Sure! We are reading *Rules* by Cynthia Lord as the mentor text, which everyone reads, to begin our unit on Growing Up. Other novels within the unit are *Bridge to Terebithia*, *The Pinballs*, *The Jacket*, *The Summer of Riley*, *Number the Stars* and *Esperenza Rising*
Our next thematic unit is Self Discovery. The mentor text is *Holes*. Can't recall all of the supplemental novels, but off the top of my head the is *The Journey to Topaz*, *Because of Winn Dixie* and *Bud, Not Buddy*. We then read historical fiction and focus on it as a genre. The mentor text is *Toliver's Secret*. The other novels I recall are *My Brother Sam is Dead *, *Phoebe the Spy*, and *The Keeping Room*. We do a Natalie Babbitt author study and read both *The Eyes of the Amaryllis* and *Tuck Everlasting*. Wrap up the year with Poetry and Drama, focusing on the Odes of Gary Soto. Maura On Sun, Oct 2, 2011 at 9:34 PM, Patricia Kimathi <[email protected]>wrote: > Can you share some of the books you use to model the lessons. > Patk > > On Oct 2, 2011, at 5:23 PM, Maura Shea Sackett wrote: > > I vary the responses, depending on what they've been taught. Typically, I >> begin the workshop with a read aloud from our mentor text. All students >> have >> a copy and follow along silently. I think aloud to model whatever is >> connected to the minilesson strategy. For the first couple of weeks of >> school, we've been focusing on metacognition. I believe that in order to >> practice all other strategies, students must be aware of that internal >> voice >> Readers have as we interact and react to text. So I model that a lot. They >> have a go with it, first by doing turn and talk with a reading partner. >> >> Next I modeled stop and jot, which is basically the same thing as turn and >> talk, but instead I show the youngsters how I jot down what I am thinking. >> For a 12 page chapter, I may stop and jot four times. I focus initially on >> Observations, Wonders, and Links (OWL) which I got from this list years >> ago. >> They practice and at the end of the read aloud, several will share their >> thinking. So that is currently what we are doing now for reading >> responses. >> >> This week I need to be sure they are set on story elements, so that will >> be >> the focus of my think alouds. Next up witll be the strategy of asking >> questions. I love QAR for this strategy, so I'll be pulling that in next >> week. All of these are things I'll be having them practice into their >> Reader's Notebook. They'll use our mentor text as well as their Just Right >> books. >> >> After this part of the workshop, I have them reading independently in >> either >> Just Right books or novels at their level which are connected to our >> thematic unit. This year I'll be doing less assigned novel reading; rather >> I'll offer the books up and see if children want to read them. Our >> district >> tried doing Guided Reading using novels in the upper grades (I teach >> fifth), >> but I just can't make it work in the limited time I have. So this year >> I'll >> be doing small group targeted instruction using short text and more >> nonfiction. Our district bought the Scholastic leveled library, so I hope >> to >> get kids practicing strategies within these books, short text (love >> Scholastic's "Storyworks"!), their Social Studies text, poetry, and >> whatever >> I can find online. >> >> As students are reading independently I pull small groups for more >> instruction. I also use the time to do miscues, interviews, and write >> anecdotal notes on the children. Whew! The 50-60 minutes flies by! I try >> to >> have a quick share at the end of the workshop, to pull us all back >> together. >> >> >> I highly recommend going to the Tools page for the list serv, which I >> believe is still on Reading Lady. Here's the link >> >> http://www.readinglady.com/**mosaic/tools/tools.htm<http://www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm> >> >> Many talented teachers have put up so many wonderful lessons, assessments, >> long term strategy plans, and way more. I could not possibly do what I do >> without this site. I love it and so appreciate my online colleagues for >> sharing! >> >> Good luck with launching your Reading Workshop. This is my twelfth year, >> and >> I still feel like I am constantly learning and refining and growing. >> That's >> why I teach! >> >> Maura >> 5/NJ >> >> >> >> On Sun, Oct 2, 2011 at 2:49 PM, Cara Acosta <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >> That site is so great, thanks for the share. For those of you who do >>> reader's workshop-- I am a bit overwhelmed with management. How do you >>> decide what type of responding the students are doing at any given time? >>> Is >>> it set up individually or as groups or whole class? >>> >>> On Sun, Oct 2, 2011 at 9:13 AM, Maura Shea Sackett <[email protected] >>> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>> >>> Try the Teachers' College Site. They have downloadable assessments. My >>>> district just began using these. >>>> >>>> >>>> http://rwproject.tc.columbia.**edu/resources/assessments/** >>> reading-assessments<http://rwproject.tc.columbia.edu/resources/assessments/reading-assessments> >>> >>>> >>>> The assessments are accompanied by rubrics, good explanations for >>>> administering them, and how to use them for assessing levels. >>>> >>>> Maura >>>> 5/NJ >>>> >>>> On Sat, Oct 1, 2011 at 3:41 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>> Hi Beverlee, >>>>> What is DEAR? >>>>> >>>>> And what is the difference between independent level and high >>>>> >>>> instructional >>>> >>>>> level? The names make them sound very different. >>>>> Although my school gives various reading tests, we do not test for >>>>> >>>> reading >>>> >>>>> level. Can anyone suggest a test I can use in the classroom for >>>>> >>>> reading >>> >>>> level so that I can determine what texts are right for my students? >>>>> Jan >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Quoting "[email protected]" <[email protected]>: >>>>> >>>>> And the other thing we'd do well to remember is the crucial piece in >>>>>> >>>>> his >>> >>>> work reminding us that the material used absolutely needs to be at an >>>>>> independent/high instructional level >>>>>> in order for the child to continue to grow as a reader. If she's >>>>>> >>>>> reading >>>> >>>>> "below grade level" then it's very likely that all of the content >>>>>> >>>>> books >>> >>>> are >>>>>> too high, so little growth is likely there. Unless the books in >>>>>> >>>>> readers' >>> >>>> workshop are carefully matched to the readers, we can't expect the >>>>>> >>>>> kind >>> >>>> of >>>> >>>>> growth that needs to take place. Plus, there has to be quality >>>>>> instruction. It so disappoints me in the [hopefully] rare instances >>>>>> >>>>> when >>> >>>> a >>>> >>>>> teacher >>>>>> creates what amounts to little more than DEAR, calls it readers' >>>>>> >>>>> workshop, >>>> >>>>> and then complains that workshop "doesn't work." So...be sure when >>>>>> >>>>> you're >>>> >>>>> looking at the research that you look beyond the conclusions to see >>>>>> >>>>> how >>> >>>> the >>>>>> research was set up, how the terms are defined, etcetera. And PLEASE, >>>>>> some >>>>>> of you, find a collaborator and do this research so teachers in ten >>>>>> >>>>> years >>>> >>>>> aren't still asking, "Where's the beef?" >>>>>> Connected by DROIDVerizon Wireless >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> ______________________________****_________________ >>>>> Mosaic mailing list >>>>> [email protected] >>>>> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >>>>> http://literacyworkshop.org/****mailman/options/mosaic_**<http://literacyworkshop.org/**mailman/options/mosaic_**> >>>>> literacyworkshop.org< >>>>> >>>> http://literacyworkshop.org/**mailman/options/mosaic_** >>>> literacyworkshop.org<http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org> >>>> > >>>> >>>>> >>>>> Search the MOSAIC archives at >>>>> http://snipurl.com/****MosaicArchive<http://snipurl.com/**MosaicArchive> >>>>> < >>>>> >>>> http://snipurl.com/**MosaicArchive <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<http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org> >>>> >>>> Search the MOSAIC archives at >>>> http://snipurl.com/**MosaicArchive<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<http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org> >>> >>> Search the MOSAIC archives at >>> http://snipurl.com/**MosaicArchive<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<http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org> >> >> Search the MOSAIC archives at >> http://snipurl.com/**MosaicArchive<http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive> >> >> > PatK > > > > > > > ______________________________**_________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/**mailman/options/mosaic_** > literacyworkshop.org<http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org> > > Search the MOSAIC archives at > http://snipurl.com/**MosaicArchive<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
