I agree with you Lisa but I think it's all in the presentation. The teachers complain because we didn't have a district writing program. So the teacher were taken from a very traditional mind set and then given Calkins and Fletcher. I had a background, spending time with Calkins, Fletcher, Harste, the Goodmans and their daughter Debra, and Dorothy Watson. I belonged to a TAWL group that met every month so the ideas behind the writing program were viewed differently by me. This is what I was trying to say earlier when we talked about literacy coaches. If you are not in a district where certain ideas are the foundation for which everyone operates from, you simply have to have adequate in-services, professional development, or whatever you want to call it to get as many teachers on board as necessary. There are teachers who want grammar books because they feel that students simply need this kind of instruction in a systematic structure not just by having conferences. I don't know, I guess I just feel like we missed an opportunity to go in a different direction because of lack of leadership. You guys can say whatever you want but at days end most of us are teachers working for an employer and to some extend you simply have to accept the fact that you don't run the school district and you have to do the best you can for the students in your classroom. I'm lucky because I've been around so long that people now say...she does her own thing...but there are still times when it is hard to stay true to what you really believe. Dee
-----Original Message----- From: mosaic-boun...@literacyworkshop.org [mailto:mosaic-boun...@literacyworkshop.org] On Behalf Of Lisa Szyska Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 8:07 PM To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] comments on lucy calkins UOS Well, I can see 2nd grade teachers in an upper middle class school w/little or no ELL feeling like the K-2 units were a little light for them. If I hadn't had such a low class when I taught 2nd, they would have needed major supplementation. And I believe that every single primary unit was written and piloted in a kindergarten or 1st grade room in NYC. But the 3-5?! There are some seriously rigorous units there. And the upper grade teachers have Fletcher and HE'S too easy!? I'd love to see some of these kids' writing samples that they can't benefit from the crafting lessons from Ralph Fletcher or Lucy Calkins. Punctuation and grammar?! Who can't figure that out? My 2 cents... lisa 3/IL --- On Mon, 6/22/09, Delores Gibson <dgib...@dps109.org> wrote: > From: Delores Gibson <dgib...@dps109.org> > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] TRENDS and ISSUES In Literacy Pedagogy -anything > elsenew and exciting? > To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group" > <mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> > Date: Monday, June 22, 2009, 1:13 PM > I teach in a white middle to upper > middle class community. I think the teachers feel that > this program was written so general so that it could fit any > school but that it does not challenge our students. I > constantly have teaching say to me..."How long can you teach > about small moments?" They want to teach the students > how to have a voice in their writing. They wanted more > concrete lessons on punctuation and grammar. The > 3,4&5 grades have Fletcher and they feel the same > way. Needless to say I am the only teacher who still > believes in whole language, who is a member of mosaic, and > who is reading Tanny's book along with the Daily5, and the > new academic vocabulary books. A few teachers are > starting to go to workshops with me but they still have a > different set of beliefs. I wish our school district > had done more in-services because I think the program never > had a chance. > Dee > > -----Original Message----- > From: mosaic-boun...@literacyworkshop.org > [mailto:mosaic-boun...@literacyworkshop.org] > On Behalf Of Jan Sanders > Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 12:57 PM > To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] TRENDS and ISSUES In Literacy > Pedagogy -anything elsenew and exciting? > > I don't quite understand the "no meat to it" > statement. When our district > started using writers' workshop and Calkin's lessons the > student writing > improved immensely. One of the huge changes we saw > and loved was that the > students really wrote from the heart and from > experiences. Gone were the > formulistic paragraphs and boring essays. > > We had lots of staff development though, and each school > had a literacy > coach to help them muck through it all. > Jan > > > On 6/22/09 10:13 AM, "Delores Gibson" <dgib...@dps109.org> > wrote: > > > I was and still am a fan of Lucy Calkins. So > when my school district > > decided to adopt her writing program I thought it > would be great. I > > guess her presentations didn't translate well into a > writing program. > > My colleagues hate the program and none of them use > it. They feel it is > > to simple and there is no meat to it. I think > that they just don't get > > her and the district didn't do a good job with helping > them understand > > the program. I think everyone wants a more Six > Traits approach and now > > I can't get anyone to even read ANY of her > books. It's nice to connect > > with fans. Thanks. > > Dee > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: mosaic-boun...@literacyworkshop.org > > [mailto:mosaic-boun...@literacyworkshop.org] > On Behalf Of > > drmarinac...@aol.com > > Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 8:14 AM > > To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] TRENDS and ISSUES In Literacy > Pedagogy -anything > > elsenew and exciting? > > > > Try to attend a presentation by Lucy ...listening to > her tell the > > students' stories in person was really moving...I was > lucky enough to > > attend...I think it was in early nineties ...at a > Whole Language > > Conference at a Florida University that also featured > Yetta Goodman:) I > > swear...FL classroom teachers at that time were ruled > by a unified > > curriculum that required testing students after each > isolated skill > > learned (in reading and math)... After that conference > we were like > > born-again teachers:) > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: thomas <sally.thom...@verizon.net> > > Sent: Sun, Jun 21, 2009 9:34 pm > > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] TRENDS and ISSUES In Literacy > Pedagogy -anything > > elsenew and exciting? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Lucy is one of mine too. This one more life > changing than her later > > books > > even. > > > > > > On 6/21/09 5:22 PM, "beverleep...@gmail.com" > <beverleep...@gmail.com> > > wrote: > > > >> Sally, I feel the same way about Lucy Calkins' > Lessons from a Child. > > Taylor's > >> Learning Denied and Lessons from a Child are > > professional-life-changing books. > >> You are never the same again after you've read > them. Bev > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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. > > > > > > > ****************************************************************************** > > ********************** > > This e-mail message contains information that may be > privileged or > > confidential and > > is the property of the Board of Education of Deerfield > Public School District > > No. 109. > > It is intended only for the person(s) to whom it is > addressed. If you are not > > the > > intended recipient of this message, you are not > authorized to read, print, > > retain, > > copy, disseminate, distribute, or use this message or > any part thereof. If you > > have > > received this message in error, please notify the > sender immediately and > > delete all > > copies of this message. > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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. > > > > Jan > Unless we reach into our students¹ hearts, we have no > entry into their > minds. > -Regie Routman > > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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. > > > **************************************************************************************************** > This e-mail message contains information that may be > privileged or confidential and > is the property of the Board of Education of Deerfield > Public School District No. 109. > It is intended only for the person(s) to whom it is > addressed. If you are not the > intended recipient of this message, you are not authorized > to read, print, retain, > copy, disseminate, distribute, or use this message or any > part thereof. If you have > received this message in error, please notify the sender > immediately and delete all > copies of this message. > > _______________________________________________ > 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. **************************************************************************************************** This e-mail message contains information that may be privileged or confidential and is the property of the Board of Education of Deerfield Public School District No. 109. It is intended only for the person(s) to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, you are not authorized to read, print, retain, copy, disseminate, distribute, or use this message or any part thereof. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete all copies of this message. _______________________________________________ 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.
