Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Writing Conferences

This year my school has adopted Lucy Calkin's Units of Study for Writing. Although I did teach her previous K-2 Units these new units feel a bit foreign to me. It could be because I taught the old units YEARS ago, it could be that she has added so much more to these new units, but its probably a bit of both.

Either way, I am very excited to be using this program again and am amazed at the progress I have already seen in my students as we make our way through the units.

Yes, my students are learning to write rich narratives, fact filled informative books, and persuasive opinion pieces! But I am also learning. Everything from how to hold a short yet effective mini lesson, engage in a purposeful conference, to holding a powerful mini-group. 

Today, I just want to talk about what I've been doing in the realm of conferencing. I've gotten pretty good at finding a compliment for my students, but I'm having a more difficult time with leaving them with a teaching point. To help, I have been referring back to the If . . . Then . . .Curriculum book a lot! If you haven't explored it yet, Calkins has so nicely laid out some typical "hiccups" students encounter within each unit. She provides the teaching language to help move students forward and goes as far as giving examples of short notes you can leave them with. So . . .here's where my ah-ha came in. I wanted to have those notes quickly accessible so my students could keep them on their goal sheet as a reminder of our conference's teaching point. But I don't have time to dry each one out and I don't have the money to print them all up on expensive labels. Therefore, I began seeking out a more timely and cost effective way to leave "tracks" behind my conferences. I decided to create a document where I could print those goals onto post-its. Now I keep them with me and just pull one off when I need it and stick it right to the student's goal page. Here is an example of my first draft coming out of the printer.

Since then, I've made some tweaks to the document and it seems after day 1 - I can say I think it's working BEAUTIFULLY!  So far I have only made the post -it notes for the informational unit, but I plan on making these for the narrative and opinion units as well once I get to them. I'm making two sets. One of them has the problem statement on the top and the other doesn't. You can pick them up at my TPT store - free for a limited time!

Here's what I did:
In my writing conference folder I printed out the pages from the  If . . . Then . . .Curriculum and just stuck the post-its that matched in the last column. I made sure to print multiple copies of each post-its.

Happy Conferencing!

Friday, February 7, 2014

Comprehension Strategies: Metacognition

“As soon as I open it, I occupy the book, I stomp around in it. I underline passages, scribble in the margins, leave my mark – in effect I write my own book, a counter version. I’ve come to understand that there are two dramas in reading: the drama of the book’s internal relations and the drama of its relation to me” 
Anatole Broyard
 
Each year I know that I am going to take my students through explicit instruction in all of the reading comprehension strategies. Sometimes, we refer to these as metacognitive strategies, because they are really the thinking strategies readers use as they try to understand the text.

So before I teach students the strategies I start by teaching them to pay attention to that "inner voice" and start to think about their thinking (metacognition). I teach them that reading is thinking. Many students will buy into the fact that yes, they need to interpret the characters on the page and think the sounds those symbols make to create words. But many children believe the thinking stops there, and unfortunately some teachers too. This first unit, teaches students to make meaning from their reading.

I start by letting the students see my thinking. I explain that when the book is up I am reading and when the book is down I am letting them hear what is going on inside my head, I refer to this as my "inner voice" and sometimes make my hand look like a little mouth and share my thinking using a squeaky voice.

So I begin by using a strategy from Comprehension Connections, called the Reading Salad.

I have two helpers, one holds container full of green paper which represents my "thinking" and another student holds a container full of red paper, my "reading".  As I read and think aloud they drop the corresponding color into a large salad bowl, labeled "real reading."


Children see that real reading has a lot more thinking in it than actual reading. I model thinking about everything from unfamiliar vocabulary, to character development, to predictions, and questions. 

After modeling "real reading" students share out some of the things they noticed about my thinking. In our reader's notebook students create a picture of the reading salad using ripped construction paper and list some of the thinking they could do when they read. 


Then I teach my students that some of the thinking that good readers do, is just stopping periodically during their reading and checking to make sure they understand what they have read. I teach them the Check For Understanding song. (This idea comes from the "two sisters" - CAFE and Daily 5.) 

Check For Understanding Song (sung to the tune of Hokey Pokey)
You have a great new book 
and you’ve started to read
You know a lot of words but
 here’s something else you need.
You must check for understanding
and ask “Who?” and also “What?” 
that’s what reading’s all about!

Of course the next step is modeling how a reader "checks for understanding."  I distribute check for understanding bookmarks to each of the student. Then, I read a few pages of a book and stop to refer to my check mark. I ask myself the questions on the bookmark to make sure I know what I am reading. If I can't answer the question, I go back and reread to find the answer. I don't have a picture of mine available but here are some from Christina Bainbridge. Mine are available on my TPT store for free, along with other documents to go with the Metacognition Unit.
These are from Christina Bainbridge and for sale at Teaching Oasis! 


Finally, I spend the rest of the week modeling thinking while reading. Each time releasing the responsibility more and more to the students. Each day we notice what we do as good readers and add it to an anchor chart titled "Reading is Thinking" with subheadings of Before, During, and After. Below is a sample of some of the things that might make it on your anchor chart.



BEFORE
DURING
AFTER
Predict what may happen
Connect to Background Knowledge (Schema)
Make Connections

Make connections to what you know about the topic
Connect sentences together for meaning
Ask yourself questions you still have
Ask yourself questions that you think will be answered as you read
Notice something about the author's language or style
Reflect on what you have read
Set goals/purpose for reading
Visualize
Summarize major points
Note organization of text
Ask yourself questions
Look for additional information
Create a mental overview
Evaluate your predictions

 

For the rest of the unit, students put into practice what we have been doing as a class. They use the check marks during independent and buddy reading, complete graphic organizers where they track their thinking, and share the process during whole group and guided reading groups.

"When readers interact with the texts they read, reading becomes important. Reading shapes and even changes thinking. Getting readers to think when they read, to develop an awareness of their thinking, and to use strategies that help them comprehend are the primary goals of comprehension instruction." - Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis from Strategies that Work




Saturday, January 25, 2014

Teaching Reading through Comprehension Strategies

I've decided to share my reading comprehension lessons as I teach each unit. Today will be an introduction to the units and as I finish/plan each unit, I will share my units here on my blog.

I suppose I should start with the basics:

The words skills and strategies are often used by teachers to describe what they are teaching students.  Skills refer to something done automatically whereas, a strategy is a plan used subconsciously (Duffy, 2003). Many times the scope and sequence presented by the basal is heavily skill based, and many of those skills are taught in isolation, often times outside the context of literature. That is why I choose to pair the basal programs with other programs currently avaiable by some of the most progressive researchers in the field - read on to see what I use. "At the heart of accomplished reading is a balance of both - automatic application and use of reading skills, and intentional, effortful employment of reading strategies - accompanied by the ability to shift seamlessly between the two when the situation calls for it." (Afflerbach, Pearson, and Paris 364-373). 

A group of strategies have been identified by researchers as the ones needed by readers to accurately be able to comprehend complex texts (Routman, 2003). "The goal of comprehension instruction is to help readers become self-regulated and independent readers." (Hasting Gregory, Rozzelle Nikas, 2005).  This can be done through the teaching of the following evidence based strategies:

- Making Connections
- Synthesizing and Summarizing
- Visualizing
- Asking Questions
- Making Inferences
- Determining Importance
- Monitoring Reading For Understanding


There are many ideas, publications, and reading programs that have a heavy emphasis on reading skills. Whereas reading strategies, haven't always shared the same popularity. My blog posts will focus specifically on metacognitive comprehension strategies mentioned above, but remember that a successful reading program should include both skills and strategies. 


With that being said it is important to note the people, authors, and resources that have shaped my pedagogy.

Most of my lesson ideas come from the teachings of Debbie Miller and Stephanie Harvey. If you don't already have these books on your shelves, it's time to visit Amazon.com people! 

1. The Primary Comprehension Toolkit By: Stephanie Harvey - With a large emphasis on information texts, Harvey guided teachers through each of the strategies with explicit lesson models, student samples, and rubrics for assessment. 


2. Reading with Meaning By: Debbie Miller - a perfect counterpart for Harvey's Toolkit, as Miller focuses more on literary texts. Her book also reads more like a narrative, as opposed to Harvey's more "lesson plan" feel. Miller also provides a great introduction to Reader's Workshop and how to roll out each of theses strategies. 


Of course there are tons of supplements that go with these books that I also pull from as I am constructing my lesson plans. Some include: 
   



Finally, I need to make reference to my friend and personal mentor when it comes to ELA instruction, Linda Teese.  Linda is currently a reading coach in NJ schools and I was lucky enough to have her working in the room next to me my first 3 years teacher. She has become not only a close friend but the one person I attribute most of my success in education to. Many of my lessons and definitely the foundation of my knowledge are a direct product of her work with literacy and willingness to share her knowledge with me. Even now, as she works in New Jersey and I in Ohio, we are constantly comparing notes and sharing ideas. 

Here we are at my wedding: 


Ok friends, that's the reasoning for the future posts coming and some background knowledge on it. Check back often so you can get some ideas for implementation in your own rooms. :-)


References:
  1. Afflerbach, Peter, P.David Pearson, and Scott G. Paris. "Clarifying Differences Between Reading Skills and Reading Strategies." Reading Teacher. 61.5 (2008): 364-373. Web. 25 Jan. 2014.
  2. Duffy, G. (2003). Explaining reading: A resource for teaching concepts, skills, and strategies. New York: Guildford Press.
  3. Routman, Regie (2003). Reading Essentials: The Specifics You Need to Teach Reading Well. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
  4. Hastings Gregory, Valerie, and Jan Rozzelle Nikas (2005). The Learn Communities Guide to Improving Reading Instruction. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

Happy 2014!

After two weeks off and three snowdays, you'd think I would have gotten some blogging done. But . . . nope!  I need to take a note out of my sister's book blog and set a New Year's Resolution to write once a week.

So with Resolutions in mind, I thought I'd share some of the ways we rung in 2014 in the classroom. 

I started the week back with a the following parent note home, inviting them to make a reading resolution as a family.

Happy 2014!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and are on track with your New Year’s Resolutions. While you are thinking about ways to improve your 2014 and New Year’s Resolutions, I’d like to encourage you to create a Reading Resolution with your child this year. Perhaps you will resolve to read more, build your personal library, or take time to meet as a family book club. Whatever you decide remember that research shows that reading books aloud is the single most valuable support parents can provide in helping children learn to read!  To help get you started I have included some great documents that will help no matter what your resolution is! Happy Reading and Good Luck!

Included:
  • January’s Scholastic Order forms  - remember you can send in a check or order online
  • Choosing the Best Books for Your Child  - information to help you build a library with titles your child will remember forever
  • Go Clubbing – Tips to starting a parent-child book group
  • Day Trips for Book Lovers – Family excursions to bring to life your child’s favorite books


After two weeks off we got back into the swing of things right away with our morning meeting. Typically my morning meeting follows the predictable steps of: greeting, share (2 students), and morning message. I kept this format but chose activities for each to help students get their wiggles out and "catch up" with friends they haven't talked to in 2 weeks. So for the greeting - we did mix and mingle. Where students walked around the room and when they heard the chime, they would find a close friend greet each other and chat for a minute or two about their winter break. I repeated this for approximately 10 minutes to let them get their stories out. For the share, we played stand up and take a bow.  To play this, every student sits and I would make a statements that maybe students participated in over the holiday break like, "I have a party at my house." or "I built a snowman." If the statement was true for a student they would stand up and take a bow. Then for the morning message we revisited our classroom rules and procedures.

During reading we read the book Squirrel's New Year's Resolution By: Pat Miller. We discussed the vocabulary word resolution and then retold the story using the worksheet created by Tammy over at Primary Paradise. You can pick up for free at her TPT store.


Then we took a quick look back at 2013 and a positive look forward to 2014 by creating a 4 flap flip book. Each flap was labeled with a number for the new year. 2 - 0 - 1 - 4. Under each flap that students wrote:
2 - 2 of the best things from 2013
0 - something they won't do anymore
1 - 1 wish for the new year
4 - 4 goals for the new year


In math we read Shante Keys and the New Year's Peas By: Gail Piernas-Davenport. After reading the book we used black eyed peas to practice our non-standard measurement, using another wonderful and FREE resource from Amber at School is a Happy Place and then also completed the mini math book that was also shared on her site.
    

So this is how we rung in the new year. Thanks to all the amazing teachers who shared their resources and for FREE! We had a wonderful first day back! Happy New Year Everyone!