Those are the words that I heard as I let out a sigh of relief after completing my read-aloud. One of the girls was whispering (ok, it was pretty loud) to her classmates as I walked past and made my way to the back of the room. I thought it was funny on the one hand, but as with a lot of humor, it felt like there was some truth to her comments as well. During the read-aloud, I asked the students if they had ever had any teachers read a-loud in middle school and only one student raised her hand. I went on to explain that on our way to becoming teachers, we were reading many articles about education. Some articles recommended that Middle School read-alouds be used in conjunction with science or social studies classes and their teacher was giving us some time at the start of class to try one out. We had used over 30 minutes of her block science class and although we were hoping to activate and engage learning, it was hard to be sure.
I know that I spent way too much time over the last couple of weeks on my middle school read-aloud - probably more thinking about it than actually working on it. I could not get comfortable with the idea of reading in one of my dyad math and science classes. At first I thought about using a math novel for the read aloud, but could not find one that seemed to fit the level and subject matter of the students. Then I considered a novel about astronomy for science class and spent time on the internet looking for book that would "match" the class. I also spoke with my cohort members and decided that a magazine article might be a good fit (thanks Elizabeth!).
Finding an article was also a challenge. I picked an article about the Big Bang Theory, but changed course when we realized that the schedule dictated we both do our read-aloud the same day. After Sandy had the inspired idea to read a Native American myth about the stars and planets, I changed my article. I would find something about how stars are formed and we could have a discussion of the different ways people make sense of what they observe in the sky. Long story short, I will still revising the lesson plan at 5 AM yesterday before heading to school. It went pretty well, lots of room for future improvement and we will have the chance next week when we teach our first lesson. I also learned from my Master teacher that he uses his librarian at school to help him select novels and other materials when he his trying to enhance content areas. I needed a librarian consultation!
Next up, my vignette first draft. I have a tendency to over analyze things (yes, I am a South) and so I am going to make a conscious effort to write more and think less - wish me luck!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Shitty First Drafts
I resonate with what I have read in Annie Lamott's book Bird by Bird. I particularly appreciate her chapter on shitty first drafts (sfd). I believe that is one of the hallmarks and consistent ingredients of my own writing. Although I have experienced immobilization trying to strive for perfection and I still sometimes struggle with getting started, I pretty much always produce a sfd. My personal experience has shown me that the process of getting a first draft on paper is a crucial one . I need to get something going (the down draft) and although I do not think I throw away most of the first draft, I do many revisions (the up draft). It is reassuring to read that even successful, published writers still struggle with their craft.
In a similar fashion, I appreciated Regie Routman's honesty in her Writing Essentials book. She sometimes struggles to decide what to write even as she is conducting writing workshops for adults and children. She emphasizes that it is crucial for students (adults and children) to see that struggle in order to make transparent the process and the modeling of writing. She also talks about how it is important for teachers to write in front of our students so that we understand and have empathy for what we are asking our students to do.
I agree with Routman's emphasis on celebrating our student's writing with a focus on writing authentically for a real audience. I know that I was amazed at the letter my daughter wrote over the summer when I asked her explain in writing why she thought she needed a cell phone. I told her that I need to be persuaded because I was not sure it was the right time. Her passion for the topic was evident in the abundance of ideas explaining the benefits of her owning a cell phone. And yes, she is now a texting teen.
I think that the writing strategy of going from whole to part and not part to whole makes a lot of sense. We lose too many students to boredom and apathy if we start with templates, conventions and step by step guides. I like the idea that we need to get students to feel like they are writers and then worry about the details. Routman says " if all of our students are to become successful writers, then from the day they enter school they, and we, must see the process as doable, manageable and enjoyable." Amen.
In a similar fashion, I appreciated Regie Routman's honesty in her Writing Essentials book. She sometimes struggles to decide what to write even as she is conducting writing workshops for adults and children. She emphasizes that it is crucial for students (adults and children) to see that struggle in order to make transparent the process and the modeling of writing. She also talks about how it is important for teachers to write in front of our students so that we understand and have empathy for what we are asking our students to do.
I agree with Routman's emphasis on celebrating our student's writing with a focus on writing authentically for a real audience. I know that I was amazed at the letter my daughter wrote over the summer when I asked her explain in writing why she thought she needed a cell phone. I told her that I need to be persuaded because I was not sure it was the right time. Her passion for the topic was evident in the abundance of ideas explaining the benefits of her owning a cell phone. And yes, she is now a texting teen.
I think that the writing strategy of going from whole to part and not part to whole makes a lot of sense. We lose too many students to boredom and apathy if we start with templates, conventions and step by step guides. I like the idea that we need to get students to feel like they are writers and then worry about the details. Routman says " if all of our students are to become successful writers, then from the day they enter school they, and we, must see the process as doable, manageable and enjoyable." Amen.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Digital Immigrant
I love the phrase that I am a "digital immigrant" in contrast to my children who are "digital natives". It is so apt for describing how I feel regarding many of the technologies teachers need to be comfortable using. I want to (and therefore I will) get more comfortable with technology and so I am very happy to be taking a tech class that is highly integrated with my didactic classes this quarter. Although I put my initial comments on a Word document (so yesterday), I am now trying to migrate my thoughts and ideas to a digital medium.
The "Why Blog" reading was a simple, yet effective message about the power of blogging. It is a free and easy way to become a reflective, connected and better teacher. OK, so instead of just blogging to fulfill an assignment (did I do that last spring?), I will use blogging to capture my thoughts and ideas on a regular basis. I will also be kind to myself as I try to break the habit of jotting things down in a notebook (where's that notebook?) since the great ideas and must reads always seem to get buried with all the other minutiae in my life.
The video about Web 2.0 is a lot more daunting for me to watch. I am still trying to get comfortable with Web 0.5, so I feel like I might never be able to catch up. From this quarter's classes, I realize that the Web is all about collaboration and sharing information in an effortless fashion. I am going to try to keep a couple of things in mind. The first one is that there are many tools that will allow me to become faster and more efficient and so they are worth the time investment to learn. The second one is that using all sorts of technology is critical in education today. I know that having the requisite skills is essential to securing a job in the field. Just one of the challenges (I mean opportunities) that I face this quarter.
The "Why Blog" reading was a simple, yet effective message about the power of blogging. It is a free and easy way to become a reflective, connected and better teacher. OK, so instead of just blogging to fulfill an assignment (did I do that last spring?), I will use blogging to capture my thoughts and ideas on a regular basis. I will also be kind to myself as I try to break the habit of jotting things down in a notebook (where's that notebook?) since the great ideas and must reads always seem to get buried with all the other minutiae in my life.
The video about Web 2.0 is a lot more daunting for me to watch. I am still trying to get comfortable with Web 0.5, so I feel like I might never be able to catch up. From this quarter's classes, I realize that the Web is all about collaboration and sharing information in an effortless fashion. I am going to try to keep a couple of things in mind. The first one is that there are many tools that will allow me to become faster and more efficient and so they are worth the time investment to learn. The second one is that using all sorts of technology is critical in education today. I know that having the requisite skills is essential to securing a job in the field. Just one of the challenges (I mean opportunities) that I face this quarter.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Kindergarten Buddies
It has been a long time since I have spent any time with a five year old and even longer since I visited a kindergarten classroom. I was happy and at least a bit relieved that it was so much fun! Joshua is five and a half and he is a sweet, bright and welcoming child. The 30 minutes we spent together went by all too quickly.
Although we did not get to read a book together, Joshua did some writing for us as we got to know one another. He seems to be using a variety of strategies as he writes words down on paper. In some instances, Joshua used pictures in his writing. For example, he showed us that his favorite color was blue by drawing a blue colored circle. He also drew a picture of a tuna fish sandwich to illustrate his favorite food.
Joshua used a different strategy as he told us his favorite show was MST (monster) as he clearly heard and identified most of the consonants. He seemed very concerned about whether his spelling of Monster was correct. He insisted on knowing the correct spelling of the word and he then inserted the missing letters. He went on to identify all the letters in our nametags that matched the letters in his answers. He also wrote his first name quickly and confidently at the top of the page. He added his last name but used the placemat for reference to confirm that he spelled his last name correctly.
In the readings on phonemic awareness and phonics, Fox describes how children begin to understand the alphabetic principle when they know the names and sounds of most letters. Children in this stage also use one or more consonants to spell words. It will be interesting to work with Joshua on the Emergent Literacy Profile to see where he is on the continuum. In our brief first visit, he seemed to be able to identify all the letters of the alphabet. Also, he could hear sounds in the words and was able to identify and write down some letters associated with the sounds. I look forward to working with Joshua on the Reading Profile to help integrate the readings with actual practice.
Although we did not get to read a book together, Joshua did some writing for us as we got to know one another. He seems to be using a variety of strategies as he writes words down on paper. In some instances, Joshua used pictures in his writing. For example, he showed us that his favorite color was blue by drawing a blue colored circle. He also drew a picture of a tuna fish sandwich to illustrate his favorite food.
Joshua used a different strategy as he told us his favorite show was MST (monster) as he clearly heard and identified most of the consonants. He seemed very concerned about whether his spelling of Monster was correct. He insisted on knowing the correct spelling of the word and he then inserted the missing letters. He went on to identify all the letters in our nametags that matched the letters in his answers. He also wrote his first name quickly and confidently at the top of the page. He added his last name but used the placemat for reference to confirm that he spelled his last name correctly.
In the readings on phonemic awareness and phonics, Fox describes how children begin to understand the alphabetic principle when they know the names and sounds of most letters. Children in this stage also use one or more consonants to spell words. It will be interesting to work with Joshua on the Emergent Literacy Profile to see where he is on the continuum. In our brief first visit, he seemed to be able to identify all the letters of the alphabet. Also, he could hear sounds in the words and was able to identify and write down some letters associated with the sounds. I look forward to working with Joshua on the Reading Profile to help integrate the readings with actual practice.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Emergent Literacy
It took me a while to find the box in the garage with old books that my children have long since abandoned. Years before I decided to change careers to teaching, I gave away many of our childrens books, but kept a dozen or so that held special meaning. I was happy to find the three Robert McCloskey books Make Way for Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal and One Morning in Maine with pictures and text that transport me back to my New England roots. I was a bit surprised when my daughter saw the books asked with concern if I was giving the books away. They have a special place in her heart as well!
As a parent of two teenagers, I read the article on Emergent Literacy with interest. Although much of the information was familiar to me from parent practice, not teacher practice, the literacy strategies are much the same. The article’s recommendations to surround children with books, read aloud to children early and often, model reading to kids, are all recommendations that we followed in our home to promote early literacy. The reality that we have one child who is well above his grade level for reading and one child who is reading below her grade level, tells me that following these early literacy strategies and activities are not the only factors in reading success.
The Albright article on reading picture books to adolescents provides an interesting idea for supporting middle schoolers in content area instruction. This high interest reading strategy was successful in engaging middle school students with alternate materials to the standard text. The students’ ability to create their own connections and meaning during the read-alouds was exciting. The model emphasizes the need to follow the three steps of planning, preparing and producing when considering a picture book read-aloud for this age group. Now that my own struggling middle school student is required to read to learn, this might be an effective strategy to help her in social studies and science.
As a parent of two teenagers, I read the article on Emergent Literacy with interest. Although much of the information was familiar to me from parent practice, not teacher practice, the literacy strategies are much the same. The article’s recommendations to surround children with books, read aloud to children early and often, model reading to kids, are all recommendations that we followed in our home to promote early literacy. The reality that we have one child who is well above his grade level for reading and one child who is reading below her grade level, tells me that following these early literacy strategies and activities are not the only factors in reading success.
The Albright article on reading picture books to adolescents provides an interesting idea for supporting middle schoolers in content area instruction. This high interest reading strategy was successful in engaging middle school students with alternate materials to the standard text. The students’ ability to create their own connections and meaning during the read-alouds was exciting. The model emphasizes the need to follow the three steps of planning, preparing and producing when considering a picture book read-aloud for this age group. Now that my own struggling middle school student is required to read to learn, this might be an effective strategy to help her in social studies and science.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)