What are you wondering about in terms of reading and reading instruction? What questions do you have around the ideas that have been floating around your buildings? What are you hoping to get out of being a part of this group for another semester.
Take a few minutes to do a quick write about what you are wondering about. It may end up as a list of questions or it may be that you will pose one or two questions and end up writing about them. Remember, when you do a quick write, just let your thoughts flow. This is an exercise in figuring out what you are thinking and wondering about and you may not even know until you begin writing!!
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14 comments:
Happy New Year!
First, I am wondering Tomasen, are you always such an early bird posting at 5:52 on a Sunday? I do continue to have many questions and look forward to reading the wonderings of others. I am wondering if I am able to make my "baby steps" grow at my own pace? I am learning so much from this process, and I recognize the merits of reader's workshop. I am wondering if my own beliefs about the total picture of teaching reading....and I am not talking about comfort level....but rather keeping some of the focus, strategies, approaches....whatever you want to call it.....will I/we be encouraged to continue some of those things. I am also wondering about writing---I am hoping that maybe this semester we could address the writing component---how to combine the Six Trait model...it would also be great to continue to get help for those of us in primary level who may have some different concerns. On Tuesday, we will be discussing assessment...what type of assessments are available with Reader's Workshop, that might also help us with state testing? I am wondering if there is an expectation school/district wide with regard to the teaching of reading for next year? No more basals? How about spelling----program at Haigh? See you soon!
fj
Hello! So glad to be back. I am also wondering if I am able to "hang on to my baby-steps" and grow at my own pace. I have already started to expand the various MOT strategies and concepts of readers workshop in my resource program. I guess the "security blanket of the baby steps" has provided a comfort zone for me as I continue to grow and stretch myself. I like the readers workshop and my students seem to like it. they are certainly excited to be reading! I am looking forward to discovering how I can effectively link reading and writing. How can I help my students connect their deeper thinking into their writing? (Especially when writing in their response journals.) I want to explore the reading writing connection with the integration of the six traits as well. I have been emphasizing to my students that like the books they are reading, their writing is considered to be text also. I am wondering how I can help my children discover that the rich language they enjoy when they read is also linked to their writing. (Bring on those adjectives and adverbs!) Since I teach 5 grade levels of students, I would like to explore ways of connecting reading and writing with primary students. I am wondering how I can make the writing process more of an enjoyable experience? How can I help them get beyond the "spelling trap"? The worry about spelling (no matter my reassurances or providing tools to assist them), they are bogged down with the spelling than the expression of their thoughts. These are just a few of my initial thoughts. I enjoy the discussions and sharing of ideas to keep me growing professionally as well as providing. It has been exciting to see my program begin to evolve and change. See you soon.
Angela Welch
My biggest questions center around the quality of my reading workshop.How can I conference with more kids since I only get to about 3 kids during a 45 minute workshop? I want the conference to yield information and be helpful to the student without each of us feeling rushed.How can I implement guided reading groups when I not sure specifically what they need? I am wondering if trusting the kids and my abilities is enough. How do I create more of a balanced RW with developing 6 Traits writing skills?
I am also enjoying getting readers workshop in motion, but would also like to keep some of my other reading programs intact. My question... will keeping some of the "old" be frowned upon? Will it be seen as something that should not be done? I feel like my students are doing well with a combination of the two programs and would like to continue with both. Another question I would have would be what resources do you have for addressing assessment needs? Any suggestions or examples? Just wondering!!
I guess I can easily piggyback on the others who do such wonderful thinking and verbalize it so well. Thought I'd blog today because I had a great Readers Workshop day. Forget baby steps, I went to the virtual beginning of time. Seeing that my children are neglecting what "good readers do" I decided to start again with extensive picture walks. We stayed on the rug and partnered up. Loved my lesson and the conversation going on. Haven't had too many of these wonderfully insightful lessons, or productive ones and it did my heart and soul well. Coming back this semester with as many, if not more, questions. I don't get to do much conferring yet, I seem like more of a floater. Inasmuch as I feel I have a fundamental grasp on where my children are, I like to see more written notes of their reading behaviors and I don't seem to get to them. I need that visual piece to confirm my thinking. I also like to have back-up when it might be needed for assessment. That's a question, conferring as evidence of accomplishment???
I wondering if I can synthesize the enormous amounts of information and methods I've tried to digest lately and incorporate them in a way that works for me.I know the answer - yes- but only if I keep Baby Steps in mind.Can I make it work within our schedule structure and curriculum expectations? Here I'm not so confident right now.
I've gone back to the beginning with my students this month, laying the ground work for a workshop setting and we'll go from there. I think this was my biggest stumbling block. I tried to start in the middle of the process.
Will being a participating member of a reader's workshop with all of you help me internalize the process? I believe it will. I need to "do to understand". This internalization is what I hope to come away with this semester.
Hello again everyone,
I too as some mentioned are back tracking and starting from the beginning with my students. When I first started the class I felt I did a lot of jumping around and now I am trying to move along a little more smoothly. I continue to change things and try new things as I research readers workshop more. I have some questions like others about the spelling and vocabulary. Should we be looking into getting a different program to follow for spelling? We seem to be moving away from McGraw Hill so why would we use those words that went along with the story? I use the McGraw book to kick off my week but should we be letting it go completely or should we be trying to hold on to it and combine? I am excited to continue to learn from all of you and share ideas. What about assessment? It seems that is the next" new" thing coming down to us. I think I am doing it but I am second guessing myself because they are having someone come and teach us????? See you all soon I am done rambling
Sara
I decided to revisit the blog in-between doing report cards and felt comfort that I am stumbling around with this, but so are some of the best teachers....I consider...in the district. I'm with all of you that feel the need to begin again since I seemed to jump around and now have to firm up the process. I believe it's the right thing to do but my biggest worry is how it affects my students, am I making it harder for them in the long run? Are some not making the necessary gains because of some indecisiveness of my part, or can I chalk some of it up to they are develomentally not quite ready? It's usually great to see a shift happen in January with my kids, but this year the shift is not what I anticipated. More wonderings to ponder.
I adore Reader’s Workshop and I am sure that most of you know this, but I will profess it anyway. I love that my students are vested in their reading! I love that when it is Reader’s Workshop time every student comes to rug enthused and waiting to see what skill he or she will try out that day! One day we missed it because of an assembly and boy were they bummed. I love that I see the carry over into DEAR time. Every student silently reads a book for 30 solid minutes…that can be a hard task for a first grader but they want to take the challenge. I even have children asking each other about books recommendations, characters, and authors without my prompting. It is AMAZING dialog to listen to. They use strategies across the curriculum and know they are using the same language as fifth graders! How exciting for a first grader.
I started by taking baby steps, just as all of us did, but now I feel I am more comfortable in the process and at ease as my Reader’s Workshop takes form. My “old” questions have been answered by colleagues, books, study groups, LLT class, but most of all trusting in myself as a teacher and that I know I am doing the right thing for my students.
I know that I have a deeper understanding of the entire process. I feel more relaxed and willing to try more! Although my “old” questions have been answered, more come to me each week. I find they are not quite the same questions as before, but more about where to go from here. I find myself thinking, yup I get how it works, what to do with guided groups, sharing, etc. but am I using the right tools for me. I want to know what conferring checklist is the most effective for first grade and the best tool for me (since I have come across about ten by now). I, like many others in the class, am hoping to find a way to incorporate Six Traits into the workshop time. I am wondering if we could have some sample lessons that will help boost our planning or perhaps share what we are doing in our classrooms in order to get some more ideas. I have another question that I am not sure will be answered during class, but are we going to change report cards to reflect RW if this is the direction of our district? As time goes on, I am sure I will come up with more….
I am wondering how long it will take me to feel totally comfortable and competent in doing reader's workshop in my classroom. I, too am taking baby steps in changing the way I teach reading. I know that this change can't be done all at once and I have to keep that in mind when I start to stress about whether or not I am moving in the right direction.
I also wonder how to get certain students to think on a deeper level and to be able to express it through their writing. (As you know, that is one of the biggest challenges)
I would like to learn more about how to conference effectively and become familiar with different methods of assessment.
I am also wondering what's for dinner?? I'm starving!
Have a great weekend!
I'm wondering about the "focus lesson" aspect of readers workshop. The independent reading and follow up sharing part is going well but I'm not always beginning with a focus lesson each time. Struggling with how to "refocus" after my initial anchor lesson. I'm also wondering about assessment. We all know that is another major focus coming down the pike. For me, conferencing isn't enough. I've been incorporating running records as well and this has been very helpful in giving me information about my students. I would also like to say, all my students are growing by leaps and bounds this year in reading (YIPPEE!) with the exception of two. I am concerned by how much these two kids continue to struggle. They are making gains but not much.
Many of my questions were answered this past week during our teacher workshop day. I was concerned about how I can include activities,games and drills that I know are effective into reading workshop lessons. I now have a better understanding of how I can do both. I just need more help with scheduling and assessment. , but mostly scheduling. This is even more true now that many students will be out of the class for an hour just about everyday.
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