Chapter 7, Getting It Down: Making and Taking Notes Across the Curriculum

          This chapter makes it perfectly clear that teachers should provide students with clear instruction on note taking and note making.  Many students do not understand the difference between the two, and to be honest, neither did I until I read this chapter.  However, they are both skills that can be taught.  Note taking consists of the students’ notes taken from a lecture or discussion.  Note making refers to the gathering of information from texts and other sources.  I have always taken a lot of notes, but I’ve never really considered all of the different ways and benefits of taking notes.  Outlining, acronyms, and graphic organizers have helped me tremendously throughout my education.  However, I never really took notes in math.  The book states that, “mathematics is a language in and of itself and that the correct use of terms is vital for comprehension” (pg. 127).  I agree with this statement, because when I was in school, I always had a lot of examples.  I wrote down every single example the teacher gave, but I had no way of organizing the information and definitions in math.  If I had had a system like the one on page 130 of Fisher and Frey’s book, I probably would have excelled even more in math class.  Another interesting point that the book makes is the importance it places on teachers giving students feedback on their notes.  This is one thing that I never remember any of my teachers doing, and we very seldom received guided notes.  One question that I have is how are teachers supposed to find the time to check everyone’s notes along with everything else that they have going on? Also, what are some ways to make accommodations for ELLs and their notes?

Fisher & Frey: Chapter 3, Vocabulary

          Chapter 3 has really opened my eyes and allowed me to take a little bit deeper look at vocabulary.  There are several stategies and skills that I was never exposed to as a child.  I knew that to really enhance vocabulary, you should have multiple exposures to it, but I had no idea that you could be exposed to it in so many different ways.  One of my favorite self-check tools that the book spoke of was the vocabualry self-awareness chart.  This is an awesome tool!  It allows students to be more independent and check themselves to assess what they know.  Also, it allows students opportunities to improve their knowledge of vocabulary as they learn more.
          In the book, Fisher and Frey advise that students be actively involved, make personal connections, be immersed in vocabulary, and consolidate meaning through multiple information sources.  I think that it is important for students to be allowed to create their own definitions and have exposures to new words.  Also, it is vital for vocabulary to be used and explained in depth in multiple content areas.  For example, many students struggle with terminology in mathematics.  One helpful example would be for students to create math journals.  This way, the students can have the vocabulary word, the definition, and an example of what that concept is in math for future reference or as a study guide.  I think that vocabulary journals would have been very helpful to me in school.  Word walls are another useful element in all classrooms.  They are not only a visual reminder and reference tool for students, they are a way to explore vocabulary and multiple meanings of words.
          One question that I have is how do I inspire children to want to learn vocabulary and keep them interested?  Also, other than providing visuals and resources in their own language, how can I influence ELLs to want to lean new vocabulary and participate in vocabulary activities?