The last chapter....sad? exhilarated? motivated? everything and more? Me too.
Share your thoughts with these wonderful hosting blogs for Chapter 7...
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Do you have a burning question for Donalyn Miller?
Hello all! Yes, I am still at the cottage but 2 days before I am scheduled to come home we discovered the internet..LOL. I am glad that we didn't know before though because there is something relaxing about being cut off and not feeling "pressured" to sign into anything.
I also wanted to let people know that I will be emailing your questions to Donalyn on Monday when I return home....so comment, comment, comment! Get those questions coming. Donalyn and I also think that maybe an email got lost along the way during our last Q&A so if your questions wasn't answered the first time we are going to try and post it this time around!
I also wanted to let people know that I will be emailing your questions to Donalyn on Monday when I return home....so comment, comment, comment! Get those questions coming. Donalyn and I also think that maybe an email got lost along the way during our last Q&A so if your questions wasn't answered the first time we are going to try and post it this time around!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
The Book Whisperer Read Along- Year End Evaluations
I love year end evaluations. I love to see what my kids write and say and think and how honest they are. Too funny! I am going to wait until my Chapter 7 post on July 30th (or so) to talk about my thoughts on this topic, but you can, should, MUST go and visit the hosting blogs for this whisper!!!
Check them out and give them some comment love.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
The Book Whisperer Read Along- Chapter 6
I. have. learned. so. much. SO. MUCH.
Wow, Chapter 6...my brain is going to explode with the amazing turn out we have had for this read along and it just keeps coming. Hosting blogs for Chapter 6 are just as great as the rest...who knew there was so much greatness in the world, eh?
Wow, Chapter 6...my brain is going to explode with the amazing turn out we have had for this read along and it just keeps coming. Hosting blogs for Chapter 6 are just as great as the rest...who knew there was so much greatness in the world, eh?
The Book Whisperer Question and Answer
Post your questions for Donalyn Miller, the author of The Book Whisperer, in the comment section below.
Come on now...don't be shy!!!
Come on now...don't be shy!!!
Chapter 6- Cutting the Teacher Strings
Just a reminder to everyone that I am away at the cottage (I know, such a hard life!) so I am keeping my fingers crossed that everything is going to work for this post!
Cutting the teacher strings...letting go... yikes! That's always the hardest part, eh?
I have always tried very hard to make sure that reading never felt like school work in my classroom. How can something so amazing be work? I do recognize though that for many students that's exactly what it is. I think we are very lucky here in Ontario because we do not have the scripted programs that are mandated. When you switch schools it is rare sometimes that the exact same resources are available. Teachers are very open to choosing what we teach and how we teach.
In my first year teaching I taught at a private school and taught Language Arts to Grade 5, 6, 7, and 8! I taught a full class novel study to every class. More than once. It's how I was taught so it's how I taught. It was awful! Since then the only whole class novel I have continued to teach in The Outsiders in Grade 7. I love it. They love it. It's the only one that seems to work...for me, anyway. After reading The Book Whisperer I can't imagine ever doing a whole class novel study again. What. A. Waste. Of. Time. More is better and I would rather my students have the chance to read as much as possible.
Cutting the teacher strings...letting go... yikes! That's always the hardest part, eh?
I have always tried very hard to make sure that reading never felt like school work in my classroom. How can something so amazing be work? I do recognize though that for many students that's exactly what it is. I think we are very lucky here in Ontario because we do not have the scripted programs that are mandated. When you switch schools it is rare sometimes that the exact same resources are available. Teachers are very open to choosing what we teach and how we teach.
In my first year teaching I taught at a private school and taught Language Arts to Grade 5, 6, 7, and 8! I taught a full class novel study to every class. More than once. It's how I was taught so it's how I taught. It was awful! Since then the only whole class novel I have continued to teach in The Outsiders in Grade 7. I love it. They love it. It's the only one that seems to work...for me, anyway. After reading The Book Whisperer I can't imagine ever doing a whole class novel study again. What. A. Waste. Of. Time. More is better and I would rather my students have the chance to read as much as possible.
The best part of this chapter for me came on page 127:
- Teaching Readers, Not Books
Doesn't that just say it all? Doesn't it.
I love that Miller approaches this chapter and illustrates a variety of different alternatives to the traditional approaches teachers have used to teach "books" but I think basically it all boils down to teaching "readers". I think that some of the traditional approaches can still work it just boils down to the students you are teaching in any given year. As a teacher we must know our students well enough to know what works and that means waiting. Waiting until we have gotten to know our students and their reading interests before we plan activities. Even though many of us teachers are planners and are organizers we can't plan it all in the summer.
I must admit I love the idea of book commercials in the classroom but in this age of differentiated learning and teaching not all students will respond well to an oral assignment like this. I know that some students will respond better to the traditional book report and therefore should be given that opportunity as well. I do agree with Miller that traditional reading logs are a waste of time and paper. I can't even manage to keep one for myself so how could I expect my students to?
I think the main thing I am going to take away from this chapter is to be open to new ways of doing things and to look at everything from the point of view that my job is to teaching readers not books!
Discussion Questions:
1) Whole class novels? Past experience? Future attempts? Horror stories?
2) How do you plan to plan? Ahead of time, waiting...what will work best for your students?
3) Which of the alternatives that Miller presents appeals the most to you?
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The Book Whisperer Read Along- Chapter 5
Walking the Walk.....hmmmm (On a personal note, I am off to my cottage for two glorious weeks of fun in the sun and family time so I hope all my posts come out alright!)
I love that I can picture myself in the very same discussion Miller outlines at the beginning of Chapter 5 because I have been in it many times myself (including discussing some of the books she mentions)...how validating is that?
On page 107 Miller states, "[b]y allowing students to pass through our classrooms without learning to love reading, we are creating adults (who then become parents and teachers) who don't read much... they do not love to read and have few lifelong reading habits to model for children." Wow. This brings to mind the time I told my husband that I didn't care if he didn't read as long as he frequently held books in front of our children and modeled reading. It's just so important and I must admit that in the 6 months we have been parents he has read more books than he probably has in his whole life (nevermind that they are picture books).
I have no doubt that I am a fantastic example of an adult who loves reading for my students (I am not being egotistical...LOL). I always have a book on me, I am always talking about books, I read a lot of YA. I walk the walk.
Next year when I am asking my students to read 40 books and according to the genre requirement I think it would be only fitting if I did the same. I plan to have my own Reader's Notebook in my class and track my own reading. Walk the walk!
My one goal is to read more literature at the level of my Grade 4's. I was very good at this when I taught 7 and 8 but slipped a bit last year when I started teaching Grade 4. I am going to set aside a page (or many) in my Reader's Notebook for students to recommend books to me and do my best to get through as many as I can.
Discussion Ideas:
1) Do you walk the walk?
- If yes, how so and what can you do to improve?
- If no, what's your plan now?
I love that I can picture myself in the very same discussion Miller outlines at the beginning of Chapter 5 because I have been in it many times myself (including discussing some of the books she mentions)...how validating is that?
On page 107 Miller states, "[b]y allowing students to pass through our classrooms without learning to love reading, we are creating adults (who then become parents and teachers) who don't read much... they do not love to read and have few lifelong reading habits to model for children." Wow. This brings to mind the time I told my husband that I didn't care if he didn't read as long as he frequently held books in front of our children and modeled reading. It's just so important and I must admit that in the 6 months we have been parents he has read more books than he probably has in his whole life (nevermind that they are picture books).
I have no doubt that I am a fantastic example of an adult who loves reading for my students (I am not being egotistical...LOL). I always have a book on me, I am always talking about books, I read a lot of YA. I walk the walk.
Next year when I am asking my students to read 40 books and according to the genre requirement I think it would be only fitting if I did the same. I plan to have my own Reader's Notebook in my class and track my own reading. Walk the walk!
My one goal is to read more literature at the level of my Grade 4's. I was very good at this when I taught 7 and 8 but slipped a bit last year when I started teaching Grade 4. I am going to set aside a page (or many) in my Reader's Notebook for students to recommend books to me and do my best to get through as many as I can.
Discussion Ideas:
1) Do you walk the walk?
- If yes, how so and what can you do to improve?
- If no, what's your plan now?
The Book Whisperer Read Along- Chapter 5
More than halfway!!! I have learned so much from this book and from all the fabulous posts by the hosting TBA authors and everyone joining in for our read along.
Chapter 5 is being fantastically hosted by these blogs. Check. It. Out.
Chapter 5 is being fantastically hosted by these blogs. Check. It. Out.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Summer Dreamin' ... Campin' ... Wishin'
This isn't a post about teaching or school, per se...but it is about where I learned many of my most important life lessons.
For many, many, many years the start of summer meant packing a huge duffle bag (a hockey bag to be exact and probably because I am a Canadian girl with a hockey player dad!) and heading off into the wilderness that is summer camp.
I started going to camp when I was quite young. It all started with Girl Guide camp, Summer Outdoors day camp, horse camp, church camp, tennis camp, french camp, Jewish camp....whew, that's a lot of camp. I loved pretty much every minute of everyday I have every spent at camp. I bet to a lot of people that know me know this would be a huge surprise because I don't really give off the aura of an outdoorsy girl. But when you really think about it there is so much more to summer camp.
Summer camp is many things to many people, but to me it's...
- learning how to be away from home
- learning how to live in one room, cabin, tent with more people than you've ever lived with
- it's eating food your mom didn't cook
- it's waiting everyday for a letter to come from home
- it's sleeping through thunderstorms
- it's trying things that terrify you
- it's swimming in ponds and lakes with way too much seaweed
- it's doing lap after lap after lap in the attempt to earn that summer's swim badge
- it's shovelling 59 horses' worht of poop and actually having fun
- it's getting up at 6 am for early morning feed, or polar bear dip, or to run the camp road
- it's more face paint and apache fire challenges than most people ever encounter in their lifetime
- it's fun
- it's portaging a canoe in the dead heat of summer
- it's meeting your lifelong friends and maybe even your soulmate
- it's smiles, and giggles, and laughs, and crying, and everything in between
- it's campfires and singsong
- it's made me who I am today.
At the very young age of 15 I became a camp counselor and didn't stop until I was 25 and I still miss it every summer. My best friend, who I met at camp, asked me earlier this summer if I would send Avery to camp and my answer in absolutely....if she wants to go.
Now the summers are without summer camp..why don't they have summer camp for moms? What a great idea! But now my summers do have the cottage and that's where my family and I are headed tomorrow for two glorious weeks of relaxing, beaching, shopping, eating and resting.
It's not summer camp, but I'll take it. See you when I get back!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Book Whisperer Read Along- Reader's Notebooks
I love reader's notebooks and have been doing them for quite a few years. I started them when I taught Grade 7 and 8 and I was amazed at how well I was able to get to know my students, both personally and as readers. Last year when I loved from Grade 8 to Grade 4 (huge jump) I didn't use them because I wasn't too sure about what they would be capable of and I was only staying for 4 months due to my pregnancy.
But this year!!!! I am starting right away. The first day! Well, maybe not the first day. But soon.
When I have used Reader's Notebooks in the past I created a set of questions for each week that the students used to help create their letters and of course they were able to write about what they loved about the book, questions they had for me, etc. I usually started the year off with a length requirement but soon found that most students pushed themselves far past the requirements and some were practically writing novels themselves!! LOL
When I taught Grade 7 and 8 I also taught 2 classes on rotary which meant 50 Reader's Notebooks to read every week....whew. I assigned a few students to each day of the week to hand in their books so that I only had about 5 or so to read. This means that you are doing a little marking everyday but it sure beats hauling 50 notebooks home every Friday! In my school system we run on a Day 1-10 schedule which I think would really spread out my marking but it would also mean that I would go two weeks between seeing some student's Reader's Notebooks. I think now that I have only 1 class of Grade 4's, who will write less that 7's and 8's I might break my class in to three groups and assign them due dates of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. If I had a class of 25 or so that would be 8 Reader's Notebooks to read each night? I might think on this more....I am worried if I use the Day 1-10 schedule that students will forget to do their Reader's Notebook and it won't become as much of a habit as it would if it was every week. Perhaps I could break the class into 5 groups and assign them 2 days each cycle! So Group A would hand their Reader's Notebooks on Day 1 and Day 6!! Hmmm, I like that idea.
Sorry, for my rambling...something I tend to think "outloud" to find a good solution.
Discussion Ideas:
1) Have you used Reader's Notebooks in the past? If so what did you like about it?
2) If you have not used Reader's Notebooks how do you plan to incorporate them this year into your reading program?
3) How will you schedule the Reader's Notebook due dates in order to be able to effectively read and respond authentically to all your students?
But this year!!!! I am starting right away. The first day! Well, maybe not the first day. But soon.
When I have used Reader's Notebooks in the past I created a set of questions for each week that the students used to help create their letters and of course they were able to write about what they loved about the book, questions they had for me, etc. I usually started the year off with a length requirement but soon found that most students pushed themselves far past the requirements and some were practically writing novels themselves!! LOL
When I taught Grade 7 and 8 I also taught 2 classes on rotary which meant 50 Reader's Notebooks to read every week....whew. I assigned a few students to each day of the week to hand in their books so that I only had about 5 or so to read. This means that you are doing a little marking everyday but it sure beats hauling 50 notebooks home every Friday! In my school system we run on a Day 1-10 schedule which I think would really spread out my marking but it would also mean that I would go two weeks between seeing some student's Reader's Notebooks. I think now that I have only 1 class of Grade 4's, who will write less that 7's and 8's I might break my class in to three groups and assign them due dates of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. If I had a class of 25 or so that would be 8 Reader's Notebooks to read each night? I might think on this more....I am worried if I use the Day 1-10 schedule that students will forget to do their Reader's Notebook and it won't become as much of a habit as it would if it was every week. Perhaps I could break the class into 5 groups and assign them 2 days each cycle! So Group A would hand their Reader's Notebooks on Day 1 and Day 6!! Hmmm, I like that idea.
Sorry, for my rambling...something I tend to think "outloud" to find a good solution.
Discussion Ideas:
1) Have you used Reader's Notebooks in the past? If so what did you like about it?
2) If you have not used Reader's Notebooks how do you plan to incorporate them this year into your reading program?
3) How will you schedule the Reader's Notebook due dates in order to be able to effectively read and respond authentically to all your students?
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