Thanks so much Beverlee. This is actually an apt description of what I am planning. I also think that teaching first grade for ten years has prepared me to teach grad students.:) From, Mena
PS (The first textbook is often a textbook with a traditional format..i.e. any one of the Vacca textbooks. However since this class is about Trends and Issues I haven't found a traditional textbook on Trends and Issues that I am happy with. Therefore, I am using a seminal piece of literature ... Kozol, J. (2005). The shame of the nation: The restoration of apartheid schooling inAmerica. NY: Crown Publishing. and my second text choices for my literature circles and jigsaw discussions...I guess limiting this to three students per group (30 students in class) would mean only ten choices: (1) Allington,R. (2002). Big brother and thenational reading curriculum: Howideology trumped evidence. ..OR What Really Matters in Response to Intervention: Research-Based Designs (2) Altwerger,B. (2005). Reading for profit: How the bottom line leaves kids behind. (3) Bracey, G.(2004). Setting the recordstraight: Responses to misconceptionsabout public education in the United States. (4) Coles, G. (2003). Reading the naked truth: Literacy, legislation and lies. (5) Garan, E. (2004). In defense of our children: When politics, profit, and education collide. (6) Shannon, P. (2007). Reading against democracy: The broken promises of reading instruction. (7) Kohn, A. (2000). The case against standardized testing: Raising the scores, ruining the schools. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. (8) Zemelman, S., Daniels, H., Hyde, A. (2005). Best practice: Today’s standards for teaching and learningin today’s schools. Third Edition,Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. 9) Mem Fox Radical Reflections 10) Linda Darling-Hammond The Flat World and Education: How America's Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future (Multicultural Education) 11) Thomas Newkirk Holding On to Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones - Six Literacy Principles Worth Fighting For 12) The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller 13) Readacide Kelly Gallagher 14) Saving Our Schools: The Case ForPublic Education, Saying No to "No Child Left Behind" by Shannon, Goodman, Rapoport Philomena Marinaccio-Eckel, Ph.D. Florida Atlantic University Dept. of Teaching and Learning College of Education 2912 College Ave. ES 214 Davie, FL 33314 Phone: 954-236-1070 Fax: 954-236-1050 -----Original Message----- From: Beverlee Paul <beverleep...@gmail.com> To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group <mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> Sent: Tue, Jun 1, 2010 4:53 pm Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Need text suggestions for Trends and Issues in Reading ...draft list For virtually every class I've taught, I've offered choice. Many times the choice of the first textbook is only between 2 or 3 and those are the "whole book" part of the coursework/classwork, often pertaining to grade levels, such as early childhood, primary, intermediate, middle school but including information it's truly important for every student to take from the given class. But for the 2nd (and beyond) books, I offer much more choice, perhaps as many as 20. Not only do the students get to dig in deeply to something they really need at that time, the jigsawing/sharing information elevates the whole classroom time. When I teach math, there are fewer choices and common threads are available for the second book: problem-solving, communication, geometry, algebraic thinking, etc. For literacy classes, as well as Teaching Kindergarten and Teaching the Primary Grades, there are always so many components of the coursework, and so many differences among the students in education and experience, that I've found many choices work best. For instance, in balanced literacy, the obvious choices are shared reading, readers' workshop, writers' workshop, shared writing, etc. For a writing class, in addition to level (which is a good way to differentiate the main class text), there is setting up a writers workshop, mentor texts, craft lessons, minilessons, reluctant writers, writing conferences, etc. What the Next Best Step is for any teacher depends on what she has already explored and where she's at now. All this being said, I've very rarely taught classes that are requireds for graduate programs and require a common syllabus and a university-chosen textbook requirement. The other thing that's important for me to say is that very rarely have I had students let me down, but it has happened. The few students that have would include people who are in the class for someone else, not for themselves. A desire to learn is a natural trait, but some people seem to have suppressed that. That's when I personally intervene and try to "guide" that student more than the others. Let us know how your class comes out! Bev Probably the greatest compliment I've ever received on an evaluation was something like this: "Mrs. Paul teaches us just like she teaches kindergartners! She expects us to choose what we need to explore and supports us as we get better and better. I wish university teachers would stop teaching us as if we were all the same student. Mrs. Paul wants every one of us to grow and learn and help each other, just like kindergartners." The only caveat to this is probably how you schedule your classes. I usually have whole group time, lit circle time, and a time when grade level groupings get together. I can switch back and forth between those two or three groups at the end. On Tue, Jun 1, 2010 at 12:25 PM, Mena <drmarinac...@aol.com> wrote: > > Thanks Lori...do you think this is true irregardless of age and class > size. This is the first time I am trying lit circles with my grad students. > The class is about 30 students..UGH! Any other advice is truly appreciated. > From, Mena > > > > Philomena Marinaccio-Eckel, Ph.D. > Florida Atlantic University > Dept. of Teaching and Learning > College of Education > 2912 College Ave. ES 214 > Davie, FL 33314 > Phone: 954-236-1070 > Fax: 954-236-1050 > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: EDWARD JACKSON <lori_jack...@q.com> > To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > Sent: Tue, Jun 1, 2010 10:53 am > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Need text suggestions for Trends and Issues in > Reading ...draft list > > > > It has been my experience when working with lit circles that are organized > around central themes and relevant discussions that the instructor needs to > present books which support student choice without taking readers away from > those themes and discussions. Too much choice can also overwhelm. Perhaps > your > next logical task would be to do a preliminary sift and narrow your list to > 4-6 > titles that are most relevant to your course. > > Lori > > _______________________________________________ > 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. > > -- "There is nothing so unequal as equal treatment of unequals." Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes _______________________________________________ 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.
