Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread sdcteacher
I would love to see the pictures. What a great idea! Sherry Sent from my iPhone On Feb 19, 2012, at 7:29 PM, DONNA FOX wrote: > > I'd like to share a strategy that has worked well for me in the past, > especially with nonfiction. Has anybody ever heard of an Information Walk? In > a nut shel

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread Cathy Walker
I'm new to the group and I am loving it all! Cathy from Salt Spring On 2012-02-19, at 8:34 PM, evelia cadet wrote: > Thank you Renee and all of you for the great comments and ideas. I love this > group!! > > Evelia > >> From: phoenix...@sbcglobal.net >> Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:07:51 -0800

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread evelia cadet
Thank you Renee and all of you for the great comments and ideas. I love this group!! Evelia > From: phoenix...@sbcglobal.net > Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:07:51 -0800 > To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance > > I would say that determining importance is i

Re: [MOSAIC] Our list...

2012-02-19 Thread Beverlee Paul
Very thoughtful, Jennifer. I feel like I have to share mine because it seems to bleed on issue after issue. I know it's not so cool to share right now and it isn't what Jennifer envisioned. but... I am made beyond crazy when "people" consider students (and teachers) as identical clones, then "deliv

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread Beverlee Paul
During this discussion, I keep thinking of the very clever posts on Facebook the last couple of weeks and how they relate to POV and some comments on here. Most of them are career-related and are a series of pictures showing items like "This is what my boss thinks I do," and "This is what my studen

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread Sally Thomas
Love it - great idea. Am going to try it asap! Sally On 2/19/12 4:29 PM, "donn...@optonline.net" wrote: > > I'd like to share a strategy that has worked well for me in the past, > especially with nonfiction. Has anybody ever heard of an Information > Walk? In a nut shell what you do is chunk

[MOSAIC] Our list...

2012-02-19 Thread Palmer, Jennifer
Thank you everyone for the great discussion this weekend!! :-) Let's make a pact, shall we? Let's take a sec to privately consider our hot button issues. We all have the topic or issue that pushes an emotional button. (Mine are Open Court Reading Series and those $&@!! Test Prep books that start

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread Palmer, Jennifer
Thank you !!! Yes,it was Tovani!! Sent from my iPhone On Feb 19, 2012, at 5:34 PM, "Kim Thompson" wrote: > Was it not Chris Tovani who used this example (different purposes - > decorator / real estate agent, and a thief) in her book, "I Read It But I > Don't Get It"? Excellent conversation.

Re: [MOSAIC] Reader Writer Workshop Resources

2012-02-19 Thread charjim92
Hi there, The website is the literacy curriculum page for my district, the Wachusett Regional School District in Central Massachusetts.  The URL is http://www.wrsd.net/literacy/    Enjoy, Charlene Griffin Instructional Coach Wachusett Regional School District - Original Messag

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread DONNA FOX
I'd like to share a strategy that has worked well for me in the past, especially with nonfiction. Has anybody ever heard of an Information Walk? In a nut shell what you do is chunk the text you are working with into sections or by subtitles, and assign groups of 2-4 students to be responsible

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread Renee
I would say that determining importance is important in getting to the main idea, and establishing the main idea is helpful in determining importance. Big help, huh? Kids need to know both. Determining importance helps them remember and retell stories. But knowing the main idea is useful in

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread Renee
Evelia, Sometimes when I am substituting, and there is some "leftover" time, I have kids get out whatever book they are currently reading, and then we do a little book chat. If the teacher is one who has kids' names in a can, I draw names, otherwise, I just go around randomly, asking ques

Re: [MOSAIC] Reader Writer Workshop Resources

2012-02-19 Thread Terry
Will you post the link to the school website you are referring to? I would love to check it out. Terry On Sun, Feb 19, 2012 at 1:15 PM, Sandy Stevens wrote: > Charlene, > > I love your school's website. I got lost in for over an hour. > Unfortunately, I was unable to acces your link to the vid

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread evelia cadet
Maybe, instead of saying "author's main idea", I should've said the standardized test maker main idea. This is the first year I am teaching the comprehension strategies. In the past, my students have struggled with main idea. I am wondering how determining importance may help them with findin

Re: [MOSAIC] Reader Writer Workshop Resources

2012-02-19 Thread charjim92
Hi Sandy, Glad you like the website.  We created it to help teachers access lessons and ideas.  We try to add more as we get the chance.  The video links are on the first page when you open up that www.wrsd.net/literacy site.  The second episode's link is the picture of the video itself.  Th

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread Sally Thomas
A book I thought was helpful is A Teachers' Guide to Standardized Reading Tests by Lucy Calkins, Beverly Falk and other NY teachers... They were a teacher study group who came from perspectives shared on this list and still felt a need to deal with tests, but not the usual test prep. They wound up

[MOSAIC] Reader Writer Workshop Resources

2012-02-19 Thread Sandy Stevens
Charlene, I love your school's website. I got lost in for over an hour. Unfortunately, I was unable to acces your link to the videos.:( I am working on my Reading Specialist license and hopt to be a literacy coach someday. I have you rwebsite bookmarked as a great resource. Sandy __

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread evelia cadet
Are determining importance and finding the author's main idea the same thing? If they are not, are they related? How? HELP! Evelia Sent from my Windows Phone -Original Message- From: Palmer, Jennifer Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2012 9:23 AM To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategie

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread Kim Thompson
Was it not Chris Tovani who used this example (different purposes - decorator / real estate agent, and a thief) in her book, "I Read It But I Don't Get It"? Excellent conversation. "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group" writes: >I agree Renee. What I often do is spend a littl

Re: [MOSAIC] phonics program

2012-02-19 Thread Sally Thomas
I agree with you Jennifer. Thanks for saying it so clearly. Would it be okay if I share it with my new teacher students? Also I think what makes me react so strongly to scripted programs is NOT that they don't use useful concepts (like the multisensory and the keyword associations you mention) b

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread evelia cadet
Here is where I am struggling. How can I teach my students to determine what's important in a text, but at the same time they have to be able to answer those fake main idea questions from a test? Any advice? Sent from my Windows Phone -Original Message- From: Palmer, Jennifer Sent: Sun

Re: [MOSAIC] phonics program

2012-02-19 Thread Palmer, Jennifer
Pat...I can tell you briefly what I think works about Wilson Fundations... it is the keyword/letter/sound association. Learning a consistent picture and keyword really helps struggling kids internalize that letter sound relationship. I also liked the skywriting---the use of large muscle movement

Re: [MOSAIC] phonics program

2012-02-19 Thread Patricia Kimathi
Thank you. This makes a lot of sense. I have never used Wilson, the skywriting is something we can all do and most programs have a picture keyword component. Thanks. Pat On Feb 19, 2012, at 8:51 AM, Palmer, Jennifer wrote: Pat...I can tell you briefly what I think works about Wilson Fund

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread Palmer, Jennifer
It's the testing culture Renee. We test low level and that drives instruction. Think about main idea ... And it's relationship to what we are talking about. Determining importance becomes a game to guess what test authors feel is important... Sent from my iPhone On Feb 19, 2012, at 12:01 PM,

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread Renee
I wonder what would happen if we just asked a student, "Why is this important?" I'm thinking in a context, for example, of my own lesson, when the student asked how Washington's face got on Mount Rushmore. These were third graders. I can easily imagine a student ansswering, "it isn't" and I cou

Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance

2012-02-19 Thread Renee
Indeed they would. And that's why it's so important to ask follow-up questions to clarify. And THAT is one of the biggest things lacking in scripted programs, I think. Unless a teacher is ready, willing, and able to deviate from the script, all questions are directed toward getting the students