Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Questioning Chart
This one is thanks to Tanny McGregor's, Comprehension Connections. It's very straightforward and very helpful to my students!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Questioning
Asking questions as we read..my kids were shocked to discover we are questioning all the time. Questioning can be seen as scary. How often has an inquisitive 5-year-old been told to "Stop!" or "Be quiet" when they are on a "How come?" rant. Kids don't easily forget all the times they were shut down when they were knee deep in those never-ending questions!
As so it goes. Kids go to school and answer lots of questions, but when and what do they ask? I think that's where this strategy comes in to play! We begin by showing our kids that they are generating questions all the time whenever they are reading. Every time a child struggles to put down a good book they are questioning, "What will happen next?" It's hard to put down a great book when you don't know the answer and you have to find out the answer!
Questions in reading? Begin by teaching your students that they should be asking questions, all the time. Let's help build their curiosity as readers and thinkers! Second, sometimes the best questions have no answers. These are questions that encourage us to think deeply about life and the world around us. These are questions to ponder. Third, although I don't require my students to record their thinking about this strategy all the time, I do talk with them often. I like to find out what they think, what they wonder, what they disagree with, and what they want to do next.
Tanny McGregor introduces this strategy with a great sensory experience, holding and asking questions about a rock. It's a great idea! When I read her idea for the first time, I thought of a social studies strategy I'd learned from a education professor parent a few years ago. Are you doing Artifact Analysis in your social studies classes? If not, stop reading this and go here instead: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/artifact.html. Artifact Analysis has transformed my teaching in social studies! We use this idea to study specimens, objects, etc., all related to a particular time in history. There are many options for document analysis and artifact analysis on the National Archives website.
Studying the rock and asking questions is a lot like the artifact analysis, it's document analysis or artifact analysis for reading! She also suggests bringing in an unusual food, such as quinoa, for students to question and eventually try. I would recommend bringing in sardines! All of these concrete experiences get kids thinking about questions!
Questions: get kids to wonder, question, express uncertainty or confusion, ask what if... Work with kids on artifact analysis, the work they do will translate into other academic disciplines!
As so it goes. Kids go to school and answer lots of questions, but when and what do they ask? I think that's where this strategy comes in to play! We begin by showing our kids that they are generating questions all the time whenever they are reading. Every time a child struggles to put down a good book they are questioning, "What will happen next?" It's hard to put down a great book when you don't know the answer and you have to find out the answer!
Questions in reading? Begin by teaching your students that they should be asking questions, all the time. Let's help build their curiosity as readers and thinkers! Second, sometimes the best questions have no answers. These are questions that encourage us to think deeply about life and the world around us. These are questions to ponder. Third, although I don't require my students to record their thinking about this strategy all the time, I do talk with them often. I like to find out what they think, what they wonder, what they disagree with, and what they want to do next.
Tanny McGregor introduces this strategy with a great sensory experience, holding and asking questions about a rock. It's a great idea! When I read her idea for the first time, I thought of a social studies strategy I'd learned from a education professor parent a few years ago. Are you doing Artifact Analysis in your social studies classes? If not, stop reading this and go here instead: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/artifact.html. Artifact Analysis has transformed my teaching in social studies! We use this idea to study specimens, objects, etc., all related to a particular time in history. There are many options for document analysis and artifact analysis on the National Archives website.
Studying the rock and asking questions is a lot like the artifact analysis, it's document analysis or artifact analysis for reading! She also suggests bringing in an unusual food, such as quinoa, for students to question and eventually try. I would recommend bringing in sardines! All of these concrete experiences get kids thinking about questions!
Questions: get kids to wonder, question, express uncertainty or confusion, ask what if... Work with kids on artifact analysis, the work they do will translate into other academic disciplines!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
And so the non-fiction goes!
We are knee-deep in non-fiction in my classroom. This year is going particularly well! I will post on this again this week and next week as well.
Students are doing three things, at the same time! (Who says kids can't multi-task!) First, all students are learning to apply reading strategies to non-fiction material. We are currently working on questioning when reading non-fiction. (I will write more about this tomorrow!) Secondly, all 4th graders are making a Non-Fiction Features and Conventions booklet. These are pretty neat! In the meantime, 5th graders are developing teaching lessons based on a grade-level's Michigan GLCE's. Working in teams, the 5th graders have developed teaching lessons for Kindergarteners, first graders, etc. Their units are turning out to be FANTASTIC!
Students are doing three things, at the same time! (Who says kids can't multi-task!) First, all students are learning to apply reading strategies to non-fiction material. We are currently working on questioning when reading non-fiction. (I will write more about this tomorrow!) Secondly, all 4th graders are making a Non-Fiction Features and Conventions booklet. These are pretty neat! In the meantime, 5th graders are developing teaching lessons based on a grade-level's Michigan GLCE's. Working in teams, the 5th graders have developed teaching lessons for Kindergarteners, first graders, etc. Their units are turning out to be FANTASTIC!
Pinterest and Buttons
Wow! These two things have become addicting! I have discovered both recently! Pinterest is an online tool, allowing one to keep virtual pin boards of ideas. These can be grouped in any way one would prefer. I have started following the "education" boards and have discovered great teacher's sites with vast amounts of ideas and...FREE stuff! You should check it out if you're not already on Pinterest, if for no other reason than the teaching tips and ideas!
Buttons are another tool I've started using on my class page. While I'm not quite down the "I love buttons!" road as some of the teachers I've read online, I have found these to help me remember sites that I want to visit again and again. If I find good quality reading workshop blogs I'll add the "button" to the right of this page. Enjoy!
Buttons are another tool I've started using on my class page. While I'm not quite down the "I love buttons!" road as some of the teachers I've read online, I have found these to help me remember sites that I want to visit again and again. If I find good quality reading workshop blogs I'll add the "button" to the right of this page. Enjoy!
Monday, January 2, 2012
The Reading Log & State of the Class
I don't admit this easily but when it comes to my students completing their weekly reading logs, I have failed as a teacher! No matter how I collect them, grade them, provide feedback, etc., SOMEONE forgets to fill out their reading log, someone changes a book without checking in first, and I continue to be frustrated. Of course, there is something in my teaching that isn't going right...and that's okay, because we all struggle somewhere!
Over break I read two things, Day-to-Day Assessment in the Reading Workshop by Franki Sibberson and Karen Szymusiak and the following blog, http://mrsrojasteaches.blogspot.com/. Both waxed poetic about the benefits of using State of the Class and made me a believer! When we return to school this week I plan to implement this idea. For now we're going to use this in place of the reading log until I reconsider how I want my log to look and what its purpose is in the classroom.
Rebecca Rojas has created a wonderful State of the Class document! You can see it here: http://mrsrojasteaches.blogspot.com/2011/10/few-of-my-favorite-things-about-this.html
Take a look at this idea if you're not already using State of the Class. I plan to update my blog after a few days and share my class results. I'll let the students post their thoughts as well!
Over break I read two things, Day-to-Day Assessment in the Reading Workshop by Franki Sibberson and Karen Szymusiak and the following blog, http://mrsrojasteaches.blogspot.com/. Both waxed poetic about the benefits of using State of the Class and made me a believer! When we return to school this week I plan to implement this idea. For now we're going to use this in place of the reading log until I reconsider how I want my log to look and what its purpose is in the classroom.
Rebecca Rojas has created a wonderful State of the Class document! You can see it here: http://mrsrojasteaches.blogspot.com/2011/10/few-of-my-favorite-things-about-this.html
Take a look at this idea if you're not already using State of the Class. I plan to update my blog after a few days and share my class results. I'll let the students post their thoughts as well!
Schema
Schema is a confusing word and most people in education-students and teachers alike-think it's a weird word! Why could't we just say, "thinking" since that's what it is anyway?
So how do we teach our kids to think as readers? I think the first thing we need to do is teach our students that they are thinkers as they are reading. Even if they're reading directions for their Xbox Kinect, directions on how to build their Lego Harry Potter castle, the back of the cereal box, they are thinking!
I typically begin my reading lesson on Schema by taking my kids to the back filing cabinet. They are always so confused and invariably think I'm taking them over to give out worksheets (which I find interesting since I don't use worksheets that often). We begin by talking about how the filing cabinet is like our brain, it holds files just like our brain holds files-the more activities we experience, the more museums we visit, the dance lessons/soccer games...they all add files to our brain. For example, every time I learn a new dance step I add a "document" to my brain's dance "file." Students are totally fascinated by this information and spend the next few weeks telling me every times they are adding a file, or adding a page to the file! "Mrs. Perrien, when you told us that today about multiples we added a new file to our brain's cabinet!" **I wish I could take credit for this idea, but I heard it back when I was student teaching. To this day I teach the mini-lesson every year!
The next day we continue talking about schema by creating Tanny McGregor's reading salad. This is brilliant! Click here to find the directions for the reading salad and readymade "text" and "thinking" tags for building the salad. (I think you have to scroll down a little bit for the reading salad.) The book I used this year was Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto. This book keeps the students' attention and it has lots of places to stop and think aloud about the story. As explained in the book I use a bowl and student volunteers put in "text" and "thinking" tags as I read and think aloud from the story. The most important message we walk away with at the end of the two days is that schema is thinking and we are thinking all the time!
After these two lessons we begin documenting our thinking in our reading journals. Students make a T-Chart detailing "text" and "thinking" and keep track using their reading workshop novel. We share thoughts, thinking, ideas with reading partners, in small groups, in large groups...for several days. Additional mini-lessons include Text Connections, the Concentric Circles of Connections (Again, from McGregor. It's a way to teach text connections at a deeper and more meaningful level.) The reading journal response starters for schema include, "That reminds me of..." "I have a connection to..." "I have schema for..." (These are also from McGregor.) My students are usually most attracted to the T-chart when documenting their schema.
All in all, by the time we are finished discussing schema my students are considering it at a much deeper level!
So how do we teach our kids to think as readers? I think the first thing we need to do is teach our students that they are thinkers as they are reading. Even if they're reading directions for their Xbox Kinect, directions on how to build their Lego Harry Potter castle, the back of the cereal box, they are thinking!
I typically begin my reading lesson on Schema by taking my kids to the back filing cabinet. They are always so confused and invariably think I'm taking them over to give out worksheets (which I find interesting since I don't use worksheets that often). We begin by talking about how the filing cabinet is like our brain, it holds files just like our brain holds files-the more activities we experience, the more museums we visit, the dance lessons/soccer games...they all add files to our brain. For example, every time I learn a new dance step I add a "document" to my brain's dance "file." Students are totally fascinated by this information and spend the next few weeks telling me every times they are adding a file, or adding a page to the file! "Mrs. Perrien, when you told us that today about multiples we added a new file to our brain's cabinet!" **I wish I could take credit for this idea, but I heard it back when I was student teaching. To this day I teach the mini-lesson every year!
The next day we continue talking about schema by creating Tanny McGregor's reading salad. This is brilliant! Click here to find the directions for the reading salad and readymade "text" and "thinking" tags for building the salad. (I think you have to scroll down a little bit for the reading salad.) The book I used this year was Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto. This book keeps the students' attention and it has lots of places to stop and think aloud about the story. As explained in the book I use a bowl and student volunteers put in "text" and "thinking" tags as I read and think aloud from the story. The most important message we walk away with at the end of the two days is that schema is thinking and we are thinking all the time!
After these two lessons we begin documenting our thinking in our reading journals. Students make a T-Chart detailing "text" and "thinking" and keep track using their reading workshop novel. We share thoughts, thinking, ideas with reading partners, in small groups, in large groups...for several days. Additional mini-lessons include Text Connections, the Concentric Circles of Connections (Again, from McGregor. It's a way to teach text connections at a deeper and more meaningful level.) The reading journal response starters for schema include, "That reminds me of..." "I have a connection to..." "I have schema for..." (These are also from McGregor.) My students are usually most attracted to the T-chart when documenting their schema.
All in all, by the time we are finished discussing schema my students are considering it at a much deeper level!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Genre Studies
Every other year my students do a year-long genre study project. It goes something like this:
I first revisit the State of Michigan GLCE for ELA to check up on the genres that 4th and 5th graders are supposed to be studying. This year I also checked out the Common Core document for ELA. According to the State of Michigan students in the 4th & 5th grade should be studying the following:
We begin by putting all the genres in a big basket. At the beginning of every month a volunteer student draws out the month's focus. So far this year we've studied mystery, fantasy, and now tall tales. At the same time I teach the students story grammar concepts (setting, characterization, plot, conflict, etc.) during reader's workshop. For this I have been studying the Common Core documents quite a bit, plus I continue to use the state GLCE's for narrative text structure:
When the 5th graders and 4th graders made a mystery mobile they each had different assignments. 4th graders had recently studied the story grammar structure so their mobile included characters (main and secondary) analyzed for their traits, setting, problem/solution, and theme. On the other hand, the 5th graders had a completely different set of expectations. Last year they had studied all that and more. Therefore, their mobile included an analysis of characters and a description of setting. Next, they created a story mountain which detailed the climax of the story. They had to identify the four types of conflict within the story (character vs. character, character vs. self, character vs. society, character vs. nature), and give two examples of figurative language found in the story. There may have been more but I've forgotten!
When we do an assignment such as read a mystery and create a mobile the students are given a reading schedule. First, they are told they must have the appropriate genre story by a certain date (usually 2-3 days are given to settle on a book). They sign up for their book and get to reading. I give them a finish the book date and remind them of this date every day in reader's workshop. By the time they finish the book they have post-it marked the book like crazy (Post-its mark examples that will be used to create the project.) and are anxious to begin. In this way we almost never have students with an overdue project. If students are late completing the project it's usually because they picked a book that was too hard, boring, too long, etc. This almost never happens because I catch this early using "state of the class" and reading conferences.
Projects could include creating a book poster, Powerpoint, Prezi, mobile, game, etc. For the month of December students will conduct a "thinkquest" at home assignment to go along with our study of tall tales.
These genre studies are fun and allow us to pack in a lot of work studying narrative text! For those wondering about nonfiction--this is a very big genre unit that typically lasts 8 weeks. We start it as soon as we return from our Christmas break. I'll talk more about that later! For those questioning my focus on genre studies and "making" students read genre that they don't like or have never read before, remember that they will not always have choice in their life. While in middle school or high school, they WILL have to read books/genre/authors that aren't their first choice. This exposure is incredibly important to building a well-rounded reader who thinks critically about the world. I'll close with an example from a former student, Will. He was NOT happy the month he had to read historical fiction. However, at the end of the month he admitted that he'd not only liked the book he'd chosen, he planned to check out another piece of historical fiction by the same author!
I first revisit the State of Michigan GLCE for ELA to check up on the genres that 4th and 5th graders are supposed to be studying. This year I also checked out the Common Core document for ELA. According to the State of Michigan students in the 4th & 5th grade should be studying the following:
- 4th: R.NT.04.02 identify and describe the structure, elements, and purpose of a variety of narrative genre including poetry, myths, legends, fantasy, and adventure.
- 5th: R.NT.05.02 analyze the structure, elements, style, and purpose of narrative genre
including historical fiction, tall tales, science fiction, fantasy, and mystery.
We begin by putting all the genres in a big basket. At the beginning of every month a volunteer student draws out the month's focus. So far this year we've studied mystery, fantasy, and now tall tales. At the same time I teach the students story grammar concepts (setting, characterization, plot, conflict, etc.) during reader's workshop. For this I have been studying the Common Core documents quite a bit, plus I continue to use the state GLCE's for narrative text structure:
- R.NT.05.03 analyze how characters’ traits and setting define plot, climax, the role of
- dialogue, and how problems are resolved.
- R.NT.05.04 explain how authors use literary devices including exaggeration and metaphors to develop characters, themes, plot, and functions of heroes, anti-heroes, and narrators.
- R.NT.04.03 analyze characters’ thoughts and motivation through dialogue, various
character roles, and functions including hero, anti-hero, or narrator; know first person
point of view and identify conflict and resolution.
When the 5th graders and 4th graders made a mystery mobile they each had different assignments. 4th graders had recently studied the story grammar structure so their mobile included characters (main and secondary) analyzed for their traits, setting, problem/solution, and theme. On the other hand, the 5th graders had a completely different set of expectations. Last year they had studied all that and more. Therefore, their mobile included an analysis of characters and a description of setting. Next, they created a story mountain which detailed the climax of the story. They had to identify the four types of conflict within the story (character vs. character, character vs. self, character vs. society, character vs. nature), and give two examples of figurative language found in the story. There may have been more but I've forgotten!
When we do an assignment such as read a mystery and create a mobile the students are given a reading schedule. First, they are told they must have the appropriate genre story by a certain date (usually 2-3 days are given to settle on a book). They sign up for their book and get to reading. I give them a finish the book date and remind them of this date every day in reader's workshop. By the time they finish the book they have post-it marked the book like crazy (Post-its mark examples that will be used to create the project.) and are anxious to begin. In this way we almost never have students with an overdue project. If students are late completing the project it's usually because they picked a book that was too hard, boring, too long, etc. This almost never happens because I catch this early using "state of the class" and reading conferences.
Projects could include creating a book poster, Powerpoint, Prezi, mobile, game, etc. For the month of December students will conduct a "thinkquest" at home assignment to go along with our study of tall tales.
These genre studies are fun and allow us to pack in a lot of work studying narrative text! For those wondering about nonfiction--this is a very big genre unit that typically lasts 8 weeks. We start it as soon as we return from our Christmas break. I'll talk more about that later! For those questioning my focus on genre studies and "making" students read genre that they don't like or have never read before, remember that they will not always have choice in their life. While in middle school or high school, they WILL have to read books/genre/authors that aren't their first choice. This exposure is incredibly important to building a well-rounded reader who thinks critically about the world. I'll close with an example from a former student, Will. He was NOT happy the month he had to read historical fiction. However, at the end of the month he admitted that he'd not only liked the book he'd chosen, he planned to check out another piece of historical fiction by the same author!
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