Background for my Nerdy Book Club Post “Why I Think Wonder Didn’t Win a Newbery”

Posted on April 21, 2013 by renwickme

I wrote this post on the Nerdy Book Club blog for a variety of reasons:

- To model what it means to be a connected learner in front of 27 fifth graders.
- To guide students on how to read text more critically.
- To show students how to use evidence from a text to support an opinion.
- To celebrate our learning and this excellent book I read aloud.

Modeling Connectedness

“Connectedness” is defined by the Merriam-Webster Learner’s Dictionary as “the state of being closely joined or linked especially in an emotional way”. Wonder conjured up many emotions in us as we read and discussed it. I gave students several opportunities to turn and talk with a neighbor to share their thinking during strategic points in the story. I also asked essential questions related to the book. Students were encouraged to ask questions of their own that took my thinking to a deeper level. We posted our thoughts on the Wonder group we joined on Edmodo. All of these discussions led to my opinion piece I posted on the blog. Because our thinking was available for others to read and respond to, the students had a better understanding of the importance of sharing our feelings about something online in a meaningful and respectful manner.

Critical Reading

The concept of reading critically is explained nicely in Teaching Students to Read Like Detectives by Doug Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Diane Lapp (Solution Tree, 2011). According to the authors, astute readers start asking questions as soon as they pick up a text. In the post, I purposefully took the perspective that the ending was the reason Wonder didn’t win the Newbery. I wanted to create an authentic controversy. As I wrote on the computer and projected it on the Smart Board, I could tell a few student weren’t comfortable with this opinion. Their body language and facial expressions said it all. I encouraged the students to speak freely. One student, who I will call Sara, finally had had enough and blurted, “I just don’t agree with you, Mr. Renwick.” A few of her classmates’ mouths dropped open. He’s the principal! they were probably thinking. But I commended Sara on her willingness to take a risk and share her own thinking, even though it didn’t correspond with my own.

Text-Based Evidence

After expressing her opinion that in fact the ending was really great, I asked Sara to explain her position a bit more. While I cannot recall the exact conversation that took place afterward, I do remember several students joining our discussion. We compared the ending in Wonder to related stories, such as Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper. Some students brought up their own experiences of someone they know receiving a large celebration and why it was important for that person. It was also noted that sometimes the strong need to step up and help those in need, like Auggie’s classmates and the adults in his life did. This robust discussion helped form the ending on my Nerdy Book Club post. Throughout our conversations, we stayed close to the text even as we connected the book’s events with our own lives, experiences and past books we had read.

Celebration and Recognition

Once the draft of my post was complete, I printed off a copy for each student. I asked them to reread it carefully and note anything else they felt needed revision in the margins. A number of students came back the next time with several suggestions. Most of them were grammatical in nature. Feeling confident in our final draft once revised, we shipped it off to Mr. Sharp for publication. Giving several opportunities for input allowed everyone ownership in this shared writing activity.

Now that it is online, we look forward to reading the comments to the post. Maybe we will comment ourselves. Our thoughts and ideas will have a much larger audience and greater purpose with the use of the blog. We plan to celebrate our efforts with a book talk on related stories. As well, everyone can sign a “Be Kind” certificate to remind ourselves to be everyday heroes in someone’s life that we know.

“Preparing for Our Changing Future”

Posted on March 20, 2013 by renwickme

So, I come home after showing teachers how to use Google Reader for subscribing to blogs and online news, and find out it is being retired this summer. My initial reaction was, “What?!?” I felt I had just wasted my colleagues’ time by exploring a tool that no longer would be usable.

Being the eternal optimist, I sent out this tweet:

Here were the responses I got back from my personal learning network:

I really appreciated their advice. It helped me remember a couple of key elements when learning anything new:

Understand Concepts, Not Just Tools

Prior to me sharing how Google Reader works, the participants for my course “Becoming a Connected Educator” and I have discussed why we should use online networks for learning and teaching. For example, we explored the Connected Learning Communities framework by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Lani Ritter Hall. This is from their book The Connected Educator. It nicely describes how professional learning communities, personal learning networks, and communities of practice can work in concert to help us reach our potential as learners. Once we have that foundation, we are more resilient to the ever changing technology landscape, as well as flexible enough to pick up the new tools and drop the ones that aren’t working.

Have an Open Mind

I try to model how to use a few technology tools at each session while teaching the major concepts for the course. It’s embedded in my instruction so teachers can see them in practice. I also repeatedly make the point that teachers need to be selective about what Web 2.0 tools they want to use in their classroom and/or for their own learning.

To help ourselves focus, we used “Reflection Circles”. I discovered this graphic organizer at a Department of Public Instruction training in 2006. The participants wrote a quick reflection about each tool shared so far during the course.

Know Where You Are Going

It is also important that there is a clear direction as to why and how we should become more connected. I created this template to help everyone prepare to embed technology into their instruction:

To make this point in a different way, I shared my school’s vision:

We are a community of engaged learners,
focused on academic and social growth,
preparing for our changing world.

That last line means a lot to me right now. When we meet again next week, I will stress the same thing. How does what happened with Google Reader apply to us as educators? Can we become irrelevant? How quickly could this transition take place? I feel confident that being a mindful and connected learner is the best way for all educators to remain relevant, as well as to provide authentic and engaging learning activities for our students.

How Should Social Media Etiquette Be Taught in Schools?

Posted on March 7, 2013 by renwickme

An adapted version of this post can also be found at Ed Tech Magazine’s website here.

Before we ask how, I think we should be addressed why social media etiquette should be taught in schools. (I am answering this question through the lens of literacy, which encompasses all K-12 content areas.)

First of all, even though students may appear to be comfortable using technology, it should be not be assumed that they already know how to use it appropriately. In a 2012 article by Baiyun Chen and Thomas Bryer from the University of Central Florida, they found that many students are not using social media for learning purposes. At the same time, the majority of young people are connected with others online. With this in mind, teaching students how to appropriately use social media is a school’s responsibility, to help ensure they are safe online as well as leveraging its potential for learning.

Second, social media can provide two things that are critical for student engagement in a literate environment: audience and purpose. Audience refers to those who will see what students create and share. With the possibilities social media provides, no longer are students writing for their teacher or peers alone. For example, they can post a project on a classroom blog or on Edmodo, a safe social media site for classrooms. Students, family members and teachers across the globe can now view their work and even comment on it. This type of feedback is valuable for student growth. It also teaches students the importance of revision and being appropriate when posting online.

Purpose is the reason students are doing the work. Social media can help facilitate their own growth and as well as their audience’s learning when the purpose is to teach others. Before sharing occurs, essential questions should first be considered before students post their thoughts and work online. Is my project original and creative? What will my audience gain from what I am presenting? Will it make a positive impact on my community? The world? Can others add to what I shared and collaborate with me, potentially making it better?

Once the why has been established and engagement is built with students, teaching the how should be much easier. What educators bring to the table are a strong understanding of pedagogy – the art, science, or profession of teaching (Merriam-Webster). The instructional framework my school subscribes to is the Optimal Learning Model, sometimes referred to as the gradual release of responsibility.

Adapted by Regie Routman from Teaching Essentials: Expecting the Most and Getting the Best from Every Learner, K-8 (Heinemann, 2008)

In this framework, the teacher first models the concept or skill to be learned. Will Richardson and Rob Mancabelli value this framework within the context of social media, stating in their book Personal Learning Networks (Solution Tree, 2011) that “the ability to model your own learning networks in front of your students might be your most important pedagogy of all” (12). To start, the teacher and students could share one thing they learned that day on a classroom Twitter account or Facebook page. They could also explore other classrooms’ blogs to read how students at their age level write online. Once a level of comfort navigating online has been established, the teacher can do an interactive writing activity on a classroom blog. Interactive writing is an example of shared demonstration, when the students and teacher share the responsibility for the work.

This concept that “we do it” is critical when trying to build student confidence in order for them to eventually learn independently. When the teacher believes the students are ready to work on their own, he or she can set up blogs for each one of them. I recommend KidBlog as a great place to start. As the website describes, it is a safe and simple blog for students. They can now be encouraged to write for their own purposes, while consistently being reminded that their potential audience is anyone in the world.

At this point, the sky is the limit. Students can curate digital portfolios that show their own learning growth over time. They could also collaborate with students in other communities on school projects and facilitate conversations with their audience in the comments. And I am only referring to blogs. Skype, wikis, and podcasts are just a few of the many other available social media tools students can utilize for learning. What is important is the teacher is there as a guide, helping his or her students create a safe and positive digital footprint while immersed in authentic, purposeful learning for the world to see.

Using Evernote to Confer with Readers and Writers

Posted on February 6, 2013 by renwickme

On January 31, I shared with several teachers about the possibilities of using Evernote to document student learning in literacy. Led by Amber Garbe (@ReadattheEDGE), this group of reading teachers have a growth mindset. They did not get frustrated when the technology did not always work for them. I enjoyed learning with these teachers. The purpose of this post is to summarize our learning.

Do you ever feel stuck when using technology? So many possibilities, when you just want to accomplish one thing? The story Stuck by Oliver Jeffers nicely describes this sense of frustration. The main character throws everything he can at a problem (kite stuck in a tree) when he should have focused on the problem itself instead of the tools.

Evernote is one tool that can address our need to better document learning when conferring with readers and writers. (A rationale for this technology is recorded in this Voicethread.)

The point I made is we need to allow the students to take control of their learning. This can be accomplished by being a learner as opposed to a teacher when guiding students to become readers and writers. Our learning takes place when we are close to the source (the student). Evernote can help a teacher measure student learning with tools that help them see and hear what the students know and are able to do. They are not just a reading level.

Much of this information comes from Knowing Literacy by Peter Johnston (1997). Although it was published fifteen years ago, this resource feels like it was written yesterday. He states that as assessments become more standardized and distanced from the student, the less trust and ownership there is between the student and teacher. This graphic is a visual I developed to better understand this assessment relationship.

Once we established why there is a need to use tools such as Evernote, it was time to discuss how. Instead of telling participants, I showed a video of one of my teachers actually using an iPad to capture student learning and inform her instruction. (This is when technology failed me. The video was choppy and we didn't get to watch it all. Even if it had worked properly, it would not be shown here to protect the privacy of the student.) As we watched, I encouraged teachers to notice how the teacher:

Embedded assessment within her instruction;
Acted as a learner rather than a teacher;
Asked questions on what the student did right as well as what needs improvement;
Focused on strengths; and
Showed understanding that literacy is not always linear.

At this point we dug into Evernote. After everyone got registered, we built mock notebooks and notes. From there I shared some different ways teachers could document their students' learning. Here were a few suggestions:

Student Interviews
In the beginning of the year, ask students questions about their reading and writing habits. Record the conversation. Later in the year, review the audio from this interview with the student and facilitate a new one to promote reflection and growth. You can find a good interview template in Janet Allen's Yellow Brick Roads.

Personal Learning Goals
Students could use the check boxes in Evernote to list what they would like to accomplish for the quarter, semester or year. Donalyn Miller's goal for her students from The Book Whisperer of forty books from a variety of genres would be a good example. When they reach a goal, they can check off the box (and set a new goal).

Anecdotal Records
Although a teacher could also house students' quantitative data such as running records in a note, it's important to also develop a story of each reader's progress throughout the year. This can be one note with just a running narrative of their current reality, where they need to go, and how to get there. One incentive for using Evernote is the ability to share information with colleagues and parents. What will be most useful for them?

Digital Portfolios
A teacher could feasibly contain a gallery of a student's writing within one note. Giving each image of their writing a quick title along with a few comments would be all that it would require. The rest of the work should be handed over to the student, in the form of looking at their own work while the teacher asks, “What are you doing well?” and “What would you like to work on?”

We ended our session with each teacher sharing one takeaway from the night's session. The word that seemed to be heard the most was “possibilities”.

What other ways do you or could you use Evernote to confer with readers and writers? Please share in the comments.

Posted with Blogsy

Increasing Engagement

Posted on January 22, 2013 by renwickme

This post is also featured on Stenhouse’s blog.

For a while it was popular in educational circles to talk about “time on task”. In some circles it still is. But, as many have noted, children are always on task; the important question is, what is the task?

- Peter Johnson, Knowing Literacy

My school faced a dilemma last spring: The grant for our after school reading intervention had run out. This also included our A.M. and P.M. study centers. Many of our students and families utilized these services to get extra academic support and to provide supervision for children whose parents worked early or late. We had a captive audience in those who attended, but no resources left in which to captivate them with, or so I initially thought.

As I prepared our final report for the grant, I noticed a pattern. Students who attended the structured, computer-based reading intervention after school did not make gains when compared to their peers. Students who attended the morning and after school study centers, with minimal educator support, showed more growth than their school peers. It was a small sample size, but results nonetheless.

Around the same time, I came across Peter Johnston’s post “Reducing Instruction, Increasing Engagement” on Stenhouse’s blog. In it he describes a study he conducted with Gay Ivey in a secondary classroom. Students were given edgy fiction and few expectations, other than to read the books and discuss them with classmates. They took control of their learning, selecting texts based on their interests and communicating with each other about what they read. Subsequently, their tests scores went up and their social and emotional well being improved.

This post was the proverbial manna from heaven. Along with Richard Allington’s suggestion in Schools That Work for the principal to help facilitate the morning center, we had a possible answer to our problem. Some of our Title I funds were allocated to support two staff members two times a week to facilitate the after school book club for 4th and 5th graders. At the same time, I shifted the schedule of an English Language Learner aide so she would come in an hour earlier to catch the students in the morning. Even though all of this programming was to be hosted in the school library, we did purchase some high interest texts from a local book store. Total cost for this year-long program: Approximately $3000.

So how have we reduced instruction and increased engagement?

More of a variety of literacy resources are available. For example, students can listen to books on tape, practice their letters and writing using art supplies, and select any text they find interesting.

In both the morning study center and after school book club, we strive to provide choice in books. Some guidance is provided by staff when they appear to have a tough time finding their next read. However, for the most part we stay out of the way.

We have created an inviting, cozy environment to allow kids to chat with each other while reading their books. Whistle chairs, foam shaped like an upside down whistle and covered with a leather case, are an example of a purchase we made to help create this climate. Educators need to give kids permission to read, both with our words and our actions. By doing this, we let them know that it is okay to just sit around and enjoy a book while at school.

As well, they like writing book reviews on bookmark cards. They are propped on the front of the respective book and displayed on a designated table for others to check out. These students are now seen as readers and writers by their classmates. At this age, peers’ perceptions are students’ realities.

One hiccup we have noticed is the inconsistent attendance of a few of our 4th and 5th graders after school. To address this, the staff and I have discussed ways to leverage technology to increase engagement. One idea is allowing students to connect on Edmodo. It is a safe social media tool for schools to share and discuss their learning. This would allow students to write their thoughts and questions about what they are reading for a broader audience, as well as read what others have posted.

At a fraction of the previous year’s costs, we have developed a literacy intervention that engages students and has the potential to increase students’ reading abilities at a faster rate than prescribed programming. At the same time, departing from past practices is a scary proposition for us as educators. It means giving up the spotlight and allowing student learning to take center stage. Teachers and principals, myself included, sometimes think we can control student outcomes. This naturally leads us into trying to control the learning at times. Yet it is an open and curious mind that learns best. We can facilitate this mindset by increasing engagement in students through thoughtful instruction and sharing our enthusiasm for reading. And isn’t engagement the reason we read and learn anyway?

Should Kindergarten Teachers Use Guided Reading?

Posted on January 19, 2013 by renwickme

This is cross posted on the #kinderchat blog.

This question I pose is genuine. It is not rhetorical or just an attempt at an effective lead to draw in readers. In the midst of the Common Core, raised expectations and standardized assessments for five year olds, it is something worth pondering.

Besides being an elementary principal, I am also a parent of a kindergarten student. With that, this topic should be looked at from multiple perspectives within a school. (This is not necessarily my thinking, just what could reasonably be each position’s point of view.)

As a principal…I see the whole picture. I know students come in with various language abilities. Guided reading is an effective instructional strategy to accommodate every student’s needs.

As a parent…I want what’s best for my child. Is he/she getting what is needed to stay challenged? What should I be doing at home to support my child in reading?

As a kindergarten teacher…Each of my student’s skills and ability levels are so unique. And their specific needs within reading vary as well, like concept of print and phonemic awareness. With this many students, how can I use guided reading while keeping the rest of my class engaged in effective reading activities?

As an instructional coach or interventionist…Now that we are midway through the school year, how do we take the next step and differentiate for our students through practices such as guided reading? We have to meet a certain benchmark by the end of the year. I am not sure if we are going to make it.

The purpose of this post is only to explore this issue, maybe even start a conversation on the topic. To start, I need to digress and explore what guided reading is and isn’t. (This is probably more for me than anyone.)

Guided Reading Is Not Necessarily…

Small Group Instruction

Three or four students congregated around a teacher, sitting behind a bean-shaped table does not mean guided reading is occurring. Upon closer examination, it might be round robin reading (kids taking turns reading aloud a page). Unfortunately, the teacher is controlling the learning instead of the student.

Small Groups Always Reading the Same Book

I used this practice too often as an elementary teacher. Students worked with me based on their reading level. This is ability grouping, a practice that shouldn’t be used exclusively because the focus (in students’ minds, anyway) only seems to be on decoding. Students grouped in this way might also view themselves as either poor readers, or better readers than peers. Both mindsets are not healthy when developing life long learners.

Shared Read Aloud, Interactive Read Alouds

It is not guided reading when a teacher reads aloud the same text that every student has access to. Yes, the teacher is scaffolding for students by doing the decoding for them. But how does a teacher balance the need for student choice and engagement with structure and support?

What Guided Reading Is

Prepared, Thoughtful Instruction

Guided reading is defined as “the place where every child, every day, has the opportunity to learn by reading a book that is just right” (Fountas and Pinnell, 1996). It does involve small group instruction, but based on students’ needs, personal goals and interests. Only using a prescribed set of readers from a basal or anthology series does not take into account these elements, although it might make planning easier for the teacher. More time should be spent preparing for where both the teacher and student want to go, and selecting a just right text that will help get them there.

Student-Centered

My teachers regularly enter independent reading levels for all of their students on a spreadsheet. Looking at most classrooms, I notice students at a wide range of levels rather than three to five convenient groupings. I would say this is most evident in primary level classrooms. This can make it difficult to facilitate guided reading in kindergarten as it is strictly prescribed. A few students at this age level require one-on-one support, others need an adult to touch base with them from time to time, while the rest of the class is somewhere in between.

Shared Assessment

Students need to be able to assess themselves as readers. One job of the teacher is to facilitate this process. Teacher talk that is observational and questioning can help students reflect on their efforts. Questions that focus on strengths as well as areas for improvement also blurs the lines between teacher and learner, as described by Peter Johnston in Knowing Literacy. “Children develop the criteria for evaluating their reading out of the conversations in which they are immersed” (Johnston, 1998). Anecdotal records and student portfolios can also provide more concrete evidence to measure growth in this process.

So, should kindergarten teachers use guided reading? Maybe a better question to ask is how we as teachers fulfill our role as a guide, which Merriam Webster defines as “one that leads or direct another’s way”.

Consider the following:

Do I know my students as readers? That is, am I aware of their interests, reading habits, background knowledge and aspirations?
Can I explain to a parent or colleague each of my student’s strengths and areas for growth?
When a student struggles to find his or her next book, am I able to pique their interest with other titles I think they will enjoy?
Do I regularly confer with my readers and keep anecdotal notes to plan for future instruction?
Are my students reading and writing at least 50% of the school day (Allington, 2002)?
When my students are reading independently, are they allowed to choose what they want to read?
Are the texts my students are reading at their level (Allington and Gabriel, 2012)?
Am I extending my students with text at their instructional level and guided support?

If our efforts result in students who develop a love for reading while making strong growth, then our guidance has been effective.

References

Allington, Richard E. (2002). “What I’ve Learned About Effective Reading Instruction From a Decade of Studying Exemplary Elementary Classroom Teachers.” Phi Delta Kappan, 83(10).

Allington, R.E. & Gabriel, R.E. (2012). “Every Child, Every Day”. Educational Leadership, 69(6).

Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. (1996). Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children. Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH.

Johnston, Peter H. (1997). Knowing Literacy: Constructive Literacy Assessment. Stenhouse: Portland, ME.

Rethinking My School’s Homework Policy

Posted on January 1, 2013 by renwickme

Since becoming a more connected educator, I have learned much from my professional learning network about the pros and cons of homework, especially at the elementary level. With my student handbook needing an update, I thought it might be a good time to revisit my school’s beliefs regarding this topic.

homework

Cathy Vatterot, author of Rethinking Homework, offers a reasonable view of how educators can address this touchy subject. With her recommendations, along with information and experiences shared by my colleagues, I made some substantial changes to my school’s homework policy. Text in bold are my potential additions; language with strikethrough may be deleted.

HOWE SCHOOL HOMEWORK POLICY

Homework is an out-of-school assignment that contributes to the educational process of the child. It should be an extension of class work and should be related to the objectives of the curriculum presently being studied.

Homework may include additional practice exercises, reading of material on a specific subject, in-depth extension of classroom activities, or independent project work related to the subject. Instructional time is maximized and consists of introducing new material, so ~~drill and memorization~~ review and reinforcement become an important part of homework.

Effective school research indicates that a positive correlation exists between expanding opportunities for learning and academic achievement. Most children, therefore, will have some homework each school day. Homework may include problem solving, completion of assignments introduced in class, projects, reading ahead in the textbook and other tasks as assigned by teachers. The daily amount of time depends upon grade level, varying from 10 to 45 minutes daily at the elementary level. In order to attain the maximum benefits from homework, your child is responsible for completing homework assignments on time and as directed.

The homework policy that has been established at Howe School indicates that all students will, on a regular basis, receive homework assignments for completion outside of the regularly allocated class time. The amount, frequency and nature of the assignments should be based on the teacher’s professional judgement, students’ needs and reflect the child’s grade, subject and needs. Homework will vary by instructional level, with assignments potentially increasing in length and frequency as the child progresses through the grades.

Homework fulfills the following purposes:

To review and reinforce classroom learning by providing practice with an application of knowledge gained.
~~To teach children responsibility, neatness and organizational skills.~~ To promote family involvement, school connectedness and two way communication between home and school.

The following amount of time is ~~expected~~ what you might expect for homework daily (excluding Wednesdays):
Grades K and 1st – Approximately 10-20 minutes
Grades 2nd and 3rd – Approximately 15-30 minutes
Grades 4th and 5th – Approximately 20-40 minutes

Note: These expectations will take into consideration a child’s ability and nature of assignments. ~~Any child not completing homework assignments will be expected to stay inside during the noon recess to finish the work.~~

The following expectations exist for teachers, all children, and parents.

Each teacher will: assign meaningful homework; take into account the capabilities of the class; assign work that will benefit each child and give all children feedback on assignments.

Each child will: ~~learn to accept this responsibility;~~ complete the assignments on time and with high quality; and develop good study habits.

Each parent must: ~~nurture that responsibility in his/her child;~~ encourage his/her child to complete homework assignments; provide for a climate that will foster educational endeavors; and stress the value of hard work and good study habits.

~~All children make far greater advances in academics when homework is given frequently to extend the school day.~~ ~~Additionally,~~ Academic gains are greater when parents take a ~~vital~~ supportive role in helping the child fulfill his/her responsibility. Ask your child’s teacher for ~~helpful hints in~~ more information in helping your child complete homework assignments.

~~Students who do not complete their homework at home are expected to complete it before school or during noon recess.~~
HOMEWORK – MAKE-UP WORK REQUESTS

As a result of student absences, sometimes make-up work is requested. If a child is absent for one or two days, make-up work may not be sent home prior to the student’s return. We are anxious for students to get well. Reading a library book is encouraged. Although we appreciate parent requests, teachers need sufficient time to gather materials. If a student is absent more than two days, please contact the office before 8:30 a.m. so the teacher has time to prepare materials by the end of the school day. With classes of 20 or more students and the possibility of several absences, it takes a significant amount of time to honor make-up work requests. We appreciate your understanding.

I am also sharing these possible revisions with staff and families. When we briefly discussed this topic as a faculty, beliefs were expectedly all over the place. Having a strict policy does not honor where everyone is at on this topic. My hope is that the changes we make will reflect best practices, knowing that it may always be a work in progress.

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Where are you at on the continuum of homework in school, especially at the elementary level? How would you revise this policy? Please share in the comments.

Examples of Practice: Goodreads and the Common Core

Posted on December 20, 2012 by renwickme

Literature and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the very first standard is titled “Reading: Literature”. I say this because some educators have expressed concerns about fiction being pushed out of literacy instruction. A deliberate review of the CCSS should clear up this misconception.

Another component I appreciate about our new national standards is a focus on the reading-writing connection. My building has participated in professional development on this topic for three years now. We believe that when we develop better readers, students’ writing also improves and vice versa. Last year we collected data that supports this belief.

An example of the reading-writing connection is in Standard 4 – Writing, under “Texts Types of Purposes” for Grade 3. The first element expects students to write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view or reason. An important component to this type of writing is using specific information from the text to support an assertion.

Because we simply don’t have enough initiatives to take on this year (notice the sarcasm?), we are also exploring different ways to leverage technology to enhance student engagement and learning while addressing the CCSS. One Web 2.0 tool that has lots of potential is Goodreads. You can connect with other readers and their personal libraries to discover your next book. I have described it to others as Facebook for bookworms.

Recently, I read aloud The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco to a group of third graders. After the book was finished, we did a shared writing activity by forming an opinion about the book in my reading journal.

You’ll notice the quotes above the rating and paragraph. While I wrote, I stressed with the students how important it is to document text from the story to support our opinion.

This book review served as a first draft for posting our review on Goodreads. Using an iPad with the screen mirrored on the whiteboard, we wrote our final draft together.

Posting our opinion on my Goodreads account provided an authentic purpose. Our audience was anyone online looking for a reliable review of this book. We then compared our rating with some other readers, including Goodreads friends Donalyn Miller (@donalynbooks) and Laura Komos (@laurakomos).

Seeing experts share the same opinion as ours about The Junkyard Wonders was both exciting and affirming for us. As well, the students had the opportunity to read friends’ exemplary writing as a model for future opinion pieces. I believe this is a strong example of integrating a Web 2.0 tool to facilitate an authentic literacy activity that addresses the Common Core for students.

Feedback After an Evernote and iPad Workshop

Posted on December 13, 2012 by renwickme

I recently hosted a one hour technology session for district staff. The topic: Using Evernote on the iPad to Confer With and Assess Readers.

Afterward, I emailed each participant a survey via Google Forms to gather feedback. The last question I posed was, “What is one way you see using Evernote with the iPad in your current teaching position?” Here are their responses:

“I plan to have students read and record them, then play back. I am working on fluency with a lot of kids and I would like them to hear themselves. I’m not sure on the conferencing part/note taking yet, but we’ll see as I mess with it. With things like this I don’t make plans, I just jump in and see where it takes me.”

“I plan on recording students’ one minute reading fluency assessments and then embedding a picture of the actual passage they read with miscues and self-corrections marked. I am also going to take a pic of a page in their independent reading book and record them reading as part of my ‘running records on the fly’”

“I plan to record running records and allow students to hear themselves read, both immediately after reading and later on in the year (to show growth).”

“Photograph and save student work samples using hash tags so that I can easily access them later.”

“During running records: record students’ reading of the selection in order to score/check the record at a later time. This allows for me to focus on fluency during the assessment as well as have documentation of the students’ reading at that point in time.”

“I plan to use this when I conference with my students. It is my hope to try this today!”

“I could see myself taking a picture of what a student is working on and sharing it with the classroom teacher.”

“In Reading Intervention, I could record a students’ reading of a passage and replay it for them to hear. Together we could discuss strengths and weaknesses and set goals for improvement.”

“I plan to use Evernote by making notes as I meet with students during guided reading groups. Each group is reading a different book that they were able to choose. I will use it to create a notebook for each group. – Jot down their predictions and record audio of students reading and/or our group discussions at the end of each chapter.”

“I don’t have my own iPad, so I don’t see myself continuing with this. Maybe having your own iPad should be a requirement for this course.”

“I find this to be effective for my guided reading. I can keep all of my notes together instead of having a post-it here and a post-it there. I can view my notes from home too without having to bring my notes home with me.”

“I started using Evernote the next day. I took pictures of student tradition writing and them recorded their voice reading it. Next I am going to use volunteers to display on reflection and go through the process of editing on the SMARTboard.”

I am scheduled to run this workshop again for Central Wisconsin reading teachers in January. This information is invaluable to me as I think about how I will change my instruction to better meet the needs of the participants.

Replacement Practices

Posted on December 8, 2012 by renwickme

“Is most of students’ time spent practicing and applying what you have been teaching, or is a disproportionate amount of time spent following your directions? Is most of your time spent putting up bulletin pard displays, planning elaborate projects, and marking papers, or is most of your time spent thinking and reflecting about teaching and learning to move students forward?” – Regie Routman, Teaching Essentials

A few years ago, my wife and I were looking for a new house. One place we visited had lots of updates one would expect of a slightly older home. When the realtor told us the price, I thought it was a bit high. His response: “They put in $30,000. The asking price reflects this.”

I don’t believe this is necessarily how realty works. Homeowners are expected to keep up their property with periodic maintenance. What updates were made? Did they make the home a better place to live? Or was it merely cosmetic and necessary, replacing the same with the same?

This metaphor could be applied to teaching.

Some of us continue to favor a few older practices, even when new ones are being introduced that are a better alternative. This may be one of the reasons for feeling overworked and subsequently stressed out. What do we give up? What do we add? Focused conversations with colleagues, deep reflection on the part of the individual, and a willingness to forgive oneself for past actions could help this process, referred to as “replacement practices” (Stephanie Harvey?).

I know a teacher who gets to school every day around eight. She leaves shortly after students are dismissed. In between these times, the students are doing the work. The teacher provides quick, explicit instruction using authentic text. She spends the majority of her day conferring with readers and writers. Her purpose is to ask them questions, notice what they are doing well, and guide them toward the learning target. The assessment occurs during the day by both the student and the teacher, and less often at night in the form of papers to grade. Technology is used to support and augment her instruction. She gains time back with efficient use of these tools. Very little of her time is spent on _____ that do little to impact student learning (fill in the blank).

I don’t know if the metaphor works, but this is my vision of a 21st century educator.

Reading By Example

Rethinking the Role of the Literacy Leader

Category Archives: Teaching