Katie Verbitsky

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Hate school LOVE education

[katieverbitsky]

We will NOT let exam results decide our fate. 

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Routman

Chapter 8: Organize For Daily Writing 

"Writing requires a daily commitment. Those who write everday in a regular planned writing session produce about twice the volume ad twice the number of ideas as writers who write when they feel like it...It is impossible to get a flow without revisiting and thinkig about writing everyday." 

Teachers need to value writing and make time for it in their classroom. May teachers say that they do not have time for their students to write, but they are not making it a priority. Teachers have to value writing. Students need to be given the time to write. They need to be given the motivation, the examples, and the practice. Writing will only help students in other areas and enhance their learning. Allow students to bring their experiences and interests into their writing. Children should enjoy writing and should feel positively about do so. 

Main Ideas:

Give students choices

Choose worthwhile topics 

Expand prewriting- with the purpose of producing effective writing

Free-write 

Limit graphic organizers

Demonstrate writing

Have conversations about writing

Establish criteria- what makes good writing? 

Maintain a predicable structure- keep writing workshops with writing 

Build trust- encourage students to take risks

Flexible framework- students should apply what they know 

Model expected behavior- show students what you mean

Organize student writing- folders and notebooks

Simplify Genre teaching

Decide wich genres you will be teaching

Purpose of writing- make meaningful writing

Engage students- present information to grab students hearts and minds 

Teach nonfiction writing

Write snapshots- short pieces introducing yourself

Write letters- handwritten 

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Understanding Children's Writing As Play

Children can use writing as a form of play that can help them make sense of the world. We need to give children time. We need to let them explore. We can find literacy in all aspects of life. A great teacher picks these opportunities out of life and uses them for their students' benefit. Teachers need to create a classroom where children can feel like their thoughts and interests are important! Students should be able to bring their experiences into the classroom. Experiences are what help children learn and grow. 

"Across the United States, time in school allotted for classroom and recess play, and even playfulness in the curriculum, was once a hallmark of primary classrooms. Such time is now rapidly disappearing; with the requirement that all children must read fluently by third grade, the push for early literacy skills dominates."

"Learning grows out of individuals’ experiences and expressions, and that curriculum and pedagogy must therefore emerge from the children’s interests and their lives."

"They valued reading and writing as a way for students to explore and give shape to their experiences."

"...understanding children’s writing as a means to mediate between personal desires and experiences and the realities and demands of the socially shared world."

"...wishes, and desires of a child’s inner world and the realities and demands of the external world. Play, he argued, provides children the potential to bring fantasies and desires into consciousness and language, and to construct a link between their inner experiences and understandings and external objects and realities."

"In this way, the child is able to make emotional investments in the objects and ideas with which s/he is playing precisely because they are not too big, having been constructed within the relationship to the inner world of experiences and meanings that the child has already assimilated."

"Britton argues that a child’s writing begins to develop as yet another way to play with objects in the environment and with symbolization and language."

"The teacher shoulders the responsibility to create a limited, safe, playful, and reliable environment that accepts what the child brings to it, thereby giving the child a chance to integrate his/ her subjective meanings and understandings with those of the wider world."

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The World Of Video games

"The result is that many students will come to school with experiences and knowledge- different resources for making meaning- that are the product of these changes in society." 

"widening the circle of acceptable subject matter and narrative forms" 

"The magical, medieval worlds of high fantasy...resonate strongly with Adrian's story interests. By reading such txts in school, Adrian's interests in video games might propel his reading." 

"There is so much to learn about the changing landscape of communication and the new literacies that students bring to school." 

As Adrian explores video games further he is also practicing literacy. He draws and writes. It is clear that he is invested in his work because he is truly interested in the topic. His work and ideas prove to be amazing. He is so engaged in his writing that he does not want his character to die. If the character dies that means that the narrative is over, so instead Adrian advances the character to a new level and presents a new conflict. 

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Miscue Analysis: Class Notes

DIBELS      - read a predetermined passage for a set amount of time      - teacher takes notes as kids are reading      - asks comprehension questions after      - benchmarks determined and can be increased by WPM

MISCUE      - not timed      - not as threatening, more relational      - quality not quantity of miscues            - high quality- doesn’t change the meaning            - low quality- changes the meaning

Semantic (meaning)- accessing the story background, illustrations, and meaning in a sentence to solve unknown words

Syntactic (structure)- accessing often unconscious knowledge of the “rules” of grammatical patterns to solve unknown words

Graphophonic (visual)- using the visual features (graph) features of words and letters along with the ways words sound (phon-) to solve unknown words

[kaitlynfelty]

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Markings for Miscue Analysis

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Miscue Analysis

"Miscue is a good term because it reveals that miscues are unexpected responses cued by the readers' knowledge of their language and concepts of the world...adopted the term miscue because of the negative connotation and history of the term error...The term unexpected response suggests that a miscue is unexpected by an interested listener. It further suggests that when listening to someone's oral reading, listeners are also readers transacting with the text. In such a socio-psycholinguistic setting, both readers and listeners make miscues."

ALL READERS MAKE MISCUES There is a single underlying reading process.

 "All readers use strategies to construct meaning. Proficient readers use those strategies in efficient ways. Reading strategies include sampling the text once the reading has been initiated, making inferences, predicting, and confirming."

"In miscue analysis, it is not the number of miscues that a reader makes that is important but the quality of those miscues. Quality is determined by the degree to which a miscue disrupts or enhances the meaning of the text."

"The pattern of miscues throughout a reading, including the retelling, provides a fairly complete profile of a reader’s abilities."

"Miscue analysis enabled me to see that Shari wasn't doing something "wrong" when she produced substitutions, omissions, regressions, and insertions; she was using her own language to do what was sensible for her. And she seemed very "able" in doing it. Shari and my other students helped me to see that reading was not about "getting words right"-the errorless reproduction of a printed text; reading was about, making sense for oneself, regardless of how unpolished it might sound."

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Sounding Out

"The cultural model of sounding out privileges phonetic decoding over other decoding strategies, particularly those that involve the meanings of texts and the structures of language. Sounding out draws our attention to reading accuracy through a reliance on letter-sound associations." 

When asked students and parents all said that good readers are those that can sound out words. But, most students used a range of different strategies while reading. 

Strategies to use:

Use the first letter

Does your atempt look like the word 

"I find out when beginning readers attempt to sound out words they often produce each sound in isolation rather than blending the sounds together." 

To children sounding out a word can mean saying words letter by letter or finding smaller words/chunks in the whole word. 

"Sounding out is a cultural model for reading that is repeatedly voiced by students and their parents...it may capture an image of reading, but it does not describe what students actually do when reading." 

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Collaborative Inquiry

From kidwatching to responsive teaching:

"TALK is at the heart of truly responsive teaching."

"Teaching may start with kidwatching, but it is the conversations that teachers have with students and students have with one another that make the critical difference." 

"When teachers invite students into the process, of making decisions, through conversation, they make space for planing with and for students." 

"Tim talked with the children, reader-to-reader, throughout his conversation. He was a collaborator, a participant, an interpreter, and a guide, and was clearly impressed by the depth of children's insights...Tim grew to know and appreciate his students' sophisticated insights about reading, and they pushed him to deepen his appreciation of the transactive nature of the reading process itself. Tim's students learned more about one another, as well as their teacher, as readers." 

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Crafton: Inquiry

This article was a great example of how reading and writing can come to life in the classroom. The students questions drove the learning that happened in the classroom. The students were engaging in so many different literacies, but yet they were engaged and inquisitive. The teacher in this classroom worked hard to make sure the students had multiple perspectives and had a wide range of resources. The teacher didn't sick to the everyday lesson plan. That is what made the learning so rich. Her lessons still met every necessary standard, but she did it in the best possible way. The students took control of their own learning. 

What you need to create a learning experience for your students: 

The learning must be child centered

The learning must include time for reading/writing interaction and reflection

The teacher must assume multiple roles to make the learning work 

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Miller

Chapter 5 (Schemas): 

"Now, when I model the thought processes proficient readers use, I'm deliberate. I make sure my think-alouds are genuine, my language precise, my responses thoughtful."

Proper planning prevents poor performance!

"What do I want kids to understand about this strategy? Of all the places in the text where I could authentically think out loud, which two or three would best illustrate my point? Which ones am I most comfortable talking about?" Mark those places before your lesson, and think about what you will say and how you will say it."

Authenticity matters.

"I can't fake it. My connections, or questions, or inferences-whatever the strategy focus happens to be-must be genuine. That's why book selection is key!"

Use precise language.

"Say what you need to say as clearly and concisely as you can, then move on."

"Remember, you're the model. What you say and how you say it becomes what they say and how they say it!"

A child's read a-loud should be thoughtful and genuine. They should be able to point to a specific picture or a specific sentence and explain how they can relate to it. Their language should be clear and precise. When the teacher and the students share connections they are enhancing the text. They are thinking though the text together. They are working together to make meaning. Children should be able to turn to a partner and talk about the text they are reading. They should share something about the text or something that relates to the text. The teach them needs to think how the students teaching could be "held". Teachers can do this by creating charts or taking notes. What children have to say is important. Teachers need to recognize that their thoughts matter. 

"Thinking about what you already know is called using your schema, or using your background knowledge. Schema is all the stuff that's already inside your head, like places you've been, things you've done, books you've read-all the experiences you've had that 

make up who you are and what you know and believe to be true. When you use your schema, it helps you use what you know to better understand and interact with the text."

Text-to-self Connections

Making connections when you read, having a conversation going on inside your head. 

The teacher should avoid confusion by reading when the book is held up and talking when the book is down. 

Text-to-text Connections

Making connections from a book that you are reading to texts you have read before. Venn diagrams are a great way to measure these text-to-text connections. 

Text-to-world Connections

Making connections from the text you are reading to real world issues (war, homelessness, poverty, and prejudice).

Chapter 7 (Digging Deeper): 

"Listen actively and respond thoughtfully to others in order to understand another's point of view and/or inform one's own."

"I explain to the children that because they've gotten so good at thinking out loud and listening to each other, they're ready to learn how to listen and learn together in new ways."

Students should ask themselves before joining a conversation...

■ Does what I have to say connect to the question or topic?

■ Can I connect what I have to say to what someone else has said?

■ Can I support what I have to say? What evidence or personal experience do I have to make my point?

■ Has someone else already said what I am about to say?

■ If I am speaking to disagree, can I state what I heard the other person say and explain how and why my thinking is different in a nice way?

■ Does what I want to say take the conversation deeper?

"Just because children aren't yet fluent readers doesn't mean they can't think and talk about books in meaningful ways."

Children observe great things happening while reading and sharing...

■ working together to figure out answers to questions

■ taking turns talking

■ asking questions

■ laughing

■ rereading parts of the book

■ making connections from the book to our lives and other books

■ inferring

■ working together to understand

"Teaching children how to use a variety of open-ended responses helps them remember their thinking as they read, heightens their awareness of the strategy being taught, and lets us (and them) know how well they're able to apply it independently."

Children should be given multiple opportunities to just enjoy reading and sharing with their peers. Children will soon grow to ask even deep questions and make deeper connections. Reading can open many doors. 

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Writing Essentials

Chapter 1 (Simplify the teaching of writing): 

"Often teachers have been trained to use writing formulas and templates. The kids learn how to use these tools but aren't able to apply them to other kinds of writing. And, sadly, there is rarely any talk about making writing enjoyable for children or writing real for readers." 

"Unfortunately, most of us educators still don't trust that excellent teaching and assessing, daily writing, and writing enjoyment will translate to success on the writing test." 

"I have been taken aback by how little we really expect of students, how much time gets wasted, how little pride and enjoyment students take in their writing, and how much our testing culture has influenced how we teach writing." 

"Our beliefs drive our teaching practices...until we recognize our beliefs, question them, challenge them in the light of new information, research, and experiences, nothing much happens." 

Routman explains that she wants students to become motivated and confident writers. Writing should be an everyday tool. She wants students to be excited about writing and really enjoy doing it. Teaching writing to students gives them a lifetime gift. Teacher have made teaching writing far more complex than what it has to be. Teachers may make writing too difficult or overwhelming. This makes them become too frustrated and give up on writing all together. Teachers need to simply the process of writing. Teacher go wrong when they try to stick to these programs. They just need to teach and feed off of their students. Teachers should have their students writing every single day and should tell their students to think like writers. How can I explain what I want to? What do I want to say? How can I explain clearly? And teacher should be asking themselves...what skills should I be teaching?How can I make them understand? 

Writing Essentials:

Write for a specific reader/meaningful purpose

Determine an appropriate topic

Present ideas clearly

Elaborate on ideas

Embrace language

Create engaging leads

Compose satisfying endings 

Craft authentic voice 

Reread, rethink, and revise while composing 

Apply correct conventions and form

Read widely and deeply

Take responsibility for producing effective writing 

Show Students How:

Think aloud as we write

Think aloud as we read aloud

Notice what authors and illustrators do

Think and write with students

Analyze effective writing

Show examples of a particular writing genre

Establish criteria for excellent writing

Compare successful and unsuccessful writing 

Discuss and note what makes a piece of writing "work" 

Evaluate a piece of writing

Celebrate and publish writing 

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Writing Workshop

Chapter 3 (Short-term goals): 

"Curriculum. It gets written by a group of teachers, inserted into plastic binders, and too often stuck on a forgotten shelf in a corner closet."

"Lists of long-term goals tend to be pretty detailed, so much so that your eyes quickly glaze over reading through the pages. Either that or you feel a rising sense of panic as you wonder how on earth anyone could possibly cover so many items."

Sort term goals are important in out classroom. These are the goals that get us from day to day! 

"Many teachers lose themselves in the first month because their eyes get focused too far in the distance. Instead of working on these simple short-term goals, they focus on trying to improve the quality of the writing, or getting students to make substantial revisions. These are appropriate long-term goals, but they will sink the workshop if they become the focal point too early in the year. What are we aiming for in those first few weeks we establish a writing workshop?"

"How do you make it so your students open their notebooks, pick up markers or pencils, and really want to write? There's no magic answer, and it's a fact that certain kids will stubbornly resist the invitation to write. But it starts by giving them regular time, real choice, and your genuine interest in what they put down on paper."

CHOICE LEADS TO VOICE 

"We know that young writers work best when they feel a sense of ownership—personal investment—in their writing. We want them to care about their writing, to have a this-really-matters-to-me feeling as they write."

"Student choice is the crucial fuel that drives a healthy workshop."

One thing that stands out in my mind was when the child says that he has to write for punishment all the time. WHY WOULD TEACHERS EVER DO THIS? We want our students to love writing and we want them to be good writers, but yet it is being used as punishment! If we want writing to be positive and enjoyable than teachers just can't do this. Writing should be used to create and make incredible things! 

Establishing a Safe Environment:

Encourage kids to take risks in their writing

Give specific praise 

Let children draw

Read aloud short and powerful texts

Use writer's notebooks

Write with your students/be a model 

"A writer is somebody who writes a lot. If you tell that to your students, and give them regular time to write, don't be surprised if they hold you to your word. Many young writers rise to the challenge and start producing a great quantity of work. The sheer volume of writing is a nice problem to have, but it can be problematic just the same. It's essential to come up with a workable classroom-management system to handle all the paper that gets generated."

We want our students to be as independent as possible. If the writing workshop is working properly then each student will do independent work. Not all students will be on the same level and will not be finishing their writing at the same time. Teachers can organize their classroom for productive writing. Unfinished work folders and finished writing folders can help to organize children's writing. 

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Organizing Mini Lessons

Topics for mini lessons: 

Procedures for the workshop time: how to read with a partner, how to access materials

Aspects of the reading process: how to choose a book, previewing a text

Elements of literature: plot, character traits, sequence, problem-solution

What good readers do: ask questions while reading, make inferences

Objective: what is it you want your students to do as a result of this lesson?**Avoid terms like “understand” or “know how to” because they are difficult to observe**

Demonstration: Describe how you will explicitly show student sthe strategy that you want them to add to their toolbox. Done through a read aloud or with shared reading. Be explicit about the materials you will need (book titles, anchor charts, post it notes, highlighters)

Guided Practice: For children to “have a go” they need an opportunity to try out the strategy first. Guided practice provides a safe and supportive environment where children might first begin to approximate the specific strategy from the mini-lesson

Usually look like: Think-pair-share; partner discussions; slates; turn and talk

Independent Practice: When routines are in place and students know about expectations for the workshop time, they read and keep records of their reading independently. Explain what you and the students will be doing during this independent time. 

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What Is Authentic?!?

Authentic:

The child may be the expert

The child can come to their own conclusions 

Teachers and children working together

Giving children choices 

Each child learns differently/each child may be a different levels

Creative ways to engage children/not always reading and doing the same thing 

Inauthentic:

Telling students what to do

Teachers follow a curriculum that is not good for the students in the classroom

Worksheets/too safe

Having children all learn one way/the same way

Skill and drill

Why does it matter...Why use authentic practices in the classroom?

Teachers should be using authentic practices in the classroom

Keep children stimulated and engaged 

It is more meaningful for the students 

Gain a deeper understanding/ ask questions 

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Chapter 3: 

"The Boy Problem is a persistent issue that constructs boys' interests and activity as incompatible with school." 

"Their pretense imagined out-of-school events into school space, replaced teacher mediation with peer mediation, and maintained hierarchical mentoring relationships in a boys-only space."

"Recontextualizing space expanded meanings and participation opportunities by bringing present and non-present worlds together." 

Designing to play- "Abbie helped the boys transduct their play enactments of sports fans into modes and forms of valued school literacy practices, encouraging them to write and draw books of recent sports events; label diagrams of baseball diamonds, football fields, scoreboards, and team uniforms; and write scripts for football iMovies...the boys mediated actions reveal transformative effects of play on the meanings in their designs." 

Playing to design- "...as he explored its adhesive properties and created a SpongeBob practice puppet just for fun." 

"Providing play opportunities is clearly not enough to ensure equitable learning. Teachers need to be critical readers of children's play so that we can engage groups effectively...we can recognize play as a powerful literacy that creates social spaces rich with opportunities and rife with pitfalls." 

I think the stories within this chapter are so intertesting. The group of boys bring a lot of prior knowledge and pop culture into the classroom. They use their every interests to inspire their learning and creativity within the classroom. During reading and writing workshops the boys regularly draw pictures, construct toys, and use their imagination.  The boys often created drawing and artifacts, but only after they had time to collaborate as a group. They used everyday materials in non-everyday ways. They used markers as light sabers. The children were able to use all sorts of materials in unorthodox ways. But isn't that what being creative and imaginative is all about? Creating art work and artifacts brought the children's learning to life within the classroom.