Date: Sat, 06 Apr 2002 00:29:30 -0500
From: Andy and Shelly Kennedy <pristine@aclass.com>
Subject: [mosaic] THis week
HI all...fun things to share. First - On Monday right after getting
back from spring break I found out that I got a grant that I applied
for. I wrote it explaining Mosaic of Thought and the teaching strategies
used and my vision for setting up my classroom for next year (more
pillow, dirctor's chair, baskets, magazine files, etc.) I got $800!!!
this is my first attempt at grant writing so I totally psyched! It's
for three classrooms but I am still sooo excited. I also plugged in a
writing piece for supplies to support our different units. (Hardback
journals for Explorer's, Parchment paper and feather quills and inkwells
for Colonization, Science Logs, book making supplies, etc.)
Next, though I have put students in literature circles before I have
always given them discussion topics such as character traits or plot
discussion points. I finally put them (based on their choice) in four
different book clubs this week. I assigned the roles (probably
originating with Laura) for literature circle. (Discussion Director,
Literary Luminator, Summarizer, Connector, Vocab. Enricher, and
Illustrator.) On Tuesday, the book Clubs met and made a plan for having
their books read by the deadline. They also wrote procedures for their
book clubs. They did a pretty good job. Then I trained each Lit. Circle
Roles (all the Discussion Directors together, Illustrators, etc.)
Today, when the met in their book clubs, IT WAS AMAZING. I couldn't
believe what I was hearing without me telling them what to discuss! (I
have only taught Schema and am not even finished even.) THey were
discussing Connections like mad as well as personal responses to their
books. They are identifying character traits and the author's style
noting foreshadowing (without the terminology). It is amazing what kids
can do when they are empowered!!!
They are becoming motivated readers and I am so thankful to have forced
myself out of my comfort zone to try this stuff! Shelly
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Sat, 06 Apr 2002 17:10:36 -0600
From: Kathy Hurd <hurd@foxvalley.net>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] THis week
Hooray for you and your children. Sound like things are going great guns in
your classroom. About
12-15 years ago when I first began to use literature circles in my classroom
of 5th graders, I was
lucky enough to have had SOME great 4th grade teachers who taught the children
in their classrooms
the roles of Discussion Director, Literary Luminary, Checker (sort of a Sergeant
at Arms), V.E., etc.
Other years, I wouldn't have more than 3 or 4 children who had even been exposed
to the concept of
Lit. Circles. It was then that we began the year with a "whole class novel"
which we read together
as a sort of read aloud right after lunch. When I came upon a paragraph that
had noteworthy
metaphor, or had a particularly good visual imagery, or was an example of the
author using
foreshadowing, I used it as an opportunity to talk about the role of Literary
Luminary. If we had
had thought of using post-its then, I probably would have had them mark the
paragraph as an example.
By the time we had finished an entire read aloud the children were suggesting
examples of their own
for the various roles they would later take on by themselves.
Kathy Hurd
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: Mars626813@aol.com
Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2002 00:41:48 EST
Subject: [mosaic] New Member
Hello! My name is Patty and I teach fourth grade at East End Elementary
School in North Plainfield, NJ. I'd like to begin using a reading workshop
format next year, and thought I should start thinking about it now. I'm
looking forward to all you have to share with me. Thanks.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: PMurphyNAM@aol.com
Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2002 00:45:34 EST
Subject: Re: [mosaic] Literature Circles
There's a couple of sites that have info. re. Lit. Circles that you might=20
want to check out:
<A HREF=3D"http://fac-staff.seattleu.edu/kschlnoe/LitCircles/index.html">
Literature Circles Resource Center</A>
http://fac-staff.seattleu.edu/kschlnoe/LitCircles/index.html
<A HREF=3D"http://www.literaturecircles.com/">Welcome to LiteratureCircles.c=
om
</A>
http://www.literaturecircles.com/
<A HREF=3D"http://teachers.net/gazette/MAR02/zeiger.html">Teachers.Net
-=20
TEACHERS.NET GAZETTE - Teachers.=E2=80=A6</A> (article re. Lit. Circle)
http://teachers.net/gazette/MAR02/zeiger.html
There also was an article back in Nov. 2001 on the www.Scholastic.com site,=20
but for some reason I didn't save the address for that one; I just now trie=
d=20
to locate it at the web site in order to send you the link, but couldn't fin=
d=20
it. I did save the article itself. If you are interested in it, I can send=
=20
it on.
I also have an explanation of the Lit. Circle jobs that my daughter's 3rd=20
grade teacher used and the ones her current 4th grade teacher uses now. I'l=
l=20
send these in separate emails.
-Patricia (AKA "Murf the Surf")
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: PMurphyNAM@aol.com
Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2002 00:48:47 EST
Subject: [mosaic] Re. Lit. Circles Jobs used in my daughter's 3rd grade class
Literature Circles
as described by Nicole when she was in 3rd grade:
The first thing the group does is to decide on a reading goal, e.g., 3=20
chapters. Then the members of the group decide on their jobs. Each person=20
then reads the required amount and does his/her job (sometimes this means=20
finishing parts of the job at home). The group then meets and discusses the=
=20
book and shares what they have learned =E2=80=9Con the job.=E2=80=9D
-----------------------------------------------
Literature Circle Jobs
Discussion Director- asks open-ended questions about the reading. The=20
Discussion Director always answers the questions last. The questions are=20
written down prior to the discussion. The Discussion Director tries not to=20
ask questions that would just get a yes or no answer; he/she tries to ask=20
=E2=80=9Copen-ended=E2=80=9D questions that make you think.
The Connector- connects 2 parts of the book to his/her own life. A good=20
thing to do is explain how something made you feel and explain why. The=20
Connector writes this out before sharing it at the Literature Circle.
Word Wizard- identifies 5 words that are challenging and/or interesting,=20
writes the page number and the sentence it was used in the book, then looks=20
up and writes the definition. The Word Wizard shares this information with=20
the group.
Artful Artist- illustrates his/her favorite part and writes an explanation=20
of why he/she chose that part. The explanation is written on the back of the=
=20
picture so that the Artful Artist can read it while showing the picture to=20
the group.=20
Passage Picker- picks three passages in the book that he/she liked and copie=
s=20
them using quotation marks. The Passage Picker writes an explanation about=20
why those passages were selected and shares this information with the group.
--------------------------------------
Book choices* that were used when I typed this up:
Sarah Plain and Tall
How to Eat Fried Worms
Stone Fox
Stuart Little
Shiloh
*Student writes top 3 choices; teacher tries to assign 1st or 2nd choice whe=
n=20
possible.
(Note: Nicole mentioned that her class practiced the jobs as a class many=20
times before her teacher started the Literature Circles in January.)
-Patricia=20
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: PMurphyNAM@aol.com
Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2002 00:51:43 EST
Subject: [mosaic] Literature Circles my daughter had in 1st semester of 4th
grade
Literature Circle Jobs
Discussion Director- write at least 10 open-ended questions pertaining to
the chapters read
Passage Picker- select one passage (1-3 paragraphs in length), write down
the page(s) it is found on, and explain how that passage contributes to the
development of the story (in other words, why is it important that this event
took place?)
The Connector- select a major incident in the chapters you have read and
relate it to your own life; tell how you reacted in your situation and how
the character responded in his/her situation
Word Wizard-choose 7 words whose definitions you do not know, or which might
be difficult to understand if you didn't have context clues; look up the
definition in the dictionary and use the word in a new sentence that you
create
Summarizer-using only the chapters you have read, summarize the events/plot
development
---------------------------
Note: The "Artful Artist" was eliminated this year.
-Patricia
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: PMurphyNAM@aol.com
Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2002 00:54:45 EST
Subject: [mosaic] Lit. Circle Jobs-Gr. 4, 3nd semester
(Remember that I had mentioned that in 3rd grade the Lit. Circle jobs in my
daughter's class had included "Artful Artist" and that that job was
eliminated this year. Now another job has been eliminated, i.e.,
"Summarizer." A new job has been added. It's the "Timeliner."
I typed in
the description of all the jobs that now exist. Each appears at the top of
individual worksheets that are used for the Lit. Circle assignments.)
Discussion Director
Your job is to develop a list of at least eight questions that your group
might want to discuss about this part of the book. Usually the best
questions come from your own reactions and concerns as you read.
Word Wizard
You are ready to bring out the magic in the author's words. You'll be
searching of 5-7 new, interesting, strange, puzzling, or unfamiliar words.
You'll especially be looking for words that members of your group might want
to talk about and learn. You should jot down such words while reading, then
look them up in the dictionary. When done, write an original sentence using
the word.
The Connector
Your job is to help everyone make connections to other ideas: stuff we've
done in class, stories we've read, and especially to experiences you have
had. Be sure to explain your connections clearly, telling how you and the
character are alike, or how a situation that you have been in is similar to
one in the book.
Passage Picker
You pick several passages or paragraphs from the assigned reading that you
find especially interesting or meaningful. You are to share them with the
group so you'll need to practice reading them aloud. Be sure to explain your
reasons for picking the passage. (Remember: you need to be specific!
Comments such as "I found it interesting" are not enough! What did
you find
interesting and why?)
Time Liner
Your job is to record at least 5 major events from the pages you read. You
may do this in a couple ways. A timeline may be drawn to show the events, or
you can "bullet" events in an outline form. Whichever method you choose,
it
must be accurate and neat. Additionally, you need to write down a prediction
for the upcoming chapters based on the events you wrote down.
The girls found Sally & Betsy
a mystery chest. hid in the attic.
Ex. __________L__________L___________L___________L__________L___________
Sally arrived The robbers The
girls heard banging
at her cousin's house. arrived in the house. on the
attic door.
Prediction: I think that in the next chapter the robbers will somehow get
into the attic. Sally and Betsy seem to be clever girls, so I believe that
they will find a way to escape. Hopefully they will manage to take the
mystery chest with them. I'm anxious to find out what is inside and why the
robbers want it!
--------------------------------
-Patricia
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: PMurphyNAM@aol.com
Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2002 03:19:35 EDT
Subject: [mosaic] Literature Circle Info. from Scholatic Inc.
Since I already received several offlist requests for this article (I didn't
realize so many people were up as late at night as me), I'm posting it
directly to the group:
----------------------------------------------------
November 2001
Grades 2-8
LITERATURE CIRCLES: READING AND THINKING TOGETHER
by Perdita Finn
This e-mail was sent by request to: pmurphynam@aol.com
**********************************************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
***Classroom Activities***
*It's Okay to Be Confused
*Falling in Love With Words
*The Think Tank
*Sentence Starters
***Also . . .***
*Related Books From Scholastic Book Clubs
*********************************************************
Choosing a book, reading it carefully and critically, talking about it
with other people, going on to more books and learning -- these are
all the habits of lifelong readers. One of the best ways to help the
students develop them is with Literature Circles! Here are tips,
resources, and activities to help teachers use Literature Circles
in their classrooms.
All are appropriate for grades 2-8.
Literature Circles consist of several students (usually three to six)
who select a book and then talk and write about it together while they
are reading it. When teachers are setting up Literature Circles in
their classrooms, it can be helpful to:
*Allow students to choose from four to eight books. They may all be
focused on a particular author, genre, or theme.
*Create a daily routine of reading, journal writing, and group discussion.
*Use mini-lessons to help students read more effectively, explore their
reading more deeply in their journals, and talk productively as a group.
With lots of inexpensive quality titles Scholastic Book Clubs can help
support your teachers' Literature Circles.
*Have each group look over this month's offer and choose which book
they would like to read together. There are many books available for just
a few dollars. Teachers may also use Bonus Points to help students
purchase the books.
*Many of the books in the offers are grouped in packs around authors
or themes. Teachers might, for instance, have everyone in class reading
different books by Arthur Lobel or about friendship. Also, books bought
in a pack are frequently cheaper.
*When students own a book, they can write in it! And consequently
they learn how much fun it is to have a conversation with the author
while they are reading.
**********************************************************************
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
***It's Okay to Be Confused***
New readers often assume they are supposed to understand everything
they read. But good readers are comfortable being confused. They know
how to ask questions of a book and look for answers in the text. They
also know that interesting books often raise unanswerable questions,
questions that are designed to make us think!
*In a mini-lesson, explain to students that good readers ask questions
about what they are reading. Some of those questions can be readily
answered: "Who is this character?" "Where is this story taking
place?"
And some of those questions will lead to long and interesting discussions:
"Why did that happen?" "What if something else had happened instead?"
You may want to explain the difference between "closed" questions,
which have a specific answer (What, Who, When, Where), and "open"
questions, which can only be answered with opinions and possibilities
(Why, How Come, What If).
*Have students read a chapter or short section of their book, jotting
down their questions as they do so. Encourage them to pose both
closed and open questions.
*Now the students can get together with their Literature Circle and
go over their questions together. First they should answer everyone's
closed questions, searching in the text for answers if necessary. And
then they can discuss the open ones. They may even find they have
new questions now, which they will want to note in their reading
journals! Remember, the more questions students ask, the more
deeply they are thinking.
***Falling in Love With Words***
Developing a bigger vocabulary isn't a matter of duty for a writer;
it's about having more toys to play with! In this activity, you can
encourage your students to become connoisseurs of words!
*Share with your students some words you love the sound of. For
instance, think of words that mean blue -- azure, aquamarine,
turquoise. Invite your students to say the words and choose the
one they like best.
*Hand out all the dictionaries you have and ask students to flip
through them randomly, looking for words that have great sounds.
Tell them not to worry about what a word means but to listen to
the music of it. Have fun sharing your words with each other!
*Now have students read a chapter or section in their book and note
in their journals any words or phrases they love the sound of.
Again, tell them to focus not on meaning but on sound. Have them
bring those words to their Literature Circle and see what words
their classmates chose from the same section. Then have students
find out what the words mean and write down the definitions in their
journal. They may also want to write down the sentences from the
book where they found the words.
*From now on, after each reading students can keep word lists in
their journals. Once they become word collectors, they'll be no
stopping them from developing a great vocabulary!
***The Think Tank***
Why talk about a book with a group of people? Unfortunately,
students often think "discussions" are like daytime TV talk shows
where people express their opinions as strongly as possible. But
real readers like to talk with other people to learn more about the
book, to find out what somebody else noticed and experienced
while reading it. A discussion is an exploration in which the
participants change their minds, see new points of view,
and learn together. You can use this activity to launch Literature
Circle discussions with your students.
*Introduce your students to the concept of a Think Tank, a group
of very smart people who come together to talk and figure out
something new that none of them has ever thought of before and
which, on their own, they probably wouldn't think of.
*Ask your students to imagine how the participants in a Think
Tank would probably talk to each other. How would it be different,
for instance, from the way people talk on daytime TV?
*Now pick a group of students for a practice discussion. Choose a
topic they can readily discuss. For instance, should students have to
wear school uniforms? While the group is talking together, have the
rest of the class observe and take notes on which behaviors help the
conversation and which stop it. You may want to time this discussion
and limit it to 10-15 minutes.
*Some positive behaviors you may want to point out or suggest include
asking questions of each other, using examples, listening to each other,
adding on to what somebody else said, everybody participating.
*Some negative behaviors you may want to point out include interrupting,
putting down what somebody says, not listening, getting off the topic,
only one person talking.
*After examining the first discussion together, have another group of
students discuss on a different topic. Is it better? Why? Why not?
*Now your students are ready to discuss their books in their Literature
Circles. You may want to routinely evaluate them not only on what
they talk about but on the quality of their discussion together.
***Sentence Starters***
Often readers know something is important without knowing why.
For some reason a sentence just stands out and they can't forget it.
They turn the words over and over in their minds, just loving the way
they sound or wondering what they mean. Such sentences can be a
powerful jump start to Literature Circle discussions.
*Have your students either underline or write in their journal their
favorite sentence from the chapter or section they are reading. If they
can't write in their books, you might want to encourage them to
use post-its.
*When they come together with their Literature Circle, have the
students begin by sharing their sentences without comment. This
can help review the chapter or reading section and also provide
a focus for the discussion.
*Often more than one student chooses the same sentence.
They should still say it. This usually means that the sentence
is very important, the heartbeat of the chapter. Why? What
does it mean?
*After everyone has shared their sentence, the discussion can
begin. Perhaps a student will want to explain the sentence he
or she chose or ask another student why a sentence was selected.
Often the initial reading of the sentences will point to a topic
for discussion.
*After the discussion, have students write in their reading journal
what they now think about the sentence they chose.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2002 03:52:59 -0700 (PDT)
From: Nan Peters <nanners50@yahoo.com>
Subject: [mosaic] Introduction
Hi,
My name is Nan Peters and I teach a 4/5 combination
class on a military base in Germany. I have taught
overseas for 22 years. I am reading Mosaic of Thought
and am eager to learn more about getting kids to
really read.
Nan Peters
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: "Vaccaro, Elise" <vaccaroe@ramnet.k12.ny.us>
Subject: RE: [mosaic] [PERIODIC mosaic DIGEST POSTING]
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 10:57:21 -0400
Thanks Alisa. I think your right about knowing the child's likes and
dislikes before choosing a book to incorporate text to self connections! Hey
maybe I will read any story and than learn even more about him :) Thanks for
your help. Elise
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 18:25:44 -0500
From: "Nancy Creech" <ncreech@mail.rcs.misd.net>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] Problem Solving/Writing?
I like the problem solving strategies. Any ideas on how to shape the
comprehension strategies to help children with their writing? The reason I
am asking is I am presenting on Anchors in Literature in a few weeks. The
presentation is to consist of examples in literature that teachers can use
to model strategies used in narrative writing such as, forecasting,
flashback, effective leads and conclusions, creating suspense,figurative
speech etc. Someone suggested I just use Charlotte's Web to model all the
strategies, but I want to make my presentation a little more interesting!: )
I have Craft Lessons and have ordered Wondrous Words.
Is there a way to apply the comprehension strategies to improve the
students' writing?
Nancy
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: "Vaccaro, Elise" <vaccaroe@ramnet.k12.ny.us>
Subject: [mosaic] Thanks
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 11:07:01 -0400
Reply-To: mosaic@u46teachers.org
Thanks Andy and Shelly. Yes I also think it is cool to see the children
connect to the stories read! I will take your advice and choose a story and
take it from there! Thanks again! Elise
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: Melanie Perkins <MPerkins@parkmead.wcsd.k12.ca.us>
Subject: RE: [mosaic] [PERIODIC mosaic DIGEST POSTING]
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 11:01:10 -0700
I have had the priviledge of attending one of the National Study Seminars,
and I want to second Ellin's recommendation. It was an amazing experience
and caused me to change my practice in many, many significanat ways. I
observed in Leslie Blauman's class. She loops her students from fourth to
fifth grade. After seeing the power of looping kids for two years, I will
begin a loop at fourth grade myself next September. I have also completely
rethought how I approach language arts instruction as a result of what I
observed and learned in Denver. I can't wait to get back into the
classroom! It is an experience well worth the expense.
Melanie Perkins
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: PMurphyNAM@aol.com
Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 04:28:26 EDT
Subject: Re: [mosaic] Artful Artist & number of times jobs occur per book
Why was the artful artist eliminated? How many times throughout the book do
they do their job?
Thank you
Beth >>
I don't know why the Artful Artist job was eliminated, I'll ask my daughter
tomorrow. She, of course, is sound asleep right now. I do know my daughter
was very disappointed when it was; she even said that many of her friends
were, too. I just tonight reread something that would support keeping that
job and thought of that eliminated job. If you own the book, Revisit,
Reflect, Retell. Strategies for Improving Reading Comprehension, see
"Chapter 5: The Arts: Powerful Tools for Enhancing Comprehension."
As to how many times throughout the book do they do their job, that has
varied over time. My daughter just finished a Lit. Circle using the book,
Sarah Bishop: The reading assignments were to cover 3 chapters a session, so
I think that ended up to be about 13 times that jobs were done for that book.
I know that was more times than for the last Lit. Circle she had done.
One of the third grade teachers in my building has recently begun to use
these jobs that I also shared with her. I'll ask her your question tomorrow
and let you know what she says.
After nearly 20 years working as a self-contained Sp. Ed. Teacher, I now am
a
Sp. Ed. Resource teacher so I don't have my own classroom to implement the
Lit. Circles in; that's why I can't answer you question from direct
experience. I do try to encourage others have Literature Circles, and modify
some of the techniques when I have pullout sessions in the afternoons. I do
push-in service in Grades 3 and 4 all morning long because of the
uninterrupted ELA blocks that the America's Choice School Reform model
requires. In the afternoon I work with K-2nd graders, plus take the 3rd and
4th students on a rotating basis for some additional lessons.
-Patricia
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 08:34:32 -0700 (PDT)
From: Kim Sheffield <snowlc@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] [PERIODIC mosaic DIGEST POSTING]
Nancy,
I'm sure many people have responded to your questions
about the strategies and writing, but I will too.
The strategies VERY much coincide with writing...
writing is the yin to reading's yang. At our school,
the same text chosen to teach the strategies in
reading is used to teach the strategies in writing.
You just have the kids "switch their lenses" from that
of a reader to a writer...think about how/why the
authors used a strategy and how to purposefully craft
text using the strategies.
Take a look at Ellin's and the PEBC's Thinking
Strategies for Writers, it has more of a definition of
how writers use these strategies.
Any of Ralph Fletcher's books, for example Poetry
Matters, What A Writer Needs, etc., are great for
teaching/explaining these strategies as tools.
Good luck,
Kim Sheffield
Literacy Coordinator
Newark Unified School District
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2002 19:15:00 -0500
From: Andy and Shelly Kennedy <pristine@aclass.com>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] Artful Artist & number of times jobs occur per book
I will not eliminate Artful Artist/Illustrator in my classroom. It ties
to well with VISUALIZATIOn and Sensory Imagery. Also, I am a firm
believer in Multiple Intelligences so I am keeping it.That is the beauty
of choice in our own classrooms! Shelly
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: PMurphyNAM@aol.com
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 05:43:24 EDT
Subject: Re: [mosaic] Why was the Artful Artist Lit. Circle job was eliminated
In a message dated 4/8/02 8:35:20 PM, mosaic-owner@u46teachers.org writes:
<< Why was the artful artist eliminated? >>
I just remembered last night to ask my daughter if she knew why her teacher
had eliminated the Artful Artist job. You should have seen the look of
disgust that she had as she said, "It was because that job was too easy
and
it was fun. You are supposed work hard and not have fun at my school!"
I
think the fact that she is still mad that the job was eliminated and that she
is resentful that another big test is coming up in the near future, i.e., 4th
grade NYS Math Test, influenced that answer. She did go on to say, "Another
reason is that some people picked the Artful Artist, but then didn't write a
very good description of why they illustrated the part that they had picked.
They would just say something like 'I picked this part was because it was
interesting.' And, since a lot of kids like this job the best, everybody
wanted to pick it first after they had finished doing each job at least once.
"
-Patricia
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 07:55:35 -0500
From: Claudia Sharp <cshar110@neisd.net>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] Why was the Artful Artist Lit. Circle job was eliminated
On behalf of the Artful Artist:
The revised Texas TAAS reading test next year, called TAKS (all kinds of puns
about TAKS releif in
April are appropriate here), includes drawings in the questions. An example
available on the TEA
website is of a raccoon with various bandaged appendages. The student must mark
the one that
represents what happened in the story. The student must read for details and
form a mental image of
what was read. Sounds like we're getting closer to testing what strategic readers
do and therefore
require our students to practice in the classroom. We may need to refine what
we require of our
students and better understand why we have them do what we do. From the Keep
the Artful Artist
Campaign.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: "Ginger/Rob" <elephant@foxvalley.net>
Subject: [mosaic] determining importance/nonfiction
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 17:47:44 -0500
LONG.
Are any of you with lessons for determining importance in nonfiction willing
to share them with us? I am REALLY struggling with THIS one! I've just read
online Debbie Miller's chapter on DI in her new book READING FOR MEANING
(anyone have the book yet and want to share about it???) and this is what I
have done so far. This is my first official time of teaching DI in
nonfiction in a focused strategy study. I've done explicit teaching in
nonfiction in previous years but always felt so scattered. I want to be
more systematic this time.
>>From Debbie Miller's book suggestions we discussed the different ways
we
read fiction and nonfiction. Fiction: reading to see what happens, enjoy a
story, etc. Nonfiction: reading to learn and get information. We talked
about how we predict differently for fiction and nonfiction. We did the venn
diagram from her book comparing fiction and nonfiction. I had the table
groups take a bin of nonfiction books and do a book walk with them to list
the conventions found in nonfiction books. We made a chart of the
conventions. Debbie Miller talks about not only explicitly teaching EACH
convention (she has them make convention books) but also defining the
PURPOSE for those conventions or how does each convention HELP the reader. I
gave partner groups each a different big book that I had selected
specifically because I found a particular convention used in that book. If
you go online at www.stenhouse.com you can read her entire book and the DI
chapter lists 11 conventions and how they help readers read nonfiction.
(Some examples are: captions, index, comparisons, labels, close-ups, types
of print, maps, cut aways, etc.) Each partner group was to enjoy the book
first of course, then find their particular convention and come up with a
definition to share back whole group. I put the sentence starter on the
board: _____________ help the reader ____________________________. I walked
around and checked in with each group and asked them how their convention
helped the reader. Most were very clear about it.
Then we shared back whole group. The partners came up and showed their big
book and told what it was about. They showed examples of their convention.
They talked about how it helps the reader. We came up with a solid sentence
that I wrote on the board and each student wrote it down on a two column
worksheet I typed up. Convention/How It Helps the Reader.
Today I sent them off to read self selected nonfiction books with the
purpose being to listen for that little voice inside SIGNALING that they had
read something NEW or INTERESTING (sit that little "them" on their
shoulder
to catch their metacognition). In her book Debbie Miller shares a memory of
when Steph Harvey asked her what her little voice says when reading
nonfiction. Steph told her to do a think aloud as she read aloud. Debbie
caught herself saying things like, "Wow!", "I can't believe that?!",
"Yikes!!!", etc. I didn't model it first. If I modeled it I thought
it
would have been so obvious and I wanted to see if THEY could hear THEIR
voice without me sharing mine. Well, that bombed! I think they were
thinking I wanted something more complicated from them so they REALLY were
stumped. I finally just said, "I am going to give you some clues. Here
I
am sitting here with this book about snakes. I just read something REALLY
INTERESTING and I heard my little voice say ________." (I had made it clear
that I wasn't looking for them to write down the NEW learning or the
interesting information. Just the signal word.) Well, they just looked at
me and were still confused. I gave in and just read a bit more and then
said, "COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!" Read some more and said, "AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
in a really exaggerated voice. Then I kept reading and a few minutes later
I said, "NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!" They finally got it. (why I didn't just
model
it right away, I don't know! Gradual release, right???!!!)
They got busy writing a list of THEIR signal words. We shared back whole
group what they were reading when they heard their signal word. We made a
chart of our signal words. We talked about why we need to pay attention to
our signal words: they tell us we need to notice we are learning something
new or interesting and pause and savor that new information. I told them it
was like when you are eating something so scrumptious you just want to take
it slow and enjoy it for as long as you can. I also modeled fast reading
through an interesting paragraph with no pause for periods, acknowledging
the new info, or reflection. I said good readers are always on the lookout
for fascinating information and don't rush through and just read the words.
They let it sink in.
Debbie shares in her book how she has her kids take it a step further and
code NL for new learning once they hear that signal word going off. On post
its they write the new information, the title of the book, and the page
number (incase they want to find that part again later). I am going to do
that tomorrow.
Has anyone tried her idea about using the "I wonder" boxes? It sounds
like
they keep "I wonders" throughout the year in individual boxes and
she has
them pull out a few to then further research in their nonfiction study. She
has examples of how her students reported their findings. Very simple and
very cool!
So that's where I am now. I am going to reread (AGAIN!!!) :) my DI
chapter in Strategies. But I would LOVE to get some lessons from you all
out there.
What do you do to help your students get the most important information from
textbooks and other nonfiction books????
Ginger
grade 3
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 17:20:44 -0700
From: Judy Mazur <jvmazur@attbi.com>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] determining importance/nonfiction
Ginger, I'll tell you about one DI lesson that didn't work well. I
tried the interesting/important information in nonfiction lesson and it
was a flop. I'm sure it was my fault that it didn't work particularly
well (the principal was there and he loved it), but I just couldn't find
a lot of meaning. We started with a poem (Midnight Ride of Paul Revere)
and I modeled determining the important facts and distinguishing them
from interesting information. Then I moved to a nonfiction read aloud
(Autobiography of Rosa Parks) and had the kids make a class chart of
impt/interesting for that book as I read. Finally, I had them move to
their SS books to sticky impt/interesting facts. This year, I'm just
having them pick out the important facts because we found way too much
that we couldn't decide about--was it important, interesting, or both.
We did spend quite a bit of time on nonfiction conventions in fall, but
we merely defined them, found them in our science and social studies
books, and discussed how they help us. We continue to point out various
conventions as we read. We didn't make books; all I did was categorize
the conventions and then write examples of each--all on sentence strips
for a pocket chart. I bring it out and refer back to it occasionally.
Does this help at all? I feel like I've been more negative than helpful.
judy3ca
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: PhilSharonElder@aol.com
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 20:55:56 EDT
Subject: Re: [mosaic] determining importance/nonfiction-Judy
In a message dated 4/11/2002 8:26:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
jvmazur@attbi.com writes:
<< Then I moved to a nonfiction read aloud
(Autobiography of Rosa Parks) and had the kids make a class chart of
impt/interesting for that book as I read. Finally, I had them move to
their SS books to sticky impt/interesting facts. This year, I'm just
having them pick out the important facts because we found way too much
that we couldn't decide about--was it important, interesting, or both. >>
Judy,
I'm curious. I would think that the "big idea" of a text (the overall
theme for instance in a literary trade book) would be connected to
determining the important facts. So I'm thinking that once the overall theme
of a book is determined by the students, could they then go back and
re-evaluate their choice of important facts? The important facts, for
instance, being the ones that contributed to the overall theme? Does that
make sense? And, if they did this several times, do you think it would help
them with determining importance the first time around in a text? By that I
mean, as the theme is becoming clearer to them, wouldn't that help them
narrow their DI choices?
Sharon
1st/AL
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 18:13:55 -0700
From: Judy Mazur <jvmazur@attbi.com>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] determining importance/nonfiction-Judy
Sharon wrote:
I'm curious. I would think that the "big idea" of a text (the overall
theme for instance in a literary trade book) would be connected to
determining the important facts. So I'm thinking that once the overall theme
of a book is determined by the students, could they then go back and
re-evaluate their choice of important facts? The important facts, for
instance, being the ones that contributed to the overall theme? Does that
make sense? And, if they did this several times, do you think it would help
them with determining importance the first time around in a text? By that I
mean, as the theme is becoming clearer to them, wouldn't that help them narrow
their DI choices?
Judy replies:
Hmmm, I guess that's one way of getting closer to DI, but I probably
wasn't clear about my thinking. I think that in trying to distinguish
important from interesting, we also had to focus on interesting and we
almost began looking for interesting facts. Then, too, it's somewhat
subjective--you say important and I say interesting. I'm trying so hard
to be authentic this year and I reflected on this a great deal. As an
avid reader, I do express interest and sort importance, but I don't
think I separate the impt from the interesting--and I'm not seeing value
for the kids. Then, on to your idea of going back, I guess we have to
ask ourselves what we're trying to teach the kids. I'm thinking that if
DI is a prelude to and a part of notetaking and test prep and all that
formal "school stuff," then we'd better help these kids be able to
pick
out the impt parts the first time through. Now that doesn't mean we
can't go back and reread a paragraph for the part to highlight, but I
don't think we want to reread every piece we're studying. If we learn to
look for the main idea/supporting details, then we're determining
importance, right?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 18:58:24 -0700
From: Judy Mazur <jvmazur@attbi.com>
Subject: Re: [mosaic] determining importance/nonfiction
One more thought on DI.....I think it ties in nicely with Writing
Workshop and research. We thought about DI a lot when we did nonfiction
writing (using Fletchers Nonfiction Craft Lessons mostly). My kids
loved his "dash notes" and had to be able to DI to do a good job with
them and then again to determine which notes to select to include in
their own writing. As a matter of fact, our principal came in the day
I'd introduced "dash notes" and asked one of my struggling students
(who
is also a second language learner) what he was doing. He pointed to his
nonfiction library selection and replied, "We're writing down the
important stuff." I think he gets DI. AND, if you're not sick of me
yet, we've gone backwards and forwards. We've selected a topic to be a
main idea, made a web and added supporting details. Then we've taken a
written piece (kids' and adult work) and slotted it into a web. We've
even played a game where one student leaves the room. The class is
given a main idea. The child returns and kids give supporting details
so he/she can guess the main idea. Had enough, LOL?
judy3ca
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: "Pat Watson" <pwatson@sfasu.edu>
Subject: RE: [mosaic] determining importance/nonfiction
Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2002 08:12:38 -0500
Ginger,
I've really enjoyed reading this thread on nonfiction. Lots of wonderful
ideas.
I'm attaching a lesson I used with 5th and 7th graders to introduce finding
important ideas. And the S is important. On the new TAKS test here in Texas
we understand they're moving toward questions that ask students to choose
between 3-4 sentence summaries instead of a single main idea. (somebody
listened!) I guess the Texas Ed. Agency did some analysis of TAAS also and
found that students in all grade levels are twice as likely to miss
questions on expository passages than on narrative. I don't have a reference
for this....I just read it in notes from a TEA workshop someone passed along
to me.
Anyway...I'm really working hard with my STW study group to demonstrate how
you can teach the reading strategies necessary for success on the tests
without resorting to TAAS or TAKS worksheets....which are what seem to be
the norm. I created this lesson to model and get them started. If I've
discovered one thing through this it's that modeling is just as important
for adults learning a new way to think about things as it is for kids.
pat
Patricia Watson
Stephen F. Austin State University
Nacogdoches, Texas
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2002 16:57:21 -0500
From: Pat Watson <pwatson@sfasu.edu>
Subject: RE: [mosaic] determining importance/nonfiction
Another great source I ran across was a book called _Listen to This:
Developing an Ear for Expository." It's aimed at teaching kids to write
expository text which goes hand in hand with reading it. Many of the
excercises can be turned into reading rather than writing. Author is Marcia
Freeman...from Maupin House publishers.
pat
Patricia Watson
Elementary Education
Stephen F. Austin State University
pwatson@sfasu.edu
936-468-1884
"We don't run schools to give teachers a place to perform teaching; we
run
schools to give students a place to learn." --Leif Fearn
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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