Thank You Mary! I've actually skimmed through Nancy Atwell's book, but must have missed this! Our university library has it! Thanks so much for the link to Classroom Based Assessments. I'm a reading/LA resource teacher at a public middle school. I can use all the help I can get, as the teacher before me left with or threw away everything!!! Curriculum and student records! I'm still in shock.
Vicki -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Mary Dovey Sent: Saturday, February 03, 2007 8:33 AM To: A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades. Subject: Re: [LIT] status of class Hi Vicki- Welcome! You'll get lots of good ideas from this group. "Status of the Class" is a recordkeeping form, a kind of chart, that many of us use to track where each of our students is in either reading workshop, or writing workshop. For example, Juan is drafting a piece on his grandfather, Jihira is revising the letter to Gary Paulsen, Joey is looking up information on iPods to write a review, etc. After a mini-lesson, I'll pull out this form and quickly, call out each name and mark the child's response on the form. Doing it this way accomplishes a couple of things for me: it's kind of an "all business" tone that makes each child get to work quickly, and lets the whole class hear the scope of work going on. It takes practice to use this --kids traditionally will take forever to get going, and many are still used to everyone doing the same thing. Most of us first heard about this concept through Nancie Atwell's work, In The Middle, a book I believe all middle school teachers should read--but not until they have some time, such as in the summer! A lot of other authors have used this idea. Christopher-Gordon ppublishers offer a book with dozens of record-keeping forms for all aspects of literacy that includes a CD that you can load onto your computer to print out the forms the way they look, or open them as customize as you like. It's pricey, though! It's also just as easy, really, to make something like this yourself. If you have a wish list or a fariy godmother, here's the link: (the book is called Classroom Based Assessments.) http://www.christopher-gordon.com/Authors/hill.shtml#cba Mary D. On 2/2/07 11:44 PM, "Vicki Whiting" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi, > I think I missed something. Can someone tell me what "status of the class" > is? I'm a brand new teacher, just graduated in Dec. Thanks for your help > and I love your ideas here!!! > > Vicki > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 9:43 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [LIT] status of class > > Ellen writes: Try doing the status of the class near the end of the > period. > Kids usually 8)) know what they have been working on. Then you have a > record > of where everyone was and can use it at the beginning of your next workshop. > > Worked for me. > > Pam writes: A-HA! This was a lightbulb moment for me (or a forehead > smacking moment). Why didn't I think of trying this at the end of class? > I can > see how this would work beautifully for me as part of a ticket out the door. > > I've done similar things, just never a formalized status of class. I've > ended up switching my reading workshop and writing workshop each quarter. > This > quarter, I'm embroiled in Reading Workshop and Lit Circles *rubbing my > aching > head* - however, I will try the status of the class at the end of class next > > quarter. It sounds like a winner! > > > > > Pam Tempest > Team Neon-6th Gr. ELA > Hudson Middle School > http://nlcommunities.com/communities/tempest > > "The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as > that every child should be given the wish to learn." John Lubbock > > > _______________________________________________ > 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. > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive > > > _______________________________________________ > 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. > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive _______________________________________________ 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. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive _______________________________________________ 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. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
