Readbox Re-Launch

Distance Learning is not a term I thought I would become familiar with during my 2019-20 school year.  I'm sure it looked very different for all of us.  But one thing we probably all have in common...these past few months have not been easy.  Stepping into summer, I can look back and say, for certain, that I have learned a thing or two.

Cultivating Genius

Scholastic recently asked if I would like to read and review the new book "Cultivating Genius" by Gholdy Muhammad.  The back of the book explained that Dr. Muhammad would offer an approach to address the students who have been traditionally "marginalized by learning standards, government policies, and school practices."  I knew this was a book for me to dig into.

In her book, Gholdy Muhammad sends out an urgent call to educators for action. We need to make a change or the shift.  She says we need to have...

Word Study and Phonics: The Next Step Forward

A Little Opinion from Em:
Well Jan Richardson did it again (along with Michele Dufresne, this time)!  Jan's guided reading books really helped me  to tighten and strengthen my small group instruction.  And her new book "The Next Step Forward in Word Study and Phonics" is already helping me to plan for my phonics instruction this year!

One section addresses children reading at a pre-A stage.  Yes, please!!  I jumped right to this and got started.  To begin with, students need to be able to recognize their name.  This is where I started with a couple of my readers.  Two different colored sentence strips were used.  One had the child's name printed on it.  The second strip had the child's name printed on it but then I cut out each letter.  My student worked to match the letters in her name by placing the cut up letters on top of the first sentence strip.
Once this task could be completed without prompting, I provided letter tiles and asked her to build the name.  For many of the sessions, the original sentence strip  was used to help with the building process.  But after time, she could build the name independently.

A Little Opinion from Maria:
This book is jam packed with ideas and lessons for readers at all levels.  I liked how this book is set up.  It's easy to read and if I ever (hopefully never, though) had to teach reading again, this book would be right by my side, every step of the way.

Brain Research and Vocabulary

 Last week I shared that I would like to reflect each week about a failure (because we learn and grow through them).  Well...this week was filled with Aimsweb testing.  My teammate and I are in charge of completing all these benchmark assessments for our school.  If you have never given this assessment, let me share that it did not allow for much growth, on my part.  I ask the same 27 questions to every student.

But if we look...we can always find somewhere to grow.

This week I started to read "How the Brain Learns to Read" by David Sousa.

I just finished chapter 1...so I am not far along.  One section discussed the parts of the brain that process verbal and image based words.  As teachers, we know that it is important to be as concrete as possible.  So we use many methods to help our students understand vocabulary words: images, stories, context, motions, songs, etc.  David Sousa explains that different parts of our brain process verbal based information from image based information.

For example if I am talking to my students about a serpent.  I may explain that it is a large snake.  Students can visualize this and part of the brain lights up.  But if I have a discussion about the word grace.  Students will not a visual for this word because it is more abstract and verbal based; therefore, a completely different part of the brain lights up.

Students understand words better when they have a mental image of the word.  This is why, as teachers, we do anything we can to help them remember these words and their meanings.  Although, I teach in small groups all day and do not have a set list of vocabulary words, students are learning new concepts all the time through the texts we read.  I have always used a variety of methods to teach new words; however, when I read this information about the brain, it really helped me to have a deeper understanding of WHY I do it.  And WHY I need to do more of it.

So this year...as I am planning out my books for the week or day.  I want to ensure I am not glossing over words that could use more of a visual.  I want to ensure that even some "simple" sight words can have a picture attached, if it is going to help support a student's understanding.

 I can always work to do a little more.  A little better.

Being a Coach or Mentor

"I think it has been 15 years.  Wait, no...16."  Last night, a friend and I were trying to think through how many years we have been teaching and in what positions.  I'm a veteran teacher. The years have slipped by quickly (and slowly, at times).  But in this time, I have been a mentor for quite a few teachers.  And it is one of my favorite parts about the job.

Reflecting back...I didn't have a mentor my first couple years of teaching.  Crying, a desire to quit, and loneliness were daily feelings.  I didn't have a mentor.   So I take the position seriously and work hard to ensure that the new teacher does not feel alone because teaching is hard and we need goo teachers to stick around.

In July, Scholastic published the second edition of "The Coaching Partnership: Collaboration for Systemic Change" by Rosemary Taylor and Carol Chanter.  Although, I have had training (years ago) on being a mentor, it is like any other aspect of teaching.  We should be working to grow stronger at the task.  If I am going to be a supportive mentor, I need to work at it.  Professional development makes a difference.  So I read this book.

This book is broken into three parts: learning partners, learning processes, and learning breakthroughs.  The authors share practical applications, examples from the schools, and questions for self reflection.  But I really want to jump in and share some of my favorite parts with you.

Reading Revealed...A Book Giveaway!

We hope all of you have been having a tremendous summer!  We hope you are feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to start thinking.... SCHOOL!

This summer we were given the opportunity to read Reading Revealed by Diane Stephens, Jerome C. Harste, and Jean Anne Clyde.

 If you're  a new teacher in need of ideas for reading OR if you're looking for a book to refresh your reading instruction, this the one for you.  This book is jam packed with lessons and ideas to get to know your readers intimately.

Book study: From Striving to Thriving

This summer the bloggers over at Adventures in Literacy Land have been working hard to improve their literacy instruction with the book From Striving to Thriving.

 This book has been very eye-opening to me in some ways and also reassuring in other ways.  It is nice to know that you are doing some things correctly, but could improve on others.  Each blogger shares their take-aways from every chapter within this book.  Just click on the image above to learn more.  If you have read this book, I would love to hear what you thought of it!

The Megabook for Fluency

 Maria and I have shared our thoughts on the professional read Responsive Literacy: A Comprehensive Framework.  We have also had the opportunity to review The Megabook of Fluency by Timothy Rasinski and Melissa Smith.  And I will just go ahead and admit it...I was a little nervous about writing a post about fluency lessons/interventions.  In recent years, fluency has had a pretty bad rap because of assessments that just analyze rate.  That has forced fluency to take on a meaning of speed versus a multi-dimensional word.

But luckily, the authors address this misconception IMMEDIATELY.  Fluency is multi-dimensional and includes the following components:

• Expression which includes prosody, intonation, tone, stress
• Automatic word recognition which includes pace or rate
• Rhythm and Phrasing which includes pausing
• Smoothness which includes accuracy and ability to self correct

The authors acknowledge that fluency instruction has often taken the form of reading quickly, timings, and repeated readings with a target reading rate in mind.  Due to these routines, many children have seen fluency as a competition either with others or themselves.  Or due to these routines, teachers have dropped fluency instruction altogether.  Neither of these outcomes are good.

It is mentioned that expressive reading is hard to measure.  Everyone probably hears something a little different.  Due to this, it is often missing from our instruction of fluency.  This point really stuck out to me.  Just because we can't assess it (or it is difficult to), doesn't make it less important.

Rasinski and Smith recommend using "effective, engaging, and authentic [fluency instruction] methods  that build word recognition automaticity (not speed) and prosodic or expressive reading."  Due to this need, the rest of the book (literally 300 pages) is full of lessons to support effective fluency instruction.  There are lessonS for each of the following categories:

Begin Early: Fluency in Primary Grades

Expressive Fluency

Fluency Fun: poems, songs, chants

Social Fluency

Partner Texts

Famous Quotes

Environment

Family Involvement 

As I was reading, I really saw myself doing many of these lessons or even turning some of them into small group interventions to hone in on some of these skills for students.  I want to show you why I liked the set-up of these lessons:

First off...can I just say teaching fluency with wordless books!  Yes!!   I'll be honest.  I never thought of that.  But I can see it now because it ties right into language!

I love that the lesson highlights (on the left) exactly what fluency skill is being practiced.  I can see this being helpful to me when I am really looking for a lesson that will hit a specific need for a student. Sometimes they just need a "little something" to bring the point home.  I also liked that each lesson highlights the grade band that it would work best for.  It is a large band.  But it still provides me with an idea of when a student should be participating in that type of instruction.

Here is an example of another lesson  You can see that all the fluency skills are checked off for this lesson.  This lesson provides an example of something else I really liked about this book...the materials.  "Jump-Rope Chants" does provide a book idea for you to purchase but behind this lesson are jump rope chants that you can use right away with your students.
Thank you!

Overall, I was happy to see the authors of this book addressing the negative tones that have surrounded fluency.  It is an important skill but it entails so much more than speed and word counting.  And these lessons certainly hit upon all aspects of fluency instruction.

Check back for a giveaway! 

Resposive Literacy: A Comprehensive Framework Part 2

As the school year was coming to a close, Em and I were offered the opportunity to read Responsive Literacy: A Comprehensive Guide by editor Patricia L. Scharer.  Believe us, it IS just that!   This book hits on everything that is important for your ELA block.

When I started reading the writing portion of this book, I was immediately reminded of why I adore teaching writing because it affirmed things I already do in my writing classroom and helped me realize there are things I need to revisit.  If you are looking to jump start your writer's workshop or if you need a refresher, this section is a great reminder of all things writing.  From how to go about starting writer's workshop all the way to conferencing with students.
A few things I thought were awesome about this book is it offers you great tips, thought out ideas for lessons, and suggestions for professional development.  I can see myself sitting down with other writing teachers to discuss these points.

Being Interactive Writers...

As I began my reading with chapter 15, I was quickly reminded about Interactive Writing. What a gem this can be to your writing classroom and I have used it in the past but over the last year or so I have moved more to modeling versus being interactive. This chapter reminded me of the importance of interactive writing in the development of young writers. It's important for them to see us write, but also to help us write alongside them.

Let's Refresh...

The book goes on to giving you tools you need in your writing classroom, basic plans for mini-lessons, and ideas for rubrics in chapter 16. I really loved the mini-lesson refresher because that's where a lot of great teaching can happen.
The next few chapters take you on a journey into Narrative Writing in the primary and elementary grades. One thing that was helpful for me was going back over the stages of writing development. It was a great refresher and I feel like I need to have examples of these stages available for my families when I sit down with them at conferences.

Word Work...

Section Five of this book revolves around Language starting off with phonics and spelling.  For me this chapter got my thoughts a rolling because for the last few years I've done spelling in my classroom and a pinch of phonics, but next year I'm responsible for most of the phonics instruction. This chapter walked you through the stages of spelling development and word study.  You will also find a helpful explanation on how to implement an explicit words study block in your classroom. What I also like is how Carla Steele, Patricia L. Scharer, and Denise Rowe give you ideas on how to embed word study opportunities throughout your ELA block as well as give you lists of resources that are needed in your classroom for word study.

 Don't Forget Vocab...

Next, I read about accelerating vocabulary development. When reading, I was reminded of how it's easier to pick out and be intentional with the words you want prior to sharing the text with your students. Again, not that "on a whim" isn't okay, but if you are planning ahead of time, you're looking for those words that are "tier-two", high utility words. After reading up on vocabulary, handwriting was on the list next. In this chapter you will find a valuable resource about the verbal paths you can use to help students with lower and uppercase letter formation. I am already starting to think about how I can incorporate these into my everyday instruction of letter formation in the beginning of the year.

A Learning Commmunity

The final section in this resource, section six, focuses on "A Learning Community".  We get started with a rundown of inquiry in the classroom. There are ideas for designing inquiry units using backward design.  This is where you identify your results desired, determine evidence, and plan the experiences and instruction your students will receive. The chapter goes on to give you ideas and several mentor texts you can use for different inquiry lessons. Finally, Sherry Kinzel, Wendy Sheets, and Carla Steele take you all they way through their 10 step recipe for an "Inquiry Approach to Studying Genre". Fantastic!!!
Finishing out this amazing resource is a section on the home-to-school bridge using KEEP Books, coaching, professional learning, and how to lead your school to a comprehensive literacy framework.

As a teacher for almost 20 years, this resource was one that would have been a great asset 20 years ago, if only it was written then. :)  This book was easy to read and is one that is a must have on your teacher shelf.

Responsive Literacy: A Comprehensive Framework Part 1

 This summer Maria and I were offered the opportunity to read Responsive Literacy: A Comprehensive Framework edited by Patricia L. Scharer.  The book is written by professionals that work within the Literacy Collaborative at The Ohio State University.  A few years back, I attended a training in this framework.  It is built around strong literacy practices and this book digs deep into that instruction.  While reading, I was reminded of the learnings that I took away from the training but also literacy practices that I could improve upon this upcoming year.

 Let Them Talk...

Chapter 1 starts this book off strong because it is all about Oral Language!  Yes!!  This has been a HUGE game changer for us over the past several years.  We have included more and more intentional oral language into our literacy instruction. Because, as the author reinforces, although students come to school with language experience, they are rapidly continuing to develop this skill.  And so, we need to be intentional about the opportunities we provide during interactive read aloud, shared reading, guided reading, writer's workshop, and word study.  Gay Su Pinnell offers a buffet of ideas for each of these.  This chapter reminded me that children need to be given time to interact.  They need to talk.  We need to listen.

Literacy is Emotional

After some great descriptions on a literacy framework, Carol A. Lyons takes a deeper look at the role emotion plays on memory and comprehension.  She explains that there is an inseparable connection between emotion and cognition.  This is important to note because we are supporting the learning of little humans.  And humans are emotional!  One thing that I found fascinating is that memories are stronger when emotions are connected to them.  What does this mean for our literacy instruction?  What emotions are we bringing out in our students?  And what emotions are they connecting to their learning of language, writing, and reading skills?
Wendy Sheets continues this discussion by examining how we foster literate identities.  The actions we take within our classroom tells stories to our students.  One point that she is makes during this chapter is that students are not a reading level. What stories and emotions are we bringing to the table when we limit them to a book level?   I don't believe positive ones (but that could be another post).  Wendy says, "The literate identities that our students take on affect their progress over time."

Get Organized

The second section of this book dives into how to organize for independent readers.  Our ultimate goal as teachers, right!  We work so hard to help students to think, read, and write independently.  I love the way that it is broken down into sections about independent work, the second grade transition, and independent readers in grades 2-6 because we know that reading and writing look different throughout our lower grade levels.  One part that I really loved discussed how to make independent work more powerful.  As the year went on, I know that it could be easy for me to get into an independent work slump.  The authors suggest analyzing the following when organizing work that challenges each student:

• create just right challenges
• provide authentic problem solving activities
• provide open activities for choice and inquiry

My brain immediately clung to the word "inquiry."  Fostering curiosity and the wonderment of children is something I do not believe I am tapping into enough.  It is definitely  a goal for this upcoming year.

Let's Read

Section three dissects all things reading!  Interactive read alouds, shared reading, guided reading, fluency, comp, and the use of data are all explored in great detail.  Whether a new teacher, an experienced teacher, or a teacher looking for a refresher...this book hits it all.
Over the years I have found that there are certain ways that I do things.  But when reading and growing throughout the summer, I am reminded that I am not stuck to these routines.  Lisa Pinkerton reminded me, in this section, that interactive read alouds do  not need a lengthy introduction.  It can even be as quick as, "I found a new book for you this weekend!  I am so excited to share it with you!" Yes!  What a great reminder.
But Mary D Fried goes on to examine how we are scaffolding the introductions of guided reading books.  When I first looked at this chapter, I was ready to skip it because this is what I do all...day...long.  But then I saw this:

Uh.Oh.  I may have some new things to learn!  The chapter really looks carefully at the differences between an emergent, early, and transitional reader.  The introduction is not going to be a "one size fits all" because these readers need different scaffolds based on where they are in their learning.  As facilitators of this learning we have to be very deliberate in the teaching decisions that we make.  The author does provide a guide for scaffolding a book introduction for emergent, early, and transitional readers.

Another point that I really took to heart was concerning data and the analysis of a reading record.  Since we began using LLI (Leveled Literacy Instruction) two years ago, my reading record analysis has been much stronger.  But Sherry Kinzel shared a chart that really opened my eyes to how I could strengthen what I am learning about the reader.  The chart is separated into three columns:

• reading behaviors the reader uses successfully
• reading behaviors the read can "almost do" or can use with support
• reading behaviors the readers shows no evidence of using

This is just a different way for me to note what the student is doing and I think it would really help me to better plan for future instruction.

Check back as Maria dives deeper into sections about writing, language and a learning community!  Plus...we have some books to giveaway!

Math Practice...What Should It Look Like?

Raise your hand if you have been traumatized by math in your life?  Do you have math anxiety?  I'm going to say that is a strong YES for me.  It was not until my adult life that I realized I was not taught math in a way that made sense to me; therefore, I just thought I was not good at it.  This is certainly not true.  But it took me way too long to figure that out.

Currently, I am reading Mathematical Mindsets.

I highly recommend this book.  It is helping me to confirm many things that I have been reading over the past few years about math and the way that it is taught.  This book has also helped me to realize that I was never given time to fully understand math.  Instead, procedures and rules were fed to me, which led me down a path of not having foundational number sense needed to play with numbers.
Boaler says...

Notable, the brain can only compress concepts; it cannot compress rules and methods.  Therefore students who do not engage in conceptual thinking and instead approach mathematics as a list of rules to remember are not engaging in the critical process of compression, so their brain is unable to organize and file away ideas; instead, it struggles to hold onto long lists of methods and rules.  This is why it is so important to help students approach mathematics conceptually at all times.

 What does this mean to me?  My students need to be playing with numbers.  Talking about problems.  And seeing a variety of problems and solutions.  Boaler goes on to explain that practicing a method over and over and over again is not helpful.  Students must see math concepts in a variety of different situations.  Isolating a method does not help students to apply those methods to actual problems.

So I need to continue to chew on this thought over the summer.  How can I continue to work with students on their number sense and application of understanding across a variety of problems?  As I read more of this book, I hope to gather some more ideas on this subject.

Em

Staff Book Club

After completing some staff book studies through the summer, we decided we wanted to keep the connection going.

The book conversations and the time together have really been a shining light in our year. It has made me feel more connected to my teammates, new friendships have been formed between school buildings, and it has stretched my reading comfort level.

Here's how it started:

After attending the diverse book panel discussion at Nerd Camp:

My teammate, Sarah, came up with some book titles for the year.  The goal was to read books written by a diverse group of authors.  Our hope was to open us up to a variety of characters that would, in turn, lead us to have deep conversations and push us, as educators, to be more aware of the students and their possible perspectives.

These were the books that Sarah decided on:
(This is a bookmark that we made for all of the book club attendees)

We have met each month (and even met to see Wonder on the big screen).  One person volunteers to be the facilitator to keep us on track.  Plus they come with some book club questions in hand.  This has proven to be really helpful because it is super easy to get off track and talk about school, students, or district stuff.

Personally, I feel that the original vision for the book club, has been a reality.  Talking with others about the characters, plot, or the voice of the author, has helped me to grow as a reader.  It has opened my eyes to other perspectives.  And made me feel part of a community.

Some books that are on my list as possibly readers for next year include:

Sometimes, we don't see the path that we are headed down.  But through some small changes in my life, through some new friendships I have made this year, and by stepping outside of my comfort zone, I feel that I have a community of readers around me (online and in person).  It is a change that I needed.

Books suggestions?? We would love to hear them!

Em

Connecting Time to Values

Last summer my building did a book study today with Reading Reflex by McGuinness.  It was a lot of fun to get together each week throughout the month of June and talk about school but also work to build a better understanding for what we each do in our classrooms.  It turned out that we utilized a lot of the information that we gathered from the book study during our school year.  I saw little pieces of the book throughout the different classrooms that I work in.

This year we decided to hold another book study as a building.  We decided on "Creating Cultures of Thinking" by Ron Ritchhart.

 I know that several bloggers read this book last year and posted about it.  And I did start to read it last year but felt the impact of the book would be stronger if it was read as a school group.  It is one thing for me to tell my teammates what I read, it is another thing for them to read it themselves, but it is awfully powerful for us to read it together and discuss its impact.

One of the chapters that I needed to read this week is titled "Time."  Yes, Mr. Ritchhart, please help me with this!!  There was a paragraph within this chapter that I keep coming back to in my head again and again.  I wanted to share it with you..
He starts off the paragraph by listing some of the pressures that we have as teachers such as tests, curriculum, number of students, etc.  Then he says,

"These pressures are real.  Furthermore, it is certainly reasonable that an individual might not be happy with the way he or she is allocating time.  The key takeaway here is that our choices, even if we aren't happy with them, are sending messages to our students about what is deemed important and worthwhile in the classroom.  That allocation, even if it isn't what we want, is nonetheless shaping the culture of the classroom." (p.98)

Later in the chapter he asks two questions that connect really well to this paragraph and they say a lot about our values and priorities: "How am I spending my energy now?  How should I be spending my energy so that it is consistent with my deepest held values?" (p.108)

This speaks volumes to me not only in my teaching but in my home life.  What messages am I sending to my students, my two girls, my husband, my friends, my family.  I know there are moments when I allocate time for something that I do not value.  It is time for me to take a look at this and make some changes.