wendy, as for the below basic kids, dalton public schools is moving towards the reading workshop. these kids simply need to read. in nanci atwells' first edition of in the middle, she showe exactly why we need to read. it's a neat lesson, and one i leave up all year long. the kids refer to my drawing, and they know that the more they read, the more they will comprehend. it's a number's game.
dalton is doing something called literacy collaborative (google it), very similar to nanci atwells' workshop. the kids continually read, teachers give mini lessons, and the class comes together at the end of the period to discuss skills and strategies. if you think about it, most--and i'm not including students with disabilities--poor readers don't like to read. they ususally don't even know what kind of book they like, because they dont' know how to choose books. their time is wasted, and they know it. they are school readers and not real readers. expect that your low level readers will become real readers. let them read real texts and intervene when you need to. share your enthusiasm; they don't know how to think! they want to be real readers, but they just don't know how to do that now. i believe my expectations for students have been too low. i've upped the ante this year, so we'll see how it goes. bottom line--do for your low level kids what you do for your advanced--adjust the pace or level--but do the same. i've struggled with this for two years now, and i've come to the conclusion that low level readers need exposure to printed texts. period. mini lessons are perfect for students, because they give them something to think about while reading. mostly, these kids just need to read , write, and talk about thier reading. i hope this helps. you probably already knew all this, but as a new teacher, i'm learning all this the hard way, and this is what i've learned. they didn't teach me this in grad. school:) caroline _______________________________________________ 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
