Naomi

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From: "Ginger/Rob" <elephant@foxvalley.net>
Subject: [mosaic] middle school
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 2002 20:20:06 -0500

Naomi- Great to hear from you! I am very interested in the middle
school/junior high applications of this teaching. At your school are the
other teachers incorporating the comprehension strategy teaching as you
described you were in your classroom? How did the students do? Could you
talk with us a bit about the texts you used (short text/novels?) and how the
kids responded to the minilessons? Did you do think alouds? I would LOVE to
get this up and running in our middle schools.
Ginger
grade 3

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From: MAMASWIRLZ@aol.com
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 2002 09:13:44 EDT
Subject: Re: [mosaic] middle school

Yes.....comprehension strategy teaching is alive and well in the middle
school. What I will describe here is what we did in the school I directed up
until last year, when the building principal, due to ulterior political
motives, pushed me out. The setting is a large NYC middle school in
Washington Heights (top of Manhattan) that was divided into academies
(smaller learning communities as indicated by middle school philosophy). Most
of the students are Dominican with some other Latino and a small percentage
of African-Americans.

Firstly, an experienced teacher who had implemented the reading workshop was
selected as our title I reading teachers. (She had been mentored by Cynthia
McCallister of NYU) She pushed into our 8th grade classes. During prep
periods she provided professional development to the classroom teachers,
which included preparation of mini-lessons based on on-going assessment.

We had reading workshop daily, as early in the day as possible. Our first
mini-lessons were on workshop proceedures and selecting books. We put
together classroom libraries as best we could through school purchased books,
flea markets, Salvation Army, etc. I purchased baskets for display. We did
not level the books, but put them in genres. We did have a "just for fun"
basket with easier reads. As we got to know the students, especially the
struggling readers, we purchased books with our own money from Barned and
Noble based on their particular interests and needs.

Within each classroom we divided the students (not physically) into 3 groups:
struggling readers who needed conferences every day, others who needed 2-3
times a week and a final group that just needed a touch base each week. Each
group was divided among the adults (2 in the general ed classrooms, 3 in the
inclusion classroom) . This assured that conferencing needs of each student
would be met.

Students self selected books....mini lessons were given....students shared at
the end. As the term progressed, as students were reading independently, the
reading person pulled one group to start book groups. She taught them how
the book group worked. Then they were conferenced with as a group during
workshop. She then used these students as the book group experts. Students
chose to be in the groups. Walter Dean Myers was a favorite author among 8th
grade boys.

Naomi

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From: Ladidamcdonald@aol.com
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 2002 09:27:19 EDT
Subject: Re: [mosaic] [PERIODIC mosaic DIGEST POSTING]

I am a fairly new teacher and taught Title 1 Language Arts, 8th grade, last
year. Many of my students read at a 3rd -5th grade level. After attending a
workshop by Dr. Kylene Beers (reading specialist from Texas) this summer, I
have been surfing the web to find interesting information about improving
reading comprehension. I "happened" upon the site that talks about Mosaic
and Strategies That Work, and that provided the study guide for Strategies.
I liked what I read but I have not gotten to either Mosaic or Strategies That
Work YET. I signed onto the chat and I have just been overwhelmed by what I
have been reading!

Ginger, your Author Studies are inspiring! I yearn to have students who
understand what they read and therefore enjoy reading. If we have more
teachers in the elementary grades who inspire students, and if we have more
secondary school teachers working hard to repair reading skills, then we will
have a literate, thinking nation!!! What a goal!

Thanks to all who are sharing -- you are helping to inspire those of us who
are listening.

LauraMcD -- FLA

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From: "Ginger/Rob" <elephant@foxvalley.net>
Subject: [mosaic] two middle school books
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 2002 12:19:34 -0500

If you are teaching upper grades there are two great books you should
consider reading:
"I Read It But I Don't Get It" by Cris Tovani and "Teaching Reading In The
Middle School" by Laura Robb. Both are excellent!

Ginger
grade 3

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From: "Ginger/Rob" <elephant@foxvalley.net>
Subject: [mosaic] upcoming videos
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 2002 12:24:43 -0500

Here is some great news!

Debbie Miller (grade 1) has a new three tape series coming out in NOVEMBER
entitled:
"Happy Reading!
Creating a Predictable Structure For Joyful Teaching and Learning"

REMEMBER- NOT OUT UNTIL NOVEMBER!!!!!!!!

And Steph Harvey and Ann Goudvis will be coming out with another new video
series in about a year (they are just beginning work on it) based in a
middle school class. There are plans for Cris Tovani to make a set of tapes
of her work at the high school level around the same time. Stenhouse is
committed to getting these tapes out for us to SEE IT in action at all grade
levels.

Ginger
grade 3

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From: "Ginger/Rob" <elephant@foxvalley.net>
Subject: [mosaic] song book list
Date: Sun, 7 Jul 2002 13:24:30 -0500

For those of you reading Debbie Miller's book, here is a beginning list of
books set to music that was started by Camille and added to by others.
Ginger
grade 3

ILLUSTRATED SONG BOOKS
a list of titles and authors of books set to music

A You're Adorable  Alexander, Martha       
Baby Beluga   Raffi       
Cat Came Back, The  Slavin, Bill       
Chicken Soup with Rice  Sendak, Maurice       
Clifford We Love You  Bridwell, Norman       
Down By the Bay  Raffi       
Down By the Station  Hillerbrand       
Everything Grows  Raffi       
Five Little Ducks  Raffi       
Frog Went a Courtin'  Langstaff, John       
Give the Dog a Bone  Kellogg, Steven  SeaStar Books 
New twist on an old favorite   
Hokey Pokey, The  Laprise, Macak, and Baker       
How Much is That Doggy  Trapan       
I Know an Old Lady   Westcott, Nadine       
I'm a Little Teapot  Tripani, Iza       
I've Been Working on the Railroad  Westcott, Nadine 
     
Itsy Bitsy Spider, The  Tripani, Iza       
Lady With the Alligator Purse,The  Westcott, Nadine 
     
Little Drummer Boy, The  Keats, Ezra Jack       
Little Green Frog         
Little Rabbit Foo Foo  Rosen, Michael       
Mary Had a Little Lamb   Tripani, Iza 
Mary Wore Her Red Dress  Peek, Merle       
My Favorite Things  Graef, Renee       
Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?  Tripani,Iza       
Oh, a Hunting We Will Go  Langstaff, John       
On Top of Spaghetti  Katherine Tillotson       
One By One: Garth Pig's Rain Song  Rayner, Mary 
Penguin Putnam  Variation of The Ants Go Marching 1
by 1   
One Light, One Sun  Raffi       
Over in the Meadow  Galdone, Paul       
Over the River and through the Wood  Child, Lydia
Peanut Butter and Jelly  Westcott, Nadine
Pizza Pokey  Stoodt, Jeffrey       
Shake My Sillies Out  Raffi       
Shoo Fly  Trapan       
Skip to My Lou  Westcott, Nadine       
Take Me Out to the Ballgame  Norworth, Jack     
The Thirteen Days of Halloween  Greene, Carol   
The Twelve Days of Christmas A Song Rebus  Bolam, Emily illustrator   
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly  Taback,Simms       
Tingalayo  Raffi       
Today is Monday  Carle, Eric       
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star  Tripani, Iza       
Way Down South         
Wheels on the Bus  Raffi     

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

From: EAshley76@aol.com
Date: Sun, 7 Jul 2002 15:58:24 EDT
Subject: [mosaic] Ways to show our thinking

In the past, I've let my kids be "lazy" during reading workshop if I didn't
have a specific task for them to do such as mark connections with a sticky
note. If they weren't conferencing with me, they could just read. This
year, I want to create a chart titled, "Ways We Can Show Our Thinking About
Our Reading." Then, during reading workshop times when students do not have
a specific task to do, I'll have them record their thinking as they read in a
way that they choose. They can use an idea from our list or create their
own idea (add it to the list!).

With student input, I plan list ideas such as:
- Use sticky notes to write connections.
- Fill out a connections chart (It is a T-Chart with "When I read the
part about..." "It reminded me of..." I plan to make multiple copies so
students have access to the paper.)
- Complete a story elements chart or a story map. (I plan to make
multiple copies so students have access to the paper.)
- Create a character web.
- Create a schema web before reading. Add onto it after reading.
- Make a Venn Diagram to show text-to-text connections.
- Make a "Fingerprints" chart for an author.

This chart would be made after our schema strategy study. We'd add onto it
as we study and practice other strategies.

What do you think of this idea? Is it too much to have to "do" something
during reading workshop each time? Should I allow children the choice to
record their thinking or just read for enjoyment? Is there anything you
would add to this list having to do with schema?

Thanks for your input!
Ashley/ 2/ FL

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From: MAMASWIRLZ@aol.com
Date: Sun, 7 Jul 2002 16:45:47 EDT
Subject: Re: [mosaic] song book list

Three more for your list
Naomi
Ashly Bryant has illustrated a book of the Louis Armstrong song....What a
Wonderful World by Bob Thiele

An illustrated copy of This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie

An illustrated copy of Lift Every Voice and Sing by James Weldon Johnson

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From: Melanie Perkins <MPerkins@parkmead.wcsd.k12.ca.us>
Subject: RE: [mosaic] Ways to show our thinking
Date: Sun, 7 Jul 2002 13:45:06 -0700

Hi, Ashley,

I always ask myself if I would be willing to do what I ask my students to
do. When it comes to "doing something" each time I read, the answer is
resoundingly NO! I require my students to respond in some way, four times
during the week. Sometimes it's a focus I select, other times it's free
choice. Students can choose to do the responses at home, as extra homework,
during Reader's/Writer's Workshop time, or a combination. The flexibility
allows students to postpone a response on those occasions when there's only
10 minutes left, and they're at a really cool part, and they just can't
stand to put that book down long enough to create a response.

I want my students to love real reading. Real readers in the real world
don't stop and respond each time they read. While I want my students to
learn to be metacognitive, I don't want to spoil the joy of reading for them
in the process. I think the key is moderation. If they are really reading,
not "pretend reading," during Reader's/Writer's Workshop time, they are not
being lazy at all. A couple of quick conferences will help you check on
this.

Another way to hold students accountable is to hold short strategy book
clubs at the end of workshop time. I have seen Leslie Blauman do this in
Denver. The kids meet in groups of 3 or 4 and discuss how they have used
the strategy they are working on in their own reading. I find that if I do
this on two consecutive days for 10 minutes each time, I can listen in on
all of the groups long enough to get a feel for their level of
metacognition. I think it's actually a bit more authentic than a written
response, and often yields more information about my students, but requires
the teacher to either take very quick notes or have a great memory. I've
gotten really good at taking quick notes. I don't use this exclusively, but
I use it regularly.

Melanie Perkins

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Date: Sun, 07 Jul 2002 22:03:43 -0400
Subject: Re: [mosaic] [PERIODIC mosaic DIGEST POSTING]
From: Mary Phillips <mpinga@ix.netcom.com>

On 7/7/02 8:16 PM, "List Server" <mosaic-owner@u46teachers.org> wrote:

To Ginger: Thank you so much for the song list. I used music all the
time in kindergarten. We sing everything, the days of the week, the months of the
year, colors, numbers, shapes. If we don't have a song for something, I make one
up. Children remember words set to music long after spoken words are forgotten.
More than half my class was ESOL last year, so I needed some strategies for help
ing them learn the language. I think they learned the alphabet through singing
the Alphabet Song that has the letter sounds and a picture to represent each.
It's to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" I think. When they needed
to know a common letter sound, I could see them looking at the Alphabet Song
Chart. I'm sure they learned the days of the week and other everyday vocabulary
that way. One of my graduate students at the University of Georgia this
semester has written a paper on the role of music in teaching reading. I haven't
read it yet, but if she has some really great ideas, I'll get her permission to
share some. I love getting the ListServe. I am copying so many ideas into
Microsoft Word to use later. It's fun to read what teachers are thinking about and
doing in their classrooms. It makes my University teaching "real". I share my
own strategies, of course, but I can borrow from so many other grade levels,
also.

Mary
Retired but Still Working Anyway

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From: "Ginger/Rob" <elephant@foxvalley.net>
Subject: [mosaic] ways to show our thinking
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 00:36:20 -0500

Ashley, I LIKE your idea to give the students choices in ways to show their
thinking. I think as the year progresses and you explicitly model and use
the various reporting methods with them, having a menu to choose from would
be a great way to capture the "tracks of their thinking" as talked about in
Strategies That Work. I don't collect each and every post it note/reporting
form every day. (And when I am collecting them on a given day I am sure to
let them know before sending them off to read that I WILL be collecting
their work today) But if I were to have a menu of methods for them to choose
from, I might be more inclined to have a system for saving them to show
growth over time. Possibly a hanging file for each student where THEY
submit their weekly work? I, too, agree with Melanie that there should be
time to just read for pure enjoyment of reading. But even on those days, I
have had students ASK if they could do post its or another reporting form we
have used in the past. I think for some of my students they feel supported
by the written representation of their thinking. I am going to try the
chart like you explained.

What are others doing to show growth and understanding?

Ginger
grade 3

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Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2002 07:41:39 -0700
From: Judy Mazur <jvmazur@attbi.com>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] Logistical question about charts

I don't have room for all the charts either, so I leave
them all on the pad on the easel and we just flip back and forth as we
must. Not a perfect solution, but it works. Last year we went through
2½ pads and our wonderful Literacy Coach asked for them to use as
examples in the future. I couldn't part with a couple of student-made
charts, but you will find one advantage to this method. You can flip
pages from the beginning of the year and see what fabulous progress your
students have made thanks to MOT, STW, and RWM.
judy3ca

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From: Frer2@aol.com
Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2002 10:55:07 EDT
Subject: [mosaic] RWM

I have read Mosaic, STW, and am now reading RWM. I am amazed at what
Debbie's kids can do at the beginning of the year. Our's are not near that
advanced. Most know 4-5 words including mom and dad which most books don't
have. They often do not yet know all of their letters. I love the way she
starts out the year just making them feel like readers but I am afraid if I
did this, they wouldn't know what to do with the book baskets because they
are not reading at all yet. Now I am wondering what should be going on in
Kindergarten? Have Debbie's kids just have much more experience with books
than mine have? Does anyone else feel this way as they read RWM? By the
way--I thought STW was awesome!

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From: "PJ/TN/1 Lynn" <pj_tn_1@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] Logistical question about charts
Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2002 15:39:30 -0400

Thanks, Judy. You have empowered me. I am really looking forward to seeing
the progress we make this year! I love this stuff!

Jama

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From: "ginger" <elephant@foxvalley.net>

Today was the first day of one of the four graduate courses I am co-teaching
this summer. This course is our BASIC course entitled: Teaching Reading
Comprehension Strategies in the Reader's Workshop. We use Mosaic of Thought
as our text. It is always both exciting and nerve-wracking getting prepared
to face a new group of teachers. Will they be receptive to the information?
Do they have the willingness to consider this teaching? Will they share and
talk? Will they just stare at me in that flat stare that some teachers do
so well at times to the "presenter"? Will there be unbearable silences when
we ask for their thoughts on a reading? Can we hook them with what we have
planned? Will they feel the class was worth their time and money? Will
what we do together make an impact on their teaching when they return to the
classroom this fall? How many children will this touch as a result of our
work together?

I have co-taught this course probably 5 times now. Each time, including
today, I have been relieved to see interested, eager faces looking back at
me. Teachers who are there because they WANT the learning, not just the
credit to boost their pay. I was reminded today how on each first day, the
energy in the room turns almost electric. The chapters we have read (we
build in time to read at class), the social processing we do together after
each reading (first at their tables and then whole group), the sharing my
teaching partner and I do about how WE have put this into practice as we
continue to learn ourselves, and the hints of what's to come all seem to
light sparks and little fires in the participants. As I listened in on
their talk I heard cravings of wanting MORE. Wonderings about how they can
do it better. How to instill the love of reading in older students. How to
get the younger students to share their metacognitive thinking. Wondering if
the younger students can even DO this work? Worrying that they will just
return to what is comfortable and familiar once school starts instead of
risking this paradigm change. Believing what the first 3 chapters talk
about in Mosaic but not really having a clue how to proceed. Eager faces
looking to us for direction. Wanting to KNOW! Wanting it NOW!

They have caught the bug!

I am co-teaching with a new partner this time. Kelly actually teaches with
me at my school and had taken this course last summer. She remembers very
well, the summer she was hired to come to our school, sitting at home
reading Mosaic. Never having even heard of it before. Knowing that the
building she was going to work at in the fall had done extensive staff
development around the comprehension strategies for two years. Work she had
missed. Today she shared with me that she felt terrified and concerned as
she was doing her first reading, alone, with no one to discuss/share it
with. Worrying that she was going to be so far out of it compared to the
rest of the staff. Believing we all knew more than she did about this
teaching. And PANIC set in. Kelly made the leap of faith when school
started and got right in there with the rest of us as we continued to
process our understanding of the strategy teaching. The more we understand
the work ourselves, the clearer the teaching becomes. The panic transforms
into gradual clarity and confidence grows. Kelly sensed the ambivalent
discomfort in the teachers at the end of our first day. She KNOWS it will
move from panic to clarity if they hang in there.

Today the energy was panic but not the kind of panic that makes you run from
something. It is the kind of panic that pulls you toward something.
Something happens on these first days after they have been teased and
encouraged to see a different way to teach reading. The teachers got a
taste of a better way. Ellin and Susan write from the research, from their
hearts, and from what they have seen work. I witnessed today the potential
for another 26 teachers to come on board and embrace this teaching. They see
the need, they catch the bug, they want to KNOW. They are hooked.

I will never forget the first time I co-taught the BASIC course. We do a
culminating activity where the teachers have to "synthesize" their learnings
from the entire course on chart paper using pictures and words as a table
group. As the groups presented their masterpieces one by one, sharing their
representations of all they had learned in just four full days, I got teary
eyed and felt like a proud momma. The difference in each of them was
amazing! From day one to day four!! It was like a massive rebirth!
Massive transformations right before our eyes. Teachers gave us feedback
about how they had felt in a rut with their teaching of reading, but after
the work we had done together, they were so invigorated and refreshed and
challenged to return and get going in a new way. I still hear from some of
them a year after taking the BASIC course. They tell anyone who will listen
about the strategy work and encourage them to get on board.

Some of our participants return to buildings where they are the only ones
trying to teach this way. That is a lonely place to be. So here is why I
am writing to you all: what have you experienced, tried, been a part of, as
far as staff development efforts to bring more teachers on board? I know we
have a lot of reading support/coaches out there. I know we are almost 500
strong on this listserve and there is a wealth of experiences at varying
degrees of understanding. I know we also previously had a thread running
for a while about the frustrations of the change process. I am more
interested in what has WORKED and made an impact in your buildings. What
are some of the ways/activities you personally have participated in learning
to teach the strategies from Mosaic that YOU found helpful and supportive?

Change is not easy. The willingness to be open to something new is the
piece I find the most powerful. Being able to risk doing it a different way
and possibly giving up some of the things previously used can be
frightening. The NOT understanding of the strategy work is also a huge
roadblock. Can you share with all of us what seems to help or work where
you are?????

There is no perfect work place. We are all on different planes of
understanding. There is no ONE way to interpret this teaching. We are all
on the journey. I need to hear from you.

Ginger
grade 3

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: cherisum@aol.com

Date: Fri, 19 Jul 2002

Hi Ginger and others,

I coordinate a district wide language arts staff development program for grades K-5, and have used Mosaic of Thought as a core text for 3 years. Although my job is staff development I spend at least half of my time on the job working with kids. So when I first read Mosaic I was confronted with two questions... How can I use this with kids? and next... How can I support teachers in learning about and using this approach?

I found that after reading Mosaic of Thought I was very motivated to use the strategies with kids, but I could not figure out how to translate what I had read in the book to lessons with children. When I read Strategies That Worked this came together for me. I combined the concrete lesson ideas from STW with the very specific language used in MOT to teach the rationale and explanation for each strategy. I wrote a set of lessons geared towards second grade which was my teaching focus for that year. When people pose questions about which text to buy if you can only have one I can't decide because I really needed both to get me on my way.

This year our staff development for K-4th grade teachers will center on the comprehension strategies and each grade level will focus on two. This will give us the depth we need to really dig into strategies with the kids. The teachers I work with really like being able to see specific lessons targeted to their grade levels modeled in staff development classes, in their own classrooms, and being provided with lessons to try on their own. So this will be focus of my work.

I think that the most interesting issue that we are working with is balancing modeling done by the teacher versus the students. As we approach the upper grades we have teachers who want to invite students into the discussion very early. It takes a skilled teacher to know when a child's response will be helpful to others and when it takes them further from the understanding of a strategy.

I hope to hear from others interested in the same ideas.

Cheri/CA

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: EVANSD2429@aol.com
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 2002 22:04:46 EDT
Subject: Re: [mosaic] staff development(long)

Wow Ginger -I wish you were close to me -where are you located? We do not
have any support that I know of here in Georgia. Sounds like your course is
wonderful. I just finished my masters and would have loved to have the
opportunity to use Mosaic as the textbook. Instead, I am all on my own.
Please continue to share. Thanks
Dollie/5th/GA

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: "Ginger/Rob" <elephant@foxvalley.net>
Subject: [mosaic] grad class day 2(LONG!)
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 01:18:36 -0500

It's me again! :) I felt so good writing last night about our class that I
thought I would continue a little journal here. Hope it's not too much.
Well, today we had the teachers applying the information from the first 4
chapters of Mosaic. They had to read 2 pages from the Graves book, "The
Energy To Teach" and make all three connections. I think it was the first
two pages of his book. We are actually having them do the post its
themselves all throughout the course. After they shared their connections
at their table groups, we had one table group share one or two connections
back whole group. After that they had to get up and walk over to a wall
chart we had made (another example of modeling for them what to do in their
classrooms) with the three connections (both a visual and sentence starter
at each column heading) and put their post its in the corresponding column.
Then we asked a second table group to do the same process. Until all 6
table groups had their turn. Two things we are sure to always stress is the
difference between a coincidence (something you have in common with the
story) and a true connection; and to ALWAYS remember to have the child tell
back how the connection helped them understand the story.

The next hands on activity was to help them grasp the concept of building
author schema. We talked about how most of us are familiar with doing an
author study. But that this is different. We had pulled 5-6 different
books written by 6 different authors. We had a bin of Chris Van Allsburg,
David Wiesner, Patricia Polacco, Gail Gibbons (nonfiction), Jack Prelutsky
(poetry), Jan Brett. Each table got a bin and a piece of chart paper. They
had to look through the books and determine that author's style. They were
to become the experts on that author. Paying attention to text placement,
illustration medium/style, characters, use of space on the page, possible
themes/messages, etc. What seems to be consistent or similar in all the
books, and what is different. They wrote about it on chart paper and we hung
them up around us. Each table group then shared back whole group while
holding up the books to show us all examples of what they had noticed. We
talked with them about how this supports a reader for the future when they
come across one of these authors. It is a way to build background knowledge
for authors. We had them think quietly for a few minutes about how they
could see themselves doing something like this in their own classrooms and
then share that at their table groups. Then back whole group if anyone felt
like it. (Of course there are other interpretations of how to build schema
(background knowledge) of various authors. If you do something different
could you write us about it?)

I had actually done this very activity with my third graders last year on a
whim and a risk. I didn't know if they could do it, but they just BLEW ME
AWAY!!! I of course had modeled an author myself and done a chart on Jan and
Stan Berenstain thinking aloud my discoveries combined with what I already
knew about those books. The day I had my kids writing their charts and
sharing was parent visitation day. And while that was taking a huge risk,
(in case it bombed!) I had the parents working in their child's group doing
the task along with the kids. Some of you might have read my post about this
part of my schema study earlier in the year. It is on the archives page
somewhere around November. (For those of you who are new, you can take some
time and view all the previous posts since we started at:
http://www.u46teachers.org/mosaic/archive/archive.htm) Others have shared
their lessons as well!!! :)

Next we passed out a set of the Pair-It books (do you know of these?) to
each table. They have a non fiction and a fiction book written on the same
topic. I think Steck Vaughn (sp??) publishes them. We gave each table a
copy of a Mondo Safari magazine at two different levels and some Newbridge
non fiction books. We asked each table group to discuss the difference
between fiction and non fiction and make a t chart to share back whole
group. We gave them some time to just get into the books. I know in our
district there has been a push in some buildings to do more non fiction
teaching, but it is not something all teachers are experienced at. So we
built this into the course. How to teach non fiction. We make a class
chart on the differences and then share with them several different handouts
about making non fiction conventions books, the non fiction features and how
they help the reader, and some First Steps Before, During, and After
teaching activities. We suggest they read "Non-Fiction Matters" by Steph
Harvey and "Is That a Fact" by Tony Stead. Kelly shared how she does this
study (reading non fiction) in her room. (Kelly I KNOW you are reading
this! Chime in anytime you feel like it!!!) :)

After a break, we started the activity for building schema for text types.
Each table was given a new book bin with a different genre. We used:
historical fiction, mystery, realistic fiction, function text (specifically
how-to books like cookbooks, craft books, scrap booking, how to make science
fair projects, any kid reading level books that have items needed, steps to
follow and real life photos to support the directions), diaries/journals,
and biographies. They repeated the task from author schema noticing what
that genre had in common and what they felt kids needed to know about that
genre in order to be able to read it to be successful. They made their
charts, shared back with all of us, and we processed how to modify this at
the different grade levels. (We always type up these charts and copy them
off for the teachers before the end of the class so they don't have to worry
about writing everything down) (I haven't tried this activity with my third
graders YET! I'm thinking older students could definitely do it, don't you
think???)

Next we read the Sensory Imagery chapter in Mosaic. Processed that as I
shared with you yesterday. Our activity for SI was to read part of chapter
4 from the adult novel, "Icy Sparks" (a good Oprah book!!!!) The reason we
use this piece is that when I was in bed reading it last year we were also
planning for this course. The book just oozed SI opportunities and I knew I
would use it in the class. It's a longer piece, but we feel it's well worth
the time because of how all the five senses plus emotion just jump out at
the reader. As they read we had them code each post it note at the top and
write what they pictured in their mind (code: eyeball), smelled (code: ear),
tasted (code: mouth), heard (code: ear), touched (code: hand), and felt
(code: heart). This time for a little variety (and they need to get up and
move!) we had them all at one time go place their post its on the individual
chart papers headed with the same coding symbols (above) For example: draw
a heart and then write: I can feel.... And on another chart paper draw an
ear and write: I can hear...... etc. So there were 6 different chart papers
up around us. Then we told them to gather around ONE chart and study all
the post its and be ready to share back whole group 3-4. We also talked
about how it is important to teach our kids that our own mental images can
change after discussing them with someone. Debbie Miller has a great simple
chart in her "Reading With Meaning" book for kids to do this! (EVERYONE
NEEDS TO GET HER BOOK NO MATTER WHAT GRADE YOU TEACH!!!!!) I tend to be
more anal and actually take a few days for each sense (plus emotion) and do
a short study separately and then put them all together. So it takes longer
but I thought they went deeper.

I wrote about my sensory image strategy study back around December. There
was a lot of sharing from others then about this strategy too! So go to the
archives!! :)

We finished the day by reading the Questioning chapter in Mosaic. Monday we
will do our activity and spend a LOT of time sharing how we do this study in
our classrooms.

This is the first time we are teaching this four day course on Thurs, Fri,
Mon, Tues. So far the feedback has been overwhelmingly in favor versus a
Mon-Thursday schedule. It does feel better this way. During the school
year we run our courses one night a week for 8 weeks. That isn't as fun for
me. I LOVE the full-day time we spend together!!

I sure don't mind sharing what we are doing. If it is too much or too long
for you, just delete me away! Those of you who know me already, know that I
started this listserve to try and help fill the HUGE need I have to talk
about this teaching, learn from others, and get support along the way. And
as you can tell, I can go ON and ON and ON! We aren't a very vocal group,
but I know you are out there. I invite you to use courage to share! Ask
questions. Argue with me! (Yes, yes, I KNOW it is summer! But if you are
at all like me, this stuff just never goes away! I can't get enough of
hearing from you!)

Feeling alone in this teaching is so lonely! That's what we are here for.

Ginger
moderator
grade 3
outside of Chicago, IL

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From: "peachpie" <jrambo@sc.rr.com>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] grad class day 2(LONG!)
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 05:16:33 -0400

Ginger, Thank you for sharing. This is very helpful to me. This year I plan
to implement many of the Mosaic strategies. I am bouncing between
exhilaration and feeling overwhelmed. Any advice for a newbie?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: BilsCntsa@aol.com
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 11:11:14 EDT
Subject: [mosaic] Introduction

Hi, my name is Terry and heard about your group on another list. I have read
MOT and RWM for the first time this summer and am in the midst of reading
STW. I am excited about what I have learned and anxious to bring it back to
the classroom. I was also feeling alone on the new ideas and wanted teachers
to learn from and share with, which brings me to the lists. I have one
colleague of mine reading MOT now, have already started planted seeds in
other's minds, and when I go back to school I will be pushing to lead a book
group or do something to get others involved.
I teach in Citrus County Florida. I am looping to 3rd, so as I read I am
thinking already about the kids and who this will really help. I am headed
for my 5th year of teaching, and every year have asked myself, "How can I
teach kids to comprehend?" I am so excited that I now have an answer!
I am ready to share with all of you, and learn from you, and ask lots of
questions. I will be headed back to the classroom on August 5!
Thanks,
Terry, Looping to 3
Lecanto, Florida

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From: "Julie" <t.julief@verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] grad class day 2(LONG!)
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 08:58:39 -0700

Ginger-
I usually lurk, so here comes my courage to comment and offer something:
I really like where/when you included author schema in the strategy teaching
(after you have taught all three connections). I started messing around
with these strategies last year when our building attempted a book study
group with Strategies That Work. I knew that author schema was part of
text-to-text connections and building background knowledge but for some
reason I couldn't figure out at which point in the strategy teaching to
include it. After reading your Day 2 notes, I can see now why I struggled.
I was thinking about them too much as "author studies," spending too much
time on them, and getting frustrated because I wanted to move on to another
strategy. Part of the frustration was that the book study group was moving
really slowly, it was getting close to the end of the year, and we were all
at different points with our attempts to teach these strategies.

One of the things I did with author schema came from the book On Their Way:
Celebrating Second Graders as They Read and Write by Fraser & Skolnick.
They call author study "author fingerprints" and explain it by saying:
"Adults recognize writers, painters, or composers by style. When we see a
painting by Monet, we know it is his without looking at the signature. The
same is true for authors and illustrators." (p 67)
They title a chart "(author name)'s Fingerprints" and have the kids offer
their ideas about that author's characteristics as an author and
illustrator. They list these as generalizations about the author. Then the
kids revisit the books as "detectives" to find proof of the generalizations.
They copy the generalizations from the chart onto a piece of paper and find
examples to share, writing which page in which book they found their proof.
(Example: on a page of generalizations about James Marshall, one of them
might say "He uses lots of humor." Then below that statement it says: Book
______ and the kids write the title and page number.) They create class
books for each author they have studied. In the class book they include the
lists of books by that author, their "proof" sheets, and some reading
response sheets (a page with the book's title, a drawing by the student, and
2 - 3 sentences about one of these: special language, favorite part,
dislikes, feelings as you read, surprises, or illustrations) that have been
done by class members.

Last year, rather than have kids fill out papers, I had them use sticky
notes labeled with a couple of words that explained the "fingerprint" they
found. They brought the books to the sharing circle and as they discussed
their examples, held them up to show the "evidence" found and talk about why
they picked that page or illustration. The sticky note was left in the book
so another child could think about that example as they read the book. But
that's where it ended for me last year (okay. . . and by admitting this, I
want to say WOW, what a big OOPS! and missed opportunity last year!). I
can see that for this year, my next step will be to help the kids discuss
and understand HOW knowing about author fingerprints will support them as
readers when they read this author in the future. I might take the chart
idea above and create an "anchor chart" about that author. After I write
the characteristic or generalization offered by the kids, I could leave room
right on the chart to write the titles of the books/page numbers that are
shared in our discussion circle. I would also like to add sticky notes at
the bottom of the chart with the kids' ideas of how this will support them
as readers.

Thank you so much for taking us along on your journey as you teach this grad
study. I am learning so much from you! I can't wait to start back with my
little kiddos and apply this in my first grade classroom.
Julie/1/WA

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From: "Ginger/Rob" <elephant@foxvalley.net>
Subject: [mosaic] archives, being new, repost
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 12:51:11 -0500

Hi Julie, and everyone!

First, Julie I LOVED getting your mail! Your ideas are very helpful. I am
going to bring in that "fingerprints" component next fall. Someone else had
shared that with us earlier this summer as well. Great idea!!! I know I
keep harping on the archives, but if you just joined us there are tons a
great sharings by other members housed there! You have to have some time to
read through them all is the only thing! But well worth it!!!

To Terry and "peachpie", welcome! Thanks for checking in! It is nice to
know who is out there! Being new at this is something I still say about
myself. Sure I've been at this for 4 years now, but I never consider myself
DONE. Each year and each time I start a new strategy study it is very
different than the time before. I know that doesn't always sit well with
some teachers (you know the ones who do the same thing year after year) but
for ME I have to refine and improve how deep I go and what I have my kids
doing to help them comprehend better. I find it fun and refreshing to teach
on the edge of change each year. It sure keeps me on my toes and my job is
never dull or boring.

I think the best way to proceed being totally new to this teaching is with
the idea of metacognition. Helping your students understand that they all
have a little voice inside their heads that they need to be paying attention
to. My lesson on metacognition is somewhere around December 12th in the
archives http://www.u46teachers.org/mosaic/archive/archive.htm. I was
writing about how I start the year and how I teach them to be metacognitive.
I didn't always start the year out this way. But now I think it is very
critical to doing all the other strategy work. Then I would do the building
schema activity Debbie Miller talks about in Reading With Meaning over a
short period of time. To help them understand schema (use the real terms
with your kids no matter what grade level!!!) and how activating background
knowledge before reading is very important and helpful to readers. I wrote
about this on July 1st in the archives if you don't have her book. (GET THE
BOOK!!) :)

Maybe this topic (HOW did YOU get started!!) could be something we all check
in about???????

I have just updated the archives through July 3rd. Sorry I was behind! As
I was doing it, I reread that author schema was discussed a lot in the
beginning of July. So go there for lots of great ideas. After the digest
gets sent out tonite, I will put 7/4-7/20 up late tonite. I think there
might have been a problem with the digest on the 18th or 19th. So I am
going to repost my day one grad class thoughts in the archives since it was
so long, rather than on the list again. So it will be there late tonite to
reread. That post was more of my reflections after the first day.

And Deb: I will stop apologizing for writing long emails! Remember when we
first met? Just look at where I've come (and I have a LONG way to go)!
Thank you for YOUR influence in MY life! I hope one day to be out in
districts working with teachers like YOU do now! If you are a four blocks
teacher, Deb is someone to turn to! www.debfourblocks.com

Ginger
grade 3

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From: "Ginger/Rob" <elephant@foxvalley.net>
Subject: [mosaic] readinga-z.com
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 13:00:24 -0500

Just wanted to mention a website that could be helpful if you are needing
"little" guided reading books. www.readinga-z.com For $29.95 for 6 months
you can subscribe and download an unlimited number of already leveled guided
reading books. They have COMPLETE (very detailed and very good) lesson
plans. For those of us who are still refining our guided reading teaching.
Even if you don't subscribe, just take a look at it. You can download 30
books for free, I believe. They have fiction, nonfiction, and functional
text. Yes, I know they are just black and white and would be less "real"
than a trade book, but if you work somewhere without ANY trade books, this
is the site for you! You can view each book online and download one that
you like. Then copy off the 5 or 6 other copies you would need for a GR
group. I am not thrilled at all with their "worksheets" and won't use them.
They also have phonics books and some read alouds. I think they just sent
me info about a new series. Here is the info: "QUICK READERS
Quick Readers are theme-based leveled readers. There are two
factual books for each fiction book. Each Quick Reader focuses on
a key comprehension strategy as well as opportunities to hone in
on word meaning and visual learning skills. These are the
critical areas of reading instruction for fluent readers who are
now trying to unlock meaning from the text they read." These also sound
good. I haven't taken time to check them out yet.

I think the books are good. I found some that go along with my science
units I plan on using. And the functional texts are great. You can also
send these home with the kids if you don't want to keep them for the next
year.

Let me know what you think if you visit this site.

Ginger
grade 3

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Shelly

Date: Sat 20 July 2002

Hi...this question is for anyone and specifically you four blockers. I
am setting up my reading and writing workshop as described by Fountas
and Pinnell. I am still plugging through the book, but one of the things
that I would like to incorporate into my Language Block/Work study would
be an intermediate version of the Four Blocks Word making activity. Does
it exist???? Thanks in advance, Shelly

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: "The Rushia's" <lopi7@attbi.com>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] Question - Words for Upper Grades
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 18:25:28 -0400

Shelly,
There are several sources for you to use:

Making Big Words;Making More Big Words;Month by Month Phonics for 3rd Grade;
and Month by Month Phonics for the Upper Grades - all of these books are
written by Hall and Cunningham

Paula

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Patty526@aol.com

Date: Sat 20 July 2002

Late last year, I attempted setting up reading and writing workshops, following the Fountas & Pinnell model, as well as incorporating some of the MOT ideas. I've read Deb Miller's RWM, found it to be as wonderful as the recommendations it's received here. I was also able to see how much more actively engaged my kids were when taught what to "do" while they were reading. It really seemed to be the missing element in my reading program.

I intend to move to this model in the fall with my 4th graders, and wonder if anyone can tell me what the initial pitfalls might be, so that I might avoid them. What management tips can anyone give me? (That's usually my weakness, and it drives me nuts that there always turns out to be an easier way to do things than what I try!)

These postings have been very helpful. I'm a faithful reader.

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