Reading and writing are social acts they require our students to have times of coming together with their peers and pulling away to independent reading and writing. This year I feel like I have put together a symphony of readers and writers in my 6th grade class. I take my cues from leaders in the field: Reggie Routman, Calkins and the volumes of her work, Stehanie Harvey and Anne Goutvas, Carl Anderson, Cris Tovani, Ralph Fletcher, Ellin Keene , Katie Wood Ray, certainly Best Practice, and folks that are in the trenches with kids. I look for people who can write from the first hand experience of working with the kids. Then I take the cues from the students. I model, model model, all year long then employ the gradual release model. In reading I have what I call "Book Clubs" and in writing "Writer's Workshop". Just labels but the content of what transpires in them is what is so important.I monitor and filter in strategies etc. The literary debates that take place in their book clubs are awesome! When kids engage with emotion and debate on what motivated a character or clear up misunderstandings and in some cases decide, *ok we see this differently and that is just fine.* When students look at a piece of mentor text and think ohhh I want to write like that or they come up to you while reading independently and say *you have to listen to how this author wrote to show how bad a situation was or how they paint the picture of the setting where I feel I am right there or I tried to do what Spinnelli did in Eggs listen to what I wrote etc.* It isn't textbooks that create this atmosphere it is authentic literature and writing about their lives. If I had to teach from a basal series you may as well put me behind a depart store counter selling perfume! My work is hard, my work is rewarding, my work changes lives and sparks readers and writers to go to new levels of understanding. Hope this helps! Susan
On Sat, May 3, 2008 at 9:26 PM, Renee <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Best Practices: > > - doing what children need, not what a program says. > - keeping meaning/comprehension at the forefront > - reading to and with children > - integrating writing with reading > - considering alternate forms of literacy (critical literacy, > mathematical literacy, visual literacy) > - allowing children's needs and interests to influence instruction > - knowing why you are doing what you are doing at all times > > Those are just off the top of my head. > > I don't worry whether or not something is "supported by research" > because I have little regard for most education research > statistics/generalizations unless I know what the design of the > research looked like in the first place. :-) > > Renee > > On Apr 30, 2008, at 8:58 PM, Maureen wrote: > > > I am curious how literacy teachers K-8 would answer if they were asked, > > "What are your reading and writing practices and learning experiences > > and > > why have you specifically chosen these? What do you consider best > > practices > > that are supported by research? > > _______________________________________________ > > 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. > > > > > "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that > matter." > ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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.
