Isn't it great the Ellin Keene, author of Mosaic of Thought, has joined
our discussions??? We're glad you are here Ellin!!!!!!!!!

Ginger
moderator
grade 3

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Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 20:27:37 -0500
From: Andy and Shelly Kennedy <pristine@aclass.com>
Subject: [mosaic] GRANT

Hi...I know that many times we have started the grant strand, but it's
the first time I have been in need of a big one. Does anyone know of
specific grants out there that will fund big bucks for the
implementation of ITI/training of teachers, etc. rather than asking for
equipment and "stuff"? :) Shelly

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From: Melanie Perkins <MPerkins@parkmead.wcsd.k12.ca.us>
Subject: RE: [mosaic] GRANT
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 08:06:11 -0800
Reply-To: mosaic@u46teachers.org
Hi, Shelly,
A friend of mine in Texas wrote a successful grant application for big bucks
to impliment ITI as a school improvement plan. I have her email address at
home, and will send it to you tonight.

Melanie

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Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 08:17:33 -0800
From: "Susan Mattoon" <smattoon@cheneysd.org>
Subject: [mosaic] Looping

Good Morning! I'm looking for information about looping that may be
online. Any good sites that discuss how to implement etc.?

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From: JGeierteach@aol.com
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 18:34:12 EST
Subject: Re: [mosaic] "Am I understanding" lesson

Shelly,

Yes, do have them practice the 1 and 2 finger strategy in all subject matters
and with all types of text. It will help them transfer the strategy, as well
as, help them to internalize the strategy more. Great idea!!!

Jan

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: "btillman" <btillman@farmerstel.com>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] GRANT
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 21:47:05 -0500

Check out the CSRD grant. It will pay for ITI training. There is some about
it on the www.nwrel.org website.
Cece/1/GA
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From: "Mike and Louanne Jones" <2jones@attbi.com>
Subject: RE: [mosaic] "Am I understanding" lesson
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 07:53:48 -0800

I am new to this group. A group of us teachers got together last summer and
read "Strategies That Work" and "Mosaic of Thought". We learned a lot from
both. I'm thrilled to have found this group!

I have a question for Jan. What is the 1 and 2 finger strategy you refer to
in this message? Can you explain how you use it?

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Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 19:31:24 -0500
From: Andy and Shelly Kennedy <pristine@aclass.com>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] 1 Finger /2finger

I have just tried the 1 finger / 2 finger for the first time, but
essentially as you read something together with students (1 to a large
group) you have them hold 1 finger when they are comprehending and 2
when they are not. Then you have immediate feedback for when
comprehension breaks down for your students.

:) Shelly Kennedy

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From: "Mike and Louanne Jones" <2jones@attbi.com>
Subject: RE: [mosaic] 1 Finger /2finger
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 16:48:46 -0800

Thank you Shelly! What grade are you teaching? Does this work for any
'read-aloud'?

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Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 20:20:50 -0500
From: Andy and Shelly Kennedy <pristine@aclass.com>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] 1 Finger /2finger

I teach fifth grade but I know that I have heard teachers of primary use
it too. I have just started implementing the strategies, and I could see
that it could be helpful all day long through all subjects which is why
I posed the question to everyone initially about should we be working
with the strategies in all subject areas. I have to tell you that today
I was almost scared to think of doing that because - imagine it now - at
every few sentences you'll see two fingers and stop and explain, stop
and explain, stop and explain. Can't you see me stopping all throughout
everything because kids don't understand. (Sadly & humerously),I have
this vision of how long I have been teaching just reading along and
thinking (or at least hoping) everyone is understanding. I hope I am
relaying my humor in this over e-mail well enough. It truly isn't funny,
but to think of how easy this strategy is and to have gone so
long.......well, you know the rest.

Shelly

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Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2002 11:16:02 -0700
Subject: Re: [mosaic] 1 Finger /2finger
From: "CCristine Tovani" <ctovani@mail.ccsd.k12.co.us>

I got a kick out of the, I think, Shelly's email about fifth graders
holding fingers up to indicate understanding and confusion. It could get
crazy. But wouldn't it be great if older readers metaphorically were
lifting those fingers. In my experience, I find that the older the reader
gets, the more he or she thinks it's the teacher's job to make sure the
reader gets it. I really want my kids taking responsibility for their own
meaning making. Sure, I'll do everything I can to help them understand
what they read, but I can't make them get it if they aren't engaging in
thinking.

I teach 9-12 graders and I use all types of text to demonstrate thinking
strategies. It would be great if teachers viewed what Ellin and Susan
refer to as comprehension strategies in Mosaic of Thought as thinking
strategies that allow students to access not only different types of text
but different content areas. The majority of readers I work with don't
have trouble decoding, even the special ed kids. My students struggle
more with understanding and remembering what they've read. Since they
don't remember or understand their reading, they can't use it to
participate in a discussion, write an essay or design a project. I don't
know... I think reading instruction has to continue through high school,
especially if teachers expect students to read increasingly difficult
text. Enough shop talk--Happy Weekend to you all.

Warmly,
Cris Tovani

Cris Tovani
Smoky Hill High School
720-886-5643

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: "Cheryl Lynch" <arch2er@bellsouth.net>
Subject: [mosaic] New member introduction
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 08:18:45 -0500

Hi. I am a curriculum facilitator in the Guoilford County School system
in NC. I started reading Mosaic after having tested many students who
were not performing well on the End of Grade tests that NC gives. In
testing I found that there were kids who scored at grade level in both
word recognition and comprehension ?s but were not doing well on those
tests at all. A teacher listserve recommended Mosaic & after only
reading about 1/2 the book I think I may have hit on something. I'm
excited to find out more. Thanks and look forward to talking with you
all.

Cheryl

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From: "Ginger/Rob" <elephant@foxvalley.net>
Subject: RE: [mosaic] New member introduction
Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 01:03:09 -0600

Welcome Cheryl! Have you visited the website and viewed the archives of all
the previous postings to the listserve? We also have an online book data
base where teachers can find (and add!!!!) titles and comments of books used
for the strategy teaching.

www.u46teachers.org/mosaic

Links to the archives and online book database can be found on the left just
under the sign up form.

What exactly are you pondering? Maybe we can help!

Ginger
moderator
grade 3

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Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 11:47:12 -0600
Reply-To: mosaic@u46teachers.org
Thank u 4 ur welcome:

I am pondering I guess if this is the key to our kids not achieving the way
they should in reading. Again, they can decode but are not understanding
what they're reading, even though they can answer the comprehension ?s
sometimes on informal reading inventories (we use the QRI).
I guess I'm just wondering if I'm on the right track.

One ? I do have though (& I'm not finished with the book yet), is whether or
not these techniques have been used with low socioeconomic children and if
so, did it work?

Again thanks for ur welcome. I look forward to hearing from u all:)

Cheryl

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Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 21:00:02 -0500
From: Andy and Shelly Kennedy <pristine@aclass.com>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] New member introduction

I feel strongly that this is sooooo much better than what I have been
doing. I don't think I have taught my kids to "think about their
thinking" enough before now. Thursday night I had my students read some
Social Studies content on the American Revolution and write 3 questions
for us to discuss on Friday. (I had a student teacher and then was on
maternity leave so I am just beginning the strategies really.) On
Friday, I was so disheartened when the questions were, "What was the
date for the Battle of Bull Run?" and others like that. I have
attached a thing called "THE MONTILLATION OF TRAXOLINE" that I got at a
workshop. The gruop of teachers was asked to read this and then answer
the questions. Well, we were able to answer all of the questions. Then
we were asked what it really meant - ofcourse, no one had a clue. It
just really hit home with me. I thought you might be interested in it
too. :)

THE MONTILLATION OF TRAXOLINE
(attributed to Judy Lanier)

It is very important that you learn about traxoline. Traxoline is a new
form of zionter. It is montilled in Ceristanna. The Ceristannians
gristeriate large amounts of fevon and then bracter it to quasel
traxoline. Traxoline may well be one of our must lukized snezlaus in
the future because of our zionter lescelidge.

Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Be
sure to use your best handwriting.

1. What is a traxoline?

2. Where is traxoline montilled?

3. How is traxoline quaselled?

4. Why is it important to know about traxoline?

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From: "Mike and Louanne Jones" <2jones@attbi.com>
Subject: RE: [mosaic] Traxoline?!?
Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 19:54:54 -0800

Thank you for submitting this piece. I'm going to put it together for my
principal and share it at our next staff meeting. So often teachers ask
very low level comprehension questions and assume children are understanding
what they read. But when kids are asked to paraphrase or retell, they are
lost! Mosaic of Thought and Strategies That Work both focus of the
strategies that good readers use. I am thrilled to have this information to
help my students learn to read with understanding.

Louanne Jones
Grade 2, Burlington, Washington

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From: "Ellin Keene" <ellinkeene@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] [PERIODIC mosaic DIGEST POSTING]
Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 22:08:43 -0700

Greetings to everyone. I caught the message today about strategies working
with low socio-economic kids and wanted to respond. At this time I'm
working with seven of this country's lowest income schools and with two very
low income schools within each of those school districts. I'm finding that
kids in these schools are so responsive to strategy instruction -- in some
cases even more responsive than kids I've worked with in more affluent
schools. I've been so intrigued by this and have been trying to study it.

The hypothesis I'm working on now is that literacy experiences really
represent some of the first intellectually engaging experiences that
children have -- they find that those experiences are so internally
gratifying that they crave more. Strategies are the tools we teach kids to
leverage those experiences -- they provide the language kids use to remember
and reapply a particular kind of thinking to subsequent experiences. In a
sense, the strategies help them experience and reexperience those
intellectual experiences. Needless to say, children come to us with a wide
variety of literacy background and current performance, but the strategies
give ALL kids the tools they need to share their thinking. They're all
superb thinkers, the only difference is whether or not they have the verbal
tools to share that thinking with us. It's our (precious) responsibility to
teach those tools.

Just some thoughts . . . .
best to you all,
ellin keene
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: "b" <bjulian@xtra.co.nz>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] Traxoline?!?
Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 22:01:39 +1300

The Traxoline story seems to have travalled widely! Here in New Zealand I
use it when working with parent workshops to help them understand the need
to discuss and explain things with their children to develop understanding.
So often adults think that because they understand things that chn
automatically do too. I present it at the end so that it reinforces the
things I have been talking about and they really enjoy it. You can see and
hear the ahaas as they work their way through it.
Barbara

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From: PhilSharonElder@aol.com
Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 08:29:22 EST
Subject: [mosaic] My 1st post.... be gentle!

Hello all,
I have been reading your posts with great interest. I haven't posted
before because I am EXTREMELY new to MOT and feel that I am lightyears behind
you all. The "Montillation of Traxoline" article really was an eyeopener.
I'm curious... for the sake of argument, let's say that you HAD to teach this
subject and you MUST use this article. Could someone tackle making it a
successful lesson? What would you do? What would you add? How would your
instruction differ from the traditional content area instruction of
introducing vocabulary, reading the content, and answering questions in order
to instill true comprehension in your students?

Thanks,
Sharon
1st/AL

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From: "Mike and Louanne Jones" <2jones@attbi.com>
Subject: RE: [mosaic] My 1st post.... be gentle!
Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 07:31:16 -0800

Hello Sharon! Glad you wrote about this piece! As I see it, the
"Montillation of Traxoline" is meant for educators. It is meant to open our
eyes to how we assess reading/comprehension. There are question similar to
those at the end of "Traxoline" in my basal reader! As teachers we need to
improve our assessments of reading and teach children to THINK as they read.
I am using the strategies in both books: S.T.W. and M.O.T. Even very young
readers like to share how they 'make connections' with a story. They can
ask questions before, during, and after reading. They are learning to THINK
as they read.

I would like to use "Traxoline" with our teachers at a staff meeting. We
have been trying to improve our literacy scores. This a real eye-opener!

It might be possible to use it with children to show them that they can
answer questions (low level type) without understanding the piece. Make
them realize that they need to THINK as they read if they want to truly
understand.

Louanne Jones
Grade 2, Burlington, Washington

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From: <arch2er@bellsouth.net>
Subject: Re: Re: [mosaic] [PERIODIC mosaic DIGEST POSTING]
Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 10:36:24 -0500

Ellin,
Thank u for responding 2 my message. I work in a school that ranges from low socioecomic to lower middle class (not sure of the correct terminology). I hear a lot of comments like "These kids can't learn because they haven't had experiences in life" .....We know ,of course, that these kids have had a host of experiences in life, though maybe not the same experiences in that particular book, so as a reading specialist my dilemma is, how do we make the connections from their experience to those in the piece they are reading.
Looking forward 2 reading the rest of the book. Fascinating!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheryl
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Ann, I am using Ellin's book MOT and Strategies That Work by Stephanie
Harvey and Anne Goudvis with my second graders. They use language that even
young readers understand and use themselves. When teaching the questioning
strategies, we make a list of questions: I wonder . . . as we look at the
pictures before reading a story. They have stopped me in the halls to say,
Mrs. Jones, I have a question . .. I wonder why it isn't snowing when it's
SO COLD! ha ha They like to use the same language to discuss literature.

Louanne Jones
Grade 2, Burlington, Washington

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From: PhilSharonElder@aol.com
Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 13:32:22 EST
Subject: Re: [mosaic] My 1st post.... be gentle!

In a message dated 1/20/2002 10:32:43 AM Eastern Standard Time,
2jones@attbi.com writes:

<< It is meant to open our
eyes to how we assess reading/comprehension. >>

Thank you, Louanne. I was thinking more of how "traditional" teaching
(especially thinking of content areas here) doesn't always result in true
comprehension and using the piece to illustrate that to other educators
and/or parents. In that sense, I could just hear someone ask, "Show me how
you would teach this piece in a different way." My question stemmed from
the comparison of 'traditional' instruction with that of 'thoughtful
literacy' instruction. I was thinking of 'instruction' modeling instead of
'assessment' modeling. Does that make sense? I can easily see how it would
cause contemplation of how we actually assess reading and will use it for
that purpose. Thanks for a great idea!

Sharon
1st/AL

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Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 13:41:09 -0500
From: Andy and Shelly Kennedy <pristine@aclass.com>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] My 1st post.... be gentle!

Because the content of the Traxoline is not real, I am not sure that I
would NOT tackle making it meaningful, but using another story that was real
that I had taught with these same types of questions, I am not changing
my ways and using the Mosaic Strategies.

Shelly

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From: "Hope Seider" <hseider@clinton.k12.mo.us>
Subject: [mosaic] Intro and a question
Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 13:02:52 -0800

My name is Hope Seider, and I'm a third, fourth, and fifth grade Title I
Reading teacher in the Clinton, Missouri, public schools. I was introduced
to Mosaic at a Project Construct workshop I attended in the summer of 2000.
I knew immediately that Ellin Keene came close to answering all the
questions I'd had about reading throughout my life!

When we were mandated to begin study groups last year as part of Reading
Success Network training (a Missouri state program), I asked for volunteers
at my school to be in my study group. We have a first grade teacher, second
grade teacher, a fifth grade teacher, a special education cross-categorical
teacher, a gifted teacher, and me. These teachers were "sold" almost
immediately, and continue to be excited about using the strategies with all
these different levels of students! Last week we "made a presentation" to
our school faculty on our Mosaic accomplishments with our students, which
was very well received.

Many, if not most, of our teachers are at least somewhat familiar with
Mosaic. We talked the district into buying a copy of the book for any
interested teachers last year, and the response was favorable. We feel now
that we need to get some type of training into our school to keep the
interest and momentum going.

We would like a facilitator to come to our school, but we haven't had
success in getting that going. Last week we thought we'd found grant money
to send another teacher and me to Denver for the PEBC training, but found
that the bulk of our grant money has to be spent inside Missouri. I am
willing to work on writing a grant, but as with many states, cutbacks are
the rule of the day for state grants. Are there federal grants available?

I'm interested in hearing any suggestions you all might have -- I know
there's lot of talent on this list, and I'm looking forward to hearing from
you all!

Thanks,
Hope

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