Our district has truly implemented the scripted reading program this year Everyone in the district in the same grade (30 + elementary schools) are on the same story and the same day. We all take the same tests on the same days at the end of every unit. It doesn't matter if your kids find it easy or hard. You stay with the program because it (HM) has been developed by experts and we need to follow it. Under our literacy coach, we have meetings to plan exactly what we will be teaching, and on what day, for each story. Our lessons plans state the objectives, what and how we will be teaching the reading comprehension, phonics/word work, and language (writing/grammar) for every story.
The district was named a program improvement district last year. Even though the school I teach at does extremely well (within the top 10% of the state) we have to follow the script. Our individualism is in our "must do's" and "may do's". The paper today came out with an article stating that Reading First schools following a highly scripted program didn't do any better than other schools that didn't follow this approach. I don't think the pendulum will swing back towards teacher judgment before I retire. ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 12:53 PM To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group; understand Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] teacher expertise was off topic math conversation > Bonita > You are the best...truly! Wow, I am blushing. This list seems like one of the only places that I can come and divulge my thinking and feel supported rather than dismissed with an eye roll! > What a fascinating and thoughtful question! I will reply and ask you to > consider cross-posting a version of it on the To Understand list where there > are > some other souls who might be interested in discussing the topic. (I am > hoping that those of you on both lists will understand why that might be a > good > thing to do.) I have cross posted and hope for no fireworks. I am wondering if this conversation is best left on the To Understand list?? > Your post is of personal interest to me right now. We have had, up to this > point, a fantastic reading intervention in our district called Reach. What a sad story you shared as to the dismantling of that program. I am so sorry when I see these things occur. And I wonder who takes responsibility? It is like when corporations (wide bonita-type connection that will not make sense to others).., when corporations do bad things to people-like knowingly polluting waters, or knowingly using slave-labor, I always think, "Who made that call? Who was the person who said--hey--let's do THAT--?" > Bonita, a colleague of mine always says that a good, quality curriculum is a > > floor...not the ceiling. Love this idea. I think experienced teachers can teach without programs after a while. I really do. But then I need standards, if I am to work in a grade-level based environment without a given curriculum. Standards offer some guide to help me be sure I have taught what is needed for the next grade. I mean this for a grade level based environment-the system really does dictate the details. In a different system (no grade levels) it might be less linear/list like and more holistic. >We need that...but we also need even more, teachers > who understand how kids learn to read, how to respond to the different needs > of the children in front of them. Lesson study, to me, would fill the > second > requirement, but not the first. Lesson study is about the process of > teaching, to me, not a way to find out what to teach. I think we found a little cross over into curriculum in lesson study, but only in the particulars--and I think that occurs as a result of the interconnectedness of all that we do as teachers. Again, probably why we keep wandering "off topic," too. > As a beginning teacher, I would have been lost without my anthology teachers > > guide. It is a floor...but by now, I don't even crack open the covers..and > there is no way I feel that I know enough to say I have the ceiling in sight! Yes. That is what I was trying to say above. On the other hand, my teammate (25 years experience) and I (15 years experience) took on a new teacher who planned and organized with us in total partnership. She grew quite confident without a text or program in her first year of teaching. Maybe that sort of teaming would preclude the need for an anthology in the beginning? > Hmmm... I don't think I am even beginning to answer all your questions..I > guess my first thoughts here are that we need a quality curriculum to start > with...and then highly trained teachers who know how to build from that to > meet > the needs of their kids. How do we motivate teachers to want to reach for this? So much of this conversation comes back to teachers wanting to continuously learn, to pursue understanding of what we do as teachers and how best to do it. How do we make all (or just most) teachers join this "intellectual" world? And that thought is right out of Ellin Keene's mind, I think. I have lost track of where it is her thinking versus mine... :)Bonita _______________________________________________ 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.
