What a wonderful Golden moment for you Carol...how wonderful, this boy must see in you someone to support something he wants and doesn't know how to begin. I would find out what his sport passion is, i know Tony Hawker the skateboard king has done so much for boys and reading. But, if he loves some game, find some person he admires. And then my advise, it's not about him reading the entire book, but finding with him the chapters that capture his interest....even better if there is a chapter he relates to in some way. Encourage just the chapter. Bite size. Set a small goal. You might find, that it's the next chapter he wants to read...and if you can try and get a number of books for him to browse to identify the style or interest that grabs him. What a shame he has not had someone like you in his life sooner...Good Luck.
--- On Sat, 13/12/08, carol minkoff <[email protected]> wrote: > From: carol minkoff <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Re (Mosaic) Reflections on units of study (long...) > To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group" > <[email protected]> > Received: Saturday, 13 December, 2008, 2:16 AM > I love this, too! It makes reading strategically so much > more meaningful for > the students. Question: I am doing some volunteer work in > a high school > program in which students who have been suspended choose to > participate as > an alternative to just staying home. Many of the kids are > very bright, but > have emotional issues. Yesterday a student approached me > and explained that > he has not been able to read a book, even for pleasure, > from beginning to > end because he looses focus and starts thinking about other > things. Before > he knows it, he is reading the words, but not paying > attention to the text. > He said that when he takes his medication, it can help, but > doesn't really > do the trick. He will only be in the program 4 more > days--then he returns > to class. He asked me if I could help him in anyway; he > wants very much to > overcome this problem. He said that he prefers non-fiction, > and he is > interested in sports biographies, but has many other > interests as well. Does > anyone have suggestions of high interest non fiction? He > is in 11th > grade--and an honors English student. I want to stay away > from anything that > might be sad or depressing, as this could be an issue for > him. There is > very little time to work with these kids as they only > attend the program > while on suspension. Also, it is rare for these kids to > demonstrate > motivation...and I really don't want to let him down. > Suggestions would be > Greatly appreciated > Thanks so much, > Carol > Carol's Classroom > Independent tutoring and reading coach > Former teacher in Montgomery County, Maryland > > > On Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 8:48 AM, Ljackson > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I am so with you and Frank! How can a strategy become > the unit of study? > > Isn't it a tool to access the unit, to make it > richer and help kids get the > > big ideas? In a nonfiction study, isn't it a > natural to shine a light on > > determining importance to support study habits and > synthesis to support > > students in learning to internalize and re-represent > information? That is > > the conclusion I drew after a couple of years of > trying to teach a unit > > around a strategy. So I try to help teachers design > meaningful units of > > study and then to ask themselves, is there a specific > strategy or two that I > > would like to 'shine on' here, so that > children can expand their ability to > > think more meaningfully about what they are learning? > Do I seen > > opportunities to remind students that previously > focused upon strategies can > > apply in this new sort of reading--to help them > generalize strategies across > > genre and text types? I am finding that beginning > with immersion in genre, > > often with a writing or performance > (speaking/listening/viewing) project in > > mind, that the strategies fit in like puzzle pieces. > It would be my hope > > that by spotlighting strategies with our younger > learners, that we can move > > students towards a natural and more integrated use of > strategies across > > their DAY and across their LIVES. It is about so much > more than reading... > > > > > > > > Lori Jackson > > District Literacy Coach and Mentor > > Todd County School District > > Box 87 > > Mission SD 5755 > > > > ----- Original message ----- > > From: [email protected] > > To: [email protected] > > Date: Thursday, December 11, 2008 9:02 PM > > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Re (Mosaic) Reflections on units > of study (long...) > > > > > I just came away from Frank Serafini's > workshop today and realized how > > > closely aligned his thoughts were to the posts on > the listserv as of > > late.... he > > > is a very funny man who makes you think about why > you do what you do in > > your > > > practice..... his big talk today was about > comprehension strategies and > > his > > > feelings that perhaps we are taking the strategy > instruction a bit too > > far and > > > teaching as if they are the big units in a > reading workshop. ...rather > > than a > > > way to access those big units of study. He did a > marvelous job of showing > > how > > > graphic organizers and reader responses should > be used as discussion > > > starters rather than an end "product" > which teachers tend to use as > > assessment. He > > > asked us to consider a graphic organizer like a > t-chart in which the > > child > > > or a group of children determine the parameters. > He said if teachers are > > > filling in the top of the t-chart and kids are > responding to our > > descriptors then > > > we've reduced their thinking and asked them > to align their thoughts to > > ours. > > > I am sure I am not saying it well.... but it > drove so many points home > > that I > > > must say I am guilty of..... > > > > > > He told a funny story of how a teacher was trying > to compliment him on > > his > > > new non-fiction series he has written for primary > kids... how she uses > > them to > > > teach inferences... boy did he go off on it... > humorously... making the > > point > > > that the books are about nature and his purpose > was never to write books > > to > > > go with a unit on inferencing.... he kept > showing how inferencing > > happens... > > > that it is determined by the genre of the text: > where it happens, when it > > > happens, why it happens, and with what other > strategies kids use while > > they are > > > inferencing are all text bound... not a study in > and of itself... that it > > > will take various shapes... or forms... if I had > to give a > > "visualization" for > > > it. > > > > > > He also gave many ideas of how inferencing works( > and I use that example > > > because the last few posts were about > inferencing) outside the book > > (where he > > > says all inferences happen) but yet, still bound > by what you have learned > > in the > > > text. To drive that point home he did an > activity with us in which he > > read > > > excerpts from the book and then asked volunteers > to become the book > > character. > > > The audience could ask any question they wanted > of the characters (not > > > necessarily related to the plot) ... but the > volunteers had to answer the > > > questions by inferencing what they thought the > character would say about > > a > > > particular question.... think dinner party talk! > Then use the responses > > to determine > > > if they were logical and in line with what you > thought about the > > character.... > > > and it is the later part... the discussion.... > that is most important > > not > > > the response of the volunteer.... > > > > > > His focus was geared for third grade and up but > it really was a "mindset" > > he > > > was talking about... He showed how in primary we > tell the kids to use > > > illustrations to support text... but he pulled > plenty of picture books > > out that > > > not only showed symmetrical support (images > parallel the the > > information) but > > > "enhancement" interplay where > illustrations enhance the text (think The > > Boy > > > Who Looked like Lincoln) where the ah ha is in > the picture and adds so > > much > > > more to the text then the words can say... and > then counterpoint > > interplay where > > > the image provides information that is > contradicted by the text (think > > The > > > Sweetest Fig) Anyway... this might be old hat > for some but it blew > > away some > > > of cornerstones of pedagogy and forced me to > rethink .... and maybe > > looking > > > out from a lens is as productive or perhaps more > productive than > > focusing > > > on the stuff under the lens. > > > Pam > > > In a message dated 12/11/2008 5:44:22 P.M. > Eastern Standard Time, > > > [email protected] writes: > > > > > > I like Bev's idea of Comprehension > Connections > > > (mcGregor). It is easy to implement right away. > I also think that Daily > > > Five would be a good start. You mentioned class > size and it combines > > management > > > and reading. It sounds like your teacher's > have a lot to handle, and > > > Comprehension Connections and the Daily Five use > activities to get going > > right away. > > > > > > Once the group is established, MOT would be great > to study. > > > > > > Linda > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > 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. > > > > > > > > > > > > **************Make your life easier with all your > friends, email, and > > > favorite sites in one place. Try it now. > > > ( > > > http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000010 > > ) > > > _______________________________________________ > > > 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. Start your day with Yahoo!7 and win a Sony Bravia TV. Enter now http://au.docs.yahoo.com/homepageset/?p1=other&p2=au&p3=tagline _______________________________________________ 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.
