I read this book in grad school and it changed me. Like, it did a 180 on my teaching philosophy.
When I read this in 2009, the state of education in our country couldn't touch what it is now - with more testing and more labeling of schools and teachers and the corporate reformers pushing to have neighborhood schools closed only to open charter schools in their place. And this year was the first testing season that I was reading blogs of my blogging-teaching buddies, and post after post described the annoying feelings of all the time given up to testing, the anxiety the kids were feeling, the feelings of helplessness by the teachers who aren't allowed to help kiddos on these tests - which is exactly opposite of what would happen on any other normal day. Anyways, I highly recommend this book to you all! It's a collection of essays all about testing and teaching - and, if you want to see a preview, check out the video that my group made back in '09, with lots of quotes from the text.
Please understand - by no means do I have a problem with accountability. I don't have a problem with standards, either. I can even handle some standardized testing. That being said...I think it's getting too far out of hand. Too many tests with too many labels. It's so important that we, as educational professionals, stand up to policy that is bad for kids! Be aware of what is going on in your state and raise your teacher voice when needed!
I've gotten a lot of questions from teachers wanting to make the move away from Accelerated Reader to an independent reading program where students read and respond to text in more authentic ways. (To read about my issues with AR, click here.) I've convinced you to make the move, but now you're wondering how you're really going to know if kids are reading. You will, I promise. Here's how and some non-negotiables for making it happen... Dedicate time to independent reading in class If you want kids to read independently for homework, you have to dedicate time in class to let them read. You giving up your class time sends a message that you value independent reading and as such, you will dedicate time in class to it. How much time? In the beginning of the year when you're teaching students the routines of independent reading, you will give them time every day for (at least) the first month. Your first month of school you will be teaching them how to "live the readerly life." You will have mini-lessons about what good readers do, how to select books that are Just Right, and how to use the classroom library. You can find mini-lessons on this in Lucy Calkin's curriculum (her first unit is a month of lessons on this topic) or in this book by Fountas and Pinnell:
I know it says it's for grades 3-6, but I have used the mini-lessons for seventh and eighth grade, too. You can find them in chapter 9, page 142.
In the beginning of the school year, kids will read in class and at home. Homework every night in my middle school reading class? Read 20 pages and do strategy work or response prompts in your Reader's Notebook. Always. Every day of your middle school life. This is always the homework and rarely did I assign anything else.
After kids get the habits of independent reading, you change your class time to one day a week of independent reading at school. Keep it the same - the day doesn't matter, but the consistency does. Kids will come to expect the time to read in class. They will know that on Friday, there will be class time to get a new book or talk to a peer or teacher about reading. They will plan for it, just like you will.
More to come: Middle school schedule with direct teaching and independent reading.
Status of the Class Kids who are not reading can't talk about their books with their teachers. This is why Status of the Class (read about what that is here - it's a non-negotiable for Reading Workshop) is so very important! During Status of the Class I call out to each student to ask what page they are on. I take status every. day. of. my. school. life. The kids know this. They know I'm going to ask them what page they're on.
The first thing you'll notice when doing Status is that some kids will abandon a lot of books. They'll tell you, "I lost that book. I don't know what to read next," or "I didn't like it, it was boring." As I hear Status reports from kids like this, I might be wondering, "Was the book a future book? Was the book boring? What interests does the child have? I need to match them with a great book!" Comments like these are bound to happen and when they do, I naturally begin to pay closer attention to that child each day that I call them for Status. I continue tracking their Status on the calendar and may also note some other observations. Additionally, I will want to talk to that child 1:1 as soon as possible to help them get matched with a better book. Please know: There will be LOTS of kids who will *really* be reading along in their books (and some reporting that they are, when in all actuality, they are not)! You won't be red-flagging all kids. That being said, the teacher will, sooner or later, become suspicious about some kids - wondering if they really are reading all those pages...and so you'll ask them, "How's that book going?" You can tell right away if the child is reading the book or not (and if they are real-reading or fake-reading!) A child who is genuinely reading the book will have answers to all your questions. They won't just say, "It's cool." (RED FLAG!) They'll be able to elaborate about it. And if they can't, you'll know that it's a fake reading-situation. At that point, you'd sit down with the child for a conference about the book. (More to come on that later.) So, conversations that stem from Status of the Class will help you know whether or not students are reading. Please know, it takes time to see patterns. You're going to have to trust me on this though - If you do Status of the Class every day without fail, you will see patterns. You will know who is reading and who is not! Response to Books Daily homework in my class was strategies and responses written in a Reader's Notebook. So, when I taught kids that good readers predict, then they read their Just Right book for homework and wrote down predictions from their book. The next week, when we moved on to questioning, the kids then wrote questions about their JR book in their notebook. When students finished their books, they then had to write about them. We did this with class blogs at edublogs. (If I did this again, I'd use Blogger!) Anyways, the routine in my class was: read a book, write a blog, check out a new book. I knew who was where in the process because of Status of the Class. Teachers have emailed me to ask, "Michelle, how do you know they're really reading and writing their own response and not just looking up a review online to write their blog?" In most cases, you will know. I've had countless kids copy and paste reviews from Amazon or any other site the reviews books. How did I know? Because middle school kids don't write super complex sentences with vocabulary they don't understand, punctuated and spelled perfectly! When kids are really writing blogs every week, you'll know what kind of writer they are and so when they submit a blog and you read it and wonder if someone else wrote it, you're right! So then it's a conversation about plagiarism.
Here's the thing: Reading Workshop is messy. When you teach with this kind of philosophy, you are telling kids, "I trust you. I will guide you, but I also trust you to make good decisions." It's a process and you will learn as you go, but it's so much better than relying on a computer program that asks low-level, multiple-choice questions to know whether or not kids are reading! Kids should be reading because real-life people in the real world read for fun and to learn things, not because of some silly questions and some points and prizes from a reading program. Does this give a little more insight to how teachers would manage independent reading without AR? What questions do you still have? You know how sometimes, when you know a topic really well, you think you're explaining it well, but in all actuality, you're not? That's how I feel sometimes...this moment included! I hope this illuminates how we can create independent readers without the carrot-and-stick method that is Accelerated Reader!
So, did you notice? Do you love my new blog design as much as I do? I am so excited that it's finally done! Lots of people to thank for this one! I've been working with Kassie for the last two weeks at least, and through every request, she was just a pleasure to work with! I highly recommend her - and her work speaks for itself! Thank you, Kassie for all the revisions and your patience as we worked to get it just right!
She's not the only one I have to thank - Many thanks to Christine at work for giving me feedback on it on an almost daily basis! Also, my best friend, Katie helped with ideas...putting the stop on some crazy ones I had like only a best friend can do. And....my boyfriend, Hektor! He's super creative and really helped me with the labels on the sidebar. His idea for followers: Meet Me in the Midwest: probably one of my favorite parts of this whole blog! And really none of this would ever have come about without Jackie:
She's the one who gave me the name for my blog! (She's the one who told me I was "bigtime" now, with the new Literacy Coach position!) When I first started the blog, I had no idea that the Chicago part was going to come out of all of it, but it would never have looked this way without her! Thanks, Jackie. and I totally miss you! :-)
I'm hitting a milestone with this post - it's my 100th! I can't believe my blog isn't even a year old yet - my first post was around July 4th of last year. That being said, I've done a lot of writing, and have some of the best followers! I could have never been this successful without the collaboration I was invited to participate in with the gals at Adventures in Literacy Land - the blog hops you all invited me to do really gave a name to BigTime Literacy! So many thanks to you all...the new blog is just beautiful and I can't wait for the next milestone to come along! Next post coming is another one about holding middle school kids accountable for independent reading without Accelerated Reader. Hang tight for that one!
Dear Stoplights on Western Ave, You were all green today and that was a fab way to start my day - cruising down the street to the beat of the music with the windows down. Love.
hahah....wasn't late, but this is funny!
Dear lady at the bus stop, You made me want to sing Pharrell's happy when I saw you jammin out to your music this morning on my way to work! Thanks for bringing joy to me before my work day even started! Dear Spring, Thank you for *finally* coming to Chicago! Flowers are blooming, the birds have returned, and our the trees on our playground are no longer bare! It's beautiful outside! Dear Emerson Parents, You are truly amazing! Thank you for all the treats this week: the luncheon, the flowers you gave to kids to give to teachers today as they entered the building, and your endless support of the work we do. Our school is such a special place because of great families like you!
Dear Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment, Yes, I love that you are an authentic form of assessment and that we have to dedicate thoughtful time to each child one on one. I love the information your assessment reveals. But after giving this assessment four days straight, I'm totally fried! We're about halfway done, so I'll carry on because I value the information it gives, but I'll be in need of a back massage after!
Dear Crosstown Classic, WHY do you now happen in May? The whole series is over and I didn't even get to see one game and sport my south side attire! I wish you would move them back to June when I'm out of school and can really enjoy!
That is so my dad!
Dear boyfriend, I had such a great night - walk to the park, playing frisbee and swinging, stopping to pick up dinner at Jewel on the way home, and cooking tacos. You're my favorite!
Welcome Back! How is teacher appreciation week at your school? Did someone buy you lunch? Did kids write you letters? Did they draw your portrait? If they did...I hope it looks better than the one R drew of me last week...
When he gave it to me he said, "Oh, Ms. B, your face would look better if I had the right tools." Little people in my head: colored pencils? an eraser? a camera? :-) Today we're gathered to share our top 3 teacher must-haves. Make sure to enter the Rafflecopter below so you can get your must-have items with the Amazon gift certificate we're giving away today!
Can't live without technology - and that includes my MacBook Air (issued by my 1:1 district...love!) and my iPhone (issued by may aunt for free when I dropped my last one in a pedicure bath!) Phone goes where I go, snapping pics on the fly, making notes about what I see, checking emails when I'm doing Benchmark Testing and am away from my computer. Most certainly couldn't live without these!
I heart my composition books! I buy one every year (these are the past 4 years worth) and I save them. I keep schedules and notes from meetings in them. I like having a record of what I was up to and it's always good to go back and look at any reflections I had written...but now, lots of that seems to end up here! Sidenote: I always pick one that "calls to me," a practice I have my students do when they pick out their Reader's and Writer's Notebook. It makes it special and a prized possession! (Well, I'd probably save the phone and computer first, should my house ever burn down!)
And my Mr. Sketch markers! If you make anchor charts, these are the markers for you - and just this year I found this 18 pack with lots of different colors that were added. Plus, they are a good tool to use with kids to get them to do something just a little bit better: Maybe after group, after I have heard you reading your book with different voices for both characters, yeah, maybe then I'll let you smell one of the Sketchers. Works like a charm!
What are your teacher must-haves? Perhaps you can buy one of them on Amazon - enter our raffle for a chance to win a $20 gift certificate! Hope you're having the best week and that your admin, students, and parents are celebrating you like crazy! Teachers are some of the hardest work, best people I know - I appreciate you! Be sure to hop over to Literacy Without Worksheets and see what Bridget's top three teacher must-haves are!
Happy Wednesday!
PS - Blog redesign is getting closer and closer!!! Here's just a teeny-tiny preview:
SO SO EXCITED!!! Big Reveal coming on my 100th post!
Happy Teacher Appreciation Day, fellow teachers, bloggers, and followers! I'm linking up with the ladies at Adventures in Literacy Land for a two-day blog hop to celebrate teacher appreciation week!
Today, we are talking about our favorite teachers...and, if you've been to my blog before, you already know that I'm going tell you all about Ms. Thompson, my senior year Government and Econ teacher:
Ms. Thompson was awesome - not because I loved Government and Econ, but because she really cared about the students she taught. She knew about our personal lives, joked with us, and just had a passion for kids. I think the best teachers always have this at the foundation of the way they do business in their classrooms.
In high school, I was way more shy than I am today. I had a great group of friends, and I got involved with lots of activities, but I was shy. During senior year, there was a boy in my class - Kevin - who was my complete opposite: loud, funny, not as into school and grades as I was - and yeah, I thought he was hilarious! I don't remember all the details, but Ms. Thompson definitely orchestrated us beginning to date. It was a great year in her class, and I will forever remember her as my first favorite teacher!
How about you? Who was your favorite teacher? You should definitely celebrate your favorite teacher today with us!
Today we're giving away a TpT gift certificate to celebrate you, our readers! You can join the raffle below. Be sure to follow me for more great posts about everything Literacy Related - I'm an elementary Literacy Coach and love sharing my adventures here at BigTime Literacy!
And now, hop over to Read With Me ABC and hear about Wendy's favorite teacher. Be sure to come back on Wednesday for the other part of our blog hop, when we share our top three teacher must-haves. We'll also have a prize that day...an Amazon Gift Certificate!
I seriously can't get things done on time! It's May 3rd and I'm just now getting to linking up with Farley for this month's Currently! Aside from that, I can't believe that it's already May and we have one month until school is out! Excited for a break and also looking forward to finishing up my first year as a Literacy Coach. Anyways, without further delay...here's what's up with me this month!
Listening to....What Does the Fox Say?
Okay, do you know this song? If you teach school, you have to! It all started out during our Chiberia winter. We had to get creative with indoor recess. (When I say we, I mean our classroom teachers, namely Jennie B!) Anyways, she and her coteacher had their kids doing Just Dance during indoor recess. So, I saw them doing this dance one day:
And then, well it became a thing, and then we had a talent show and so it ended up being the Grand Finale and I love, Love, LOVED it!!
As you can see, the fox now holds a special place in my heart, and so do all those third graders and their awesome teachers! Loving....Twitter! Twitter is so amazing. As a blogger, I find Twitter to be a blog on the go and...as Literacy Coach who is in and out of various classrooms all week, I always have my phone and snap pictures of the work I see kids doing. Then, they go into instagram and then off to the Twitterverse. My district is 1:1 and so lots of our teachers are on Twitter. It's so cool to see what's going on in all the classrooms across the district and also show off the great things that are happening at Emerson.
Regular school events in our district are even more amazing now, thanks to Twitter and our awesome tech team. As I mentinoed above, our talent show was on Thursday, and we had a Tweet Deck set up, with live tweets put up on a screen throughout the show. As parents and teachers watched, they tweeted about what they thought, which was then posted up on a screen for all to share. All you need is a hashtag! I love the Tweet Deck! If you're on Twitter, go check out our hash tag #RAWRS2014 to see what everyone was saying! Here's a sample....
This is just the tip of the iceberg, though. I follow lots of professional educators who always post great articles, like this one that says teachers dominate Twitter. (I had no idea!) So so awesome.
Follow me @BigTimeLiteracy!
Thinking....about the Kentucky Derby and the hat I'm going to wear today?
I'm meeting some friends out this afternoon to watch the Kentucky Derby and the place we're going is having a "Best Hat" contest. I love accessories! I would like to say I'm going to pull off something like this:
but yeah, probably not. So I'll be sure to post a pic next week with what I end up with! Wanting....my new blog design to be finished! I know, it's a process and I'm taking my time with Kassie at Designs by Kassie, but I'm so excited for the big reveal! Here's a little hint: I built the whole theme around the Chicago flag:
Soon, my friends....soon! I'm so so excited! Needing....to get down to business in the exercise department! I need you all to tell me things so I will feel the motivation to get to exercising - maybe run around the block a few times? I have a 5K coming up in about a month and a mud run in two months and I seriously haven't really done much of anything, including go to a yoga class that I've been paying for for the last 5 weeks and not attending.
Mostly, I've been blaming it on the weather (it's still so cold and rainy here in Chicago) but it's also hard to go after working a long day. All I want to do is come home, write, watch some TV, relax and unwind. But, I can do it! Anyone else fall into similar habits? Surprise....Literacy Without Worksheets!
This blog caught my attention because I love the name of it - Literacy can and should be done without workbook pages or random, meaningless worksheets! But, this blog is more than just a name - her blog design is so clean and cute and she posts great stuff - like inspirational quotes, and I loved her Somebody Wanted But So Then freebie she posted a few weeks ago. So, make sure you run over to Literacy Without Worksheets and check out Bridget's blog!
That's all for me here at BigTime Literacy! Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week and I'm going to join in a blog hop with some other fabulous bloggers! We'll have some giveaways so don't forget to stop back by! Have a great weekend!
