Philomena and Stephanie's comments, below, struck a real cord for me. As
some of you know, I've been working on a book for an embarrassingly-long
time. The working title is "Unrolling the Book". It has grown from a
single book, into a series (and I have grown older as my ideas and
experiments and drafts have accumulated ...)
I have spent the past several years working mostly in Pre-K classrooms, and
I am closing in on a completed draft on the first book in the series. It
covers Pre-K through grade 1, and very specifically focuses on how unrolled
scrolls of picture books can be used to during story time -- and on an
ongoing basis, throughout the day and over a number of days -- to engage
very young children in authentic experiences with reading-as-thinking:
problem solving, social interaction, hands on learning and exploration.
Like so many of you, I was really bowled over by Mosaic of Thought, and by
the many books that have followed from Ellin Keene and Susan Zimmermann and
their colleagues at PEBC. When I began my work at the Kindergarten level,
Andie Cunningham and Ruth Shagoury's "Starting with Comprehension" was a
great inspriation. These books -- and the conversations on this listserv --
have really shaped my thinking. So I guess my comment is this: Testing and
measurable skills have a place -- there is value in them -- but they have
become a juggernaut driven by politics and money. That juggernaut is not a
good thing.
It is important to keep our eyes on the prize -- which is the kind of
teaching and learning that people such as Elllin Keene, Debbie Miller, Andie
Cunningham, Ruth Shagoury, and some of the members of this listserve have
written about in great detail. They have shown us the way. It is important
not to lose sight of reading-as-thinking, as problem solving, social
interaction, hands on learning and exploration.
I see the juggernaut reaching back into Kindergarten. Let's take Mosaic
back there, too! Let's take it all the way back to preschool!
Dave Middlebrook
The Textmapping Project
A resource for teachers improving reading comprehension skills instruction.
www.textmapping.org | Please share this site with your colleagues!
USA: (609) 771-1781
email: [email protected]
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/textmapping
linked in: http://www.linkedin.com/in/davemiddlebrook
twitter: http://twitter.com/davemiddlebrook
pinterest: http://pinterest.com/source/textmapping.org/
----- Original Message -----
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2012 11:04 AM
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Rigor of Common Core in Kindergarten
I agree. Please publish this or let me know if I can find it on ERIC
or?where I can read the whole report. I would love to read more of this.?I
have taught 5 years in prek and now the last 10 in Kindergarten at a public
school. In?my school (NYC? here) the expectation is that the children exit
on an F&P lev. of E- D with introduction and E without introduction. We?had
done away with the handwriting program and now only use the Handwriting
without tears program and fundations writing component??as an academic
intervention in select classes.Yet??there is an expectation that?the
children?have at minimum of 5 publishing parties a year for self generated
writing units. While I agree that if the child is capable you should take
them to their highest acamdemic heights it should not be at the cost of
their childhood memories and creating authentic learning experiences. I've
read articles about a headstart /pre k programs that did scantron bubble
testing with 4 year olds. One principal removed blocks in the class for
fear that they could? inflict injury and another principal wonder why there
were so many toys and crayons in kindergarten!? It seemes to me that?many
of ?the basic principals and opportunities?that introduce our youngest
learners to problem solving, social interaction and hands on learning and
exploration experiences, are suffocated and swapped out for activites that
are in fact not developmental proven, appropriate and in fact seem designed
to manufactor guided results NOT authentic learned responses or
experiences. PLEASE publish this article!
-----Original Message-----
From: Mena <[email protected]>
To: mosaic <[email protected]>
Sent: Sun, Sep 16, 2012 6:49 am
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Rigor of Common Core in Kindergarten
Ruth, You really need to publish your research. I would love for you to
just
share your introductory paragraph with the group! From, Mena
Philomena Marinaccio-Eckel, Ph.D.
Florida Atlantic University
Dept. of Teaching and Learning
College of Education
2912 College Ave. ES 214
Davie, FL 33314
Phone: 954-236-1070
Fax: 954-236-1050
-----Original Message-----
From: Cathy <[email protected]>
To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group
<[email protected]>
Sent: Sat, Sep 15, 2012 8:54 pm
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Rigor of Common Core in Kindergarten
Mena - can you cite your student's sources? Was her/his research on
kindergarten
or per-kindergarten programs?
Thanks.
Cathy
Sent from my iPad
On Sep 15, 2012, at 8:57 AM, Mena <[email protected]> wrote:
> I have to quote one of my students who researched this topic:
"Controversyexists in early childhood education with the development and
implementation ofskills-based standards and the necessary accompanying
standardized tests. State and national early childhood standards were
developed
as a result of NoChild Left Behind, and more recently Race to the Top,
both
federal initiatives. The controversy lies in the incongruity between
research-based developmentalpractices that have long been accepted for
early
childhood and the academicskills standards that are construed by many
early
childhood educators to bereplacing those. Further controversy erupts due
to an
increase instandardized testing of young children for program
accountability.
Critics argue that such testing has very low reliability, causes stressfor
both
children and teachers, causes major curriculum changes, and results
inlarge
amounts of teacher-directed instruction taking the place of
moredevelopmentally
appropriat
e activities that are typical in play-based,child-centered preschools.
Traditional child-initiated instruction inpreschool programs is thought to
aid
children in their social and emotionalgrowth, development that will be
lacking
as more teacher-directed curriculum isimposed on early childhood in an
attempt
to teach skills that are not, in manycases, age appropriate. The tendency
toward standardized teaching andassessment practices for young children is
not
only an emotional issue, but atthe very core of determining how children
in the
United States will best learnin order to be competent adults in our global
society. This literaturereview investigates this multi-faceted problem
which
involves young children,their parents, their teachers, as well as
government
agencies and educationaltheorists. "
>
>
>
>
> Philomena Marinaccio-Eckel, Ph.D.
> Florida Atlantic University
> Dept. of Teaching and Learning
> College of Education
> 2912 College Ave. ES 214
> Davie, FL 33314
> Phone: 954-236-1070
> Fax: 954-236-1050
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mlredcon <[email protected]>
> To: mosaic <[email protected]>
> Sent: Fri, Sep 14, 2012 7:44 pm
> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Rigor of Common Core in Kindergarten
>
>
> The best way is to do on demand informal assessments using running
records
> so kids can move up when they are ready and lots of interactive read
aloud
> for high level comprehension. Take a look at the
> website-readingwritingproject.com
> Maxine
>
>
> In a message dated 9/14/2012 3:56:30 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> [email protected] writes:
>
> Hi! In Iowa, we are busy aligning to Iowa Core in Kindergarten - a
close
> spin off Common Core. We are experiencing some tripedation as we
look
> to the rigor of getting students to an F & P level D by the end of
> Kindergarten. I am a reading specialist that wants to support the
Core,
> but more importantly, help my teachers get comfortable and do the
right
> thing at the right time in the most developmentaly appropriate way.
I
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