Interestingly, my junior high is transitioning to a middle school in 09. We are trying to move from a more traditional approach to a workshop approach. Our Language Arts will expand from one to two hours a day, so our plan right now is to combine a reading and writing workshop in the one class.
Ideally, our teachers will have certification in Language Arts AND Reading though that may not be feasible immediately. We feel we will have a hard time moving Language Arts teachers into teaching reading, especially as a workshop. We would like to see our resources move away from the Language Arts textbook to include, if not solely rely on, sets of fiction and nonfiction so we can use flexible grouping for guided reading and literature circles. Funding for this will be scarce. As for writing, we see the need to integrate it with the reading that students do--every day for both. As we get further along in this process, I can send more information. Sarah Mohrhauser Literacy Coach/NJHS Advisor Cottage Grove Junior High 9775 Indian Blvd Cottage Grove, MN 55016 651.768.6850 "Through literacy you can begin to see the universe." Grace Slick -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Stephanie Bartell Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 1:20 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [LIT] Ideal Middle School Reading and Writing Program 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 _______________________________________________ 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
