Pat, There's also a "buzz in the air" here in my Florida district that VERY SOON students will have only LA in middle school. Teaching reading will be a 'thing of the past,' much like it is in high school. Yes, high schoolers read literature---but they aren't "taught" reading. They're supposed to "know how" to read. *Duh* Of course, we find this very bizarre, not only since we know there are kids with reading deficits sitting in every high school in the district, but schools that show improvement in reading receive huge state dollar amounts. We are doing a huge disservice to our kids and our profession by eliminating reading from the course list.
As far as your question about letting parents know of the changes coming down the pike in your district---do you have a PTSA or SAC at your school? Once the word gets out to them, they'll spread the word for you. And 39 minutes is LUDICROUS! We have 45 minute periods (up from 43 minutes last year), and I feel that's too short! I'm pushing for 55 minutes. Keep us posted on the outcome. The school board will listen to parents before it listens to teachers. Barbara/6th/FL -----Original Message----- On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Recently our new middle school schedule was unveiled for next year and it is cutting ELA time in the whole school but especially in our 6th grade. Currently our 6th graders have two periods of ELA so that we can adequately cover both reading and writing. Next year we will have one period a day, 39 minutes in length and each class will get an additional 39 minutes once every 6 days. All of us who teach ELA are shocked by this. This is being done mainly so that the students can take a foreign language every day versus every other like we currently have. I teach in NY in a district in Westchester County where education is valued by most parents. Any suggestions how to get the word out to parents and get them to complain about this. This is so unfair to the students. I'm not sure how the teachers who will be teaching this are going to be able to cover both reading and writing in this short time amount. Pat - NY - grade 6 _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
