I teach in a 6th grade reading class (55 minutes). I am working on my Rank 1 and I have been swimming in articles on differentiation. With 125 students, the idea of this seemed impossible. However, literature circles have been my savior. I completely immersed myself in Harvey Daniel's books. I started with only one of my reading classes (guinea pigs) and then began introducing it to the rest of the reading classes. I have really gotten to know them as individuals. Lit circles can be conducted in any content area
Harrison County Middle School [EMAIL PROTECTED] sixth grade reading teacher -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Christine Halliday Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2007 10:20 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [MOSAIC] overwhelmed Hi, I'm a "nontraditional" teacher in my 5th year teaching 4th grade. Have read "Mosaic", "reading with meaning" and parts of Fountas & Pinell for 3-6. Went to an inspiring in-service with Ellin Keene @ a week ago. Despite all that, I feel a bit overwhelmed and, consequently, at sea. Matching state & district requirements to what I've found in the research seems impossible. Am especially stumped by my district's requirements to do "Differentiated Instruction":( i.e. homogeneous grouping) for 30-60 min a day. This goes against everything I believe in: that we can all learn from each other. Meanwhile, ELA and Special Ed students are being mainstreamed with no back-up or extra personnel. Does anyone else feel overwhelmed? Sometimes, I fall back on a routine simply because I don't know what else to do. Thanks for letting me vent! I want to teach my students in teh best way possible, and some days I don't know what that is! Chris/4/PA _________________________________________________________________ Play Flexicon: the crossword game that feeds your brain. PLAY now for FREE. http://zone.msn.com/en/flexicon/default.htm?icid=flexicon_hmtagline _______________________________________________ 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.
