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Kathleen - Teachers.Net welcomes Barbara Nicholson, whose resume includes: First Grade teacher for 17 years Mentor teacher for computer produced teaching material, First Grade master teacher, Primary teacher trainer, Primary curriculum specialist - focus: Reading and EZ2 Read Author. Barbara, is there anything you wish to add to that?
Barbara - That just about covers it
Barbara - My experience is with emerging and beginning readers - K - 1 for the most part
Cp - I teach kindergarten and I am hoping to get some early literacy ideas, like what materials do you use for emergent readers and writers.
Kathleen - Barbara, before even picking up print materials to use with children, what do you recommend teachers of pre-k do with their kiddos?
sue - we do a lot of stories, rhymes, predictable books, big books, games, song books....
Barbara - Pre print, let them hear the language. The patterns of English - Poems - chants - Realouds
Barbara - sue - you are on the right track!
sue - Barbara, thanks but most come from no or low literacy homes, I need to do more any suggestions
Kathleen - Barbara, do you do workshop presentations for EZ2Read
Barbara - No workshops - the material is to supplement any balanced reading program and requires little explanation unless there are teachers who are only teaching part of the balance i.e. teaching only patterned predictable without direct systematic phonics etc.
jtck - Barbara, can you please talk about the connection between reading and writing at this age?
Barbara - Reading and Writing are reciprocals. They are taught together. As children learn letter sounds, they decode and blend to read & encode and segment to write. Of course, not-easy-to-decode high frequency words enter the mix from day one.
Mary K&1 - I found it very interesting that most of my kindergarten kids said they wanted to learn to write when we asked them what they wanted to learn in school as part of the interviewing we did with the name activities we did in September. A few said that they wanted to read, but learning to write was the most frequently stated.
jtck - I'm wondering how specifically you all link the two in K/1.
sue - cp- we do at least one nursery rhyme a week, kids today don't know them and their great for phonemic awareness
Cp - I would like to do something more with poems. Any ideas?
Kathleen - Cp, what grade/age?
Cp - kindergarten 1/2 day
sue - cp- I use a book 101 finger plays and songs. It's a great resource
Cp - Sue, do you do a poem a week? Do you read it then do some sort of student response. Do you know if the book is a Scholastic book?
sue - cp, it's 1001 songs and finger play by totline
Kathleen - Cp, have you tried a notebook for each child, pasting in some of the simple, most repetitive poems the kids recite in class? Then they can take it home and read to parents (can include songs, and kids can decorate each page according to the theme of the entry)
Kathleen - Barbara, questions: how to help kids from very lit-poor homes, and how to connect reading and writing?
Barbara - In my experience with high risk kids, writing comes as easily as reading if taught together. The biggest problem is little hands that aren't ready to write what little brains tell them to.
sue - barb- we do take homes with books and tapes but the kids wind up doing them alone :(
Barbara - It's a good idea to always send parent info with take-home material. At the very least, have parents sign something to acknowledge that they have had the child read to them.
sue - barb- they do have a journal but you can tell the kids have done it alone
jtck - CP...if the parent connection isn't there, just keep the notebook Kathleen talks about at school. I usually have the kids decorate the poem, so it really becomes their own personal reader.
Mary K&1 - I think that writing drives the learning of reading. When children write, they have to really think about the details of the print (text) that they are putting to paper.
sue - cp- I also have charts plastered all over my room with favorite phrases from books-- Like run run as fast as you can in the shape of a gingerbread man and fi fie fo fum with a giant drawing
sue - when I had a k class we did a poetry notebook. They were simple poems the kids memorized and "read"
Kathleen - jtck, yes, it can be difficult to get the books back after sending them home. Cp, you could provide a SSR-type of time when kids could pair up and read the poems to each other
Kathleen - [I guess SSR wouldn't be a good term for what I just described, I mean a time period when kids would have to use the poems and songs books]
Kathleen - Barbara, on your web site http://ez2read.com there is a statement about a balance of narrative and expository text. What is the difference between the two?
Barbara - Narrative is usually fiction - with or without dialogue - Expository is more information giving, factual - giving new knowledge
sue - kat, we participate in a school wide DEAR time, too
Barbara - We have had a lot of narrative - story telling text at the lower levels and the move is to provide new readers with more of a balance. Even young children can "read to learn" if there is text at their reading level.
Kathleen - Barbara, I really like the "I Can Read About Science" sets you offer for sale. For what levels are they intended?
Kathleen - Everyone, during SSR or DEAR, should children be able to select any reading materials they wish to read (in order to motivate them) or would it be acceptable to assign material to read, such as the songs and poetry booklet we've discussed?
jtck - I think the non-fiction area for emerging readers is so neglected. But thankfully that is changing. The photos and animals are so engaging for beginning readers! I sometimes have the best luck with non-fiction with my kids.
Barbara - We have moved away from DEAR at the lower grades because so many children were not reading at a level where they could really sit and READ, rather than just "look through books". I always thought it was good for them to see me reading as an enjoyable act
Kathleen - I'm remembering that when children participate in the RIF selections there is to be absolutely no input from adults to guide or influence kids' book selections
Kathleen - Barbara, do you agree with that move away from DEAR?
jtck - Hmmmm. I guess that for me, SSR for emerging readers is just that, sitting and enjoying books, handling them, mimicking the reading process.
Linda - Let them read what they want. It will make them look forward to reading. But check up on the level and a suggestion is good as well
Barbara - Most of the new series have a good balance of narrative and expository as well as all the sets of supplementary readers like Wright Group etc. if you have jillions to spend.
Kathleen - jtck, EZ2Read and others now offer some nice non-fiction reproducibles for emergent readers.
jtck - I think some of the new Scholastic stuff is pretty good...
Linda/2/CA - I don't kathleen--mu students and I read silently every day for 15 minutes--mostly they read leveled books--but 1 day/week they can read whatever they want
Mary K&1 - Kathleen, I think that it is better to allow the children to explore text of their own choosing at the emergent levels. This is a time for them to explore the possibilities. They usually will settle into texts that are appropriate for them.
Kathleen - Barbara, I like the reproducibles because every child gets to keep a copy and take it home. They are very reasonable in cost, the investment lasts forever, too
jtck - I think Scholastic if offering some good new stuff right now...
Barbara - Just shortening it up. We had a district DEAR program that required a 30 minute stretch - not a productive use of time. 10 minutes works fine but I agree that you have to monitor and suggest that kids spend some of their minutes reading at their indepe
Kathleen - Barbara, if your company offers materials that relate to the needs discussed here, please tell us about them. And can everyone here go to your site after this session and request a catalog of your materials?
Barbara - I began making my material because the published stuff was both too difficult and too expensive. I worked with a population that made sending home books that had to come back a problem.
Linda/2/CA - Barbara--do you have reproducible books?
Kathleen - Barbara, I think your prices are extremely reasonable. I would like my school to buy your entire "I Can Read About Science" set.
Mary K&1 - Barbara, do your reproducible materials need to be assembled after being copied?
Kathleen - Barbara's Science reproducible units topics: Senses, Baby Animals, Animals in Winter, Insects, Transportation, Sealilfe,
Barbara - My material is aimed at the new baby readers. They know letter sounds. They know what separate words are. I combine a very simple combination of decodable books, that introduce new short vowels very slowly and add very few new sight words in each book.
Linda/2/CA - My students come from print poor homes--so I am always looking for materials that they can keep at home--especially for my very low readers
Barbara - Yes, all of my materials are blacklines - you run and put together the books.
Kathleen - Linda, that's why I love the availability of the reproducible, take-homes, so kids can own them
Barbara - Our new web site gives detailed descriptions. It is http://ez2read.com You can request a catalog
Linda/2/CA - Barbara--do you have any samples anywhere that you either give away or can be printed from your web site?
Mary K&1 - Barbara, are your books used by Reading Recovery teachers?
Barbara - A large number of Reading Recovery teachers and trainers of teachers have begun to recommend my "Color Set" - the patterned predictable readers - at trainings.
Mary K&1 - Thanks, Barbara, I'm always looking for RR books. I have over 1,000, but still have a hard time finding just the right book for a particular child at a particular stage in his program. One can never have too many books :o)
Barbara - Cp - I just posted the info. We have been literally overwhelmed by the response to my material. I guess there are a lot of frustrated teachers out there. I was just fortunate to have the experience and computer skills to (give up on publishers) and sta
Kathleen - Barbara and all, do you think we are finally headed in the right direction with our efforts to reach most kids early in their literacy development?
Laura - Barabra, are your materials geared to small children are could adolesents with low literacy also use them
Barbara - The prices are not listed but any purchase is a "site" license. One purchase - everyone at that school may copy for 100 years. That's what we teachers do anyway - right?
Linda/2/CA - Yes Barbara--finding books for low level readers is difficult--especially ones that hold their interest--I have 6 students in 2nd who are non-readers for all intents and purposes
Barbara - The material is definitely written for little guys. Above 4th grade, children might see them as "baby" books.
Barbara - I know my little books are used up to 3rd and 4th grade. They work well with children acquiring English.
Marcia/CA - Your great books sound like they would also fit perfectly into the "below grade level" and during SSR, too!
Laura - thanks Barbara, it is still nice to have the resource since, I will be working with small children next semester in my E.A course
Kathleen - Has anyone met Barbara at the literacy conferences where EZ2Read has exhibited?
Linda/2/CA - Definitely sound like something for below grade level 2nd graders--they want material that is easy to read--BUT not baby topics
Barbara - They were my DEAR (SSR) books at the beginning of the year for all my kids and later for my lowest. They really felt like readers, being able to read so many books so early in the year.
Linda/2/CA - Barbara--are you going to the Mentor Teacher conference to be held in San Diego in February? This is for CA mentor teachers and teacher trainers
Sadie - I am a Reading Recovery teacher. I'm not familiar with EZ2Read. Can you please describe the books?
Barbara - When I said "baby" - I meant older kids. Up to 3rd graders would not see them that way.
Kathleen - Linda, I'm looking at one of Barbara's little reproducibles about musical instruments: This is a clarinet. You can make music with a clarinet. guitar, saxophone, etc etc
Mary K&1 - Oh, that sounds great for teaching concepts also, Kathleen.
Sadie - Linda, is the conference on BTSA?
Linda/2/CA - Some parts of it are. I was thinking that this would be a good place for Barbara to showcase her materials.
Tina/CA - I tried to buy some materials at a conference, but her booth was a mob scene. We phoned in our order later.
Kathleen - Tina, LOL! That is quite a testimony to Barbara's materials!
Barbara - The "Color Set" has 59 titles. The text is patterned and predictable. They begin with 2 or 3 word sentences per page with the one word change a bolded noun that is picture cued. They range on up to about level 8 or 9. I have no personal experience wit
Sadie - Barbara, will you be at the West Coast Reading Recovery conference in March?
Sadie - They are reproducible?
Barbara - We will be at CRA in Long Beach next week. It's just my husband and I and I know the booth does get pretty crowded....just keep coming back or be REALLY agressive?
Mary K&1 - Barbara, what do you find to be the biggest misconception about getting kids on the right track for reading and writing. What is it that we teachers do or don't do that actually get in the way of developing the proper reading and writing skills and attitudes
Laura - Mary, I would have to say not to ignore the child that is having difficulty reading, this is a real problem that needs to be solved as soon as possible
Barbara - Make sure you are doing enough modeling of writing. The independent journal epidemic confused a lot of new teachers. Most children are not "born" knowing how to transfer their words to print. They need direct instruction.
Barbara - Our little brochure really does explain everything well but I know there's nothing like seeing material "in person"
Kathleen - Sadie, yes, Barbara's materials are reproducible
Linda/2/CA - The Mentor teacher conf will be Feb 9-11. Contact is Education Alliance, 122 Library Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95062--vendors are on Thurs and Fri
Barbara - I am seeing programs that don't want to wait for kids. The number of days per lesson is set for high and low alike. We all know that children learn at different rates and we need to give them the time they need. Some newer programs do not seem to have q
Mary K&1 - Laura, that is so true, it is much easier to correct a problem early on rather than after a year or so of reinforced confusions. The older the kids get, the more difficult it is to get them up to par.
Linda/2/CA - Please, please Mary, tell that to my 1st grade teachers--they do not seem to see it that way--just go thru the curr and not ever check to see if the kids get it
Sadie - Linda, they need to understand there is a difference between covering a topic and teaching a topic!
Laura - yes Mary, I am trying to work right now with a student that is in grade eleven, but only has a grade three reading level. When It gets to this point, it affects everything
Kathleen - Barbara, I agree that too often kids are expected to progress at uniform rates. I think we do hurry through materials, should let the younger ones really get to know a book, poems and songs on charts before we put them away. Kids benefit from having access to those items when they are ready for them
Laura - Barbara that is definately a problem, it is the child that can't keep up that is going to be frustrated by the speed. Can the teacher regualte the speed of the program?
Sadie - Barbara.. I agree! I think that we don't spend enough time writing and it has such an impact on reading.
Kathleen - Does anyone think that working too hard to stay within themes is counterproductive when trying to give kids early literacy skills?
Mary K&1 - Multileveled approaches seem to be ideal - each child can keep progessing at a level that is just right for him/her - all are doing basically the same thing, but each at the level that fits best
Barbara - I'm in an awkward position with this. Our new reading program is set up that way. I am out of the classroom this year and find it hard to "buck the system" but I do tell teachers that what we all need to continue to do is teach - assess - let our assess
Linda/2/CA - Tell me about it!!! With the new CA standards, their jobs are on the line. We get 2/3 of the students in 2nd who are reading 6 mos or more below grade level
Kathleen - Mary, I agree about multi-level, wish more grade levels would employ the technique
Sadie - Kathleen, I have really left themes in the past few years as i pick materials for differnent reasons now. But I think there needs to be a good compromise.
Mary K&1 - Themes can be restrictive. Does life work that way?
Barbara - Assessment should drive instruction - not someone elses schedule of lessons. Reading is sequential - they have to "get it" before you take them on.
Laura - I would try to pick themes that I think that children would be interested in.
Barbara - Unless you actually have sequentail reading material that is in themes, I have never figured out how that would work. You have to provide material at instructional and independent levels.
Kelli - I just got here. I have a first grade question. I have been working with my class on the writing block and I am quite happy with the progress. I haven't started any formal conferencing yet. When do you suggest I start with that?
Sadie - Barbara, I understand that you are also here in California. I know that wer are being inundated with assessments and standards that are not necessarily connected to classroom instruction. I am fortunate to have a principal who is very child-centered.
Barbara - You really can't have your kids read all the "bear" books at the same time if those books are not at their individual instructional and independent reading levels.
Kathleen - I like themes as a loose guide, but don't want to be confined to themed materials. it just doesn't work well for the kids
Linda/2/CA - My reading levels--according to RR benchmark books--are level 3 to 40 plus--this is in second grade--try to find materials that fit all of them
Sadie - mary, I have found that I don't do any of the "cutsie" things in K anymore. I don't think that its necessarily a bad thing... but I was wondering if you are finding the same thing.
Mary K&1 - Oh, Sadie, yes! I don't see what the children gain by many of those cute little things. I let the kids do what is right for them - they read, write, draw, cut paste - all the normal skills are practiced, but it's not all teacher directed.
Mary K&1 - Linda, that sounds like most of the library! LOL
Ann/K1/CA - What do you think is the best approach to teaching children with limited or NO experience with school, to coordinate with the CA standards for Language Arts? Realistically the standards are not dev. approp. What do I do for the child who still can't write her name after 13 weeks of kindergarten? If I put her up for an SST, they say, "Wait...It's developmental" and they don't see her until second grade
Sadie - Kathleen, i agree. The reason i would like to become more thematic than I am is as a means to teach content area through language arts.
Linda/2/CA - Yes Mary--it is fortunate that my private classroom library has more than 4000 books ranging from wordless books to grade 4 chapter books
Sadie - Ann, that is frustrating! We are really putting the pressure in our kids as early as K, aren't we? Does your school have Reading Recovery?
Barbara - Test Scores rule in our area. It is a battle to keep upgrading academics and still make school a joy for little ones. The reality of the normal development of the human brain should soon stop this. We can't get them to grow extra legs either.
Linda/2/CA - I know that I go to a lot of reading and literary conferences. Always asking reps for low level materials in the content areas--after more than 20 years of asking, I am finally seeing some stuff on the market
Ann/K1/CA - Yes, Sadie, but I don't think Reading Recovery is the most efficient method. We have 3 teachers, for a total of 12 students at a time. With 60% of our school below grade level, that does not help much. Besides, RR is too restrictive
Barbara - We were never able to have RR at our site because we had so many who were so low. But - about half of our district did until our latest adoptionoption
Kathleen - Sadie, yes, and I do like themes but sometimes I think they are used in ways that are too contrived and restrictive. And I think often people don't use them as much as they could to develop content area skills and concepts. I agree with you about their value.
Kathleen - Group: Kelli has a question we missed about writing. Kelli, would you repost your question to the screen? I missed it the first time.
Barbara - RR would have to be balanced with a strong phonics componnent. In the same way that Rebecca Sitton needed to include encoding
Sadie - Barbara, California is so test crazy! But here is some good news. My school is one of the more developmental in our district... we do (at least we are supposed to as per the principal) a very balanced approach and we are one of the few schools who does not group kids for language arts yet our school had the highest test scores in our district!
Ann/K1/CA - Yes Barbara. My phonics is very strong this year, and I am seeing better results
Kelli - I am very pleased with the progress that my first graders are making with the writing block. I have not yet begun to conference with them. When do you suggest I start? Also, I have been concentrating more on getting written work from them and have not done anything about revising, any suggestions?
Linda/2/CA - I do a lot of PA activities with my students--so many teachers just assume that the kids know these skills
Sadie - Ann, how many 1st graders do you have?
Linda/2/CA - I am having to teach them how to do this--they seem to think that it is time wasting
Mary K&1 - Linda, the same can be said for letter work - too many teachers quit too soon and assume that hte kids all know all there is to know about the letters and how they work
Barbara - A lot of revising and editing with new writers can be discouraging. I would only take a few pieces through final form.
Linda/2/CA - I still have kids in 2nd who not only write reversals but say them also
Kelli - Barbara, should I just continue with what I have been doing...making sentences, short stories, etc....and eventually begin to conference on positive points of their writing?
Barbara - Kelli - As long as you are getting variety it's fine. You do want to catch and redirect the "I like to..." kids.
Barbara - Kelli - yes - let writing feel like something they can do. Keep it positive and keep the revision to a minimum at first. New writers often see editing as proof that they are NOT good writers. You're doing the right thing,
Kelli - I think so...I just need someone to confirm what I am doing, thank you
Kathleen - The hour is over, and we thank Barbara Nicholson of EZ2Read books. I think we will be saying (soon), I knew Barbara when EZ2Read was a small company. :-) http://ez2read.com
Barbara - This was fun - excuse my spelling - I need to do more of this - have to go now - grandchildren await their sitter!!!
Mary K&1 - Thanks Barbara, Good night all.
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