Sandra, Do you like the F&P LLI? We are supposed to be getting this for K-3 in my school (we piloted a computerized assessment program and had the option of a few items to support classroom instruction). I advocated for this over a leveled library because we have a lot of teachers with minimal experience and I thought that the structure of the program would make it more effetive than simply putting books in the rooms. It was also something that I don't think we could buy on our own with budget cuts and I can put a leveled classroom library together over time.
Lisa On Sun, May 29, 2011 at 5:59 PM, Sandra Stringham <sos...@sbcglobal.net>wrote: > Yep----24 out of 33 on intervention plans! You just do it because you have > to. > But here's the supports that I have: > > 1. A principal that let's me teach children-not a program. Not follow a > prescribed one size fits all mentality but truly teaching kids what it is > they > need to know to be successful. Sad that not all principals aren't like > this. > You would think that would be the model-after all that is what I am-a > teacher-not a reader of a script. > > 2. Two fantastic reading coaches. They each take groups of my kids out > during > the literacy block and before school to do interventions using F&P Leveled > Literacy Interventions. Both are former reading recovery teachers so they > aren't reading a script either but giving the kids instruction right where > they > are at. > > 3. I took my absolute lowest student and tutored her before school as > well. > Then I would have her do the Lexia computer intervention program > immediately > when school started as she needed a LOT of intervention in phonemic > awareness. > I also gave her and a few others double instruction in phonemic awareness. > Then > I met with her (or TRIED to) 5 times a week in guided reading. She was > also in > one of the LLI groups. For a period, the reading coach also took her out > separately to give her more phonemic awareness instruction and reading > instruction. > > 4. That left me with about 8 kids on intervention that only met with me in > the > classroom. Plus the 2 kids that had attendance issues and started late. > And...the kids on grade level or above (9). I also met with the kids the > coaches tok, so they also got guided reading in the classroom. But, > mathmatically, there is no way I could have done it all without these two > wonderful ladies giving these kids extra guided reading instruction. > > 5. Every single minute was used-not a moment could be wasted in the day. > > 6. And again, a principal that lets me teach kids what they need to know > to be > successful. > > > At the end of the year, if you just look at F&P reading levels as the "mark > of > success" I have 14 kids that didn't make Level I (this years benchmark-next > year > J) I guess according to the legislators I wasn't successful and should be > fired. But, the student who said synthesis is "changing our ideas and what > we > know in our schema." she's a level G-BELOW-but she is growing and loving to > read. She will be successful if she continues to get the instruction she > needs. And the rest of the kids grew as readers as well no matter what > their > "level letter" says. > > > Sandi > > > > ________________________________ > From: Susanne Lee <susannelee...@yahoo.com> > To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group > <mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> > Sent: Sat, May 28, 2011 5:09:47 PM > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Synthesis in 1st grade > > Sandra, > I also cannot believe you have 24 students on intervention (is that > RTI)??!!! I > should be RTI'ing half of my class, but I could only handle 4, so I feel > really > guilty now............. How do you do it? > > --- On Fri, 5/27/11, Sandra Stringham <sos...@sbcglobal.net> wrote: > > > From: Sandra Stringham <sos...@sbcglobal.net> > Subject: [MOSAIC] Synthesis in 1st grade > To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > Date: Friday, May 27, 2011, 10:15 PM > > > Its been a very long year and yet today I felt hope for my little ones. I > teach > > a class of 33 at risk 1st grade students at a Title I school. I can't even > begin to describe the behavior and social issues I have faced this year > that > interfered with learning and still interfere! Some I have never faced > before.....a long, long year...but today... > > I've been teaching about synthesis. We began with retelling as a step > before, > then we moved into summarizing and now this week, by using a think aloud, > the > kids observed last week that synthesis is changing your thinking as you > read. > This week, using the book Jin Woo by Eve Bunting, with think aloud and > conversations, the students decided that synthesis was changing your > thinking as > > you read and using your synthesis. I asked the students to draw a picture > of > what synthesis meant to them. Here are a few highlights: > > One student (and this was a student that had severe behavior issues and I > was > happy if she held a book in her hand, right side up, earlier in the year) > said: > > I think synthesis is changing our ideas and what we know in our schema. I > told > her I hadn't thought of that before...but she is right...sometimes we have > the > wrong idea in our schema, and as we read, we have to change that as well. > I > told her how smart her thinking was!!! Her smile could light the room!!! > > Another student--one who used to sing and hum through readers workshop- > compared > > synthesis to adding details to your writing. As you read, you are adding > to > your schema-the details that make the story bigger-so your thinking gets > bigger. And when you use your schema-you get smarter! > > A 3rd student said when you synthesize...your schema gets bigger, too. > > Another student (1 of the 24 I had on intervention plans) drew a picture of > a > person growing from a baby to an adult...just stick figures, but you could > clearly see the progression. She said synthesis is like growing up. You > change > > as you grow and learn and as you synthesize, your thinking gets bigger and > bigger. > > Finally, one student compared synthesis to planting a seed. Your first > thinking > > is like planting the seed. Then just like the seed begins to grow, so does > you > 2nd thinking (her words)....then your 3rd thinking (her words) she compared > it > to the flower that the seed grew into. She drew a picture of the > seed...the > seedling....the full plant...and labeled it with the synthesis stages. > > So.....with 1 more week to go....today made it all worthwhile. Through it > all, > I guess I was reaching them. > > I just wanted to share because we had some behavior issues in the afternoon > that > > really brought me down...and I wanted to end my day...remembering the great > things they can do. Why we persevere-it makes it all worthwhile! > > Sandi > Elgin, IL > > And I'm going to sign my name for the first time as: > > National Board Certified Teacher-Literacy; 2010 > > (Hey...I never get to do that---so humor me!) > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > 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 > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > 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 > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > 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. > > -- Lisa Glos Kindergarten Patterson Park Public Charter School Baltimore, MD _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org 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.
