New Year - New Plans

It's been a whirlwind end to 2010. My school was in the middle of a Quality Review when I received a call to take a position at another school. It was such a hard decision to leave, but it was the right thing to do. I am now an administrator at a small school on Staten Island. The day before I was to start, my father-in law passed away. He had been struggling with Alzheimer's disease for many years. It was, as Ronald Reagan said, the long goodbye.

So, now that 2011 is here I am ready for some new discussion and dialogue. I am working through professional development on the new Common Core State Standards and would love to have a dialogue about the work you all are doing around them. I still would like to do the book study on Comprehension and Collaboration that kind of got derailed with my personal situation. I do believe that this book thoroughly supports the kind of teaching we need to meet the CCSS. I know that Keith has set up the mailring for the discussion so look for a post in the next few weeks. I just need to get the book out and reread the beginning.

I hope you all have a productive new year. If you have an integrated curriculum unit of study that you would be willing to share, please let me know. We are working to revise our curriculum maps and I would love to see an example.

Laura Kump

Raising Money for Multiple Sclerosis

It's that time of year again.

Every September my brother George does a 100 mile bike ride to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. If you can help I would appreciate the support. It's a GREAT cause. Any amount, no matter how small will help. If you use this site often consider all the free resources available to you. Consider giving back by donating to this great cause, even if it's just pennies. They will all add up. Let's hope that no one will have to hear the words, You have MS in their lifetime.

THANKS! You can make a secure donation at this site -

The National Mutliple Sclerosis Society

Comprehension and Collaboration

Our next book discussion will be of Harvey Daniels and Stephanie Harvey's book Comprehension and Collaboration. I was introduced to this book at a study group for my Teacher Center. I must say I was blown away by the book, not that that surprises me. Harvey and Stephanie have each established themselves as individuals on the cutting edge of instructional practices. Putting them together is a dream team to say the least.

At my school we have been working towards inquiry based reading instruction. It has been a journey to say the least. We have established some current units, but now with this tool I feel we can take it to the next level. It is so motivating to watch the DVD clips that can be purchased separately. It really gives you a total vision of what this would look like in the classroom. The sessions on the tape were incredible, and yes I found myself wishing I were a student in their classrooms.

Having a concrete model of what inquiry based learning looks like will be a powerful tool for many educators. As you study the new Common Core Standards, you will see how the instructional practices discussed in this book will help teachers heed the call to deepen students knowledge base.

I look forward to reading and discussing this timely book with you all. I will post an outline shortly for our discussions.

Laura
readinglady.com


Comprehension & Collaboration
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/032501230X/educasbookclubdi

Category: Uncategorized

More Feeds

Who's Ready for Kindergarten?

For this year's graduates of preschool, the pressure begins. Most children in those adorable moving-up ceremonies are 5 years old and will start kindergarten in the fall. But in some states, 4-year-olds are in the group as well, and their parents are anxious: Are their children ready for the rigors of kindergarten?

In Teaching, Pink Slips Are a Way of Life

For many teachers, job uncertainty is one of the biggest downsides of their profession. Recent estimates from the American Association of School Administrators show that about a quarter-million educators could face layoffs in the coming year as states cut education spending in an effort to balance their budgets. That has left many teachers wondering where their next paycheck will come from.

$11M Learning Network of Greater Kalamazoo Unveiled Today

An $11 million initiative to create a comprehensive, countywide educational support system for children from infancy through college is being unveiled in Kalamazoo, MI. Local officials representing a range of public, private and nonprofit institutions announced a new coalition, part of a community transformation, to remake Kalamazoo into "a world model as a community that 'gets it' and does something about it," said Juan Olivarez, president of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation.

The New Tucson Literacy Movement

In May of 2011, the managing boards of five different literacy groups in Pima County voted to merge together in order to further their mission. The groups are Literacy for Life Coalition, Literacy Volunteers of Tucson, Reach Out and Read Southern Arizona, Reading Seed, and Stories That Soar. While each expects to continue doing its own specific job, they hope that by uniting together they can stretch their resources farther, offer more services, and make a larger impact on the community.

Teacher Says Transfer from First Language to English Isn't Automatic

A bilingual educator writing a guest blog post at Voice of San Diego says that students can benefit from instruction that lets them know what does and doesn't transfer from their first language to English. Ramon Espinal, who has worked in San Diego as a bilingual classroom teacher since 1995, writes that studies have found correlations between English and Spanish in word reading, phonological awareness, and spelling. But he added, "Teachers cannot assume that transfer is automatic." How to teach students explicitly what is similar and different between English and his or her home language is not something that I've seen pop up much in discussions about educating English-language learners. How I've heard it talked about is when researchers suggest that speakers of Spanish who are learning English can increase their vocabulary quickly with an understanding of cognates, words that are similar in Spanish and English.

Category: News

More Feeds