Dear Cristy, Curious! What is your professor's rationale?
--Erica On Jul 18, 2008, at 12:55 AM, Cristy Weggelaar wrote: > I disliked the conversation journal as well. My students just did > not enjoy using it. I'm trying to find other ways for them to > communicate about their reading. > > Does anyone spend time with whole-group readings or on reading > comprehension strategy lessons that would take up a whole period? > I'm currently taking a class on reading workshop and my professor > recommends these kind of activities more than the silent pleasure > reading. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Nancie Atwell would be > annoyed, for sure... > > - Cristy > > "Je réponds ordinairement à ceux qui me demandent raison de mes > voyages: que je sais bien ce que je fuis, mais non pas ce que je > cherche." > > > - Montaigne, Essais > > > > ----- Original Message ---- > From: Jaime Mendelis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 1:47:26 PM > Subject: Re: [LIT] Questions about content > > I've used reading workshop with both middle and high school level, and > found that time is the constant in both. Currently in with 8th > graders, > I made sure students knew when "reading days" were and once they > became > familiar with the structure came in with their books, found their cozy > spot in the room, and read! I found that I learned the most about my > students as readers from the conferences I had with them on reading > days. I (ala Kelly Gallagher) required 20 hours of reading outside my > class each marking period, checked reading logs, had conversations one > on one, etc. The biggest struggle I found was Atwell's conversation > journal. I struggled for years trying to write back to 130 students > each week and finally burned out. Last year I tried a suggestion > from a > colleague: have them write to someone at home. I tried it, with > awesome results. The kids were still having those conversations about > books and also made the connection at home -- two birds with one > stone! > I checked every other week that they were sharing a letter to and > received one also. I found I had to let go of the craziness of > thinking > they had to analyze every single thing they read, and just let them > have > time to read and talk about what they were thinking about! > > BUT -- I am soooooooo curious to hear about the internship with > Atwell!!! Maybe we should all share how we incorporate workshop? > Even > after 10 years of teaching I am changing things up every year and > looking for new ideas!! > > Jaime > > >>>> Cristy Weggelaar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 07/14/08 10:50 PM >>> > For Maureen or any other workshop gurus out there: How do you > facilitate a workshop if you work in a school where very specific > texts > (novels, units) are mandated by the district? I have not yet had to > work > in a situation like that, but I fully expect it to happen at some > point. > > Also, has anyone out there used the reading workshop approach at the > high school level? If so, how does a hs workshop look different from a > middle school workshop a la Atwell? > home > I recently picked up the new writing workshop book Write Beside Them > by > Penny Kittle - anyone else read it? > > I appreciate your advice!! > > - Cristy > > "Je réponds ordinairement à ceux qui me demandent raison de mes > voyages: que je sais bien ce que je fuis, mais non pas ce que je > cherche." > > > - Montaigne, Essais > > > ----- Original Message ---- > From: Maureen Robins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades. > <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, July 14, 2008 6:08:11 PM > Subject: Re: [LIT] Questions for Maureen/long > > Well, it's a long story. About five years ago when the New York City > Board > of Education was reorganized, we were all mandated to do "balanced > literacy." Personally, this was excellent for me because I was a > district > wide staff developer (Teacher College trained, a writer as well) and > attempting (with great difficulty) to bring reading and writing > workshop > in > to elementary and middle schools. While elementary schools were suited > up > with providers (Aussies and Teachers College) the middle schools were > not > given much support but, if possible, were guided by Americas Choice. I > transfered from the district to become a building based literacy > coach. > We > began to institute block scheduling and between 8 and 10 periods of > ELA. > Reading workshop was separated from writing workshop and the hard work > began. At this point we are doing an amalgam of workshop ELA with a > hefty > dose of data analysis (running records three times a year and I'm > about > to > launch a writing record of sorts using the 6 Traits rubric) and > because > I'm > an acolyte of brain-based learning (Marzano, Garmston, Bocchino, > Wolfe) > (and > an assistant principal) we've been examining how lessons are put > together > and how unit plans develop over time. We have our own pacing calendars > and > this year we are attempting to insert a grammar pacing calendar with > in > the > units. > > This also mea > ns that students are expected to read four books a unit. > Thisequivalents (number of short stories, articles etc) and there > may be one > class text to launch a unit and the teacher transitions the class into > book > groups. We have about 8 units a year. A summer assignment is required > and > this summer is is three books -- which can count toward their 25. The > books > don't have to be of a certain lenght but because we do running records > and > implement the Fountas and Pinnell levels we have an idea of what > students > ought to be reading to challenge themselves. This of course brings up > another issue because technically many of our seventh graders in the > spring > and certainly, many of our eighth graders in the fall are > comfortably at > "Z" > (the level they need to be at if they are to "meet the standards" on > the > state ELA test). We might be shifting to lexile levels so that I can > get > a > measure readers beyond Z. So, a page number requirement is not part of > the > equation, really. There are books recommended with each unit. For > example, > the sixth grades does a "socail action" in fiction unit and texts are > matched to readers as best as possible. They also do author study > (reading > at least four books by any one author). All of these are New York > State > standards based (four book on one theme, by any one author) and so a > list of > books tends to emerge. > > I'm not sure if this was of interest to anyone or if it answered your > question Connie! > > Maureen > > > > On 7/14/08, Connie Fletcher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >> Hi Marueen, >> >> Unlike NYS, Washington State doesn't have a minimum standard for > number of >> books read in a year. Is reading handled as a separate class, and do > the >> books have to be a certain length? Also, is there a recommended book > list >> for each grade level? >> >> In response to your note below I might explain that this year was a > return >> to the workshop approach after trying out SpringBoard the year >> before--and the students only averaged only 8 books for the year, > compared >> to 20 this year, so it was a move in the right direction, but still > some >> work to do. Luckily our district has decided that SB is supplemental >> instead >> of core curriculum. >> >> Thanks in advance, >> Connie Fletcher >> >> >> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- >> From: "Maureen Robins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: "A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades." < >> [email protected]> >> Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:07:57 -0400 >> Subject: Re: [LIT] Summer Book Studies, Atwell >> >>> >>> >>> ...On the reading piece: I don't believe 20 books is enough. NYS >> stardards >>> require 25 books and the teachers in my building who manage to > cajole >> kids >>> to read 50 tend to be able to have students score on the meets or > exceeds >>> the standards. >>> >>> Maureen Robins >> _______________________________________________ >> 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 > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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
