Hi everyone, I see that there has been a lot of discussion about how to effectively teach the rest of the class while taking a reading or writing focus group such as guided reading or guided writing. I am wondering if anyone has come across the First Steps resources (2nd edition). They were written in Australia after many years of research and trial and are now used internationally. The resources provide develpmental maps in reading, writing, speaking and listening; and a multitude of wonderful assessment tools, teaching strategies and activities aimed at students. Linked to assessment it makes it easy to target the needs of students and differentiate teaching to support student learning. It is not a curriculum and is not prescriptive, it is purely a proven resource that can fit alongside any curriculum.
The American site for the resources and Professional Development is: https://ssl22.chi.us.securedata.net/stepspd.org/merchantmanager/index.php?cPath=2 For anyone committed to teaching to the needs of the students, this is well worth a look. I am a huge fan! Robyn > From: lesp...@aol.com > Date: Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:20:08 -0400 > To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Daily Five in Upper Elementary > > Angela, > > In my school, there is no switching of classes. Each teacher spends the > whole literacy block with his class. So could you see Daily Five, with the > options as outlined in the book, working on a daily basis with a 4th grade > class? > > If one child is doing Reading with Partner, then I guess that child's > partner is doing the Listen to Reading portion. How does that always work out > and does it take too much time for kids to arrange? > > And BTW, what is EOG and do you substitute that for writing since you are > not the one who teaches writing? > > Thanks, > Leslie > > > In a message dated 4/27/2009 4:39:48 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > angela_alm...@scs.k12.nc.us writes: > > I use Daily Five in my fourth grade class. I don't do it completely as > the book suggests but I do use all parts of it. This is my first year > using it and I have found lots of things I am going to change and tweek > next year. > > We switch classes. I teach Reading and there is another teacher that > teaches Writing. I teach and we do small group activities for 45 minutes > and then spend 30 minutes doing Daily Five each day. It actually turns > into a Weekly Five. Their choices are: Read To Self, Listen To Reading, > Read With a Partner, Word Work, and EOG Practice (in the place of the > writing piece). This EOG Practice choice is my answer to test prep taking > up so much class time. > > Daily Five is my saving grace! SSR was not working for me and we are > required to do 30 minutes of SSR each day. Every teacher in my school > will tell you that SSR is a time when the kids perfect their fake reading. > I was so not satisfied with this and decided to implement Daily Five this > year. It has helped so much! Now those resistant readers who had > mastered the fake reading have other options. So for 30 minutes every > day, every single one of my students is engaged in a reading activity > while I have time to do conferences, running records, or interventions. > > mosaic@literacyworkshop.org writes: > >Has anyone used Daily Five in upper elementary or middle school. Middle > >school ELA tends to be an "English" class, literature based, with writing > > > >woven in. I feel that the kids need to be reading their independent > >books > >more and maybe a Daily Five format would address that missing element. > > > >Any thoughts? > > > Angela Hatley Almond, NBCT > Fourth Grade > East Albemarle Elementary School > > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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. > > > > **************Access 350+ FREE radio stations anytime from anywhere on the > web. Get the Radio Toolbar! > (http://toolbar.aol.com/aolradio/download.html?ncid=emlcntusdown00000003) > _______________________________________________ > 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. > _________________________________________________________________ The new Windows Live Messenger has landed. Download it here. http://download.live.com/ _______________________________________________ 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.
