Hope Trenga @het5023lled-blog - Tumblr Blog

You Can't Say You Can't Play

Discussion Questions:

- What predictions did you make about this book before you started reading?

-- From the title and title of our class, I thought the book would be more focused on play itself not being "allowed" in the classroom -- more technical -- didn't expect so much focus on feelings associated with play and "play relationships" between kids in class. Thought "You Can't Say You Can't Play" would relate to the negatives of play disappearing from the classroom, not a classroom rule.

- Paley's running is her play; what is an example of your play?

- "Is it fair for children in school to keep another child out of play? After all, this classroom belongs to all of us. It is not a private place, like our homes."

"Angelo: I think that's pretty sad. People that is alone they has water in their eyes."

"The way we do it, exclusion is written into the game of play. And play, as we know, will soon be the game of life." -- How would you address this "exclusion" in your classroom?

p. 27 -- teacher's role

-- Rejection

"The subject of rejection touches a universal sensitivity."

- Thoughts on Magpie stories?

- Thoughts on Paley questioning the students of other grades and reporting back to her K's? [she does a great job of treating them like people instead of five year olds -- also really dedicated to making a "big deal" out of an issue frequently overlooked -- dedicated to making things right for her kids]

"Seven year olds seem to like the notion that children ought to be strong enough to handle bad feelings, yet they remember being rejected and worry about the least hurtful way of rejecting someone else. It does not occur to them that rejection itself is the problem."

p. 56-57 -- What do you think of Paley's approach to the rule? Seems advanced/revolutionary for Kindergarten...but awesome. How (or would you even) would you do something like this in your classroom? Taking great care regarding all implications of the "rule" -- hesitant/reluctant to just declare the rule.

Is it fair? Will it work?

- Examine the difference in the students' opinions about the rule per grade.

p. 60 boys vs girls

p.68 outsiders

p. 70-72; analyze Magpie story - last line, "Why, Magpie, father is just like you. When he finds out that Beatrix is lonely, he'll probably invite her to tea every day."

"So much of teaching straddles the moral fence."

Compare and contrast Magpie stories with Paley's class

ksherbz-blog

Here are the charts you developed during the curriculum carousel activity on 12. 3. This might be helpful in describing your curriculum ideas for your pen pals.

brookecharlie

Standard Miscue Marks

(use for miscue analysis - analyze child’s reading from recording)

NCTE & Santman

NCTE:

Interpretations [of what people read are] influenced by life experiences

Socialcultural, cognitive, and linguistic systems = intuitive

Systems used to make sense of text = interrelated and redundant

Readers read for different reasons

What the reader gathers depends on the writer's skill too

"Learning to read is a life-long process."

Knowledge of spoken language + knowledge of written language (horse vs. house example)

Reading and writing support each other

"Know their students as individuals..."

Multiple instructional methods

"Choice," "work together," "partnerships," etc.

"Gradually release instructional responsibility..."

"Wide variety"

Santman:

"Building stamina as readers..."

Parents: "What about the test?"

"These skills often have little to do with what researchers" on proficient readers has identified as the qualities of good reading."

"Literary thinking is important to intellectual development"

How to make time for reading in your life

Value variety and read unfamiliar texts

"I give up a lot in believing I can do everything..." [HMM]

What we're really after: life long readers and thoughtful citizens -- lost

brookecharlie

This piece was inspired by a heated discussion I had with a man who believes that teachers have an easy job. Please feel free to share it with others if you agree with the message.

"You can’t measure inspiration by a child’s test scores. You can’t measure inspiration by a child’s grades. You measure inspiration 25 years later when that hot-shot doctor, or lawyer, or entrepreneur thanks her fourth-grade teacher for having faith in her and encouraging her to pursue her dreams.”

Miller, Chapter 7

LOVE the idea of Wonder Boxes. [I could use one of those...today...now.]

"My job is to continue to nurture their wonder, and work to awaken my own."

Seemingly good way to get kids interested in Nonfiction.

pg. 155 -- multimodal

Predictions

Fiction or Nonfiction discussions w/ spread of books.

Venn Diagram

"Have you ever thought about the way you respond to new information?"

Convention Notebooks: pg. 160

pg. 163 -- awesome to see how kids decide what's important/what they understand.

F&P Chs. 5&8 Quotes

"The writing conference lets you engage in the teaching dynamic that most of us wanted when we entered this profession -- a unique one-on-one interaction between you and a student."

RE: listening: "...About 75% of what we do as teachers has to do with what was done to us at the other side of the desk, when we were students."

BE PRESENT

"Most young writers work behind a window of vulnerability that is tightly shut and locked. When you give them specific praise, they open that window a tiny crack." [I'd say applicable to EVERYTHING, not just writing, but I like this quote...]

"Teach the writer, not the writing."

Can't picture myself ever saying to a group of students: "I can help you be a problem solver in your writing. But it will help me if you are a problem finder." [cheesy] BUT, great idea.

Keep conferences short, get the student involved, and follow THEIR lead.

"The challenge is to create the kind of classroom atmosphere where you suggest lots of rich ideas, and students are willing to try them out."

"Good things happen when writers are able to articulate what they are doing and why."

"Letting go of the familiar in order to learn something new can leave you feeling inadequate, at least at first." [preach]

"I didn't want my students to suffer because of my wrongdoing."

"If you notice a lot of students are ready to learn the same skill, teach it during a mini-lesson."

Routine, implement, diagnose [from edited], teach.

"When we were in school, the students wrote and the teachers corrected. In a workshop, we want students to share the responsibility for correcting work."

Editing Checklist

"Limit yourself to teaching one skill, and, as much as possible, teach it in the context of writing generated in the workshop."

Keep track of skills each individual student has mastered.

McClure and Zitlow Quotes

"As we move toward more integration in curriculum, bringing the aesthetic and the efferent together becomes more important than ever."

"Nowhere is the aesthetic dimension neglected than in the content subject areas..." "...Concern for teaching the facts has caused us to neglect forging an emotional connection between those facts and the lives of our children."

"Maybe teachers whose classrooms are not like the one described at the beginning of this article believe that students are incapable of such absorption and active exploration."

"...If we dampen such use of the imagination, intelligence is inflated."

"When teachers expect students to think and question -- processes essential to an aesthetic response -- they are taking a demanding approach to learning and teaching."

Strive to...COMBAT MEANINGLESSNESS.

A student after reading, watching a TV special: "Then I just got in the mood to write it."

LOOK BEYOND JUST THE FACTS

Paley Literature Circles: Question Web

Does he have golden wings? (doesn't a character in a Leo Leonni book have golden wings?) -- Reeny making connections

"Is Willy a boy?" Do the other students think at this level too, or just Reeny? What do they think is the reason that the main characters are boys?

What do they know about gender roles? "Anyway Willy could be a girl," Reeny decides, "because he's on a pillow, like girls is supposed to be. Alexander has to be a boy 'cause he's like sort of bad, I mean they always be -- are thinking he's bad."

If all the characters are white, what does Reeny mean by "Leo Leonni likes the color brown?"

Do Paley's students always get so personally involved/connected to their studies, or just with Leo Leonni because Reeny gets fired up and drives the discussion?

brookecharlie

The myth of ‘sounding it out’ has infiltrated homes, schools, and the larger society despite its limited usefulness to children. (Compton-Lilly)

"Sound it out" is a myth! Instead of telling kids to "sound it out," which actually interferes with their ability to decode the text, have them use a multitude of other strategies! Don’t use "sound it out" as an excuse when you don’t know what else to say to help a struggling reader. (via brookecharlie)

miadefrank214

Do nothing else right now than listen to your students read. Really listen. Then assume that any miscue they make is for a reason.

Prisca Martens (via miadefrank214)

10/17 Literary Luminary, Paley

"We wouldn't be so strong if we had a piece missing 'cause then we'd be broken." "We just think that. We're afraid to even look to see if we have a piece missing. Maybe we do, Brucie." -- pp. 55

"Our hero is no longer the outsider beginning to be accepted. He is the truth-bringer, who enables the establishment to understand that they need him as much as he needs them. The story has been given its proper ending." -- pp. 56

"When I used to read Swimmy to my Mississippie schoolchildren, I'd always point out that he was a black fish. I wanted them to understand it will be a black leader who will bring them to a better life and they'd better learn to stick together and help each other." -- pp. 62

"We had more true leaders in our little colored town, people who knew right from wrong, than I've seen in a long time, black or white." -- pp. 62

"I would prefer to have Reeny in a school with more black children and teachers, in our neighborhood school, for example, which I know is not nearly as good as this one. But she will not become a leader of her people if she remains here. It won't happen. There are lots of reasons." -- pp. 63

"This is just one reason why Reeny will not become another Harriet Tubman if she continues in a place where the next put-down is always just around the corner." -- pp. 64

401 Tumblr 10/8

I was pleasantly surprised with the Samway reading. I saw a lot of my future-teacher-self (hopefully) in Ms. Ramirez. From what I remember about writing workshops in school, I don’t remember being given so much freedom. I really like how Ms. Ramirez lets the students choose what they want to work on. She seems very effective, yet not completely conventional. For example, in the beginning of the reading, she addresses poetry and the idea that perhaps kids are taught that poetry always has to rhyme. She opens their eyes to other kind of poetry, which is refreshing. I also like how she has students of all different backgrounds, speaking different native languages, and therefore having different needs in the classroom. This situation reminded me of EDPSY 014, and how much it was stressed that each student is an individual, and as a teacher, you have to cater to that fact. I think Ms. Ramirez does a great job of individualizing her curriculum, by letting her students choose what they want to work on based on their skill level and interests. Also, it seems like she truly makes a conscious effort to help the kids who need extra help because of the language barrier, but without making them feel “different” than the other students. I really value Ms. Ramirez’s approach to the writing workshop because she gives her students a sense of responsibility and also seems to highly regard her students’ interests, which increase engagement. Both of these ideas are immeasurably valuable in the classroom, in my opinion, and undoubtedly promote success [and happiness].

The reading also talks about the collaborative learning environment aspect of the writing workshop. Ms. Ramirez seemed to have her students work together frequently, and I like how she was seemingly extra-thoughtful about how she paired students (those who need help with the more advanced, etc.). I frequently remember peer editing being a component of the writing workshop and I was never really a huge fan. More so in the later grades, I guess, peers would always just say my writing was “good,” and not provide any meaningful criticism. I like the idea of peer editing more in the elementary grades because kids will be more willing to share their ideas, and are not completely focused on conventions, which is okay [good, in fact] for the journey of becoming a writer.

I think it is funny how “establishing a safe environment” shows up in so many educational readings. This idea is one of the short-term goals in Chapter 3 of Fletcher & Portalupi. While I think this goal is accurate and important, I also think it should be permanently be established day one of the school year, and for all settings (writing, reading, social, etc.). I think “fostering a love for writing time” is a really important concept that this chapter mentions. If children don’t learn to love writing, they’re not going to want to do it, nor work to get better at it. This chapter emphasizes the importance of student choice in the writing workshop and I agree with this idea.

This quote caught my attention:

“Kids don’t have to be finished with their writing in order to share it with the class. There’s two advantages to asking kids to share unfinished work. First, it encourages them to stay with their writing, to revise, and not to rush completion. Also, when you catch young writers in the process of writing they are more likely to see a draft as tentative, not chiseled in stone.” (Fletcher & Portalupi, p. 41).

Not only do I agree with this quote, but I also think that if anyone wants to talk about “creating a safe environment,” sharing unfinished work is a good way to do just that! Children will learn not to be too hard on themselves and that they don’t have to be working towards perfection. I feel like kids (or just people in general) get caught up in the idea of working towards a final project, and keeping it secret until it is perfect for the “public eye.” Encouraging sharing of unfinished work can promote a non-judgment zone, and the kids could even possibly get more ideas from their peers to enhance their future, final product.

*meant to write about how Ms. Ramirez let them write in their native language, but forgot. -_- (remembered during tumblr talk in class)

katiegrahamcracker

Do kids in my classroom have choices initiated by their own interests? Are there predictable structures to support their learning and ample time for them to pursue those interests? Do students have opportunities to interact?

Five & Egawa p. 4 (via katiegrahamcracker)

ksherbz-blog

“If we mean it when we say we want children to become lifelong readers, if we mean it when we say we want children to actively engage in text for a variety of purposes and for increasingly long periods of time, we can’t teach them to make book selections based on words alone.” (Miller, pp. 52-59)

400 Tumblr #3

I saw a lot of similarities between the Doake reading and the video of Harmony Bailey. The first part that stuck out to me was when Doake gives the example of Adrienne and her mother engaging in shared reading, and then says, “This example reveals that even though the story has been read to Adrienne only twice before, she was already able to reproduce a considerable amount of it. Some of this reproduction was assisted by the mother pausing at certain points in the story…” As a class, we discussed that Harmony was not reading word for word, but she was telling the story, using the illustrations for help, but also based on what she remembered from having the story read to her numerous times. This example also relates because Doake talks about how her mother was pausing – in the video of Harmony, if she started to “lose her way,” her dad would give her various, subtle prompts to aid her.

I love when Harmony says, “Let’s see what happened!” Again, someone probably said this phrase to her when she was being read to initially, but I love that she said it herself. This line shows that Harmony is engaged and is developing reading-like behavior for herself. It also reminds me of teacher-like behavior, as she is not the only one involved in the reading, but she is trying to get her audience involved in the reading. Whether or not this behavior is occurring subconsciously, I am impressed nonetheless to see a three year old displaying such a level of complexity.

[Unfortunately,] I really connected to the following line of the Doake reading: “Unfortunately, parents may see the reproducing of stories through reading-like behavior as a process of rote memorization view it as harmful to their children’s reading development.” I love 400 and 401 because I find myself being “wrong” in many areas regarding how my previous thoughts about how children learn. Not that I necessarily had a strong opinion of how certain things “should” be done before, but the readings and discussions open my eyes to different ways of doing things that are not “typical,” but that make tons of sense to me and seem to promote optimum benefit for children. Anyway, I was going to say how when kids that I would babysit would read me stories, I was never incredibly impressed because it just seemed like they memorized it. However, this reading points out that repetition is a key part, obviously in learning in general, but also in learning how to read, and I should have been more thrilled when kids were “reading” to me!

Regarding where Harmony might go next with her reading, I think cooperative reading would be a great next step for her. I think it will also really benefit Harmony to be immersed in a “rich and memorable written” environment. Most likely, this environment will be apparent in school, and while I think this tactic is beneficial to all children, I think it would really help develop Harmony’s reading because she seems to be very observant and seems to pay very close attention to detail. The reading also mentions Big Books and writing, to go hand-in-hand with reading – both methods I value and view as effective. Overall, I think her parents can move from just reading to her, to involving her more in the reading process, and stressing repetition. Harmony will next probably master reading more fluidly, in addition to showing arhythmic-reading behavior, as Doake discussed, such as pointing to words as she reads.

#LLED003 LLED400 Doake

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