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Tracy - Harcourt will be our new reading series next year.
Sandi/MI - Hi, we'll be starting HC this year too
Rita/PA - I've used it this year but haphazardly
Rita/PA - Are you a niophite
jentx - Hellooooooo, Harcourt Buds
Sandi/MI - I've been looking soo forward to this
Rita/PA - me too
jentx - Who is full day & who is half?
Rita/PA - I'm full
Sandi/MI - I'm half day --first time this year
Sandi/MI - 2-1/2 days that is
jentx - I'm full day
Tracy - I am full day K.
Sandi/MI - I am jealous...I don't know if we'll have a full day in my life time
Rita/PA - Be careful what you wish for...
Sandi/MI - why
jentx - what state, tracy
Rita/PA - the expectations are so high it's really become first grade
jentx - you are so right rita
Sandi/MI - Truth be told, our expectations are also too high and it's in a half day with a Dec. 1st cut off
Tracy - Jen, I am in Georgia
jentx - i don't know how the half day programs get in so much. you guys are miracle workers
Rita/PA - We just got our curriculum and we are to begin "pre" guided reading on the first day!
jentx - thanks, tracy. I'm compiling a list.
jentx - tell us about it rita
Sandi/MI - For those of you who have been using Harcourt, is there any parts that you feel don't really need to be part of each day?
Rita/PA - well we're heavily involved in ebl and the Trophies doesn't always address the needs of my kids
jentx - who is new to HC & who used it this past year. just finished my first year with it.
Sandi/MI - 2003-04 will be our first year
Tracy - Our school is going to teach Harcourt Reading but we are going to teach Saxon Phonics in the place of Harcourt Phonics. First year with Harcourt, several years with Saxon.
jentx - welcome, jan. what state? half or full day?
jan - ma. full day
jentx - gee whiz tracy. that sounds tough.
Sandi/MI - do you guys hear a clicking sound but no comments being added
jentx - yes, i hear the clicking frequently
Rita/PA - I'm writing and reviewing It might be me sorry I'm new to this kind of thing
jentx - what do we want to discuss first? morning mrssage, phonics, phonemu=ic awareness, etc
Tracy - Tell me about it! I do not know if the programs will go together all that well. Is the Phonics in Harcourt a must for the literature sections?
jan - we are going to do Wilson Foundations for the spelling and handwriting piece
Sandi/MI - Like I asked before, I'm curious in general if there are any parts that you found "useless"
jentx - sorry guys about the spelling. my computer crashed & I'm using hubbie's little laptop
Rita/PA - Whew! Maybe I'm not doing all that bad with my curriclum!
Sandi/MI - no problem
Rita/PA - np
Rita/PA - I'd like to know how you feel about going back to the same book every few days
jentx - sandi, I didn't like some of the big biiks and read alouds. HC needs lots of supplementing with better literature
Sandi/MI - That's a good question cuz I'm used to doing the 5 day shared reading approach
Rita/PA - you are so right!
jentx - welcome to Harcourt Buds first chat, DI
Sandi/MI - Did you replace or add on
Sandi/MI - to supplement the better literature
bilmasvoy - Hi teachers
Di/MI - thanks, I'm new to this
jan - one thing I noticed that Harcourt has a Munchy Mice activity in the first TE A Sound Muncher or Sound Smacker will fit in nicely!!
jentx - DI are you full or half day
Rita/PA - I added and then replaced some
Sandi/MI - for example
Di/MI - half day, coming from 1st grade for 13 years
Sandi/MI - where in MI
jentx - Rita, I added my own literarure like you
Rita/PA - I like Mrs.Wishy Washy but it wasn't in their farm theme so I put it in
Di/MI - kalamazoo
Sandi/MI - I'm from Oak Park,
Sandi/MI - At least that is where I teach
Sandi/MI - a suburb of Detroit
bilmasvoy - Hey is there anybody, please respond me
jentx - me too rita. it is my fav Joy Cowley book
Rita/PA - Hi bilmasvoy!
Di/MI - hi bilmasvoy
Rita/PA - me too
Sandi/MI - We use it in the spring as one of our retelling assessments
Sandi/MI - Hi, bilmasvoy
jentx - welcome to the Harcourt chat bilmasvoy
Di/MI - Harcourt will be our new program this fall
jentx - what do you think about thr phonemic awareness acticities, rita
Rita/PA - I just found a new Mrs. Wishy Washy book - Mrs. Wishy Washy's Farm
bilmasvoy - thank you
Sandi/MI - What is that one like?
Rita/PA - I do think the phonemic awareness activities are quite valuable though
jentx - bil what state, full or half day. hav u used HC
bilmasvoy - are there any math teachers
Sandi/MI - As someone who hasn't started the HC yet, what i like about the phon. awareness activities is they seem systematic and hopefully balanced enough that some of those kids who really need it presented "systematically" will "get it"
Sandi/MI - We probably all teach math but at the kdg level
Rita/PA - the cow, the duck and the pig leave the farm and go to the city, get messy and go back to the farm to get clean
Sandi/MI - Rita, I love it! Do they get in mud?
bilmasvoy - Thanks for GOD I am in right shoes
bilmasvoy - Thanks for GOD I am in right shoes
Di/MI - I like that story!
Sandi/MI - I mean how do they get dirty?
Di/MI - I used it in first grade, we acted it out
jan - how are the HC Big Books?
Sandi/MI - jen, do you do the lessons in the order they have?
jentx - me too rita. the phonemic awareness activities are important. the one thing different I will do tho, is work on the same 1 or 2 every day instead of 4 or 5 different ones per week. I will begin with lots of rhyming word activites & syllable segmentation by clapping their names & other words
Parker - Hello everyone. So are you all K teachers who will be using Harcourt in the fall?
Di/MI - yes
Rita/PA - what a great suggestion jen
Sandi/MI - So does that mean you'll be skipping some, to do only 1-2 every day?
jentx - yes, I do the lessons in their order, but add my theme ideas to them
Sandi/MI - Or do you mean you'll be doing a given lesson more than once a day?
Rita/PA - I was thinking along the same lines with the rhyming and syllable segmentaion
Di/MI - How much time do you spend teaching Reading?
jentx - yes, sandi. I will save some for later. the list is in front of the teacher manual
Rita/PA - Our district just mandated ...120 minutes!
jentx - parker, what state, full or half say. hav u used HC before
Di/MI - Our 1/2 day is mandated 90 minutes and full day is 120 minutes
jentx - does that time include writing also rita
Di/MI - uninterrupted!! No snack, bathroom break, announcements, etc.
Parker - I'm in NC, but not a K teacher, 3rd and 4th grade.
Rita/PA - And that's supposed to be all at once! I've already emailed the admin. about DAP no response, of course!
Sandi/MI - Do you do the journals with the prompt they indicate or do you do kidwriting or what?
Rita/PA - yes, 129 for literacy
Rita/PA - sorry 120 min
jentx - right, no bathroom break as if little ones could handle that
Di/MI - our mandate is coming from the Reading First Grant
Di/MI - Being a new teacher to HC what should I be doing to prepare for the beginning of school?
Rita/PA - I did include that! Also, because of NCLB we have had our asst. cut and for the past 3 years we've had Interns but now they are to be shared
jentx - we do writing our way. I do interactive, shared, writer's workshop, & independent (journals & literacy centers). I am reading Kidwiting.
Sandi/MI - What do you put in your lesson plans?
jentx - DI in our trophies we begin with a unit called Getting to Know You.
Sandi/MI - How specific do you have to be...have you developed any kind of a format or table???
Di/MI - I have the first Teacher's manual at home with me and I have been looking through it and making plans
Rita/PA - I do some of the writing from trophies but it's lacking since I've been doing Kidwriting since 95 and my kids can do more than that
Sandi/MI - I remembered an important question, how soon after school starts to you start Theme 1?
Sandi/MI - Did you get to all of the 12 themes last /this year?
Di/MI - I will hopefull be back. I have to put the little one to bed.
jentx - yes, I got to all 1 themes but shortened some to 2 wks instead of 3
jan - Did anyone do the reading first academy? how was it?
Rita/PA - Last year I kind of played with it but this year Iit's mandated. I didn't get it all in
Rita/PA - I wish I had my te home. What do you think of the shared writing?
Sandi/MI - Which ones do you think could/should be 2 weeks and how did you get it to that--skip stuff or combine??? I'm sorry I feel like I keep asking questions and not giving you a chance to respond
jentx - and Rita....we wnt to give our kids choice in writing not tell them what to write. We found that many of the prompts didn't relate to the theme
jentx - I combine sandi
Tracy - What part of HC do you feel is most important? Which part is the weakess?
Sandi/MI - We too thought that just from looking at it the journal suggestions weren't really related. We were thinking of combining the shared writing with the shared reading in some manner each day and then do journals our way
jentx - some of the shared writing activities are good & some or not. I pick & choose.
Rita/PA - yep, and I think that's the biggest problem I've experienced. It's not as organized within the theme.
Sandi/MI - Sometimes it looks like they had different committees doing each part and they forgot to have the meeting to tie it all together some weeks.
Rita/PA - I found that the times I stayed with it was when it was organized
jentx - many teachers think the phonics insruction is good. you usually inyro letters per week using a sound & letter chart with enlarged text. we would find the letters & put colored highlighter tape on them.. my kids loved that acticity
Tracy - The letters that are introduced in the Phonics section relate to the reading selection any?
jentx - i mean introduce 2 letters per week. sorry.
jentx - I also like the alphabet cards that help introduce the letters
Rita/PA - I have/had to share the kit -- that got crazy -- I couldn't do many of those things
Rita/PA - I often had difficulty with the timing of the units and my calendar
jentx - one thing that cindy/FL shared on the kinder board is that she calls the letters "focus letters" not letter of the week. we really work on all of the letters & sounds through shared rdg, read alouds, interactice & shared writing, & journals
Sandi/MI - You can either quickly see what's been said and/or I'll share the stuff that sounded helpful later
Sandi/MI - I like that, focus letters, I called them target letters but I like focus better
Char - Michigan 1/2 day
Sandi/MI - Char and I teach in the same district
jentx - you had to share your kit, rita
Sandi/MI - Rita, what do you mean timing the units and my calendar?
jentx - I like the term focus letters & will use it to inofrm my parents about phonics
Rita/PA - yes, with the other k teacher at the far end of the building - crazy - nomoney! I;m told it'll be different this year - we'll see
Char - I'm sure you probably already went over this, sorry I was late, are there others here, besides my buddy that are 1/2 day
jentx - sandin& char.....same schools?
Sandi/MI - NO
Rita/PA - Like the bug unit wasn't in the spring for me it was in the winter
Char - same district, different schools
Sandi/MI - No but it is a small district so it's less than a mile away
jan - it looks like there are 3 reading groups??
jentx - that really bugged me 2 rita. where can you find bugs in January?
jan - in florida for sure
Rita/PA - I'm glad you knew what I was talking about - I wasn't sure if that was because I was so far off of the trophies unitLOL!
jentx - I am going to type out my un ts by the week when I get my new computer & will be glad to share them on the kinder board
Sandi/MI - jen that would be super
Rita/PA - It's a meeting of the minds! I just told me husband today I had to go into school to get the TE to do just that!
jan - do you stick to the 3 reading levels?
Rita/PA - I will tell you though my new curriculum has it all mapped out by pages and weeks so I'm a little ahead
jentx - I am stretching Getting to Know You into 3 wks.........week 1 welcome to kinder, week 2 ABC'/namess, & week 3 colors
Rita/PA - No way -- I assess and do small grp. guided reading with 30 kids 3 groups isn't really small!
Sandi/MI - Char, that's just what you were thinking we should do
jan - 3 groups meaning below level on level above level
Sandi/MI - What reading groups?
Char - Yeah, starting off slowly...with everything else going on.
jentx - we do one on one assessment witj the TPRI
Tracy - Jan, I usually have at least four reading groups.
Sandi/MI - Is that specified somewhere in the HC or just common sense and past practice
jan - From what I read in the TE That's what they specify
Sandi/MI - Rita when you say your new curriculum has it mapped out...what new curriculum is it?
jentx - I didn't start the reading groups as early as my district wanted. I was still regulating centers & getting them going good.
Rita/PA - how many do you guys have normally? Now I may begin crying!
jentx - I had 4 reading groups. 22 & 23 students
Rita/PA - my school district just mandated our corecurriculum for the year in literacy and math
Rita/PA - I had 7 groups
Sandi/MI - Ours did too, we have SCOPE. But our district reading specialist is so into HC we can follow it but we wanted to find a way to incorporate the social studies and science benchmarks etter
jan - yes but your 4 groups fit somewhere into this HC format
jentx - our district mapped out the math & science & really made us crazy. plants are suppsed to be in the fall!!!!!!!!!
Rita/PA - I think I'll have to do that too, give me some tips
wizzlewolf - Just to let teacher know...I was lurking and I already turned in "young". They have her number now.
Rita/PA - Do you think the people that write this stuff EVER look out the window?
jentx - In the I Am Special unit. body/senses fit nicely
Sandi/MI - IT's hard cuz most of the specialists want us to go in "their" order and your right they must not look out the window
Rita/PA - Yes, but I found that unit to be too short to do well si you?
Char - my thoughts exactly Sandi!
jentx - wizzlewolf, do I know you from Tues chats?
Sandi/MI - RIta you're saying the 3 weeks was too short?
wizzlewolf - Oh you probably know me from all kinds of chats.
Rita/PA - sorry that's did you
wizzlewolf - I just like to look in to see what other teachers are talking about so I understand where they are coming from.
Sandi/MI - Jen and Rita do you have a special framework to use for your lessons/lesson plans?
Rita/PA - Perhaps it was because that was my assessment week for DIBELS but I just couldn't get it done
jentx - Hmmmmmmmmm.....wizzlewolf.thanks for your help
Rita/PA - TY
jan - i think if you go to the HC website they may have a lesson format-is that correct?
wizzlewolf - jen, help???? Are you a NB type person?
Rita/PA - I'm not sure
jentx - My daily format for HC includes read aloud, shared reading (big book or chart), phonemic awareness, literature focus, and phonics.
jentx - what is NB
Rita/PA - I made up my own format but it's on my old computer so it looks like I'll be making another one
jan - i'm glad i didn't ask????
wizzlewolf - LOL, never mind. If you were NB you would know what that means
Sandi/MI - Is it board certified
jentx - I am planning on making up my own format when I get my new computer
jentx - uh oh LOL
Rita/PA - Is what board cert?
wizzlewolf - Do you all teach your own classroom of students reading or do you have reading groups that include kids from other classes?
jentx - did you see a format on the HC website, jan
Tracy - I teach my own students reading.
Char - Rita, briefly, how do you like DIBELS? I'll be doing that at my school this year due to the reading first grant
Rita/PA - me too
jan - i'm hoping we can still use our wright group and AM/PM starters for leveled readers too we have many good readers
jentx - jan wright group & am/pm are THE BEST
wizzlewolf - Thanks Tracy for your response!
jan - jenn-i thought i saw something along those lines take a look when you get a chance
Rita/PA - IFor the life of me - I still don't know. Some of the assessments are well done but the nonsense one really throws my kids off because they are looking for meaning in a nonsense word
jentx - my biggest gripe wad the predecodable and decodable readers. I didn't really like using them. I will try to do better next year.
jan - jenn- and all do you send home the HC homewrk connection? I see it in the TE
Rita/PA - I didn't even have them!
Sandi/MI - What was your gripe about them? Having to copy them?
jentx - rita, how did you intro those readers & how did you use the xeoxed readers?
Char - I plan to put them in their take-home folders monthly
jan - It's like a homework calendar
jentx - Some were just way too hard for my very low babies, sandi.
Rita/PA - Sorry, I didn't have them. We have our own Independent reading increment - the 100 Book Challenge - I used those books
Sandi/MI - The homework calendars or the readers, char?
Sandi/MI - I first thought you meant the readers but you meant the calendars didn't you?
jan - now that HC has the calendar i wonder if the monthly calendar i send home will be ttoooo much?
jentx - I didn't use the homework connections
Char - the homework calendars
Rita/PA - I didn't either
jan - rita- did you use any homework calendar?
Rita/PA - No I have to do a homework sheet every week that the principal gets a copy of -- she wanted the calendar and more - it just got to be way too much
jan - HC looks good but of course follows their scope and sequence
Rita/PA - I'll have to take a better look at it when I get the TE, I'll be making many changes this year, I'm sure
Rita/PA - What did/do you think of the shared writing?
jentx - we just bumped thru the program this year, huh, rita?
Rita/PA - Well said!! LOL!
jan - you can get monthly homework calendars 2003-04 for K 's for around $15.00
Sandi/MI - Jen and Rita, now that you have "bumped" through...what pearls of wisdom can you share?
Rita/PA - jan, do you mean from HC?
jentx - I have my HC organized for the first 9 wks (from Aug 18 - Oct 17)
Sandi/MI - What do you mean by organized, planned?
Rita/PA - I bow to your work! I've been teaching 3rd grade summer school!
jentx - Don't try to do everything. If your kids are frustrated by an activity, it prabably isn't DAP or is introduced waaaaaaaaay too soon.
jan - no Harcourt has them in the TE they follow their scope and sequence but other homework calendars are out there for K's they are more generic but focus on k skills
Char - I bow to you too! I'm struggling trying to get the first 3 weeks planned!!
jentx - I have my units all written up by the way I want to do them including many name activities, color songs from Frog Street, phonemic awareness, poetry folder poems, science connections, etc
Rita/PA - My parents have difficulty with reading
jentx - my parents do 2 rita so I hav to keep homework quite simple
Tracy - Jen, can you tell us your schedule including times.
jentx - when did you finish summer school, rita
Sandi/MI - As you do...indicate if you think it is a must (for we half dayers)
jentx - We are getting a new schedule, but I can tell you briefly if you want.
Rita/PA - I don't finish until the end of the month
Tracy - Also Jen, since you have your units planned already...did you move any of the units (themes) around in HC? Please tell give brief schedule if you do not mind.
Rita/PA - Jen and everyone, what do you use for assessment?
Rita/PA - Hello
Sandi/MI - In MI we have the MLPP it is a set of assessments based on Marie Clay's stuff
Sandi/MI - If used and referenced it can really guide your instruction
Sandi/MI - are you half or full day and where are you from--schoolnya and hi
Rita/PA - We use the DRA and it's lacking
schoolnya - sandi you asking me
Sandi/MI - yep
Sandi/MI - jentx is compiling "a list"
Tracy - For assessment, we are using Saxon Phonics, theme assessments in HC, GKAP in GA, and Lexia Reading Assessment.
schoolnya - not sure about what you mean about half day full day ut from FL
Sandi/MI - oy
Sandi/MI - Do you teach a full day or half day kindergarten...or are you another grade, we are kindergarten teachers
jentx - no, I didn't move the units around
schoolnya - i am a full time teacher
Rita/PA - Does anyone else use the theme assessments? How did they work out for you? I didn't use them
schoolnya - i do teach another grade is this for kindergarten only
Sandi/MI - Those that have used the HC, did you do more than what is in the themes for "handwriting" practice?
jentx - we use DRA & TPRI
Sandi/MI - We are talking about the kindergarten HC teacher guides but I think anyone is welcome to participate
jentx - welcome to the Harcourt Buds chat, Heidi
Heidi - thanks jentx, I thought I missed it since we just got home. glad to see chat still on
Heidi - I teach k in fl and will be using it next year
Sandi/MI - Half or full day, Heidi?
Rita/PA - Seems like we're all in this together!
jentx - I modeled handwriting thru shared & interactive writing& put the alphabet cards in centers for them to see & practice letter formation
Heidi - Our county had a workshop this past week for k teachers to walk us through the program for a full time K
Sandi/MI - Tell me that was enough, Jen...
Rita/PA - Do tell!
Heidi - They want us to go pretty much by the book in what we do use, but use our own discretion as to what we feel is important
jentx - what did you think about the workshop, Heidi?
Sandi/MI - That's what we were told, too at ours before school let out. But the teacher although experienced in HC had no idea about Building Blocks, predictable charts, etc.
Rita/PA - did anyone else get staff dev.?
Sandi/MI - We're supposed to get it monthly by someone..
Heidi - It was alright, nothing I've never used before, a lot on how to handle the kids while teacher is doing guided or small group
jentx - that was enough in my opinion. Also, their Monday night homework was to practice writing first & last names
Sandi/MI - That's a good idea
jentx - oue so called staff dev was 30 minutes dueing our planning time. what a joke.
Heidi - The county said that because HC is our reading series that we don't have to use the writing part of it. Only if we want to. We do 6 traits for writing
Rita/PA - I have my Ks write their first name for three weeks 2X on Mon and wed
jentx - our district focuses on 6 traits also, heidi
Heidi - rita, do you teach them the proper letter formation
Heidi - Does anyone have their Teacher editions yet. I found some errors in it.
Sandi/MI - I have my TE
Tracy - What errors?
jentx - our first graders have the handwriting book. at the end of kinder, I was very pleased with my kinder's letter formation & writing content. they loved writing
Char - I have vol. 1, what errors?
jentx - I hav the first TE
Sandi/MI - Just typos, right?
Heidi - The part that introduces the letter Tt for handwriting shows how to do the Cap Tt the wrong way, it's even wrong in the picture card that comes with the program
Rita/PA - yes, I did but it was hard to find time for it. I started handwriting journals in February. Every morn before announcements they'd practice. They LOVED it I felt like a sell out - not DAP.
Heidi - Also two of the Big Books don't go exactly word by word with the tape. One of them is the Big Yellow Bus, the other I don't remember
Rita/PA - Perhaps this year I'll get the tapes
Rita/PA - Heidi, is that Tt the one that appears correct but backwards?backwards
Heidi - is there anyone that used HC already last year
Rita/PA - jentx and I "bumped" our way through it
Heidi - what did you like or not like about it
jen - sorry, I am JenTx, but my computer keeps knocking me off
jen - rita, terr, & vicki helped each other bump through it
Rita/PA - I think you're just spending the time planning even more!! Ha!
jen - terri is at the beach on vacation & vicki had tickets for the theater. they really wanted to be here.
Rita/PA - I think that was the other Rita - Rita/K
jen - O
Wendi/AZ - We will be using HC this year, has anyone used it before?
Wendi/AZ - Hi, this is my first time participating in a chat
Heidi - I experimented a bit last year with the sample kit they sent
Wendi/AZ - I love the message board, you guys have great ideas
Heidi - It seems pretty doable
Rita/PA - did you like it? HC
Wendi/AZ - Thanks for the help jen, I made it
Wendi/AZ - Heidi, are you 1/2 day K?
Heidi - This is the first time I'm in a chat room too.
Heidi - I'm full 8-2
Wendi/AZ - It seems like it has a lot of stuff, I'm only 1/2 day, so I'm a little nervous about doing everything
jen - This is the order of the alphabet for Trophies: msrtpc short a, nd & this is the vocab:a my the I loke go we. this is for the first 9 wks. hope it helps the newbies
Sandi/MI - Wendy, char and I are also half day
jen - you are sooooo welcome wendi
Wendi/AZ - Jen, did you do the one letter a week?
jen - loke is supposed to be like. since my computer crashed I am using hubbie;s laptop
Wendi/AZ - Sandi, don't you wish we had more time
Heidi - When does the school year start in AZ and PA
jen - no, 2 letters per week with Harcourt, but all the letters & sounds daily with kid names & reading & writing activities. Phonics instruction is really intrgrated in my class
Sandi/MI - YES! Our cut off date is Dec 1st but our school year starts Aug 21
Wendi/AZ - We start July 30th!!!!!
jen - rita, how did you do your morning message?
Sandi/MI - In AZ. I assume you have A/C, I hope. We don't but at least we aren't inthe desert
Wendi/AZ - All my plans of looking over the Teacher's Editons and getting it together haven't happened
Heidi - I must be a weird one, but I've had it with summer, I'm ready to try this stuff out already. We go back Aug. 19, 25th with the kiddos
Wendi/AZ - We definitely have AC, it is kind of nice going back early. It is so hot here that we might as well be in school.
Rita/PA - I do a much more extensive morning message than HC.
jen - My kids begin Aug 18. Teachers begin Aug 7
jen - Me 2 rita. It was so boring. my kids love my m.m.
Rita/PA - I don't start until September 15th!
Char - Sandi and I have been talking about that...getting back to class and giving it a try!
jen - I started using my own again after about the second week od Harcourt;s m.m. so did the other teachers I worked with.
Rita/PA - Yeah, I was so frustrated with that part. I do a paragragh using integration with the vocab of the read alouds and such - their mm was/is lacking. To you newbies - you may want to sharpen your own mm.
Wendi/AZ - jen, when you say you did two letters a week, did each theme still take you 9 weeks?
jen - the morning message is such an important teaching activity. I teach so many concepts of print with it.
Wendi/AZ - has anyone had an inservice from the publisher yet? We have one July 23rd.
Char - We did, but, truthfully, it wasn't that helpful
Rita/PA - YOU are so ooo right and theirs taught??? I guess where the print goes on the page or something.
Heidi - we did, but from the county who were trained by HC. It was a four day workshop on how to integrate the program, scheduling whole and small group, centers to have while doing small group, etc
Wendi/AZ - Oh great, I was hoping this would help, I better get to work
jen - I am doing Getting to Know you (stretching it to 3 wks), I Am Special (shortening it to 2 wks), Around the Table (3 wks), then start Silly Business the 9th week
Sandi/MI - Especially ours had no experience with building blocks or kid writing
Heidi - One of the presenters did a weekly lesson as the teacher. she read word for word out of the TE. I thought it was very boring. I can read a TE myself
Rita/PA - That's only one week back from my district's
jen - what did you think about all of the animal stories, rita
Heidi - Two animal type themes. I wonder why they did not make a plants theme
jen - I never did figure out what their morning message was all about. My kids did not attend to it.
Rita/PA - I'm so glad you brought that up. Are you guys hearing more and more of that? I had that happen with this summer school I'm teaching. It's the Voyager program for math and Prentice Hall for reading -- they emphasized over and over how we should read from the TE!!! Send in the robots!!
Sandi/MI - I'm telling you they must have had different people doing different parts of each theme and forgot to come together to make it flow!
Rita/PA - Sorry this tyrade was about the reading from the TE.
jen - They need to come in & see how kinders react to scripts!!!!
Rita/PA - You are certainly correct
jen - You are so right, sandi. It just doesn't flow
Heidi - I cant see lugging that TE around as I teach 30 Kindergartners. Do they expect us to stay in one spot with that big heavy text and read from it
jen - why are so many schools adopting Harcourt anyway
Sandi/MI - We'll end up holding the Big BOok in our laps and putting the TE on the big book stand!
jen - LOL sandi
Heidi - As a school district we had to vote on HC or scott Forseman. HC won
Sandi/MI - It is mentioned as a balanced, systematic reading series from the Readiing First research stuff
jen - we got it forced on us
Rita/PA - I guess the biggest problem I see is this... we K teachers could get together and do a better job with the flow and direction of the program. I hate to sound like this but, I KNOW i know more than the people who wrote this K part of Trophies.
Heidi - I know, in our school K never gets anything. The only reason we got it is because the principal did not have a choice. The county wants all schools to have it. It's better than nothing I guess, and we have 2 brand new teachers in our team, and it will be good for them
jen - It has some of the components of a balanced reading program, but upon closer inspection, you realize much of it is noy DAP & is not meaningfully connected
Sandi/MI - What else can we new ones do to make the best of this
jen - amen, rita,
Heidi - char, what state do you teach in. I'm FL by the way
Sandi/MI - char and I teach in the same district in MI
Rita/PA - Figure out which parts of the components fit inot you four block or ebl or what ever your framework is and then be sure to teach that first. For ex. concepts of print - big books (shared reading)then go with that leave the silly stuff out
Heidi - where in MI, my step daughter teaches in detroit. Not a pleasant place to work
Char - Hi, Heidi I'm in MI 1/2 day
Sandi/MI - a suburb of Detroit, Oak park
jen - It is a program that needs to be supplmented by better & more literature. also, the teacher should decide what is important for the needs of the learners.
Sandi/MI - We get a lot of kids from Detroit
Heidi - My hubby, went to school in Westland, MI, says its not that far from oak park
Sandi/MI - right
Rita/PA - Jen, You're right again!
Heidi - you're right jen. We know our kids best
Rita/PA - If we all get together and write to the editors do you think they'll update it? There's strength in numbers!
Heidi - I do a weekly poem in which I use to teach tons of things from it. It's very lacking in rhythm of language that you can get from the great poetry that's out there
Rita/PA - Well said, Heidi
jen - Don't get my hopes up, rita. I have thought of doing that so many times.
Janny - I used the morning message, but would change it to fit what we were doing.
jen - I used the big alphabet card, the letter & sound charts, the big books & read alouds, the literacy center activities, predecodable books in class & sent the xeroxed books home weekly
Janny - I did a lot of the same things jen mentioned. The decodable books were a pain to run off and put together.
Heidi - It does seem like the decodable books will be a pain to put together.
Janny - We incorporated some of our own stories and songs.
Janny - To go along with the themes.
jen - we used lots of our own books & charts!!!!
Heidi - I like the themes. They seem kid friendly, only thing is too much animals, like was mentioned earlier. I've incorporated some field trips at the times that we do the themes to go along with them
Janny - There are a lot of animals!
jen - there are soooooo many animal stories. that was one of my biggest gripes
Janny - I felt that the phonics and letter sound were presented kind of randomly.
Heidi - I wanted something with plants, which seem can I incorporate this in with. any suggestions
Janny - It wasn't as sequential as some programs I've used.
Heidi - theme not seem
jen - My fav theme was Under the Ocean at the end of the year
Janny - We just fit in plants in the spring. We have to do it for our science, so we created a mini-unit apart from the Harcourt.
Janny - We loved the ocean one too.
Heidi - I'm looking forward to the ocean one. kids can really relate to it coming from FL
Janny - Yes!
jen - I think we did plants with Around the Town, theme 9
Janny - The last week of school we had a beach day where the kids came dressed for the beach and brought towels, the whole nine yards.
Janny - Heidi, have you looked at the Harcourt stuff?
jen - we had a water day also. My fav acticity was when the kids threw water balloons at me & I warded them odd with a cookie sheet from the AbC center
Heidi - At the end of the year we do a wet and wild celebration. kids come in their bathing suits, and we set up 12 diff stations outside our building related water and beach, beach volleyball, small pools, sprinklers, etc
Janny - What fun!
jen - off not odd
Heidi - janny, yes, we got the full sample kit last year and I had all the materials, basically read the books, but did not do the small group stuff
Janny - I see.
Janny - I have enjoyed talking shop with you both. I hope there is another chat.
Janny - If you want to keep in touch my e-mail is - k3masct@ameritech.net
Heidi - I like it and plan on picking and choosing what I want to use. When I went to the inservice last week the presenter was reading from the TE. I was bored to pieces. Will never do that in my class. I'm very spontaneous in my teaching and I think that enthusiasm is killed by a script
Janny - Good night!
Char - Nite all, thanks for the helpful info., hopefully I'll be able to add to it after implementing it! We'll see, I'm sure I'll have lots of questions
jen - I am redoing theme 3 Around the Table. Week 1 will be JohnnynAppleseed, week 2 will be nutrition & week 3 will be when we do fire safety. So, sometimes we'll concentrate on Harcourt units & somwtimes on our own We still have to do the Harcourt skills tho.nite janny
