Cathleen,
Ohmygosh! A Stepford School! Seriously...earlier this year, my school
(middle) revamped their "curriculum guide/goals." Those who were on the
committee thought only CERTAIN reading skills could be taught using specific
stories---until---I looked at them quizzically and said the following
"profound" statements...{haha} "Reading skills are 'reading skills' and can
be, but more importantly, should be taught with EVERY piece of
literature---every story, every book, every poem, every essay and article!
We shouldn't simply teach "main idea" for ____________ story because that's
what the publisher's TE says to do, but teach inferencing for
_________________ story. Why can't we teach main idea, inferencing,
questioning, evaluating...blah, blah for EVERY story?" (Yes, I know kids
must be taught to use these skills first. But I'm sure you understand where
I'm headed with this.) You should have seen the look of confused
enlightenment when I said this! Yet another example of how publishers
infiltrate our teaching. Needless to say, I'm now able to use any piece of
literature I'd like...as long as I teach THE SKILLS that are mentioned in
our "new and improved" curriculum guide.
By the way, when I taught elementary, our school adopted MacMillan/McGraw
and I agree that the stories weren't bad. (I preferred Open Court---but
that's another story.) In my opinion, there is way too much "stuff" (aka
fluff) that comes with the MacMillan program. More than any teacher could
use in 2 years with the same group of kids. You need time to lay out all
the resources and plan your year/quarter---time to pick and choose what will
work BEST for your current group of students. Every year is different.
Barbara/6th/FL
-----Original Message-----
On Behalf Of Cathleen Cunningham
Hello all,
I've been a lurker for a few years and really enjoy your ideas! I've
often used a few even though I teach in a Reading First school. In my
school I am required to teach reading
directly from a basal series. I cannot leave the teacher's manual. There
are 5 third grade teachers and we are all on the same page, same story, and
same skill. However, because
of you all I do manage to sneak in a few strategies to help my students
become more active readers.
If possible, I'd like some comments about a new reading series we're
getting ready to adopt. We are looking at the new McGraw-Hill. Does anyone
have any experience with
this series if so could you possibly let me know what you think?
Thanks so much for all your help.
Cathleen
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