6. Submit a Log

What went well?  
The instruction of the LINCing routine went well.  The students were engaged and easily volunteered their suggestions for reminding words and LINCing pictures.  It was nice to see them making an honest effort at this lesson on vocabulary building.  

What was a challenge?
It was a challenge on that particular day because my SPED population was doubled as I was asked to watch another teacher's students due to a family emergency.  I was provided with an extra teaching body (a teacher assistant), which helped.  Despite the change, the lesson went very well and I was able to provide inclusive instruction to an additional group that day. 

What will you do next time?  
Next time, I would like to be a bit creative with the assignment.  I am thinking about having the students lead the lesson and I provide guidance when and where needed. 

What adjustments I made?
First and foremost, we did not get through as many vocabulary words as I expected.  Those words we provided a LINCing sample for will definitely be remembered.  I also adjusted to the influx of SPED students.  The class was lively and engaged.  It was constant activity with participation on all levels, which on occasion, is not the case.  

Ideas generated for issues encountered....
To involve all students I would like to "section out" LINCing table areas to student pairs/groups of 3.  They can take a few minutes to work on their section, then the group will come together again to discuss and complete LINCS table together with participation and input from everyone.  

SIM Vocabulary LINCing Reflections Donni Davis-Perry   I partnered in a middle school, co-taught classroom in an urban school district.  The school is currently unaccredited by VDOE. The group of students I facilitated with the SIM Vocabulary LINCing Routine was comprised of general education and special education students. There was one girl and three boys, all sixth grade students. During their initial introduction, the students took two 30 minute class sessions to engage in the strategy for four new vocabulary words.  This has become faster as they become more familiar with the routine.  It became faster to implement as students became familiar with the routine. It worked well because they were used to a station teaching model.  They were able to focus and stay on task because of previous experience with teacher led stations. Next time I will adjust quicker to make pairs more flexible depending on the amount of time they need to complete the device.
Using the routine overall went very well.  The students enjoyed the process and were excited about how well they did on their assessment.  They were eager to use it again with different vocabulary words.  The only challenge was that the kids worked at different rates, some finishing very early.  After introducing and teaching the routine, I was able to allow them to work independently or in pairs so they could have as much or little time as they needed to complete the process.  This was the main adjustment needed to support the kids in their learning. We continue to use the routine in the classroom.  Additional students are cycling through the SIM ‘station’ and learning the routine. I have used the strategy on two days in November and two days in December. I plan to continue to use it through the rest of the year. When asked, 100% of the students have been able to recall the definition of all the vocabulary words they learned. 

While using the LINCing Routine as a classroom teacher, I would develop a routine of modeling the entire routine with the students when introducing it for the first time.  Then, each time I used the routine, I scaffolded until the students were able to do it independently.  Usually, after implementing the routine between three to four times, the students were completing on their own, in pairs, or in groups, depending on how I had arranged the assignment.  

My most recent experience with the LINCing routine was much different.  I was challenged to provide the students with the opportunity to become independent after modeling only two words.  I was amazed that the students not only were able to do it, but were very creative and came up with reminding words and lincing stories that were much better than I could have thought of.  I learned a valuable lesson.  

What goes well: Students enjoy coming up with funny reminding words that are meaningful to them. They can be very creative with the reminding words, stories, and pictures.

What needs improvement: Students struggle with vocabulary, so any task with the purpose of learning new words can be a challenge to make seem interesting and engaging.

Ideas for adjustments: I find the device very useful for the self-study step, but sometimes it’s also good to get away from the “worksheet” aspect of it. We have constructed LINCS tables on the interactive smart board, on white boards, and on posters in table groups.