Realistically, the next step for these students was SUMMER! Ideally, the next step for these students would be a regression to focusing on the stage between annotation and note taking, followed by a closer look at the bridge between note taking and the writing process. This is a very complex process, and another month would have lent great clarity to my students and their writing process, while increasing their progression to Stage 6: Independent Performance with regards to annotating informational text.
I would love to delve deeper into the flexibility of the 5 W’s model and how its’ true understanding and application can lend depth and complexity to many different text types. This would ultimately follow the understanding of the note taking process, providing a scaffold for students to critically examine the outline of their writing and selectively use their knowledge of this model to best serve their writing. This would increase the depth that students achieved in Stage 6: Independent Performance for all students in both text annotation and the writing strategy of the 5 W's.
Admittedly, this material is not all at a first grade level. As students in a combination class, the first graders have matured greatly in just the time I have known them, but even this advantageous environment cannot stretch their years of cognitive development. Some of these higher order skills, like breaking apart the 5 W’s model and deciding what to use for different writing styles and text types, are beyond current expectations for first grade, and would require extensive periods of time explicitly teaching, modeling, and exploring them. This is not to say it cannot be done, and I look forward to having my own classroom where I have a much larger timetable to conduct research and deepen student understanding.
I would love to delve deeper into the flexibility of the 5 W’s model and how its’ true understanding and application can lend depth and complexity to many different text types. This would ultimately follow the understanding of the note taking process, providing a scaffold for students to critically examine the outline of their writing and selectively use their knowledge of this model to best serve their writing. This would increase the depth that students achieved in Stage 6: Independent Performance for all students in both text annotation and the writing strategy of the 5 W's.
Admittedly, this material is not all at a first grade level. As students in a combination class, the first graders have matured greatly in just the time I have known them, but even this advantageous environment cannot stretch their years of cognitive development. Some of these higher order skills, like breaking apart the 5 W’s model and deciding what to use for different writing styles and text types, are beyond current expectations for first grade, and would require extensive periods of time explicitly teaching, modeling, and exploring them. This is not to say it cannot be done, and I look forward to having my own classroom where I have a much larger timetable to conduct research and deepen student understanding.