Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance
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 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 for each > passage. The students collaborate in creating a poster with the information > required by the teacher. Fpr example the class I work in we recently did this > with main idea. We had students make a 4 square on their posters and one > square was labeled Main Idea, Supporting Details, Important vocabulary, and > Visualization. > However, the fun starts when you hang them around your classroom or an empty > hallway. Each student is given 3-4 post it notes and a set of 4-5 stickers or > stars. As they roam around and learn from each other they have to leave post > it note comments, and stickers next to new and interesting information that > they acquired from one another. It really fosters student to student > learning, and they are so excited to get their poster back to see what the > others wrote. > > I have done this same activity for Determining Importance. Instead of 4 > squares a I have them make 2 columns one titled Important Information and the > other Interesting. You can adapt this to almost anything, and even use this > to activate schema for prior knowledge or as a post reading activity. > And of course the big question should always be " Why is this important?" > thank you Renee for that! > > Earlier todayI tried to send my pics with this email but it bounced back to > me. If anybody would like to see a photo of the finished product just email > me personally and I will send it to you. > This activity has been very successful, and as you well know the enthusiasm > when you hand students post it notes and stickers is overwhelming. Also, I > love setting it up outside of the classroomfor some reason the different > environment adds to the excitement when students go on their Information > Walk! > > Donna > Intervention Gr3/4 > > > > On Sun, Feb 19, 2012 at 7:07 PM, Renee wrote: > >> 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 recommending books to >> other people; it reduces things down to one or two sentences. >> >> Renee >> >> On Feb 19, 2012, at 12:03 PM, evelia cadet wrote: >> >>> 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 Strategies Email Group >>> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Determining Importance >>> >>> 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, "Renee" wrote: >>> 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 could also easily imagine a student giving a reason, maybe something like, "well, because he was so important that they put him on a mountain so how did that happen?" I think it's a good question: Why is this important? It has that lovely open-endedness that helps us learn what's going on the mind of a student. And by the way in my substituting travels to various classrooms, I am finding every year that it's harder and harder to get kids to answer open-ended questions with any kind of confidence. That frightens me. Renee On Feb 18, 2012, at 1:49 PM, Palmer, Jennifer wrote: > I agree Renee. What I often do is spend a little time talking about our > purpose for reading first and letting that guide the discussion ... I > think it was Kylie Beers that uses the example of a text that is a > description of a beautiful home. An interior decorator, a real estate > agent and a thief, all would find different things in the text to be > important because their purposes for reading would be quite different. >>
Re: [MOSAIC] **SPAM** book publishing website
Google it again and look at your options. They have one choice for you to have the code e-mailed to you. Sherry Sent from my iPhone On Feb 11, 2012, at 8:56 AM, Sally Thomas wrote: > I googled and went to the site. It looks great and I can accesss the many > many books. But it has a writing books half of the site that cannot be > accessed without registering. When I go to register it needs an access > code. I cannot find anywhere on the site to tell me what that code is or > how I can get it. Also doesn't have any link to a system administrator to > ask. Has anyone used this who could tell me/us more about how to use it?? > Sally > > > On 2/11/12 3:12 AM, "Patricia Kimathi" wrote: > >> Does anyone have a link for this. It sounds interesting. >> PatK >> On Feb 9, 2012, at 7:28 AM, Cathy Walker wrote: >> >>> Have you ever heard of Tar Heel Reader? It is online and kids from >>> all over the world create books for other kids to read. >>> >>> Cat >>> On 2012-02-09, at 3:21 AM, DONNA FOX wrote: >>> > > > > ___ > 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
Re: [MOSAIC] Special Picture Book "Basket"
In a message dated 8/1/2007 8:00:11 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Debbie said: I don't think you're being paranoid. I do the same thing (and that would mean I'M paranoid!) You have an objective, a special purpose for those books and they need to be there when you need them. What I do is try and collect another copy and put it out after I use it for read aloud or even guided reading. (I have some multiple copies) Do you have enough books for the students? Maybe you feel like they don't have enough. You could just hit the used book stores and garage sales to beef up your library area instead. Thanks to everyone for the response. I teach 5th grade, and I have lots and lots of chapter books, but didn't really start collecting picture books until I started teaching strategies. Since it's expensive to buy these books, and most of the ones that I want don't seem to be in any book orders, even those for the young ones, I have only been buying single copies of each title so that I could have more books to choose from for my lessons and read alouds. I'm glad to hear that so many of you have your own special basket, too. I'll try to quit feeling selfish! I guess I just have guilt issues when it comes to certain books. I don't like to share professional books much, either. I spend SO MUCH money on them, and I don't like the idea of not being able to immediately put my hands on something when I need it. Usually, I don't mention what I have been reading except to maybe a teacher or two. Then, if a teacher is stumped about something and needs my help, I'll recommend that they buy certain books. By the time they are really looking for some answers, they are usually ready to spend their own money and put in the work to try to make the changes. Sherry ** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour ___ 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] Special Picture Book "Basket"
As I am setting up my room, I am once more stuck with a dilemma, and that's whether or not to let my students have access to all of my picture books, even the ones that I know I will use for mini lessons in either reading or writing. Right now I have a special basket of these books that I keep behind my desk. I'm afraid that I won't have them when I need them, that they will wear out too quickly, or that it won't be a "surprise" as we start thinking aloud together in guided practice. Am I just way too paranoid? I would love for the students to have access to the best of the picture books, but those are the ones in my hidden basket! What kind of rules have you set up with your students? Are there any books that you save for some lessons? Thanks for your input. Sherry ** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour ___ 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.
Re: [MOSAIC] cloze answers
In a message dated 7/25/2007 10:26:48 A.M. Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I thought that was a really interesting activity. I was thinking that perhaps the other thing this activity revealed to me is how stuck in schema I can be, trying to make it fit instead of looking for another schema. I imagine that happens quite a bit to students during reading. I'm wondering if we could use a cloze like this when we are teaching our students to be prepared to either have their BK confirmed and strengthened by the text, or to have their thinking changed by the text, either of which is a great thing to happen. People stuck in their own schema make for some funny and embarrassing situations at times when they discover how their thinking based on their schema was way off on a certain topic. Teaching students to be flexible in their thinking is key, I think. However, my schema on that could be way off! :) Do any of the rest of you have other cloze activity paragraphs that you could share that would work for classrooms? Sherry ** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour ___ 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.
Re: [MOSAIC] whisper phones
In a message dated 7/22/2007 2:15:19 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I made mine from 3/4 inch PVC pipe and elbow connections. My ends swivel, too! I think it cost me $7 to make 23. That was 5 years ago, so it might cost a bit more now. Jeanne, How did you make them? Sherry ** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour ___ 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.
Re: [MOSAIC] Inner Voice - Responses to Elisa and Kim
In a message dated 7/15/2007 8:58:37 A.M. Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Paying attention to your inner voice interrupts the flow of your reading but it also helps you comprehend better. Elisa If I am a proficient reader, reading aesthetically, why would I want to slow down? I think we are so used to hearing about kids that struggle with reading, that we don't take into consideration the proficient reader. Many of my kids are proficient aesthetically, but not efferently. Kim I have been reading the 2nd edition of Strategies That Work, getting ready for the conversation that begins tomorrow, and the book addresses not slowing down for aesthetic reading unless you feel a need to slow down for something. In that case, it's nice to have paper and pencil nearby for writing and thinking. An example that comes to mind is a book with many characters. I sometimes have trouble keeping them straight at the beginning of the book until I have enough information about each character to form a mental picture. I have a tendency to write down names and a little something about them until that image is formed. I have also found that as I have forced myself to slow down and listen to my inner voice, just the fact of slowing down helps me to think much more deeply about the themes, the lessons, the comparisons or contrasts to my own life, my own hopes and dreams. I tried to find a snippet that I thought was in The Art of Teaching Reading by Lucy Calkins, but I couldn't find it. It was written by a very proficient elementary school girl saying that she had never really read before she started taking the time to slow down and think. She named many books that she had read easily, but it was her reflection that she would like to go back and "really" read them. I think that's the gist. Maybe someone else knows what I'm talking about more than I do! Anyway, I have found that slowing down at times, even for aesthetic reading, has helped me a great deal, and I think that giving all of my students, even my great readers, the idea and the permission to do that themselves, shows them that it is deep reflection that can give them the most pleasure. Of course, some books are just for fun with no deep thinking required! Those are fun to read at times as well. Sherry ** Get a sneak peak of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour ___ 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.
Re: [MOSAIC] new addition to TOOLS page
In a message dated 1/1/2007 9:22:35 P.M. Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Remember to hit REFRESH/RELOAD on your computer to see the current view of the TOOLS page whenever I add new files. And please-- send me your pictures, files, powerpoints, etc. in an attachment to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and I'll add them to our collection! What do I do if I hit the REFRESH button, and I still can't see the new stuff? Sherry ___ 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.
Re: [MOSAIC] Lesson idea for purpose of reading
In a message dated 10/8/2006 1:01:42 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I'm planning on doing a lesson with my 6th grade students this week about setting a purpose for reading. I'm coming up dry with an innovative way to approach this. Any ideas?Thanks. Pat I like Chris Tovani's lesson in her book I Read It, But I Don't Get It. It's where the students read a passage over three times, marking what they think is important each time: 1st-what do you think is important 2nd-what would a robber think was important 3rd-what would a prospective home buyer think was important. The passage is about two boys skipping school and going to one of the boy's houses. Of course, the kids love pretending they are robbers and looking for information. But it really helps them understand that if they set their own purpose before they start reading, it drives them forward in their reading. One of my low students really likes to set purpose now. He wants to tell me the second he has found the answer to one of his questions, etc., and then I can tell him, "Great, what do you think your purpose should be now?" He comes up with something, and he if off to races again. I think that it is a game to him, but it is helping him to stay focused, which is a wonderful part of setting a purpose for reading. Sherry ___ 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] Bonita: Gallagher's Deeper Meaning
In a message dated 9/17/2006 12:17:36 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I will be happy to talk more about this if folks are interested in ways Gallagher does it and ways I am trying to do it. -- Bonita, I would love to hear more about Gallagher's ways of using strategies in a separate application. I looked him up, and it looks like I'm going to have to spend more money. His other book, Reading Reasons looks very worthwhile as well, giving 9 lessons on reasons WHY students need to use strategies. Sherry ___ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.
[MOSAIC] School wide struggle with strategies
I could really use some input here! My school has struggled to get out of the dark ages of reading for some time. We finally made the big move to strategies about three years ago. We even had a big group of us go to a conference with Ellin, Debbie Miller, etc. summer before last. The problem is that our specialist (who did not go to the conference, but is the one who started strategies school wide) has not really followed up with enough training, follow through, etc., and many of the teachers who should have been teaching strategies have not really been doing it. I just don't think that the teachers quite "get it" yet, and so they end up falling back on old ways. My incoming 5th graders this year didn't even know what schema is. Here is the problem. We have a new staff member who was a reading specialist at her old school. We were very excited about her coming. She has had lots of special training, etc. She is a teacher here. Long story short, even though I have not "heard" what she is expert in yet, I now strongly believe that she was doing guided reading in her old school. Guided reading seems like a totally different thing to me than Reading workshop. It is set up differently, the timing is different, etc. I only have a 110 minute block each day for Reading and Writing, and so where does that leave time for the truly independent reading that I want my readers doing each day? My fear is that because this is a strong personality coming in, who is confident in what she has been doing, and because some grade levels are struggling with Reading Workshop, that we will cave in to yet another system. I don't want that. I have seen the format that we are doing work too well at my grade level, where we have actually been doing it, albeit imperfectly. I was wondering if any, many, or a few of you have leveled groups during your independent reading time for Reading Workshop? Do the two mix, and I'm just not getting it? I'm feeling that what we really need here is more support in the school for strategy teaching in the reading workshop format. Opinions? Sherry ___ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.
