This is very helpful. Thanks! Zoe On Thursday, July 12, 2007, at 10:07 AM, Carol Carlson wrote:
> We use a basal in grades K-3. > Some of the teachers in grades 1 and 2 would like to use the basal > less frequently, but they are in teams and sometimes feel they must > follow the team's curriculum. > Here is what is recommended through team meetings, and any staff > development I can get. > 1. The curriculum is THE STRATEGIES, not the basal. We also have > identified essential benchmarks and they all relate to at least one > of the strategies, often several. The important curriculum is the > remaining strategies and any skills outlined in our state standards. > 2. During yearly planning, determine the order of the strategies. > 3. THEN, look at the basal and any other texts to determine where the > stories would fit. > 4. Regularly use pre assessments to determine student's understanding > of the strategies. > NOTE: our district has participated in a consortium that encourages > identification of essential and important learning. Once that has > been identified, use formative and summative assessments to inform > instruction and determine mastery. > I have prepared a suggested yearly plan for each grade level which > does this. Teachers use it in planning, but, in no way, are they > mandated to follow it to the letter. I prepared them because I had so > many teachers asking "How do we fit everything in?" Also, teachers in > grades 4 through 6 did not have a common text. Now, they all have the > Daybook from Great Source, but it doesn't go into enough depth on the > reading strategies. > Our district also has instructional facilitators in each building to > help teams, model in classrooms, and work with teachers to > differentiate the curriculum. > Hope that helps. > Carol > > On Jul 11, 2007, at 5:42 AM, Zoe Jackson wrote: > >> Although our faculty is familiar with teaching reading comprehension >> through strategies, they are not yet practiced. The administration, >> for >> numerous reasons, ordered McGraw-Hill reading materials for us to >> begin >> using. The money is spent. The books are on the way. Who of you >> have >> found ways to combine strategies and basal texts? We DO have freedom >> in the classroom to make choices in how and what we teach, but of >> course, we will be expected to use the new texts in useful ways. >> Eagerly awaiting your suggestions, >> Zoe >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
