Kuleana Project Community Involvement and Placebased Research Made

+ Kuleana Project Community Involvement and Place-based Research Made by: Natalie Daley Ed 294 Fall 2012

Description of the Event + n For my Kuleana Project I decided to use some of my 35+ hours of service learning from this semester. n I’m currently aiding Kathy O’neil-the reading coordinator- at Kalei'opu’u Elementary School in Royal Kunia. n Kathy leads a team of 4 other part time teachers that go to K-2 classrooms and lead small guided reading groups. n These reading teachers work with students on a daily basis for about 15 -20 minutes. n Teachers implement different reading strategies with students so they can become stronger and more independent readers. n This type of small group instruction is very helpful because students get lessons tailored to their reading skill set. n Students also get more attention and immediate feedback because of the intimate setting of only 5 students per group.

+ Continued n Students sit at a small semi-circle table with the … the head of the table. In the meantime teacher the rest of the class are at different learning stations. New books are introduced to the group at the beginning of the week. The group reads the book together in class then the students are assigned individual homework- like follow up questions. n This week a group of second grade students (2 boys and 3 girls) were reading the non-fiction book called African Elephants. Mrs. Barbara one of the reading teachers was facilitating this group. Students were asked certain questions pertaining to the text including, what do elephants use their trunks for? Why do they put dirt on their skin? n The purpose of this activity was to check for comprehension of the text. Students had no trouble reading the text out loud, but were stumped when it came back to answering questions specific to the text.

n For this specific activity I was invited to lead the students in their group read a loud. I asked students to read one page then the student next to them would go until we were done. I specifically praised students for self corrects while reading and using intonation. After we were done reading I asked students questions related to the text. I asked what are tusks? Where are they located? What are they used for? Mrs. Barbara told me to always ask students to support their answers by citing from the text. So I made sure students pointed to the page where they got their answers from. + n I got to directly interact with students in the classroom by leading a reading activity. Students and I got to read one of their assigned text together. Afterwards we went over questions to check for comprehension. n Before the activity started I got to help Mrs. Barbara set up her work station and bring out the books for the students. I was able to contribute by using enthusiasm and encouragement to lead the activity. If students were stuck on a word I would try to help them sound it out or tell them what it was. My Role

n + n One thing Mrs. Barbara would do is use language the students were comfortable with. In this case it was pidgin. Some of the text had complex or new words that the kids didn’t know. If students were stumped Mrs. Barbara would break it down by using words they understand. In some cases this would be in pidgin. For example, when she was describing the elephants trunk she said it had two puka’s in the front. This helped students by putting the book into language they were comfortable with. Also, Mrs. Barbara taught with gender equality in mind. All of the reading groups were co-ed and all students were given equal opportunities no matter their gender. Boys and girls were given the same treatment and attention. Ed 294 Concepts

+ Kalei’opu’u Elementary School is located in a quiet suburban neighborhood in Royal Kunia is a more recent development and right by a large shopping center (Walmart, Times, etc). It’s a fairly newer school (built in 1989) and belongs to the Waipahu Complex. It’s a K-6 grade school with pre-school for the learning impaired. Right now they are in the process of switching over to Common Core standards. Technology is also implemented heavily at Kalei’opu’u and many of the students I saw were working on ipads. Ipads are also being used by the reading instructors to give some of their reading tests.

+ Community Up Close According to the DOE website in 2011 there were 958 students enrolled. The majority of students were Filipino (53%), followed by Hawaiian (14%, ) and finally White (6%). The number of students receiving free or reduced lunch was at 37%, meaning that Kalei’opu’u has a mixed socioeconomic makeup. 43% of students have attended kindergarten. Only 6. 6% of students have a limited English proficiency, which means most of the students primary language is English.

+ Community Profile n According to the 2000 census the Waipahu Complex has a median age of 35, which means it has a younger population. Twenty-two percent of Waipahu’s population are 5 to 19 years old. Forty-eight percent of families have children under 8 years old. The median household income is $59, 578 compared to the state’s of $49, 820, so families are making a little bit more than the average. However, eleven percent of households incomes are implemented by Public Assistance compared to the state average of eight percent. The communities educational attainment level various when compared to the state of Hawai’i. The percent of college graduates is only 19% compared to the states 26%. Those with less than a high school degree is 23% when the states is only at 15. 4%.

+ The Legend of Kalei’opu’u: As told by the Kamaki Kanahele Family In ancient times, this spot, where Kalei'opu'u sits today, was the place where Kahuna La'au Lapa'au (medical healers) came to fetch there herbs. During a certain time of the seasons (just before Makahiki), Kahuna came into the bay (Pearl Harbor) by canoe to gather their medicines. Legends say that they disembarked from their canoes and sent up a chant in the style called "Ho'ae'ae. " When they chanted, a rainbow appeared. The rainbow's colors were so bright that it reflected its colors onto this hill lighting it up full with its colors. Where the colors fell on the land was located the special healing herbs that they came to fetch. The legend says that when the rainbow disappeared, the flowers from the same herbs took on the colors of the rainbow and left this hill or pu'u looking like a beautiful lei with rainbow colors. Hence the name "Kalei'opu'u, " literally translated as "lei on the hillside. ”

+ Practical Implications for Future Teaching As a future teacher I can definitely use what I’ve learned during my time at Kalei’o’pu’u. I’ve experienced first hand what it’s like to put together a reading group and discuss text with students. I’ve learned to be patient when kids are trying to read and figure out questions on their own. It’s important to let them talk out what they’re trying to say and give them prompts if need be. In my own teaching I’ll be sure to let students be responsible for themselves. At the end of the lesson two of the students left their packets with their books at the table. I asked Mrs. Barbara if she wanted me to bring them over to the students, but she told me no. She said they had to be responsible for their own things. So she called them over to get their belongings. In my own classroom I want to implement this type of responsibility with my own students. As a future educator I want impart on my students skills like responsibility alongside the traditional school subjects.

+ Kuleana n I think this experience has reinforced my sense of Kuleana by reminding me of why I want to become a teacher. Mrs. O’Neil told me that she become a teacher for the kids (as most educators do). The kids are the number one priority and should always. She explained the different tests and materials they used throughout her years there, but it was worth it because “the kids are awesome”. My time in the classroom was helped me remember why I want to become a teacher and that my responsibility is to the students. The students are a part of the community and apart of society as a whole. Sometimes when I’m writing papers for English or doing research I forgot why I’m doing it. I forget the bigger picture-to become a teacher and to help kids learn.

+ Service Learning Log