Bye Bye Summer...Hello New School Year 2013-14

 Getting Ready for your Literacy Framework:

It is that time again...back to school time. As teachers we are busy getting our classrooms ready for our new students. In order to do that, it is important to be ORGANIZED and PREPARED. These are the keys to a less stressful school year. Begin to think about what you need to launch the new school year. It might be helpful to look back at your lesson plans to remember (it was a whole year ago now) some of the important things that you did to get to know your students and drive your instruction. 

Here are some things that I like to have ready to go for my literacy framework:

Supplies:
1. Folders- Reading, Writing, Word Study (with any sheets that you find useful for students)
2. Reader's Notebooks- Names take awhile to write on the front, as well as signing the welcome letter inside
3. Writing Center- a designated area in the classroom with all writing supplies, so that students can independently get what they need during the writing workshop (post-its various sizes, pencils, red pens, blue pens, highlighters, white out, stapler, staples, tape, index cards, dictionaries, thesauruses, clipboards,  hole punch...etc.)
4. Writing Process chart for students to move where they are in the process
5. Rubrics- start making copies of any rubrics that you know that you use during the year, so that your not scrambling later
6. Think Marks for students to keep track of their thinking  
7. Begin to think about how you are going to organize things that you will need for yourself- i.e binders for separate workshops or one big binder


 Assessments:
1. Reading Interview
2. Writing and Word Study Interview
3. Schlagel Spelling Interview- student copies, teacher copy for scores, analysis sheets (a few)
4. 6 Trait Writing Assessment
5.  F & P Benchmark- do you have enough copies made before you begin testing?

Guided Reading Table Area:
I have learned to have a designated area with necessary supplies to ensure that I'm prepared for my reading groups. Even though groups will not begin until most likely October, I like to have things ready to go. This way I'm not scrambling later. 








1. Bins-I like to have bins for different groups to keep any books and graphic organizers that I may use.

 






 
2. Supplies- try to keep plenty of pencils, highlighters, erasers, whiteout, dry erase markers, and small white boards for students
3. Observation Forms or stickies for anecdotal notes
4. Binder for notes on students to guide instruction/clipboard
 
I'm always trying out a new way to stay organized. You have to find out what works best for you. Some teachers like to keep plastic drawers near their table for their supplies. Others may prefer a small table behind or beside their table for bins. There is no magical answer. It is whatever helps to make things most efficient for you and your students.

Classroom Library: 
Where will you put it? Think about where your students will be able to access books without bothering working students or your reading groups. Next, make sure that you have your books organized. Putting your books in baskets is easy access for students.  
DO NOT organize them by reading level! Instead, organize them by genre, author, award winners, series...the sky is the limit. 

 






 
Many teachers take the time to create a sticker system to organize books- meaning they use different stickers to code books. The sticker will coordinate with the genre. For example, red circle for realistic fiction. A coded chart can be hung in your library. This helps to keep books organized, helps students familiarize themselves with genres, and cuts down search time for books, as well as where to return books. It is time consuming to begin, but pays off year after year.




*Each book would get an individual sticker (doesn't necessarily have to say the genre- could have a symbol with a corresponding chart).

Make sure that there is an area for classroom book recommendations, as well. You might also want a basket for your mentor texts. 

Decide how you will allow students to check-out books. In our classroom last year, we started a procedure where students had to fill out an index card with the title of the book, author, and their name (some books already had them from previous years, others didn't, but this is a task students can help you with). The cards were kept in a library pocket inside the book when the book is on the shelf. Then, they had to check-in with the teacher when they were checking out the book. This was very important in the beginning of the school year when we were teaching students to choose just right books. The teacher not only has a conversation with the student, but also records the book that each student decides to check-out. This helps keep track of books (so they don't get lost), time it takes a student to read the given book (are they really reading? is it just right?) and amount of books reading during the school year. The teacher keeps the index card (we had a pocket chart to put them in) and in order to get a new book the student had to trade out index cards and put books back into the correct location.

 

 
Finally- Map out how you are going to begin that 1st week. Think about how you are going to launch your workshops: 1st 20 days for reading, launching the Writer's Notebook, and the mentor texts that you are going to introduce to your class first :) 

Cheers to a fabulous new successful school year! 

Summer Reading

What are you reading this summer? Better yet, what are your kids reading this summer? The summer vacation is typically filled with days enjoying the gorgeous weather, which is something that I definitely enjoy too. However, it is very important to ensure that your child continues to practice reading in order to improve their reading stamina and not lose any of the growth that was gained from the previous school year.

Reading doesn't have to be a daunting task. Make it fun! I don't care what a child reads as long as he/ she is reading and enjoying it at the same time. There are so many great resources out there.

My Top 10 Helpful Hints:

1. Visit your local library- they often have read alouds, great summer reading suggestions, and often times a program your child can join

2. Visit your local bookstore- much like the library, book stores often have programs and book suggestions for your child

3. Read your local newspaper- you might find some local reading programs. Also, reading the newspaper with your child teaches them how to use this resource. You would be surprised to know that many children are unaware of how to navigate one. Often times newspapers include a child friendly section.

4. Visit reading websites! There are so many out there. Reading on-line is just as useful and helpful as reading a book! Many sites even have free books that your child can read.

5. Set a time aside for your child to read. Many enjoy to read before bed or when they wake up in the morning. Rainy days and beach days are also great times to read.

6. Find a special reading spot. I really enjoy reading on the beach during vacation. But when I'm home, I like to read out on my porch. Where is your special spot?

7. Reading doesn't always have to be a solo activity! Read together, share the book, and have a discussion. Invite others to join and create your very own summer book club.

8. Use your friends to help you choose a book. I depend on my friends for book recommendations. There are so many great books out there to choose from. I also like to see what new books have just been published to help spark my interest.

9. It is important to know that it is ok to abandon a book. You aren't going to love every book that you pick and that's ok. Try to give it a chance, but if you aren't warming up to it, swap it for something else.

10. Make reading a part of your household. If your children see you reading, they will know that it is important. So, I ask you what are you reading this summer? Better yet, what is your child reading? I recently finished the children's book: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate.

Sad News...

Due to budgetary issues, my current position as a literacy teacher, coach, and trainer has come to an end. I have known for some time now that I will no longer be in the position that I am in, but have been trying to continue teaching and coaching as normal. I am very happy and thankful for the journey that I have been given the last two years, as I have learned and grown so much as an educator and teacher of literacy. Hopefully one day we will get back to where we should be going...forward, not backwards. Only when a school district has a strong literacy program with Reading Recovery, Leveled Literacy Intervention, and Literacy Collaborative all implemented as they were envisioned to be, will we see the growth and love for literacy from our students. Many people may think that I have "drank the Kool-Aid," and in a way I have. As a teacher, I have seen that growth through my colleague's teaching of Reading Recovery (1st grade reading intervention), my own teaching with another colleague utilizing L.L.I., and my own implementation of Literacy Collaborative Workshop Model. Unfortunately, due to unfunded mandates and lack of state funding, our district no longer has the money to support these wonderful and enriching programs, two of which are intervention programs for our struggling readers. As for me, I will return to my roots and work with those struggling readers by servicing 3-5 students with Academic Intervention Services (A.I.S). I will continue to update this blog with teaching, ideas, and experiences don't you worry! After all, I will always be a coach of literacy :)

Here are some funny cartoons that I stumbled upon...one is quite old (reference school year, but it's all the same every year!)

End of the year and thinking about the new school year to come...

 Always thinking about the next year....

Many of us are getting ready for a much needed school year break called summer vacation. Even though many of us are also unsure of what next year will mean for us (well, in my district anyways). It is still a good time to get things organized, so that in September you're not wondering where did I put that and where to begin.

I like to set up a file folder of beginning of the year things to d,o in order to offer a smooth transition and try not to forget anything later. A lot of things that are included in this file folder are my beginning of the year assessments and get to know you activities, as well as things/ideas for Open House.

Some of my beginning of the year ideas are:
1. Reading Inventory
2. Writing Inventory
3. Schlagel Spelling Assessment
4. 6- Trait Writing Assessment
5. Class Benchmark Sheet; (my benchmark box should have copies made and ready to go for the following school year)
6. Reading Strategies Bookmarks
7. Writing Checklist for students
8. Binders for reading and writing workshop for anecdotal notes (well, not in a folder...haha)
9. Stickies for notes
10. My reading and writing clipboards strategically placed near binders
11. Old letter to parents regarding Open House- to tweak later- and any other materials that will be helpful for that night
12. Any cute activity (and supplies) that you have found for the students to do for Open House- try to push yourself not to do the sammmmme activity that you always do
13. Writer's notebook entry ideas that will help jump start writer's workshop
14. A space in the classroom where you can put students' supplies as they come in (workbooks, folders, notebooks, and etc. so you don't get overwhelmed with piles)
15. Finally, a brainstormed map of how you would like your classroom "setup"- in case your building is like mine and everything comes out for good old cleaning

This is only a brainstormed list...I'm sure that there are more things to add. What else would you put onto this list? Don't forget, the break is a great time to spend an hour or two finally getting that webpage up and going! Once you start, it makes things a lot easier later on in the year to update and add to. Then you will only have to add a little here and there and you still have your page :)

Author Visits

Author Visits

 Monday- Poet: Joe Frey

What an eventful week! On Monday we had the honor to host our Poetry Cafe with poet Joe Frey. Our students presented their version of "Spring's Kiss," a sequel to Frey's "Winter Kiss" that the students studied and Frey read when he visited in the fall. Our class teamed up with the other 5th grade class to read their poems one by one in front of their peers, teachers, Frey, and their parents! They did AWESOME! The other 5th grade class decided to pick their favorite poem that they wrote this school year to present to Frey. Joe Frey opened the cafe by reading his poems, "Winter's Kiss," and "Mother's Day" (since Mother's Day was the day before and many parents joined our cafe). Then, the children read their poems one by one...boy were they nervous, but so excited. Once completed, each class presented their Poetry Anthology to Frey as a gift. At the end, they enjoyed some juice, doughnuts, and tea for the parents. :) What a wonderful way to enjoy a Monday morning!

Friday- Author: Daniel Kirk

Our students were in for a treat with another visit from an author all in one week! Our fantastic librarian lined up a local author, Daniel Kirk. Before his visit, as a class we visited his website to learn a little about him as an author as part of our author talks. He hosted three different sessions with our different grade levels. During our visit, Mr. Kirk sang some of his poems from his books, Dogs Rule! and Cat Power! The students loved it as they sang along. He then discussed his childhood and how he became a writer. This was great for our students to hear since we always discuss these topics as part of our author talks. He also spoke about how he presents his work to his editor and how often he has to make many changes before being published, if he actually gets the opportunity to be published. He then spoke about his series of Elf Realm and read an excerpt from the book. Finally, he discussed the book that he is currently finishing and wrapped it up with a Q & A. The kids absolutely enjoyed their morning and were able to make a lot of connections with Mr. Kirk and our work in Writer's Workshop! Once we were back in the classroom, the class took out their writer's notebooks and responded to their experience with a real life author! They all raised their hands when asked who'd like to read or hear Elf Realm read to them. I guess I better get started in order to finish it before the end of the year.

 Visit his website: http://danielkirk.com/

 

Poetry

I' m happy to announce that my students are excited to host their very own Poetry Cafe tomorrow! Our favorite poet Joe Frey, a local to the Hudson Valley, is returning to our school to read his poem, "Winter's Kiss." Our 5th grade students have responded to his poem by creating their own "Spring's Kiss" poem and are reading them in front of their parents/ guardians, as well as Joe Frey! Also, we've created a poetry book with all of our poems for Joe Frey as a keepsake! It has been an exciting year studying various poets through our Focus Poetry ( Scholastic) lessons in Word Study and  we are looking forward to the couple months to come :)

Author Talks

Author Talks 

Like book talks in reading workshop, author talks are an inspiring way to begin your work each day in writing workshop. 

What are author talks?
Author talks are exactly what they sound like. They are 2-3 minute discussions about some of your favorite authors, so that your students can begin to see themselves as authors and see similarities between themselves and REAL PUBLISHED authors. 

How do you decide what authors to share? 
Start with some of your favorite authors in the beginning of the year. Your students will see how passionate you are about some of your favorite authors. They may even begin to try out some of the advice from authors in their own writing! 

In the beginning of the school year, I like to start with authors that talk about using a notebook to keep all their ideas because that is what we are doing in September, launching our writer's notebooks.

Many authors talk about doing this.

Here are a few that I like to begin with in September:

Ralph Fletcher: http://www.ralphfletcher.com/tips.html

Avi: http://avi-writer.com/writing/writing.html

Steve Jenkins: http://www.stevejenkinsbooks.com/

Lois Lowry: http://www.loislowry.com/

Choose authors that are relevant to the grade level that you are teaching. Research some of the common authors that are popular in your grade level, see if they have a website, and discover if they have advice for young writers, where they get their ideas, what inspires them, and what made them become an author. You can spend more than a day or even a week on one author. Give a few tidbits about the author and then tell some more the next day. This would also be helpful if you do an author study of a particular author in reading workshop and then discuss him/her in writing workshop. Sometimes, I even scan the classroom to see what kind of authors they choose to read to discover which author I should discuss in writing workshop. If students like to read from a particular author, typically they will want to try out some of the things that that author does in their own writing.

Again, Scholastic is another great resource. The site has some written interviews, as well as video interviews with authors. 

Visit their author index for specific authors and their interviews:
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/author-video-index

Sometimes they even have live interviews that your class can watch about specific authors. For instance, in the fall we were able to "visit" with J.K. Rowling. Next week, my students will "visit" with David Baldacci, one of the authors of the series 39 Clues, in which he will take them on a virtual tour of the Smithsonian and discuss some of the artifacts that are referenced in the book. 

For more information visit this link: http://decodinghistory.scholastic.com/

Book Talks

Ugh! So, not only have I not been on here in some time, but I just had a new fresh post ready to go and as I was trying to put my finishing touches on it, and then I lost it! Grr! So here it goes again because I won't be defeated!

Book Talks!

Book talks are a wonderful way to begin your reading workshop, especially in the beginning of the school year. It is important to do many of them in the beginning of the year and then maybe a couple a week throughout the year. Once you give a book talk, you will hook your readers into reading! 

Book talks are 2-3 minutes long, like a mini-commercial about a specific book in your classroom library. Try to start with books that you are excited about yourself. Your students will feed off your enthusiasm and will be anxious to read the book themselves. Reluctant readers will be more willing to choose a book to read when they see that their peers want to read a certain book that you have recommended.

 When thinking about how to give a book talk there are many different options: give a brief summary, read a section from the text, show the illustrations, describe why you like the book, why others recommend the text, or even tell a part of the text from one of the character's point of view. Make sure that you select books that are different genres, topics, authors, and series. This will help to expose your students to a variety of texts.

While giving a book talk, have your students write down the title of the book and the author in a notebook, so that they have a running list of books that they would like to read. Especially since you may only have 1-2 copies in your library and MANY students will want to read the book immediately after you have completed your recommendation. This will also help to decrease the time that students spend in the library searching for a book to read. If they have a list, they just have to review it and then locate the text. Remember to remind your students to choose a "just right" book (one that they can read on their own- not too hard or too easy).

Scholastic is a wonderful resource for book talks. The site has interviews with authors about specific books that they have written, as well as videos that recommend books to students. Visit the following site to locate your next book talk in your classroom:
 http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/ab/booktalks.htm

Once your students have heard many different book talks, show them how to give their own recommendation to their peers about the books that they enjoy from the classroom library. This will help to work on many different skills such as: summarizing, persuading, use of voice in writing, and presentation skills. 


Here are some of the books that have recently been recommended in the classroom that I team teach in:

Go ahead... try them out in your classroom and watch the books fly off your shelves!

Boys and Reading

It is statistically shown that the majority of boys do not like to read and are often below reading level. 

 

There are many reasons for this travesty. Many reading programs don't necessarily support boy readers. Many "required" books that are used to teach reading, don't seem to interest boys. Through my reading instruction, I try my best to get boys to read. 

Here are some suggestions:

• Begin the year by giving students a reading self-assessment to find out their reading interests
• Talk with your boys, get to know them, show them you care
• Make reading a reward, not a punishment
• Show them men who read
• Promote reading in the home
• Talk with their fathers about reading and the importance of encouraging their son (s) to read
• Give author talks on men writers, especially those they like
• Make sure your classroom library has many different genres and topics that will be sure to interest boys (use that assessment to help you). Selection is everything.
• Get fresh, new books through your Scholastic points (free books!) 
• Think magazines, comic books, and graphic novels...as long as they are reading, who cares (for now)
• Boys also love nonfiction! 
• Give book talks on books that will interest boys
• Use Guys Read website! Newly found discovery! Love it!

http://guysread.com/

Some books that are sure to interest boy readers at the intermediate level that I have discovered this year:

My Week in Cambridge- Part 2

Okay, let's see where did I leave off? Oh, yes, I was on #6 of my week of professional development. 

Top TEN Continued....

#6 Irene and Close Reading: Close reading is NOT a new strategy. It has been around for quite some time, but people have different ideas of what it actually entails. Another aha moment was when Irene explained that it is actually in Teaching for Comprehension and Fluency on pg. 286 (I will have to make this page to show my colleagues). With the use of close reading we SHOULD NOT use harder texts with the thinking that since it is harder, students will learn and understand. How does that even make sense? That will ONLY frustrate the student and make him/her not want to read. Isn't our goal to make a community of readers? YES! There is a place for close reading in the literacy framework. It can happen through interactive read alouds, small groups, guided reading, or even guided whole group. However, selections of text should be chosen purposefully (not the whole text, unless it is relatively short). Irene emphasized that it is important to think about three things: author's purpose, organization of the text, and the big ideas. The prompting guides will be useful here to help guide your instruction. Through the use of close reading, you are creating critical thinkers if they learn to synthesize and come up with the bigger overall theme.  Okay, so now I have to think about a text to use in my classroom to incorporate this, as well. THINK....IRA's!

#7 Irene Continued: Irene had so many enlightening things to say that I think I'm just going to make a quick running list of a few last tidbits:

• Modules (i.e. NYS on reading instruction): scripted instruction doesn't look at the student. Textbook based instruction is a way to say that we covered it; doesn't follow the learner. Where is the research to say that it is effective? Effective teachers look at a text and get behind it and teaches all 12 systems of strategic actions for comprehending text all of the time (not just one day).
• We use REAL books to make children literate.
• Synthesizing- keep precise!
• Behavioral evidence in thinking- in talk and writing about reading.
• Systematically observe and assess and bring them forward by looking at the student.
• Get rid of the stupid stuff we give students to do! 

I could go on forever with Irene's thoughts and beliefs around reading, but let's move on for now!

#8 Continue Close Reading with Picture Books- Take a book deeper. So, if you used a book such as, Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco you could ask the group to reexamine for the deeper themes. Ask students what they notice to fuel the discussion. Rereading is a part of close reading. Once you complete a text in guided reading, looking at it again through another lens.  BOOK CLUBS are another great place to incorporate close reading.

 

#9 The Art of Inquiry: Bringing inquiry into all subjects, not just reading. Tie the inquiry to your unit. Students are held accountable by coming up with their questions that they want to study and research (keep these questions in a research notebook). Create inquiry circles. Inquiry makes students active participants in their own learning and creates a collaborative environment. To find out more look at:

Inquiry Circles in Elementary Classrooms (Heinemann):

http://www.heinemann.com/products/E02829.aspx 

 

#10 Word Study: As a group we reexamined the word study block and the buddy study component, in order to freshen it up and push our learners. Something that I really liked and want to bring back to my classroom is incorporating word study across the frameworks by linking it to reading and writing. For instance, if we are studying a particular principle for the week, students can find words that connect to that principle in their reading and writing and add it to a weekly word board (now, if only I could figure out where this would fit in the room where there is no more space left, especially since we have such strict fire codes!). Also, I liked the writing connection in that students can have a section of their writer's notebooks where they can add words from their weekly spelling lists that they think are interesting and that they would like to use in their writing. 

I'm very happy and excited to be back home and I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to receive more professional development this past week. I have so much to think about and to try and incorporate into the classroom. I have to keep reminding myself one step at a time, so that I don't get too overwhelmed trying to do it all! Once day at a time. I do like the idea of this blog to help me keep track of my own learning, share the things that I have learned with others, and it also gives me a spot to reflect on it all. Hope everyone has a fabulous four day week....Happy Birthday Dr. King Jr. :) 

Becoming a Blogger...

"Everyone's doing it...why don't you?" This was the discussion that was started by my friends, colleagues, and now newly graduated literacy coaches, while we were all away for training in Boston, Massachusetts. We were all there for our annual ongoing professional development week and they were trying to convince me to start a professional blog. At first, I was quite reluctant because I had no idea what I would write about and wondered if anyone would even read the thing. So, why bother right? At least I knew that I had a few supporters out there that would read and interact with me (my literacy crew...haha). But, where would I possibly find the time? We are all so burnt out already, now they want me to add another thing to my plate? Are they serious?  Well, I guess they did a great job persuading me because here I am trying to figure out how all this works and definitely feeling a little frustrated trying to get this started. My intentions for this blog are to share some of the many great things that I'm trying out in my classroom as a literacy teacher, share some of the things I'm perfecting or trying to figure out, my growth as a professional, and to connect to the world of literacy. So, here it goes....

My Week in Cambridge for Ongoing Professional Development

 

I have learned so much from my year and 1/2 long training to become a literacy coach at the intermediate level. Now, it was time for my ongoing training that will happen every year in January for my continuing professional development at Lesley University. At first, I felt somewhat intimidated being in a large room full of literacy coaches, who have so much more experience than I have, being that I'm only in my field year. However, it was easy to quickly warm up to everyone and get into the swing of things. I was so excited to get a chance to have a day long workshop with Irene Fountas, as well :) The week flew by and I'm so excited to share some of the great things that I have learned! Where do I begin?

Here are my TOP 10 experiences from my trip to Boston:

1. Genre Study- We received the bundle of Genre Study by Fountas & Pinnell. It is their newest addition to their plethora of professional development resources. The bundle published by Heinemann comes with the textbook Genre Study, the Quick Guide, the Prompting Guide for Fiction, and the Prompting Guide for Nonfiction, Poetry, and Test Taking. I'm so excited to dive in and try out some genre studies in my classroom next quarter. Where to begin?

 

http://www.heinemann.com/products/E04449.aspx

2. Article, "Guided Reading: The Romance and the Reality": It is always a good thing to get back to your roots and reevaluate your teaching. That is exactly what we did in terms of guided reading. We read the new article that Fountas & Pinnell contributed to the Reading Teacher journal and discussed guided reading as an instructional means to teach reading in small group. It was quite helpful to review the theory and rationale behind the process. Together, we discussed how we could use this article to help our teachers obtain a better understanding of how to use guided reading in their classrooms. See for yourself, by visiting the following link:

http://www.heinemann.com/fountasandpinnell/supportingMaterials/FountasPinnell_revdReadingTeacherArticle12_2012.pdf

3. Reviewing Running Records: Again, getting back to basics. I always find it helpful to review the process of taking a running record, analyzing, and discussing together in a group setting, what you would do next as a teacher. For instance, we all listened to a student read, analyzed her reading and her comprehension of the text, and then visited our Continuum to decide where we would focus our teaching if she were our student. I want to do this with my teachers, as well. So much to do, so little time.

4. Coaching statement by Irene Fountas: "This was our best thinking at the time." I believe that this is so powerful. In anything that we do, things change and things evolve. Our thoughts and beliefs are always changing because our understanding is always evolving. That is what being a professional is all about. 

5. Looking at the Common Core Standards with Irene Fountas: Once Irene said that we need to look at these standards as goals, it was definitely an aha moment for me, as well as many of my colleagues. It makes so much sense. We get so caught up in teaching these standards, and hoping that our students meet these standards, that I think we forget that they are GOALS! A goal is not something that will definitely be met, but as long as we are striving to get there that is the point; working to meet/obtain that so called goal. While we are on the topic of the CCSS, Irene brought up another great point! Where is the research? Where is the research to support the CCSS? Look at the end of the CCSS, is there any? No, there isn't. So, why do we as a state, as a nation accept them? This is a question that I am still pondering myself. Who says this is best for our students?

Okay, I need a little break...my final five will be added, hopefully tomorrow!