tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12608398841370108192024-03-12T22:00:43.803-04:00Once Upon A TeacherMelanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.comBlogger141125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-53319166692887776542014-09-17T20:28:00.004-04:002014-09-17T20:30:32.655-04:00Writing Grows Reading - K-2ndI love learning from <a href="http://www.heinemann.com/authors/2749.aspx" target="_blank">Natalie Louis</a> at Teachers College Reading Institute. She was a kindergarten teacher in Harlem, NY and knows her stuff. Not only that, she is funny! And real! I feel like I know her because every time I go to one of her sessions she shares a little of her life. This year I was lucky enough to get into her session about "Writing Growing Reading" in primary grades. Here's what she said:<br />
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<u><b>Top Ten Ways Writing Teaches You to Read</b></u><br />
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1 It’s YOURS - What early readers struggle with is figuring out the code. (MSV-meaning, structure and visual cues ) It’s not making sense of the picture, it’s not language, it’s really the visual symbols that are all the problem. What writing does is- I already know the M, I can use the S, to get to the V. In reading, how will they start to read conventional books? It’s someone else’s meaning. In writing, it’s mine and I can make meaning and I care about it. meaning and syntax make you work harder at V.<br />
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2 Writing is the game and Phonics is the practice. Most kids will do writing workshop even struggling right away. They like drawing pictures and talking about pictures. If you played sports, you know you didn’t play to go to the practice. The letters part is not fun it’s the practice for the writing which is the game. When it’s time to write about what you really want to write you want the phonics to get it right.<br />
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3 Writing is the slowest of the 4 literacy skills - literacy, speaking, writing, reading.<br />
So what that does is it makes you go slow. Which is what you need for beginning reading. The code is the hardest part in the beginning of reading. When you sound out hold the sounds exceptionally long for the kids and make them do it too. That slowness when you sound out words to put on the page makes you really think about what you are doing. <br />
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4 Writing reveals the taking apart and building up potential of the code. When they read they think you are just supposed to know it. When they write they learn that you put them together and take them apart to make them in different ways. You pay close attention to this while writing. In reading saw and was look the same because they aren’t paying attention closely In writing you look at it over and over and wouldn’t make that mistake. Practice making letters with gross and then fine motor the correct way. Handwriiting really matters for fluency. If you push instead of pull in writing you are going to tear your paper a lot and it s more frustrating.If you don’t fix it in K and 1 no one is ever gonna fix it. Writing highlights forming, clusters and grouping of letters too.<her a="" alouds="" and="" at="" beginning="" day="" did="" kids="" low="" of="" plus="" read="" reading="" she="" so="" the="" twice="" were="" writing="" year=""><br /><br />5 Readers and Writers use the same sources of info. MSV (meaning, syntax, visual) they use them to make their stories and then they will use those sources to read a story. <br /><br />6 Writers go from sound to print. Readers go from print to sound. That’s why phonemic awareness is so important (ability to hear sounds in words). So if you are doing that work of "say a word and put it down" and then in reading you see that symbol and can much easier generate a sound. <br /><br />7 Kids go from letters to labels to phrases to sentences in writing. After they draw a picture for their story, she taught them to write blanks next to all the objects and actions in the picture (story). When they can they learn to label and then phrase. Don’t write just slide next to the drawing of the slide, teach them to write “hot slide” “fast slide”.<br /><br />8 The power of the pointer finger. Your finger helps you keep track of where you go when you are writing. When you teach the pointer finger make sure you say to them: first point to the middle of the word and then the first letter of the word. <br /><br />9 Make sure reading and rereading happens constantly in the writers workshop. That way that behavior is second nature in their own reading. Have a “rereading emergency” and have them stow their pencil behind their ear and only reread for a minute.<br /><br />10 As many times as you can make the reading and writing connection explicit. Point out everything to them so they begin to make the connect. <br /><br /><b>Side note about keeping your mini lesson mini: </b> To train myself for time in mini lessons when the timer goes off I would just say off you go! It doesn’t matter what other amazing thing I have to say if no one is listening. I learned to keep to my time. </her><br />
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<i>Love that tip! Thanks Natalie!</i></div>
Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-33309501217023432502014-08-26T09:46:00.001-04:002014-08-26T09:46:13.252-04:00Outgrow Yourself as a Reader - Lucy Calkins<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy Calkins - Summer 2014 Reading Institute</td></tr>
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I was so fortunate to be accepted to return to the Summer Reading Institute this month at Teachers College in NY. It is truly so inspiring and packed with learning it supports my entire year as a literacy coach as well as grows my personal knowledge and understanding of literacy. And there is no better way to start the week than a keynote by Lucy Calkins.<br />
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So much of what she says I cannot capture in words but I thought it important to share the gist of her message and there is just no way to paraphrase it. Much of this is direct quote. It's a message that never occurred to me. Which is how I know it will really change the way I look at my teaching and learning... and reading this year! I hope it resonates with you as well.<br />
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<i>You know that song, “I Hear the Earth Move, Under My Feet...”? What times these are in education! Times of pressure, times of intensity,...<br />We live in an information age. Technological knowledge doubles every 2 days. All that knowledge is at kids’ fingertips. It used to be the teacher’s job to convey knowledge to the uniformed, to carry crucial content... and now anyone can access any information with one click. The teacher’s job therefore is to no longer deliver the information because information is like air, it’s everywhere! The job now is to help kids actively construct coherent meaning from the deluge of information. As literacy educators, we’ve got our work cut out for us. <br /><br />Some people think our work revolves around helping kids tackle more complex texts, and it’s true that some of things that were expected at the end of fourth grade are now expected at the middle of second grade. And those expectations of course, build over the years. But the far bigger challenge is that kids are expected to read with incredibly high levels of comprehension and to write with enormous skill. The challenges in today’s world does require the lift in expectations. After all, this generation will be the ones to figure out how to keep New York City and other coastal cities from being damaged by floods that are sure to come and other world calamities and illnesses...<br /><br />The most important thing I can say today is that study after study shows that YOU ARE <teachers> what makes the difference in students and achievement. And I’m worried about this country, I’m worried that this nation is trying to accelerate student achievement by spending seven and a half million on tests and seven and a half million on the technology for those tests and saving nothing for teachers. <br /><br />The first thing I want to suggest, is that to lift the level of your teaching you need to work on your own reading. I would like this institute to be a turning point for you as a reader. Come to the institute thinking I’m going to gather knowledge and I’m going to really work on my reading, I’m going to reach for more. I’m going to try to outgrow myself as a reader. You might be thinking you don’t really need to work on your reading. Yet at the start of every writing institute most of us resolve to improve our writing and do get goose bumps at the prospect of writing. Because we realize….there is writing and there is writing…. we know that writing better as a writer is demanding, deeply personal and intellectual work. But I want to suggest that if you think of reading well as merely getting the words right, or following the plot or figuring out the theme of the story then you are teaching a reading that is unimagined. If learning to read well is kid stuff, that will show in what you do. The kids will learn that learning to read better is kid stuff and teachers just bribe and trick kids into doing it and that in real life skilled readers don’t think about what they read and don’t work on outgrowing themselves as readers. But you can say to yourself today, “I’m going to try to outgrow myself as a reader. To set goals and to work deliberately toward those goals.” If you do that you can become a reading mentor for your kids and your colleagues. The thing is…to get better as a reader takes resolving to do so. <br /><br />Malcolm Gladwell says that to become an expert at anything takes ten thousands hours of practice. The problem is that it takes ten thousand hours of deliberate practice. No matter what it is you are trying to get better at it’s not practice makes perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Deliberate practice makes perfect. <br /><br />So let me ask you, for how many years of your life have you been reading? And for how many of those years have you been deliberately working at outgrowing yourself as a reader? What is the shape of your learning curve as a reader? My suggestion is to resolve to accelerate your curve. </teachers></i><br />
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My initial reaction to this message was hmmm, let me think about that. I don't know if I can outgrow myself as a reader! I mean, if you know me you know that I am an obsessive reader. I read while drying my hair in the morning, while waiting for my kids at dance/soccer, every evening before bed and anytime I get the chance. I even "time myself out" from reading when I have other things to get done! <br /><br />And I get that I can be a "plot junkie" rushing through to what will happen next...but learning that about myself has made me a bit more reflective and this last year I have slowed down and tried to look at my reading through different lenses. <br />
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So how to improve now? Because Lucy says if I am not learning I cannot model and be the best reading teacher I can be! Mentally I am stopping and rereading to ponder things that would have previously slipped through my mind. I am actively trying to build theories and determine author intention through text evidence (instead of personal experience). I'm trying to actively keep my ideas within the text. Does that make sense? It might not sound like much but it has really changed my reading!<br />
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Will you be outgrowing yourself as a reader this year? I would love to hear what you will be doing!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cross posted at <a href="http://livefromthecreek.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">LIVE from the Creek</a></span>Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-83607852639197661422014-02-05T22:17:00.000-05:002014-02-05T22:17:06.910-05:00My School is Special - #TeamRebeccaMy school is special.<br />
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I'm sure many educators say this and mean it, but not enough. I am lucky enough to work at a school where we abide by these 3 founding principles: <br />
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RELATIONSHIPS<br />
RISKS<br />
RESULTS<br />
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It's the first that make the last two possible.<br />
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We have many special and fun traditions that build relationships such as activities around our <a href="https://vimeo.com/67910011" target="_blank">school theme</a>, <a href="https://vimeo.com/67940609" target="_blank">end of the year fun</a> and awards, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holtsman/sets/72157631064953550/" target="_blank">team building activities</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holtsman/sets/72157629208747978/" target="_blank">teacher of the year celebrations</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holtsman/sets/72157626471689404/" target="_blank">pep rallies</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holtsman/sets/72157626312146930/" target="_blank">celebrating authors</a> we love, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holtsman/sets/72157625457344776/" target="_blank">Native American Pow Wow</a>, Fish Fry, and the list could go on...<br />
but unfortunately we added a new tradition several years ago when a faculty member discovered she had breast cancer. We did all of the traditional things when a "family" member needs your support: hugs, notes, dinners, filling in...but we wanted to something more visible to remind her we were behind her the whole way through treatment.<br />
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Every year, our school theme decides the color and design on our school t-shirt. That first year, in honor of Betsy, we all got an additional school logo t-shirt in solid pink to show support by wearing it every Friday. That simple visible weekly show of solidarity and support meant so much to her. And she beat that stupid cancer!<br />
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We are sad to have to bring back this tradition, but a teacher at our school recently discovered she has osteosarcoma. She had immediate surgery and is undergoing intense chemotherapy. We are doing all of the traditional support pieces but immediately knew we wanted to have a spirit shirt for her. We found out the ribbon color for support of a patient with this cancer is yellow so we all began wearing our yellow shirts last Friday.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#TeamRebecca</td></tr>
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The unfortunate thing about Rebecca's cancer is it is keeping her in the hospital and homebound a lot. I felt like I wanted to send her a visual to "show" her the love and thoughts we were sending her way. And even though my Chets Creek Elementary family may roll their eyes at me from time to time when I show up with a camera they are always willing to participate and boy did they! Here is our virtual hug from #TeamRebecca. Please help us by keeping her in your thoughts and prayers as well.<br />
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<br />Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-28349970588340813602014-01-31T21:39:00.005-05:002014-11-15T19:38:05.875-05:00Kindergarteners Use Their "Magic Pencil" in order to Reread What They Write<div class="entry-container">
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After using the Lucy Calkins Units of Study for Teaching Writing K-2 for over 10 years now at our school, we were <b>SUPER</b> excited to receive the new Units of Study for Writing that are grade specific. We didn't receive them until after the year started so we are just now truly beginning to jump in and <a href="http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.com/2014/01/learning-from-lucy-implementing.html" target="_blank">implement them with fidelity</a>.<br />
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Kindergarten teachers began the <a href="http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.com/2014/01/learning-from-lucy-implementing.html" target="_blank">Narrative Writing for K Unit</a> a few weeks ago. The new units are so meaty with good information for teacher schema and understanding behind how students may respond and actual dialogue the teacher can use or paraphrase during the lesson, but my favorite thing about these lessons is that little bit of "writer's secret" or "magic trick" sprinkled in. It's funny how you can say the same thing with a special tone of voice and it is received very differently. <br />
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When <a href="http://mallonmessages.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Maria Mallon</a> knew she would be teaching this lesson when I came in with teachers to observe we sat down and read it together. We had to stop reading, back up and read it out loud like it was being taught. Because it just sounded ridiculous in print! As soon as I read it out loud the first time I <i>felt</i> the magic. No pun intended! The Magic Pencil of rereading what you already wrote to remember the big picture of your story. The lesson actually calls for you to pass out pencils for them to practice "writing in the air". I thought, "Oh my, 36 kids....someone is going to put out an eye sitting that close together." But the only way you will know these lessons work is if you do them the way intended. Don't limit your kiddos! Maria was game, she was all in...take a peek in with us to her classroom and enjoy!<br />
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Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-84897257258465750792014-01-19T22:59:00.003-05:002014-01-19T22:59:36.221-05:00Strategies for Historical Fiction As the new year begins, our 5th grade classes are continuing their Historical Fiction Units and our 4th grade classes are just starting. It has been a fun challenge for me as the literacy coach to try to offer new ideas or strategies to teachers in both of these grades. I know that what they are already doing is masterful and more compacted than they would like so I want to offer ideas that are worth making a part of their well oiled plans.<br />
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The first thing I wanted to reinforce was the importance of having the <a href="http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.com/2013/11/lifting-level-of-your-readers-thinking.html" target="_blank">routine of "stopping and jotting"</a> in place for students to collect ideas and <a href="http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.com/2013/10/fourth-graders-learn-to-build-theories.html" target="_blank">build theories as they read</a>. Many teachers are having students do this in their Readers' Notebook while they read aloud as well as doing it either there or on sticky notes in their own books they are reading independently. The key is making the stopping and jotting guidelines relevant to the genre (each one could be a mini lesson as it's introduced) you are studying as well as conferring with students as often as possible briefly to help them notice patterns or lift the level of their thinking. Here are some suggestions for stopping and jotting while reading historical fiction:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Good Places to Stop and Jot</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">*I noticed a perspective change in the story<br />*Ideas are repeated across text<br />*Unexplained gaps in time (subplots)<br />*How a character responds to a challenge</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">*A change in the story's mood/tone<br />*What symbols can be found?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">*How does the symbol help you understand the story?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">*Noting historical tension</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">*Character response to challenge</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Remind them what is NOT a good place to Stop and Jot</span></b><br />
*Your 1st thought<br />
*Copying exactly what the text says<br />
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Use visual text whenever possible to bring particular periods in history to life. The <a href="http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.com/2013/08/write-around-for-reading.html" target="_blank">Write Around strategy</a> is perfect. Google will net you photographs or drawings from just about every era. Look for historical video clips if available. We were able to even find some audio clips from World War II on <a href="http://www.discoveryeducation.com/" target="_blank">Discovery Education</a> resources (subscription needed).<br />
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Having a literacy timeline in your classroom can be critical for students to build permanent understanding of where things fall in history. Any time you have a conversation about personal experience from your family history, add that there as well. Their understanding will develop as they read, hear you read aloud and ask their family questions about history. Having this visual in your room all year will help keep it in their own mind all the time. Make it your own with large year markers and fill in the events with notings, book covers of books read, historical pics from activities and that are back in current news...there are no rules...do what makes sense. Your learners will guide you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPG80eXfaUGtzzWlvFU5T4wq8n0zRlLPX1_PiO6SD5FArnSo2IhoYkcZLhlJK4J7Dgl8JOZ6ixRtonstMJbgc1TSFaqPNuP9Q0a2N9W4kzU8Jm4JNjxwmjoMo7V_rJZB5vn_yoqQRRsNzz/s1600/167-+Irena%27s+Jars+of+Secrets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPG80eXfaUGtzzWlvFU5T4wq8n0zRlLPX1_PiO6SD5FArnSo2IhoYkcZLhlJK4J7Dgl8JOZ6ixRtonstMJbgc1TSFaqPNuP9Q0a2N9W4kzU8Jm4JNjxwmjoMo7V_rJZB5vn_yoqQRRsNzz/s1600/167-+Irena's+Jars+of+Secrets.jpg" height="163" width="200" /></a>Fifth grade teacher, Jennifer Scarola, was kind enough to allow me to come film a lesson in her classroom to give a visual of some of these things I have mentioned. This lesson is about noticing historical tensions along the way as you read. She is reading aloud the book <u>Irena's Jars of Secrets</u>. You will notice the students stopping and jotting as she does and she gives them time to talk about it with each other. As Readers' Workshop continues the students do the same in their own reading and during the share at the end you can see some specific examples of student learning. Enjoy your visit to Mrs. Scarola's classroom!<br />
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/84470217"></a><br />Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-70328779014634375292014-01-05T22:38:00.001-05:002014-01-05T22:39:25.781-05:00Learning from Lucy - Implementing Rigorous, Coherent Writing CurriculumAs the Literacy Coach here at Chets Creek Elementary, I have been
fortunate enough to hear Lucy speak a few times. Each time is
different, powerful and packed with so many tidbits that I cannot ever
manage to capture in notes. Each and every one of the teachers' notes
that were shared in the <a href="http://livefromthecreek.blogspot.com/2013/12/learning-from-lucy-part-one-of-two.html" target="_blank">previous post </a>were
much more coherant than the notes I manage to capture. I have learned
to audio record and spend hours savoring over the audio. Since so much
of this is completely Lucy's words it is in italics. Please enjoy
learning from her as I do:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfeyFLxnrNmKMmTOmEGwnN5MlVg1cVwmhXxGC2GQft2wLqaa0Rxy1bQyfjt7oDzPaNhnRvS2EDm3afYRGQ6yC8bWJ1qAX1Zfp6KNWjqN5O9MPS8_ZYzI-zL1528PDKI-nPe_AqgI5aDo/s1600/Lucy+answers+teacher+questions+during+break.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfeyFLxnrNmKMmTOmEGwnN5MlVg1cVwmhXxGC2GQft2wLqaa0Rxy1bQyfjt7oDzPaNhnRvS2EDm3afYRGQ6yC8bWJ1qAX1Zfp6KNWjqN5O9MPS8_ZYzI-zL1528PDKI-nPe_AqgI5aDo/s1600/Lucy+answers+teacher+questions+during+break.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy answers teacher questions during break</td></tr>
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Units of Study: Implementing Rigorous, Coherent Writing Curriculum<br />
Lucy Calkins<br />
11/15/13<br />
<br />
Lucy
talks a lot about how we convey the information we learn, as teachers
or staff developers. You listen differently for each and …<i><br /><br />I
need you to be storytellers to others, because the information about
writing needs to be told. Who could have ever predicted these changes in
education? Who could have ever imagine that tests would be developed
where we were told that two-thirds of our third graders would be labeled
failures…and that is the plan. This has happened in New York City. And
the people leading that, do they understand what it is like for an
EIGHT year old to be told that the big official important label for you
is failure. In times of your life when you were called a failure, what
that does to your dedication, your sense of power. It is debilitating.
And we are grown ups!<br /><br />And even though today is about writing, I
just wanna say about the common core: It may well become the makeshift
Titanic that goes down. This big and grand thing that goes down because
of a fatal flaw. The flaw will be implementation. Part of the flaw is
that people are trying to tell us how to implement the common core. And
the people who are telling us are nuts! <loud applause="" audience="" in=""> I mean, I am so committed to helping kids move toward
reading more complex texts. That IS the really huge work. We are NOT
going to get there by getting on the strict diet of texts they can’t
read. It’s just not gonna happen so these people that think you can
only discuss text based questions. I wanna ask, “Have you ever been in a
school?” “Have you ever tried to engage a kid?” You can’t talk about
the learner? Dave Coleman, who calls himself the author of the common
core literally is quoted online as saying, “What kids need to learn is
no one gives a s_ _ _ about you.” It’s quoted! It’s all over the
internet! Really? If you even just read the business stuff about how
to make people work harder in business and one of the first things is
creating a culture where everyone knows that every person matters. And
we are supposed to tell kids no one cares and devise a curriculum that
reflects that. I’m not saying common core, I’m saying what some are
doing in the name of common core. <br /><br />Well, we are here to talk
about writing. Let me start by saying the world has begun to pay
attention to writing. There’s a good reason for that. One is the
common core. But you should not institute any change in your school
because of the common core. You have to institute changes in your
school that you believe will enable your kids. That will take them
toward being more powerful and build a stronger community. There are so
many mandates you can’t possibly do them all. I was talking to Mike
Fullen who says, “Over decades of work in school reform I am convinced
that one of the most critical problems in our schools is not resistance
to innovation but the fragmentation, overload and incoherence the
results from teachers and principals adopting too many innovations in an
adhoc, superficial way.” Mike has been studying school reform for
years. Doug Reeves says that innovations adopted to a low or medium
degree of fidelity show no results. They do not lead to improving
achievement at all. It’s only innovations that are adopted with a high
degree of fidelity that impact achievement. It’s like me saying I was
on a diet before and after I had that muffin. That muffin made all the
difference when it showed up. You can see what it does to a diet.
That’s low implementation. We need to think of ourselves as investors.
People come at us with all this stuff and we have to make decisions.
Warren Buffett says, “What’s my secret as an investor? My ability to
say no. You say yes to the things that are exactly right.” <br /><br />I
hope today that you will say YES to the serious reform of teaching
writing. I’m not interested in you doing writing workshop poorly. It
will make sure it doesn’t work. <br /><br />Why is writing such a big deal
now? Technology has made sure that we are all living and breathing
writing. We write as we drive, we wake up writing, we go to bed
writing. 560 websites are being developed every minute. 60% of
companies have blogs. The fact that everyone is writing all the time
means that everyone has a voice in a way that they never had. The
internet has given the lowly citizen a microphone. <br /><br />It used to be
that it mattered if you had knowledge. Now you can google them faster
than your memory. Having knowledge is no longer a big deal. It’s being
able to synthesize, organize and talk back to knowledge and writing is
great for that. In this day of accountability one of the most profound
changes we have to go through is that how the kids do is how we do. In
learning writing, we have a kind of contract with kids. We say, if you
work hard your product will get better in 2 weeks. If you listen to
what I say and do your best….actual visible growth in your work. You
should see the difference in dramatic visible ways. When kids do what
you say in writing you should see the difference right away. And the
kids see it and they see what it means to be a successful “learner”.
That’s why this is such a powerful subject to teach. <br /><br />When I
work with states or cities or towns, I usually begin with what is the
bill of rights you give your kids in the teaching of writing. The
non-negotiables every teacher buys into. New kids come to your class
and what is the promise to your kids? It has to be reasonable that
everyone would do.<br />#1 Writing is a subject taught every day K-5 in
other words, the kids are literally producing a volume of writing every
day. Kids will never write well if they never write LONG. <br />#2 Kids
should know what they are working on: personal narrative, song, poem,
nonfiction. They need to know the genre of their writing so they know
what they are trying to do. All of the authors and texts in your
classroom are teachers as well. Kids need to have author celebrations
over and over. It changes their perception if they have “readers” of
their writing. Writing for readers transforms the whole enterprise of
writing. Words on a page made a nation! Kids need to understand that
words can make something as big as anything they can imagine. Words
matter.<br />#3 Ways to get their work published. Explicit instruction
matters. Not turning down the lights and saying, “Write..” Good
writing is not in their DNA, they need instruction, modeling. <br />#4
Only way writing is a tool to be used across the curriculum is if they
become fluent writers. Sentences of thought not words and then
paragraphs. <br />#5 Relationship and Feedback accelerate achievement.
The relationship between the teacher and student is that the teacher
believes the student has capacity to grow in dramatic ways. If the
teacher cannot do then the child won’t be able to do. The learner has
to have a crystal clear goal. Observe the learner working....observe
them changing with a compliment of their growth. Then show them the next
step they should take. <br /><br />I don’t know the story of your lives,
but if I invite you to write or share the turning points, the causes in
your life…all of a sudden there is an intimacy. Avi said - If you’re
going to teach me to write you’re going to have to love me. John
Hattie’s research shows that only two things really matter in
accelerating achievement and the first thing is the relationship between
teachers and students. Think of your own life and the teachers that
mattered to you. Those are the teachers that knew us! They SEE you
they GET you. You are all writing about different things but the things
I teach you can all be used in any different story. Things that are
about YOU. The teacher must believe the student has the capacity and
can outgrow themselves in dramatic ways. So relationships are the first
thing that accelerate achievement, the second is feedback. In order
for them to get good feedback, they have to have a crystal clear goal.
What their next step is from the last point of feedback… The learner
notices what they are doing when you point it out (feedback point one)
and then next step (feedback point two) teacher shows or takes them to
someone else doing it. If it doesn’t work…the teacher needs to see what
they are doing wrong. It’s not them, it’s you. <br /><br />We have to be
able to take the talent base in our school and socialize that
intelligence. We cannot all of us be best at everything. We have to do
some “things” to get a more cohesive approach in our schools. <br />Structures that need to be in place<br />#1 Doing units together makes it cohesive, share student work<br />#2 Must write daily for x amount of minutes.<br />#3 The way a writing time goes needs to be extremely predictable. <br /><br />Health
of the school depends on the white elephant in the room. What are
people talking about behind closed doors? If you are going to add
instruction, you have to say what will they not do. There is not extra
time. But don’t waste TIME! We used to be able to kick out social
studies and science but now we can’t. You need to talk about it. About
time and how it’s spent. If you can’t do something, don’t skip days,
skip a month. Deep work has to be done daily. <br /><br />When kids begin
writing don’t start conferring. Move around the room first and make
sure they are going. Then small groups. It doesn’t have to be long
small group work. It’s about pulling them out of their chairs and
pointing something out and then leave them working.<br /><br /><br />Strategies:
* See kids thinking they are “finished” not writing....Mid lesson
teaching point, “Writers, when you think you’re done, you’ve just
begun.” * Instead of turn and talk: Turn to your neighbor and write it
in the air.<br />* Pick and model a moment for your kids that is a moment
they can relate to. Dialogue or small action....(Common core says begin
with an orienting phrase. Don’t do that. That comes later. Start with
dialogue or small action.)<br />* When you read these pieces that the
kids have written you have to read them like they are golden. It makes a
difference. Taking the heart of the story and stretching it out. <br />*Write with precise nouns and verbs, not adjectives and adverbs.<br />* Strategies for generating thoughtful entries or ideas or thought patches, take one and write it long<br /><br />Essay writing strategies … think of a person that matters to you and 3 ideas and pick one and write it long.<br />or…idea that matters to you and 3 ideas and pick one and write it long<br /><br />Writers- three ideas and write long about one (helpful starters)<br />I’m realizing<br />for example<br />all in all I’m realizing<br />in other words<br />that is<br />the surprising thing about this is<br />from this day forward I’m going to<br />the important thing about this is<br />this is giving me the idea that<br />this connects to<br /><br />The idea being helping them to reach for something where there is no words to really explain.<br /><br />Information Writing<br />We
watched a video of Amanda Hartman teaching students to get their topics
down for their informational writing. She says: “I’ll come back long
and strong and write more about this later”.<br /><br />Here are some tips for this genre:<br />* Spend extra time on structure and elaboration<br />* Qualities of good information writing: write with structure but with central idea<br />* Text features, diagrams, ideas, captions, pop out the central idea<br />* A lot of books they read are off topic distractions, they need to know good authors stick to central idea<br />* Information and ideas, you have to ask questions and maybe you don’t have answers<br /><br /><br />Assessment-<br />Writing
Pathways - in units, in all grades, we ask you to begin year as on
demand writing and day after celebration of unit they do another on
demand write. You do that to see the growth. This reminds you that you
aren’t trying to improve the kid’s product, you’re trying to improve
the kid. And having that starting piece is also an accountable way of
saying to the child, ”Look back at that piece you did in the beginning,
your writing should be worlds better!” If you don’t do this their
writing may even go down. The on demand piece is an assessment and they
know it. They may do their best only then. Hold them accountable to
doing their best always.<br /><br />When you give kids checklists you have
to preach to them about checklists, toward the end of the that unit of
writing. That pilot that landed the plane on water and saved lives, he
followed the emergency checklist. Tell them that! When babies are
born, they go through a checklist of what they should show and when they
don’t see it that find out what’s wrong! Checklists are what people
do when things are complicated and important and you don’t want to
forget. Talk it up with them constantly. It helps you be in charge of
your own writing. You are the boss and coach of yourself with this.
Famous, great coaches are hard on their players. You have to be that
person for yourself. <br /><br />Today is a beginning. The teaching of
writing is a big subject. You really can’t do this alone. Most
powerful thing a school can have is a contagious learners, in the
company of others. One of the easy ways to learn a unit of study is to
have a teacher teach it to other teachers in 3 min of the heart of the
lesson and then have them write for 5 minutes. Great strategy. Is your
school doing to many things not well instead of less things with
depth? Innovations adopted with no fidelity have little impact. <br /><br />Professor
at Harvard has popular course on Happiness. Your happiness level, very
few things affect it. You get sick, win the lottery and you get sad
and depressed but you go back to your normal level. Very few things
make people happier. One of the only things that does increase
happiness is when a small group of people with you work on a cause
bigger than you. Think about a time in education when your work was the
best it’s ever been. It probably wasn’t a time where you came in late
and left early. It’s probably a time where you and your colleagues
worked harder than you have ever worked. You had a common cause and
worked for it. If a well informed person came to you and said, ”Change
or you are going to die” and most don’t change. People continue not
eating well, exercising or smoking…. 20% that do make change are the
people that have a support group. The secret to having professional
capital is that the building has social capital. Not just getting
together to have fun. Plan together, visit each other’s classrooms,
share student work….LEARN together. Let’s think together and lift each
other’s thinking. </loud></i><br />
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Cross posted on <a href="http://livefromthecreek.blogspot.com/2014/01/learning-from-lucy-part-two-of-two.html" target="_blank">LIVE from the Creek </a><i><br /></i>Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-39013298992308781302013-11-28T22:58:00.005-05:002013-11-28T23:05:43.303-05:00A Song a Day...<div style="text-align: center;">
A Song a Day...Keeps Non-Fluency Away!</div>
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Ok, I'm pretty sure that's not a word...but I couldn't resist. The idea of singing a song a day to build reading fluency came from <a href="http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.com/2013/10/reading-fluency-isnt-sexy-anymore-but.html" target="_blank">Tim Rasinski</a> and <a href="http://ideas.time.com/2013/08/16/singing-changes-your-brain/" target="_blank">this article from TIME</a>. It seems like a simple thing to do...how could it really make a difference?</div>
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The article explains in detail the physical reactions you have from singing, but basically, it creates endorphins which decrease stress and increase happiness! You don't have to be a good "singer", you just have to join in and sing and it builds a closeness or sense of community with your group as well. <br />
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Now transfer these ideas to the classroom setting, by singing one song daily with your class (less than 3 minutes of your day) you are building classroom community, decreasing stress and creating an atmosphere of joyous learning which we know has the most transference....now let's add in the part that attacks fluency:</div>
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<b>EYES to TEXT</b></div>
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Put the lyrics in front of your students<b> </b>and ask them to keep their eyes on the text the whole time they are singing. Do a new song each week, or every other week and when they kids are fluently singing that song (able to mimic the intonation and speed of the lyrics) without struggling, it's time to move on to a new song. Even after moving on to a new song you can have a "request" day to revisit an old one they sang before. </div>
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Tim Rasinski says if you do this with fidelity, your students' fluency will improve! So I challenged my teachers, try this with your kids...if you do nothing else every single day...sing one song with eyes to text and let's see what happens. </div>
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And so it began....</div>
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I suggested they might try some pop songs the students may have heard but don't know the lyrics (you have to be careful to pick an appropriate song for the age), because I thought they might hear it outside the school day and be singing along. Also, some older songs that the teacher may know that are fun but the students hadn't heard. You don't need to buy all this music. Most songs can be found on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, just play it hooked up to speakers and they can hear it and sing along!<br />
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My favorite thing about this activity is that EVERYONE can be successful. Even students that are below level will learn the repetitions in the song and feel some immediate success and some of the higher readers that can have the worst intonation while reading, this forces them to slow down and <i>feel </i>the words. </div>
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The first response I got from teachers is: MY KIDS LOVE THIS! They said the kids were excited about starting their day with a song, unmotivated kids were finally excited about something and the teachers were loving the fun time together. Wow! All that from a few minutes of the day? I can't wait to see the results we reap from this fun strategy! </div>
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If you are a visual learner like me, you might need to "see" what this looks like for different ideas of rituals to use but you mainly have to make sure that they always have EYES to TEXT:</div>
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Fluency is such an important piece of the reading puzzle, give it a try!</div>
Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-17357215977162856132013-11-21T11:13:00.002-05:002013-11-21T11:13:41.339-05:00Lifting the Level of your Reader's ThinkingWhen kids are stopping and jotting, the goal is to grow their thinking and thoughts as the story develops. Sometimes that takes modeling and demonstrating how that actually "looks". <br />
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In this lesson I explained to these third grade students that they needed to support their thinking with evidence from the text when they stop and jot while reading. I was actually teaching this lesson for a group of third grade teachers to see so I reviewed <a href="http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.com/2013/11/stop-jot-and-think-while-you-read-about.html" target="_blank">the lesson from the day before</a> about "what" to stop and jot at the beginning of the video. <br />
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Rubrics are key. Not only demonstrating what meeting or exceeding the standard "looks" like but showing them how to do it and then leaving a visible model up for future reference. They need to be able to hold their work up and see where it matches.<br />
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The kids seem to be doing very well with this! Let me know what you think:<br />
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<br />Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-81783702708735574552013-11-20T22:39:00.000-05:002013-11-20T22:39:11.031-05:00Stop, Jot and Think While You Read about charactersWe want readers to constantly be <a href="http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.com/2013/10/fourth-graders-learn-to-build-theories.html" target="_blank">thinking and developing ideas and theories</a> while they read, so using "stop and jots" (post it notes) help them remember to reflect, take note of and synthesize their thoughts while reading. <br />
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I'm discovering how important it is to really look at the genre of study that a grade level is working on to help guide examples and non-examples of what students are learning to notice in their jots. Third grade is currently working on their developing characters study in Readers' Workshop. I chose the following examples for jots to help guide their thinking about characters. This chart can be added to as they continue to learn new things about their study of characters:<br />
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<i><u>Places worth Stopping and Jotting:</u></i></div>
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<i>I learned something NEW about my character</i></div>
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<i>My character's action was unusual</i></div>
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<i>When I want to write about what is confusing me???</i></div>
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<i>When I disagree with what is happening</i></div>
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<i>When the text is BEGGING me to write something!</i></div>
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<i>When something really important happens<br />When you have a prediction with evidence</i></div>
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<i>When I see a PATTERN in my character's actions</i></div>
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I am also finding that it is just as important to hold them accountable for doing thinking they are capable of doing by reminding them what they should not be doing any more:</div>
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<u><i>What's NOT worth posting:</i></u></div>
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<i>The first thought coming to mind</i></div>
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<i>Repeating what I already jotted</i></div>
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<i>Forcing myself to have a thought</i></div>
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<i>Nothing exciting is happening</i></div>
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<i>Restating what the text says </i></div>
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Does your current genre of learning guide your suggested stop and jots? Any suggested prompts to help us with character study in 3rd grade? </div>
Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-79415945378600157652013-11-04T11:40:00.001-05:002013-11-04T11:42:01.757-05:00Looking at Word Nuance with First GradersEveryone seems to have really loved the learning I shared<a href="http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.com/2013/09/secrets-and-songs-of-text.html" target="_blank"> from Mary Ehrenworth </a>about reading visual text. One of my first grade teachers asked me to do a close reading lesson using visual text. EVERYONE is on fire about close reading!<br />
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I looked at the first grade common core standards to see what I felt like would be best approached with visual text. I chose this one: <i>With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding word relationships and nuances in word meanings.</i><br />
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I wanted to use a music video for this lesson, like Mary did in her lesson with us...but every time I found a song that was appropriate for first graders it didn't have specific words I could look at closely to meet this standard. I also felt like looking at ALL the lyrics to a song was too much so I decided to pick a song with a simple repeating chorus. I ended up choosing "Brave" by Sara Bareilles. You can find all the lyrics to the song <a href="http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/sarabareilles/brave.html" target="_blank">here</a>, but I wrote only the chorus out on chart paper. <br />
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<i>Say what you wanna say<br />
And let the words fall out<br />
Honestly I wanna see you be brave</i>
<i><br />
With what you want to say<br />
And let the words fall out<br />
Honestly I wanna see you be brave</i>
<i><br />
I just wanna see you<br />
I just wanna see you<br />
I just wanna see you<br />
I wanna see you be brave</i>
<i><br />
I just wanna see you<br />
I just wanna see you<br />
I just wanna see you<br />
I wanna see you be brave</i></div>
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<u>On Monday</u>, I went in their classroom and just asked them if they would do a shared reading with me on this passage. I pointed out that the passage had a word "wanna" that is a slang word, but the author had chosen that word for some reason. It was really difficult to not sing this but to read it like a book with the students following along. I'm sure they wondered what kind of weird passage this was, but the cool thing about first graders is they are pretty much willing to try anything you ask them. We practiced a few times and I told them I would come back tomorrow to read it some more. </div>
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<u>On Tuesday</u>, I came back with a list of words: chorus, lyrics, slang, rhythm, tempo. I started off by just saying that the secret about this passage we read the day before was that it was lyrics to a song (pointing to the word lyrics as I explained) and that in a song most songs had a chorus (pointing again) where the lyrics were repeated. I pointed out the word slang we had learned the day before and then said the other two words rhythm and tempo were kind of the beat and feeling of a song. They were important signals to help you know if it's a happy song or serious and listening carefully can help you know when it is about to repeat a chorus. I didn't spend but a few minutes on this because it was only just a bit of new info for them to add to their schema and words to possibly help them be able to explain their thinking later on. I played the song for them and we did a shared reading of the chorus every time it came up in the song. Their little eyes lit up. It was fun to watch them enjoying the music and realizing it made it easier to read the passage once they heard it over and over. We listened a few times...there may have been a little bit of dancing in our seats. :) I pointed out the word "brave" and how it was repeated in the passage and asked them to turn and talk to their partners about what that word meant. When listening in and then sharing most of them had the idea that it was not being scared, doing something even if you are scared, courage and many related to the Disney movie Brave. At the end of their thinking I asked them to go home that evening and think of other possible meanings of the word brave.</div>
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On Wednesday, I reviewed their thinking from the day before and validated to them again that those thoughts are correct meanings of the word brave. But I introduced the idea that words can have shades of meaning or nuances that are completely different. I explained that today I would show them the visual text for the word brave that the author of this passage had created in the form of a music video. You can <a href="http://youtu.be/QUQsqBqxoR4" target="_blank">see it here</a>, or in the video lesson below. The idea was to help them see the word nuance of brave possibly meaning to be brave enough to be yourself, to be different, to do what you want when you want to do it. I think for first graders they got it. You can see the entire Wednesday lesson below.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/78492337" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
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If you find yourself asking, "Why go to all this elaborate trouble of having them see two forms of the word brave when she could have just told them and showed them a picture example of each or read books that represented the word differently in each?" The reason is 1) they came to the thinking on their own so they are more likely to remember it later 2) this experience was much more joyful which creates more transferable learning and 3) all learners were able to be successful in this experience, no scaffolding necessary. I am finding visual text to be the level playing field to introduce a concept and it is definitely perfect for close reading. We <i>really</i> examined the word brave!</div>
Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-3794835829491692792013-10-22T23:23:00.004-04:002013-10-22T23:23:45.414-04:00Visual Text and Close ReadingMany days ago, I had the <a href="http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.com/2013/10/kindergarten-scares-me.html" target="_blank">opportunity to give close reading</a> a try in <a href="http://mallonmessages.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Maria Mallon</a>'s kindergarten classroom. I used what I learned from <a href="http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.com/2013/09/secrets-and-songs-of-text.html" target="_blank">Mary Ehrenworth about visual text </a>to try to lead kindergarten students to look closely at visual text to notice close details that would lead to theories about what was happening in the visual story we examined.<br />
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After my lesson, I conferenced with Maria about what she thought about the student outcomes and how she felt about the differences she noticed in my vocabulary and questioning with the students. She was very positive and excited about trying this new strategy! We began talking about what a "day 2" lesson would look like and Maria was excited to try to give it a try herself. What a teacher learner! We made a plan for me to come back and observe her teaching this lesson.<br />
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Then...as Murphy's law would have it, Maria woke up with a cold and scratchy throat. (It is the plight of all teachers of young children.) I offered to teach the lesson for her or pass it on to another day but she refused because she was so excited to have the kids finish up their "thinking" about the story. She even asked me to film it so we would have the two lessons together to use to show others. Wow - willing to teach something she never taught before, feeling not 100% and did I mention this are kindergarteners? I mean, anything can happen... :)<br />
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But of course, she was the master teacher as always, and I think it was as much fun for me to watch the kids from the observing side. I don't know if this relays on tape so I want to point out one of our favorite noticings was that this strategy met the needs of all levels of her learners. Students that are still trying to recognize letters were able to identify happenings in the story and the students that are fluent primary readers already were challenged to consider multiple possibilities for why things could be happening! <br />
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Without further ado...here is day 2 of our kindergarten students closely reading with visual text. Would love to know your thoughts and noticings!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/77228479" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/77228479"></a> <br />
Thanks again, Maria, for sharing your classroom and learning with the world!Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-65521947774241100472013-10-16T20:40:00.002-04:002013-10-16T20:43:52.457-04:00Reading Fluency isn't Sexy Anymore - But it Should Be!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieXxWQHPgqPjG-e4T397OYlJWUHsurX37oz9PtOlH9NX0fSXiAw0OvJsVl0K24hmDLbP5_YcYc9LqlI8sqZSkBJGEdby1Inz8EofqKJ5-ENmsIjk_NorfRfOhyphenhyphendVOBx6KOuI6B4aAjyD__/s1600/_DSC6694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieXxWQHPgqPjG-e4T397OYlJWUHsurX37oz9PtOlH9NX0fSXiAw0OvJsVl0K24hmDLbP5_YcYc9LqlI8sqZSkBJGEdby1Inz8EofqKJ5-ENmsIjk_NorfRfOhyphenhyphendVOBx6KOuI6B4aAjyD__/s320/_DSC6694.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim Rasinski</td></tr>
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During my week at the Teachers College Reading Institute, I heard one presenter say: "<a href="http://www.timrasinski.com/" target="_blank">Tim Rasinski </a>says fluency isn't sexy any more. Complexity is sexy." I laughed, not knowing really what that meant but found out later in the week when I attended a session led by Tim. His session was entitled: Why Reading Fluency Should be Hot! (It's all about what the "catch" words are in education...and it shouldn't be.) Tim Rasinski is a professor of Literacy Education at Kent State University, has written over 200 articles and authored or co-authored over 50 books and is a leader in the field of reading research and fluency. Here's what I learned from Tim:<br />
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What makes reading fluency hot??<br />
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It is related to comprehension and if you want students to read they need to be fluent, comprehending readers that enjoy reading. You also need joyous readers to have successful readers.<br />
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One of the most successful, joyous strategies I use in clinics we run with students is singing. There has been much<a href="http://ideas.time.com/2013/08/16/singing-changes-your-brain/" target="_blank"> research on the benefits of singing</a> but for our purposes we will call it using rythmical words. When working with students I start each day with singing "fluency exercises". When looking at the words afterwords you work in the comprehension. You teach them to be thinking about songs they sing and what they mean. Singing is reading! And it's reading with fluency!<br />
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A few years ago, he did a speech about this and he received this letter from a teacher:<br />
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So after he received her letter he called her and asked if they could do a study the following year. She said sure!<br />
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She taught her kids three songs a week, always with the words in front of the kids and prompting them to make sure and look at the words. Becky had lots of <a href="http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/ELL/default.htm" target="_blank">ELL kids</a> in her class and they were being assessed by the <a href="http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZ4Z4&pageitemid=1&PMDbProgramId=23661&PMDbSiteId=2781&PMDbSolutionId=6726&PMDbSubSolutionId=21370&PMDbCategoryId=3289&level=4&prognav=pt&CFID=60827651&CFTOKEN=65661248&jsessionid=52305a481f5c1e6606e7" target="_blank">DRA</a>. First graders were expected to achieve the level of 16 or 18 and none of her 25 kids were below that expectation. Eight or so of her students ended up level 24, 26! Of course this wasn't only because of the singing but you have to ask yourself why students are achieving so well compared to previous classes that different. The singing was what she was doing different.<br />
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This appeared as an article in the Reader Teacher, where she is the first author and he is the second on "Bringing Back the Joy of Singing in the Classroom". Fluency is important but we need to work on it in a joyful way. Singing makes us happy! <br />
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I got into reading fluency myself as a teacher. I worked with Title 1 and Special Ed kids. I had an interest in teaching kids that struggle. I was doing the best I could with those first kids but no matter how well they comprehended what I read to them their fluency was not improving. I began reading new articles coming out on fluency while working on my Masters Degree and I discovered that the materials I was being given at school addressed comprehension, phonics and everything except fluency. I began trying my own things with my students to improve their fluency and they took off!<br />
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There was really nothing on the market you could buy for fluency until The National Reading Panel came out and said fluency was HOT! But it was hot on and off because misunderstandings with oral reading, speed reading and fluency only being important in primary grades kept teachers confused. If students don't get fluency by second grade they need help with that. It's essential. <br />
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What’s Hot in “Reading Today” comes out every year. Reading Fluency: 2009 - 2012 came out as not hot! That's what made me mad enough to write this article: “<a href="http://www.scilearn.com/blog/tim-rasinski-reading-fluency.php" target="_blank">Why Reading Fluency Should be Hot</a>! Common Core Standards labels fluency as one of the foundational skills. Finally.<br />
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Tim Rasinski is the author of Word Ladders, a word game for skills practice with word work and building for K - 6. He likes the idea of having fun and playing with words as you learn. <br />
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Here are his <i>Building Blocks of Fluency</i><br />
Model Fluent Reading - read aloud, point out things you do with your voice and character<br />
Assisted Reading - shared reading, paired reading, audio reading (listening center, close caption hearing)<br />
Practice - practice, practice, practice, wide reading (read a story or chapter and talk about it and do extension activities....mediocre reading) deep reading (repeated reading of same thing)<br />
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What would motivate a reader to read something more than deeply or repreatedly?<br />
Performance!!<br />
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<br />Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-72815318138977619502013-10-16T19:19:00.004-04:002013-10-16T19:19:58.080-04:00Fourth Graders Learn to Build Theories!In a recent training day with my fourth grade teachers, I shared my learning from<a href="http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.com/2013/09/from-post-its-to-theories-in-readers.html" target="_blank"> Teachers College Reading Institute about developing theories from stop and jots in Readers' Workshop.</a> I have been<br />
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excited to see all the students walking around the building with books they are reading filled with sticky notes sticking out around all the corners of the pages. I even saw a student from our school sitting at her brother's soccer practice diligently reading, then stopping and jotting on extra sticky notes she was carrying around! (You better believe I sent a photo text to her teacher to brag!)<br />
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My fourth grade son was working on his reading at home and we had a conversation that went like this:<br />
<b>Me:</b> Hey buddy, what are all those notes sticking out of the book you're reading? <b>Him:</b> I write notes on these stickies about what I'm thinking when I'm reading. <b>Me:</b> Cool, let me read a few. <b>Him:</b> No, mom, you wouldn't understand.<br />
Hmmmm....<br />
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<i>Lesson #326 in parenting...</i><br />
Your child's teacher > Mom (even if she is the reading coach) <br />
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Anyway, I was circulating through fourth grade classrooms last week capturing some photos and video for our <a href="https://vimeo.com/76341120" target="_blank">Writers' Workshop night</a> and just happened upon a brilliant closing share of Readers' Workshop in <a href="http://ccewildadventures.blogspot.com/2013/10/growing-theories-about-books.html" target="_blank">Jenny Nash's classroom</a>. One of her readers had developed a theory she had been working on. Please forgive the AWFUL camera work. I am a hot mess without a tripod, but I knew if I didn't catch the moment I would miss out and so would you. So take some dramamine and enjoy..<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/76567415" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/76567415"></a><br />
<br />Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-18853784608199127462013-10-10T23:54:00.000-04:002013-10-12T22:53:48.755-04:00Kindergarten Scares MeSo... you know this famous quote?<br />
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Today, mission accomplished. I taught Kindergarten. <br />
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Over the last week I have been having a conversation with some of my kindergarten teachers about Close Reading. They are hungry for more information about what that looks like in the primary grades with students that are not reading or are reading at a very low level. I shared my kindergarten inspiration blog, Kinderconfidential, written by Kristine Mraz where she shared her thoughts about <a href="http://kinderconfidential.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/joining-the-conversation-on-close-reading/" target="_blank">Close Reading with her kindergarteners</a>. And I pondered the learning I have experienced following the <a href="http://christopherlehman.wordpress.com/oddsends/we-are-closely-reading-close-reading/" target="_blank">Close Reading Blogathon</a> by Christopher Lehman and Kate Roberts, as I anxiously await their book coming out next week: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Love-Close-Reading-Texts--/dp/0325050848/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378693057&sr=8-1&keywords=falling+in+love+with+close+reading" target="_blank"> Falling in Love with Close Reading</a> . <br />
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During all this conversation and pondering I thought to myself, "I am the reading coach, I should be modeling and willing to step into their shoes and learn what will work for our youngest readers. Even if it is epic fail. Even if I pass out." (This was a real possibility.)<br />
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So I channeled my inner <a href="http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.com/2013/09/secrets-and-songs-of-text.html" target="_blank">Mary Ehrenworth and what I learned from her Secret and Songs of Text</a> session I attended at the summer Reading Institute at Teachers' College. She used the visual texts of a Picasso painting and a music video. I looked through the big books in <a href="http://mallonmessages.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Maria Mallon and Cheryl Dillard's kindergarten classroom</a> and decided to try to teach them to closely read visual text from one big book. My goal was to get the kids to notice nuances of what is happening in the "text" and what the story "seemed" to be about...so they would continue to grow and change their ideas along the way. I would have liked to do this with just one visual but this is where they are right now, so I tried to meet them with what they are used to seeing and teach them this new "Close Reading".<br />
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So, while I'm throwing myself out there in front of my colleagues... I might as well share with the rest of the world. Because honestly, whether I am impressed with other lessons I see or photos in classrooms...I ALWAYS learn something from others who share. So since I managed to <u>not</u> pass out I'm sharing the video I had running.<br />
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I have plenty I could critique and would like to do over a little differently, but I was mostly happy with the outcomes and look forward to watching Mrs. Mallon teach lesson 2! Would LOVE to hear your thoughts!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/76626667" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </div>
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/76626667">K RW Close Reading with Visual Text</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user893801">Once Upon a Teacher</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://christopherlehman.wordpress.com/oddsends/we-are-closely-reading-close-reading/">http://christopherlehman.wordpress.com/oddsends/we-are-closely-reading-close-reading/</a></td></tr>
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<br />Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-62040377712234982842013-09-25T19:49:00.000-04:002013-09-25T19:59:17.731-04:00Secrets and Songs of Text<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDQ_UvafMfZOnJ_8y2svICoIOyh2BeU1l3IdlomUCVBU359VXESX9RVFhVikS5ij-UVG_pd3BUOZHrHp0UXz9e7d97I4qdqxyJRoA2C32KAfr0KV1s_dCzzNExn4FXQDKZ_i_oIN54CHk/s1600/_DSC6643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDQ_UvafMfZOnJ_8y2svICoIOyh2BeU1l3IdlomUCVBU359VXESX9RVFhVikS5ij-UVG_pd3BUOZHrHp0UXz9e7d97I4qdqxyJRoA2C32KAfr0KV1s_dCzzNExn4FXQDKZ_i_oIN54CHk/s320/_DSC6643.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Secrets and Songs</td></tr>
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I had the absolute pleasure of learning from <a href="http://www.heinemann.com/authors/2176.aspx" target="_blank">Mary Ehrenworth</a> at Teachers College Reading Institute. <i> </i><br />
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Her session was entitled: <i> Secrets and Songs: Deepening What Children See in the Texts They Read</i><br />
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What are some ways to teach close reading so that kids will love reading?<br />
Seeing more and being alert to the secrets and songs of text. <br />
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Secrets and Songs of Close Reading<br />
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<i>How can we teach students to see more in the texts they encounter? You get out of reading what you bring into reading. You need to know about the things the text is talking about (the nuances it’s referring to)<br />How can we innovate so that this teaching is engaging, intellectual and joyful?<br />What methods increase transference? The highest level of instruction is sometimes your read aloud but there is low transference.<br />What kinds of texts might we incorporate? If they do it then it will be rewarding... That’s increasing the likelihood of transference.</i></blockquote>
One example activity:<br />
I immediately took note that Mary referred to this as visual text. Read this visual text and see what story it tells. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLqW3Fp2xfWgpn1fbMeoihiZkIjd-75XjqS4pTSJddu_vpQ4Ye0HCHGz8p0nsXgyUgaVInaIjz015n9tQnB26iOxGt-9xrKa-PDKr4GUAKtfG_0DacSun2gNexOxaJoM6uyONJsc9y7X9/s1600/guernica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLqW3Fp2xfWgpn1fbMeoihiZkIjd-75XjqS4pTSJddu_vpQ4Ye0HCHGz8p0nsXgyUgaVInaIjz015n9tQnB26iOxGt-9xrKa-PDKr4GUAKtfG_0DacSun2gNexOxaJoM6uyONJsc9y7X9/s400/guernica.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guernica by Pablo Picasso</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Ehrenworth</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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While looking at this Picasso painting she spoke about why Picasso painted it ( “Guernica” was painted in response to a bombing in northern Spain by German and Italian warplanes during the Spanish Civil War. It is a mural sized painting that represented the horrors of war.) Teach kids to notice what there is to be noticed. Turn to partner and speak about what you see. <br />
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The next thing would be using words to describe these things you see and back it up with evidence. Make sure to teach kids to be specific but kind of literary. (Lots of times kids skip the hard part of text- make sure they stop and look at every little thing)<br />
Is the painting sad or what? desperate? Not hurt, desolate? What specific word would describe these characters or one of these characters rather than just any character in any book? She asked us to try that with a partner by saying, “Your idea, then your evidence.” Either one character, all characters or compare/contrast characters.<br />
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After we spoke for a minute she interrupted us with a mid-teaching point. “Let me tell you what I notice with some nice reading work I see going on here: I heard readers saying the characters seem ____ because______. There is no one right answer when texts are complex so it’s about seeing all the sides of something and telling why you see that or read that. Then synthesize it to what is this starting to be about. “What in the text makes you say that? ”Complex texts are about more than one thing and why do you see what you see?” Teach kids not to say the characters ARE, say the characters SEEM....<br />
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So we talked about what is happening in this text, what is happening with the characters and then what is this text starting to be about... message, underlying theme....chances are with complex text there are more than one. So get in the habit of saying: possible idea, evidence and then your partners should be saying, “What makes you say that?” Ask them to point to the part that demonstrates what you are saying. So Close Reading is about wanting to see more in the text. <br />
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As another example activity: She then gave us the lyrics to the Mackelmore song: “Wings” Equally complex but different kind of visual text. She suggested we read it with our partner because one of the ways to increase your comprehension and help you see complexity in text is to compare your thinking with someone else. <br />
Read it and think about who is in this story and what does it seem to be about. <br />
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<i>"Wings"<br />(feat. Ryan Lewis)<br /><br />I was seven years old, when I got my first pair<br />And I stepped outside<br />And I was like, momma, this air bubble right here, it's gonna make me fly<br />I hit that court, and when I jumped, I jumped, I swear I got so high<br />I touched the net, momma I touched the net, this is the best day of my life<br />Air Max's were next,<br />That air bubble, that mesh<br />The box, the smell, the stuffin', the tread, in school<br />I was so cool<br />I knew that I couldn't crease 'em<br />My friends couldn't afford 'em<br />Four stripes on their Adidas<br />On the court I wasn't the best, but my kicks were like the pros<br />Yo, I stick out my tongue so everyone could see that logo<br />Nike Air Flight, but bad was so dope<br />And then my friend Carlos' brother got murdered for his Fours*, whoa<br /><br />See he just wanted a jump shot, but they wanted to start a cult though<br />Didn't wanna get caught, from Genesee Park to Othello<br />You could clown for those Pro Wings, with the Velcro<br />Those were not tight<br />I was trying to fly without leaving the ground,<br />Cause I wanted to be like Mike, right<br />Wanted to be him, I wanted to be that guy, I wanted to touch the rim<br />I wanted to be cool, and I wanted to fit in,<br />I wanted what he had, America, it begins<br /><br />[Chorus:]<br />I want to fly<br />Can you take me far away<br />Give me a star to reach for<br />Tell me what it takes<br />And I'll go so high<br />I'll go so high<br />My feet won't touch the ground<br />Stitch my wings<br />And pull the strings<br />I bought these dreams<br />That all fall down<br /><br />We want what we can't have, commodity makes us want it<br />So expensive, damn, I just got to flaunt it<br />Got to show 'em, so exclusive, this that new shit<br />A hundred dollars for a pair of shoes I would never hoop in<br />Look at me, look at me, I'm a cool kid<br />I'm an individual, yea, but I'm part of a movement<br />My movement told me be a consumer and I consumed it<br />They told me to just do it, I listened to what that swoosh said<br />Look at what that swoosh did<br />See it consumed my thoughts<br />Are you stupid, don't crease 'em, just leave 'em in that box<br />Strangled by these laces, laces I can barely talk<br />That's my air bubble and I'm lost, if it pops<br />We are what we wear, we wear what we are<br />But see I look inside the mirror and think Phil Knight tricked us all<br />Will I stand for change, or stay in my box<br />These Nikes help me define me, but I'm trying to take mine, off<br /><br />[Chorus:]<br />I want to fly<br />Can you take me far away<br />Give me a star to reach for<br />Tell me what it takes<br />And I'll go so high<br />I'll go so high<br />My feet won't touch the ground<br />Stitch my wings<br />And pull the strings<br />I bought these dreams<br />That all fall down<br /><br />It started out, with what I wear to school<br />That first day, like these are what make you cool<br />And this pair, this would be my parachute<br />So much more than just a pair of shoes<br />Nah, this is what I am<br />What I wore, this is the source of my youth<br />This dream that they sold to you<br />For a hundred dollars and some change<br />Consumption is in the veins<br />And now I see it's just another pair of shoes</i><br />
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So what happens in this story? A boy who wants a pair of shoes, a specific kind? And then? Dark moment, friend’s brother killed for shoes? Why wear them? And then? Chorus is like inner thinking of fly, what do they mean? Get away? Then he gives like a mini lecture and a plea for change? <br />
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What is really hard about this is this is what is expected of our kids on state tests. The tests are normed on a minute a page and a minute a question. And the kids are really being asked to do close reading, which involves rereading. They have to go back and ponder and linger and think. So you have to give them opportunities in your class to know that the first thing you have to do is ask yourself do I even know what this is saying? Often our kids basically comprehend but they have to be trained to say to themselves, “What am I really noticing?” When you are doing this work what is helpful to kids is being introduced to technical vocabulary. <br />
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Here are some words you might use in technical vocabulary of looking at music verses text from a book:<br />
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Watch the video:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/47K5ul2r63w" width="560"></iframe><br />
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What did you notice after the chorus in the imagery and tone? Speak to the people for a minute in your group about the lens you were using. You don't always have to explain it out. What they saw, or heard, or thought is ok. One of the things that kids struggle with in state tests is tone. In this video, the tone switches with male voice then kids voices. Why do you think the performer did that?<br />
What was happening with his tone when he got angry? <br />
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Here are some insructional methods for this:<br />
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Do you see yourself using visual text as a tool to teach text complexity in your clasroom? This got my mind turning with ideas! What do you see yourself doing?<br />
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Cross posted on <a href="http://livefromthecreek.blogspot.com/2013/09/secrets-and-songs-of-text.html" target="_blank">LIVE FROM THE CREEK</a>Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-69502052498690566292013-09-22T00:29:00.001-04:002013-09-22T00:29:52.618-04:00From Post Its to Theories in the Reader's Notebook<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cynthia Satterlee</td></tr>
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Here in Florida, we have been talking a lot about how important it will be for our students to learn to write in response to their reading to meet the common core standards but we are still learning what that "looks like" and how to get the students there.<br />
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I was very interested to see what <a href="http://readingandwritingproject.com/about/staff/staff-developers.html" target="_blank">Cynthia Satterlee</a>, from Teacher's College <a href="http://readingandwritingproject.com/institutes.html" target="_blank">Reading Institute</a> had to say during her session entitled: <i>From Post-its to Theories to Writing Literary Essays: Help Students Write Quick Literary Essays in the Reading and Writing Workshop</i> <br />
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The first question Cynthia posed to us was, "What do you do with all those post its that the kids are stopping and jotting on while reading?" <<i>As I think of how I threw them away when students were done reading so they could start a new book> </i>Thankfully she didn't really require an answer before she said, "Don't throw them away! Have the kids use them to build theories and essays." It's a gradual process. They move from inference to interpretation. They take the good work they are doing on those post its and make it a little better as they move to writing about their ideas together.<br />
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There are so many ways to use the stop and jot: as an active engagement activity during the mini lesson, as an exit ticket before they leave for independent work in workshop, during their reading in their books...but for when it is used as a quick picture for the teacher to see their thinking such as the morning bellringer thought, active engagement or exit ticket try using it with a JOT LOT. On the poster each student has an empty square with their "student number" and they leave their thoughts there. Imagine how much more thought they will put into it knowing their peers with see! This will also give you a quick look at who you need to meet with or form a small group for during the workshop.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">First have them grow their surface thinking on the stop and jots. Elaboration on thoughts:</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">character feeling...... to......character feeling with evidence</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">character trait.......to.......character trait with evidence</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">interpretation of character.....to.......interpretation through character</span><br />
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Be ready for quality conversations with your students and for them to have thoughts on their own and with each other by making sure they are reading quality literature. By starting with their thoughts on characters they have someone to "get to know" to build theories on. "How is your theory of this character changing? Why" <br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
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In 4th grade students need to make inferences about characters, develop theories about character and find big themes in the story. In 5th grade students need to make inferences about characters interacting with other characters in the setting, notice that author sets the story up in a certain way to reveal theme.<br />
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How to make worthwhile post-its to bring to conversation in book clubs:<br />
Don’t come to book club or conversation club without post its to talk about<br />
Boxes and bullets can work on post-its<br />
Use those to build ideas about characters<br />
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If there a lot of post its with one idea on each, work with them to see how to make a big idea (How are these post its related - do theory work with them)<br />
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When they are ready to start "talking like an essayist" then they can use that language to build their essay.<br /><br />
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Post its are important, it helps the teacher understanding your thinking, it helps you form big ideas<br />
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Don’t worry about essay structure first, get ideas. <br />
<br />
Here's how they can see the structure with the stop in jots:<br />
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This will be a big move for us in writing this year. I would love to hear tips and tricks from others that are successfully doing this with their students. <br /><br />
Cross posted on <a href="http://livefromthecreek.blogspot.com/2013/09/from-post-its-to-theories-in-readers.html" target="_blank">LIVE FROM THE CREEK</a><br />
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Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-74601229583406758672013-09-12T23:01:00.000-04:002013-09-12T23:01:00.350-04:00Conferring with ReadersDuring the <a href="http://readingandwritingproject.com/institutes/tc-summer-institutes.html" target="_blank">Reading Institute</a> last month, I learned some new ways to look at conferring with readers.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.heinemann.com/authors/3664.aspx" target="_blank">Kathleen Tolen</a> had this to share: You need to prepare ahead of time, not just conferencing on the <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathleen Tolan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
fly. Keep notes and follow up on something they were struggling with, look at artifacts (post its) in what they are currently reading ahead of time, study data on this child, have the child tour you through the work they are doing with their reading. Find a way to lift their thinking a level. There are lots of ways a mini lesson is a lot like a conference.<br /><br />
What do you do in a conference if you don’t know the kid’s books? Try to read as many books in your classroom as you can. If you have a series and you read one you will have an idea about the others. In the beginning of the year have the books out in your libraries that you know. Also, at certain levels there is a way the story goes basically. We are holding kids too accountable for comprehending everything. Do you comprehend every single thing you read in a book or every single part of a movie? Sometimes when you are just enjoying something you don’t comprehend everything. It’s ok. Also, don’t hold a child to the accountability level of comprehension that you have. An 8 year old will comprehend something differently than an adult. Tour their post its in their book of stop and jots. Pick a portion and have them read it to you. You need to hear your kids read aloud to you at times you aren’t assessing. If a child is reading a non-fiction text then you can look at questions they may have and say: I see you have a lot of questions about alligators. You can take these question post its and put them on the cover of your next alligator book and see if you find the answers to your questions there. USE post its. Their work will be better.<br />
<br />
The important thing to do at the end of a conference is to leave a LINK. Just like you do in a mini lesson. What will the student do when you leave them on their own. In a mini lesson you end with a link and that is how they go into work session. In a teacher/student conference you end your conversation with what they should do or where they should go next with their reading. (Not necessarily an “assignment”, but more like a habit or action) You should see evidence that the student is interpreting their reading. Noticing, comparing and all reading strategies get them there but their goal is to interpret their reading. <br />
<br />
One thing that is important for us is to have reflection time about what we need to get better at when conferring. Breaking habits is hard so you have to put it in the forefront of your mind. You need to “hear” what you are saying after it is over. Audio record your next conference with the student. This is easy to do with a smarthphone! Continue doing it until you are doing what you want. Kathleen did this for weeks and realized she was doing too much of the talking and not enough of the listening. At first she put a sticky note on her clipboard that said “Shut Up” until a student saw it and asked her why she had that written down. So she ended up telling the class was she working hard on being a better listener than talker. They all decided to have a code sign for Ms. Tolan is talking too much which was rubbing their nose with one finger. It really helped her. Finally one day after a conference a student said, “Good job!” and she said, “Oh, good, I taught you something?” and she said, “No, good job not talking too much!” LOL<br />
<br />
A reflecting conference shows how your work is improving or maybe they are in a place they need to reflect and see why things are growing and improving. The kids need to be involved in the learning. Let them reflect and SEE what their next step forward will be. <br />
fly. Keep notes and follow up on something they were struggling with, look at artifacts (post its) in what they are currently reading ahead of time, study data on this child, have the child tour you through the work they are doing with their reading. Find a way to lift their thinking a level. There are lots of ways a mini lesson is a lot like a conference.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROYNe8tblqRjPJBSINApORVRyJLv8JrEGexiEFftYoTGL8kbe2IN7fhptrbhpC03Lm8Pb6-RBBuroIuExz7j6Qy07WPv6cXbBNhPh64wTqlNNRRx4nJ6TV8x6A5DXjkwFFlAIWIzkKWf3/s1600/_DSC7010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROYNe8tblqRjPJBSINApORVRyJLv8JrEGexiEFftYoTGL8kbe2IN7fhptrbhpC03Lm8Pb6-RBBuroIuExz7j6Qy07WPv6cXbBNhPh64wTqlNNRRx4nJ6TV8x6A5DXjkwFFlAIWIzkKWf3/s200/_DSC7010.jpg" width="200" /></a>Alexis Czeterko, staff developer for TCRWP, had us reading chapter books and jotting our thoughts throughout so that she could model conferring with us. <i> </i><br />
<i>Can I just say this freaked me out?!? What would she think when she read my thinking as a reader? Was what I was writing "enough"? Where should I stop and write?</i> <i>Wow, I wonder if this is how my students feel? </i>Well, the answer to that was probably no. My students probably didn't worry about what I thought because I didn't spend much time reading their stop and jots or hold them accountable to deepening their thinking. Hmmm.... I'm going to remember that. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexis Czeterko</td></tr>
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Alexis shared these points to remember:<br />
<br />
<b>Architecture of a Conference</b><br />Research the reader <br />Decide <br /> what will you compliment?<br /> what will you teach?<br /> how will you teach it?<br />Give a compliment<br />Teach the reader something and have them try it<br />Rearticulate what you’ve taught and encourage the student to do this often as she or she reads (LINK)<br /><br />Alexis says to look through the stop and jots of their independent book before your conference. If you notice the jottings on post its are not connected in any way that can be ok but try to get the student to connect their thoughts. Get a theory about the story or character and continue to see where your thinking changes. Help them make that connection the first time if they are struggling with it. <br /><br />Documentation is important. She logs a date under the students page in her data binder and writes her compliments on left of 2 sided paper and right she rights the teaching point. Sometimes she will pull out the current read aloud or a mentor text to demonstrate what she is trying to teach the student to do in their book. Go to the student where they are reading, don’t call them back to your space. Meet them where they are and if other students are nearby hearing what you say it’s ok. They are actually learning too. When the student is done reading they need to do something with their post its. They may take a few to a new text to build on their thinking. They may use some to tape in their reading notebook and write about their thinking. They definintely shouldn’t throw them away, staple them in the reading notebook and grow more thinking!<br /><br />What are your best tips or tricks for conferring?<br />
<br />
Cross posted on <a href="http://livefromthecreek.blogspot.com/2013/09/conferring-with-readers.html" target="_blank">LIVE from the Creek</a>Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-56221874622084690112013-08-26T00:00:00.000-04:002013-08-26T00:00:01.720-04:00Close ReadingSo let's be honest here. I do have a fundamental understanding of
what close reading is but I have been avoiding speaking the words out
loud in conversations for a reason. I don't know if it's because I'm
from the south, or because I got it confused with cloze reading in the
beginning, but I didn't know if it was pronounced close (as in - close
the door) or close (looking at something closely). Well now I know for
sure. Look at that reading closely! <i> </i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelly Hohne</td></tr>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.heinemann.com/authors/99195.aspx" target="_blank">Kelly Hohne</a>
helped refine my thinking to seeing close reading as a way to see more
in text than you did before to help you grow new thinking about it. <b>Use different lenses to do this.</b>
Then they take these lenses to new texts. It’s not about understanding
the text only. It's about learning to do something that you can do
again on your own later.<br />
<br />
When to do close reading? You
don’t want to do it all the time or you will never finish reading! Do
it purposefully. Maybe look across the introduction of texts, or maybe
kids in book clubs might make a decision to do a close reading of this
part where they think it is really an important part. Or maybe if there
is a passage of text they think is not important, then why would the
author choose to add it?<br />
<br />
Think about why, what will kids get out of it, and how will this help my kids with other texts reading independently. <br />
<br />
Stop
at the part you want to look at closely and talk about why that part is
powerful. Point out which part they can look at to support their
thinking about that part. With informational text the author chooses
illustrations, headings, subheadings and possibly even a word bank for a
reason. Does that support your thinking about this important part you
are looking at closely? Is the word choice helping make this part
important? <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Lenses to Use with Close Reading:<br />
<b>craft<br />relationships/interactions</b><br />
<b>point of view</b> - What is the perspective of the author on this topic? What perspectives are included in this text? Missing?<br />
<b>language author used</b>
- How has the author used language? (Non-fiction - How have experts
quoted in article used word choice?) What words stand out? Why jight
the author have chosen these words? What do they show? Are the words
creating a positive or negative tone?<br />
<b>text structure </b>- How has the author organized the text? Why might he/she have made these choices?</blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go close with very small portions of text</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You could do close reading with an except from an
article using the lens: what does the author want you to think, then
show them an opposing article or text.<br />
<br />
As a teacher
read the passage as a reader. Stop and then reread it and think what
part do you want them to look at closely. What part do I want them to
see more in....look at the standards and see what they need to work on.
<i>That’s the part you base the lesson on. </i><br />
<br />
You
may have the students take that portion of reading and write a response
connecting their new thinking with evidence from the text. <br />
<br />
Close
reading can be used in a mini lesson, while conferring with students,
in the closing of a workshop and during book clubs. When do you use
close reading?<br />
<br />
Cross posted on <a href="http://livefromthecreek.blogspot.com/2013/08/close-reading.html" target="_blank">LIVE from the Creek</a><br />
<br />Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-30732355661218935702013-08-18T20:25:00.000-04:002013-08-18T20:25:56.216-04:00Ramping Up Readers' WorkshopMost of us who are elementary teachers know we are going to have to
teach readers to grapple with complex text in order to help them meet
the more speedy growth that <a href="http://livefromthecreek.blogspot.com/2013/08/teachers-college-reading-institute.html" target="_blank">common core requires</a>
but we don't know yet what exactly that will look like in our
classrooms. We can't go faster or squeeze in more lessons so we need to
be very prescriptive about what strategies we use to move our students
through text levels and help them respond critically writing about what
they read. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfB1UdhkFnzW-rk3uzWgdkSfDA4tNC6lLvEW3NOObik44BG12rNx0tFPeVJTdLOlcbPofHp9SbOPRg76KufCTCK222ACfZthDvpiZBuBGbE0qKwx_doTbp5bh5xRF97OJiuL-MMgnMaQ/s1600/_DSC6630.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfB1UdhkFnzW-rk3uzWgdkSfDA4tNC6lLvEW3NOObik44BG12rNx0tFPeVJTdLOlcbPofHp9SbOPRg76KufCTCK222ACfZthDvpiZBuBGbE0qKwx_doTbp5bh5xRF97OJiuL-MMgnMaQ/s1600/_DSC6630.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathleen Tolan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On Day 2 of <a href="http://readingandwritingproject.com/institutes/tc-summer-institutes/august-reading.html" target="_blank">Teachers College Reading Institute</a>, <a href="http://readingandwritingproject.com/about/staff/senior%20staff.html" target="_blank">Kathleen Tolan</a>
reminded us about not forgetting to use the important metacognitive
strategies in our lessons but showed us ideas to help students dig
deeper for more complex work. <br />
<br />
* Visualization and
Envisionment help students be more engaged in their reading because they
see it in their minds eye. What you envision may be wrong until the
text corrects you. As a reader, you adjust to what the author is
showing you with their words. This is why reading fantasy can be so
hard because you don’t have a schema for what something may look like.
You can practice this with kids by reading aloud and having them close
their eyes while you read something. They can sketch what they are see
in their mind movie. This is a whole part of reading that can be lost
to some students. Build the world of the story. When you can do this
and you really understand the character you can better make
predictions. Prediction engages students. It makes them want to find
out if they are right. Kids can be unspecific about what they think “I
think she will be able to do it” Make them predict the steps that leads
to their prediction. When the prediction is wrong, then you have some
work to do about why they predicted wrong. <br />
<br />
*
Character work is important because it helps us understand why
characters do the things they do. What are the traits of this
character? Help kids understand which traits might be positive or
negative, what happened in the story that might change the character’s
traits. Find text evidence to support it or things that are evidence to
the contrary. Read over your jottings during reading and find out how
they go together. Group your jottings together to make new ideas. Look
at your jots through the eyes of another character. <br />
<br />
*Theme
in a book is not looking at what book is about. It is about the aspect
of that topic. Example: Book is about Friendship. Theme is how
friends can be there for you when you are going through a hard time.
Don't let kids get away with broad statements. They should be used to
you saying, "Say more...".<br />
<br />
*Make a chart of sentence starters for students to dig deeper and tell more about their noticings and judgements after reading.<br />
<i>To add on...</i><br />
<i>This makes me realize...</i><br />
<i>My other theory is....</i><br />
<i>The bigger idea I am having now is....</i><br />
<i>In other words...</i><br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digging Deeper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
How do we help our children know that there is hard work that will have to be done for a book? Tell
them. When you are modeling for your students you need to point out
what you are doing specifically, because this is hard work and they need
to know exactly the steps to do. It is possible to over-scaffold or
over-coach but you need to be honest about the hard work they are doing
so they expect to struggle and reach for the answer.<br />
<br />
Because
reading is invisible, we have to make it more tangible for kids. There
is not a reading skill that we don’t use in life. Watch their actions
and point out when they predict and infer and make connections when they
are just living their lives as readers.<br />
<br />
Cross posted on <a href="http://livefromthecreek.blogspot.com/2013/08/ramping-up-readers-workshop.html" target="_blank">LIVE from the Creek </a>Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-26205732377963348792013-08-16T10:05:00.002-04:002013-08-16T10:05:42.509-04:00Interactive Read Aloud<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwnqyR2ZRJWhpQ00XC6SeJ_P5jgdfKFBpKnpRdowDX46X_dYSrj49HlFQVm4rBjmGHvSbDFvSiXgmmFUR9boBNrEvkruygpLVgXmI1ddb37K-ZmcSC9LGjbvTdGAtpYWAhE3y7lg3i_GE/s1600/_DSC6618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwnqyR2ZRJWhpQ00XC6SeJ_P5jgdfKFBpKnpRdowDX46X_dYSrj49HlFQVm4rBjmGHvSbDFvSiXgmmFUR9boBNrEvkruygpLVgXmI1ddb37K-ZmcSC9LGjbvTdGAtpYWAhE3y7lg3i_GE/s1600/_DSC6618.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexis Czeterko</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This week at the Teachers College Reading Institute I've had a School
Leaders Group Session with Alexis Czerterko, staff developer for upper
grades for <a href="http://readingandwritingproject.com/" target="_blank">TCRWP</a> each day of the week. <br />
<br />
Alexis
has really pushed my thinking about things I thought I already knew how
to do. Some of those things I will share here on this blog and others I
will share on my <a href="http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">personal blog</a> after I have had a chance to do the activities with you (Chets Creek Elementary School teachers) in person! <br />
<br />
One
interesting thing about these sessions with Alexis each day is that we
took the role of students in a Readers' Workshop. Do you know how hard
that is to do? Let me tell you, as she goes conferring around the room
your heartbeat starts going a little faster thinking, "Is she going to
ask me a question? Aaaccckkk! What if I don't know the answer?" You
may be laughing but really it made me think about how students feel when
they know they are going to be talking with a teacher about something
they are not sure about. So I guess what that taught me is I have
confidence in my reading, but I don't have confidence that I am thinking
deeply enough about my reading. So what do I need to work on?
<insert here="" lightbulb=""> Because if I am not living my life as a
growing reader than how can I teach my readers to grow? More about that
later...</insert><br />
<br />
The first important thing to do with an interactive read aloud is to
choose a book carefully that aligns to the unit of study you are working
on and the teaching points in that unit. When Alexis modeled the
interactive read aloud during our "Readers' Workshop" she had prepared
the book ahead of time with sticky notes all through it to remind
herself as a teacher the times she wanted to stop and model or help the
readers draw meaning from envisioning, inferring and synthesizing. You
are to give kids <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtRKgpYUZyVYQlcULoptnESdStHCPV2FkPsteMXLP6MoMzQSOLYqTt0CR_3DT4HIeKKkn6BV2UUtbuY0nymVgrboG3upyWl7SbyarPr1FusS2U0ixZaepOY1O9Ahi9OTaIFiQw7HkA5U/s1600/_DSC6619.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtRKgpYUZyVYQlcULoptnESdStHCPV2FkPsteMXLP6MoMzQSOLYqTt0CR_3DT4HIeKKkn6BV2UUtbuY0nymVgrboG3upyWl7SbyarPr1FusS2U0ixZaepOY1O9Ahi9OTaIFiQw7HkA5U/s1600/_DSC6619.jpg" height="131" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interactive Read Aloud</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
an
image of what proficient reading looks like. She began by saying,"Look
at the cover and get your mind ready". Then she referenced a word bank
that she had put on the document camera of words from the book we would
encounter. The word bank was separated by just new vocabulary and
content vocabulary. She instructed, "Talk with your partner about words
you don't reecognize." After reading the first page in the book she
walked the book over to the document camera and showed that first page
and said, "Talk with your partner about words you see that were in the
word bank. When she did stop and model she gave us many opportunities
to turn and talk. If you don't prepare deliberately what you are going
to talk about it would be hard to be focused about what the kids are
learning from your modeling. An example of this would be Teacher:
"Given what just happened, I think the character is feeling and thinking
<model teacher="" thinking="">" Then she would read a little more and
stop and say: "Turn and tell your partner what the character is probably
feeling now about this? During turn and talk she circulated the room.
Her goal being for the kids to "grow" their thinking from the previous
part. After a few of the models that she did she stopped and pointed
out implicitly her teaching point, "Did you see how I grew my ideas of
the main character as we went along?</model><br />
<br />
I loved hearing
more about interactive read alouds. I know that from now on I will
prepare my teaching points more carefully and not be afraid to cover the
book in sticky notes! Even though I was comprehending the book just
fine as a student the turn and talk points made me think deeper about
the characters and text. An essential as we prepare to ramp our kids up
faster!<br />
<br />
Cross posted on <a href="http://livefromthecreek.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">LIVE from the Creek </a>Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-46717666980717693772013-08-15T12:37:00.001-04:002013-08-15T12:37:26.173-04:00Helping Our Youngest Readers Move Up the Ladder of Text Complexity<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyqENRGuPjOBuMFk4inhGMzURJR2vr7vCgV0be3vJ3YX8HEU49UKiKf4Bz9YRSn9XI_fXwatgeFO-ayykgXBPDsiDc1Z6tk3HTZpUiYynuSL2AO6PQHoKeHM6e_qnIsMTP_9DpJETr54_/s1600/_DSC6625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyqENRGuPjOBuMFk4inhGMzURJR2vr7vCgV0be3vJ3YX8HEU49UKiKf4Bz9YRSn9XI_fXwatgeFO-ayykgXBPDsiDc1Z6tk3HTZpUiYynuSL2AO6PQHoKeHM6e_qnIsMTP_9DpJETr54_/s1600/_DSC6625.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natalie Louis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This session was presented by Natalie Louis who is the co-author of <i>Writing for Readers</i> <br />
(Heinemann, 2013) a unit of study for Kindergarten writers. <br />
<br />
The
lower grade is potentially in danger with text complexity. It's a huge
learning curve from what we've been doing. We need to find new ways to
move readers forward faster. Don’t abandon Fountas and Pinnell. We
still need reading levels, the progression of students has just been
ramped up. <br />
<br />
In kids book baskets, in the past the
teacher would mostly have the students independent level. We started to
play around with the formula in the baggies. Marie Clay says what most
grows readers is the instructional level (stretch level). So already we
aren’t putting the right thing in the book bags. Reading Recovery
studied and discovered kids grow one level every two weeks, so most of
the instruction wasn’t at instructional level. <br />
So we decided to
get more instructional level texts in baggies - more shared reading with
a small group, sometimes one to two levels above their grade level. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22yTrpy7ZQGguQrsG_DCL81X0pezQ7KoL-zj6MAtXuRc8aQmUJ0r3m6tRU0IhuYFJmzBveM5X7u42mI0Qy65Jqdg5HAxkllDQbTFDVBgyVJRLBZ8z1OR6FuGFIOrzpzCyAcMqA3ksXeTF/s1600/images-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22yTrpy7ZQGguQrsG_DCL81X0pezQ7KoL-zj6MAtXuRc8aQmUJ0r3m6tRU0IhuYFJmzBveM5X7u42mI0Qy65Jqdg5HAxkllDQbTFDVBgyVJRLBZ8z1OR6FuGFIOrzpzCyAcMqA3ksXeTF/s1600/images-2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I want to read that book with you!!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kindergarten teachers understand the power of shared reading. How
you know its a good shared reading - the kids are excited and UNRULY!
And its mostly implicit (just doing reading - don’t talk about it).
Less blah, blah, blah, more do, do, do. It’s why they want to read.
They hear that model of you reading and want to sound just like it. If
your kids are all sitting still, hands folded -it’s not a good shared
reading (all eyes on same text - 1 book). More like a <i>MOSH pit where kids want to surf toward the book</i>. That's what she wants to see in classrooms. Excitement! <br />
<br />
You
do the dance of shared reading. As much as they need, until they DO
back. Gesture for them to try, don’t talk about it. Continue saying
"Join me if you can." as you turn the page. Just read it with them. We
are talking levels below I , J. <br />
<br />
Take guided reading
books and use them for group shared reading. Teacher is only one with
copy. All eyes on same text. The idea is that at the end they might be
able to read by themselves. <br />
<br />
Kids below benchmark get this burst schedule of shared reading instruction from you.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapS1e4_9B49F3uWEKOVp6dh81JTp1lFCPGyA3hw725aiuKSmfdeRu3jYH0BvEUJtXxCQFqveaH57OE4da3jyTfWlk7euJ8wkoBr6vV1HPTMbkVh8FVeascXt6L3NQ0C5NnSD1Oct89KQO/s1600/_DSC6624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapS1e4_9B49F3uWEKOVp6dh81JTp1lFCPGyA3hw725aiuKSmfdeRu3jYH0BvEUJtXxCQFqveaH57OE4da3jyTfWlk7euJ8wkoBr6vV1HPTMbkVh8FVeascXt6L3NQ0C5NnSD1Oct89KQO/s1600/_DSC6624.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example "Group Burst Schedule"</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You would do two week cycles where you take one group and see them
intensely and work with the instructional books in their baggie. This
won't take much time! These are low level books you can shared read the
entire book pretty quickly.<br />
<br />
Day 1: Two or three
instructional texts (meaning books 2 or 3 levels above their independent
level) in shared reading. Saying to the kids: Join me if you can. The
kids are shouting out things they notice and you just don’t respond.
Keep reading and stopping and saying “Join me if you can” <br />
Day 2: Two shared reading two above level<br />
Day 3: Guided reading at their level<br />
Day 4: Two shared reading two above level and decide how each is doing<br />
Day 5: Informal or Formal assess to see if their level moved unless they are totally lost still<br />
<br />
This can help them “burst” ahead. Even if you can move a few up faster the one behind can get more focused one on one help.<br />
<br />
Partner
Reading - There is no reason to have a reading partner unless there is
trouble. If things are good...you don’t need help. A partner is there
for help. Make sure kids know why they have a partner - so there’s
someone else to help when there’s trouble or join the joy! They need to
<i>understand</i> the why of partner reading.<br />
<br />
Every child
has that one book they keep picking up that is WAAAAY above their
level. Maybe its a book they've seen an older sibling read, maybe it's a
topic or popular character right now, but whatever it is - Let them
have it! I call this the child's northstar book - way above your level
but you will LEARN to read for this book. They want to read this book so
bad they try to sound these huge words out when they are really a C
level reader! Mark it with a post it and say this book is special
because it is hard for you but we will give you a shot. Guess which
book they work on hardest? If I say a book is "just right" and you
struggle with it what are you saying in your head to yourself in your
head? "My teacher said this book is just right and I can't read some of
these words - ugh I'm so dumb." A hard book they know is hard they
say, "Oh, I don't know lots of these words but she said it was hard for
me so no big deal." but they work harder. Let them have it but label
it with a sticky note with a star so they know that is their special
hard book they chose. <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>As
an aside...I remember when my son was in Kindergarten and hanging at
the C level for so long and desperate to read Star Wars easy readers. I
bought them anyway to keep at home and I would read them aloud to him
at times but he sat in front of those books longer than any others
trying to sound out "Obi Wan Kanobi". I'm pretty sure "the force" (or
his Northstar books) propelled him through those primary reading levels.
:)</i></blockquote>
<br />
I think the Common Core Standards
and text complexity will force us to continue looking for new and
different ways to get those "bursts" in reading levels. Do you have any
tips or trick to share?<br />
Cross posted on <a href="http://livefromthecreek.blogspot.com/2013/08/helping-our-youngest-readers-move-up.html" target="_blank">LIVE from the Creek</a>Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-32051493822872830002013-08-14T14:03:00.000-04:002013-08-14T14:03:08.999-04:00Write Around for ReadingThis strategy can be found in the Characters Unit of Study. A “Write
Around” is a strategy to engage <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9UNhtvbAwW19izIUL44Nb6Zrpr87xlRE2ygoo3UeLxeFPgNutthW0uVX1uy0enKMdgS1xdQlm5mpNosZFTP62-c3ZaCux4JQrZpsNgv4L0fJ7dgh8hLOhNVRfb79rKob4hpI2dKREyon/s1600/_DSC6631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9UNhtvbAwW19izIUL44Nb6Zrpr87xlRE2ygoo3UeLxeFPgNutthW0uVX1uy0enKMdgS1xdQlm5mpNosZFTP62-c3ZaCux4JQrZpsNgv4L0fJ7dgh8hLOhNVRfb79rKob4hpI2dKREyon/s1600/_DSC6631.jpg" height="320" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Write Around</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
students in silent conversation. It
helps students share their opinions, debate or discuss. It also fosters
critical thinking because they have to consider other opinions. <br />
<br />
We
participated in one as a pre-reading activity. A photo or image was
put in the center of a piece of chart paper. Groups of four are ideal
but we had a few more. Everyone uses a different color marker and takes
turns responding to the image. You can write what you think about the
photo, your questions, your inferences or theories. Groups members are
to start new ideas or respond to yours already written there.<br />
<br />
She
encouraged us to respond to what other people wrote by elaborating on
their writing and taking turns as well. Zoom in on one portion of the
photograph and write about it. What are you now noticing about just
this part? Move around the table or rotate the chart Read what another
reader has written and respond.<br />
<br />
You could begin:<br />
I agree with... <br />
I disagree with..<br />
One question I have is...<br />
What have you learned in other parts of your life that you can relate to this?<br />
What’s an idea you are now having?<br />
I think... <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcE2Ayx7QCOFqdIU8TlVcmkZXY2MNGTnLOALeZQQPeXmex3oIfUSQXba6Fc1E0K4M3BTCu_j1E9zu5VfoSbe20cP9Cr1AqEf7Sp53wdLMcepouDjPoHP4VxxekzIl3mwRc-cDCMZ993_wy/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcE2Ayx7QCOFqdIU8TlVcmkZXY2MNGTnLOALeZQQPeXmex3oIfUSQXba6Fc1E0K4M3BTCu_j1E9zu5VfoSbe20cP9Cr1AqEf7Sp53wdLMcepouDjPoHP4VxxekzIl3mwRc-cDCMZ993_wy/s1600/images.jpg" height="166" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Babe and I</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The activity we did was old black and white photographs during the
depression era. Then she went straight into reading aloud a picture
book with us (The Babe and I) that had the Depression era as a setting.
It really gave a deeper level to the understanding of the book as she
modeled interactive read aloud.<br />
<br />
The "Write Around"
strategy is a great pre-reading activity but it can also be used as a
debate format about a controversial issue. Sharing their ideas and
building on others' ideas. Or you can use it as an end of unit activity
for a read aloud or content area. Students take turns write and
responding to each other about what they learned or how their thinking
has changed at the beginning of the unit or read aloud. Can you see
using "Write Around" easily in your classroom?<br />
<br />
Cross posted on <a href="http://livefromthecreek.blogspot.com/2013/08/write-around-for-reading.html" target="_blank">LIVE from the Creek</a> <br />Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-19808730017663274312013-08-14T00:01:00.001-04:002013-08-14T00:02:40.351-04:00Building a Reading Community<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbBJ16QiU2F_4rFbY_n7a1LUbazCKDjcH-aF-O14J0fD940AUUlHdsSHwkX76hX8uA6LdFhqAbRX__HkR6AxDIgrUVwDalVUpCiPKdYnShC7v7POVxMDhu_L67i5K7cSxvEQFW8IBznMP/s1600/_DSC6608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbBJ16QiU2F_4rFbY_n7a1LUbazCKDjcH-aF-O14J0fD940AUUlHdsSHwkX76hX8uA6LdFhqAbRX__HkR6AxDIgrUVwDalVUpCiPKdYnShC7v7POVxMDhu_L67i5K7cSxvEQFW8IBznMP/s1600/_DSC6608.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathleen Tolan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My morning session Monday was with <a href="http://www.heinemann.com/authors/3664.aspx">Kathleen Tolan</a> - senior director of <a href="http://readingandwritingproject.com/about/tcrwp.html" target="_blank">TCRWP</a>, author of several books including some of the new Units of Study<br />
<br />
Kathleen
spoke passionately about building a reading community. Below I am
sharing my notes that still may sound a little disjointed even after I
reread and filled in but I left what I felt was important or worth
repeating. I am italicizing her thoughts that are some direct quotes
and some paraphrased by me.<br />
<br />
<i>How do we really think
about building a reading community? It is essential. We will be
holding on to it all year long. Most of the kids you teach have a broken
relationship with reading, only a few have a good one. Some of these
essentials maybe weren’t addressed earlier you can’t make assumptions
that they have heard of it before. <br /><br />When trying to develop
curriculum it’s hard because you are always being given more things to
stir in the pot and never one to take out. And reading affects ALL
content areas. Reading has to matter in a school as a whole. In every
classroom. Make things in your school that display that reading
matters... Photos, displays of book reflections, book ads... We have
lots of assessment data but we need to think of the kid as a reader. If
you were making a timeline as a reader what would be on it? Let kids
talk about themselves as readers. If they had a great experience
reading what were the components of that? If kids had a bad experience
what were the components of that. Lists of favorites and why they are
favorites. Conversations with readers about their lives as readers.
Some kids who are avid readers lose the love because it isn’t cool to
read. They don’t talk about themselves as readers. It’s important for
them to speak about themselves as readers. Tell them about YOU as a
reader. Read the books in your classroom library so you can talk with
kids as a reader of that particular book. Book buzz- sell them or talk
about them to kids. When was the last time you walked into a bookstore
and just picked a book off a shelf and just read it? Really? Kids with
broken relationships with reading do that on a daily basis. Let kids
sell books to each other. Also talk about books you found not so good.
Why did you not like it? Oprah Winfrey’s book club sales would go up
after they talked about it, not the day she introduced it. <br /><br />Build
a community where we talk about books. Rating systems for books,
interactive bulletin board happening in room. Recommendations inside
covers on sticky notes. Let kids own and not be ashamed of the books
they read, every classroom has a range of readers they should still be a
part of the reading community. If you are talking about the characters
of books it doesn’t matter what level you’re reading.Make sure there
are plenty of choices for all levels of readers. Struggling kids
shouldn’t have fewer choices. They need to feel part of that community.<br /><br />If
you want to scare yourself, do a running record on your content
textbooks. They are always written above their level. Reading identity
gets established young. Have time each week for kids to shop the
classroom library to find new books to read. 1/3 of books leveled but
part of the library not leveled for interest level. Have a smaller
library out at the beginning of the year so you can control choice a
little until after you assess. Getting kids turned onto a series will
help kids read a ton of books. If you have second language learners
it’s good to have a few books in their native language to continue their
reading skills in their native language as well as books in their
English level. When we launch book clubs or historical book clubs we
need to save books to side so they won’t have read them already.
Structures and units affect how we roll out our library. It’s important
for kids to read for long stretches of time. The more you practice
something the better you get at it... LONG periods. AT LEAST 30 to 40
min a day. So many “activites” around reading than kids actually
reading. The reading extensions can’t become more important than the
actual reading. How many of you as adults finish reading a book and go
get a coat hanger out of the closet with some yarn and make a mobile
about the book? It’s not growing readers!<br /><br />Help kids keep track
of the reading they do. They can keep a log but use it for conferring
and have kids use it to look at their reading habits. Help them see how
they can use it to assess themselves for reading time and genre type
and where they read. Columns to have on the logs:<br /><br /><b>book /level / home or school / page started / page ended / minutes read / genre</b><br /><br />If
you don’t talk with kids about noticing their reading patterns and they
think of it as only an assignment don’t do it. That is not what it’s
for. Study and get data on yourself as a reader. Also compare with a
friend. <br /><br />There is a magic to books if you get kids hooked in to
reading books, but they won’t progress without the right instruction.
Structuring your day with rituals and routines that make roles for the
kids and teachers clear is important. 60 minute block is really
needed. Mini lesson needs to be mini. It’s important for kids to be on
the floor close to you because it creates an intimacy with you. Your
feedback is instant and if you ask them to do something to practice what
you teach you can hear and see what they are doing better. 30 to 40
minutes is the time for workshop and reading. You pull small groups,
assessments, circulate, confer. Don’t do one thing only every day. You
might also be working with a book club or partners reading. Sometimes
you might have a mid-workshop reading point. You stop what they are
doing and note it. The share closes the workshop time with a noticing
where a student used what you taught in that mini lesson. <br /><br />During
running records you need to look at fluency and reading rate. If
that’s not something to patch and fix the longer you wait. Reading logs
will help you assess this informally. The important thing about a
running record is you don’t stop until they bomb. How can you assess
their higher level comprehension? Written responses to their reading.</i> <i>Depending
on your assessments, that will tweak your instruction and units. Some
groups may need more word work or compare/contrast. Assessments should
change your instruction. </i><br />
<i>Our
educational system teaches to deficit model, always teaching at what
they don’t know. If you teach to the strength that can spiral back to
help the deficit as well. Don’t get caught up in all weaknesses. </i><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArshem4KgAcJCkIa5OyjrHjoxshwRnCJlrnHx2kOEOUZ4_go0LfZTF4LvSeKte5_rfQZh4BQt2XdXu-wNa8i9GlZBfaOnbvmMKuBRopiM-4C9iQqCA_k0VHwRMphYg_-cY8t8yAqq-WIx/s1600/_DSC6597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArshem4KgAcJCkIa5OyjrHjoxshwRnCJlrnHx2kOEOUZ4_go0LfZTF4LvSeKte5_rfQZh4BQt2XdXu-wNa8i9GlZBfaOnbvmMKuBRopiM-4C9iQqCA_k0VHwRMphYg_-cY8t8yAqq-WIx/s1600/_DSC6597.jpg" height="200" width="136" /></a><br />
I think that all the teachers in my building agree that we are ALL
reading teachers and that it is <br />
important to use reading strategies and
teaching techniques throughout the day, but there is always more for us
to learn about teaching reading through content or informational text. I
think that we will do more of that in our professional development this
year. But I am thinking there are some creative ways we can display to
our students, parents and stakeholders that we are a "community of
readers". Maybe highlight a teacher's favorite childhood book, short
"commercial" clips that teachers or students can do for books to be
played on morning announcements or accesible on a share site for
teachers to show at a good time and maybe even capture video footage of
teachers in the school that are willing to share their life and habits
as a reader. Especially those teachers that are familiar to all
students, so watch out resource teachers and administrative staff...I'm
coming your way with a camera! What ideas can you share to build a
reading community?<br />
<br />
Cross posted at <a href="http://livefromthecreek.blogspot.com/2013/08/building-reading-community.html" target="_blank">LIVE from the Creek</a> Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-20210315595499546442013-08-13T06:32:00.000-04:002013-08-13T06:32:33.365-04:00Teachers College Reading Institute Begins<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IuplNkvm4X8aT8GXJrtVhZS6TuzRrhBOab4NWus8rKjfZUsMSr4eFCEYyxBvP0QT3FGuL3VHEX043wWW4ddZ8UyJkfeQnK4LLDaKWD1KI7d1n90JVhfUIKCkYng-bwD_qZ6DClx-k-kV/s1600/_DSC6584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IuplNkvm4X8aT8GXJrtVhZS6TuzRrhBOab4NWus8rKjfZUsMSr4eFCEYyxBvP0QT3FGuL3VHEX043wWW4ddZ8UyJkfeQnK4LLDaKWD1KI7d1n90JVhfUIKCkYng-bwD_qZ6DClx-k-kV/s1600/_DSC6584.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Riverside Church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our day started bright and early at the beautiful Riverside Church I spoke about <a href="http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.com/2013/08/arriving-in-new-york-to-attend-teachers.html">yesterday</a> . Where <a href="http://www.tc.columbia.edu/academics/index.htm?facid=lmc71">Lucy Calkins</a> gave the keynote entitled: Leading by Influence<br />
<br />
If
you have ever heard Lucy Calkins speak even once, you know her words
are powerful, she tells a story like nobody's business and she talks
fast! So I came prepared and took seven pages of notes but recorded her
audio as well to go back and fill in some important parts I missed.
So, much of what I am sharing is direct quotes from her or her words
paraphrased. I want you to know that this huge church was filled to the
back and you could have heard a pin drop. The thoughts and ideas
resonated with us all as I could see nods of heads around me and even
tears at times. I hope that what I share here will even have a small
impact on you as it had a big impact on me.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAfNzdMALSfYx4BIHaQxMYldOA_KA-cJj9VRiRsp0PWObklW8b-0WRDfY7gQvsTPHB73m5HkYTMT_NDZNO-qF1C0rxgjjQUAZWyxrn8u-ptVPy3cKHuwR4-dyTJfTabOrBpL1iv07KzVa/s1600/_DSC6600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAfNzdMALSfYx4BIHaQxMYldOA_KA-cJj9VRiRsp0PWObklW8b-0WRDfY7gQvsTPHB73m5HkYTMT_NDZNO-qF1C0rxgjjQUAZWyxrn8u-ptVPy3cKHuwR4-dyTJfTabOrBpL1iv07KzVa/s1600/_DSC6600.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy Calkins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>We are at a juncture in education where pressures and expectations
are skyrocketing. The Common Core Standards which have been adopted in
46 states point out that there is a gap that exists from high school
graduation to college entrance where students enter a year behind the
reading level they should. Even though it has been made clear that if
there is any dumbing down of the texts it has been done at the high
school level, maybe the middle school level but definitely not the
elementary level. (The level of text complexity in the K-5 level has
not increased over the last 30 years). Yet the common core has put the
responsibility of raising text complexity squarely on the shoulders of
K-4 teachers. Between the grades of K -5 kids are expected to grow a
level of 150 lexile points a year and between the grades of 6-12 the
kids are expected to grow a level of 60 points a year. What used to be
expected at the end of fourth grade now is expected at the middle of
second grade. We have to escalate the quality and volume of reading that
kids do. The expectations come with punitive results if students don’t
meet the them. Instead of 1/3 of third graders not meeting
expectations in the U.S. we will now have 2/3 not meeting expectations.
(This just happened in NY ) It is the level of reading, comprehending
and writing.<br /><br />The expectations are higher so the level of support
for teachers should be high as well but schools have less money to
provide for books and supplies because that money is used on tests and
technology to take tests ( 15 billion is being spent in the U.S. to
implement Common Core Standards) Schools have less ability to provide
professional development and less ability to provision kids with books
they need and teachers have larger class sizes than ever and at the same
time people, the media and politicians are calling out, “DO MORE, REACH
HIGHER!” Teachers are being portrayed as screw ups. <br />That wake up
call has been rung, and rung, and rung and it’s not gonna work now. Why
would people think that criticism is helping grow master teachers? <br /><br />The
story that schools are failing is a carefully manufactured message.
It’s not true, for example, that graduation rates are at an all time low
as people keep saying. In the beginnning of the 21st century, the
graduation rate was 10%. Now the graduation rates are 75-90% depending
on how you look at them. The question Lucy asks is, “Why would Arne
Duncan, U. S. Education Secretary, NOT count those graduating in August
instead of June? Why would he not count GED graduates? <br /><br />Why don’t
people point out that levels of child poverty have tripled over the
years and the scores have remained flat for 30 years. The single factor
that most relates to scores is poverty. They should be saying, “Good
for you teachers!” Do they actually think the way to improve teaching
and learning is to demoralize teachers? <br /><br />A study recently came
out that said in the last 3 years teacher job satisfaction levels have
gone from 62% to 39%. It’s worse in elementary schools. Over half are
going through their day stressed. Think about a day with your kids
where you weren’t stressed at all. How different was that from the day
you were totally stressed out. <br /><br />Whether you like it or not those
of you who teach reading are entering into a horse race. The move to
more universal and rigorous common core assessments will yield data
about approaches to reading and writing and the expectation that we will
figure out the right answers from these tests. Many of these schools
are quickly moving to Readers Workshop. This year they received more
applications than ever. <br /><br />Here’s what will matter in your school
because there is less professional development. You must lead from
within. Build capacity.<br /><br />Our first goal at our school should be
to create a counter narrative to this “teachers are failing” narrative.
The “teachers are failing” narrative is demoralizing and it will never
tap into the energy needed to do this work. It’s not just teachers
taking a beating. Kids are taking a beating. Lucy referenced Sandy
Hook Elementary where they could be the death of optimism. But authors
captured the stories of heroic teachers and love displayed to give that
school a counter narrative. At Teachers College they have made the
story of NewTown, CT the story of the principal, Dawn who attended many
of their Institutes. The principal who put herself in harms way to
protect children. THAT is a narrative. These counter narratives need
to be told. They are what MATTERS. It shouldn’t take kids dying to
tell these stories. Write yours as school leaders. You need to do this
to overcome doing more with less. <br /><br />Successful communities have
leaders that rally others to fight for causes greater than themselves.
Success or failure of an institution is how well it taps into finding
talents of individuals. We all need to be contagious learners. It
needs to be visable. One way to rally communities is to go on walks
through the school building expecting to find beauty. Call it “Glory
Walks” - illustrate your counter narrative with the magic that happens
when a teacher sits and works with a child. <br /><br />Carrot sticks will
never make teachers go the extra mile. Rally them to ideas that tap
into their belief system. Tapping into people’s energy to make good
work better. As a leader, all of the people who work with you are on
your lap or shoulder. Choose to lead by influence. </i><br />
<br />
My
favorite thing about her speech was teaching us about writing the
counter narrative for our school. I think we do a good job of that
within, recognizing greatness, sharing small moments and telling the
story of what makes our school special but I think we can do more. I
LOVE the idea of Glory Walks. Sometimes when you are going on a "focus"
walk looking for specific things you might miss out on something
amazing that could be happening that very minute. One of my favorite
job assignments my boss ever gave me was to take photos of each teacher
interacting with a child or class. Truly I get teary eyed watching the
slideshow of the photos teamed together because what we are doing with
kids IS magical, and rocket science, and selfless. We need to tell our
story more!<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://livefromthecreek.blogspot.com/2013/08/teachers-college-reading-institute.htmlhttp://">Cross posted on LIVE from the Creek</a>Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1260839884137010819.post-20773650744074545592013-08-12T00:06:00.000-04:002013-08-13T10:19:59.252-04:00Arriving in New York to attend Teachers College Reading InstituteWhen my <a href="http://dreamleader.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">principal</a> and several of our teachers - myself included - went to see Lucy Calkins speak in Orlando, we were <a href="http://livefromthecreek.blogspot.com/2013/02/lucy-calkins-reading.html." target="_blank">so excited about what we were learning from her</a>. I watched and waited for the Teachers College to post information on applying to their <a href="http://readingandwritingproject.com/institutes.html" target="_blank">summer institutes</a>. I filled out the application and was so excited to find out a few months later that I was accepted! One of the ways that it was possible for me to go was my boss covering part of the travel and registration and me staying with a teacher friend from my professional network on twitter! That's right, I know her from <a href="http://www.twitter.com/" target="_blank">twitter</a>! <a href="http://karenblumberg.com/" target="_blank">Karen Blumberg</a> and I knew each other there but met face to face finally in 2010 at the national technology conference, <a href="https://www.isteconference.org/2014/" target="_blank">ISTE</a>. Since she teaches in New York I contacted her last summer when my family was here visiting and she toured us around and spent time with us. So much fun! And her last words were: You should just come visit me sometime! So I thought... Maybe if Karen is in town she wouldn't mind me bunking with her so I could attend the Reading Institute at Teachers College? And she said, "Sure! I live in a one bedroom, fourth floor walk up so it would be a true New York experience but you are more than welcome to come bunk on my couch!" So I arrived this morning.<br />
<br />
My first thought as I arrived outside her apartment building was, "Oh! Look it has a stoop in front just like in Sesame Street!"<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKoqEYVuCJzuoSR9SLtHZ4XO1YPNOa_i7d5K_4CHpfsFQniUUMaS14HT3Pd8VwxZRlmrVUrPXC0CbagtvhB73iW42gWGY7JflRda1xIlNtGDbMHNJVGyncxecXyjzf1gfID3-uATv7nN6d/s1600/_DSC6566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKoqEYVuCJzuoSR9SLtHZ4XO1YPNOa_i7d5K_4CHpfsFQniUUMaS14HT3Pd8VwxZRlmrVUrPXC0CbagtvhB73iW42gWGY7JflRda1xIlNtGDbMHNJVGyncxecXyjzf1gfID3-uATv7nN6d/s1600/_DSC6566.jpg" height="400" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Without Oscar the Grouch</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So Karen showed me how to use the different keys to get in and walk up all the stairs to get to her apartment. Let's just say, if I don't lose weight this week I've done something wrong.<br />
<br />
She was determined to show me around and orient me to the area where I needed to go for the training tomorrow so she wanted to finish her laundry first, which involves climbing back down all those stairs to below the building in the basement. Along one whole wall was a line of meters that showed the energy usage in all the apartments in the buidling. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdD-qLJodujFUjPZkqKxsAr8qrA5nayJIYMHGata2p8xOelXNDPNxtpjT8N8KLHRBD4vaGeR6Rtm7zOHgQ1ZTPAh7BU0z4o8Wvu8PRDvoI4YEi908mK5eeh5D7An8j2CG0gHfT_PncHCO/s1600/_DSC6568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdD-qLJodujFUjPZkqKxsAr8qrA5nayJIYMHGata2p8xOelXNDPNxtpjT8N8KLHRBD4vaGeR6Rtm7zOHgQ1ZTPAh7BU0z4o8Wvu8PRDvoI4YEi908mK5eeh5D7An8j2CG0gHfT_PncHCO/s1600/_DSC6568.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meters in the laundry room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When we went back upstairs we discovered Karen's cat loves my suitcase.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLv_6h1r0jaGGfr7rXgo8TQQOFE0U2cdn2f4hKuoH8jh4D-RczSbPCKcQ4BCFGQj5chUKhP5UR-sNyZyrQjbfzX8QFXxKH0w7HmREwsS1N1B2TkpnnP7KcgjB3zoAjBlepx1XFJQ5_TiB/s1600/_DSC6569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLv_6h1r0jaGGfr7rXgo8TQQOFE0U2cdn2f4hKuoH8jh4D-RczSbPCKcQ4BCFGQj5chUKhP5UR-sNyZyrQjbfzX8QFXxKH0w7HmREwsS1N1B2TkpnnP7KcgjB3zoAjBlepx1XFJQ5_TiB/s1600/_DSC6569.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angus the cat</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Karen said I could walk to the Teachers College so we set out on a walk down Broadway near her building. I've never been in this residential section of New York and thought it was just beautiful.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAktwQiqWqEiX1nHeqkuSEs0rygy0GrXagJzwSt4wOMpKB0RFJavRioRemfp7GWrUX2SPYTJ3c3S1JXga-5kWCYYWjRG_Fb5Hnhl-OOUEz4zzid6HYNZg84KWcd3a818MkKAahxz-MHMZA/s1600/_DSC6572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAktwQiqWqEiX1nHeqkuSEs0rygy0GrXagJzwSt4wOMpKB0RFJavRioRemfp7GWrUX2SPYTJ3c3S1JXga-5kWCYYWjRG_Fb5Hnhl-OOUEz4zzid6HYNZg84KWcd3a818MkKAahxz-MHMZA/s1600/_DSC6572.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broadway</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We did pass by <a href="http://www.michaelmoore.com/" target="_blank">Director Michael Moore</a>, she MADE me take this photo to prove it.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mYO-iIBd377r5ip9-3punHC4ABa5zHhd2UVo3BRZk3V6X2rowM1IivOLRo5oMCPdoSxwFF1SL2zFfQeLhTUjqZFoWQryKkGuh11rweRRa21T5KL_FNWRQFy5qVhPQSUKBHVRqzL_b5r3/s1600/_DSC6573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mYO-iIBd377r5ip9-3punHC4ABa5zHhd2UVo3BRZk3V6X2rowM1IivOLRo5oMCPdoSxwFF1SL2zFfQeLhTUjqZFoWQryKkGuh11rweRRa21T5KL_FNWRQFy5qVhPQSUKBHVRqzL_b5r3/s1600/_DSC6573.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you even tell that's Michael Moore?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
But after the 30 block walk I assured her that I would be taking a taxi. So her plan B was to teach me how to use the city bus. The last time I was on a city bus in Denver, CO with my boss while we were at a conference and we witnessed a full out brawl among the passengers and I haven't been on one since...so it took some convincing. But she walked me to my starting place tomorrow at <a href="http://www.theriversidechurchny.org/" target="_blank">Riverside Church</a> so I would know where to end up and I think I'm prepared to arrive bright and early tomorrow for a full day of learning at the Reading Institute. Check out these photos I got today of the church. Should be a beautiful location for the opening keynote by Lucy Calkins!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIn9Vu3k0hm81Y3W-xpZc_OH2DhuYZ-e2NWllOGEQfEqU_9vmJmb3N1uk-t7p5fYy81Hse4GFV0P5gfwJF1VDM3rm-nKzhfnohAtP8aTG-Kdz5056iNvk0aQqzxfd1ue894z-1VgfQ3Ea/s1600/_DSC6576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIn9Vu3k0hm81Y3W-xpZc_OH2DhuYZ-e2NWllOGEQfEqU_9vmJmb3N1uk-t7p5fYy81Hse4GFV0P5gfwJF1VDM3rm-nKzhfnohAtP8aTG-Kdz5056iNvk0aQqzxfd1ue894z-1VgfQ3Ea/s1600/_DSC6576.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riverside Church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Melanie Holtsmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146971294514579713noreply@blogger.com3