Heather, do you have copies of the log forms, etc., on the mosaic site or your site? I'd love to see them. Sharon in WI
----- Original Message ----- From: "Heather Wall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2007 20:56 Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Lab Classrooms > Heather, I'm a bit behind on my emails because I've been on vacation, so > hopefully I'm not just restating what someone else has written... > > For the past couple of years my room served as an "unofficial" lab > classroom, since we don't have "official" ones where I teach. I can't > remember exactly how it started, but it probably began after I taught a > summer inservice on reading/writing workshop and then invited the > participants to visit my class to see it work. After that word spread and > a few principals came who were interested in implementing balanced > literacy in their schools along with other teachers and coaches. I > probably had around 40 people visit that first year. After a few visits I > found that teachers always asked for the same types of things (copies of > my lesson plan sheet, the book log letter I wrote my kids, the booklog > sheet they recorded on, etc.), so my literacy coach helped me put together > a packet of these forms along with an article supporting the workshop > approach. I found it worked best when my schedule allowed for the workshop > followed by the specials schedule (art, music, PE) so I could spend > time talking with the teachers and answering their questions. WHen my > schedule didn't allow for that I ended up taking the kids' conference time > to talk with teachers, and that didn't work so well. I didn't receive any > type of compensation or credit, but it was very helpful to me in that it > served to help me examine my teaching and verbalize what I'm doing and > why. I do think it helped the teachers who observed b/c I heard from many > of them throughout the year as they tried it in their rooms. Most folks > need to go slowly and implement pieces at a time (I know I was that way!), > so it really does work best if the teachers have a literacy coach they can > go back to who can help them through the process. Once they've tackled > writing workshop, for instance, they often become interested in changing > their spelling program, then the reading workshop, then learning about > strategies, etc. > > It's a very rewarding process! Congratulations on taking the plunge! > > Heather Wall/ 3rd grade/ Georgia > NBCT 2005 > Literacy: Reading - Language Arts > > > > ----- Original Message ---- > From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Monday, June 4, 2007 1:43:44 PM > Subject: [MOSAIC] Lab Classrooms > > > A few years ago I saw Ellin Keene speak about lab classrooms. I am feeling > comfortable with the strategies enough to start to develop a lab classroom > for next year. I am looking for how they are running in other schools. > What are the positive and negatives? Do teachers really benefit from > them? > Do the teachers who lead the lab classrooms benefit in someway (money, > in-service credits??) How do you let other teachers know when they can > come and observe in the classrooms? Any information you provide would be > helpful!! Thanks!! > > Heather Ferris > "Smart is not something you are, it is something you become." > > > _______________________________________________ > 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. > _______________________________________________ > 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. > _______________________________________________ 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.
