Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 16:23:50 -0600
From: Kathy Hurd <hurd@foxvalley.net>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] forward/Modeling Visualizing
Interestingly, I heard the author and staff developer, Ralph Fletcher, speak
this past week. He
mentioned that he met Cynthia Rylant at a workshop on writing. He told her
how much he enjoyed her
writing, and asked her a question about revising. She told him that she
never revises her work. He
seemed to be a bit dismayed.
His book, Twilight Comes Twice has great visual imagery.
Kathy Hurd
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: "Ginger/Rob" <elephant@foxvalley.net>
Subject: [mosaic] forward/Laura/ Response to Visitor
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 07:19:01 -0600
Reply-To: mosaic@u46teachers.org
from Laura:
Here is a copy of the letter I have drafted to send to my observer who I vented
over last week. It is not in final stage yet, but getting there. On Friday,
February 1, 2002 you made a site visit to Public School 18 on
Staten Island. During your visit you stopped into my 2nd grade
classroom. It has come to my attention that you had some questions regarding
the
lesson you observed in our room that day. After hearing the questions, I
decided it would be best if I addressed them personally.
In my class we are working through the metacognitive strategy instruction
outlined in Mosaic of Thought (Keene and Zimmerman), and Strategies that Work
(Harvey and Goudivas). I'd like to share some thoughts on how my
instruction was developed. We have been focusing our strategy instruction recently
on Prior Knowledge. During the first week of the study, we began with the
question "What do we know about prior knowledge?" I asked the kids
the
question and they looked at me kind of funny. While I had modeled this
in
the past I had never really made them aware I was doing so. How many of us
have done this? We introduce new text and build background through webs,
KWLs and other such graphic organizers. We attempt to prepare our students
to read and are indeed accessing their prior knowledge. What most don't do
though is tell the kids what they are doing, and perhaps more importantly why
they are doing it. As with the other strategies, it is imperative that we
explicitly share what we are doing, and why we are doing it
At the end of week one's study, we returned to the question - What do we
know about prior knowledge. I asked the kids to jot down a few ideas about
what prior knowledge is. I have included photocopies of some of the
responses from my seven-year-old students. I want to reiterate that not only
do we have to model and teach these strategies, but also we have to have the
kids respond and articulate as to how it helps them. They need to make the
connection between what they are doing and how it helps them as readers
powerful stuff and so necessary. It is not enough to just have them use
these strategies; they have to understand why they use them. We always need
to take that next step.
During week two of the strategy study, we began with the question - How do
readers access prior knowledge? The kids defined "access" as getting
the
information out of their brain. We used the association of warming up a car
on a cold day. We need to warm up our brains to get them ready for new
learning. Again we modeled webs, kwl charts; know charts and other ways to
access prior knowledge. Again at the end of the week they responded in
writing to the question. Examples of responses follow -
"You access prior knowledge because it can help you comprehend your
reading. You use prior knowledge before you read. Accessing prior knowledge
can
make your brain smarter. Some people do webs and a know chart or kwl chart so
that when they want to access their prior knowledge they can use what's in
their brains. Accessing prior knowledge is great because it can make you stay
on the same thing that you are on. Accessing your prior knowledge is
controlling your brain because it can file the new stuff in with the prior
knowledge." Precious (Age 7)
"You access your prior knowledge by pulling something that you know out
of your brain. You think of what you know before you read the book. To help
you could make a web, do a know chart or you also can do a kwl chart. It
helps to do one of these three things or do all. You can use different
strategies t0 help you comprehend." Tatiana (Age 8)
Finally, week three of the study involved taking what the children
had learned in weeks one and two, and teaching them how this knowledge would
help them as readers. This was the week of your visit. During the week, we
modeled using several different pieces of text covering various genre
and topics. We explicitly showed the children how accessing prior knowledge
would help them comprehend new text. On the day of your visit, we were
working with a Cinderella text. The children were introduced to the text and
reminded that we were studying prior knowledge. They were also reminded
that now that they knew what prior knowledge was and how we access it, they
needed to learn how to use it. During your visit, I was modeling for my
students how I would access my prior knowledge of a Cinderella story through
creation of a web. You are right in saying that my students wanted to
participate in the making of this web. Had I been doing "brainstorming"
to access
their prior knowledge of Cinderella stories, I certainly would have invited
them to join me. The web, however, was not the focus of the lesson. The lesson
was how I as a reader used my prior knowledge, created a web and used it to
help me comprehend new text.
Outlined in Mosaic of Thought is a Gradual Release Model. I have
included a copy of the graph showing the progression of this approach.
The gradual release of responsibility model describes the stages we go
through as we teach our students these metacognitive strategies. The first stage
is modeling, during which time the teacher uses the think aloud to model
the use of a specific strategy several times. The students during this time
just observe. The next stage involves the teacher modeling the strategy and
inviting student feedback as to what they noticed the teacher doing.
The third stage involves gradually releasing the responsibility to the
students. There is no set time frame for this release, but looking to the
reflective=20
pieces the students work on, coupled with conference notes it becomes
evident when they are ready. This Gradual Release Model, along with the
research findings of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read (2001)clearly
support the strategy instruction you observed in our classroom.
"The rationale for the explicit teaching of comprehension skills is that
comprehension can be improved by teaching students to use specific
cognitive strategies=E2=80=A6" (National Reading Panel - 2001)
For the past three years I have presented these strategy instruction
techniques at the International Reading Conference, and am scheduled to
do so again this April in San Francisco. I have also written about them in
True Stories from Four Blocks Classrooms (Carson Dellosa, 2001 - Chapter 5).
I truly feel that there is no more powerful learning than that which
involves brain based learning. My students are highly motivated to learn, and
have done quite well as a result of these techniques. When my students came
into my first grade classroom, 13 out of 19 had been identified as being at
risk of not becoming literate. Half way through 2nd grade I am excited to
see that 19 of them are reading, some even above grade level. I strongly
feel that teaching children to become thinkers and active participants in the
learning process has allowed me to give them the gift of literacy.
Should you have any further questions about anything in my room, please do not
hesitate to contact me. You can email me anytime at
readinglady@readinglady.com, or contact me at P.S. 18.
Laura
readinglady.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: [mosaic] Laura's response
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 08:27:21 -0600
From: "Lowe, Marilyn" <malowe@jackson.k12.ms.us>
WOW! What a powerful statement of position!!! Your points were
explicitly stated with enough depth that someone who was totally
unfamiliar with the strategy could understand the reason behind your
teaching decision. Yet it was brief and to the point. You have a
wonderful way with words! Hope that you get a formal apology from the
"venter."
Marilyn
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: "Tena Flanagan" <tflanagan@colbertcountyschools.org>
Subject: Re: Re: [mosaic] staff development
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 11:29:01 -0600
Hello,
I just presented a short comprehension session using the OWL approach.
O-observe W-wonder L-link to life. I just told the teachers to be aware
of themselves as readers, not teachers. I made colored overhead
transparencies of the book This Quiet Lady. We OWLed our way through
the book as it was presented by overheads. I sort of stole part of this
presentation from another presenter. She had two overheads (side by
side)so it looked just like the two page spread from the book. It worked
great. Afterwards, we talked about what we did just as readers, not
teachers. This is sooo hard to do for some people. Then we talked about
the actual set up of the way we OWL ed. I made the connection between
the literate conversation we had-to the idea that that is what we want
to achieve in our classroom. We discovered together how our thoughts
were on such a higher level when allowed to build our own understanding
of the text.I also begin by tell about how looking at a book is
different than observing and wondering and linking.I hope this is
helpful.
TF
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: PMurphyNAM@aol.com
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 16:55:41 EST
Subject: [mosaic] Wanted: info. re. "Critical lens" reading technique
A friend of mine who is taking an undergraduate course in education needs to
know what the "critical lens" reading technique is. I've heard of
the
expression "critical lens," but do not know the "technique."
I tried using
the phrase in a keyword search on the Internet, but it didn't lead to
anything that answered her question. I have a few reading texts at home,
but, there's no mention of this technique in them either. I told her I'd
tried posting this want ad. Can any of you help her out?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 18:39:16 -0600
Subject: Re: [mosaic] REading BLock of Workshop
From: hurd_k/cn@dns.u46.k12.il.us
Sorry, this message was started in Jan., when our phone lines were out
in Elgin, for about a week. My internet service died about the time I
was composing.
What I was attempting to say is that the downside of the QRI reading
assessement, is that you can test at only one grade level: first grade,
second grade, etc. The DRA tests beginning, middle and end of grade
levels through grade 3. It tests 3 levels at kindergarten, 4 pre-primer,
two primer levels, and 2 levels in 1st grade.
The DRA kit includes a story overview that can be used to help assess
the information the child included in the retelling. I usually
underline the characters as the child names them, number the events as
the child retells them, etc. Then a rubric is used to evaluate the
retelling. A child must have at least adequate comprehension and an
accuracy score of 90% or better on the oral reading section to be
considered "at a particular level" for instructional purposes.
There are questions that ask things like, "What does this story remind
you of?" It's very gratifying to see the text-to-self connections and
even a few text-to-text connections that children in first grade can
give without prompting.
I was just contacted by the publisher's rep to pilot the DRA for
intermediate grades. So, this will be helpful for me in evaluating
older students as well. We'll be using the QRI II for the older students
for our Summer Intervention Program assessments.
If anyone has any comments about the QRI III, I would appreciate hearing
more information about it. I do like the QRI II in that it has
non-fiction passages and pre-reading questions that help to evaluate how
much prior knowledge a child has about the topic, before they read.
The alternate form of the DRA has non-fiction texts. I prefer the DRA,
because it assesses comprehension over a sustained piece of text, rather
than just a few paragraphs. I think it gives a better picture of the
reader.
Our Reading Recovery Teacher Trainer, Kathleen Miller, has an
interesting critique of the STAR reading test.
Kathy Hurd
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: CPres64735@aol.com
Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 07:59:44 EST
Subject: Re: [mosaic] staff development
I presented Novel-In-an Hour twice this week. Once, to the staff development
teachers and once in my own 4th grade classroom. It went well in both but the
kids seemed to have more fun with it. I used the book Phoebe the Spy. The
adults seemed to have so much more prior knowledge that their questions were
not that great. The 4th graders had great questions and great discussions.
They loved the mystery of it all. The book I used is not that long, so my
groups were not in 3's but in 5's and that was not the perfect scenario. 3
kids in each group would have been better. I am going to use 3 the next time.
One of the men/hecklers did not show up for class and the other one
apologized to both my partner and I. I guess people in his own district had
told him how rude and mean he had been. He was pretty good the rest of the
night, although I think it is just his personality to constantly play the
Devil's Advocate. Thank you to everyone for all the great ideas.
Chris
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [mosaic]DRA
Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 09:01:39 -0500
I have been giving the DRA for the first time the last 2 weeks. We have one
kit we are trying out and hope to purchase several and a leveled library if
we get the REA grant.
I really love all the information I get from the test. For some weird
reason, I have always been able to know alot about my kids as readers
(especially since starting 4 Blocks), but doing the DRA helps me articulate
it in such a wonderful way.
This week I had a meeting with a parent that we are monitoring through our
Student Support Team. We have met many times this year about his son's
difficulties in reading, but just have never gotten through to him the
seriousness of the problem. Using the DRA results, I was able to lay out the
level 2 text and the level 12 text. I told the dad, "Here is where your
son
is reading now (level 2) and here is where he should be (level 12)." It
really hit home to him for the first time.
On the positive side, I could give him the strategies his son was using when
he encountered unfamiliar words, as well as recommendations for books to
help support his reading at home. His dad wanted to know what he had to do
to get him where he needed to be. It was a wonderful conference! The dad
confided that he had been in special ed. and was taken out in 9th grade and
put in some advanced classes without support. Needless to say, he dropped
out of school. I told him that he was the best thing his son had going for
him, because he was concerned and wanted to be a part of the solution. I
encouraged him to be proactive with his son and make sure his son continued
to receive the support he needed for as long as he needed it. I was grateful
that I could use these test results to make a clear picture for this dad.
Cece/1/GA
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 10:08:45 -0600
From: Tracy Miller <tlmiller@tlmiller.net>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] Wanted: info. re. "Critical lens" reading technique
Reply-To: mosaic@u46teachers.org
There's an interesting article, Storming the Citadel: Reading Theory
Critically by Stephen Brookfield, which has a lot to say about critical
lens.
http://www.nl.edu/ace/Resources/Documents/Theory.html
I used "lens reading theory" in google to find this one.
Tracy Miller
Middle School
American School Foundation
Mexico City
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 11:06:32 -0600
Subject: [mosaic] literacy coordinators
From: weincek_g/vc@dns.u46.k12.il.us
We've heard from many of you that there is an interest/need to discuss
working with staff development issues. Could this discussion take place
on the listserve for all of us to learn from? I know that I could
definitely benefit from your talk. Plus some of us have done work at
our buildings as a staff and we could possible share our experiences as
well.
Could someone get us started by asking some good questions? What is it
you all want to talk about?
Just a thought since the list has been quiet.
Ginger
moderator
grade 3
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 13:45:43 -0600
Subject: Re: [mosaic] [PERIODIC mosaic DIGEST POSTING]
From: "June Green" <jgreen@dg58.dupage.k12.il.us>
Newbridge also has DRA levels for their books. They're good nonfiction
texts for first through early second.
June Green
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: "Rosemary Scavongelli" <rose1@massed.net>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] literacy coordinators
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 16:44:51 -0600
Many of us are involved with staff development thanks to the many literacy
grants available.How do you move beyond the "Prophet in your own land "
problem?
Rosemary Scavongelli-rose1@massed.net
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: "Ginger/Rob" <elephant@foxvalley.net>
Subject: [mosaic] prophet in your own land
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 17:01:33 -0600
Rosemary- I have heard that phrase before and a good friend even told it to
me when I was a bit frustrated, but I don't know if I understand it. Could
you share with us what you mean and why this is coming up for you? What is
going on in your position that is bringing this up? Maybe we can brainstorm
and offer our support better if we know more about your situation. I'm sure
you are not alone in dealing with this problem.
Ginger
grade 3
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: "Donna Baker" <baker@sprint.ca>
Subject: [mosaic] Staff Development
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 05:17:44 -0500
I am currently working on a presentation to teachers and principals on
reading strategies (an hour presentation). I am thinking of starting with
a think aloud demonstrating many of the strategies. (Probably using
Jeremiah Learns to Read). Then I wanted to talk about the "Gradual release
of responsibility" model, and developing a school plan for instruction.
I then will briefly discuss each of the strategies. I am planning to have
more details and suggestions in my handout.
Any advice, successes, failures etc. that anyone can offer?
Donna
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 09:17:18 -0600
Subject: [mosaic] staff development
From: weincek_g/vc@dns.u46.k12.il.us
Donna, I think your plans sound GREAT! What will you be including in
your handouts?
Jan and I will be presenting an overview of the strategies in about an
hour and a half session this summer. We are struggling with how to get
it all in and actually have the teachers come away with something
valuable. For that inservice we are encouraging teachers who have NOT
taken our graduate course to attend so it will be more of an
introduction to Mosaic.
We are pondering ways we could have hands on practice with a large group
in that short of time. We'd like to get them actively using the
strategies themselves on short adult text, maybe a rotation to two or
three strategies with a facilitator at each "station". (After we have
done either modeling (think aloud) or some direct teaching about the
strategies.) Has anyone had any experiences doing it actively? Do you
think it could work?
Ginger
grade 3
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: "Pat Watson" <pwatson@sfasu.edu>
Subject: RE: [mosaic] staff development
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 09:30:56 -0600
I've been using the first bit from Ken Follet's _Code to Zero_ to do this
with teachers and my undergrads. I have them look at the cover and jot down
their thoughts, then we read the quote on the first flyleaf...jot
thought....second flyleaf....jot thoughts....continue in 2 or 3 chunks
through the first few pages. Then we go back and examine which strategies
they're using.
pat
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 12:27:08 -0800
From: "pbrown" <pbrown@acps.k12.va.us>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] staff development
Our "Mosaic of Thought" Learning Community did a short strategies
presentation for a faculty
meeting using an editorial cartoon to introduce making connections and inferring.
We put the
cartoon on an overhead, gave colleagues a couple of minutes to think about it,
then did a
think-aloud on the strategies. It worked very well!
Pat
5th Grade
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: "Thorud, Carol" <thorudc@mail.davenport.k12.ia.us>
Subject: RE: [mosaic] staff development
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 11:40:13 -0600
I really like that idea. It puts it at an adult level and allows active
involvement!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: Readinglady1@aol.com
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 15:52:26 EST
Subject: [mosaic] Staff Development
When we present the strategies we go through each one. During this piece we
discuss sample usuage in a classroom and perhaps books or materials that can
be used to model this strategy. We then model a sample lesson for one
strategy using a piece of poetry or piece of text. We then make the
connection back to the classroom. This week we also went into a classroom and
modeled a 90 minute Literacy Block to model how it works with the children.
This I feel is a necessary piece.
Laura
readinglady.com
NYC
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
back to archive