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

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