[MOSAIC] title correction?
I believe when Dana shared a resource with us, she may not have had the correct title. The book Dana cited is actually titled: Put Thinking to the Test by Lori L. Conrad, Missy Matthews, Cheryl Zimmerman, Patrick A. Allen Here is a link to information about the book. www.stenhouse.com/shop/pc/viewprd.asp?idProduct=9113r=REFERER Sounds like the perfect book for the members of this listserv to read! Check it out! Thanks for bringing it to mind, Dana! Ginger W. Mosaic ___ 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] High School request for ideas
I received this email and I believe she intended it for the Mosaic group so I am forwarding it on: ++ My name is C. Wright. I am trying to incorporate reading into my 11th grade content area because our students score low on the reading and social studies part of the exam. I know part of the problem is that may students do not know how to read. Some do not comprehend. So I am trying to teach students how to be successful readers on the test as well as acquire a life skill. I noticed that if the passages are long many students do not any attempt to read. My greatest problem is trying to find strategies that work during a reading assignment. The before and after is okay, but during the reading my strategies fade. Carolyn Wright wchwri...@wilcox.k12.al.us ___ 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] GREAT new book/teacher stress
One of our Mosaic members, Maureen Robins, has just put out a new book on teacher stress called- The Pressures of Teaching: How Teachers Cope with Classroom Stress. Maureen is the editor as well as an author of one chapter. I took a look inside and read the first three chapters. Great pieces! For anyone who is teaching teachers or preservice teachers, these short text pieces would be excellent to discuss or to use to teach teachers to annotate their thinking. I found myself in each of the entries. This is very timely, needed book. Take a look for yourself: To read the first few chapters: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Pressures-of-Teaching/Maureen-Robins/9781427799661/browse_inside Here is the Amazon.com link where you can read more about the book: www.amazon.com/Pressures-Teaching-Teachers-Classroom-Stress/dp/1427799660/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8s=booksqid=1271286932sr=8-1 Maureen wanted to let us all know there is also a discussion about the book going on now on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=323021511542 Way to go Maureen! Ginger Weincek Mosaic ___ 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] teacher desk or no?
When I pull small groups the kids grab a rag rug from our hamper/basket and sit in a tight circle around me on the floor. I sit on a stool that has wheels. I found it at Loews or Menards or Home Depot. It's something like what a car mechanic uses to scoot around. It's very sturdy and it raises and lowers. Here is one link I just found: www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_375713_375713 I can wheel up closer to each of them as they are reading for a quick running record. The stool on wheels is GREAT when I want to zoom around to each child during writing workshop to conference with them while they work at their tables. I gave up my teacher's desk years ago. I claim a corner where the computer desk is (two computers) and use stacking trays on the counter for each of my small group books and the shelves right there for my teacher stuff. I have one student desk up against the counter for my lesson plan book. If you don't have counters use 2-3 extra student desks up against the wall. Ginger Weincek grade 3 ___ 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] TEACHING TOOLS page
For the new members to our list, I thought I would let you know that we have a great resource. It is called the TEACHING TOOLS page located at: www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm Take a look sometime. Just click on the red headings at the top and you will find resources and materials to download and use in your teaching in these areas: Assessment Lesson Plans Parents Writing Other Photographs Staff Development PowerPoint Presentations Worksheet / Reporting Forms, etc. Anyone with files to share can send them directly to Keith Mack, our webmaster, at: km...@keithmack.com and he will upload them and announce when they are ready for us to view. Also, we'd like to thank Laura Kump (owner of www.readinglady.com) for her ongoing generosity in sharing server space with the Mosaic Email Group. Thank you Laura! Be sure to check out her site too! Enjoy. Ginger Weincek ___ 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] think aloud parent training
Robyn asked: Thank you Ginger for your parent training outline. I was wondering when you schedule these workshops and what the attendance looks like. I have done day and evening workshops. At one district (with three elementary schools) I offered a day and an evening workshop at each school. The invite had all the dates and welcomed parents from any school to attend any date that was convenient. As far as attendance... the smallest draw was 5 parents. Actually that was one of my favorite experiences. I sat with them around a table and talked with them on a more personal level. The largest draw was 50 parents. Lots of couples. All totally engaged and interested. I realize that often the parents who come may not be the ones we need to reach but from my own experiences, not many parents think aloud in this way so pretty much everyone goes home with a new understanding. Always very grateful for the modeling and opportunity to practice themselves. At one school, I was asked to come back 2 months later after the parents in attendance said they would tell all their friends how helpful it was. The second session was larger there. I have presented at schools where the teachers offer small group settings for the children while the parents are with me in hopes to draw in more parents. At one school I did a shortened version with the parents while the children were with a storyteller. Then the teachers got the parents and their children together in various classrooms (all set up ahead of time by the school- not me!) and they had pictures books set out for the parents to practice thinking aloud with their children that very night. As I walked around to each room I was so touched by the efforts of the parents. At one school I presented at the teachers were not implementing explicit strategy instruction and it was the parents who asked for it to be taught in the classrooms. The principal was able to use the interest of the parent population (this is the school where 50 parents attended) to begin to move her staff. Ginger Weincek ___ 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] think aloud parent training
This is a resend from a couple years ago. + I actually do training in thinking aloud with the parents. I designed this workshop as a way to begin to introduce the comprehension strategies and being metacognitive to our parents. Here's what I do in my hour and a half parent workshop. First I ask the parents to turn and talk about what reading is. We chart it. I stress that reading is much more than just reading the words. Huge in my district. (along with reading fast!) Next I have them turn and talk about the value of reading books with their children and discussing them. We share back whole group. (I don't chart this) I briefly talk about the proficient reader research and what we now know about what makes a strategic reader. (Reading is thinking, metacognition, the little voice in our heads, interacting with the text, and all that) I go over each strategy very briefly. I tell them that one important way they can help their children become strategic readers is to think aloud with them as they are reading together. Thinking aloud is great because kids need to hear the metacognitive voice outloud that we want them to have inside when they are reading. I tell them that they can be the examples for their children. I then model a general think aloud for them using the book Rudy's Pond by Eve Bunting. Then I model a think aloud with a Clifford book to show that you can think aloud when reading a variety of texts to all ages. I make sure that I give make connections, sensory images, questions, and inferences. I try to determine importance and synthesize along the way. I also try to do some rereading or fix ups along the way. But I do not talk about WHAT I am doing (at the time), I just read and think out loud naturally like I would in my classroom or with a child. I then have them turn and talk and share what they SAW ME DOING and HEARD ME SAYING as I was reading the text. They share back whole group. I stress the things they don't notice. Then I pass out to the tables the picture books that I use when training adults (teachers/parents/administrators) to think aloud. I have them EACH pick a book and then get a partner (if the group is huge I have the partner group pick ONE book). I give them the following directions. This is always hard for adults. They want to make it into a discussion and that is NOT my purpose for this exercise. I want them to simply MODEL (the reader is the one doing the work) a think aloud. I tell them that at first this may not be easy and it may feel uncomfortable. But all they have to do is read and pay attention to when they have some thinking. When that happens, they are to STOP and share that thinking. I tell them they can start out by saying, I'm thinking... if that helps. They are NOT retelling the story. They are simply sharing their thinking as they are reading. Whatever bubbles up into their brains or comes from their heart. 1. Person A goes first with his/her book. Person B is to represent the child (or the class if you are training teachers). For this exercise Person B is NOT TO INTERACT with Person A- just receive the thinking. Person A reads and shares his/her thinking. 2. When about 10 minutes has gone by I tell them to switch and Person B now will do the think aloud with his/her book. Person A is to receive the thinking. Person B reads and shares his/her thinking. 3. After 10 more minutes (and yes they often do not finish the books and BOY do they want to!!!) I have them turn and talk and share how it FELT to do the thinking outloud. We then share back whole group. I've mentioned before how I choose VERY emotionally charged books. I do this on purpose so that they will have something to think about. I warn them that some of the books are tear jerkers. I even have a box of tissues ready in case! But when reading with their children they can think aloud with any text. I do encourage them to read books TO their children that are above their reading level. Because we know that kids can comprehend at a higher listening level than they can read. I then have them turn and talk about how they now envision themselves using thinking aloud with their children. I tell them to imagine themselves grabbing small snatches of time to get into a book- even in their busy lives. Ultimately both the parent and the child will do the thinking aloud as they are reading together. But the parents can be so instrumental if they think aloud with their kids. I field any questions and we are off. I hope this makes sense. It is really rather simple and from the feedback, the impact is POWERFUL. It's like I introduced them to the most amazing thing. They leave excited and very grateful. (It cracks me up actually!) This works exactly the same with teachers and administrators. Practicing a general think aloud was something I never did when I first started teaching the strategies. I read MOT and jumped right in to my first strategy study:
[MOSAIC] organizing books/long
Hi Laurie. I had to jump in on this thread about having kids help organize the classroom library. I have done this for the past 7 years or so. Here's how I do it in my third grade classroom. Like you, I have all my books boxed up from the year before. The kids actually box them up as part of undoing our classroom. (We set up the classroom physically as a group each fall. But that's another LONG email and not on topic for the Mosaic list.) I do box them up by genre but the kids don't know that. After I explain here doing it with the genre's already boxed up, I'll share how I've done it one year with several classes when the boxes were not sorted by genre. To have something for the kids to read for independent reading from day one before our classroom library is set up I pull a variety of books and place them in ice cube bins on each table. I rotate the bins every day so the kids have more to read from. This is just for the first 4-5 days of school- while we are making the decisions on the classroom stuff that they decide and do together. Once we are at the place in creating our classroom environment where we are ready to make decisions on our books, I bring out the boxes of one genre. Say it could be fiction picture books. Before we start, I teach the kids what it will look like and sound like as we get to know our books over the next few days. LOOKS LIKE: hands holding ONE book at a time turning the pages to skim the book eyes on the covers eyes reading the blurbs putting ONE book down and picking up another book taking turns with the books choosing 2 books by the end of the rotation for their book boxes table groups rotating at the signal to the next table carrying their chosen books from table to table and placing them under the chair SOUNDS LIKE: books being picked up pages turning quiet whispers of excitement considerate words for handing the book to someone interested books being set down carefully feet excitedly walking to the next table at the signal I use LOOKS LIKE/SOUNDS LIKE talk with them from the beginning and even make charts for crucial routines depending on the group. Then before we begin the activity/event, I have them say back to me what I should SEE and HEAR when we start. ALL YEAR! Back to the books. I don't tell them what the genre is. But I do tell them that once we are done rotating they will be turning and talking at their table to decide what the genre is and what are the qualities of that genre. We will make an anchor chart for the wall at that point. I have 6 student tables in my room. I call up one student from each table to carry a pile of those books to their table. The books are not stacked neatly, but spread all out on each table. I keep handing them the books for their tables until those boxes are empty. Then once all the books are passed out from that genre the SILENT preview starts. They get about 3 minutes at their table to get their hands on those books. I give a signal for them to rotate to the next table. By the end of the 6 table rotation they should have 2 books they want to place in their individual book boxes. And yes, they can change their minds along the way and just put the book on that table and pick a new one. Once they have rotated back to their own seat, I give them 2 minutes to begin reading the two books they have picked out for their book box. Then it's time to turn and talk about what they noticed about the books and we decide on the genre and create an anchor chart to hang up in the room. They LOVE THIS!!! And YES it does take several days. Depending on the group (and how well you have structured the behaviors) you can do two genres in the morning and one or two in the afternoon. All of this beginning of the year work is SO CRUCIAL to creating the literacy community for the rest of the year so I do not rush it. Not only do my children determine the genre (many have done work on genre before coming to third grade) and discuss the characteristics of that genre, but they work together to place the books into the book baskets. I have had years where the kids make the book basket labels or I have done it on the computer. They then decide as a class where in the classroom that genre of book baskets should live for the year. I spread my classroom library out based on genre across my room. I find it helps with the traffic flow when kids are switching out their book box books each week. So nonfiction (broken up by topic) are in one location, fiction chapter books in another location, poetry, math, jokes/riddles, song books in another location, historical fiction in its own area, (fiction picture books are usually placed on the top of my free standing book cases just because of the flower boxes I arrange them in- for size), etc. Now... if your books are all boxed up in random groupings and not by genre you can still do this process. It will just be a bit messier but VERY doable. When I
[MOSAIC] Stephanie Harvey workshop
Great news for people in the Midwest!! Stephanie Harvey is returning for her summer Reading Comprehension Institute. I can't say ENOUGH about what a great investment (and fun time!) this is. If you've never spent time learning from Stephanie you should this summer! It's not far from O'Hare airport, either! I'll be there and I'd love to meet you guys! Ginger Weincek Mosaic +++ Stephanie Harvey, author of Nonfiction Matters, Strategies That Work, and the Comprehension Toolkit invites you to spend two days at her annual reading comprehension institute to be held this year in suburban Chicago, Illinois. Steph was a classroom and special education teacher for 15 years and now works as a staff developer and national literacy consultant. Come learn more about reading comprehension and the strategies that proficient readers use to understand what they read. Please join Steph for Reading Is Thinking 2009, her K-8 reading comprehension institute. Appropriate for teachers, librarians, staff developers, literacy coaches and administrators. Dates: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - Thursday, June 25, 2009 www.regonline.com/RITChicago ___ 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] new addition to TOOLS page
Keith has just added the following to our TEACHING TOOLS page located at: www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm At the very top of the Staff Development section: 1. Ellin Keene's What's Essential outline 2008 Here is a quick link to get there directly: http://readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm#4 This is the crucial document that Jennifer is speaking about in her recent post: Think about Ellin's What's Essential list. If everyone works from that, every teacher our students have from K-12 will have a focus that will benefit literacy development. That's the floor...what every child needs. If the child's interests and needs draw us to teach something else...then great. One has to have a vision for what children should know and be able to do in order to make the teachable moments really work for the child. The What's Essential list does that. Jennifer Thank you Ellin for helping to keep our eyes on what IS essential Ginger Weincek Mosaic Team ___ 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] 'To Understand' book talk
For those of you who are interested in the 'To Understand' book talk, it is taking place as of today from this location: http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org You will need to sign up there to receive the comments as people post them. It will come to you like this: [Understand] _ rather than [MOSAIC] Once you sign up, you will use this email address to submit your comments: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hope this clears up any confusion. Ginger Mosaic ___ 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] stopping and thinking/long
I have a question. I have been working with my third graders on hearing/seeing their thinking signal going off when they are reading. I define a thinking signal as something that happens inside of you right before you have some thinking. I stumbled across this visual for them a few years ago when one of my students shared with the class that he hears an audible sound when he has some thinking. I pushed it further and eventually everyone was able to draw either what they see or what they hear when they are reading and they have thinking. I am going to have my kids draw this on Tuesday. I've been asking them to pay attention to catch their thinking signal and to look and listen closely to what it is. I have many who say they don't see or hear a thing. These may be my kiddos who aren't in touch with that inner voice. I'll be watching in closer on them during turn and talk times. The reason I think it is important for them to pay attention to a thinking signal is that in the past it has helped in our discussion of the need to stop and think when reading. Not just the need to be a thinking reader but how to know when it is an important place/time to have some thinking as they are reading. I think I am pretty good at teaching kids that they DO have a thinking voice. I can help them hear it after modeling my own thinking when I am reading and then inviting them to share their thinking. Being able to reinforce the signal has just been another tool for me in this work. Like when I am reading to them and I get to a really surprising part and I see a student make that startled/gasp body reaction. I can say, I just saw your thinking signal tell you that you have some thinking right there. Would you like to share your thinking? After a few days of me talking about past kids thinking signals and asking them to pay attention to what it is they see/hear, I asked them if anyone would like to share what he/she hears/sees when reading and they have some thinking bubbling up. I have the best time listening to them share what their signals look like or sound like. I get responses like a stop sign, a horn going beep-beep-beep, flashing lights, a little voice that says it's time to think, etc. Some kids respond with what their thinking is rather than a sign that they have thinking. I know this is tricky because at my school, these kids have had deep instruction on the inner voice already. So what I am asking them to do is think about what happens in their bodies BEFORE they tell me their thinking. This can sound a bit belabored but I have a purpose. I discovered a couple years ago that even my strongest thinkers (I taught fourth grade that year) were not stopping at the deep inferential places in the text. This was first evident when I gave them a common text piece that we had been reading in a shared setting and then asked them to note for me WHERE they found themselves stopping to think as they read further independently. The text we were using comes from Avi's book, What Do Fish Have To Do With Anything? The short story we were using was 'The Goodness of Matt Kaiser. (We had used two other short stories from this book previous to this point. Where I was the reader and they wrote their thinking when I stopped at crucial thinking points. So this action of stopping at the 'good thinking points' was not new to them.) After several days of me being the reader and having them stop and write their thinking at the key points, I gave them short bursts of text to read with the purpose of showing me where Avi led them to infer meaning. (We'd worked most of the year on inferring.) Over and over I was both surprised at and disappointed in their stopping places. I realize that we all have different places we stop and think and that if the thinking can be substantiated in the text, it isn't wrong thinking, but. there were many places where the author's words NEEDED to be inferred for the deep meaning and most of my kids MISSED those places. They were so sure that they had found the places in the text were Avi 'wanted' them to do deep thinking. So here is my question has anyone done any explicit teaching on how to help kids know WHEN to stop and think. I guess I want to help my kids to do the deepest thinking at those places in the text where it jumps out at ME but is not jumping out at them. If I was meeting with a small group to practice this I would give them some deep text, probably just 2-4 pages in a picture book, where I know there is inferred meaning. I would ask them to read and mark where they stopped and what their thinking was. I would like to ask them to tell me WHY they stopped there, how did they know to stop there. But what sort of responses should I expect? I mostly need your help so that I can be modeling this in my think alouds. I get how to model these reasons that I would stop and think: 1. when meaning breaks down (not my purpose right now) 2. when I am
[MOSAIC] to share files
To share a file, document, PowerPoint, photograph, etc. on the Mosaic TEACHING TOOLS webpage located at: www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm send your item in an attachment to Keith, our webmaster, and he will upload it. Keith's email is: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ginger Mosaic ___ 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] my metacognition write up
Here is a unit of study I compiled from various sources/expert authors. It helped me to write it down step by step. It works well at the beginning of the year. Ginger W. + Metacognitive Overview/Introductory Unit of Study adapted by Ginger Weincek 2005 A. INTRODUCING THE INNER VOICE Kids need to be explicitly taught that they have two inner voices. The reciting voice which reads the words and the conversation voice that talks back to the text. 1. Modeled-step 1 ·Teacher does the work/kids watch and listen. ·You need to decide what visual action/sign you will take when you are no longer reading but are sharing your thinking. This is especially crucial with younger students as they may not realize you have stopped reading the words when you are sharing your thinking. Some people close the book. Others set the book on their lap and look out to the kids when sharing their thinking. Looking up to the ceiling can be a visual sign that you are sharing your thinking. **Be sure to tell the kids you will be reading the words and then stopping to share your thinking. Tell/show them how they can recognize the difference. Today when I am reading to you, I will be holding the book like this. But I am going to stop along the way and share my thinking. I will tell you what my inner voice inside is saying. All readers have a reading voice that reads the words. This voice is called our reciting voice. We have a second voice that talks in our heads about what we are reading. That voice is called our conversation voice (inner voice). When I am sharing my thinking it will look like this. I will close the book and look out at you. That's how you'll know I am sharing my thinking. Then I'll open the book back up, like this, and continue reading the words. ·When reading aloud, read some text and then stop and set the book down and talk out loud saying whatever thinking comes to your mind. Then pick the book up and return to the text. Read until you have more thinking and then stop, set the book down and share that thinking. ·It is helpful to start your sentences like this: I'm thinking that ... Wow! After I read that . it made me think ... Now I'm thinking ... ·Do this for many days in different genres and in all subject areas. (You can share your thinking about math for example.) ·Always remind them that careful readers think along the way when they are reading the words. They don't just read the words. Reading is thinking. 2. Modeled-step 2 ·Once your students get used to hearing you explicitly say I'm thinking..., then you can mix in any wording you want. I'm wondering... I can just smell those How come he just did that? I sure would have been more careful.. No way! They broke it? Oh my! What's going to happen next? · Whatever YOU are thinking as you are reading the words is what you would share with the kids. · Teach the kids the word metacognition. Tell them that metacognition means THINKING ABOUT YOUR THINKING. It is important that we KNOW we have an inner thinking voice and that we LISTEN to that voice. · Say- See how I talk to myself as I read? I don't just read word after word after word. Careful readers do more than that. They stop and take time to catch the thinking in their heads and they MAKE SURE they think ALONG THE WAY. I let my thinking bubble up and I have a discussion with myself. I talk in my head about what I am reading. I am doing it out loud so you can hear what my discussions sound like inside my brain. When I do this I am being metacognitive. · At this point you can simply suggest Maybe you guys could try this when you are reading at home and at school. See if you can catch your thinking AS you are reading. But you'll have to stop every once in a while so your thinking can come out. 3. Shared-step 1 · The next step is to tell the kids that their job is to watch what you are doing and listen to what you are saying. Say Today when I am reading I want you to watch what you see me doing and listen to what you hear my saying. Be ready to turn and talk about this and then share back. · Read through an interesting text and stop and think along the way. Be sure to be obvious about when your reading the words and when you are thinking. · Say O.K. Turn and talk with a partner about what you saw me doing and heard me saying when I was reading this book. · Call on several groups and have them start their sharing by saying: Mary and I saw.. We heard These are some sample responses you want: Mary and I saw you read a little bit and then you closed the book and said what was in your head and then you went back to the book. We heard you stop reading after _ and tell us what you were thinking. Marty and I heard you ask a question after reading . Renni and I noticed you were not just reading
[MOSAIC] new year- part 3
Here is the last part of how I get my children ready for our year of learning together. Ginger ++ When I think about how I want my year to go I decide for myself what general procedures I need to explicitly teach my children in order for me to be able to do my academic work with them. I make a list of all the routines, things we will do each and every day/week. Procedures that I want to become automatic and smooth so I don't have to take the time to deal with them constantly. This is a way to help each child become independent in the everyday behaviors I expect. Here is my list: hallway behavior when coming in for the morning, locker behavior, what to do when you enter the classroom, how to line up for a special (Music, Art, P.E.), bathroom break, how to work at the table groups, how to work with a partner, living room (gathering area) behavior (getting and leaving there and during the lesson), independent reading behavior, small group instruction behavior, indoor recess behavior on raining days, dismissal, etc. We hold class meetings the first few days (which tend to be longer as we build our community/classroom culture) where we create LOOKS LIKE/SOUNDS LIKE charts together for each behavior. They help me create the charts after turning and talking. It's not me telling them. I set up the situation. What should I see and hear when you are coming down the hall from the buses each morning? Turn and talk. But of course if they forget something crucial I contribute to the conversation. If we are about to take our first walk to Music I plan the time to do that chart just before that time so we can have a smooth transition from the beginning. Again, the book The Daily Five has explicit steps to follow when training for procedures. I highly suggest that book. The part that I always remember to include in this training is the modeling piece after we've written the chart. Having first one student show the INCORRECT way to do the behavior, then have the class reflect on why that was not correct. Then have that student demonstrate the correct behavior. I then have a small group of students demonstrate the correct behavior. And then the entire class practices. Always having the class reflect on what was correct and why. Adding the why connects completely with the thinking work I will be doing. It's that deeper layer. I've gone to this TRAINING mode for years now and have found that it nearly eliminates the behavior problems that arise from lack of structure. I actually post the LOOKS LIKE/SOUNDS LIKE charts around the room for the first few weeks and before a transition I remember to walk over the chart, point to it and say, What should it look like and sound like when we are coming to the living room (gathering area) for shared reading? I take the time to have them turn and talk it out first and then have a few tables share back. I suggest they all watch and listen as we do the transition and then I ask for feedback on how they think it went. If it didn't go well I stop my plans and have them return and we do it all again. I point to our chart. They turn and talk and share back and have a go at it again. Depending on the group there have been times we do this over and over until the behavior improves. It sounds mundane but I can't tell you how crucial it is to MAKE and TAKE the time to shape the class in these areas. I want to be able to do the teaching I have planned and I can only get to that when my children are ready and available to learn. Behavior can be set up for success by making and taking the time early on. I've always found it well worth the time. We don't always have it down the first time either. They're kids. We need to take it slow, use kindness, and keep at it with lots of praise and reflective words. But every year my kid are able to show the correct behaviors if I follow these steps. And the best thing. once they DO show you as a class that they CAN do what is expected, you can always know it IS possible. Especially on those behaviorally challenging days. Just step back, take a breath, stop your teaching and RETEACH the behaviors using the charts and the modeling and the practicing. It works. After a few weeks when we are in the groove I do take down the LOOKS LIKE/SOUNDS LIKE charts but I save them so I can bring them out again for class meetings to reteach and discuss if they slip back into chaos. Again, don't let it go when that happens. I've heard teachers say, They KNOW what to do, why do I have to take my time to teach them again? Personally, I can only say, when I DO take the time to retrain them, I see great results and then I am less frustrated with them and I can teach. It's more about my own consistency in ALWAYS framing those key supportive words, O.k. We're about to line up for lunch. What should it look like and sound like? Let's see how we do. Then when I
[MOSAIC] metacognition
Joy, You asked what grade I was teaching when I was thinking through and writing in about teaching my students to be metacognitive. I was teaching third or fourth grade during those years when I was evolving into a strategic teacher. But. what I have come to believe/know (and remember I had that one year where I was working with K-5 students building wide each week in the library setting and then the one year with second graders the following year) is that ALL kids need the explicit work in knowing and hearing their inner thinking voice. I've even modeled in classrooms in other districts with middle school and high school kids and I would do basically the same sort of lessons, with the talk adjusted for the age group of course. One thing that helped me transfer the teaching to all grade levels was reading and watching videos from Cris Tovani. (Author of I read it but I don't get it and Do I really have to teach reading?) She works with secondary students. And yet, when you read her work and see/hear her on the professional video sets, you will quickly realize that the talk is the same. The purpose of the teaching is the same. Especially if you work at a school where this teaching is not in place in the grades previous to your grade. Which I did from many years. Now I am fortunate to be working in a building where strategy instruction (teaching kids to THINK) is building wide. But even if it is not, do not be discouraged. You CAN be the first teacher to bring this amazing thinking work to your students. And you can go deep with it and have a great year. So, all that to say, my musings about teaching the inner voice and self monitoring, etc. can be adjusted to all grades and ages. Even adults. When I am out training parent groups (a dream of mine is to make that a full time job) I talk to the participants in the same way, about the same things, as I do with my students. The difference is most adults (especially if they read for pleasure or work) DO realize they have an inner thinking voice. It's teaching them to capture it and use it to model with their children what a reader should be doing when they are reading the words that is my challenge with parents. I love to teach people to think aloud. Remember, we can't hear if our students are doing it inside their heads so when we become the models for them first, and then have them practice and share aloud (always talking it out first but eventually moving to writing it down) what they are hearing that thinking voice say. Then and only then do we know if they are comprehending. Oh I could go on and on but I'll stop. :) O.k. Now, I'd LOVE to hear what the rest of you are doing to help your kids know and hear their inner thinking voice. Jump right in!!! Ginger Mosaic ___ 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] metacognition
I've been thinking about the beginning of the year. We don't start until Aug. 27 with the kids, but my mind is swirling... I went back and found an old email I sent in several years ago that I want to share again. I continue to believe that until our students KNOW they have an inner voice and HEAR it, we can't move into more specific strategy work. So below are my ramblings about starting the year with metacognition. I have changed is the finger 1/finger 2 part. The need for a reader to recognize when he/she is confused is HUGE and needs to be taught, but I don't do the finger 1/finger 2 thing. Once they KNOW and HEAR their inner thinking voice I teach them to LISTEN for it to tell them they are lost/confused/drifting, etc. I also wrote a study that goes step by step a few years ago that I will send through. It's long but I think it's worth sending in. It's not original work by any means as it is pulled from all the expert authors in my life at the time. I know many more of us do something with metacognition at the beginning of the year. Let's all share what we do. So we can all learn more. Ginger W. Mosaic ~~ If my students have never had explicit instruction on thinking about their thinking (metacognition) then I spend even more time doing this. -- I tend to be very methodical about my teaching since I am still finding my way in this. The first year I read Mosaic I jumped right in with connections. After rereading it I realized that I needed to go way back and explicitly teach METACOGNITION. I spent a couple weeks having them get in touch with their little them who sits on their shoulder and catches them being metacognitive. Always LISTENING for their discussion they should be having in their heads as they read. I modeled my thinking aloud with everything I read. I even started modeling my thinking aloud when doing math. We defined metacognition as thinking about your thinking and they reported back to me in various way (post its, reflective written pieces, conferences, etc.) their use of it as a reader. Eventually I sent them off to read independently and their purpose was to sit their little them on their shoulder, shake hands, and REALLY be metacognitive as they read. They shared their experiences back whole group, then small group, then partners. I continued to model and name myself being metacognitive when I was. I'd often stop my reading aloud and talk to myself about what I was reading. Then I would set down the book, look out at them and say, See how I talk to myself as I read. I don't just read word after word after word without pausing to think and have a discussion with myself. I am doing it out loud so you can hear what my discussions sound like inside my brain. I am being metacognitive. I realized also that my students were not always AWARE of if they were confused or not. That became my second study focus. I did the finger one and finger two idea talked about in MOT. Before I actually taught it to my students I started doing it myself as I was reading aloud to them. I would hold up one finger just next to the book. When I got to a part that was confusing or where I found my mind wandering or that didn't make sense I switched my finger to two fingers out. Without saying anything I would talk out loud like, Oh, that doesn't make any sense. I need to go back and reread that part. I would reread it and if that helped me understand that part I put back up just one finger. If not, I would say, Well, that didn't help. Now I am going to read on a bit and see if that helps me out. I would read on a bit and if that helped me I would put back up one finger. If that didn't help me, (so I was still holding up 2 fingers) I would say, Well, rereading didn't help me, reading on didn't help me, so now I am going to have to find someone to ask because I can't go on if I don't understand this part. I would then ask my assistant and she would explain that part to me. **This is NOT used when coming across tricky words. Words I could not READ. Just for passages I was not understanding. I did this naturally for a few days. Then one day I asked if anyone had noticed me doing anything unusual with my fingers as I was reading these past few days. Of course they had. I had them tell me what they SAW me doing and what they HEARD me saying. We refined what it was I was doing and saying so we all had a common understanding of it. We talked about WHY I was doing it: because readers need to understand what they are reading to fully enjoy or learn from the words. That a book will be more rewarding if it makes sense to the reader. That that is what GOOD READERS DO!!! They don't just keep reading or put the book down when they don't understand it. (Of course we did talk about exceptions!!! :) ) From that point on they were to hold out one finger when I was reading aloud and switch it to two fingers
[MOSAIC] getting started/procedures
As many of you know, I took a years break from the listserv. I entrusted the moderation role to Jennifer and she has done a superb job. Jennifer will continue to retain the title moderator again this year. As for me, especially after attending Stephanie Harvey's 2 day institute, I am ready to reenter the arena of the talk you all do so deeply here. I am especially interested in talking about the beginning of the year stuff. I think revisiting the procedural/routine training steps and the early strategy lessons will not only help me get back into the groove of thinking school (why is it I always seem to forget how to start the year when I'm away?) but will be a support to new teachers and teachers new to this teaching. I invite you all to reflect on how you begin your year and please jump in and share! Every year I start out by laying the groundwork for my work all year. I believe very strongly in establishing clear routines and expectations. The time we take at the beginning of the year to model and practice the routines (transitions, how to sit in the gathering area, active listening, turn and talk, etc.) simply prepares our students to do the learning work with us throughout the year. To get myself ready for this crucial beginning work, I make a list of all the transitions (entering the room, lining up for specials/lunch/etc., coming to the gathering area, end of the day), and other routines we will be following all year. This helps me to be clear on what I need to explicitly teach my students. I need to be very clear on what I want in their everyday behaviors so that I can model and teach them what I am looking for. It ensures success if we teach them explicitly up front. A great book for this training phase is The Daily 5. While the book is written to help set up the structure of the reading workshop, you can easily transfer the talk they use with their students to all situations where training is involved to point to success. The very first day of school I make a ring of seats in a circle and have the children take a seat. I have an easel with chart paper already filled out with many pages of a T-chart I use (and wish EVERYONE would use, because it is SO POWERFUL!!!) that says: LOOKS LIKE on one side and SOUNDS LIKE on the other side. I teach my new group active listening first. It is a strong piece of the foundation of engagement for the year. I talk to them about how I'm sure they are so used to having to face the teacher when he/she is teaching but that now they are going to be turning their bodies and eyes to whomever it is that is speaking in the room. So I walked around the outside of the circle and asked them to show me what it would look like if they were doing Active Listening on me over here. They all rotated their bodies and faced me. Then I pointed to someone sitting over there on the carpet (say John) and said if we pretended he was sharing HIS thinking next how would it look to do Active Listening on John. (I know that is not correct grammar but you'll see why I use it in a minute.) So they all rotated towards him. I walked over to where John was sitting and talked to them about how at first this will probably feel VERY uncomfortable because typically we are not used to having the entire class facing us when we are talking. But the reason we do it is because we all believe that what John has to say is VERY IMPORTANT and worthy of our respect. That we can learn from John's thinking. That maybe what John is about to share connects with something we were thinking. That RECEIVING the thinking of our classmates is a very important part of what we will be doing all year. In order to RECEIVE that thinking best it helps to face the person sharing. Then I walked back to the head of the group and reinforced those who turned their bodies and eyes on me as I walked. For those who did not I simply say Active Listening on me now. Eyes and bodies facing the speaker. I'm the one sharing my thinking so you need to face me now. This next part I tend to forget until we get going but when I remember I also teach the person who is sharing/answering to turn and face THE GROUP and not direct his/her words TO THE TEACHER. You can't BELIEVE how powerful it is when the child looks into the group (or faces the direction where most of the class is sitting) and talks to THEM rather than turn to the teacher and respond to the teacher. It is a HARD habit to break, especially the older they are, but doing this changes the feel of the responding. So when we get going and someone is asked to share back we all do Active Listening on her and SHE looks at the kids NOT ME when she shares back. It is SO cool! We then chart what Active Listening LOOKS LIKE and SOUNDS LIKE on our T-chart. LOOKS LIKE: bodies turned toward the speaker hands quiet faces toward speaker eyes on person talking mouths closed ears listening person
[MOSAIC] announcement from Ginger
I will be taking a much needed sabbatical for a year from my role as overseer/moderator of the Mosaic listserv. I am needing to cultivate and nurture the parts of me that I have been neglecting. (I will continue to do the uploading of any files to our TEACHING TOOLS page that you would like to share since that is done from my computer.) I have selected Jennifer Palmer to take over for me as moderator. Many of you know of Jennifer's passion for the comprehension work we meet here to discuss. I have complete confidence in her desire and ability to keep the vision of this listserv alive. I am believing you all will resolve to keep your talk grounded in the thinking work! Ginger Weincek owner Mosaic listserv [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ 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] Elaine's book title
Elaine Garan's new book is called Smart Answers. Here is the link: http://shop.scholastic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay_61300_-1_10001_10002 This link gives you some of the quotes from her book : http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=10884FullBreadCrumb=%3Ca+href%3D%22%2Fbrowse%2Fsearch.jsp%3Fquery%3Dsmart+answers%26c1%3DCONTENT30%26c17%3D0%26c2%3Dfalse%22%3EAll+Results+%3C%2Fa%3E Not all chapters are represented there but it gives you a taste. Chapter 17 is the ELL chapter. Every teacher and administrator should read this book in my opinion Ginger moderator ___ 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] cloze answers
You guys are so smart! I totally fell for it when he handed it to me. I read it from my schema as a parent obviously Which I guess is the point. You should have seen me, though. I was so convinced that I could whip off the correct words and yet when I got to the last two sentences my mind said, These two sentences don't really fit with the rest of the piece. The presenter said in all her workshops only once did a participant read it correctly. Read below to see why. Ginger moderator + Here are the correct missing words: The questions that POULTRYMEN face as they raise CHICKENS from INCUBATION to adult life are not easy to ANSWER. Both FARMERS and MERCHANTS can become concerned when health problems such as COCCIDIOSIS arise any time after the EGG stage to later life. Experts recommend that young CHICKS should have plenty of SUNSHINE and nutritious food for healthy growth. BANTIES and GEESE should not share the same BARNYARD or even sleep in the same ROOST. They may be afraid of the DARK. + Original cloze text: The questions that p face as they raise ch_ from in to adult life are not easy to an_. Both fa_ and m_ can become concerned when health problems such as co arise any time after the e___ stage to later life. Experts recommend that young ch___ should have plenty of s___ and nutritious food for healthy growth. B__ and g___ should not share the same b_ or even sleep in the same r__. They may be afraid of the d___. ++ The person grew up on a chicken farm near the Tyson Chicken plant. This is a powerful example of how our schema/background knowledge impacts our comprehension!! I knew I had to share it with you. There is no citation for it. Have fun with this with parents, teachers, administrators, and students!! Ginger ___ 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] responses
You know, as I sit at my computer all throughout the day and night listening in on your conversations, I have a mixture of responses. I may not be writing in but I live through your emails.:) At times I wonder where the specific classroom talk has gone (but after all, it is summer break for many of us right?). There has been this shift in summers past. Other times I worry that our topics have become broad rather than narrow. I continue to want this to be a place where we gather because of our passion for discussing and learning about reading comprehension instruction first and foremost! I struggle with knowing if and when to nudge us back to our purpose but I also appreciate the need to delve deeply into these tough, but oh so crucial topics as of late. And I can see how some of the threads impact the teaching we are striving for here. Sometimes I hope that the talk won't become too stuck in the venting about the negative in light of the frustrations we all face now. But I totally agree that the restrictions and misconceptions of today's teaching world directly impact our classroom instruction! A few times I've winced in my heart when words sounded/felt too harsh or critical at a biting level. I wanted to jump in and do something before a clash between members built up. You see...I live and breathe your words. But... I wait and I keep breathing and like we've witnessed twice now recently, the potential clashes dissolved before our eyes because you are willing to be open. And because of your eloquence. You reveal yourselves here. That is good. Mostly, when I sit back and wait and watch the threads play out, I am impressed with your passion, your determination, your professionalism, and your honesty! The recent discussions on fluency as it relates to comprehension between Tim and Elaine and other members will go down in our history as probably the best example of constructive dissonance with the utmost of respect between participants. Sure it got heated at times, but if you listened closely you heard integrity in the talk. We value each other here. I value you all. I am glad we come together in this way. I feel so honored and proud to be the keeper of this list! Ginger moderator ___ 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] new addtion to TOOLS page
I have just added the following to our TEACHING TOOLS page at: www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm At the bottom of the Lesson Plan category: 1. Yearly Suggested Curriculum Plans grades 1-6 by Carol - This opens an Excel file with all 6 grade level plans located at the bottom with the TABS. - You may need to reduce the size to 75% (sizing option located at the top) to view the entire page. Thank you Carol for sharing these plans. If you need to contact Carol with specific questions here is her email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] As always be sure to click REFRESH/RELOAD on your computer to see the current view of the TOOL page whenever I add new files. Ginger moderator ___ 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] STW2 chat
If you haven't already, consider signing up for the Strategies That Work (2nd edition) book chat starting tomorrow July 16-Aug 13 at http://snipr.com/stw2chat The complete book can be read online at: www.stenhouse.com/productcart/pc/viewprd.asp?idProduct=310 The authors have both signed on and will be joining us in the chat when they can. Ginger moderator ___ 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] Carol's grade level plans
Carol will be sending me the suggested yearly grade level plans she wrote to be added to our TEACHING TOOLS page for us all to access at: http://www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm I will announce when I have them uploaded. Thank you Carol for sharing with us. Ginger moderator ___ 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] 'Cool Salsa' poetry book
In my searching for the books with the cd's of the authors reading their poems, I came across this book that looks fabulous. Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States www.amazon.com/Cool-Salsa-Lori-Carlson/dp/customer-reviews/044970436X Poems are in Spanish and English. Anyone know of it? Ginger ___ 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] Poetry Speaks to Children
www.amazon.com/Poetry-Speaks-Children-Book-Read/dp/1402203292/ref=sr_1_1/002-9567853-0749642?ie=UTF8s=booksqid=1184281886sr=1-1 Not sure if this is one of the books John D. told us about but it has authors reading their poems. Ginger ___ 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] STW2 online!!
If you don't have the second edition of Strategies That Work, you can read the entire book with us online at: www.stenhouse.com/productcart/pc/viewprd.asp?idProduct=310 Great news! Ginger ___ 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] Strategies That Work book talk
I sent this out late Friday night but I haven't seen it on the list so if you already received it please disregard this resend.- Ginger +++ Just a reminder that our book talk on Strategies That Work is set to begin on Monday, July 16 and run through August 13. Get your book and start reading!!! You can sign up at: http://snipr.com/stw2chat Bonita and LeeAnn will be co-facilitating the discussion. Here is the reading schedule: July 16-July 22: Discussion focuses on Introduction and Part 1 July 23-July 29: Discussion focuses on Part 2 July 30-August 6: Discussion focuses on Part 3 August 7-13: Discussion focuses on final thoughts Hope to meet you there!! Ginger moderator ___ 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] reading workshop help
On the MOT2chat listserv we have had a specific request for help with reading workshop structure and ideas. Amy wrote: I am wanting to have a reading workshop model in my room but have never had the training or have seen it in action. I have bought several books to read. Other than MOT any suggestions from the very experienced on where I should start and which prof. books would lend the most information to enhance MOT in the rdg/wrtg workshop setting? I am desperately seeking guidance! :-) On this listserv Kelly asked for help with a combined group of two sixth grade classes and how to integrate a mandated basal with strategy instruction in a workshop format. Could we talk about reading workshop? I know there is a wealth of knowledge here in primary, intermediate, and secondary classrooms. Could you guys check in with how you run your reading workshop? I know we'd love to hear how it works for you with your students. Thanks you guys! Ginger moderator ___ 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] archives/lit coaches
Don't forget we have searchable archives at: www.mail-archive.com/mosaic@literacyworkshop.org/ Karen I know you asked for help with job expectations for literacy coaches. If you search literacy coach I know you will find some past conversations that may be helpful to you. Ginger moderator ___ 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] other good conversations
Keith has just shared with me a conversation about MOT (first edition) from the MiddleWeb listserv. It's been condensed to an easier to read format. Here is that link: www.middleweb.com/MWLISTCONT/MSLmosaicchat.html They have quite a few previous conversations archived that may interest many of you at: www.middleweb.com/mw/listserv/MWLarchive.html For those of you who teach middle school and don't know of the MiddleWeb group here is their home page: www.middleweb.com Ginger moderator ___ 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] Dr. Rasinski podcast
After our recent discussion here on fluency I wanted to pass on this announcement I just received. Ginger moderator + A well-known expert in fluency, Dr. Timothy Rasinski was featured in Teacher Created Materials' first-ever podcast episode- Fluency 101: Accuracy, Automaticity, and Expression. Dr. Rasinski is back again in episode #2- Practice, Practice, Practice: The Value of Repeated Reading. In this episode he provides you with authentic reasons why practice makes perfect in reading comprehension! A motivating and inspiring podcast based on Rasinski's research, this powerful session, packed with ideas, suggestions, and free downloadable activities examines the theory behind repeated reading practice and its connection to fluency. Click here for details! ___ 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] Rasinski link
Sorry about that! http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=j8nwkbcab.0.ygmwu4bab.cysknpbab.151445ts=S0260p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.teachercreatedmaterials.com%2Fpodcasts%2F I madea tinyurl for you too: http://tinyurl.com/2v79l4 I don't know a lot about podcasts, but on my computer when I clicked on Download Podcast it just opened and started playing on my Windows Media Player. Ginger moderator ___ 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] to join MOT2chat
To join the book talk please go to http://snipr.com/MOT2Chat and look for the SUBSCRIBE area at the bottom of the page. Feel free to join as a lurker so you don't miss the great talk!! Here is our reading schedule for this book talk: 1. June 15-21: Discussion on Forward, Acknowledgements, Chapters 1-2. 2. June 22-29: Discussion focuses on Chapters 3-4. 3. June 29-July 6: Discuss focuses on Chapter 5-6. 4. July 6-13: Discussion focuses on Chapter 7-9, Epilogue The MOT2 book talk will close on July 13. Stay tuned for info on the STW2 (Strategies That Work second edition) book talk to begin mid July. To view the archived MOT2 conversations along the way go to: http://literacyworkshop.org/pipermail/mot2chat_literacyworkshop.org/ Please do *not* reply to this email message. If you need help joining the new MOT2 list or more information, please contact me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Happy Reading!! Ginger ___ 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] MOT2chat response
Hi you guys. Maybe this will help. (sorry this is so late- it's been one of those days-and nights!!!) Keith (our web administrator) has experience with setting up and participating in online book talks. He suggested I give a separate list a try. To be honest I resisted at first for many of the reasons some of you have brought up. But the more I thought about it the more I wanted to give it a try. Here is what we are thinking- The decision to try a short-lived separate list for MOT2 was based on the idea that a separate list would: 1. Provide all members with an easy way to participate. All it takes is a click on the link (http://snipr.com/MOT2Chat) and about 15 seconds to submit. 2. Provide a concentrated space for members that have read the new edition to exchange ideas. This is like a lit circle in your classroom or a college course, where people that have read the book will get the most out of it. Others are certainly welcome to lurk or participate as they see fit. 3. Provide a space for conversation solely devoted to one book (remember, the publisher says over 70% new content). While this can happen on the main list the book content quickly gets lost in between other threads about other literacy topics. As well, people coming and going during the summer can muddle up conversations with replies, questions, and ideas days or weeks after the thread has died down. 4. Provide a better way to find information and ideas on the book via a dedicated list archive. People won't have to search the large list archive for info on a particular book. We'll put a link to the archive on the website - it will be easy to find. 5. Provide a way for book authors and educators on other lists to participate without having to join the larger Mosaic group. Please don't feel that we are trying to start a new members only country club. In fact, it is our intention to make this focused, online book chat available to a wider audience (the chat was announced to over 1000 educators on other lists). So, we're asking that our members allow us to try this dedicated chat idea. Anyone can participate by joining at http://snipr.com/MOT2Chat. Emails from this new list will work just like the main list. The only difference is that the MOT2chat list will dissolve after about a month just like a book club or college course. We will put together a short survey at the end of the book talk to get feedback about holding the chat on the separate list. It my intent that the Mosaic listserv continue true to our original purpose but as a community I believe we need willingness to try new options. At any time people on the main Mosaic list can talk about MOT2. There is no plan to moderate any content about this important book. Thanks for your understanding! Ginger moderator ___ 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] new book!
I'm proud to announce ANOTHER new book by one of our very own Mosaic members!!! Comprehension Strategies for Your K-6 Literacy Classroom Thinking Before, During, and After Reading by Joy Dain and Divonna M. Stebick www.corwinpress.com/booksProdDesc.nav?contribId=536512prodId=Book229350 Joy sends us this blurb: Comprehension Strategies for Your K-6 Literacy Classroom illustrates how teachers actively use the six comprehending strategies to enhance student understanding. Within the text presents a before, during, and after instructional framework that provides the three elements necessary for strategic comprehension learning to take place: explicit instruction through teacher modeling, guided practice, and independent application. There are sample lessons that are easily adaptable and aligned with NCLB and NCTE standards. We provide real-life case studies illustrating classroom application with hands-on activities and visual aids. Be sure to check it out!! Ginger moderator ___ 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] book talks
I will be announcing the details for our book talk on the second edition of Mosaic of Thought in a few days. Would any of you be interested in facilitating a book talk here on the second edition of Strategies That Work? I'm looking at a start date for the Strategies book talk sometime mid/late July. Stephanie Harvey is holding her Reading is Thinking conference in Chicago June 26 and 27 and I would like to announce the book talk then. It would involve setting up a reading schedule and actively participating in the online talk. Stenhouse just released a study guide for STW2 at www.stenhouse.com/0310.asp?r=n114 I would imagine that could support the book talk??? If you are interested, please write me OFF LIST at [EMAIL PROTECTED] . It could be shared if several people are interested. Get your MOT2 books ready!! Ginger moderator ___ 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] End of Year Reflection
As many of us are winding down to the finish line, I think it is important to reflect on how our comprehension teaching went this year. Perhaps there is something you feel you tackled this year that you would like to share with us. What was challenging? What was affirming? How did your kids grow? Consider a look back over the year and just write in with whatever comes to your mind. I find I do my best reflecting when I just start typing as I am thinking back. I'll go first. This year I taught second grade. A first for me. What I learned most is that I sure had a lot to learn!! It has been a very humbling experience. But one that I know has helped to make me more well rounded as far as my understanding of younger children and literacy instruction. For me it was hard to find that balance of word work, decoding, and comprehension instruction. Yet I found that my students were so eager to learn about the metacognitive process that readers use to make meaning. We did a lot of role playing of what a reader does. So they could see/hear it. I believe they know how to self monitor their inner thinking voice better now than when the year started. Now do they all do it?? Ha! That is the hard part for me. I wish so much for them to be ACTIVE in their reading yet so many of them slip back to the passive word caller role. Even when their ability to work out the words has so improved. I know it will come in time. I did an interactive think aloud with the book, Be Good To Eddie Lee, this past week. I had them write their thinking during the key stopping points. Then those who wanted to share their written work, shared back whole group. It was so interesting to see/hear the different levels of depth in their responses. It was almost like taking a snapshot of each child for me. I could see the children writing. They all wrote furiously at each stopping point. Yet when they read their thinking, I was surprised at how many are still thinking at the surface level. But it matches my experience of them this whole year. (I know I am used to fourth graders and the depth they take the talk so I believe the promise in them all.) I do have a large group of kids who do go deep and hearing their thinking and the touching emotional tones was very refreshing and encouraging. I guess for me teaching in a primary grade (not my strength by the way!) the challenge was finding that balance. The teaching all so relates and builds. We did finish the research strand on Physical Science with flying colors. Their All About books (from Calkins Units of Study) turned out very well- impressive actually for 2nd graders. We shared with two upper grade classes and just watching my kids do that was confirming. We studied biographies in a very open way. Simply reading biographies, noticing our new learnings and completing various reporting sheets. I guess this has been a year of building schema if nothing else. Exposing them to different kinds of reading to learn about what is to come in their own learning years. I guess I did a good job of that. I am going to teach third grade next year. I won't have my whole class again. (Ever had a group that needs to be moved around? They need it and so do I!) I am looking forward to continuing my comprehension work with those I'll have again and bringing on board the kids new to me. I am committing to read a lot this summer. I'll be announcing the Mosaic of Thought 2 online book chat soon. So get your books ordered so you can participate!! I want to read Strategies That Work 2 and also it's been recommended I read Teaching for Deep Comprehension by Dorn and Soffos. I'd love to hear what you will be reading this summer. Please write in. Reflecting is good for our souls. Ginger moderator grade 2 ___ 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] a new book!!
Some of you may remember a while back when author Elaine Garan wrote us asking if we would contribute pressing questions for her upcoming book. Well, the book is about to be released and Elaine did use many of our questions!!! Title: Smart Answers to Tough Questions: What Do You Say When You're Asked About Fluency, Phonics, Grammar, Vocabulary, SSR, Tests, Support for ELLs, and More by Elaine Garan (published by Scholastic) Here is the info from the back cover- An indispensable guide for classroom teachers, literacy coaches, administrators, and teacher educators, Smart Answers to Tough Questions addresses today's most pressing issues in language, literacy, teaching, and learning- in conversational language and a reader-friendly format. The questions are real ones, some posed by educators themselves, and other frequently addressed to educators by parents, administrators, and the media. Each tough question is followed by a research-based Bottom-Line Answer that is drawn from government reports, stripped of jargon, and translated into clear, accessible prose. This essential desktop reference is a rich resource for grant writing, school newsletters, back-to-school nights, and presentations to the school board. Each section in the book can also serve as the outline for workshops and reading methods courses. In addition, Garan includes 100+ invaluable research quotes that are downloadable from the Web. Here is an easy link to the Scholastic page: http://tinyurl.com/37x36f Here is an easy link to the Amazon page: http://tinyurl.com/2q2hro I was fortunate to read the draft for review and all I can say is BUY THIS BOOK Here is what I wrote for my review: Elaine Garan has synthesized the research and in basic English provided us with meaningful responses to the scrutinizing questions teachers are often asked. We need this book to defend our teaching! Our own Joy W. wrote in her review: Not only does this book provide answers to tough questions, but it also draws a detailed picture of what research-based practices look like in the classroom. I see this as a guidebook for best practices in literacy education, as well as a resource for talking with parents about these issues. Our own Heather Wall wrote in her review: I found the information to be invaluable not only for addressing parent questions, but also for informing fellow teachers of research-proven best practices. This is an excellent resource- every literacy coach and staff developer should own this book! Ginger moderator ___ 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] Elaine Garan
I just wrote to Elaine Garan and asked her if she had the time to check in with us about the fluency thread since it is a big part of her new book, Smart Answers To Tough Questions. She said she will read up on the archived posts and try to write in soon. So be looking for her email. Ginger moderator ___ 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] Mosaic2 book talk!
I am going to be reading the second edition of Mosaic of Thought in June. If any of you are planning to read it, please join me in sharing your thinking here on the list. Here is the book info: http://books.heinemann.com/products/E01035.aspx If you are interested you DO NOT have to write and tell us. Just get the book and join in the conversation when you feel so moved. I'll set up a reading schedule once I get my book and announce it to the list. Again, please do not clog up the list to say that you want to participate. It is not necessary. Ginger moderator ___ 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] New book announcement!!
I'd like to announce Deb Smith (one of the original Mosaic members) has written a new book entitled- Beyond Retelling: Toward Higher Level Thinking and Big Ideas. Here is the link to the information: www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/CunninghamFlyer.pdf. It's always a celebration when one of our members is published!! Ginger moderator ___ 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] new addition to the TOOLS page
I have just added the following to our TEACHING TOOLS page at: www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm At the very bottom under the Other category: 1. What kind of a reader are you? Chart from Michelle This is from the email Michelle sent me: After reading the Strategies that Work book, I took the terms for the different kinds of readers from page 17, tweaked the descriptions to kid friendly terms, added graphics that the kids could understand and made a chart that we then ran through our poster machine for use in our classrooms. I found the original source of the terms, author and Harvard professor David Perkins, and got permission from him to use the terms and adapt them to meet the needs of my classroom. I have found the chart and the kid-friendly terms and visuals to be useful for not only reading strategy instruction, but also in reading and thinking within the content areas. Send any files you would like to share to me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] and I will upload them and then announce them to the group. *Remember to refresh/reload your TOOLS page to get the current view. Ginger moderator ___ 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] new addition to TOOLS page
I have just added the following to our TEACHING TOOLS page at: www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm At the bottom of the Other category: 1. Correlation Matrix-Reading Strategies, Genre, Writing Form, and Text Models by Glenda www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/CorrelationMatrix-ReadingStrategies,Genre,WritingForm,andTextModelsbyGlenda.pdf Send any files you would like to share on the TOOLS page to me at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] **remember to hit REFRESH/RELOAD to see the current view each time I add files. Ginger moderator ___ 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] Strategies That Work 2!!!
GET A SNEAK PEEK at STRATEGIES THAT WORK 2! The second edition of Strategies That Work by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis will be published in a couple of weeks, but Stenhouse Publishers has offered us the opportunity to preview the full book online now! Follow this link to access to the files in PDF format: www.stenhouse.com/strats2.asp (You will need to have Adobe Reader installed, and free registration is required.) Thank you Stenhouse!! Happy Reading! Ginger moderator ___ 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] new additions to TOOLS page
I have just added the following to our TEACHING TOOLS page at: www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm Thanks go out to Carolyn ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) for sharing all these files with us! Amazing *Remember you have to hit REFRESH/RELOAD when new files are added to see the current page. At the BOTTOM of the Other category: 1. Inferring Steps Poster from Carolyn 2. Questioning-Coding Answers Poster from Carolyn 3. Book Schema Poster from Carolyn 4. Synthesis Retell Poster from Carolyn At the BOTTOM of the Worksheet / Reporting Forms, etc. category: 5. Inferring Words Chart from Carolyn 6. Inferring 2 Column Notes from Carolyn 7. Changing Mental Images from Carolyn 8. Connections-Schema from Carolyn 9. Mental Images Conversations from Carolyn 10. Mental Images from Carolyn 11. Inferring Poem from Carolyn 12. Prediction Page from Carolyn 13. Schema Worksheet from Carolyn 14. Synthesis Wheel from Carolyn 15. Synthesizing Sheet from Carolyn 16. Text to Text Venn Diagram from Carolyn At the BOTTOM of the Staff Development category: 17. Reading With Meaning Notes-Asking Questions from Carolyn 18. Reading With Meaning Notes-Community Building from Carolyn 19. Reading With Meaning Notes-Determining Importance in Nonfiction from Carolyn 20. Reading With Meaning Notes-Digging Deeper from Carolyn 21. Reading With Meaning Notes-Inferring from Carolyn 22. Reading With Meaning Notes-Mental Images from Carolyn 23. Reading With Meaning Notes-Schema from Carolyn 24. Reading With Meaning Notes-Synthesizing from Carolyn If you have files (in Word documents and/or Adobe pdf files) that you would like to share, please send them to me at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] We do not accept attachments through the listserv. Let me know if you find any errors in these links. I'd also like to thank Keith for helping me with these files. Ginger moderator ___ 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] Calkin's Units of Study
Here is the link to the info on the Calkin's writing program. www.unitsofstudy.com There is a listserv just for teachers using this program located at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UnitsofStudy/ Ginger moderator ___ 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] Mosaic is fine!
I have received a few emails asking if the Mosaic list is offline. Rest assured that we are up and running. I'm thinking that many districts are on Spring Break this week??? This is a great time to share what you have been focusing on in your classrooms. Or to ask any questions you may have about comprehension instruction. I've been working on nonfiction reading/research using questioning as our springboard. We studied honeybees (Life Science standard) whole class these past three weeks. Now when we return from break, we are launching our Physical Science standard study (energy, matter, electricity, sound/light, gravity, magnetism, simple machines). I've gathered all the guided reading leveled books I can find in our school on these topics (our district did a HUGE buy of Pearson SuccessNet books) and later this week I am going to the public library to grab all the easier books on our topics. I had my kids previewing all the Pearson books for two days. Mostly just exposing them to the topics we will be studying. They wrote down new learnings in their learning journals. We've been working on listening to the inner signal (visual or auditory) that goes off when we read something new that is important. My kids will choose their top three areas to study by interest. I will assign them in small groups to become the experts in one area. I am also using the Lucy Calkins Unit of Study on Nonfiction Writing so they will be writing All About books on their topic. We'll start off by listing our I wonders. I've done this sort of study with third and fourth graders but this has been my first time with second graders. They did a great job when we were all studying honeybees (as our model). I had our librarian borrow all the honey, honeybees, and beekeeper books from the other schools in our district plus I supplemented with books from the public library. We read a fiction book as our anchor (and to activate schema) and then we wrote 5 chart papers of I wonders. They read for days trying to find answers to the class questions. Then we grouped into chapters of interest (life cycle, how do bees make honey, how do bees communicate, beekeepers, parts of a bee, interesting/important facts about bees, types of bees, etc.) and the groups became the experts. I didn't have them write a book but rather gave each group a chart paper and they could represent their learnings as they chose. Then they presented their learnings to the whole class. We watched two movies on honeybees and we even had a REAL beekeeper come and talk to our class. It was so validating when he started off by asking my kids what they know about bees and they just rattled off TONS of information. All things THEY learned by THEIR OWN reading. Not taught by me lecturing at them. VERY POWERFUL!! I will be doing some whole group explicit mini lessons on each science topic to be sure that everyone gets a base of new learnings. But for the most part they will teach each other with their All About books. I like to do science and social studies this way. It puts all the strategies to use in real reading. Yeah, they aren't perfect at it yet, but it's a start and to me, it is all about building background knowledge towards deeper study as they get older. Learning how to navigate nonfiction text is HUGE in life and this is a sure way to capture their interest. After studying nonfiction conventions and doing a lot of modeling and guided groups on catching/reporting new learnings, we are on a roll. That's what's been happening in my little world. Check in with us on what YOU'VE been doing with your students! Ginger moderator grade 2 ___ 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] PowerPoints and more!
Hi Ann. Go to www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm and scroll down to PowerPoint Presentations. You will find a lot of great resources on this page as well. Glad you asked. Ginger moderator ___ 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] forward from Michele
I am forwarding this from Michele [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ginger moderator I am a 5th grade teacher in a K-5 school that is in the second year of Reading First. This year all students were given the DIBELS assessment. We are also required to ability our students and move them according to their reading levels. Prior to a month ago, 4th and 5th grade teachers used the state reading assessment from last year to decide on which reading group to place them in and adjusted within a couple of weeks. Starting about a month ago, our principal changed our groups based only on the middle-of-the-year DIBELS score. I am teaching a group of 30 students who scored at the highest levels of fluency. Some are identified gifted others are reading at or above their grade level. I lost 10 students who had met or exceeded last year's state reading assessment to lower groups based only on their fluency levels; comprehension was never considered. Prior to the change I had been using literature to teach reading, working my way through the comprehension strategies. At the time of the change we were mandated to use the Scott Foresman Reading Street curriculum solely. We were told that reading chapter books would not be a good use of their time. I must, therefore, fill their independent time with worksheets. We were told yesterday that they could not independently read at any time during their reading time as silent reading would not help to increase their oral fluency rate. All students must partner read with both reading aloud at the same time. I have kids who have lexile scores in the 900s...this is so completely ridiculous that I feel as though I have been dropped into the Twilight Zone. I am looking for research at I can use at the school and district level that will add some flexibility to our program. I have no reason to believe the principal will change her mandates without someone above her telling her to. Our school is 100% free/reduced lunch with almost 70% English Language Learners. Our parents don't typically speak up, although I'm working on that. So, there it is. I understand that this may be a trend, but I'm hoping there is some research about how important oral fluency is, also, as that is what we use in the real world as literate people. Many thanks for any help you can provide, Michele Ford 5th grade, Oregon ___ 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] Reading Power/forward
I am forwarding this from Dan Tobin of Stenhouse. Ginger moderator +++ Hi, For those of you interested in contacting Adrienne Gear, author of Reading Power, you can reach her through her Canadian publisher, Pembroke: http://www.pembrokepublishers.com/contact_us/ In the US, Pembroke titles are distributed through Stenhouse. Thanks, Dan Tobin General Manager Stenhouse Publishers ___ 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] posting request
When a member writes to the Mosaic list in response to a prior posting and uses the REPLY option, the entire prior posting gets resent through the listserv again (underneath the new text). While I realize it is helpful for us to see what you are responding to (or commenting on), it creates problems for our DIGEST members. Could I ask you to consider this option? When you are wanting to write in to the Mosaic list, do a simple cut and paste of the part(s) you are responding to or commenting on. To do this 1. START A BRAND NEW EMAIL to mosaic@literacyworkshop.org 2. HIGHLIGHT the part you want to comment on from the original email 3. Right click COPY 4. Go to your NEW email to the listserv and right click PASTE which will put that part into your new email. 5. THEN write your comments. This saves the server space rather than resending all the connected pieces that build up when someone hits REPLY. It's like a chain is created and all those previous messages are then resent- taking up space- and the digest people (who get large batches of our individual emails) then don't have to weed through what is old (resent) and what is new. We would appreciate it. Ginger moderator ___ 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] forward from Jeremy/ELA
I am forwarding this from Jeremy. Ginger moderator Mary Anne, When you say that that every student must take reading as a requirement for graduation do you mean only the students who struggle with reading on the FCAT's or even the students that don't still have a reading requirement. My name is Jeremy and I am graduate student at Syracuse University in the Literacy program. I ask this question b./c I went to high school in New Jersey and reading was a really a forgotten item in the middle and high schools. It was included in our Language Arts class but was really not focused on. We missed out on a lot of items in my mind because we both focused on reading some classes or writing other classes and never really saw the two as connected. Therefore I struggled in both areas and lacked the motivation to achieve. I was wondering if you could explain a little more about what you mean by a reading requirement. Is it very separate from a Language Arts class or are they intertwined. Thank you!! Jeremy [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ 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] MOT study guides
If you look on our TEACHING TOOLS page at www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm in the Staff Development category you will find a couple files with study guide questions for MOT. Ginger moderator ___ 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] RWM
Oops! Kerry was looking for study guides for RWM. We do have some questions for RWM on the TOOLS page as well. Ginger moderator ___ 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] forwarded from Sarah
I am forwarding this from Sarah [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ginger moderator +++ Hi all~ I'm new to the board. I'm a Literacy student at Syracuse University and in reading these posts, some things that we've learned/practiced came to mind. I haven't done these in the classroom yet, but many in my program have and found they are wonderful tools. One thing we love is modeling the think alouds while reading or even when introducing a book. I find that this helped me to think about how I read/think. Furthermore, when doing this, students can slow down and really question, make comments and inferences while doing this. Another great method to pair with this is post-its; we use them, too, while reading, to add Questions, A-ha moments, or comments about the text. Just some food for thought regarding innovative classroom practices~ I think this helps them to listen to each other, too. I'm not familiar with ducks at night but another thing we find successful is Reader of the Week where the student can share his/her post=its and thoughts with the class. Can you tell me more about Ducks at Night? Does anyone know anything like this for the high school level to get students to share? Sarah, grad student ___ 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] Book Talks
I am forwarding this from Sarah [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ginger moderator ++ Kerry, We used the Strategies That Work book last semester; my professors are all well-versed in Literacy and we found that by breaking down each chapter and having the strategies modeled individually worked best to show what the book was all about. Each chapter is a particular strategy, of which we've used all of them in class to model. One of the things you could do if you have a group is to have them each take the main points of the chapter's strategy to discuss, model and ask questions. We did this to pick apart each one and it was super helpful. I hope this helps. Sarah ___ 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] Instructional methods for teachingcomprehensionstrategies???
I am forwarding this from Sarah Ginger moderator + I, too, am in a program where we focus on teaching strategies. What I've found is that these methods ARE practices, since a good literacy specialist should be modeling and scaffolding for such practices as Read/Think aloud, pair share, guided reading. The methods are more what the teacher builds theory on and the practices are the modeling and explicit instruction of how to use these strategies. Some other strategies are: Questioning, Analyzing, Inferring, etc. ___ 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] classroom updates
Still looking forward to hearing from you on what you have been doing with your children for your comprehension strategy instruction. With just over 1200 members, I KNOW there has to be a lot going on in your rooms/schools. Just write to mosaic@literacyworkshop.org like you would tell a friend. Like a journal entry. Reflect, ponder, share... Ginger moderator ___ 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] a new book
One of our very own Mosaic listserv members, Tanny McGregor (checkout her CD of strategy songs http://tinyurl.com/356y3u ), has written a book called Comprehension Connection: Bridges to Strategic Reading. Here is the link. The book will be out 2/15. http://books.heinemann.com/products/E00887.aspx Way to go Tanny Can't wait to read it! Ginger moderator ___ 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] Stephanie Harvey Institues
Stephanie asked me to post this information to our membership about her Reading Is Thinking Reading Comprehension Institutes being held in Chicago and in Seattle in June. This is the link for the Chicago info: www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/RITChicagoFlyer.pdf This is the link for the Seattle info: www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/RITSeattleFlyer.pdf Spread the word! I hope to go to the Chicago session. Maybe we can plan to meet Ginger moderator ___ 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] TOOLS page issue
I'm having a little issue with the TOOLS page right now. So bear with me. I'll get it back to the current view ASAP with Keith's help. Thanks for your patience. Ginger moderator ___ 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] TOOLS page is back on track
You should see the current view now. www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm Ginger moderator ___ 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] new addition to TOOLS page
I have just added the following to our TEACHING TOOLS page at: http://www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm At the bottom of the Photographs category: 1. 36 Anchor Charts by Kelly and Ginger *Kelly and I saved our anchor charts one year and now we take them with us on the road when we are doing our trainings. We thought they might be helpful to share. There are 36 charts. 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! Happy New Year you guys! Ginger moderator ___ 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] new addition to TOOLS page
I have just added the following to our TEACHING TOOLS page at: www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm 1. In the Assessment category, the fourth listing from the top: Ellin Keene's Questions to Consider for Reading Conferences Be sure to hit refresh/reload to see the current view of the TOOLS page each time I upload a new file. Thanks go out to Ellin for sharing her work with us and we can't WAIT for the second edition of Mosaic to come out! Ginger moderator ___ 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] Thankful
Feeling thankful for this place Where we come with our questions Our great news of successes Our new learnings The wealth that we share Feeling grateful for so many The passionate ones All of you My cyber colleagues Real in my heart Feeling blessed for the freedom To express our ideas To do what is right Our fight is ongoing Our mission is common You are all my super heroes Touching the children Growing their minds Making a difference Changing the world Feeling honored to provide And honored to receive. Ginger moderator ___ 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] forward from Gary
I am forwarding this from Gary: +++ Please advise. I am working with my teachers at grades K - 6 in adopting many of the principles of a Balanced Literacy program. We are following a lot of the work done by Fountas and Pinnell. A question and concern among many of the teachers is grading. Now that report cards have to be issued over the next week, teachers are questioning how we grade students in a B.L. classroom. Any guidance you can provide me is appreciated! My direct e-mail is [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thank you. Gary West, Gouverneur Central School ___ 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] want the math booklet??
The math booklet is temporarily available on our TEACHING TOOLS webpage at: www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm Go to the OTHER category and you will find it at the bottom. Please share math files on the new math comprehension listserv located at: http://readinglady.com/mailman/listinfo/readinglady_readinglady.com It's a great listserv. Check out info about it at: www.readinglady.com Ginger moderator ___ 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] new additions to TOOLS page
I have just added the following to our TEACHING TOOLS page at: www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm At the bottom of the Staff Development category: 1. Website: Literacy Coaching Toolbelt by Michele (GREAT site for all teachers) -This is an AMAZING resource for us all put together by our very own Michele Check it out! At the bottom of the PowerPoint category: 2. Sight Word PPT by Jenn -LOVE this idea! 3. Confer With Me PPT on Reading Conferences by Jenn -Great for staff development!!! Thanks go out to Jenn and Michele for sharing! Keep it coming. Send files to me at home: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ginger moderator ___ 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] Sandi's class/1st grade
I am SO lucky to be teaching in the same school as Sandi this year. We had both left our district (different years) and are now back. I am teaching second grade this year. First time for me. Sandi has been gracious in inviting me in to her room to observe and learn from her. I have over half my class reading at about beginning to mid-first grade level so in actuality I am teaching first grade as well as second grade. And BOY am I learning a lot!!! (Still a lot to learn!!) Today during my P.E. special, I popped in to watch Sandi and her class. I got to see the lesson leading up to her share time that she wrote about earlier. Just listening to Sandi rephrase the thinking of her students, really reminded me of the importance of listening to REALLY hear what is behind their talk. Asking them to say more about a possible connection often does reveal a closer fit. If there was something shared that was close to making sense or being a deep connection, Sandi reworded it for them in a very natural way that actually seems like praise or positive feedback. If any of you have been lucky enough to see Debbie Miller model in a classroom you would see this exquisite dance between teacher and student. Debbie came to our district several years ago and Sandi's room was the demo room. I was one of the lucky ones that got to be there. Debbie is so natural in how she reflects their thinking back to them, adding on the words she was hoping to get from them. Putting the words back in their mouths so to speak. For the future. I observed Sandi doing this today. It reminded me that when we reflect back to them what we hear (and add a bit more for depth) we are giving them such a gift. This takes time yet it is SO valuable. Those kids today built on each other's comments (combined with what Sandi modeled back for them in her praise) and were able to get deeper into the authors purpose and rule out coincidences but claim the true connections. Wouldn't it be grand if we could all visit each other's rooms and learn together??? Keep writing in here. Share your lessons. What are you learning about your teaching? What are you learning about your children because of this teaching??? Ginger moderator ___ 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] this from Diane Sweeney
I offered to let you all know about Diane's new adventures. Ginger moderator Dear Colleagues, Since writing Learning Along the Way, I have become passionate about creating school communities that are about learning for both teachers and students. This work is so important, and I truly believe that teaching is far too complex to be done alone. I believe in the importance of support for teachers that is rigorous but also humane, and my work in this area has surfaced a substantial collection of beliefs and practices related to school-based coaching, the role of the principal, and teacher leadership. What's exciting is the incredible response from educators across the country when they are introduced to these ideas. They find that what I bring is deeply rooted in the fact that I am an experienced practitioner (coach and teacher) and that these ideas make an impact at the student level. I am thrilled to announce the creation of my private consulting business, Spark Innovation. Spark Innovation works K-12 with principals, district leaders, school-based coaches, and teachers and we truly hope to make a difference in their lives as educators. I'd like to invite you to visit my brand-new website at www.sparkinnovate.com. It includes a blog designed to help educators share ideas, strategies, and thoughts related to their work in schools. I invite you to join the conversation and get others involved as well. To find the blog go to www.sparkinnvoate.com, click on OUR IDEAS+BLOG and you'll find your way. If you'd like more information feel free to contact me directly at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or (303) 332-6791. Best regards, Diane Sweeney ___ 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] Powerpoints
The powerpoints are located on our TEACHING TOOLS webpage at: www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm Just scroll down to PowerPoint Presentations. Ginger moderator ___ 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] TEACHING TOOLS link
Remember to visit our TEACHING TOOLS webpage to find great resources for your teaching. www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm Ginger moderator ___ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.
[MOSAIC] PowerPoints
Be sure to check out the PowerPoints that our members have shared with us on the TEACHING TOOLS page at: www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm#powerpoint There is one called: Check Your Understanding that goes along with the current thread some of you are having on the list about teaching if you are understanding or not (monitoring). Ginger moderator ___ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.
[MOSAIC] SEARCHABLE Archives!!!!!
I am thrilled beyond words to announce a new feature that Keith (our new Web Administrator) has set up for us. We can now SEARCH our archives. You have GOT to go on this site and play with it. For example if you are interested in metacognition, you can type in that word in the Find box and hit ENTER and instantly all emails with that word will be listed. This is something Dave Middlebrook and I were trying to figure out for a long time. THANK YOU KEITH Now go play! www.mail-archive.com/mosaic%40literacyworkshop.org Ohand by the way...you are all making my heart VERY happy with the deep talk you are doing. THIS talk is WHY I started the list. Just RELISH in how special it is that we talk/listen/learn in this way together. What an honor to be a part of this group. I feel like a proud mama!!! Ginger moderator ___ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.
