Information - This is the 4-Blocks Literacy Model meeting. We can begin with focus upon Guided Reading, then move on to other 4-Blocks topics as needed
Information - Don't forget that you can receive information about 4-Blocks model training through Educational Resources Group http://ergsc.com. Write to them to find out more about scheduling training in your area: ergbell@lowcountry.com
dw/tx - Guided Reading: My kids love the Beach Ball activity!!
Island Girl - I was hoping for Guided Reading support, I teach HS programming, very technical reading
Island Girl - dw, what is beach ball?
dw/tx - The beach ball has who, what, where, when, and why questions on it. They kids throw the ball to each other and they have to answer the question based on the book that we are reading
deb - beach ball -- the story elements are written on each section of the ball. Then you throw the ball around and where the thumb lands is what the child answers about a story
deb - guided reading -- how did you start this week? What's working? what's not?
Tina3FL - Are you using the adopted series for guided reading? We have Scholastic.
Beth - I am doing "One Gorilla" tomorrow. We are going to talk about counting books, choral read and echo read. Tomorrow is my first official day of 4 Blocks. Wish me luck!
Sal/4th/SD - Does anyone using lit circles?for GR?
Joan/1/NE - for guided reading...... I've got one little guy who doens't know letters and sounds. Do I have him just work on that during our time together?
LISA3 - we just finished Johnny Appleseed
regina 3rd - I'm using my basal for grade-level days, but only have 10 copies. What other formats can I do besides partner reading (which is getting old already)?
deb - one gorilla -- math extension -- How many animals in the story? Use pictures, numbers, and words to show me how many animals in the book
LISA3 - where does flexible grouping fit in
dw/tx - We just finished The Wednesday Surprise. Our theme is Grandparents
Tina3FL - Sal, I just moved up from 2nd to 3rd and plan on using lit. circles or book clubs in the future.
stacy 3 - Joan, I don't know about first, but at third I have kids who can't read yet, but they really stayed tuned in during the guided reading.
Island Girl - I use KWL , is anyone else HS?
Beth - deb- Great idea! We are doing counting to 10 this week anyway!
Island Girl - stacy, what techniques are you using?
Becky/1/NC - Joan, I have students like that and we are working on concepts about print and letter work during guided reading.
Tina3FL - I use soc. stud. and science as well as Scholastic News in guided reading
suzanne/tx/3 - I am starting a novel in guided reading this week, Stone Fox
Sal/4th/SD - My kids loved it last yr, but were indep. thinkers
dw/tx - Tina: Yes. That is what I like about 4-blocks. One can use the basals provided by the district in guided reading
stacy 3 - I still read everything out loud once first. Then for the poetry it broke down nicely by stanza into different groupings for reading together.
Carol - Becky, what are you doing about the kids who are passed the CAP, are they getting bored?
Cathleen - My kids like the playschool activity
Becky/1/NC - My kids who have CAP are in different guided reading group.
Cathleen - It's fun and it teaches good cooperative skills
dw/tx - I wrote my lesson plans and included each guided reading activity listed in the 4-blocks book. I just check off the acitivity I am using for each day
Tina3FL - I've used the ERT method so far this year.
Island Girl - tina, waht is ert?
deb - ert - everybody read to (page ___)
Carol - Becky, are you doing guided reading according to F&P?
dw/tx - Cathleen : It makes planning easier.
Tina3FL - Our basal is more like a literature anthology. Some stories are really hard others not so hard.
dw/tx - Has anyone tried "Three Ring Circus" yet and how did it work?
Island Girl - dw, where could I find the 4-blocks book?
deb - Island Girl -- Apples 'n' Acorns http://applesandacorns.com. Classrooms That Work by Cunningham, The Teacher's Guide to 4 blocks
dw/tx - My kids liked the sticky note reading activity
Cathleen - we use the basal 3 days and the Take Home story the other two
Kathy/5/IA - Are there any upper grade teachers here tonight? :)
stacy 3 - Yes Tina, we have HBJ signatures and it is really nice literature collection but too difficult right now. Although we are a LOT closer than last year, knock wood
Becky/1/NC - Our reading recovery teacher wrote a guided reading format that we use at our school.
Island Girl - Kathy, I am HS Programming-very technical reading
Tina3FL - I am going to order Scholastic News a grade level below to have some below level reading material to use.
Joan/1/NE - stacy... We have signatures.... I don't have all the goodies (ie cards etc.) that go with it..... Any suggestions?
stacy 3 - The sticky note might be a good one to introduce with my biography next week.
Vicki - please explain how you would use the sticky note idea in first grade
Cathleen - we plan to use Scholastic News for book tubs in Self- Selected block too
deb - I am laminating one scholastic news from the grade ahead and the grade below to add to the book basket
read2day - We have signatures, too. Do you like it?
stacy 3 - I know at third it took me till this summer to find what was useful for me, I snagged one copy of every grades take home book masters.
LISA3 - stacy what's your biography going to be like next week?
Beth - Backy & Deb- Our Remedial reading teacher was the one who first gave me Pat Cunninghams site and turned me on to 4 Blocks. She is thrilled that i started it this year!
Joan/1/NE - read2day.... I had Houghton Mifflin when I taught 4th grade... I don't care for signatures, but I'm still learning.
Beth - I have signatures. I like the stories, not the order... "Flower garden" in January? Oh please... I don't open the teacher's manuals, just use the stories.
stacy 3 - I am going to try to do a chapter per day. So far I have down objectives for using a table of contents, so I thought we would do a lot of predicting from chapter titles what the chpt may be about.
LISA3 - stacy do you have a particular book or story in mind to use?
Joan/1/NE - So.... I need to ability group for guided reading, right?
LISA3 - No, I thought you used flexible grouping for guided reading?
Vicki - Joan, I believe that we don't abilty group in 4 blocks.
dw/tx - Vicki: I think that you are right.
stacy 3 - Lisa, yes it is a biography by Pat McKissack that they use one our state proficiency and it is pretty readable. I can stick a lot of social studies in too, because lots of cities states and countries are mentioned.
Beth - I am going to try no ability grouping this year but it might be tough - special education plans. Is there anyone else who manages this with the SPED teacher?
deb1 - beth -- I have sped kids and tchr too. It works
Joan/1/NE - What do I do with Susie who is reading near 3rd grade level and Taylor is doesn't know his letters or sounds?
dw/tx - Joan: Use the grade level reading series. The self selected reading time will have Susie reading at third grade level and the below grade level reading on Thursdays and Firdays will cover Taylor
Beth - deb1- How does she service the kids without ability grouping? I have 2 on plans, possibly 6 by June.
deb1 - guided reading is a time to teach comprehension. It isn't a time to ability group. There are a variety of groupings
Vicki - Because of the multi-level thrust of 4 blocks, it seems as if all abilites will be met, what do you think?
deb1 - beth- when she's in the room she is helping her kids be successful in the 4 blocks setting.
Beth - many of our plans are written to include Project READ - I think she's going to have to pull aside to do it.
deb1 - beth- it depends in what the kids qualify in. My sped tchr feels that she can meet their needs during writing the best. So I team teach writing block with her in the room
Vicki - Anyone that teaches first...were the best methods you used for guided reading at the first of the year?
stacy 3 - Since I am not from primary originally, the whole class guided reading is not hard for me to get used to. For the most part it is very difficult to manage our kids in groups much before January...so I am happy to have a way to work with them whole class.
deb1 - reading response journals -- after guided reading I will have them reflect on what has been learned. Maybe they write KWL - one comment per line; on a prediction of what will happen next
suzanne/tx/3 - I usually give a "think" question for them to keep in mind while reading the "chunk" I have assigned for them to read
deb1 - vicki- shared reading; predictable charts
Tina3FL - I don't know what to do with my phonics book, We get so much more out of WW block. I wish I could use the money they spent on something else!
Tina3FL - Working With Words is a whole block of Phonics!
stacy 3 - I don't plan to ability group them. So far only 18 kids have shown up and I am pleased with their skills (its all relative) as soon as the remaining 9 appear, I will decide how fast they can move into more independence. I am hoping to be able to do a book
deb1 - joan- phonics book, you do what you've got to do. I suggest that you also find a way to do the hands on multilevel activities by Month by Month Phonics written by Cunningham - they work better than a book
Faith - Tina, are you required to use the phonics book?
deb1 - phonics book -- I would hide them then return them secretly at the end of the year.
Cathleen - joan, could you use the phonics book for homework?
Carol - deb, could you explain more about predictable charts, how are they used?
Beth - Phonics book- maybe for homework?
dw/tx - Do you all use tiles for the ww block or do you use cut out letters from paper.
stacy 3 - sorry, a book club week, with Nate the Great Books
108 - Tina, can you just use some of the appropriate activities and incorporate them?
Beth - dw- I use letters cut out from paper.
deb1 - carol -- predictable charts. I like chess said Andrew. I like playing said Ashleigh. I like basketball said Gary.
Tina3FL - Beth, I was tempted to send them home and tell the parents to use them with their kids.
LISA3 - deb, we arranged with our administrator to let us use the money spent on workbooks, phonics books, etc for related reading material like literature sets, response journals, etc.
Vicki - dw- I use laminated paper letters copied from the working with Words book, They work great
Carol - when doing ww activities that hit on phonics, do you stress the vowel sounds, for example, short a says...aaaa? how do you go about teaching the vowel sounds?
deb1 - predictable charts - you list them on chart paper. THen you cut them apart, let the kids illustrate a picture and turn them into a big book
Tina3FL - The problem is finding appropriate activities that fit in with what I need to do in ww block.
deb1 - tina-- what other activities besides the ones from Month by month Phonics for third grade
read2day - deb, I do a lot of work with dividing words into syllables, prefixes, suffixes, etc.
deb1 - 4 blocks isn't suggesting that we don't teach phonics. Cunningham's work is very words based. There are all kinds of activities that help kids develop word, decoding understanding
stacy 3 - I also am finding that the success they have in word block, gives them more confidence and keeps them more engaged in guided reading.
Beth - I am combining finger spelling from Project Read with Making Words lessons this year. Is there anyone else that does this?
dw/tx - Do you all use the word wall for spelling words? My problem is that my principal wants us all to be doing the same thing, etc. So since not all of my grade level co-workers are not using 4-blocks, I am going with the flow!
deb1 - read2day -- that is part of the Month by Month phonics for upper grades
read2day - What we have found with phonics method is that the kids can read really well, but comprehension is very poor. I think they need phonics but also real text to read.
Faith - Working With Words block is my phonics now, read2day.
Vicki - 4 blocks actually does a better job of teaching phonics...because it's authentic, and in context!
Tina3FL - Beth, I got my principal and assist. principal to go to a two day training along with 9 other teachers, The principal was blown away and said "Man we spent a lot of money on phonics books!"
LISA3 - has anyone seen Cunningham's actual reasearch. I'm searching for a thesis topic and thought about using 4Block in the rural school
deb1 - read2day -the 4 blocks are: self-selected reading; writing; guided reading (comprehension); working with words (includes phonics)
Vicki - Cunninghams's reserach was published in "the REading Teacher" Excellent articles
dw/tx - We are under the gun in Texas by Govenor Bush to have every child reading on grade level by third grade. I am hoping more people catch on to this program and quit spending all our money on programs that just get others rich. 4 blocks can be taught so inexpensively.
deb1 - dw/tx -so she's saying no word wall?
deb1 - lisa3 - yes the research is out there
read2day - Vicki, I agree. Phonics is much better in context
dw/tx - deb1: No, it is just that the others do not have a word wall. I am hoping some of my ideas sink in
Vicki - I have both articles at school, but can't tell you the issues off the top of my head. One was 8 years ago and one was recent
paula/3/ca - deb1, How do you make 14 words last a whole month in third grade for word work? (I have seen the activities).
Debbie/WI - One article of Pat Cunningham's is in The Reading Teacher April 1991
Tina3FL - If you can get your admin. to attend the 4 blocks training, they might be convinced to support you more. Mine is very supportive now. Sees four blocks is CHEAP
dw/tx - suzanne: That is what our district focuses on: Balanced Literacy.
suzanne - i really feel like i am working with all the kids all the time instead of w/just a few during small groups ala f&p
deb1 - paula- you add to them. You include those 14 words among the 5 per week. THere is a master list in the 3rd grade book.
stacy 3 - paula, I added a variety of other high frequency words. I am following the book in terms of introducing the activities, but using words as they come up.
suzanne - paula - find other words the kids need to know from their writing
Cathleen - paula, you could use some vocab. from science and soc. st.
read2day - I think we need less skills and more time to read. I think reading aloud to the kids everyday helps comprehension too.
read2day - deb, do you find that the word wall helps them when writing? I use black for words that follow the rules like at, it and red for those rule breakers like the, of,
deb1 - Paula- I agree, with 4 blocks I reach all my readers - high and low. I just didn't get to them with f&p like I do now, that's why I was confused.
stacy 3 - Vicki, see I like it better for getting in all my objectives. If I just follow a basal I never know what my real objectives are. With 4blocks, I choose a piece then just start listing the comprehension objectives that work well with the selection.
deb1 - read2day- 4 blocks recommends reading aloud to kids 4 different ways everyday
Vicki - Read2day- I want to focus less on the skills and more on reading too, however, they HAVE to pass that "test"!
deb1 - the word wall works if you refer to it and add words SLOWLY. 4 blocks recommends 5 per week
deb1 - Marie Clay's research is the foundation of understanding how readers learn to read! I think 4 blocks allows teachers to have the structure needed to teach all kids to read.
deb1 - 4 blocks will work,,, be patient and remember it is the beginning of the year. :)
Tina3FL - Last year I started about mid way through the year. Tried to focus on one block at a time and by the end of the year I felt pretty confident.
deb1 - well guys, my hubby wants the computer so I am outta here. Thanks for the interesting comments
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