I do not think the reading and writing teacher should be different. I always tie in my reading and writing, I think it would be difficult to just teach one or the other.
I think self contained could work, but I think it is difficult to find anyone at the middle school level qualified to teach both math and reading well. I think having 2-3 teachers would be ideal - 1 for math/science, one for reading.writing/social studies, or a separate SS teacher even. Workshop works with middle schoolers when done right. I like a longer period for reading/writing- 2 hours would be great! I think it is very important for students to be engaged in *authentic* reading and writing tasks, and they need to be taught HOW to read. Even if they are "proficient" there are still skills they need to learn which need to be taught. You cannot just expect students to read a novel and be able to discuss it critically. Yeah, some can do that naturally, but most need to be taught. On Fri, May 9, 2008 at 11:19 AM, Stephanie Bartell < [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hello all, > > I am a reading specialist at a school that is currently expanding. We > started as a K-4 school and have expanded one grade level every year since. > Next year we will add 7th grade and we are trying to work out the best > structure for our middle school students. > > If you could design the IDEAL middle school schedule & program, what would > it look like? Self-contained classrooms? A seperate reading workshop & > writing workshop teacher? Longer periods of reading? > > I have never been a middle school classroom teacher, so it is hard for me > to give recommendations. I am interested in what works for you, what you > would change if you could, and what is neccessary for a successful middle > school reading and writing program. I'd also be interested to hear the > types of materials you are using. In the rest of our school we use a > workshop approach, but there is some push for a more traditional curriculum > in middle school. > > I really appreciate any thoughts or advice you can give me. Thanks in > advance! > > ~Stephanie Bartell, Galapagos Charter School > > > --------------------------------- > Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it > now. > _______________________________________________ > 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
