I am convinced more and more that one of the most important things we can do is to share our reading lives with children, being sincere in sharing how strategy work helps us out when we are encounter difficulties with text. As adults, how can we sincerely model that using only childrne's literature? Also, I think we need to think long and hard about how we extend this language naturally into other parts of day--into all parts of our day. These thinking strategies can be applied accross the curriculum and until they do, they are just something we do for a teacher during 'reading time'.
Lori On Thu, 8 Feb 2007 08:19 , Lindsey Jean Bishop <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> sent: >I've been following this listserv for the past week or so and I have >been enjoying this strand's great ideas for using strategies with the >primary grades. I am another a graduate student in Syracuse >University's Literacy Birth-6 program and I am interested in what you >all think about... > >1)Modeling these strategies for students: >I loved how the classroom examples that were talked about here involed >the teachers in the same process of comprehension strategies as the >children. For example, with the picture drawing to help visualize the >story, I'm sure the children loved seeing what their teacher drew as >well as their classmates! But I'm wondering if, for activities like >that and the volcano with the post-its (which was great as well!), how >do you get the students to where they know what is expected of them? >I am assuming you would model for them while doing a think-aloud to >help them understand what is going on inside their teacher's heads >while engaging in the strategies. That way, they are given some tools >to monitor how they approach and work through the activity. > >2)Being explicit beyond the "how's" of strategies, to explain those >critical "why's": >While reading this strnd, I also got to thinking about what ways you >all like to use when introducing and/or reviewing strategies with >students; I was wondering about what we might do in - addition to >modeling - to help students understand why the activity is important. > No matter how young, I have found that students of all ages respond >well to their teacher explaining WHY the strategies are important, why >they help us in so many different contexts, etc. This way, we can help >them connect to a meaningful reason for applying themselves to the >activity. > >Just some thoughts! I would enjoy hearing what everyone else thinks >about these two areas, or even more examples of what/how you have used >them in your classrooms! > >Thank you, >Lindsey Bishop > > >Quoting [EMAIL PROTECTED]: > >> I also teach first and I like to have kids literally walk a story map that I >> have drawn and enlarged on a plastic shower curtain. I have designed the >> retell to look much like a volcano. There are stopping points that we visit >> along the volcano. It starts out level... like grass and we notice >> the title and >> author...make connections to either and place our connections and predictions >> based on those connections on sticky notes onto the map. Then we start to >> mount the story just as the details start to mount. kids draw >> pictures of the >> setting and adhere them to the map. Then we list main events on >> sentence strips >> for the more proficient kids, and the strugglers draw pictures to go with >> the strips. We continue that way until we hit the top of the >> volcano (which by >> the way is exploding) This is the climax of the story... Again, >> more pictures >> and descriptions. Then there is a quick decent (though the volcano levels >> off far above the beginning line) This is the resolution. Kids draw pictures >> and write on sentence strips. We talk about the volcano leveling >> off far above >> the opposite side of the volcano because a reader will never end up in the >> same place as when he began the story mount. The author and his >> characters will >> forever change the reader.... add to his schema .... give new mental >> images... etc. Underneath that part kids list the theme or message >> of the author. >> They try to figure out how they might have had their thinking changed or >> expanded. >> >> To practice the retell, kids take a two minute mount up the volcano.... >> telling about each part and finally when finished give their reaction to the >> author's style and message. >> >> I liken this activity to David Middlebrook's scrolls. the kids are in the >> story with the author... walking the structure. When their at the >> top, they know >> this is the climax.... that the resolution will come swiftly... the decent >> of the story takes so much less time than the mount. >> >> Some years we add costumes or shoes that might go with the story >> content...... it's my attempt at kids working with the author to >> create meaning. >> Hope this makes sense. >> _______________________________________________ >> 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. >> >> > > > > >_______________________________________________ >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. > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. 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