Chapri I was talking about Ginger's post and part of it is below. I use the Daily 5 to help me set up independent reading and it is a wonderful book. Ginger's posts helped me to pick up some new ideas. If you want to see them, please go to the archives and you can also view other opinions and additions to her posts. The book will be very easy to follow.
Look at: http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. Linda Chapri wrote: Sorry if I am imposing. I noticed your comment from the [EMAIL PROTECTED] and was wondering what was the original comment about how Ginger open her class and how you use the Daily 5. I have just ordered the book and also I am new to the group. Would you mind sharing. This is part of what Ginger wrote on 7/10/08 As many of you know, I took a years break from the listserv. I entrusted the moderation role to Jennifer and she has done a superb job. Jennifer will continue to retain the title "moderator" again this year. As for me, especially after attending Stephanie Harvey's 2 day institute, I am ready to reenter the arena of the talk you all do so deeply here. I am especially interested in talking about the beginning of the year stuff. I think revisiting the procedural/routine training steps and the early strategy lessons will not only help me get back into the groove of thinking "school" (why is it I always seem to forget how to start the year when I'm away?) but will be a support to new teachers and teachers new to this teaching. I invite you all to reflect on how you begin your year and please jump in and share! Every year I start out by laying the groundwork for my work all year. I believe very strongly in establishing clear routines and expectations. The time we take at the beginning of the year to model and practice the routines (transitions, how to sit in the gathering area, active listening, turn and talk, etc.) simply prepares our students to do the learning work with us throughout the year. To get myself ready for this crucial beginning work, I make a list of all the transitions (entering the room, lining up for specials/lunch/etc., coming to the gathering area, end of the day), and other routines we will be following all year. This helps me to be clear on what I need to explicitly teach my students. I need to be very clear on what I want in their everyday behaviors so that I can model and teach them what I am looking for. It ensures success if we teach them explicitly up front. A great book for this "training" phase is The Daily 5. While the book is written to help set up the structure of the reading workshop, you can easily transfer the "talk" they use with their students to all situations where "training" is involved to point to success. The very first day of school I make a ring of seats in a circle and have the children take a seat. I have an easel with chart paper already filled out with many pages of a T-chart I use (and wish EVERYONE would use, because it is SO POWERFUL!!!) that says: LOOKS LIKE on one side and SOUNDS LIKE on the other side. I teach my new group active listening first. It is a strong piece of the foundation of engagement for the year. I talk to them about how I'm sure they are so used to having to face the teacher when he/she is teaching but that now they are going to be turning their bodies and eyes to whomever it is that is speaking in the room. So I walked around the outside of the circle and asked them to show me what it would look like if they were doing Active Listening "on me" over here. They all rotated their bodies and faced me. Then I pointed to someone sitting over there on the carpet (say John) and said if we pretended he was sharing HIS thinking next how would it look to do Active Listening "on John". (I know that is not correct grammar but you'll see why I use it in a minute.) So they all rotated towards him. I walked over to where John was sitting and talked to them about how at first this will probably feel VERY uncomfortable because typically we are not used to having the entire class facing us when we are talking. But the reason we do it is because we all believe that what John has to say is VERY IMPORTANT and worthy of our respect. That we can learn from John's thinking. That maybe what John is about to share connects with something we were thinking. That RECEIVING the thinking of our classmates is a very important part of what we will be doing all year. In order to RECEIVE that thinking best it helps to face the person sharing. Then I walked back to the head of the group and reinforced those who turned their bodies and eyes on me as I walked. For those who did not I simply say "Active Listening on me now." "Eyes and bodies facing the speaker." "I'm the one sharing my thinking so you need to face me now." _______________________________________________ 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.
