The CAFE Book and The Daily 5 by G. Boushey & J. Moser

Are you reading this book for the first time or revisiting? Any new learnings, interesting finds, or comments?

The Art of Teaching Reading by L. Calkins

Are you reading this book for the first time or revisiting?  Any new learnings, interesting finds, or comments?

Book Study: Strategies That Work (Part 2)

Do you have the necessary resources for comprehension instruction?

Book Study (Part 1)--Questions We Had

• Is there money for accessible resources (Post-its, books, magazines (consumables))?



• Time to implement strategies… Me – We – You for everything


• Parent Involvement – How will they understand out “language” at home? Answer = newsletters and???


• How do we build prior knowledge in content areas especially when they are deficient compared to peers?


• How do we teach visualizing in order for them to use it effectively?


• How should assess “Post-its”?


• What’s the best way to redirect students when their connections take them off on tangents?


• When students lack the metacognitive ability to “put it all together” in their reading – what do we do to help?


• Are students challenged, engaged…? We think it depends on which group you see and the subjects you teach. Some of the content reading is too challenging, although the interest level may be high.


• Can we get some shorter texts… TFK, newspapers, magazines…


• Can we build up our classroom libraries with picture books?

Book Study (Part 1)--What We Learned

*Common language is very important.


*Model EVERYTHING (all strategies/routines) including thinking, process, final products.


*Gradual Release; increase level of responsibility (Me-We-You)!


*In all subject areas, surround students with meaningful text in all genres.


*Make Connections (Text to Self…/Tracks…) Shows understanding.


*Self Monitor, Check for Understanding, Questions? Go back!


*Reinforce the need for think alouds and modeling.


*No particular order when teaching strategies.


*Learned that the word ”parse” means to break down or analyze.


*This is all backed by research.


*Explicitly teaching things is SO important.


*In the content areas, students seem more engaged when we build some common experiences (labs, hands-on activities, etc.)


*Our students seem more engaged when we use real life texts (ie..newspaper, TFK, magazines)


*We need to be more intentional about doing “Think Alouds”.


*Maybe we should be more aware of individual reading styles and not expect all students to use the same strategies at the same time.


*We need to allow more time for students to discuss what they’ve read.


*Use more “authentic” reading situations in the classroom (ie: book clubs).

Book Study: Strategies That Work (Part 1)

Strategies That Work
by S. Harvey and A. Goudvis

Book Study Part 1: Read/Think/Do

Read

• Read Part 1 (2^nd Edition, Chapters 1-5) by the May 6^th staff meeting.
  

Think

As you read, think about the following questions. Be ready to share some of your thoughts at our next staff meeting.

How do you currently teach comprehension strategies in your classrooms?

• Are students challenged and excited by their reading? Do they recognize how important the reader is to the text?

• Do students understand and think critically about what they read? Why? Why not?

• Do students engage with and discuss important issues and ideas in literature? In social studies, science, and other curricular areas?

• Do you model how to think out loud for students as a means of instruction?

• Do you give students time to practice using strategies in their own reading? How much time?

• How are students reading to learn from informational text, including textbooks and other materials? Can students sustain their interest in this information over time?

Do

Be an active reader!

"Text coding keeps the reading process interactive and reminds us that reading is active thinking." (p. 57, 2^nd ed.) Use sticky notes as you read this book. Try using some of the suggested codes to record your thoughts:

• R, reminds me of
  
• T-T, T-S, T-W, Text connections
  
• L, New Learning
  
• ?, Question
  
• *, Key idea
  
• !, Surprising information
• I, Inference
  

Results from Life in a Crowded Place Meeting: 6/9/2009

We have compiled the information from the posters. We can be our own greatest resource. Great things are happening here!


Meeting Summary

If you click on the link above, it should take you to a site (www.scribd.com) that is used for sharing documents on the web. From here, you can read, download, print, or share documents.

Life in a Crowded Place (Intro., Ch. 1-2)

A community is formed when a group comes together to establish values of caring and trust. (Pages 1-14)

Ceremonies aid students in making the transition between daily life and classroom living by turning thoughts toward schooling. (Pages 16-20)

Rituals are symbolic acts that help to center students in their work. (Pages 20-27)

Rites are events that mark times of passage. (Pages 27-37)

Celebrations help us to recognize that people have the power to incorporate the joys and achievements of others. (Pages 39-45)

Life in a Crowded Place (Part 1)

The first discussion of our book will occur at our staff meeting on the morning of June 9th. Many of the ideas presented in the book relate to setting up your classroom and the learning environment. To get started, we will be sharing ideas about the introduction and the first two chapters (pages 1-45). Happy Reading!

Future discussions will happen over the summer on this blog and will continue at future staff meetings.

Take Time Out to Reflect

Now that we are a few weeks into the year, please share what is your biggest struggle right now with Reading and Writing. Think of it as "Misery Loves Company" or the more optimistic view of helping each other come up with a solution.

Guiding Readers and Writers (Section 4)

Topics for discussion:

• literature study
• responding to literature
• other ideas?

Guiding Readers and Writers (Section 3)

Topics for discussion:

• guided reading
• planning for guided reading
• dynamic grouping
• leveled texts
• anything you can think of related to guided reading

Guiding Readers and Writers (Section 2)

General topics for discussion:

• encouraging independent reading
• minilessons
• reading conferences
• getting started (the "First Twenty Days")
• reader's notebook
• anything else that strikes your fancy?!

Guiding Readers and Writers (Section 1)

Post your ideas, questions and comments for the first section by clicking on the comment link below. Read and respond as your schedule permits.

Surprises? Questions? Powerful quotes or passages? Ah Hah Moments? Connections to other workshops or readings?

If you are reading another book that you would like to discuss, let us all know and I will add a discussion place for that one on this page as well.

You don't have to have a blogger.com account to comment. Just click on "comments", type your message, and then select "other" and it will allow you to type in your name.

Let's Get this Started!

Things to Do:
1. Invite everyone to this blog.
2. Choose a book.
3. Assign chapters.
4. Start posting!