I forgot to add that seperate from this sequence of activities I always have SSR in my classroom, for at least 20 minutes depending on the age, and during this time everybody reads, nobody is allowed to walk around the room to get new books (if you don't have a 'pleasure reading' book at your desk you grab a magazine or I give you one) and I read as well. Silently (ok as silently as possible).
I know that this kind of SSR time is becoming more obsolete as people are using this time for guided reading or conferencing or whatever, but I swear by it and always have. At the district where I worked for ten years it was highly supported at all levels of administration and I had a principal who used to come and read in the classrooms at this time (in our school, we voted as a staff on the time of day that this would happen, and everyone from secretaries to parents were supposed to be reading). Renee On Oct 20, 2006, at 6:39 AM, Renee wrote: > I have always preferred to do a combined reading/writing workshop, > which I call "Independent Reading and Writing." During this time, there > is a structured order of activity (i.e., sometimes I use a checklist > that they keep in a folder with their work) and basically it goes > something like this: > > 1. Read a book. > 2. Tell another student about the book (plus, the other student asks > three questions about the book). > 3. Write about the book. This can be a synopsis, or I have "literature > response cards" in a basket which have an assortment of writing ideas > for responding to literature, including some that have drawing > involved. > 4. Share your writing with another student and revise as needed. > 5. Make a reading activity choice (i.e., read the wall, read poems > from the poetry basket, sort letter/picture cards, alphabetizing words, > read words in the "nifty word basket" etc.) > 6. Make a writing choice (write a letter, sticker story, stamp story, > poem, whatever) > 7. Read your writing to another student and revise as needed. > 8. Sign up to meet with the teacher. > > While students are working, I do one or two guided reading groups > and/or meet with students individually to go over their work. > > The reading activity choices and writing activity choices might be the > same kinds of activities some use in centers, but I never had "centers" > set up in my classroom. Instead, I had these activities on shelves in > baskets. There was always a writing center, though, with lots of > different writing instruments, a variety of paper, rubber stamps and > stamp pads, a basket of assorted stickers, a few magazines, and a > rotating set of laminated pictures, as well as some "story starter" > cards. > > Renee > > > On Oct 20, 2006, at 6:01 AM, GRISTINA, KRISTIN wrote: > >> Many teachers in my building have students participating in writing >> experiences during this time, but it's not considered independent >> reading time. Teachers are usually seeing guided reading groups during >> this time. While students are in guided reading groups, the others are >> doing story extension activities after a read aloud or a shared >> reading. This can be compared to responding to literature in the upper >> grades, it's just that the teacher has read the text to or with the >> students before they write/respond to it in some way. Also, it's a >> great time for students to be doing picture sorts, and search the room >> activities for either beginning sounds, ending sounds or whatever they >> are working on. >> >> I think that centers CAN be productive if they are based in good >> literacy instruction and they are challenging enough for students at >> all levels. The problem with centers is that in many classrooms, >> centers unfortunately become coloring activities or non-reading >> activities that students lose interest in rather quickly. The problem >> is that the teachers in these rooms don't really understand the >> purpose of literacy centers and how to create effective centers. >> >> Kristin >> NJ >> >> >> >> ______________________________________________________________________ >> _ >> ____________ >> I am not in favor of centers for independent reading. They take time >> away >> from reading and are not often checked or monitored by the teacher. >> They >> become busy work. However, in first grade, particularly the beginning >> of first >> grade, the children often have difficulty sustaining independent >> reading. >> What are teachers doing using the workshop model for independent >> reading in >> first grade? >> >> Thank you, >> Maxine >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Mosaic mailing list >> [email protected] >> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >> http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/ >> mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. >> >> Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. >> >> > Deep down we must have real affection for each other, a clear > realization or recognition of our shared human status. At the same > time, we must openly accept all ideologies and systems as a means of > solving humanity's problems. One country, one nation, one ideology, > one system is not sufficient. > ~ The Dalai Lama > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/ > mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > "The most important office in a democracy is the office of citizen." ~ Barak Obama _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
