I've heard it said that "topics" are small are ofte single words. Themes are connected and must be stated in a sentence. Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel
-----Original Message----- From: thomas <sally.thom...@verizon.net> Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:10:15 To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group<mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] TRENDS and ISSUES In Literacy Pedagogy -anything else new and exciting? Joy, So just bouncing off of academic vocab and RTI and on and on, thematic teaching is a big answer in my view. When we teach thematically, we can involve kids in inquiry at many different levels of reading and writing and research and modes of communication. This allows us to differentiate while they have a common overarching theme - thus ALL can contribute in authentic ways. And vocabulary is going to be benefited in huge ways....because the words are all connected and thus easier to learn because they are meaning based. And they are used over and over throughout the reading and writing and so on. So thematic teaching is a big overarching picture that often never gets mentioned in all this focus on different aspects of literacy!!! AND THANK YOU FOR BRING US BACK TO THIS IMPORTANT FOUNDATION FOR LEARNING. I teach in an American Indian school as I've mentioned. This fall the whole school is focusing on oceans initially. So I've started playing with all the ideas. My social studies focus is communities...and I'm thinking that connects with the ocean as an interconnected community of living things. I'm also thinking of oceans being interconnected to planet earth so taking care of the ocean matters. Native American connections - the emphasis "we are all connected." and I can use a number of traditional American Indian stories centered on the sea. I found a book by the son of a friend "All the Way to the Ocean" connected to Save our Seas Foundation with tons of activities and links and resources and that definitely brings activism to the front. And then the issue of salmon and dams and use of water are critical issues to Native Americans in California (and further north)right now. In fact, the dams are coming down as a result of Native American activism. And on and on and on and so exciting. And I can teach differences between fiction and non fiction and bring us back to community and still focus on interconnections by using Swimmy and Rainbow Fish and use those to be teaching some reading....in addition to all our non fiction. Even thinking about a contrast between NEMO AND A NEW MOVIE COMING TURTLE: can't quite rmemeber the title but it's non fiction and will be out this year. EGAD THIS IS ALL SO MUCH FUN. Now I will need to start pinning this down to the actual days and shape of the unit for my second and third graders. But just think.....this is so ideal for RTI and differentiation and building vocabulary and teaching all the language arts strategies and skills as well as social studies and science. This is why we need to go back to thematic teaching and many of the approaches so advocated in whole language. We will not neglect the skills. We can of course do phonics and words families and fluency. But our foundation is a meaning-centered inquiry into something that matters! Sorry I am just flat out getting so excited to be back to an elementary classroom in a place that values meaning-centered learning. Good luck Joy. I know you will do the same. Of course I thought at first that oceans was just a topic. But when I then crank it up to "we are all connected" the universe is possible.. Sally On 6/18/09 4:52 PM, "Joy" <jwidm...@rocketmail.com> wrote: > I still need help coming up with themes for my units. Don't know why, but I > guess I can't see the big picture. Do you have any suggestions as to how to > develop an overarching theme? > > Joy/NC/4 How children learn is as important as what they learn: process > and content go hand in hand. http://www.responsiveclassroom.org > > --- On Thu, 6/18/09, drmarinac...@aol.com <drmarinac...@aol.com> wrote: > > From: drmarinac...@aol.com <drmarinac...@aol.com> > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] TRENDS and ISSUES In Literacy Pedagogy -anything else > new and exciting? > To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > Date: Thursday, June 18, 2009, 10:44 AM > > Sounds good. So academic vocabulary, RTI, anything else new and > exciting? I also like the textmapping but I learned about that two > years ago on this LISTSERV. I'm a little bored:) > > If there are any teachers out there...What do you NEED in terms of > issues in your classroom? > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Stephanie Perry <zeal4learn...@gmail.com> > To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group > <mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> > Sent: Wed, Jun 17, 2009 4:37 pm > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] TRENDS and ISSUES In Literacy Pedagogy > > > > > > > > > > > I recommend Bring Words to Life by Isabel Beck over Marzano's. Her book > not > only gives the research but it provides things that you can use in your > classroom immediately. > > On Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 12:09 PM, <drmarinac...@aol.com> wrote: > >> This is unbelievably helpful!!!! >> >> >> You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to > your >> grandmother. >> -Albert Einstein >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Jan Sanders <jgou...@hotmail.com> >> To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group < >> mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> >> Sent: Wed, Jun 17, 2009 12:42 pm >> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] TRENDS and ISSUES In Literacy Pedagogy >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Robert Marzano is wonderful for academic vocabulary. As a literacy > coach I >> did district wide staff development (3, 3 hour sessions) using his > Building >> Academic Background Knowledge work. He did some work in conjunction > with >> Stanford University and a brain researcher. He has DVDs, one that > explains >> the research and a rep from Stanford (can not remember the name and > it is >> probably some big shot) and the brain guy both speak on it. It gives > the >> WHY we should teach academic vocab. There is also another DVD that > has the >> 6 step process for teaching vocabulary. >> There is a book too -paperback 8 1/2 x 11. I believe the DVDs are > quite >> pricey -they come together. They are published by ASDC (Association > for >> Supervision and Curriculum Development). >> Jan >> You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to > your >> grandmother. >> -Albert Einstein >> >> >> On 6/17/09 4:22 AM, "kjcec...@aol.com" <kjcec...@aol.com> wrote: >> >> Marzano discusses this in? great detail >>> >>> >>> Kristine >>> >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: drmarinac...@aol.com >>> To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org >>> Sent: Wed, Jun 17, 2009 7:17 am >>> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] TRENDS and ISSUES In Literacy Pedagogy >>> >>> >>> Academic vocabulary. Interesting!!!! Is there an author who I can >>> >> read up on?? >> >>> ? >>> -----Original Message-----? >>> From: cnjpal...@aol.com? >>> To: mos...@literacyworkshop.org? >>> Sent: Tue, Jun 16, 2009 9:50 pm? >>> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] TRENDS and ISSUES In Literacy Pedagogy? >>> ? >>> ? >>> ? >>> ? >>> ? >>> ? >>> Academic vocabulary.? >>> Jennifer? >>> In a message dated 6/16/2009 7:03:25 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,? >>> drmarinac...@aol.com writes:? >>> ? >>> Can anyone think of the most recent trends and key issues in reading? >>> pedagogy? >>> ? >>> >> >> >>> >> >> >> >> >> >>_______________________________________________ >> 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. > > > > > > > >_______________________________________________ > 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. _______________________________________________ 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.
