I loved reading about your MOT enthusiasm and totally agree with your
comments. I also teach 5th grade and find that my students seem to know little
about metacognition. As a district we read MOT and had workshops a few years
ago. Apparently it has fallen by the wayside. Your e-mail encouraged me to
continue my think alouds and practicing the strategies. Thanks.
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 2009 16:14:04 +0000 (UTC)
From: mimos...@comcast.net
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] A fresh start
To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group"
<mosaic@literacyworkshop.org>
Message-ID:
<1076494922.1995471254586444295.javamail.r...@sz0106a.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Thanks for your thoughtful post! I, too, teach fifth grade and have spent the
past month working on metacognition and monitoring comprehension. So many
children claimed to not hear the "mini-me" voice in their head when we began.
After a quick poll done yesterday, more than half now say they can hear that
voice in their head. I told them to keep up the good work, and that if they
still didn't think they got it, no worries, as we'll be practicing all year.
Our next focus is on asking questions. I've always had success taking this into
QAR strategies and hope to do so again this year. We are working with a new,
more structured scope and sequence in our curriculum, and QAR is not there.
I'll figure out how to bring it in; I am thinking it will be in guided reading.
Judy, it is teachers like you who willingly share with colleagues the
strategies in which you believe. Cudos to you for putting yourself out there to
model for your fellow teachers. You know you've done the think aloud many
times, so it's bound to be successful. If for some reason it is not, even that
will be a teachable moment, as teachers see that as they try it, it may not
always be the way you envison. You could "think aloud" for them about how you'd
make changes for your lesson for the next time with the students.
Good luck and let us know how it went!
Maura
5/NJ
----- Original Message -----
From: jvma...@comcast.net
To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group"
<mosaic@literacyworkshop.org>
Sent: Saturday, October 3, 2009 11:21:51 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: [MOSAIC] A fresh start
Hi, I'm Judy in Northern California. I belonged to this list years and years
ago when I first started teaching with the brilliant MOT comprehension
strategies, but became overwhelmed with the number of off-topic posts and
dropped my membership. I'm back now, hoping you're as dedicated to strategy
instruction as I am. I've taught for many years (grades 1,2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8);
this year is my first in 5th and I love it! So, about strategy instruction...
1. We spent the first month on monitoring for meaning. I used lessons from STW
and made up my own. My favorite thing to do is take a bullet from the end of
the chapter and develop it into one or more lessons. For example:
p. 65 "Proficient readers use text management strategies. They pause, reread,
skim, scan, consider the meaning of the text, and reflect on their
understanding with others." This became a series of lessons moving through
gradual release of responsibility. I modeled, kids turned/talked, kids 'tried
it' in their journals as I read aloud, kids 'tried it' with shared text, kids
did it with their own text (noting in their reading journal to share later).
p. 64 (this was my FAVORITE) "Proficient readers are able to assume different
'stances' toward a text, For example, a child can read a book from the point of
view of different characters, of a book reviewer, or of a writer seeking new
techniques for his/her work." This genius idea made for a week of lessons where
we again followed gradual release. At the end, I polled my kids by asking what
stance they most frequently take in their IR and I was amazed to see it was a
pretty even 3-way split.
2. We just finished our first week on Connections. Because of 27,000
interruptions, it will take us almost a month to get through the 8 lessons I
planned for this strategy. Last week was spent on t<-->s and it was so much fun
(for me!) taking 5th graders to deeper thinking with a familiar strategy.
Perhaps my favorite connection was when a darling girl explained that she could
feel the plane give when Brian punched it (in Hatchet, our shared novel)
because she knows what it's like to squish a Coke can.
3. Finally, I should confess that I worship at the feet of Ellin Keene. While
I'm having trouble buying into everything in her newest thinking, I revere MOT
and it makes my classroom what it is. Thankfully, there has been a resurgence
of interest in MOT at my school (after years of idiocy with NCLB and
publishers' "programs"). This coming Wednesday, MOT will be the focus of our
first hour and a half Learning Community meeting. We're really trying to revive
MOT and entice untrained teachers to come on board. Since the most powerful
inducement for me was seeing Keene (3 times) take a group of unknown students
and demonstrate a think aloud and strategy instruction with them, I'm going to
put my money where my mouth is and try becoming Ellin Keene on Wednesday. I'll
have a group of kids grades 2-5; I'll do a read aloud/think aloud and then
discuss the strategy with them. This could be an enormous failure, of course,
but I'm hoping that my colleagues will begin to buy in--as I did
the moment I first saw Ellin Keene. (I am going to school this morning to
choose the text and write my notes for think alouds--I alwaysalwaysalways plan
ahead).
Sorry this is so long,
judy5ca
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------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 2009 12:17:12 -0500
From: Lori D <loritheteac...@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] AIMSWeb
To: <mosaic@literacyworkshop.org>
Message-ID: <bay135-w7242a72505543b1f3d3dcc2...@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
The results simply confirm what you already knew about the students... you
could spent the time more productively by giving the kids an informal reading
inventory / running record rather than giving them the AIMs web assessments.
> > If anyone is using AIMSWeb for Reading or Math, and is a AIMS
> > district administrator, I am greatly in need of some advice. Please
> > contact me off list.
> >
> > Kay Smith
> > Selah School District
> > Literacy Facilitator
> > 509-697-0725 ext 774
> >
> > kaysm...@selah.k12.wa.us
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Kay
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > 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.
> >
> >
> >
> > **************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just
> > 2 easy steps!
> > (
> > http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1222846709x1201493018/aol?re
> > dir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072&hmpgID
> > =115&bcd
> > =JulystepsfooterNO115)
> > _______________________________________________
> > Mosaic mailing list
> > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
> > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to
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> >
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> >
> >
> _______________________________________________
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> Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
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>
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>
> _______________________________________________
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------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 2009 08:11:33 -0700
From: kim lum <kimm...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] A fresh start
To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group"
<mosaic@literacyworkshop.org>
Message-ID:
<ebbcfe370910040811mc899939u8a827df2f1c4d...@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
I appreciate your thought filler post. It is wonderful to hear your thinking. I
too am a thinker and am always running developmental ideas through my mind on
how learners' learn. These days I am working on how to help my students get a
focus for compare and contrast as we become thinkers about what we read. Second
graders are learning to think about their reading and support their stance
through these lessons. Our 6 second grade teachers are developing an ongoing
series of gradual release lessons for this thinking.
I look forward to more of your posts. Kim
On Sat, Oct 3, 2009 at 8:21 AM, <jvma...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Hi, I'm Judy in Northern California. I belonged to this list years and
> years ago when I first started teaching with the brilliant MOT
> comprehension strategies, but became overwhelmed with the number of
> off-topic posts and dropped my membership. I'm back now, hoping you're
> as dedicated to strategy instruction as I am. I've taught for many
> years (grades 1,2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8); this year is my first in 5th and I
> love it! So, about strategy instruction...
>
> 1. We spent the first month on monitoring for meaning. I used lessons
> from STW and made up my own. My favorite thing to do is take a bullet
> from the end of the chapter and develop it into one or more lessons. For
> example:
> p. 65 "Proficient readers use text management strategies. They pause,
> reread, skim, scan, consider the meaning of the text, and reflect on
> their understanding with others." This became a series of lessons
> moving through gradual release of responsibility. I modeled, kids
> turned/talked, kids 'tried it' in their journals as I read aloud, kids
> 'tried it' with shared text, kids did it with their own text (noting
> in their reading journal to share later).
> p. 64 (this was my FAVORITE) "Proficient readers are able to assume
> different 'stances' toward a text, For example, a child can read a
> book from the point of view of different characters, of a book
> reviewer, or of a writer seeking new techniques for his/her work."
> This genius idea made for a week of lessons where we again followed
> gradual release. At the end, I polled my kids by asking what stance
> they most frequently take in their IR and I was amazed to see it was a pretty
> even 3-way split.
>
> 2. We just finished our first week on Connections. Because of 27,000
> interruptions, it will take us almost a month to get through the 8
> lessons I planned for this strategy. Last week was spent on t<-->s and
> it was so much fun (for me!) taking 5th graders to deeper thinking
> with a familiar strategy. Perhaps my favorite connection was when a
> darling girl explained that she could feel the plane give when Brian
> punched it (in Hatchet, our shared novel) because she knows what it's like to
> squish a Coke can.
>
> 3. Finally, I should confess that I worship at the feet of Ellin Keene.
> While I'm having trouble buying into everything in her newest
> thinking, I revere MOT and it makes my classroom what it is.
> Thankfully, there has been a resurgence of interest in MOT at my
> school (after years of idiocy with NCLB and publishers' "programs").
> This coming Wednesday, MOT will be the focus of our first hour and a
> half Learning Community meeting. We're really trying to revive MOT and
> entice untrained teachers to come on board. Since the most powerful
> inducement for me was seeing Keene (3 times) take a group of unknown
> students and demonstrate a think aloud and strategy instruction with
> them, I'm going to put my money where my mouth is and try becoming
> Ellin Keene on Wednesday. I'll have a group of kids grades 2-5; I'll
> do a read aloud/think aloud and then discuss the strategy with them.
> This could be an enormous failure, of course, but I'm hoping that my
> colleagues will begin to buy in--as I did the moment I first saw Ellin
> Keene. (I am going to school this morning to choose the text and write my
> notes for think alouds--I alwaysalwaysalways plan ahead).
>
> Sorry this is so long,
> judy5ca
> _______________________________________________
> 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.
>
>
------------------------------
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To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to
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Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
End of Mosaic Digest, Vol 38, Issue 3
*************************************
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