Laura - Has everyone read/reread Chapter 2 of Classrooms That Work? I'd love to hear some reactions.
Susan - Yes I did read Chapter 2
Suthrn - I read it.. I love the whole book..
Tracy - yes, being still a new teacher - you take for granted all of the ways that we learn how to read and write
Laura - A lot of real writing ideas have been posted, how about some real reading suggestions.
Tracy - I would really like to take those ideas and turn them into center ideas for the kids.... I teach first
Suthrn - Menus from local places
deb - I liked on page 31 where it lists favorite books for 2nd/3rd grade. My son is a going into third grader. We are reading Ramonia, age 8 which is one of the books I loved in 3rd grade.
Vicki - What about the daily lunch menu?
Susan - I love to hear some suggestions about first grade magazines.
Tracy - I haven't done a "Morning Message" but what about that???
Laura - Tracy, a great center type activity is to buy those address books where kids can send away for free stuff. They love to write the letters and love even more when they get stuff back.
Kelly - Does anybody do morning message in front of kids? I have done morning message before, but I always had the message written before they get into class.
tallred - That we should read 4 types of material to children every day really jumped out at me this time. Page 30
Vicki - We could e-mail authors, friends, etc. Reading AND writing !
Laura - I like to do the message while the kids watch. Then as they year goes on, I like to let two children work together to compose the message.
Susan - Although I teach 1st, I'd love to expose the K teacher to building blocks- but don't know how to go about it. I really liked what the book said about literature rich homes and the absense of some.
Barb - We usually do our message together, too. I try to include info from my life and their lives to make it more personal.
Kelly - so I assume that you have in mind what you'll say and then you do the writing. Do you misspell words or leave words out?
Suthrn - Susan loan her your book..
Laura - Kelly - Yes. I don't spend a ton of time on it, but I do model as I write.
Laura - Susan - I teach in a poverty zone, so that part really hit home.
deb - I model correct writing for morning message and sounding out etc. when I do the mini lesson for writer's workshop
RB - The morning message was the highlight of the morning. If I did't write on I heard about it. After the first few monts I started to put errors in it and they love to find them. It was a very ucessful activity for them
Tracy - I teach in a school where the majority of families speak Arabic and Urdu, so that idea from the ideal home was great for us to get the parents on
Susan - I have a mixed group but in homes where everyone is moving a mile a minute I have a hunch reading is replaced with TV in a variety of homes
Vicki - Would you describe your morning message routine, please?
deb - what are the 4 types of reading material that we could read everyday? Any ideas?
Laura - After reading this chapter, what do we classify as "real reading"?
Tracy - things to survive in real life......
Susan - poetry, I have a factual rip off day by day calendar that gives animal facts- a child takes it home each day after I read it!
tallred - The 4 listed in the book are 1. informational, 2. traditional grade level favorites 3. poetry, 4. easy books.
Susan - I meant my last message as two types of reading
Jennifer - That's a good idea, Susan.
LEAH - Real reading could be environmental print as well as newspapers, magazines etc.
Kathy/5/IA - I'm really going to work to do more of that "real life" reading my 5th gr. room: more newspapers, catalogs, menus, filling out applications, etc.....
RB - I always begin with GOOD MORNING! Then there is always some inormation bu what will happen that day. Perhaps a special guest or activity. I always includ the sentence ... WE will havea great da, Love Mrs Blake
Susan - My kids love the calendar animals
Tracy - what about recepies -
deb - my morning message routine is this: I wait until the kids are in and settled in their desks. They write in their dialogue journals. Then I write a message on the overhead to them. Dear Class, Today we will have _________ etc. Love, Mrs. Smith
Laura - I write a message as they watch about our day. I try to pattern the language, especially in the beginning. Then we read the message together. We do some word activities with the message, like circle the words you know. Then I call on two children to dictate a sentence/share point each day. You can really do a lot with morning messages. They love them.
tallred - I am really inspired about the poetry part. I started reading Shel Silverstein last year and they loved it. I hope we continue to share poems on the mailring.
Kelly - So how is morning message different from Writer's?
Susan - I like to hear more about writing morning message with or before the kids.
Jennifer - Recipes would be great for a take home activity.
Vicki - Thanks for the morning message ideas..I used to do it, but I got rather bored with it...time to reinstate it?
Susan - I like the idea about newspaper comics- if you can find appropriate ones
Kelly - Jennifer, a take home activity with recipes how?
Laura - Does anyone read the newspaper in their 1st grade classes? I use Scholastic News, but would like to bring in the "real newspaper" more this year.
deb - Susan, give us a source for the animal fact calendar... hallmark?
tallred - If I understand morning message as presented here it is more scripted and something that is basically re-written. Writer's block is child written from their own ideas.
Tracy - Once a week, here in Houston, there is a kids section in the newspaper....
LEAH - I used the newspaper in my room later in the year.
Tracy - I am not too sure about what other section to read to the kids about :)
Barb - I tend to try different things for morning message type activities. For example, my kids love "Secret Message". I write blanks (hangman like) for 2-3 sentences, sometimes putting in a few letters, etc. Many times it is a reference to whatever book we're
Laura - What type of activities did you do with the paper?
Susan - No, I think it was more in lines with National Geographic or Discovery. I can't remember. Go to one of those Calendar stores. You will find tons. Plus- now they are probably at least 1/2 off
Vicki - We've used the newspaper with a highlighter. We highlighted all the words we could read, or all the words in the same family, etc. The kids loved it.
Kelly - But I mean, the teacher modeling part. But I guess that answers it, morning messages is scripted and patterned.
tallred - What type of things did you do with newspapers in primary grades? Do you read it to them or have them use it in activities
Jennifer - Kelly, like an activity bag with the items you need to do whatever. Other examples could be an origami book with origami paper, magic book, etc.
RB - I wanted to bring in newspapers too. But the content of what was in the news last yer was inapprpriate for 2nd. So stuck with Scholastic news. Maybe this year it will be different.
Laura - When you highlighted and did word hunts, did they have difficulty with the small print?
Kelly - Jennifer, the things needed to make a recipe? Cool.
Jennifer - RB, I had the same problem. We can order a free set of papers, but you never know what's going to be in the news that day!
deb - tallred, I meant that when I model writing mini lessons to the kids that is where I model sounding out etc. And when I do the morning message I was modeling reading a message. It isn't necessarily different, it depends on how the teacher uses it, models it, I don't think there is a wrong/right answer
Vicki - No trouble reading the small print at all and I teach first!
LEAH - I had to watch the newspaper carefully. Manty times I used it as a free choice item. Sometimes I read articles of interest but I also used Scholastic news.
RB - You can be sure they will find the worst story!
deb - I use QAR with scholastic news once I week. We have too.
Susan - Deb- Do you pre-write your messages?
Kelly - Did you all just read and discuss the newspapers?
Laura - Did your school purchase one for each student, or did you bring in a few copies and divide it up?
Tracy - I saw another idea, didn't use for the newspaper...the kids take a crayon and draw circles around the words they can read and then attach a "tail" to it to make a balloon
Jennifer - The 5th grade teacher across the hall does morning message as an interview...sort of an upper elementary show and tell. She models quotation marks all year and eventually they catch on!
deb - Susan, yes I do. Unless I am pokey!
Kathy/5/IA - How does she do the interview .. could you explain a little more?
LEAH - The local newspaper donates papers to the school.
deb - I laminate the kid's page from the Sunday paper. I have a ton now and the kids like to read them. They are safe :)
Susan - Any special reason for a balloon? Just curious!
Kathy/5/IA - That's a good idea ... deb ... we don't have a kids page! Bummer!
deb - Jennifer what were you saying about making a recipe?
LEAH - I always have good intenetions with that Sunday section and then it never gets done.
Susan - We have a kids section too- I never thought of that!
Tracy - it was in a mailbox mag - I can't remember the reason for the balloon but thought it was cute
Kelly - Leah, what about the Sunday section?
Susan - Do you give your morning message to a child to take home or leave it in the room?
Laura - Kathy - maybe you could have two kids interview another for the message. They could ask questions about the child, or about something they are doing/reading. kind of a reaction to...
deb - Kathy/5/IA check a major newspaper, like the Chicago Tribune, or the New York Times... that is where I get it. Only one per week but eventually they add up
RB - I thught that this year I would laminate the comics.
Jennifer - She just asks a few questions and then writes what they say as a quote. Only one or two sentences as it's a really short activity. As they get better at quotation marks she makes a few errors to see if they can catch them
LEAH - Kelly - I always think I should take the Sunday section of comics and Kid activities into school but then the paer gets thrown away and I don't do it. Something I can start doing this sunday though.
Kathy/5/IA - Thanks...Deb ... yea, they sell them here, I think!
deb - OK I hate comics... I read them and just don't get them. What do you do with comics? Just let them read them or what?
Kathy/5/IA - That may work, Thanks .. Laura!
Kelly - Leah, great idea. Do you think that some of the comics might be inappropriate for school? Just wondering. Jim Trelease is big on comic books in classrooms.
Jennifer - Comics are good for sequence skills if they're cut up.
RB - They could just read them OR maybe make up some of their own dialogue or the pctures.
LEAH - I just let them read them. I'm sure that haven't even seen a paper at home.
Kelly - I used to have a morning job that was called the news or something and the newswriters had to find somebody with news and write their quote with quotations.
deb - I am very leery about having a regular newspaper around even my second graders, I have kid's parents who wouldn't want them to know some stuff in the news. Anyone else have this problem?
LEAH - Sometimes with Family Circus I white out the speech bubble and they make up their own .
Laura - As a tie in to real writing, you could move from reading the newspaper to producing one, especially in the upper grades.
Jennifer - Does anybody limit kids during SSR? (Comic and drawing books?)
deb - Leah, I LOVE white out. good idea!
Laura - kathy - That may help you out since your area doesn't have a kids page :o)
LEAH - I usually do not put drawing books or catalogs in SSR baskets. It seems they just look at the pictures.
Vicki - When I use the paper, I pick and choose which pages to use.
Tracy - We just have to be careful, deb, I try to protect the little ones....
Kathy/5/IA - Yea, thanks !
Suzanne/TX/3 - jennifer, i make them read something else after 5- 10 minutes of reading a drawing book
deb - Jennifer, I limit --- no drawing books. But I do let them to joke books once a week and then I see how a group is. If I see problems, I run interference and make up rules. If everything is going ok, I don't establish a rule :)
Kathy/5/IA - I'm wondering if the DesMoines or Omaha paper has a kids page. I would think some of the kids may get those papers at home ... I don't
Laura - Other than the newspaper, there are a lot of great magazines on the market for informational reading.
Tracy - besides scholastic, what is good for first grade
Suzanne/TX/3 - i posted this on the chat board, what is the best kid's news, in your opinion?
Vicki - During SSR do you provide magazines, etc. or jsut books?
Susan - Laura I am looking for first grade magazines
Barb - I received a flyer for some kids newspaper from Time Magazine. Looked pretty good.
Laura - for what grade/age level Suzanne?
RB - I only allow books with words for SSR. When they do free reading they may choose what they like.
Kelly - I have Highlights magazine and ZooBooks. I had one year where I had to limit how many a student could have of Zoobooks in their book box because kids would have 15 or 20! This was before I did SSR baskets.
Suzanne/TX/3 - 3rd
deb - I got many mini kid pages from students, especially students I had in the past :) they love to help
Laura - I like Time for Kids
Suzanne/TX/3 - have looked at Time For Kids, Scholastic News, and Weekly Reader - can't decide
Laura - for 3rd grade that is.
LEAH - There is a magazine called Ladybug but I can't think of the publisher.
Gail - My first graders love Zoobooks and Ranger Ricks
Susan - Kelly- Do you just get the zoo books from the Teachers Store?
Kelly - Does anyone use vacation fliers--brochures?
Suzanne/TX/3 - thanks, Laura
Laura - 1st grade magazines I use - Ladybug, Your Big Backyard
Vicki - All of the magazines are SO expensive. How do you get them?
Kelly - Susan, no I order them. I also get Kids Discover.
Susan - Time for Kids? I've Never Heard of IT!
LEAH - Vacation fliers are a little too hard for 1st but I plan to in 2nd.
Smoo - oooh have you guys seen the eyewitness readers
deb - I like Weekly Reader better then Scholastic but my school gets Scholastic (cheaper)
Suzanne/TX/3 - I have lots of menus from restaurants that I have laminated - the kids love to read those
Laura - Your Big Backyard is not too expensive. I bought magazine covers from Demco and they last longer. I only have one copy of each magazine though :o(
Suzanne/TX/3 - no, smoo, tell more
Susan - Isn't Weel;y Reader Scholastic Product?
Gail - deb, why do you prefer Weekly Reader?
LEAH - Why do you like Weeekly Reader, That was a debate this year.
Laura - Suzanne - Tell us what you do with the menus.
Susan - How do I find order forms for these magazines?
Smoo - you know the cool eyewitness books? The nonfiction books with great pictures? Well now they have eyewitness readers that come for grades 1-4... easy reader non fiction. website http://www.dk.com
Kelly - Can you buy one from the TEacher Store and get an order form?
RB - All of these magaznes are at our library and they can be borrowed for a month. That way we have good variety.
Jennifer - Do most of you have school libraries? Our librarian keeps the back issues and every so often I just bring in a box. Sports Illustrated for Kids was the most popular last year with my boys.
Suzanne/TX/3 - I use the menus in a math center called Let's Do Lunch - I have order forms like waitresses use
Barb - I have the Time for kids flyer right here--do you want the 800 number??
Laura - They are on line. I'll post the link to the ring later.
LEAH - Are the eyewitness books like the videos?
Jo - Some sections of a single grade share the cost of Weekly Readers and then share. Each class rotates turns to keep.
Smoo - they are paper back about 3.55 only they are mixed in with the other eyewitness books, so you have to look for the eye witness readers.
RB - When I say libary I mean the public libary
Susan - Yes I would like the number!
Barb - I found the website--www.timeforkids.com
Suzanne/TX/3 - got the forms from Sam's Club, the kids write up a lunch order, have to pay w/$20's and figure change
Smoo - Yes Leah. That really nice nonfiction series. I'm very excited.
Barb - 1-800-777-8600
Clark;)Kent - Before I leave, I am going to plug The Imperfect Panacea by Henry J. Perkinson... if anyone has been following the mailring conversation concerning morals, it could be informative.
Tracy - Laura, if these are on line that would be great! We are lacking in funds being a private school....
Laura - http://www.nwf.org/nwf/ybby/index.html - Your Big Backyard
Susan - I would like to know where to get magazine covers. I do not know what Demco is!
Vicki - Tracy, being a public school we are lacking in funds as well! LOL :)
Laura - But the entire magazine isn't there, just a clip.
deb - In chapter 2, page 21 there is a quote, "The first and most basic component of classroom instruction is offering children a variety of real reading and writing encounters." I think we should all put that up where we can see it on the wall :)
Laura - So are we all reading aloud from the 4 areas everyday, and if not how will you incorporate that this year after reading this chapter?
Kelly - So when you have all this "real reading" how do you display it? I was thinking that I would get baskets and just label them--kids newspaper, menus, etc. What do you think?
Kelly - I'd like to know what people read to their young ones to hit all four? The things we've been discussing
Tracy - We do Saxon Math and we start the day with the Calendar and I could do weather......
Suzanne/TX/3 - gosh, how do we find time to fit in reading from 4 kinds of material?
Laura - Demco is a library supply company - on line also.
LEAH - I think that it is hard to paln for all 4 reading areas every day. When I'm making math plans I usually don't think of a story .
Susan - I liked the idea of having children choosing a ssr station one day a week- big book, magazines, library, science, poetry
Jo - My kids last year read the newspaper- favorite part? Obits! They loved to see where the people were from as well as what they had done in their life. Some really good discussions for 3rd grade!
Tracy - could these be "sponge" activities???? in between different times of the day -
Laura - I guess we are back to integrating our curriculum and getting that reading into it somehow.
Suzanne/TX/3 - good idea, tracy
Jennifer - Whenever I treat myself to a new poetry book it's kept on my desk (very special!) but if you ask you can borrow it and put a sticky note on your favourite poem which I'll then read later in the day.
LEAH - I liked the reading stations too but I already do stations and I don't have enough room.
Suzanne/TX/3 - 3rd gaders are gruesome, aren't they jo?
Tracy - or to break up the day for the little ones - so they can change their focus - short attention spans :) :) :)
Jo - In a manner of speaking Suzanne! :-)
Barb - Reading the weather report from the paper and recording it as part of calendar is one quick way to do some informational reading.
Vicki - Jennifer...GREAT idea! Thanks:)
Kelly - I always read the obits.
Laura - and the calendar is part of most math programs. good
Suzanne/TX/3 - have been collecting poems, so I'll have a poem a day to go with my themes, always read a chapter book aloud every day, just need to find 2 more types
Jo - What about comic books?
Kelly - I like the weather report from the paper idea!
sue - Barb-good idea
Laura - one down, three to go - lol
Vicki - We check the weather online each day, too
Kelly - I wish that there were the comic books like I used to read. Richie Rich, Little Lotta, etc.
Jo - My kids always liked the comics and the TV section to see what was going to be on that night!
LEAH - My 1st graders liked the weather report too. It used weather pictures so they could picture read if necessary.
Jennifer - We have a recyling tip of the day in our paper which I'm planning to get my helper to read to the class. (Ties in well with my social and science)
Susan - I was just planning to set various 'specail' book boxes around the room that day. Maybe have kids sign up for ssr stations in the am
Barb - I loved the idea of "blessing" a book. I'm always amazed at the power I have to help the kids form their "own" favorites.
Suzanne/TX/3 - my kids laugh at me when i tell them "this is my favorite book" because i say that about every book i read
sue - KIds in Kind. and 1st grade love doing weather with morning activities
debagain - Leah, I have a ton of literature ideas to do with math, I'll post it to you or to the ring. :)
Kelly - Ring please, Deb!
Jo - There is a fun program that you can make a Garfield comic strip. I've used that for messages and notes home. Kids have done for writing stories. Garfield is a theme in my class- so it fits nicely.
Vicki - Suzanne, I do , too, But, aren't they all our favorites?
Suzanne/TX/3 - yes, vicki, and they become the kids' too
Smoo - sigh. I think some of your poetry ideas and story bits are not right for my 3rd graders.
debagain - Kelly I saw them at Waldenbooks yesterday
Suzanne/TX/3 - yes, they are smoo, my 3rd graders love them
Laura - and that's a big part of turning kids on to reading, especially when it's not modeled at home. the love of reading, the book blessing
Jo - I really hesitate to bless the Goosebumps!
Suzanne/TX/3 - find books you would use with your grade level and i'm sure you will come up with a story bit for them
Vicki - It's so exciting to me, when kids H had years before come to share books they've been reading or remind me when we read....
Barb - I just had a thought-- my kids were always bringing their beanie babies and reading the tags and the collector's books, etc. Real reading, I suppose!! They certainly had lots of information to share!
Suzanne/TX/3 - and there are lots of poems out there - maybe there is a teacher at your school who will help you
Suzanne/TX/3 - yes, smoo - they LOVE them
Kelly - Ooooh, I was in a lab once that every morning the kids read any writing on their clothing! It was cool!
Suzanne/TX/3 - Always aks me if I have an artifact (that's what I call them) for the story
Smoo - well there is poetry but it's not easier reading often. Well but maybe that's okay too.
Barb - We seem to have a book each year that defines our classroom-a favorite that we all remember. This year it was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Last year's was Poppy.
Smoo - hmmmm. I am jaded because I have some pretty sophisticated kids last year. But maybe this year will be different.
Jennifer - One novel activity I sometimes do uses the "under $100 " classified ads...what would you buy for the character in your novel.
Smoo - Barb! Yes... 2 years ago poppy, last year Small Steps: The Year I got Polio! That is soooo true Barb!
Vicki - My class fav this year was "Pig, Pigger, Piggest" Great book, seen it?
debagain - smoo -- I am trying to brainstorm easier reading for 3rd, the subject keeps coming up!
Jo - One of my favorite things to do is read Sideways Stories to the class the first week of school. On the first day a student is absent an apple goes on my desk. Mrs. Gorf strikes again! They love it!
Jennifer - Poppy...I loved that book!...but my kids this year wouldn't have said it was their favourite.
Suzanne/TX/3 - if you value it, they will too - I read Them Memory Box or Something to Remember Me By or Wilfred Gordon Macdonald Partridge to them, then we make a memory box and they keep their "artifacts" (story bits) in them - they keep going back to them all year long and saying, "Do you remember when we read . . ."
Jo - We have- fun, but have to watch some of the ads and double meaning on some of the shirts.
Smoo - Suzanne: That is often my statement to them in our year book: I gues those are story bits. I say: Remember "Give me a Dollar or I'll Spit on You," and "Is that You Monkey?" ... hmmmmm Okay I can see I could appreciate a story bit for There's a girl in the boys' bathroom. Maybe I was thinking too much about the picture books mentioned on the ring.
Kelly - Every day the kids searched their clothes for words and they read them--like the words on their tennis shoes, or their shirts, etc.
Smoo - A play dollar for THere's a BOy in the Girls Bathroom.
Suzanne/TX/3 - Smoo - it can be picture books (I often use them for mini lessons) or chapter books
Kelly - Back in lab 12 or 13 years ago the t-shirts weren't as bad as they may be now. Good warning!
Laura - Well, I look forward to hearing the discussion this week on the ring. Next chapter - 3 - should really heat things up. Guided Reading
Laura - Night all.
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