100 Minutes- Chapter 1: 100 Minutes to Balance Literacy

Welcome to the book study!

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It's finally here. 

This is my favourite time of the year...book study season.

It seems like every year since I did my first book study there are more and more book studies popping up each spring/summer, 

and I LOVE it. 

I can't wait to dive into 100 Minutes, to share my thoughts and to hear all of yours as well. 

As we work through the book please feel free to "grab" any of the images associated with the book study for use on your own blog.

If you would like me to email them to you please contact me at 

thinkingofteaching (at) gmail (dot) com

Chapter 1

There was a whole lot of highlighting and margin writing going on as I read through this first chapter!

(And yes, I am that person that writes in her books. I figure they're mine...so I can write in them! I like having a permanent record of my first thoughts as I read so I can refer back to them later. )

I think it's important to recognize that balanced literacy means integration and that all the components of teaching literacy- explicit teaching, time for guided practice, and time for independent work (p 14) have a place in a literacy block. Therefore, it becomes very important that we "truly understand what balanced literacy means (p 14). As Lisa states, our students were born into a vastly different world than the one we were taught  in as students ourselves and therefore their methods of learning and our methods of teaching must adapt. 

I also liked how Lisa stressed the idea that balanced literacy isn't just about the fundamentals anymore but also about the "model of instruction" (p15) and the "vehicle through which we learn and communicate" (p 15). This is especially important now that BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is so prevalent in our schools and classrooms. We must consider all the ways that we want our students to be literate and if you look at the sidebar on page 16 there is a great definition of modern day literacy from the Ontario Ministry of Education.

I was very excited to read about the idea of adding layers as the year progressed in order to deepen and enrich the literacy block. It reminded me a lot of the idea of "stamina" from the Daily 5 and how important it is to spend the time necessary in the beginning to develop good routines and procedures. But Lisa adds a vital new idea that we can't stagnate within these routines or our students will no longer be engaged in our literacy block. 

As we build upon the routines we develop in our class we are "fostering independence" (p 16) and this reminded me of the new learning skill that has been added in recent years to the Ontario Report Card: self-regulation. What an important life skill that can be practiced every day during our literacy block!

- I want to be comfortable and proficient at "monitoring and providing immediate feedback", "setting realistic goals" with my students (CAFE?) and differentiate my instruction based on the "learning targets and expectations for each group of students" (p 16)

The Basics

This section provided a very interesting preview of what's to come in the book and I must say... Wow, did I get excited! When I think back to what I already have in place in my class the Reading Time is very similar to my Book of the Week routine and the Writing Time is a lot like my Writer's Workshop. What often wasn't happening was enough guided lessons, conferencing or small group instruction. I also didn't often teach both a reading and a writing lesson in the same day. 

I am interested in learning more about how this might function in a class.

This quote from page 18- "Teachers should be one part artist, one part scientist, one part psychologist, and one part gymnast- remember that flexibility is always the greatest gift we can give ourselves and our students."

Plus...the entire passage entitled "100 Minutes in Action".

I want that. 

Please join the discussion! Link up with your thoughts about Chapter 1 using the linky below. 

get the InLinkz code

If possible, leave a comment for the blogger before and after you on the list. 

Next up- Chapter 2: The Building Blocks

Be sure to visit Kelly Anne over at Appleslices on May 27th to continue this learning journey with us. 

There are a few guidelines that Lisa Donohue and her publisher have asked that people follow.

Please read through these carefully. 

Guidelines

- Anything created for 100 MINUTES should be shared for free. 

- Anything created and shared based on 100 MINUTES should include a disclosure statement - Adapted from 100 MINUTES and not endorsed by Lisa Donohue.  

- Cite the complete publication information:  "100 MINUTES, (2012), Donohue Lisa, Pembroke Publishers" in order to make it easier for others to find the book.