Leslie and I are like-minded! Literature circles should guide your students to a deeper undestanding of the text. I believe that roles limit the rich discussion that can result from students "bringing their own thinking" to the circle. A resource that lead me to let go of roles is Fountas & Pinnell's - Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency.
Stephanie Shelby County Kentucky -----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sent: Apr 29, 2008 5:40 PM >To: [email protected] >Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] just right books? > >Take a look at Harvey Daniel's book MInilessons for Literature Circles. It >is not necessary to use roles at all. I, personally, find it unauthentic and >prefer not to have roles. > >Leslie >NYC > > >In a message dated 4/28/2008 4:16:05 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, >[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > >Suzanne, >I love reading your thoughtful and thought provoking messages. I also >love using literature circles for reading with my third graders and I >believe they help the children show the most progress on the DRA, while >developing lifelong readers. Shouldn't that be the ultimate goal? > >In my mind I think part of the problem with literature circles is that >some teachers have difficulty giving up the control of their reading >groups to children. I don't mind admitting that at times the questions >the children design are better than my "back-up" questions, but you have >to be open to that. Teaching with literature circles is not as linear >as teaching reading in a traditional guided reading format. I also >think that some administrators may not understand that a "child run" >reading group with children creating the questions is a goal that we >struggle to achieve. I sometimes wonder if they even recognize "best" >practices themselves. To see things from their point of view, I think >we all struggle to stay on top of all of the subjects we have to teach, >and the administrators must have the same challenge. > >I would love to hear how you have moved beyond the roles. I have had >the children create or tweak roles themselves. I also have difficulty >assessing literature circles beyond anecdotal records and looking over >the assigned "roles" once they are completed. If you would like to chat >about lit circles in a sidebar conversation email me off mosaic. > >I find the direction/s education is taking confusing. On one hand we >are told to differentiate to meet the needs of all learners while on the >other hand we are told to use a one-size-fits-all model to reach those >needs. I don't think children should have a steady diet of any one way >of teaching reading when there are so many different approaches that you >could take. > >Leslie > >Leslie R. Stewart >Third Grade Teacher >John B. Sliney Elementary School >23 Eades Street >Branford, CT 06405 >(203)481-5386 X310 FAX (203)483-0749 >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > >-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of HERBERT >Suzanne >Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2008 10:44 AM >To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group; Mosaic: A >Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group >Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] just right books? > >I am so thankful to hear your thoughts, as I actually thought I was >going crazy. The push is coming from the principal and all is being >based on the DRA and reading continuums. We actually had Bonnie >Campbell Hill come and do workshops here with us and she was fantastic, >and I loved what she said about Literature circles in that it supported >all I had been doing and many others in the school but let me give you a >picture of what is happening. Some teachers were struggling with LIT >circles, I offered to run some professional development on strategies in >the classroom, moving beyond the 'roles' and some of the older thoughts >about how these run. The principal said no and the reason, 'she didn't >want people to be overwhelmed as after all we are just starting with >DRAs and levelled books'. Now, for me, the kids know their levels and >if you look at their scores on a beginning DRA and the end DRA, sure >there has been development and there would have been regardless of the >DRA. >It's the way I teach reading I believe. I get 'guided reading' for >younger classes, I get it. But, once your kids become really good, >independent readers aren't you doing more of a 'lit circle' type thing. >I don't know but I agree with what you are saying about levels. And >then, they are just pulling titles from everywhere, not really matching >it up with units, trying to include fiction and non ficiton and ordering >this all online. The emphasis on good practice seems to be less >important than dotting the i and crossing the t. I was told yesterday >by the language arts coordinator that I could not order books for guided >reading that the kids had ever seen before. They had to be new texts to >the students. Now, I have a rotating library of 100 books in my room >every two weeks, where am I going to get titles the kids haven't seen, >or browsed through. I've decided to just 'be quiet', do as I'm told and >do what I know to do best, but to have these discussions with you a >n >d to listen to your comments is just such good professional chat for >me. Thank you so much. I have a friend who teaches in Armenia and she >just had a consultant in from the STATES and it was ll the same thing, >DRA, levelled books, reading continuums....and if you look at all the >big international schools in our area, it's the same. But, I feel so >isolated not being able to talk to people on a large scale about what >they are doing and how it is going. Thank you for all the help. I >love hearing from you all. Suzanne > > >-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Renee >Sent: Thu 4/24/2008 9:28 PM >To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group >Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] just right books? > >I'm sure I will get some flack for this, but in my opinion once a >student is reasonably adept at figuring out text, worrying about >*levels* is silly, unless the student consistently chooses books to >read that are way too easy or way too hard. > >I think it's real easy to get nit-picky about these things. I remember >about ten years ago or so, the Reading Recovery teacher at our school >saying that with a third grader past a certain level (RR, maybe level >17 or so) it was not necessary to do running records anymore, and yet >these days it seems like people are doing running records on sixth >graders at level bazillion. Why are we making more work for ourselves? >For what reason? > >Renee > >On Apr 23, 2008, at 9:17 PM, HERBERT Suzanne wrote: > >> It would be great if there was some feedback on this. We are >> levelling 40 percent of the books that we should be using in the >> classroom for reading. I would assume that literature circles and >> silent reading, the children will take their own choices. I teach >> fourth graders, and out of my 18 kids, 15 are independent on DRA Level > >> 50. So, I'm thinking, how essential is it to stick to 'levelled >> books' if this is the case and why wouldn't you just encourage wider >> reading and child choice? I haven't in the past been into 'exact' >> levels for guided reading, somewhere in the 'range' and then lots of >> other reading instruction. We're an international school, and a bit >> isolated in terms of these types of conversations. At the moment we >> are just following directions blindly but now all these types of >> questions are starting to be asked. Any ideas/advice/thoughts greatly > >> appreciated and I so appreciate the chance to speak with you all. >> Suzanne > > >"We are here to infiltrate space with ideas." >~ Ramtha > > > >_______________________________________________ >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. > > > > > > >**************Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car >listings at AOL Autos. >(http://autos.aol.com/used?NCID=aolcmp00300000002851) >_______________________________________________ >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.
