UGH! That is an insult to say that RW and WW are too hard for new teachers. Sorry, I was taught RW and WW through college and it was the thing we were doing in our district. We worked together to find text. This is just plain, good teaching.
There is research out there that says if you use the basal like it is "supposed" to be used, kids are not reading enough since they do about 1 story a week. Not enough! How insulting. Besides, why would YOU have to switch if you are used to it? On 5/14/07, Barb Frye <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > For the past 8 years, we have taught Reading Workshop to our sixth graders > using our own curriculum. We've collected stories and developed skill > practice activities and comprehension activities to teach reading in 43 > minute periods. Now, with a new principal and some new teachers, we are > being pressured to bring back a basal and worksheet approach, because our > reading workshop is too demanding and too hard for new teachers (no > teachers > manual). I am furious! I didn't think the object was to make it easy! I am > the last remaining veteran teacher and yes, I know times and kids have > changed over the last 28 years, but really- a 15 year old basal that we > used > to use? Seems like we're going backwards and not teaching the skills > necessary to be successful in life and on the state tests! Am I alone in > this? I will change to anything that really benefits the kids, and if the > pendulum is swinging back so be it--been there done that! I love centers > and book talks, and novel units--I wholeheartedly believe in it and we are > not in danger as a school district, we're not great, but we make AYP. Any > thought from new, young teachers to this old lady in PA? > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > -- - 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. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
