Thank you! I might just try it this year, but within the expository/persuasive unit.
On 9/10/06, Bill IVEY <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > "A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades." > <[email protected]> on Sunday, September 10, 2006 at 11:36 am -0500 > wrote: > >Does everyone hit all the genres? For example, we have to teach > >expository, > >persuasive, narrative, and poetry. Do you get all of those in? And how? > Do > >you have strugglers in your class? Are you self contained or block > >scheduling? How do you teach specific strategies to the class? Do you do > >it > >individually or in small groups? > > > Hi! > > Everyone does hit all the genres, including the ones you listed. They do > two types of exposition, compare-contrast and literary analysis. They also > collaborate in writing a play, which they then perform through the Theatre > 7 class. Poetry and theatre units are pre-designed for late February and > early April. > > As for the existence of strugglers in my class, I guess I'd have to say > yes and no. I've had students with fairly significant learning differences > regarding both reading and writing (one girl this year hasn't yet read a > book on her own; one girl two years ago had never written a paragraph on > her own), but all of them have been very smart, motivated, hard-working > kids with loving, supportive homes and experienced, private tutors. So it > is a legitimate struggle for them, but the odds are very much on their > side. I know they they, and I as their teacher, are lucky. > > Our schedule is kind of odd; I'll try to keep it simple. We have two block > periods in the morning separated by a period used either for school > meetings (middle school only on Mondays, grades 7-12 on Thursdays) or for > advisory meetings (Tue., Thu., Fri.). Those blocks are used for Humanities > or for Math/Science. Our afternoon classes are single period and comprise > language, vocal and instrumental music (each meets twice a week), Visual > Arts/Health/Theatre (one course each trimester), and a study hall (with > the option of joining upper school Chorus or Big Band). They also have > dance once a week in place of study hall (Chorus and Big Band kids do this > on Tuesday, the one day Chorus and Big Band don't meet). > > Most of the time, I teach specific strategies to the class as a group, and > then reinforce them as needed on an individual basis. As much as possible, > I try to have them come up with checklists of good writing practices based > on model writing. Reading strategies - let's just say I'm good at pointing > out when kids use them spontaneously, but I need to be much more > consistent in my instruction. > > Take care, > Bill Ivey > Stoneleigh-Burnham School > > > > _______________________________________________ > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > -- - Heather "The world of books is the most remarkable creation of man. Nothing else that he builds ever lasts. Monuments fall; nations perish; civilizations grow old and die out; new races build others. But in the world of books are volumes that have seen this happen again and again and yet live on. Still young, still as fresh as the day they were written, still telling men's hearts of the hearts of men centuries dead." --Clarence Day "While the rhetoric is highly effective, remarkably little good evidence exists that there's any educational substance behind the accountability and testing movement." —Peter Sacks, Standardized Minds "When our children fail competency tests the schools lose funding. When our missiles fail tests, we increase funding. " —Dennis Kucinich, Democratic Presidential Candidate _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org.
