Back to Blogging

Like many other teachers out there, I’ve spent my summer trolling Pinterest for new ideas to use in my classroom.  Through my pinning, I have found several teacher blogs that have given me ideas and inspiration for my teaching this coming year.  A few years ago I started this blog as part of a grad school assignment, but I enjoyed the process.  Unfortunately, life got in the way and I stopped blogging.  After reading so many inspirational teacher blogs, I have decided to reignite my blogging interest and start this back up.  I hope I’ll be able to inspire or aid others in the way that I’ve been helped by the blogs I’ve read.
 
Because it’s been two years since I last posted, I’m going to start by linking you to a few of my most viewed posts to give you an idea of who I am as a blogger.  Then in the coming days, I’ll be posting some of my new work and some of the things I’ve been developing over the past two and a half years.

Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA)

DRTA is a comprehension strategy that guides students in asking questions about a text, making predictions, and then reading to confirm or refute their predictions. The DRTA process encourages students to be active and thoughtful readers, which enhances their comprehension. The DRTA model actually consists of three parts: D – Direct, R – Read, and T – Think. The process of those three combine to make the A – Activity.

Read Withthe Author in Mind

This is a chapter summary from Jeffrey Wilhelm’s book Engaging Readers and Writers with Inquiry. [Wilhelm, Jeffrey D. (2007) Engaging Readers and Writers with Inquiry. New York, NY: Scholastic.]  In this chapter, Wilhelm introduces us to authorial reading, a concept directly connected to the social nature of reading that encourages the reader to interact with the author while reading a text. Through the process of authorial reading, readers use the understandings that the author has put into the text to create a better understating of his/her own.

Content Area Reading Strategies

This is another reflection on reading, but this time from Cris Tovani’s book Do I Really Have to Teach Reading [Tovani, Cris. (2004) Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.]  In this post, I looked at chapters one and four in the book to describe strategies for reading nonfiction and content area text: Reading is an individual experience, and it is a different experience for every individual. Reading nonfiction and content-area text is especially different for every person. However, there are some strategies that all successful readers use, even if they use the strategies differently. Cris Tovani points out that you have to ask questions as you read, but that they have to be questions that you really care about and are curious about.

And she’s only 11!

Another idea from last week’s Big Fresh newsletter from Choice Literacy came in the form of a blog suggestion. This post from Reading Vacation is a wonderful post to share with students OR parents. The post talks about how this blogger chooses appropriate books. . .but to completely understand why that matters, you need to know a little about the blog and the blogger. . .

Reading Vacation is a blog written by Melina, an 11-year-old girl who loves books, loves to read, and isn’t ashamed of either trait! Melina’s blog is a pretty typical book blog. She posts reviews, author interviews, and even hosts a few contests (which is interesting because she can’t even enter contests until she turns 13 in two years!). As a book blogger myself, I’m pretty impressed by the content that Melina posts. She offers honest reviews, with enough detail to give you a feel for the book, but without giving too much away. However, it is the teacher in me that is most impressed with this blog. I work with 10 and 11 year olds, and if they could write like this, I would be thrilled! While blogging isn’t a super-technical form of writing, well-written posts do require organization, attention to detail, and a firm grasp of grammar rules.

Ok. . .back to the point. . .

The post linked above explains how this 11-year-old blogger selects books that are appropriate for her. She is a fan of young adult literature, but admits that several YA books have too much swearing, too many romantic scenes that are too mature for her, or they may just be too scary.

Even if you only check out this post, Reading Vacation is worth a look. Melina definitely has her blogging figured out – a fact supported by the 624 followers she has acquired (as of 2/1/11) – and could provide a model or a resource for the ‘tween readers we work with!

Is It Really Appropriate?

Last week, I got my “The Big Fresh Newsletter” email from Choice Literacy, and I LOVE the concept this month. It was entitled, “What’s Appropriate?” As a fifth grade teacher, this is a question that is constantly at the forefront of book selection for my students. Even though most fifth graders think that they are “all grown up,” they just aren’t. I am a huge fan of Young Adult fiction (huge), but much of it just isn’t appropriate for fifth graders, and it certainly isn’t appropriate for younger kids.

One of my closest friends teaches first grade, and she encounters even bigger problems in this area. She often has parents saying things like, “But he/she can read at a 5th grade level!” Which leads me to the point of this post. . . Just because they can, does NOT mean they should! Much of the literature available for older readers has content that is either too advanced, too mature, or too complex for younger children. That is why the books are written for older audiences.
One of the links in this Big Fresh newsletter addresses this matter exactly (and in fact, is called, “Just Because They Can, Doesn’t Mean They Should”). Enjoy the read, and feel free to pass it on to parents!
Just Because They Can Doesn't Mean They Should: Choosing Age-Appropriate Books for Literature Circles

Triangle Talk

I attended a C.L.A.S.S. training session last week, and picked up a few fun tricks! First, for those of you who are unfamiliar with C.L.A.S.S., the acronym stands for Connected Learning Assures Successful Students. Their website describes their philosophy saying: “The C.L.A.S.S. philosophy is grounded in the belief that best teaching practices are based from the understanding of the human brain; a systemic understanding of human beings; and the interactions among human beings and the environment.”

Every C.L.A.S.S. training that I’ve attended has provided several fun ideas, but the best part is that they are easily implemented into the classroom the very next day! You don’t have to spend hours of planning to implement these strategies, you just plug them right in to the things you do every day.

Triangle Talk is a strategy that can be used in reading groups or in whole group reading sessions, and can be easily modified to meet any topic or content that you are teaching. All you need is half a piece of paper (the long way) and a plan. You begin by folding the paper into three even sections and labeling each section with one of the focuses of the lessons. My example shows new information/questions/favorite fact. Other options could include beginning/middle/end, three important facts, or KWL. After you read and write, you tape the triangle together to create the finished product.

Study Guides and Strategies

I recently came across a site called “Study Guides and Strategies” that is dedicated to providing helpful tips and tricks for students. An overview of the site explains: Since 1996 the Study Guides and Strategies Website has been researched, authored, maintained and supported by Joe Landsberger as an international, learner-centric, educational public service.

As I looked through the (many) links on this page, two of them immediately jumped out because of their connection to reading content material and helping with the comprehension of nonfiction (which is a focus of this blog).

Taking Notes from a Textbook (link)
Even though note-taking is a skill that many of us do automatically, it is a skill that many students need to be explicitly taught. This site presents tips that students can use when reading a text book and needing to take notes. Because most students do better with a model first, I would suggest using this as a lesson plan – actually walking the students through the process – before letting them try it on their own.

Reading Difficult Material (link)
This article provides tips for students who are tackling some difficult reading material. The article is written as though a student will be reading it, but I think that the tips mentioned are strategies that teachers should introduce, model, and practice with students.

Blending Fiction and Nonfiction to Improve Comprehension and Writing Skills

This lesson plan (from the ReadWriteThink website) uses a text set that pairs fiction and nonfiction texts covering a similar topic. The combination leads to increased interest and understanding because the student is able to find some familiarity with the format of fiction, and but also explore more detail with the nonfiction texts. The lesson also provides a look at using a stapleless book, a comic creator, and a letter generator, all of which are interactive computer tools that increase students interest level by adding a technology component.

To try the technology components with a different lesson, I’ve linked them below:
Stapleless Books (link)– this tool provides an opportunity for students to select a format for each page of the book, type in the text they want to include, and print the final copy. Pictures can be added by drawing after they are printed. There are even directions to show how to fold and cut the paper after it is printed to create the final book.
Comic Creator (link): This tool allows students to create 1, 2, 3, or 6 paneled comic strips. The characters, settings, and props that are available to add are limited, but this could still be a fun tool to try.
Letter Generator (link): This tool may be my personal favorite. It starts with a personalized letter to the student explaining reasons that you might want to write a letter and introducing how the tool will work. There is also an audio button available if the students need the letter read to them. The tool then highlights the parts of a letter and the purpose of each before advancing to the next screen where students have to pick either a friendly letter or business letter format. As students move through the tool, very specific directions lead them through the steps of setting up the letter while highlighting that part in a drawing of the letter at the side. After the entire letter has been written, the student can choose a border decoration (or none) to be added, preview the letter, and then print it. An option to print envelope instructions is also available. This tool could have MANY practical uses within the classroom!

Three Comprehension Strategies for Reading Nonfiction

Scholastic has published an article called "Three Comprehension Strategies for Reading Nonfiction" on their website, highlighting strategies for constructing meaning in nonfiction that Laura Robb included in her book Teaching Reading in Social Studies, Science, and Math. There are three lesson plans linked from the article: (1) asking open-ended questions, (2) skimming text, and (3) making connections. Each lesson plan is easy to read and could be easily adapted for use at any grade level.