aimee buckner « TWO WRITING TEACHERS Writer’s Notebooks by Ruth Ayres Last week I had a conversation with a middle school teacher who has spent her summer studying writing workshop and is excited to make writer’s notebooks the backbone of her writing instruction. Who are your mentors? by Stacey Shubitz I’ve been preparing for the graduate course, “Children’s Literature in Teaching Writing,” I’m teaching in June every time my daughter goes down for a nap, heads to sleep, etc. SOLSC. 2011. 31 of 31. Woo-hoo! A New Writer’s Notebook Rubric Sometimes you have to let go of the reigns and allow your students to lead you, right. Mid-Year Self-Evaluation: Want a Copy? It’s that time again… This-coming week is Mid-Year Self-Evaluation Time in my class’s Writing Workshop. Self-Efficacy in Writing Workshop I recently read Michael Putnam’s article, “Running the Race to Improve Self-Efficacy,” in the Winter 2009 Issue of the Kappa Delta Pi Record. Sharing a Notebook Lesson The Queen of Forms Page Led Me to Create This! Quotes & Poetry
The Research Base of Open Court and The Research Base of Open Court and Its Translation into Instructional Policy in California by This study analyses the research that supports Open Court, describes its translation into instructional policy in California, and compares the average SAT 9 reading scores of English-only children in schools using Open Court against comparable schools using non-scripted programs in one large urban school district. It found no significant difference in the average second grade SAT 9 reading scores in Open Court and comparison schools. Ordinarily, professors of reading education write about principles in reading instruction and avoid naming specific commercial programs and schools. The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to help educators and educational stakeholders understand the research that supports Open Court and how it was translated into instructional policy in California, and (2) to analyze the effect of this policy on reading achievement in California. The Research Base of Open Court
Readers' Workshop K-6 - Minilessons Planning for Daily Intentional TeachingWhat do my students need to know?What strategies and knowledge help them as readers?In what way does this strategy look different across genre?What language will I use?What texts/materials will best support this instruction?How can/will I connect this work to writing? Sources of Minilessons A huge list of planned mini-lessons...a must-see site! This is a fantastic template that reminds you of the structure and language to be used in a mini-lesson. What are Ralph Fletcher and Aimee Buckner Reading? From Ralph Fletcher, author of BOY WRITERS, THE SANDMAN, WHAT A WRITER NEEDS, and FIG PUDDING: THE POST-BIRTHDAY WORLD by Lionel Shriver (finished a month or so ago) THE MOTHER TONGUE by Bill Bryson THE SLEEPING DOLL by Jeffrey Deaver (a guilty pleasure) LUSH LIFE by Richard Price From Aimee Buckner, author of NOTEBOOK KNOW-HOW: THE BOOK OF AIR AND SHADOWS by Michael Gruber. ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY by David Sedaris. LITERATURE AS EXPLORATION by Louise Rosenblatt.
Online Reading Games For Kids Reading is essential to the development of children. It’s important that children’s reading comprehension skills improve as they grow. If children are struggling, it’s essential for parents to be aware and know strategies that will help. 1. No matter how you choose to teach a child to read make it fun and enjoyable. Games For Ages 3-6 Games For Ages 6-10 Games for Ages 10 And Up Scribble: A game of online scribble.Story Starter: Its more than a game it’s your story. Reading Sites For Parents Reader's Workshop This website is designed and maintained by Karen A. McDavid © 2004. Ideas, content, activities, and documents for this website are copyrighted by Karen A. All graphics seen throughout this website should not be removed, copied, or downloaded. You may download the banner below with a link back to this site. Graphics by
Writer's Workshop Resources and Ideas The majority of time of Writing Workshop is devoted to independent writing. During this time, students are prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing their pieces. Depending on the age and abilities of your students, independent writing can be as short as 15 minutes or as long as 45-60 minutes. According to Katie Wood Ray (The Writing Workshop, 2001), students can also do other activities during their writing time, such as writing in their schema notebooks journal writing writing exercises to experiment with language and style conducting peer-conferences reading to support writing During independent writing time, the teacher confers with students about their writing. Teachers should keep conferences short. Websites on Conferring:
A Classroom Management Plan That Works In his book, Ignore Everybody: And 39 Other Keys To Creativity, Hugh MacLeod points out that Abraham Lincoln penned the Gettysburg Address on borrowed stationary. Hemingway wrote with a simple fountain pen. Van Gogh rarely used more than six colors on his palate. And MacLeod, himself an artist, sketches cartoons on the back of business cards. His point is that there is zero correlation between creative talent and the materials and equipment used. The same can be said about an effective classroom management plan. A simple set of rules and consequences hand-printed on ordinary poster board is all you need. You see… There is no magic in the plan itself. Therefore your plan doesn’t need to be elaborate, complex, or involved. It just needs to be followed. A Classroom Management Plan Is A Contract A classroom management plan is a contract you make with your students that promises you will protect their right to learn and enjoy school without interference. 1. 2. That’s it. Rules: 1. 2. 3. 4. Consequences:
Interactive Read Aloud: How To Do It and Why It Works Every teacher should know how to do an interactive read aloud. Here is why it works and how to do it. When you consider a framework for best literacy methods within a classroom, daily read alouds from a variety of genres should be a foundational teaching practice. There are a variety of purposes for reading books out loud. Sometimes it is simply for pleasure, and that is an experience many students never received. Other purposes can include: develop background knowledge necessary for understanding a topictarget vocabulary developmentdemonstrate prosodylearn how to inference, make judgements and use meta-cognition strategiesintegrate higher order questioning skills set the stage for a unit or lessondevelop connections to a text (text-to-self, world or another text)meet academic content standards at a students frustration level However you choose to use reading aloud to kids, it should be done in a variety of ways across different genres, every single day. What is an Interactive Read Aloud? 1.
Middle School (5-8) Writer's Workshop / Peer Editing Lessonplans, homework, quizzes BetterLesson Sign-Up Login Forgot? Middle School (5-8) Writer's Workshop / Peer Editing Middle School (5-8) Views Favorites 9-2-10 Day One: Expectations & Procedures Alicia Gilbert from AF Endeavor Middle School Location: 8th Grade Writers Workshop Intro to the Writer's Workshop Views 9-3-10 Intro to Six Traits Views 9-16-10 Important Parts of a Narrative, Focusing on Small Moments, & Subjects in the Middle Views Favorite 9-8-10 Materials Set Up and Partner Work Views 9-13-10 Goals, Purpose for Writing, & Connection to Literature thru Writing Views 9-15-10 Locale Mapping & Identifying Subjects Views 9-17-10 Independent Word Study and Conferring Expectations, Grammar Quiz #1 Views LP 2 - Generating Day II - Objects List Evan Seymour Location: 5th Grade Writing Launching the Writing Workshop WWBAT generate ideas for their writing by creating a list of small moments connected to a special object. Views Publish your book review Sue Harmon from AF Amistad Academy Middle School Views Create a focus statement Views Views Views
Independent Reading: 101 What is Independent Reading, Really? Independent reading is any time carved out of your day in which your students are reading self-selected books that are a "good fit" for them. There are different kinds of reading that may be going on in your room during this time and it will look different from classroom to classroom.The focus of this time is to support, encourage and validate your students as they grow as readers, through all of their ages and stages. When do I find the Time? Independent Reading is an indispensable part of the day in a literacy rich classroom. More Formal/ Larger Chunks of Independent Reading Time Informal (yet super powerful) Reading Times Getting Started: The Nuts & Bolts On Keeping Reading Logs For what purpose? Think of reading logs with a different purpose- to gather insight into reading habits in class, to use as a very informative means of getting to know your readers, styles, likes/ dislikes, comfort levels and preferences. On Use of Reading Levels
K-12 News Instructure Launches Open Resource LTI App Catalog LMS provider Instructure has launched EduAppCenter.com, an open resource Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) catalog that lets users incorporate more than 130 education apps into their own LMS or education environment. By Stephen Noonoo04/24/14 Florida Assessments Back Online After Day Outage Online testing in Florida schools being delivered by Pearson Education hiccupped on Tuesday, April 22, at 26 districts in the state and had to be delayed for a day while server problems were sorted out. By Dian Schaffhauser04/23/14 NCAA Declines Coursework From 24 Virtual High Schools The NCAA has notified virtual school provider K12 Inc. that it will no longer accept accept coursework from 24 of its schools for initial eligibility review for prospective student athletes.
Reading Workshop - Information, ideas, and resources from Busy Teacher's Cafe The Reading Workshop is a teaching method in which the goal is to teach students strategies for reading and comprehension. The workshop model allows teachers to differentiate and meet the needs of all their students. Reading Workshop helps to foster a love of reading and gives students chances to practice reading strategies independently and with guidance. Many school districts use the Reading Workshop Model but there are other models of literacy instruction as well. This page gives a basic overview of the Reading Workshop. Components of the Reading Workshop: Description of each component: From Revisiting The Reading Workshop Apps and Ideas for Literature Circles on iPads Mobile Learning | Feature Apps and Ideas for Literature Circles on iPads By Margo Pierce05/08/12 Technology is sliding a power cord, app, or some other innovation into every aspect of education, even elementary reading classes. Today, the use of e-books and iPads in the classroom are taking reading to a “whole new level,” according to Diane Darrow, library information media specialist at Bel Aire Elementary in Tiburon, Calif and an Apple Distinguished Educator. Darrow says that traditional methods for teaching reading have centered on a verbal-only methodology, which she describes as using one track in the brain. “You want to give [kids] different types of learning experiences so that learning sticks in the brain,” Darrow says. One method of getting kids to engage reading in different ways is through a tablet-based literature circle. But instead of using paper books, colored index cards and poster board to acheive these goals, Darrow uses iPads and apps.