Amen to that.... I tell these teachers who have kids read aloud that it should only be done if they have allowed the reader to practice the paragraph he or she is to read in advance... by that I mean practice a lot... for his or her performance.
----- Original Message ----- From: Sally Caruso To: A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades. , A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades. Sent: Sun, 4 Oct 2009 20:07:41 +0000 (UTC) Subject: Re: [LIT] (no subject) YES! I am going to start using "it's performance, not literacy" as my new mantra! Before I go on with my post, let me say that I rarely respond to topics on the list although I am a frequent reader here. I have been teaching 8th grade Language Arts for 16 years and I am the only one who reads aloud in my classroom because, for kids, reading aloud = decoding words ... PERIOD! I shudder - but then repeat the previous phrase, my old mantra - when colleagues tell me that so and so REALLY needs help with reading because of how he or she read aloud in class the other day! When will we stop making kids hate reading this way? Or by having to summarize everything they read (which is a whole other conversation)? That said, I would also like to advise Jan, below, to keep working on the workshop model. It takes many weeks and much repetition to establish the rituals & routines associated with it, but is well worth it when you see the results! Sally ________________________________ From: [email protected] on behalf of [email protected] Sent: Sun 10/4/2009 3:45 PM To: A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades. Subject: Re: [LIT] RtI grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh DIBELS.... my own personal belief is that no one should ever have to read aloud without much rehearsal. Reading aloud is not a measure of comprehension...( if a kid reads the word "ham" when it should be "meat" in dibels, it is wrong, yet according to all I learned in read comp. when getting a masters in reading, "ham for meat" is evidence of comprehension, even if it is the wrong word called). The only people in the world that have to read aloud for a living are ministers, teachers, actors, and politicans... so why all this claptrap about reading aloud? My first week of teaching... 44 years ago... involved me being dressed down by the reading specialist for having the kids read aloud... poor modleing...all rates of reading vary, and the bit from above of those who have to read aloud. I can not imagine dibeling in rws. Sorry for my smart alec response, but I can not imagine how the fluency frenzy got a toe hold in literacy. It is performance, not literacy. Bova ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: "A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades." Sent: Sunday, October 4, 2009 12:56:41 PM GMT -05:00 Colombia Subject: [LIT] RtI My middle school has just started writers workshop this year, and we will probably implement readers workshop next year. We will probably also start RtI next year. I love the workshop model although it has been harder to get going than I expected. My question is about RtI. The plan right now is that we will use DIBELS as a universal screener next fall and test all the students with DIEBELS three times a year. From what I know about DIBELS, it seems contrary to the workshop model. Is there a superintendent or middle school principal on this list willing to write me (off list) about DIBELS? May I share your thinking with my principal? Thanks! Jan _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
