportunities to make things up or display their knowledge in other areas can be very helpful. -Abigail G

One of the key ideas I got from this video was reflection assignments after tests or having paper/assignment corrections. This allows students to build on the areas where they struggled and understand the areas where they excelled.  -Ricky Scott 

Video 1- The science of reading stood out to me because as a physical education teacher I use a similar structure to teach a new skill to my students. I also wonder how much this will change as we use more technology in the classroom. 

Video 2- What stood out to me in this video is the hierarchy of blooms taxonomy because I find it interesting that they have to remember before they understand. In my opinion it should be the other way around. 

This shows that many teachers are changing how they teach kids to read because the old way wasn’t helping everyone. It explains that teaching kids how letters and sounds work step by step helps more kids learn to read better. I always think about how much the “improving technology” impacts the kids’ everyday learning! -Cortney

It was great to see the modern evolution of reading approaches explained and reflect on how they impacted me as a young reader and how they’ve changed in my own literacy instruction today. I am hopeful that the discussion continues and the approach is still being refined with the advent of The Science of Reading’s popularity, as it is backed by research and grounded in science. -Clifton

Video 1: I found it interesting that for many years in the United States, schools focused on balanced literacy and whole word reading instead of phonics, even though research showed these approaches were not as effective. It made me realize how instructional trends can stay in place for a long time, even when evidence suggests otherwise. I was surprised by how long it took for phonics to become a priority again, especially since it plays such an important role in helping students learn to read. - Juliana

Kids learn to read best by being surrounded by books and practicing reading. Some students learn visually using picture clues. Encouraging reading can strengthen students to love to read. Balanced literacy doesn’t always teach phonics clearly. With Science of reading the brain must be taught how letters connect to sounds, Our high school students struggle with reading so we’re using the decoding strategy instead of guessing the word by breaking up the words. This is a great support for our students who struggle with reading.      Lisa 

Session 6 Video

One key idea that stands out after viewing the videos is the importance of explicit or direct instruction models. The SoR explains the value of these models, and often with many progressive, student-centered models these traditional tools are overlooked. It’s important to remember the value that direct instruction has, with its structured “I do, you do, we do”, for young learners to gain information before diving into more “teacher-facilitated” approaches. -Clifton W

Both videos had one key insight of checking for understanding. They gave many different ways to check for understanding; some from the teacher and some were peer related. One I thought was unique was the turn around activity where the students had their backs to their partner and then when they were ready they turned around to discuss with each other. This is significant because it is not only helping students learn through peer interactions, but it is also giving the students control of their own learning and it can help build their confidence.    -Kailey B.

One key idea I gained after watching the videos is that role modeling for students before applying teacher facilitated approaches helps students gain a better understanding and feel connected to the lesson. - Andrea

One key idea that stood out to me is how structured discussion activities, like literature circles and reciprocal teaching, help students take ownership of their learning. This is significant because students become active meaning-makers rather than passive listeners, which leads to deeper understanding and engagement. As an art teacher, this connects to how I want students to discuss, interpret, and support their ideas about artwork rather than relying only on teacher explanations. (kaela s.)

One key idea was the different ways to check for understanding from each video. That’s a great way for students to understand the concept.

States often create a new law or mandate, but don’t always provide resources and training to teachers and school districts. Another thing I thought was important was that more and more school districts are pushing “knowledge building curricula.” Students are more likely to understand a passage better when there’s a mix of knowledge building and reading comprehension skills. NYS Regents exams are all based on reading comprehension now, and students are struggling. Taking a new approach earlier on would be beneficial for students as they age. — Kristen A.

One key idea from the video is that reading instruction must be grounded in explicit, systematic teaching of foundational skills; especially phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, rather than assuming students will naturally pick up these skills through exposure alone. In P.E. skills must be taught explicitly and progressively as well. It is essential to have these building blocks in order for the students to be successful and for them to have positive outcomes.    -Kailey B.

One key idea from the video is that reading instruction should be based on explicit and systematic teaching of foundational skills, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. It emphasizes that students need direct instruction in these areas rather than relying on exposure alone to develop reading skills. In my school, we use fundations during AIS (academic intervention service) for 30 minutes. However, we alternate math AIS for fundations. This is a challenge because it always feels like we are reviewing more than introducing new skills. I wish there was a way to be able to fit in both AIS times each day so that students are consistently getting the intervention they need to move forward and be successful. - Juliana Z.

I work for Rochester City SD. ALL teachers had to go through the LETRS training for 2 years. At first I couldn’t understand why I was taking that course since I am a Spanish teacher but after a few units it blew my mind how good the program is and how much I learned about the student’s struggles. The program also gives you a huge amount of information in order to assist our scholars.  Gustavo Faria

A key idea is Early reading methods like guessing words may not help kids as much as teaching phonics and strong decoding skills. This is important because it shows that some teaching methods used in U.S. schools might not build lasting reading skills. It connects to U.S. history because debates over phonics vs. whole-language instruction have shaped education policy for decades. Understanding this helps explain how research and public opinion influence American classrooms over time. -Cortney M.

One major takeaway from the video is the innate power that teaching context and visual cues and clues has on a young reader. Seeing the difference between a reader using visuals to aid in automaticity versus not having the visuals is powerful.  - Clifton W. 

One key takeaway from the video that surprised me is that reading is not a natural process. Understanding that as an educator puts me in a better position to help my students learn the skills they need to be able to read. - Andrea

One key takeaway from the video is the disconnect between classroom practices and the science of reading.One strategy is “three cueing” which encourages kids to guess words from pictures or context rather than decoding them. This method is criticized by reading researchers. -Lisa Z

One key idea that stood out to me is that reading is not a natural process, it must be taught specifically through skills like phonics, decoding, and language comprehension. This is important  because it emphasizes how thoughtful instruction shapes learning, which connects to my work as an art teacher where students also need structured skill-building before they can fully express creativity. It reminds me that strong foundations, whether in reading or art, are essential for helping students gain confidence and independence. -Kaela S.