naneb - ((((((((((((((((Sharon)))))))))))))))) Hi!!
judy3ca - Sharon, I read your post about your week--good for you!
Sharon - it's been a great year... different, but a good kinda different
judy3ca - It's called Butterfly Kisses.
naneb - Sharon, your firsties are reading as well as some of my students! that is sad isn't it
Sharon - hiya nan!
judy3ca - (((Kim)))
Kim/1/Ca - ((((Smooches))) Happy Friday...!
Sharon - nan, you are the kind of teacher i'm in awe of ... you find a way to reach a class FULL of those strugglers
naneb - Thanks, Sharon!!
naneb - that means a lot to me!!
Kim/1/Ca - Judy......you buying more books?
Sharon - kim... does a wild bear mess in the woods???
naneb - ((((((((((((((((Marcia))))))))))))))))
Sharon - of course, judy is buying more books! lol!
Sharon - hiya marcia!
Kim/1/Ca - ((Marcia!!))) ....... and YES, Sharon baby, of COURSE!
naneb - Judy, Ibought Belle Prater's boy
Kim/1/Ca - I should talk............LOL!
judy3ca - Kim, yupper. The one title I gave is a stinker. But I got a lot of good ones from bookcloseouts. Sharon, one by your guy that's darling about a king cat.
Marcia/1st/GA - Hi, Nan, all! I am trying to stay awake to finish some laundry.
judy3ca - (((Marcia)))
Sonja - It was an extreme experience for any professional.
Marcia/1st/GA - Nan, I wanted you to know that I did NOT get Midnight Farm in my order.
judy3ca - Marcia, I'm doing laundry right now, too. Don't we lead exciting lives?
naneb - me either
naneb - plus I didn't get one of the Polacco books either
Kim/1/Ca - I am doing Reader's Workshop.......kiddos LOVE it and beg for it.
judy3ca - (((cavey)))
Sharon - kim... can you describe your reader's workshop?
naneb - my husband does laundry, it is all finished and he changed the sheets and made the bed, I am spoiled!!
cavey - Hi Guys - I've gotten four loads done tonight!
Kim/1/Ca - (((cavey)))) ......
naneb - ((((cavey)))
Marcia/1st/GA - Our book fair is here next week. I went in today to preview. All I want are the hardcovers... :0
Kim/1/Ca - Just starting, Sharon....but I have a lot of titles in tubs that are familiar and/or decodable.......they also have access to the introduced big books................they are to read with a partner or alone.......
cavey - Is everyone as tired as I am?
judy3ca - Have you guys seen the Mark Teague Halloween book? It has Wendel and what's his name from the shortcut book.
Marcia/1st/GA - You guys are awesome with the laundry! I can't even concentrate on it.
Sonja - Good Luck, Liz!!!!!!!!!!!
naneb - my trip to London is all booked and confirmed!! we leave Jan. 21
Marcia/1st/GA - I thought Shortcut was written by David McAuley??
judy3ca - cavey, I'm exhausted!
Kim/1/Ca - Yes, Cavey........extremely long week.........zzzzzzzz.............
Sharon - while you work with a smaller group or what are you doing during this time, kim?
naneb - I bought tubs for my books, I have an enormous order coming from Scholastic and then 21X points to spend!! Yeah!! more books
Kim/1/Ca - I thought Shortcut was written by Donald Crews..........? Oh........yeah.......illustrator, right?
judy3ca - Marcia, then it's Secret Shortcut....does that sound right now?
cavey - Just think, I'm three hours more exhausted!!
judy3ca - LOL cavey
Marcia/1st/GA - There are two named Shortcut-two very different stories.
Sharon - yay, nan! i love the pubs in england... each has its own personality... visit lots of 'em!
Kim/1/Ca - Yes Sharon, and that is my challenge right now........getting to enough of them and how do I place myself........
cavey - Okay - what's the shortcut book, I know PIGSTY
Sharon - yes, kim... i'm having the same problem
naneb - I will send y'all pics when I get home
Kim/1/Ca - Cavey.........where are you again?
judy3ca - Okay, it's THE SECRET SHORTCUT by Mark Teague.
Kim/1/Ca - Sharon.......I just CAN'T do the round robin thing.................with seatwork. Yuck. and this is what the stepford people in my grade level are doing.
cavey - Nan- have fun - would love to go to England!
Sharon - my kids still need me for words that come up during their independent reading... how do i put myself in a guided group and take myself away from them when they need me to circulate during independent reading?
cavey - Kim - in sniperland VA
Sharon - me either, kim... i agree... but i have some work to do on the RW to get where i want
Kim/1/Ca - LOL Cavey.....lay low.
Marcia/1st/GA - Sharon, my kids are writing words on their sticky notes that they don'tknow. During our sharing time, they can share a word they need help with or that they figured out. My workshop time is going pretty good.
Kim/1/Ca - Marcia.......describe how you do yours.
naneb - Marcia, I do that with my students too, Plus I covered the inside of my door with paper, It is titled Words To Good to Forget!! We post exceptional words on it, like gargantuan and phenomenon
Sharon - hmmm... you know, marcia... i might try that... i've been recording words that come up on the board and afterwards we have a "how could the reader have helped himself figure out this word" time where they tell me how they could figure out the word... mostly by chunks, inflectional endings, etc
Kim/1/Ca - You get the wonderful Fall colors there, Cavey.......my kids get pictures in books.
Alta Rose - Hi everyone.
Sharon - hi alta rose and brad
Marcia/1st/GA - I do my MOT lesson right before workshop. Then that is either my minilesson or I might do a separate mini lesson. It could be on a reading strategy or remind them about connections. It could be to bless a book,e tc. Then the kids read for about 40 minutes...
Kim/1/Ca - I find myself MODELING a LOT about "how readers figure out words" during our Shared REading and read aloud time.
cavey - Yes, Kim, it is a beautiful state and the allergies are great!!
cavey - Hi Brad and Alta!!!
naneb - Brad, I made progress today-- 3 related sentences, I think I see some slight progress
Sharon - and while they read do you meet with a smaller group, marcia?
Marcia/1st/GA - then we come to the sharing circle for about 15 minutes. The kids bring their book and lay it on the floor in front of them. I ususally have enough time for about 7 to share. They share a t-s, t-t or a word. I write the words on a white board and ask them to read it. Then I ask them which fix up strategy they used.
Kim/1/Ca - (((Alta Rose!))) (((((Bradleykins sweetie pie snookums))))
brad - That's great, Nan. We started personal narratives this week, and so far not so good
Sharon - that's what i'm doing in sharing time... they are so excited to share
brad - Is this Sunday? (God night)
Sharon - brad... are you seeing some progress with their reading?
Marcia/1st/GA - Yees, Sharon, I was doing guided reading. I also have an early intervention teacher come in so she is pullng students to read with. However, last year I was by myself and I kind of miss it. It was so quiet and peaceful However, with the low readers I have this year, I need to be thankful for help.
Kim/1/Ca - Good idea......go on
brad - So, Kimmykins, you've completed conferences?? How often must you hold them?
Sharon - do you do the guided reading during the RW?
brad - Very little, Sharon. It's all behavior with this crew, and it's unfortunate.
naneb - I have been up to my neck in report card problems, they always surface right before I print them,
Marcia/1st/GA - This past week, I did conferencing only and I loved that! I miss that. I feel like I don't know them as a reader doing guided reading groups.
Kim/1/Ca - <<<<<<<<snort To complete conferences the parents must actually SHOW UP when they SAY they are going to SHOW UP.
brad - Tell me about it (stud?)
Sharon - sorry to hear that, brad
Marcia/1st/GA - Brad, my crew is all behavior. I think I need to teach more whole group. I just don't know how to approach teaching anymore. Well, except for my RW. That's going pretty good.
Alta Rose - Brad, I started to use your SSR form that's in the files at mosaic teachers. I really like it.
Sharon - i had 17 out of 18 show up these last three days... such a difference in what i'm used to having
cavey - Well, Kim, you do get some extra planning time that way
Marcia/1st/GA - yes, Sharon, I do the guided reading during RW
brad - That's some of my issue, Marcia. I'm having a hard time doing my conferencing, because the rest of the group are just too immature to sustain themselves independently
Kim/1/Ca - Half showed up......... we are up for CCR this year so I have to have documentation that I really tried to reach them all. So more letters and another sign up sheet. ............ sheesh.
brad - I'm glad I could help, Alta. Now if only I could use it. LOL
Sharon - so they're content to record the unknown word and continue on in their reading?
Kim/1/Ca - yeah I worked all the while I waited. "Junior, what happened to your mom?" Junior: "She fell asleep."
Marcia/1st/GA - I try to read a book for about 2 days, do a making words lesson, and maybe an interactive writing and still squeeze in a couple of conferences a day.
Sharon - sounds good, marcia!
brad - Kim: "The lights got cut off"
Alta Rose - brb-I'm going to get a new colour.
Marcia/1st/GA - Sharon, well, it's not perfect. However, I think they are beginning to use the strategies more now. Plus, they have 2 months of growth behind them. It wasn't this smooth at the beginning of the year.
brad - Kim: "We had to go shoe shopping."
cavey - Alta join brad and I in purple
Kim/1/Ca - We have been doing a LOT of word work.........Making Words, the spelling (Grace's), pulling words from the kid-made book, and then Word Wall stuff............
Sharon - brad... how are you trying to have them work independently? what are they asked to do?
brad - yes, cavey and I are two purple peas in a pod
judy3ca - I'm going to have a conference with a deaf parent--a first for me.
brad - Sharon, I'm simply asking them to read while I conference. I guess that's too much pressure.
Sharon - oh, i'm super excited about the growth they've shown as readers... it's just that RW isn't what i envision it being yet
cavey - with denim jumpers on
Kim/1/Ca - Then lots of Shared Reading, I "merchandise" the stuff in the book baskets, lots of Read Aloud, song lyrics.......I am making more song charts this weekend.
Marcia/1st/GA - I really think I need to get back on track with the phonics.
Sharon - read at their independent reading level?
Alta Rose - brb again
Kim/1/Ca - Same here Sharon.............they are "noticing" lots of rime patterns and we are highlighting a LOT of words, LOL!
brad - Why do you think that, Marcia?
brad - Yes, Sharon
Sharon - kim... judy pointed out that scholastic's october order form has a great selection of song books... and they were great... i ordered them all
cavey - Alta - a bit ADD tonight?
Kim/1/Ca - Judy........do you have an interpreter or does the parent read lips?
treble clef - I have a problem, students are having trouble reading music/I am not sure how to help them/is there anything I can use from you teachers that teach reading?????
Marcia/1st/GA - My students are really low. Our school has Open Court phonics and I didn't really use it last year. It's so boring for the kids reading at 2nd grade level. But I have so many who don't know their sounds. Is anyone familiar with SSP Making Words?
judy3ca - Sharon, I'm so glad you figured out a way to get them!
brad - Try a ho ho Alta
Kim/1/Ca - I probably have them........
judy3ca - Kim, I'm going to have the daughter interpret--I don't know what else to do.
Marcia/1st/GA - I jsut threw the October one away.
Sharon - you spurred me on with that tantalizing bit of info about the great books available!
Kim/1/Ca - Yes, Marcia...........very multilevel and a bit difficult for the first couple months, I think................
Marcia/1st/GA - Judy, we do that all the time with the Spanish speaking kids here.
cavey - Judy- I had a kid once whose Mom was deaf, I used to get so annoyed that he was always pecking me, til I found out why
ajaj - What grade level of scholastic books had the song books?
Kim/1/Ca - I use Judy Lynch's version for now........plan to transition to the SSP around Christmas or so..........
cavey - ((erin))
brad - Kim, what are you referring to?
Sharon - see-saw... is that first?
Marcia/1st/GA - Kim, there is one called Systematic Sequential Phonics which moves in a progression. I am thinking of following that sequence of sounds, but so many of the teachers I work with just LOVE the Open Court.
Kim/1/Ca - I saw them in See Saw, I think, ajaj.........you can call them.
judy3ca - cavey, yeah--I've figured that one out, LOL. Both of her parents are deaf--we'll see.
ajaj - yes, thanks seesaw is first
brad - Oh, Marcia, SSP is four blocks.
Marcia/1st/GA - What's Judy Lynch's version?
cavey - Judy- I was lucky, Our school secretary had a deaf sister
Marcia/1st/GA - Right, brad!
Kim/1/Ca - I am doing both, Marcia..........but I don't torture them with the Open Court very long.......just hit the basics and focus more on the Making Words and spelling................
naneb - I have heard good things about SSP, but I haven't used it
Alta Rose - SSP?
ajaj - What does SSP stand for?
judy3ca - cavey, that was lucky. fortunately for me, the kid is a sweetie.
Alta Rose - Never mind.
Morgan - hello - are you all teachers?
Kim/1/Ca - I think it is called Lessons for TEaching Word Families............ she wrote it cuz the first Cunningham version was too high for first grade. The SSP you are talking about is Cunningham for first grade but I find that it is too difficult for the low ones.
Sharon - what a wonderful world, my favorite things, take me out to the ballgame, little bunny foo foo, take me out of the bathtub... and a lot of others were listed
brad - same with me Nan; good things, but I stick with month by month and the phonografix that Nan has turned me onto
Marcia/1st/GA - That's waht I was thinking too, Kim. While I am doing the blending of sounds, I might let my higher readers have time to do Accelerated Reading. Then have them join us for more multilevel activities.
Kim/1/Ca - YES, Sharon! Great titles........ I have music for most of them. SSP= Systematic Sequential Phonics They Use.......Cunningham.
Alta Rose - Ajaj, that never mind wasn't for you! It meant I figured out the answer to my question as soon as I posted. Sorry.
brad - I found SSP a little "too too" for me. But maybe I wouldn't think that with this year's crew, I don't know.
cavey - brb-can I bring anyone a drink?
Marcia/1st/GA - Kim, I think most of my class could handle the SSP altho, I have two that it might still be too hard.
brad - Phonics They Use was the first book that turned me on to Cunningham and 4B
Kim/1/Ca - Yes Morgan.....tired but dedicated.
Kim/1/Ca - cavey........bring me a white zin
Sharon - what is the phonografix?
brad - published by McGuinness, Sharon
Morgan - lol - sweet i am a wannabe teacher - i have another year before i student teach
Marcia/1st/GA - I am afraid that if I don't follow a set program, they won't learn to blend their sounds.
naneb - are we talking vowels again tonight??? LOL!!
Kim/1/Ca - It IS multi level, Marcia..........I am thinking of bringing it in for my higher kids ( I have two reading at a primer level right now.........)
Sharon - yes, they will, marcia
Erin - Judy, how is your writing workshop going this year?
brad - There are all kinds of different materials, but you can get a nice introduction in Reading Reflex. very cheap on Amazon (insert Kim's clucking noises here)
Kim/1/Ca - Rest up now, Morgan...........LOL.......
Erin - My kids are very excited about writing.
Sharon - but what is it, brad?
judy3ca - Morgan, I have 2 Morgans in my class this year.
Kim/1/Ca - No steenkin' vowels yet, Naneb
ajaj - I have 1st graders still learning to recognize letter names
naneb - brad, you sound like me!!
Sharon - oh, ok
Alta Rose - I really like McCracken Phonics. I follow that program, and choose the Making Words and other activities that go with the phonics we are working on from M.P.
Marcia/1st/GA - Yes, what is it?
brad - It's a way of teaching sounds and phonemic awareness, blending, etc.
judy3ca - Erin, we're loving WW this year--even better than last year.
Morgan - hehe - are any of you teachers in new york?
Sharon - brad, did you get the 4H brothers email?
Kim/1/Ca - I love McCRacken stuff............ I forgot they had the phonics program................
judy3ca - What about you, Erin?
Kim/1/Ca - Judy..........share a little bit.
brad - Yes, I did Sharon. I thought there was an official "story" though.
Erin - The part I am struggling with is the revision of all the different pieces. The kids have written a ton. What are you doing?
Kim/1/Ca - Sharon! They love the rooster!
Marcia/1st/GA - I am thinkingthat mine need more of the shared writing right now too. Kim, do you do 4 blocks?
Alta Rose - Spelling Through Phonics is what it's called.
Sharon - lol! good, kim!
Kim/1/Ca - I HAVE THAT, Alta! LOLOLOL!
cavey - b
Erin - They love it though!!! Especially the share
Kim/1/Ca - ........but what do you do for -or?
judy3ca - Kim, I stick to Atwell's model of Writer's Workshop. We're adding Six Traits this year and it's perfect.
cavey - sorry KIm, tripped coming in and spilled your wine
Kim/1/Ca - A seal.........."or or or or"
Alta Rose - ? Kim
Sharon - maybe there is... i just embellish
Kim/1/Ca - Yummy, Judy..............sigh.
brad - It's the second one Kim. AR, OR, ER, IR, UR
Sharon - or is in there kim
Kim/1/Ca - sheesh, cavey.......thanks a lot.............(grumble grumble)
cavey - Oh Judy - when are you writing your own book. I need you
Sharon - lol... a seal might be an idea though!
judy3ca - cavey, ROFLOL--I'm learning every day. Can I help you with something?
Kim/1/Ca - OH! I just have ir ir ir ir ir and er er er er er and ur ur ur ur ur.......................(embarrassed)
brad - Oh, Kim, isolated little miss you-know-who in the corner per mother's request, and guess who kept being found out-of-seat and bothering others???
Erin - How often are they going to final draft, Judy? I guess cuz I'm one of the only ones doing it at my school I'm unsure of how much to "push"
cavey - Yes Judy, they're gifted and their writing sucks (pardon the vernacular)
Alta Rose - brb...Son has a sore stomache.
Morgan - would any of you be interested in responding to a teacher interview on literacy in an elementary classroom?
ajaj - 1st grade teachers: How many sentences are your stds. writing on a topic at this time
Kim/1/Ca - mmmmm..........little miss you know who???? am i right?
judy3ca - Erin, right now most kids are taking every piece (some narrative, some poetry) to final draft. The time frame totally depends on the kid.
cavey - Got an assignment Morgan?
brad - you really should be in cavey's gifted class, Kim
Kim/1/Ca - I use OC's Arthur Armadillo gargling for ar ar ar......they like it.
brad - I'm thinking about videotaping to show mom
Morgan - yes i do cavey
judy3ca - cavey, do you read to them a lot? Do you point out striking language?
Erin - O.K. that makes sense. What about a kid who keeps going and going...I have one who is writing the next sci fi novel...should I stop him...?
Kim/1/Ca - Morgan you gotta speak up here........... we all go a mile a minute and have a lot in common.......so we are room hogs.
Sharon - what are some more good ones from OC, Kim?
brad - speak for yourself Kim. (snort, grunt)\
Marcia/1st/GA - I couldn't figure out some of those pictures, Kim. Of course it would help if I read the cards! I am thinking of using some product labels to teach some of those sounds.
brad - Just a q: Why does everyone detest Open Court so much?
Kim/1/Ca - (shuffling) well, sharon...........this is my first year in first grade so.............Arthur is my repertoire right now...............
cavey - Yes, Judy, we do that almost every day. They just want to get it over with
Morgan - i had an interview setup with a teacher but the plans did not work out
cavey - I'm not inspiring them I guess
judy3ca - Erin, I do stop them eventually, but I've had kids write very long pieces. Why not? The idea for me is for them to practice writing--so what difference does it make if it's one long piece or a bunch of shorter pieces?
Kim/1/Ca - Yeah.....who in HECK wants to read that dang lesson manual>>>>>>>>>>>>not me!
judy3ca - Oh cavey, that's soooo sad!
Sharon - hmmm... did they just make a break in the sniper case?
Marcia/1st/GA - B-O-R-I-N-G!
Erin - That's what I was thinking but I wanted an "expert" opinion. The fact that they are so excited about writing I figure is 90% of the battle
brad - so, Judy, I'm sure I've asked you this. How do you determine grades in writing if they're not managing a piece a week?? Do you grade on continuum?
cavey - I do have one little genius that is fantastic, he makes it all worthwhile
Kim/1/Ca - interview brad, morgan........he is soooo inspiring and just a literacy god..............
Marcia/1st/GA - Kim, do your kids do a writing block?
Kim/1/Ca - tell me about it marcia.............lol
cavey - Interview Kim Morgan and Judy too and Jan if she shows up
brad - why is it boring?
Marcia/1st/GA - My kids beg for writing workshop, but I find it so hard to make accountable or what I think in my mind should be accountable.
Kim/1/Ca - yes marcia......i started writing journals and i do a lot of "directed" stuff..........they write their own sentences for their books we make and we do interactive writing. I need to take it to the next level............beyond the class books.........
Sharon - i'm discouraged there too, marcia... because we're a science magnet we had to take time from somewhere to make room for an hour of inquiry science each day... i had to take it from writing
Morgan - really - is brad or judy or kim or anyone interested?
judy3ca - Brad, LOL, let me say one more time I am the world's worst grader. I assess them (now using Six Traits) on whatever they write--does that make sense?
Erin - The problem I have with teacher's guides is they never give the overall picture of reading. They tell the kids the important vocabulary, everything is so broken up....
Sharon - repeat, morgan?
Kim/1/Ca - hmmmm........i would just think spending time wriitng.........using the word wall words, ........
Marcia/1st/GA - I think i am going to have to do a little more interactive writing, that's all. For my beginning readers and writers..
Erin - Yeah, Judy....Then I am the world's second worst grader...
Marcia/1st/GA - Sharon, an hour????
judy3ca - Marcia, my kids actually cheer when it's time for WW, LOL.
brad - So Judy, you take a look at whatever they wrote in the journal and go from there?
Erin - Judy, mine beg...is it WW?
Kim/1/Ca - ask away, morgan............we love to talk about our sorry selfs.
cavey - Morgan, they are all really nice people who will help you. Post on the Prof Reading board next week
ajaj - Sharon I hardly get 10 minutes of science in... an hour
judy3ca - Erin, LOL, I knew we had a lot in common.
Kim/1/Ca - (((((((Jan))))))) ar ar ar ar ar
judy3ca - (((Jan)))
Erin - Selfs...selves?????
Sharon - yep, marcia... a FULL hour... very detailed... very hands on... with breaking into investigation and then back whole group to discuss and then back to investigating more
brad - Interactive writing is where the children adn teaacher share the pen, right?
Alta Rose - Hi Jan!
judy3ca - Brad, yes.
Marcia/1st/GA - Oh, Judy, my kids love WW very much. I just don't know how to keep up with helping them.
Morgan - really cool - thank you!
cavey - Yay Jan's here!!
Kim/1/Ca - we did interactive writing yesterday...................really cute activity!
Sharon - (((((((Jan)))))) or or or
Sharon - (((((((Jan)))))) or or or
brad - The green F and P book, Judy?? LOL
Marcia/1st/GA - That science thing would be a challenge for me.
Kim/1/Ca - on the board, morgan, you will get longer, more serious responses......the prof reading board
ajaj - what did you do Kim?
Jan - I'm just dropping by to check up on all of you. I have no voice, so "chatting" on the board is my salvation!
brad - give me more Kim. This may help my low seconds, I think.
Kim/1/Ca - we read mercer mayer's "there's an alligator under my bed" then............................
Sharon - what's really cool? i'm not following very well
Erin - Judy, we just finished Because of Winn Dixie...they loved it
Sharon - i love it marcia... the foss modules are great
Morgan - thank you - i will do that - you all have a good night!
Kim/1/Ca - .........we made alligators................and then...................
Alta Rose - Hey--My staff is reading RWM now, and one of my collegues approached me yesterday and said she is trying "connections." I gave her your bicycle poem, Sharon.
Marcia/1st/GA - yes, Brad, the greenone. However, sometimes I cheat. Sometimes I have them dictate sentences if my objective is to order the sentences. yesterday we did a sequence writing together of how we made pumpkin muffins.
cavey - Erin, Judy - have you heard of Adaline Falling Star? Really good!
judy3ca - Erin, we're reading that right now (slowly though because it's kind of catch when catch can). Mine love it, too.
Kim/1/Ca - we wrote an Interactive Writing big note for the 4th grade class just like the kid's note in the book:
Alta Rose - At least, they all have a copy of the book. Who knows if they're all reading it, though.
Sharon - great, alta rose... tell them to join us at yahoo too
Erin - Cavey, yes I have that...you recommend obviously?
brad - Do you all have any tips on "baiting the hook" in an interactive writing? In other words, if the sentence they say doesn't make grammatical sense, or etc.?
judy3ca - cavey, I love that title, but I think it's too hard for my group.
Marcia/1st/GA - Brad, I am wondering if your seconds need more teacher directed right now. I am hoping by doing some of these "writings" together, they will see and hear about how to order, revise, etc.
Alta Rose - Yes, Sharon, I sent them all the yahoo site.
cavey - My kids loved it!! Erin
Alta Rose - I have to be careful, though, I think I'm bombarding them with too much at once.
Kim/1/Ca - "Dear Mrs. M's Class: WARNING! Be careful! There are alligators in your room! Caution! Love, Mrs. L's Class." then we snuck them over to the room during their recess.........
Erin - cavey...what do you do for differentiation in your class for GATE? I'm asking because we just had a GATE meeting today
Sharon - brad, do you do DOL?
Marcia/1st/GA - Sounds cute, Kim
brad - I have Sharon, why? (Not this year)
cavey - May be Judy. i started Missing May with my fifth today, and only my shining star was into it, the others are bored to death
ajaj - cute idea kim
Kim/1/Ca - The note took about 10 minutes to write............they kept re reading it today before we went over with the gators...........
Michelle - Hi! what book are you talking about?
cavey - Should I switch to Winn Dixie or see it through?
Marcia/1st/GA - well, that worked then Kim. Both for reading and writing skills.
Sharon - i saw an interesting way of doing it with powerpoint and then put on tv... write with the "pen" and edit on the screen
ajaj - did they dictate the note and you wrote it or did they use the pen too
cavey - Erin- I'm not sure what you mean- rephrase please
Sharon - kids really liked being the 'computer geek' that got to correct it
Kim/1/Ca - that is blasphemous, cavey..........they are BORED with Rylant? They should be stoned to death.
Erin - I think if it's too hard...discuss how we give up books sometimes...and switch
judy3ca - cavey, I don't know what to advise, but I will confess that I've given up on read alouds in the past--some classes just don't click with some books.
cavey - I agree Kim
Kim/1/Ca - cool sharon............(((((Michelle)))
brad - Kim (ducking head here), I find that only highly literate Debbie-Miller children can get into Rylant.
Marcia/1st/GA - Sharon, ooh that's an idea. We are getting wireless laptops at our school. Any ideas of how to implement with a group fo firsties?
cavey - I'll ask them tomorrow
naneb - How can they not like Missing May? What a good book!! try making a whirligig
Erin - Some teachers say specific things they differentiate. I feel through WW and Reader's workshop that I have differentiated. I was just wondering if you are ever asked what you do for GATE specifically.
cavey - or maybe on Monday
Kim/1/Ca - You lie like a dang steeenkin' rug, Brad..........................(sheesh.......call yourself a TEACHER)
Sharon - are you going to use my webquest this year, marcia?
Kim/1/Ca - naneb............some of the best prose out there is in THAT book, huh?
Marcia/1st/GA - Brad, I have a couple of mine talking like me. One little girl was in time out at recess and when I told her her time was up, she said she didnt want to play. She wanted to feel the wind on her face. (that came right from my mouth!)
Sharon - i'm curious... could they email each other... just a fun writing activity using the computers?
Kim/1/Ca - All of my children worship at the altar of Rylant. Even the low un-literate ones.
naneb - I loved it, Kim and I think if the kids made whirligigs and talked about family and loss they would identify with the book
Marcia/1st/GA - Most definitely. I wish I had had one for US flag or symbols. That was a big unit. Mapping is going to be another one too.
cavey - Erin- I'm sure you are differentiating appropriately through these things. I have my kids as their only teacher for their identified subject either LA or Math
brad - I calls 'em as I sees 'em. Dont kill the messenger.
Michelle - interesting, brad. My kids love Rylant, but they aren't exceptionally high students.
judy3ca - Marcia, that's beautiful! And way better than what I heard today--I heard one of mine say, "Max, I can hear you all the way over here." Hmmm, that phrasing sure sounds familiar, ROFL.
Michelle - maybe it's my enthusiasm rubbing off on them?
Erin - We have clusters. This year I only have 2 GATE out of 24. What kind of cluster is that????????? Makes it hard this year.
Kim/1/Ca - Brad, for even SAYING such a low down dirty dog thing I must say that you ARE lower than the snake's belly as he crawls through the pig droppings...........
brad - You wish you had one what Marcia?
Marcia/1st/GA - Well, mine should be worshipping the Rylant altar by the end of the year.
Sharon - marcia, another idea... i have a site address somewhere where the kids can submit their own book reviews for posting on the web
Marcia/1st/GA - a webquest. Sharon asked me about her webquest. I am hinting strongly for another one. Hers was great b/c it didn't take the kids to the internet.
Marcia/1st/GA - Erin, where are you?
Alta Rose - I don't have many Rylant books, so I am asking this as a question (not arguing): What is it about Rylant that you like?
Kim/1/Ca - Even kids who DROOL love Rylant.......................
Marcia/1st/GA - sounds good, Sharon, send it to me.
Erin - I'm in California
Alta Rose - The only one I have is Poppleton.
cavey - I missed it- what did he say about the goddess Cynthia?
Sharon - okie dokie... if i can find it!
brad - her language and her serenity
Marcia/1st/GA - Alta, I like her because she is from WVA and she writes calm, peaceful, beautiful stories. I also heard her speak. Personal connections all the way.
cavey - Oh Alta Honey - she's divine!!
judy3ca - Hi diane!!!
Kim/1/Ca - All the stuff for mind journeys, Alta..........the real life, simplistic language that implies such reverence for life and passion for things we take for granted ........... dogs, cats, old folks........... beautiful language...............
Sharon - and another idea... a friend just presented how to use powerpoint in the classroom and she has a jeopardy template where you can set up your own categories, questions, and point values and have them play
Erin - Hi diane
cavey - Hey little d is here!!!
judy3ca - Brad, nice summary.
Marcia/1st/GA - Alta, you have to get some of her picture books!
Kim/1/Ca - (snorting at brad trying to make nice after blaspheming from here to Ohio)
Michelle - I love the "wondrous words" in the books. We really get into how Rylant uses language in her books
naneb - there are templates for jeopardy and millionaire
Sharon - she offered to email it as an attachment if you're interested, marcia
Jan - Hi, diane
naneb - hollywood squares too
cavey - Alta - she loves dogs and old people - who can argue with that?
brad - I never said I didn't like Rylant. . .(she don't listen too well, do she?)
diane - funny, cavey...i have a sister-in-law named diane...she's ten years older, so when i was a kid, i got called little diane all the time
Sharon - the jeopardy one was removed, nan
Marcia/1st/GA - yes, send it. I have power point on my computer. Thanks Sharon.
Kim/1/Ca - Some of the most profound book language anywhere is in Rylant's stories........Mr. Putter and Tabby, Missing May, The Old Woman Who Named Things..............
naneb - I do Guess The Covered Word with powerpoint
Alta Rose - I looked for them in our library. Found one called 'November' which was nice. I'm just trying to think about what's special about Poppleton. (Not being snotty!)
brad - chuckle, thought you fell asleep Jan
Michelle - I read An Angel for Solomon Singer yesterday...they wanted me to read it again. Rylant rules!
Erin - All right, gotta go. Hubby home from work
naneb - I love The Old Woman who Named Things
Jan - Not quite, brad...but close
Sharon - she did some great things with powerpoint... one i liked was to have a continuous running one while parents waited for conferences
Marcia/1st/GA - Poppleton is great b/c it's a series book. It will get the kids intersted in Rylant and then they can progress to her beautiful language style picture books.
naneb - I have it, Sharon and Millionaire and H Squares
diane - alta...i like poppleton and henry and mudge just fine, but it's rylant's picture books that are really divine
Alta Rose - Oh, I have seen Mr. Putter, too. Just haven't been drawn to reading it.
Kim/1/Ca - YOU SAID that your low ones don't like Rylant. This means their TEACHER (or sorry excuse for one) DISSED Rylant and doesn't model it well. (sheesh.......and they gave this man a CREDENTIAL)
judy3ca - Tulip Sees America
naneb - I will put them on our site
cavey - I love that one too Nan and Mr. Putter. I have a great uncle just like Mr. Putter. Cat and everything
Marcia/1st/GA - I love Angel, November, Appalachia
naneb - I did that for open house about how I use 4 blocks
judy3ca - Mr. Grigg's Work
Sharon - could you send me all of them, nan?
Kim/1/Ca - I finally found a copy of Miss Maggie........in our sorry excuse for a library. The kids all oooohed and aahhed.
diane - tulip here for me...
cavey - bye Erin!!
judy3ca - When I Was Young in the Mountains
brad - well, Kim, they do have a fondness for Captain Underpants and Stinky Cheese Man
Alta Rose - Our new librarian asked for a list of books we'd like to have, so I gave her Rylant's name along with a few others.
brad - and Arthur
Jan - Tulip is very hard to get. Backordered at Amazon!
Michelle - Jan, you are becoming quite well-known at my school...
Kim/1/Ca - I LOVE Mr. griggs.........what a powerful model for the good life............living simply and having a job you LOVE............
Marcia/1st/GA - Alta, are you in Canada?
Kim/1/Ca - go sit in the corner brad
Alta Rose - Yes, Marcia. Alberta.
Jan - Mr. Griggs is out of print!
Michelle - and judy, you are part of my Thinking Strategies study....thought you should know.
cavey - Oh Jan, I hate to tell you, but I got it at bookcloseouts discount priced
Marcia/1st/GA - I must read Mr. Griggs. I just got Cookie Store Cat, but haven't read it yet.
judy3ca - Brad, I think you just may have ticked Kim off.
Jan - Oh, dear, Michelle...in what way?
Kim/1/Ca - I LOVE TULIP! They kids especially like his experiences in ............ the desert............
Michelle - tulip is my favorite, too.
judy3ca - Michelle, well, thanks!
Michelle - funny thing is, i haven't read it to the class yet.
Kim/1/Ca - Jan, try Abebooks.com
Sharon - nope... my favorite is still LET'S GO HOME
brad - yes, oh purveyor of pornographic material, I bet they DO love what happens in the desert
Marcia/1st/GA - Kim Oh, yes, anything with a naked body!
Jan - cavey, when did you get it? I've had two places looking for it. Both just advised it is out of print.
Kim/1/Ca - Marcia......Cookie store cat is precious.......so is bookshop dog...........
naneb - I like Van Gogh's Cafe too, great for prediction
Michelle - I got Mr. Griggs and Tulip from bookcloseouts.
cavey - I'll bet she has the Night Kitchen too Brad
Kim/1/Ca - The CORNER Bradley..........now (in my best teacher voice)
diane - kim...my principal can be uptight about things...she came into my classroom on the first day of school and watched the kids start readers' workshop. of course as they explored the library they saw the desert experience...my principal got nervous...silly
Michelle - In a good way, Jan...I quote you all the time.
Sharon - mine giggle like crazy when mrs wishy washy is washing the pig in the tub and you see his butt crack
brad - That's my fave, I think, nan. And The Wonderful Happens
Michelle - when something important comes up, I always share what Jan says.
Kim/1/Ca - LOL diane.......doesn't it just figure!!
Alta Rose - Oh, and don't they howl when they see "David" running away from his bath!
Jan - Be careful what you quote, Michelle!
Marcia/1st/GA - What happened to Jan?
cavey - Oh Sharon - thanks for the memory!!! Butt crack on a pig, nothing funnier
brad - Yes, Michelle. Moi aussi. "Well Jan said. . .Jan thinks that. . . Jan was sharing some research. . ."
naneb - Judy, I love the artwork in Home Place, it is beautiful
diane - of course, this is the same class that cried today at the end of trumpet of the swan...they've come a long way already
Sharon - visualizing, cavey?
Michelle - I have The Best Town in the World...it has a naked scene too.
Kim/1/Ca - i love the fact that she uses different illustrators............the gracie book and the wonderful happens has such vibrant, folk arty kind of stuff.......
judy3ca - Nan, yes, I'm so glad you like it.
cavey - building pig butt schema Sharon
Kim/1/Ca - true..........they love the pig's butt crack...........reminds me that today we reviewed the -ass family..........sheesh...........
Jan - Jan actually did a workshop without saying a word! No voice!
Sharon - judy... i'm telling you to get that book All the Places I Love
judy3ca - Night in the Country
Michelle - Jan, we had a big discussion during lunch about Hunter and ITIP and lesson plans...your name came up there. It comes up when we discuss synthesis and other things too.
Sharon - pictures are outstanding!
Kim/1/Ca - ((((Jan)))) Brad......go get Jan some hot tea.
diane - man...we're starting to sound like 3rd grade boys
brad - The transparencies speak for themselves? N'est-ce pas?
judy3ca - Sharon, by McLachlan? I have that one, yum!!!!
Jan - I get a special charge now when I get into a discussion on synthesis!
Marcia/1st/GA - Sharon, is that one poetry?
Sharon - yes, judy... aren't they gorgeous!
Kim/1/Ca - rotflm(butt crack)o........cavey.........
naneb - Sharon, these files are pretty big is it Ok to send them all at once or should I send them one at a time?
Jan - Right, Brad, the participants TAUGHT from the transparencies!
brad - I ran across a cute book at the library. "I Love You With All My Hearts."
Sharon - one at a time is great, nan
judy3ca - Yes--she says all her books are about the prairie.
Kim/1/Ca - way to delegate, jan.........
judy3ca - Jan, good for you for teaching without a voice--I'll bet it was great!
Jan - Whose books are about the prairie, Judy. I love prairie books!
Alta Rose - Gotta go-I promised daughte I'd watch a movie with her. I'll pop back later after she goes to bed, if anyone's still here.
Sharon - no marcia... beautiful language though
Michelle - bye, alta.
diane - okay, so this question is for nan (i think)...but anyone can answer...i'm really considering the national board certification. have to make a decision soon due to recertification stuff...was it worth it? pitfalls? drawbacks?? etc??
Kim/1/Ca - what movie?
Jan - Well, I'm doing another gig on Monday with no voice---unless the antibiotics kick in
cavey - Bye Alta!! I hope it's a good movie!
judy3ca - Patricia McLachlan (I hope I have that right). All the Places to Love and Sarah Plain and Tall.
Sharon - nan, will i be able to plug my own questions in and show it on the tv whole group?
Kim/1/Ca - how is your son doing michelle?
Michelle - I've never understood the love of the prairie. all that flatness and open space gives me the creeps. plus having no ocean for 1,000 miles....i couldn't stand it.
Jan - Thanks, Judy---I think I have those somewhere around here.
cavey - Oh Michelle- you and Cynthia Rylant and your ocean
naneb - Sharon, yes there are instructions with each file on how to add questions and how to run the game
Sharon - jan, do you have If You're Not From the Prairie?
Kim/1/Ca - you can stand on a tuna can and look from border to border, michelle..........hee hee hee..............
Jan - Michelle, I wouldn't want to LIVE on it, but I love reading about the people who do!
judy3ca - ROFL, Jan, yes, I'll just bet you do already have them.
Jan - Sharon, no---who wrote it?
Kim/1/Ca - The Whales............sigh........practically a religious experience.
diane - cavey, there's really nothing like the oregon coast through the trees
judy3ca - Bouchard, I think.
naneb - Diane, yes it was worth it, will really help you to grow as a teacher, pitfalls - time consuming and nerve wracking
Sharon - david bouchard
Marcia/1st/GA - I tried our Borders and they can't even get If Your're Not from the Prairie. Thought it would go well with our Canada unit when we study the different areas
Jan - The Whales is ALSO out of print!
judy3ca - But it's not OUR prairie--it's about Canada.
Sharon - jan... perfect for sensory images
naneb - Sharon, I have a great email to send you about My South, you will love it
Kim/1/Ca - NO WAY, Jan! HOW can that book be out of print?
Marcia/1st/GA - Jan, who wrote it?
Sharon - i thought i just bought it there, marcia
cavey - don't get the prarie thing either - no trees, gotta have big trees
Jan - I like ALL prairie people
Sharon - great, nan
Marcia/1st/GA - Sharon, that's what I thought too.
judy3ca - Wow, friends, we'd better start taking better care of our Rylant books.
brad - (ducking) Too many illiterates in the country is why it's out of print?
cavey - darn, I wanted the Whales!!
Sharon - maybe i ordered it online from barnes and noble
diane - thanks, nan, how difficult to pass on the first try? (i ask safely knowing that you did) any idea why some fail?
Kim/1/Ca - You better duck................(shaking head in the wonderment of it all)
brad - If you say prarie over and over to yourself, it starts to sound a little wierd. Try it. Prarie. . .prarie. . .prarie. . .
Kim/1/Ca - cavey.........try abebooks.com
Marcia/1st/GA - I'll try there or at amazon.
Jan - I tried to order all the Rylant books you suggested on the board. All but about two are not available. I tried 3 different places.
Kim/1/Ca - it is a strange word........p r a i r i e.......
naneb - http://dogbert.abebooks.com/abe/BookDetails?bi=152798850&ccreate=Y
Sharon - who's mutterin' in the corner?
Jan - brb going to abebooks.com
Kim/1/Ca - kind of surreal..........
Michelle - I wonder about that certification, too. I've heard that most people fail on the first try
naneb - try that link for if You're Not From the Prairie
cavey - Okay, I thought I was the only one drinking
Kim/1/Ca - cavey DROPPED my drink.............
Marcia/1st/GA - how fast is abebooks?
Michelle - My son is doing ok, Kim. He's at his dad's right now.
brad - QUIT SAYING PRAIRIE!! I'M HAVING A BAD TRIP!!
naneb - I had a great group to work with and a really good mentor who forced us to reflect a lot, Diane you have to really prove everything you say and do a good job writing, I think being a good writer makes the difference
Sharon - marcia, what strategy are you working on right now?
Kim/1/Ca - has all that blown over........... things calmer?
Sharon - and kim, too
cavey - I'll go get you another Kimmie, brb
Kim/1/Ca - prairie..........in a laura ingalls wilder kind of way............
Michelle - I'm actually drinking water tonight. Well, I had 2 glasses of wine earlier wtih coworkers.
Kim/1/Ca - i find it to be quick and efficient, marcia...........
naneb - I gre up on the prairie, South Dakota, went to camp at Lake Herman that Laura Ingalls Wilder writes about
Michelle - Yes, nothing has really been mentioned since his dad asked him if he wanted to come live with him and he said "no"
Sharon - now coworkers is an interesting word... if you look at it wrong youre thinking cow orkers?
Marcia/1st/GA - Sharon, still doing t-t with characters. Will be continuing on comparing texts with character, plot, and then setting through December. This way all the elements of fiction are introduced
Kim/1/Ca - oooh.....naneb........ i would like to see south dakota
naneb - lots of connections, my aunt and uncle lived at Lone Tree where Laura and Pa got the cottonwood trees they planted
judy3ca - Sharon, ROFL, and just today one of my kids told me that he thinks "was" is a weird word.
cavey - Okay Kim- no white zin- too sweet for my dry personality, but I brought a nice Chardonnay
naneb - I worked at Mt. Rushmore
Kim/1/Ca - so less stress for you.......which you certainly didn't need. glad to hear it.
Kim/1/Ca - lovely, cavey...........
Sharon - sounds like a plan... i'm wondering can character, plot, setting be heavily emphasized in our author schema study, too?
brad - Here's another interesting word---moped. I hate to read it because I'm always thinking past tense of mope. So it sounds strange. He hopped on his moped and went for a ride.
Michelle - I drove through SD once, on my way to Missouri
Sharon - it is, judy!
Kim/1/Ca - sharon.......are you doing schema now?
Marcia/1st/GA - I was wondering about your author study. I might squeeze one in there when we do plot. Might do Laura Numeroff with circle plot lines. Just haven't decided.
brad - South Dakota frightened me. Too many people with missing teeth. But if I were a dentist. . . let's just say I know where I'd set up shop.
Sharon - mopeds are still around?
Kim/1/Ca - WAS is a wierd word.............. weird word..........was is
Sharon - schema connections, kim, yes
brad - "wierd" is kind' ve wierd too. . . wierd. . . wierd. . .
Michelle - brad...that's exactly how I first read "moped" when you wrote it. It took the context for me to realize what word you really meant.
Kim/1/Ca - i started it and got off track........must get back on track........schema............
cavey - Brad what are you drinking/ it is drinking isn't it?
naneb - I can't believe you said that, Brad!! I didn't know anyone with missing teeth
Marcia/1st/GA - Sharon, which authors and illustrators?
Sharon - what are you doing instead, kim?
Kim/1/Ca - yeah it should be weeeerd
cavey - brad, you've obviously never been to West Virginia
Kim/1/Ca - connections......text to text.......... but i need to bring in schema and use it more..........
Marcia/1st/GA - Cavey, i was thinking the same thing!
Michelle - Is WV all it's stereotyped to be, cavey?
brad - nan, long story short. I drove around in circles for hours because no one could give me directions to the place that was 5 minutes from me the first time I asked.
Sharon - well, i'll use *gasp* Robert Munsch to remind them of how they earlier this year made the comment that all his books start off kinda normal but get really silly really quickly
naneb - sounds like Mississippi
Kim/1/Ca - or MY school district.........
brad - Kim, for real, when do you do strategy work??
Sharon - but kim... it is schema, no?
Kim/1/Ca - STEPHANIE's PONYTAIL........a class fave fersure
Marcia/1st/GA - CAvey, are you from there?
cavey - Well, I've only been a few times, Michelle, but YES!!!
Kim/1/Ca - Stephanie has moxie...................why, yes, sharon.........you are right! (hee hee hee)
Sharon - kim... mine love pigs because of those lines about the pigs peeing in daddy's shoe
cavey - Heavens no, child- I'm from the Old Dominion
brad - moxie. .. .. moxie. . . .moxie. . . .(wierd)
Kim/1/Ca - strategy work....during read aloud or shared reading......on the fly, really........time is so limited.
Marcia/1st/GA - Oh, I see, Cavey....
Sharon - but i refuse to read munsch's book Good Families Don't with the little girl screaming, "Mama, mama a _____ jumped on daddy."
cavey - Oh - we're onto Munsch - don't you just love him - the junk food of kiddy lit
Jan - I'm back---can't find Mr. Griggs or The Whales!
Sharon - i wind up morning meeting with it, brad and then go straight into RW
Michelle - I had a student last year who had moved from WV. It was neat because no one moves to Woodburn from out of state (besides CA). Anyway, the boy was normal, but his mom's a little funny
Kim/1/Ca - jan.......how was abe?
brad - Moxie sounds like some awful-tasting magenta medicine you take for gas pains
Kim/1/Ca - sorry, jan..................did you put in a "want"?
Jan - Ah, yes---Munsch. My favorite!
diane, - okay...i keep getting booted...has happend for 3 weeks now
Sharon - for pete's sake... f a r t , there i said it
cavey - earth to brad, come in brad
Marcia/1st/GA - Well, my husband is from WVA-lots of family live there. Most of them still have their teeth too.
Jan - I was at abebooks---very interesting! I will visit again
Marcia/1st/GA - Sharon, what do you wind up mornign meeting with?
naneb - Jan, you have to go towww.addall.com
Sharon - with my think-aloud modeling
Michelle - wow, f art is a banned word? amazing.
brad - She winds it up with a couple swigs of Moxie
Marcia/1st/GA - Moxie is a cute word. Like a cute nickname for someone.
Sharon - i'm from alerbamer and i have a tooth, brad *strut*
Jan - Thanks, Nan---I'll try that, too!
cavey - Grace- thank goodness a voice of reason!!!
naneb - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0531083691/ref%3Dnosim/addallbooksearch/102-8110818-0436945
brad - (Notice she said A tooth)
Marcia/1st/GA - remember last week when Sharon couldn't write about her bird b/c the computer kept translating it for her!
Kim/1/Ca - ((((((((((Grace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!))))))))))
Michelle - lol, sharon.
diane, - sorry to bug you again, nan, but i know that my class next year will be "hellacious"...do you think that will impact my ability to get the national board? i'm talking defiance and a child with no impulse control (bites and hits people and give them the finger)...does that make a difference to assessors?
Grace/IL - I'm sorry I'm so late. We were invited to a FOOTBALL game!
Kim/1/Ca - you have paved roads there, sharon?
brad - suddenly a vision of blue. Eerie
Sharon - hey... it's a big one... right next to the incisor
diane, - hi grace
naneb - diane, you have to do at least one video entry, I had to do 2 videos, just send him out if you have to
Sharon - oh, my @#$%atiel... he's soooo precious
Grace/IL - What's been the exciting topic tonight?
brad - moxie grace
Michelle - oh, that's right. what if you have a @#$%er spaniel?
brad - and cynthia rylant's inaccessibility for those struggling with literacy
Marcia/1st/GA - Brad, I am thinking of naming my next child "Moxie"
Kim/1/Ca - Football.........ewwww
Marcia/1st/GA - Michelle, LOL!
cavey - don't listen to him Grace, he's in Ho Ho land tonight
Jan - Hi, Grace!
brad - I wonder if you can type FARTher
Sharon - tjat
Sharon - inaccessibility????
Sharon - you're kidding, right?
brad - ho ho land. . . mmmm (homer drool)
diane, - tjat?
cavey - Brad, how about Moxamillian for a boy?
Grace/IL - I know, Kim, generally I agree but Grandson #3 played in the sophomore game and saved it with a pass interception during the last 3 seconds.
Kim/1/Ca - Brad is in big big trouble tonight, grace................yeah, sharon.......kidding big time.
Michelle - secret code word?
judy3ca - Sharon, what's tjat?
brad - That's it cavey. Well you have solved all my problems here in a couple months
Sharon - domryimrd i hry my ginhrtd on yhr etonh dpsvrd jufy
diane, - more acronyms we're not all up on...
cavey - Oh Grace, I love football!!
Kim/1/Ca - Oh.....a FAMILY obligation.........I understand.
brad - South Dakotans have taken over Sharon's body!!!
Sharon - translation: sometimes i get my fingers spaced on the wrong keys and don't notice
Sharon - lol, brad!
Grace/IL - Grandson #2 is in marching band and they had an excellent show at the varsity game.
Kim/1/Ca - She be talking alabaman
Marcia/1st/GA - LOL, Sharon
cavey - Sharon- at least you have your teeth!!
brad - hey Sharon
Kim/1/Ca - mines do that
brad - Can you drink water?
Sharon - i have A tooth, cavey
Grace/IL - Generally I go to football games for the halftime show. Don't understand the game at all.
naneb - sharon, I did that at the assessment center during national boards, I almost went crazy trying to fix it ,i ad two lines of gibberish
cavey - nan is trying to bring civility back to the chat
Michelle - oh...some of my kids must have met some of yours, brad...I had 3 kids today ask me "Can I drink water?" Was that you? or was that eilene?
Sharon - erm, brad, is this a trick question?
naneb - see did it again!!
brad - Generally I go to football games. . . Hey, wait. I don't go to football games
Sharon - i love college ball!
Michelle - they were all kids from the ETP class, so it must be a Spanglish thing
naneb - It is a lost cause with this group!! LOL
naneb - I like Auburn football games!!
Kim/1/Ca - speaking of spanglish...........where is our sadie?
brad - How do you play college ball, Sharon?
cavey - Go Hokies!!
Kim/1/Ca - is judy asleep?
brad - (You all are making it too easy tonight)
Sharon - hey judy, you there???
naneb - Judy!!!! Wake Up!! Wake Up!!
judy3ca - Almost asleep, Keeem.
Kim/1/Ca - A college ball is more edumacated than a high school ball.
cavey - earth to Judy
brad - Hey Judy, I'm making sugar cube missions!!
Sharon - i'm supposed to do an author critique for class... thinking of doing polacco if i can get a copy of her autobiography
Jan - Grace, how come your name is a link in the occupants' box? How do you do that?
judy3ca - Brad, on coffee cans, right?
Kim/1/Ca - judy judy judy.............smack brad for me............
cavey - Judy, I'll give you a thousand dollars for your coffee cans
naneb - Sharon there is the one Firetalking written for kids
Grace/IL - Jan, you just enter your email address when you sign in.
Kim/1/Ca - hmmm sharon.......interesting author. I like her.........
diane, - brad...that reminds me...i had a parent come to me yesterday to tell me she's been saving shoe boxes....yep, you guessed it...in case i want to make dioramas!!
judy3ca - cavey, sold American!
brad - LOL, Judy, what are we going to do with our coffee cans?
Kim/1/Ca - also on scholastic's site.........
Sharon - brad... thousands of sperm and YOU were the fastest??? amazing!
brad - Seriously though, I want someone to save film canisters and send them to me
Michelle - diane, how thoughtful. Were you able to keep a straight face?
naneb - Polacco is my favorite children's author and illustrator
brad - It's all in how you wiggle it, Sharon
diane, - oh brad, she offered film canisters too...
naneb - ROFLMAO!!!!!
cavey - Sharon LOL you're bad11
Kim/1/Ca - brad ask at Tar jay
Sharon - lol!
diane, - why are you after those?
Jan - It is really cool, Grace! I had never noticed that! Just like I never noticed the /b/ in the words you posted!
brad - send 'em my way diane
Kim/1/Ca - ditto naneb...........
Michelle - brad, go to Wal Mart. They will give them to you.
judy3ca - Brad, just go to your local drugstore (or wherever you get film developed)--they'll give them to you gladly.
brad - Oh, wow. I love free stuff for me
diane, - oh, michelle, it was hard to keep a straight face...i thought about mentioning the esia
Sharon - just wiggle for them, brad... they'll give you ANYTHING to get you out of there
Kim/1/Ca - yeah, just THINK about sharon........the alternatives are horrifying.
Michelle - when we went out for drinks tonight, we talked about the 7 vowels...It was agreed.
diane, - truly, brad, i am curious? why the need for canisters?
Kim/1/Ca - i am positive i have seen it recently.........i will check my local bn
brad - And for diane's infor: I'm going to put bingo chips in them so when we play, I don't have to pass out a handful. They just get their own film container
Sharon - i'm a horrifying alternative???
Sharon - i'm a horrifying alternative???
cavey - am I drunk or just really lost in this conversation?
naneb - Michelle, that is sad, you talk about vowels on a Friday night during dinner!! tsk! tsk!
Grace/IL - Cannisters are excellent for holding soap bubbles if you let the kids have a soap bubble day.
Kim/1/Ca - NO.......what the alternatives to BRAD were, Sharon!!! LOL!
naneb - is this a conversation??
diane, - ahhh...thought maybe you wanted them for alka selzer rockets...these are the wrong kind...they would work for bingo though
Jan - Brad, that is a clever idea! I'm impressed...
Kim/1/Ca - Brad is going to make Mini Characters in a Can.
diane, - lol kim
Michelle - I'm lost too, cavey. I can't keep up
naneb - LOL!!
Sharon - to go in his dioramas?
Kim/1/Ca - You can put rice and beans in them for some kind of percussion experience........then eat Mexican food.
diane, - have i ever mentioned i used to work as a bingo caller?
judy3ca - Time to read. Good night, all!
naneb - and then really @#$%all day!!
brad - that sound like a mailbox unit kim
Jan - I'm definitely lost, too! Glad to hear others are.
Marcia/1st/GA - I'm going too, Judy. G'night!
diane, - night judy
Sharon - aw, judy!
Sharon -
cavey - bye Judy!!!
naneb - then you will really have percussion experiences!!
brad - lol roflmao, nan, Now I can't beleive you said THAT
Michelle - you can do a math activity with coins. put some coins in a canister. Put the total on the outside. the kids have to figure out what coins are in the canister.
Grace/IL - G'night Judy & Marcia
Kim/1/Ca - LOL, naneb........okay let's gather our thoughts here.
cavey - Oh Marcia, was it something we said?
brad - You all are getting way too mailbox on me. I just wanted manipulative storage
Grace/IL - I have a serious question.
Kim/1/Ca - GOOD ONE, Michelle! WE need to make a list: 101 Things You CAN do with CANisters.
cavey - You know, your rubber gloves will fit in those for those playground nosebleeds
brad - okay, time for grace's serious question
naneb - Yes, Grace there are 7 vowels!!!
Sharon - yes, grace?
Kim/1/Ca - I am totally serious now.
cavey - please grace
Kim/1/Ca - <<<serious
Grace/IL - Has anyone visited the page on my website that describes levels of spelling difficulty?
diane, - even brad seems serious
brad - i am hoping grace's question will lead us to an endless diatribe of which others can observe in awe
brad - yes
Kim/1/Ca - Yes.......awhile back.....
diane, - no...sorry
Michelle - yes, but not recently, Grace.
naneb - yes but not lately
Grace/IL - Anyway, there's a computer program that will sort any text according to those levels of difficulty.
cavey - (hanging head) no
brad - CONTINUE. . .
Grace/IL - What it does is identify the decodability of any piece of text.
brad - sorry caps lock on
Kim/1/Ca - Hmmmm.........
diane, - i just thought you were really excited, brad
naneb - does it give a reading level?
brad - hey phonics talk excites me these days
Kim/1/Ca - okay.....do you scan the text or must it be in some sort of word processing program?
Jan - brb need popsicle for cough!
Grace/IL - The program is locked up somewhere in Word Perfect 4 or Word Perfect 5. Do you think anyone would be interested in using such a program.
brad - whaddaya mean, locked up?
naneb - Is it better thwhat Word does?
Kim/1/Ca - (laughing at diane and TRYING to be serious here..........)
cavey - it sounds great Grace
Grace/IL - Kim, you'd have to type in the text, then click on "Analyze" and it sorts all the words.
naneb - sorry, than what Word does?
Kim/1/Ca - But what if you have texts......BOOKS......you wish to "level." How can you do that with this program?
Michelle - I don't know...we at my school are pretty skeptical about computer readibility analises.
Michelle - oops...analyses
Grace/IL - By locked up, I mean I'm on to other word processing programs and it's on my computer but I can't currently access it.
naneb - Word gives a readability but i don't think it is very accurate
Kim/1/Ca - It does? I didn't KNOW that.........I just learnt something here...........
diane, - how accurate do you think it is, grace?
Grace/IL - My son developed the program for me when I was doing my dissertation research. I analyzed oodles of ancient reading texts to see to see which ones were really more decodable.
Sharon - it's not very reliable at all... i've tried it too
naneb - click on Tools, options, spelling and grammar, near the bottom is a box to check for readability
Grace/IL - Diane, I'd say it's 98 percent accurate with the word sorting.
Kim/1/Ca - So you had to type in those texts, Grace?
Sharon - the word readability one that nan talks about
diane, - sharon, i agree about the word readability analysis...i meant grace's program
Grace/IL - Yes, Kim, I typed in up to 1000 of the first words in each text.
Sharon - sorry to confuse... i was responding to nan
Michelle - yay! you made it back, alta!
diane, - oops...sorry to get confused...(-:
diane, - man...i can never remember how to make those faces
naneb - I bet most teachers can give a pretty accurate assessment of the level of a book
cavey - How was the flick Alta?
Grace/IL - This wouldn't level text in the same sense as Fountas and Pinnell but it would tell us how it fit spelling levels. I guess you'd have to look at that page on my website to understand what I'm talking about.
Kim/1/Ca - In your SPARE time, Grace?
brad - in your world, maybe, Nan, Some of us are still in teaching Siberia
Alta Rose/2 - OK, Cavey. I've seen it twice but daughter wanted to watch it.
Kim/1/Ca - Makes sense, Grace.........I don't know how I would use it at this time. But it is nice to know ......... I am really getting INTO spelling now.
Grace/IL - In my spare time when I was teaching and studying and writing a dissertation -- LOL
naneb - Ok, most of us could do it, I forget that all teachers are not members of this select group
Kim/1/Ca - I told parents during conferences that I am teaching them to spell in order to teach them to read......from the garage door................so to speak.
brad - On a little of the same wavelength (and not to deflect from Grace's question) I"ve been thinking a lot about the types of stories one finds in basals nowadays. Are we helping/harming/not affecting kids by asking them to read authentic literature they haven't learned the decoding proceses for yet?
Kim/1/Ca - They were asking about spelling lists.
naneb - my opinion is, how can they read it if they cannot decode it?
Grace/IL - I think teachers are becoming more aware of the real relationships between spelling instruction and reading and this would line up text with developmental spelling.
cavey - brad- so deep for so late at night
Alta Rose/2 - It depends on the level of the text, I think.
brad - Many basals have converted to authentic literature now. Stories you would find in your public library. But is this appropriate to ask students to read?
Grace/IL - Venezky says kids don't care about great literature in the beginning. They want to feel successful with reading.
Michelle - I didn't use the anthology when I taught 1st grade because my kids couldn't read them until the end of the year. But I taught with leveled books. I think the books need to be accessible to the kids.
Sharon - i mix it up
Sharon - kids can be exposed to more than just dry decodable text though
Sharon - and be successful
cavey - do kids even know great lit at that point?
Alta Rose/2 - Our Sunshine Readers (Home Reading) start off with frame sentences: I see a dog. I see a cat. etc. Kids learn left to right, picture cues, etc. I'm not sure about beginning first grade basals, tho, since we didn't have them until this year.
naneb - Grace, I have found that exact same thing with my sped kids, they want to read and if it is a leveled reader that is just fine with them, they just want to be successful
Kim/1/Ca - I think , Brad....... it needs to be in balance with decodable stuff....... i use a lot of predictable text in my RW, along with decodables............they feel very successful. BUT........I see your point.
Grace/IL - The other point is to try to write decodable text that isn't so dry.
brad - I'm not saying to throw out the authentic literature. There are times when you want them to have it for comprehension and read-aloud purposes. But the more I think, the more I think using the damage places unnecessary demands on our students and no wonder they get turned off. On the other hand, Let's not go back to Sally and that @#$% cat Puff
Michelle - yes, if it's a story with a storyline they can access well, or strong support in other areas...pictures, etc....then the text is accessable.
Sharon - well brad, the current research supports the use of decodable text if that's what you're asking
brad - Grace, that's the answer I keep coming too. Are there any resources that may help me to write my own stuff?
Alta Rose/2 - I think it would also depend on the level of the support the teacher gave the kids before asking them to read it on their own.
cavey - How about the Fun with Brad and Kim?
Kim/1/Ca - I think the Open Court books are awful. But several of my kids LOVE Nat the CRab because they can decode him........and his crib and his trip and his nap.
naneb - Don't you think the key is balance, read aloud the good literature and model comprehension strategies but teach them how to read at their level with stories that are accessible to them
Jan - Please, brad, be careful what you say about Puff!
cavey - ditto Nan
Kim/1/Ca - YES, Naneb......... balance, balance, balance.......good old fashioned horse sense.
Michelle - what nan said. go nan!
Grace/IL - In my conbersation with Ken Campbell of "Great Leaps," he brought up the issue that too many writers attempt to start with easy words and weave them into text. His feeling was that we need to start with a storyline and make it decodable.
naneb - Thank you, Thank you , thank you!!!
brad - Yes, I do Nan. I read aloud during my Comprehension Block. But I'm afraid I'm either reading aloud and hiding from administration or having students read and doing them a disservice (You know which one I choose)
Sharon - i loved puff too... unfortunately puff now costs 500... out of my price range
brad - Can you elaborate, Grace?
Kim/1/Ca - LOL, Sharon........
Michelle - I don't know Puff. Am I deprived?
Grace/IL - Fun with Brad and Kim sounds great! Let's see, "Brad has a van. Kim has a van. Brad's van needs gas. Kim has a gas can."
cavey - Am I old? I don't remember Puff. Only Dick and Jane.
Kim/1/Ca - I had Susan, Tom, Betty, and their dog, Flip.
Jan - Kim, you're right! Kids love the Open Court books because they can decode them. "We Feed the Deer" was the most popular book in my first grade!
brad - Puff was the cat
Michelle - and don't forget the sad, mad, bad, dad Brad.
brad - That's an interesting spin on it, Kim
Sharon - kim... can you believe that a teacher last year gave all our students her old dick and jane books? she had no idea how much they were worth!
naneb - I think I am really lucky this year because I have 90 minutes of AR time every other day and then 90 minutes for reading instruction so,my kids have lots of reading time to do both read at their level and have comprehension instruction
Alta Rose/2 - Are your kids not able to read the basals, you have Brad? (A little confused)
Kim/1/Ca - Brad has a tan van. Kim has a bad tan. Brad is a tan man. Nan and Brad have tan cans.
brad - waiting for a torrrent of pink from grace like pepto bisomol on my screen
Sharon - hmmmm... and i wasn't even censored... interesting
Kim/1/Ca - OH NO, Sharon! (gasp)
brad - exactly alta
Jan - You don't know Puff, Michelle?! What about Spot...ever heard of him?
naneb - hmmmm!!! Do you think the censor has left for the night??
Alta Rose/2 - Did anyone else have John, Janet, Anne, Lucky and Buttons?
Grace/IL - Sorry, Brad, no belly ache here for the torrent of pink.
Sharon - i have a few of those, alta rose
brad - No, Grace. I thought you were going to elaborate on the "start with storyline" comment
Alta Rose/2 - It's funny--Much as we are critical of the old basals, I sure remember learning to read from them very well.
Sharon - dick has a @#$%atiel
Sharon - nope, nan!
cavey - too much chardonnay to think of Brad and Kim stories
Michelle - heard of him, yes. but i didn't learn to read that way...I was in 2nd grade for reading group, as I was a fluent reader entering school. Maybe that's why I missed out?
Kim/1/Ca - ...and I also LIKED them........they were great for hiding the REAL boooks......hee hee hee
Jan - Alta, I have not heard of your group. I had Dick, Jane, Sally, Puff and Spot. Also Mother and Father, of course. Things were very proper when I was learning to read.
Grace/IL - Oh, Brad, didn't I do that? I was thinking about those vans that need gas and how you and Kim could solve the problem.
brad - As long as the storyline was interesting, Alta. I remember one story about a girl who always wore red and her aunt always wore blue, and by the end they try each other's hats and love the "change" I'm sure it was perfectly decodable, but way beyond simply "Look, Jane, look."
Michelle - I don't remember what I read in school, at least nothing before.....high school?
Kim/1/Ca - Sounds like PIcky Mrs. PIckle........everything is green........and it rhymes.
diane, - funny, michelle...i don't remember either!
cavey - Me too michelle, Charlottes web in third, black beauty in fourth, that's it
brad - Does anyone hear that?
Michelle - my kids love Picky Mrs. Pickle.
Kim/1/Ca - Are the voices speaking to you again, Brad?
Jan - I certainly remember what the teachers read to ME! Those are still my favorites!
diane, - brad, for me that is because all we read were the basals...
Grace/IL - One needs to add a few other spelling patterns early in the reading game. For example, ee is very regular and one could use a whole cohort of words like "see, tree, feed, etc." to make the stories a bit more palatable.
naneb - I read everything, I read almost every book in our small town library
brad - It just sounded like a pendulum swinging back this way
Alta Rose/2 - Me too, Jan. I still remember Ramona the Pest.
diane, - i read watership down at home in the first grade and then went to school and read one dumb basal after another
Kim/1/Ca - Me too, Jan........ A Wrinkle in Time, Island of the Blue Dolphins.........
Michelle - that's what we read. And the idea was to "get through" the basals.
Michelle - I read a ton. I remember a lot of what I read independently.
naneb - Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys
Sharon - here's a 500 dollar question for dick and jane readers... who was tim?
Jan - My first chapter books were the Bobbsey Twins. Second grade. I remember them clearly!
brad - It was like a race wasn't it Michelle?
Kim/1/Ca - AgrEEd, Grace........
cavey - diane, you were gifted???
Alta Rose/2 - Diane, that reminds me of a practical joke we played on my daughter's first grade teacher....
brad - the dark haired neighbor down the street?
Michelle - I don't like Island of the Blue Dolphins. I need the people to interact with others.
Kim/1/Ca - Nancy Drew....Little House, Beany Malone........
Grace/IL - Yes, it was easy for me to learn to read also but I do remember two boys in our little country school who struggled over every word.
diane, - do tell, alta...
Alta Rose/2 - She had a home reading program and we had to record the books our daughter read on a sheet of paper....
naneb - diane, you sound like my oldest son, they did not know what to do with himin first grade, wanted to put him in 4th
Sharon - seems like i remember loving Toby Tyler... a little boy in a circus.
Jan - I can still remember my teacher reading "On the Banks of Plum Creek." I thought it was the most wonderful book I'd ever read.
Grace/IL - Sharon, wasn't Tim in the Ginn series? Oh, no, he was the little teddy bear.
Michelle - I read Little House in 1st grade, independently.
Sharon - no brad... tim was sally's stuffed teddy bear
diane, - cavey...i suppose...i was definitely frustrated....
brad - Tim was the turtleneck-wearing beatnik that courted Dick and Jane's mother on the sly while Father Worked
Alta Rose/2 - The teacher would put a stamp at the bottom of each page that was completed....
Sharon - yah, grace!
naneb - I love those books jan, they remind me of home
diane, - so...alta, what did you guys write down?
brad - You're right, Sharon!! LOL, now I remember!!
Alta Rose/2 - One Monday morning, my hubby wrote in the alloted space: "Lord of the Rings Trilogy" as if my daughter (1st grade) had read that in one weekend...
cavey - How do you guys remember this stuff? Are you all 20 years old?
brad - It was kind've like SRA kits
Alta Rose/2 - The teacher didn't say a word--simply stamped the paper and handed it back!
Kim/1/Ca - good one......i love it alta.......that is the kind of thing I would do........
naneb - We would drive to my Aunt Marie's house and talk about Laura, Oh look there's where Laura went to school, there is where Pa went to get the homestead etc.
diane, - too funny, alta! keeps the teacher on her toes...
Jan - Did anyone read the Kate Seredy books as kids? I loved those...still have my copies.
diane, - oops...or perhaps it doesn't keep her on her toes...
Grace/IL - I loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder books too.
cavey - I DO remember SRAs at the back of the room when you finished early
Alta Rose/2 - I worked at the school, so boy did I give her a bad time and we chuckle over it to this day, 6 years later!
Michelle - Never heard of Kate Seredy
Kim/1/Ca - How about the "We were there........" series............."...on teh Oregon Trail," ...."On the santa fe trail......"
Alta Rose/2 - Her excuse was, "Well, I knew Jolene always read at home, so I never paid attention!' Lol!
Jan - I visited the Wilder home in Missouri just a couple of years ago. Great treat
Alta Rose/2 - Oh, Jan! I'm so envious!
Kim/1/Ca - I remember a lot of Phyllis Whitney books.................
brad - No, I remember this animal series I tried to read all of in my public library. They had names like "Tale of Grey Wolf" or "Tale of Little Red Squirrel" Can't remember an author or title, but would love to have those again for nostalgia. sure they're out of print as they were old when I was little.
Alta Rose/2 - I am a HUGE fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder! I
cavey - All this stimulating banter has worn me out!
naneb - DeSmet has her cabin there as a museum in SD Brad
Grace/IL - When I went back to teaching, my youngest was three years old. I had to teach Dick and Jane and that first year I loved it because I could identify everything Sally did in relation to my daughter. After that, the whole series got really boring fast.
naneb - Oh , I read those too Kim
cavey - I must go. Brad will carry the purple banner alone
Sharon - all i remember in elementary school is the wooden floors and blank walls... except for the framed picture of jesus hanging by the clock
Jan - I have been to Louisa Mae Alcott's home in Concord, MA. Cried both times. Very emotional..
cavey - goodnight all!!
brad - nite, cavey. I'll do my durndest to hold it high
Kim/1/Ca - I read so voraciously that I can't always recall the titles.........just the plot lines, etc.
Grace/IL - No Jesus in our school -- but George Washington looked down on us every day.
diane, - oh brad...i think we have those in our school library! burnett???
Alta Rose/2 - Good night, Cavey!
Kim/1/Ca - How about Mrs. MIke?
diane, - our principal keeps hoping that the kids will pick up those "classics"
Michelle - we had ol' george staring us down, too.
brad - I remember spray painting our macaroni wreaths and leaving them overnight and coming in the next morning to such an overpowering smell, we couldn't concentrate (no wonder I'm the way I am)
Jan - G. Washington in our classroom, too, Grace!
Kim/1/Ca - My 7th grade teacher read that one...........i ran right out and bought it......still have it. 75cents.
brad - Might be Burnett, Diane (visualizing old childrren's room and where they were on the shelf in relation to alphabet)
Jan - I loved Mrs. Mike! Haven't thought about her in years.
Grace/IL - Brad, I spray painted those things too. My superintendent finally had to tell me I was polluting the whole building.
Sharon - and the teacher that told me to spell "flow", so i did... she cracked a ruler on my desk and said, "I said spell flow", so i did.... and she got so mad she ripped me out of my seat and said, "i said spell flow, flow, flow, like you walk on, flow!
diane, - i'll look for you...periodically we have a kid that grabs them...not too often though
Kim/1/Ca - Jan there is a sequel out............
diane, - never heard of mrs. mike
Michelle - lol, sharon.
Alta Rose/2 - Oh my goodness, Sharon!
Jan - to Mrs. Mike...are you serious?
naneb - Sharon, I had a teacher that would smack you on the back of your hand with the ruler
brad - rofl @sharon
Grace/IL - Oh, Sharon, that's so funny!
naneb - I loved Mrs. mike
Kim/1/Ca - jeez, sharon.......i mean sharn........
Michelle - I never heard of mrs. mike either
brad - and remember Homer Price and his donut machine
Kim/1/Ca - It is called Return to Joyful......let me check
Jan - There was a movie of Mrs. Mike but I don't think it was good. Susan Hayward, I think
brad - I liked Cheaper by the Dozen in junior high
Alta Rose/2 - All I remember from Gr. 1, besides the basals I read, was my teacher slamming my printing book on her desk and yelling that it is the worst printing she has ever seen!
Michelle - they use to show the Homer Price Doughnut Machine movie every year.
Michelle - nothing but torture...all those yummy doughnuts, but none for us.
diane, - what's mrs. mike about?
Jan - Mrs. Mike was married to Mr. Mike---a mounted policeman
brad - I remember my first grade teacher scolding some kid because he didn't blow the eraser crumbs off his paper
Kim/1/Ca - The Search For Joyful
Sharon - oh lawdy, MISS FORD IS BACK TO HAUNT ME!
brad - she was mean
Kim/1/Ca - I had a thing for Mike...............hmmmmm...........
Jan - Alta, that's terrible!
Kim/1/Ca - You can find Mrs. Mike now..it is in reprint.........................true story, btw
Alta Rose/2 - The saying is really true--They won't remember what you said or did, but they will remember how you made them feel.
naneb - I remember this series of books I read about Queen Elizabeth the I, I don't remember the titles but I loved those books and the King Arthut books too
Kim/1/Ca - It is set in Canada in the early 1900s.......wonderful story.
Jan - Thanks, Kim...
brad - were they the ones by Alexander, nan?
Jan - The sad news is that Mrs and Mr Mike divorced in real life. I was sick for months when I heard that. It was a perfect marriage.
Grace/IL - I liked the Anne stories -- Anne of Green Gables, etc.
naneb - I don't remember, I think one was Young Queen Bess
brad - of course I liked Cleary and Blume too (blume was so taboo cuz she talked about periods adn boob size)
Alta Rose/2 - I read lots of Judy Blume, too.
Kim/1/Ca - My neighbor and I re read Mrs. Mike together.........she didn't care for the sequel....i havent' read it yet.
naneb - I like those too Grace, I have an 8th grade girl who loves those books
Alta Rose/2 - Have any of you read "From Anna?" My 3rd grade teacher read it, and I loved it.
Michelle - oh, I loved Blume. Cleary was ok, but I didn't discover her until I was about to outgrow her Ramona books.
brad - who is this goforsaken Mrs. Mike you two keep blathering on about??
Kim/1/Ca - I loved all the Cleary books........truly. Bendix............"a perfectly lovely name."
Jan - Anne was my favorite. Visited her home last year, and it was a thrill. My mother had loved Anne and got me started.
brad - There's something so appropriate about Blume for pre-teens
Michelle - I loved Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. First book that had me really in tears laughing.
diane, - apparently, brad, she was married to mr. mike...
Sharon - have you guys read frindle?
naneb - How about Little women and Little Men and Jo's boys
brad - Exactly, Michelle. Just read she's publishing another Fudge book sometime soon
Michelle - what about Chevrolet for the doll?
diane, - oh sharon...i LOVE frindle
diane, - the new fudge is out
Sharon - isn't it great!
Michelle - Frindle is great!
Jan - BRAD! Watch how you speak of Mrs. Mike!
naneb - Maniac Magee is another great book for early teens
brad - I love Frindle Sharon. Also you should read his other two. Both along same lines
Kim/1/Ca - It's a CHICK book, Brad......although there is a lot of death and destruction...........
Michelle - it is published already, brad.
Michelle - it was in the book order from scholastic and it's in the bookstores. Too bad it's hardcover.
Kim/1/Ca - Love fudge........(homer drool)
Jan - Little
brad - I had to agree with Ramona--Chevrolet was a good name
Grace/IL - Think I'm heading for bed. I'm working at the Trail of History tomorrow. It's a terrific event that's held near here each year. Our church is having a food stand there and I'm going to help cook (I think).
Alta Rose/2 - I was reading a Judy Blume book when I asked my mom what your period is. I still remember her saying, "What are you READING?"
Sharon - nan, i just got the jeopardy download... can i just upload it to powerpoint and type my own questions in?
Kim/1/Ca - He has been disrespectful TWICE tonight, Jan!
Jan - Little Women is an all time favorite. Just got the video!
diane, - i read frindle out loud every year...last year i got the flu in the middle of frindle...i was out for three days...in my absence my class started selling frindles to the lower grades and ruined the all school photo by shouting frindle everytime the photographer tried to take the picture...little darlins
Kim/1/Ca - ((Grace))
Grace/IL - 'Night all. As usual, this has been fun.
brad - We must, we must, we must increase our bust" . . . that will stay with me forever.
naneb - unzip it and there are instructions about how to put in the questions and run the game, it is easy
Sharon - night grace
Jan - Brad needs to be more like Mr. Mike!
Michelle - brad, you read Are You There God, It's Me Margaret??
Alta Rose/2 - Lol, Brad! And my daughter won't read it!
Kim/1/Ca - She got Chevrolet after she melted BEndix in the oven, right?
diane, - funny enough, brad, that will stay with me forever...i tried and tried...it never worked
Alta Rose/2 - Good night, Grace!
Jan - Right up there with Rylant, brad!
brad - OH, Yeah!! Forgot about Bendix being melted LOL
naneb - Holes is another great book!! I loved it
Michelle - Yeah, ruined Beezus's birthday cake.
brad - Holes will be what they discuss in this chat in about fifteen years nan
brad - Michelle, i read a lot of blume.
naneb - I ordered a class set and plan to read it with my 8th graders
brad - including the girly ones
Jan - JUM from the chatboard emailed me that her school had banned "Holes" as unacceptable! Can you believe that?
diane, - i love holes...
brad - reasons?
naneb - Why??
Alta Rose/2 - I'm not familiar with "Holes."
diane, - jan...you must be kidding
Michelle - oh well, I had 2 copies of Then Again, Maybe I Won't. our Literacy Coordinator ordered 6 copies of it for guided reading groups.....she wasn't aware of the contents.
Michelle - what's wrong with Holes? I like it a lot!
brad - I liked "Soup" books for a short time too. I think I just like the way school librarian read them
Jan - Brad, the kiss between the black and white characters. I have not read the book, but this is the "objectionable" part. Jan Birney, chatboard librarian says it has been objected to in other schools as well.
brad - Michelle, yeah, not real sure it's something I'd do as a lesson. It is something many parents may find questionable (although I wouldn't)
naneb - I have a real problem with banning books
Michelle - Lit. Coord. pulled Then Again, when I told her the plotline. It would have been funny if a teacher had pulled the books for a group and began using it without reading it first.
Kim/1/Ca - Just for that, I am going to get "Holes." I will eMail your political windbag (principal) as soon as I am finished..........hmpf.
naneb - Kim, you will love it
Jan - I am going to get "Holes," too. It is a Newberry award winner.
brad - The Giver by Lowry is a more recent fave
Michelle - I was disappointed with Soup.
Kim/1/Ca - I hate the idea of banning books. I have a great tee shirt that says, "Celebrate Freedom. Read a Banned Book." Then it lists a bunch of them.
Alta Rose/2 - Who is the author? Blume?
brad - holes is by sachar
Kim/1/Ca - Sachar
diane, - brad was right...holes WILL be that book that is talked about in 15 years...
Michelle - I have a friend with that tshirt. It's amazing some of the books that get banned
naneb - I plan on doing some kid of graphical display of the plots, I have to think about how to do it, some way for them to see how they are interwoven all through the book
brad - did not like follow-up "Gathering Blue" as much
Kim/1/Ca - I need a new teee shirt. Mine is falling apart.
diane, - michelle, did you happen to see in the news that a portland school board member is trying to get huck finn banned?
Jan - Nan, I agree. According to Jan Birney (chatboard) parents have the final say about what books their children can read. But, they cannot dictate what other children will read! Holes has apparently had many challenges, but survived most.
Michelle - I thought Gathering Blue is the companion book to The Giver
Michelle - Yes, diane, I've seen that.
Kim/1/Ca - puter is acting up...................think i better go anyway.........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
brad - Everyone bans Huck. It's so cliche now. Why don't we ban Digimon or something?
Jan - I just got "The Giver" Brad. Have not read it yet.
Alta Rose/2 - Well, I read of a group somewhere that wanted to ban "Little House" books.
Michelle - I'm not surprised.
Kim/1/Ca -
naneb - my kids love Sachar's other books too, sideways stories books etc
Michelle - really, Jan? I love The Giver.
diane, - night, kim
brad - Jan, when you do, post. have a question to ask
Michelle - I have read it over and over, to myself
Kim/1/Ca - Ban Power Puff Girls.
brad - Michelle, I think it's one of those books you don't appreciate till later, don't you?
Alta Rose/2 - Lol, Kim!
diane, - i start the school year with sideways stories...there's always a run on those books in the school library...lasts until winter
Jan - Alta, if that happens, I'm picking up a banner and protesting.
brad - later in life, I mean. I think you have to be grown or exceptionally mature.
Michelle - right, brad. The first time, you get more out of it the 2nd and 3rd readings.
naneb - I start with those stories too, they are short and funny and usually hook several kids into reading the entire book
Sharon - i loved the giver... but not the ending
brad - unfortunately I see too many trying to use it in fifth or sixth grade
Jan - I'm going to bed and read "The Giver." Night, all...
naneb - I like Gary Paulsen books too especially Dogsong
Alta Rose/2 - Good night, Jan!
Michelle - oh yeah, brad. I wouldn't read it to my 3rd graders. They wouldn't appreciate it.
brad - nite, Jan. HEy email me more stuff if you think of it
Sharon - but there is no really expressive language in the giver... it's very straightforward
brad - ok, sharon, jan's gone. Why don't you like the ending?
Alta Rose/2 - My daughter had to read "Hatchet" last year in Gr. 6 and didn't like it.
Alta Rose/2 - I was surprised--I thought it would be good.
brad - But I think that has to be the style, Sharon. In that society, there would be no expressive languageg. I think it's author choice.
Michelle - Actually, I know a teacher who has used it pretty well with 5th graders. But, in general I would recommend it for older students.
Sharon - no, we talked about it....
naneb - I read dog song to my class this year and they thought it was boring but I think they didn't have any schema for it
diane, - i love hatchet, alta
Sharon - even in books like that, there is room for some use of language in parts where there is no dialogue of character thinking
brad - I have never read hatchet or much of his stuff (i like monument) becasue I never got into those survival in nature Call of the Wild type books
Sharon - or not of
diane, - oh...a great book is time stops for no mouse...by michael hoeye. portland author...released the book on his own, but then got it picked up by a major publisher last year...
naneb - they really liked shiloh but it is about htings they understand, dogs and hunting and being in the country
Michelle - but everything was written from Jonas's POV, so it's purposely not expressive, right?
brad - that's what I think, Michelle
Michelle - I haven't ever been able to force myself to finish Hatchet for the same reasons, brad.
Sharon - and too much was left unaddressed for me... like what was the significance of the pale eyes in the giver... only those with pale eyes ever received that charge
brad - michelle, was it me or was eilene here for a brief moment and then gone?
naneb - I like the language of Dogsong, it almost poetic
Sharon - we examined the parts of the book that weren't expressing jonas's pov
Michelle - Yeah, she left just after I got here.
brad - Sharon, I thought that was part of the charm. It let you fill in the blanks.
Sharon - you liked the ending?
Michelle - Sharon, I remember Jonas had described the pale eyes as being "deeper" or something, when Gabe was first introduced.
brad - I also liked Konigsbug's The View from Saturday
Sharon - it just seemed to leave you hanging
Clue - Music of the Dolphins.........ever read that with your students??
brad - I thought ending was appropriate. But ambiguous
diane, - i like that one too, brad
Michelle - Yes, that's another good one, brad.
brad - That's a good one, Clue. So is Out of the Dust by same author
Sharon - who were the people 'waiting' for them... was it a parallel society?
Alta Rose/2 - No, I don't know that one, Clue.
Michelle - Clue...no, but a fourth grader I had when I student taught read it independently and we discussed it. She was pretty insightful with it.
brad - Has everyone read Giver that's in here?
diane, - hi clue! i have a couple of copies of that in my classroom...haven't done it with a small group, but i have had individual kids pick it up and enjoy it
diane, - not me, brad
Michelle - I was a little uncomfortable with the ending of The Giver.
naneb - not me
Clue - it's a good one............sad ending though.........and students all look at it very differently, in terms of their experience with death of loved ones
Clue - i have not read the Giver
diane, - ughhh....i have to go...i have a class tomorrow...
Sharon - isn't the giver more for junior high?
brad - I just didn't want to reveal my take on ending to people who haven't had privilege of reading it yet. Go read it
Clue - Castle in theAttic............real good too
Sharon - all that talk about stirrings and stuff
Alta Rose/2 - Night, diane.
brad - yes, I think so Sharon, Even High school really
Sharon - pm me your take on the ending, brad... i wanna hear
Alta Rose/2 - brb
Michelle - in many schools around here, The Giver is required reading at 7th or 8th grades. In Oregon City, it's 6th grade.
diane, - night all
Clue - i will never read the Giver........so go ahead and tell !!!!!
brad - I thought I just did, Sharon. But I should read it again. It's been a while. Maybe I just read a SUPER LOT into it. Too me, it's one of the best books I've read, period. Despite children's lit.
Sharon - brad, did you read a clockwork orange?
Michelle - I just read it again a week ago. I've probably read it 20 times altogether.
brad - no
brad - um, someone said something to me one time about it.
brad - that was for you michelle. I accidentally sent to room.
naneb - my husbands favorite movie, Sharon
Sharon - you should read it...interesting dilemma... is it better to live in a completely safe society where free will is taken away or is it better to have free will with crime
brad - I think the ending of Giver is like a litmus test of your personality
naneb - sounds like 1984
Michelle - Hi eilene...welcome back, actually
Sharon - free will as it pertains to committing crimes that is
Alta Rose/2 - Hi Eilene!
Clue - interesting/
eilene - thanks, michelle. oh, the Giver...pretty intense stuff
Sharon - how so, brad?
naneb - I'm going to bed, night everyone
brad - I can't quite say, Sharon. I just feel that way.
eilene - Hi, Alta Rose!!
brad - nite, nan
Alta Rose/2 - Good night, nan!
Michelle - You may be right, brad, but I don't think Lowry meant it to be, necessarily.
Sharon - well guys... i'm out too... cookie will be squawking bright and early tomorrow
Alta Rose/2 - Cookie?
Michelle - bye, sharon
Sharon - lowry wrote that book while her father was suffering with alzheimer's i believe
brad - nite, sharon
Sharon - my @#$%atiel, alta rose
brad - that's interesting tidbit sharon. thanx
Michelle - you know, this color doesn't look very "chocolate" to me. I wanted a dark brown.
Alta Rose/2 - Oh. Goodnight, Sharon!
brad - cafe au lait, michelle
Michelle - oh, her acceptance speech for the Newbery is very interesting. She goes through several "snips" of her life that lead to The Giver
Michelle - whoever assigned these color names can't be from the Northwest...they obviously don't know coffee brown
eilene - ack! right now, I can't read anything that thought provoking. I'm brain dead. It's been proven scientifically
Michelle - mocha, I mean.
brad - eilene, how goes the classroom?
eilene - oh, it goes.... alright
Michelle - scientifically proven brain dead? so this is eilene's ghost?
Clue - bye all
Alta Rose/2 - Good night, Cluee.
eilene - this is eilene's zombie, as opposed to her ghost
Michelle - hmmm...wonder if sylvia will show up soon. it's getting late!
Chickaw/InsectBooks! - Good evening everyone!
eilene - I have a new student, so things are a bit disruptive ans he tries to test the waters
eilene - and brad, i hate the sound of the pencil sharpener just as much as you do!!!
brad - I was just thinking that Michelle. I have new ones too eilene
Alta Rose/2 - Sylvia hasn't been here for awhile, has she?
brad - unfortunately, the waters must've been warm cuz they dived right in!
Michelle - she comes on late. she showed up last week.
Michelle - oh, brad, how has the student-switcheroo thing gone?
eilene - You switched students?
brad - it's just a differnt kinda crazy, Michelle. But I think I can live.
Michelle - better than before, brad?
brad - nutcase for nutcase, eilene
eilene - oh, then why switch? hehe
eilene - I ask you, how can a kid come to a new school without a folder, and then blame me because he never got the supply list?
eilene - one measly folder!!!
brad - I don't know. How can the same few show up at school each day and complain they can't do the work cause they don't have a pencil or paper?
Michelle - i have a student whose parents are going to move out of the area because the principal did a home visit. They don't like to be bothered. The girl comes to school less than half the time!
Alta Rose/2 - How many times do you hear yourself saying: "Solve your problem!"
brad - Michelle, if that would work, I'd canvas the streets myself for a couple
eilene - oh, that's nice. Alta, I say that too often, or "So, what do you think you should do about that?"
Michelle - my mantra this year..."I refuse to take ownership of anyone else's problems"! This is mainly on the staff-level.
brad - About the same number of times, I say, "Are you barfing or bleeding?" while simultaneoulsy waving bye.
Alta Rose/2 - I don't have a ______. My _____got broken. And I say, "So, solve your problem."
eilene - "What do you think I am, Walmart? Get your own supplies."
brad - On the staff level, Im shutting my door and my lips. I was mixed up in some crazy @#$% because of this switcheroo and some other things that have been under rug swept I apparently have done (news to me)
eilene - I hardly ever open my mouth. I'm still too new, and with all the great ideas that I've been getting, I'm afriad it won't be taken kindly from the veteran staff
brad - No my fave "So and so took my ???"
Alta Rose/2 - Today one of my little guys told my principal that he can't help what his body does because he is bipolar.
Michelle - really eilene? I open my mouth way too often. Fortunately, they are used to me now.
eilene - oh, that's too funny!!!
brad - here, here, eilene
eilene - hmm, well the first time I met my principal (the very first time, mind you) I asked for a kidney table so that I could do district mandated guided reading. I finally got it in April. woo-hoo
brad - Now where are you getting great ideas? LOL
Michelle - from here, silly!
eilene - I get my great ideas out of my butt, where I get everything else, brad. I just pull them right out
Alta Rose/2 - Lol, eilene!
Michelle - and I quote Jan, or Judy, or any one of you.
brad - Here's my district these days: "Really, you should be asking the students to supply their own kidney-shaped table. We really have to start putting this back on the student."
brad - ??????
Alta Rose/2 - Supply their own table?
Michelle - maybe they can build one?
Michelle - in their spare time?
Michelle - for extra credit?
brad - Oh, of course I exaggerate, but I'm so tired of my district not wanting to spend money
brad - They would rather order me class sets of workbooks every year instead of trusting me to build up an appropriately leveled classroom library
Michelle - our state is having major budget crises, but my principal still spends like there's no tomorrow.
eilene - oh, listen to this.... We had a workshop on reading strategies... which was basically MoT, (so I mentioned I was reading it and scored major brownie points. go me) but we watched a video of a teacher with her 22 kids and her couch, etc... The first thing the presenter said before showing the clip was, "Yes, she's got the couch, the low student count, and these kids have been doing these strategies for three years already. Let's just get over that right now."
Alta Rose/2 - We have site based management here.
Michelle - she asked me tuesday if she can get me anything, anything at all.
eilene - Well, math workbooks are quite handy brad
Michelle - so i asked for personal dry erase boards and markers.
Alta Rose/2 - The school is given so much money, and all the spending decisions is made by the principal. Even hiring and letting go of staff.
brad - They would rather order a seven dollar pack of flashcards I can get for two at Walmart and begrudge me the five dollars I want to spend on soemthing else.
eilene - hehe, I got a class set of those boards, michelle, and I use them for math because I have no idea how to use them for language arts
Michelle - yeah, we just got the math workbooks too. i couldn't believe it.
brad - We got a class set of math workbooks but we're not allowed to write in them???????
Michelle - they wouldn't support me getting more books, they say i have enough books. who could have enough books?
eilene - You can't write in them???? what's the sense to that?
brad - I ask you what's the sense in spending the money on a class set???
brad - How much for the whiteboards and markers?
Michelle - but i have more books than any other teacher in the school, so maybe that's why.
eilene - Ack, don't get me started on the US educational system and math. it's totally skewed
eilene - that could be, michelle
Michelle - um....I'm not sure. I'm thinking $60-$80 altogether?
brad - Get started, eilene. We don't talk about math much in prof board
eilene - Whiteboards aren't that expensive. Reallygoodstuff.com has them for about 60 bucks I think
Michelle - we have gotten so much inservice for our new math series...we hardly teach anymore. We've been pulled out 3 days in 4 weeks for inservice in math.
eilene - Are you sure? There's so much wrong with math in the us
brad - fire away eilene
eilene - and it all stems from the lack of control of the curriculum by putting the decision of what we should teach in the hands of publishers
Michelle - the prof board hasn't been as active as it used to be. I guess because we are all so busy teaching.
brad - of course, eilene
eilene - the mathbooks today are too graphically oriented
brad - this week has been particularly deadening on board
brad - you['re doing investigations this year, Michelle? Do you like it? I have my own set but haven't used it
Michelle - i wonder where sadie is tonight?
eilene - the kids can make no connections to the 5 or 10 problems on each page (which is a skill a page, by the way) which is why workbooks are best
Alta Rose/2 - Is that because different states have different objectives, eilene?
brad - How are workbooks different?
Michelle - Yes, we are doing investigations. It's incredibly weak in Measurement. It's missing some stuff in probability. Some of it I'm unhappy with, but it's got good points too. I guess they are all like that.
eilene - Actually, California, I beleive is the only state that has the books align to their goals
Alta Rose/2 - Here, one series might be catering to more than one province with different objectives.
eilene - workbooks are better because the kids are distracted by the pictures and it gets to the core skill, they can take it home and "claim ownership"
brad - Yes, Michelle, I thought it was weak in measurement too. I pull stuff from it all the time though. Too afraid to use it as the curriculum
Michelle - we are only doing Investigations in grades 3-5.
brad - I can see that eilene.
brad - Do you have plans to expand Michelle. I think it's hard to get kids thinking that way if they don't have that groundwork.
Alta Rose/2 - Sorry, eilene-I'm missing it. Workbooks are better than what?
Michelle - we are forced to use it as "the" curriculum this year, although we will suppliment in measurement and probability since those are known weaknesses. I can't wait until next year when I can pick and choose a little more.
eilene - TIMSS conducted a study. In the A countries, such as Japan, they only teach 4 core principles for mastery, each year. Only when you teach for mastery can you teach for scaffolding... In the US, we teach more than 31 skills a year!!
eilene - workbooks are better than textbooks
brad - yes, yes, eilene. What do you do to compensate?
Michelle - we are doing Bridges at K-2. It's compatable in the problem-solving aspect.
eilene - *that should be A Plus countries, by the way
Alta Rose/2 - I have a hard time thouroughly covering math concepts, too.
Alta Rose/2 - Too much to teach, not enough time.
eilene - Well, I have to teach the textbook because my district tells me so... I remember last year spending over 4 weeks in place value alone
Michelle - have you heard of Bridges? I think it was developed in Portland, but not sure.
Alta Rose/2 - I believe that, eilene.
Michelle - my kids aren't understanding Multiplication this year like they were last year when I used Marilyn Burns' Math By All Means.
brad - Place value is not developmentally appropriate until children are 8 or 9 they say.
Michelle - Brad, I keep trying to tell people that.
eilene - I've never heard of Bridges, michelle. brad, I use the base ten blocks still in 3rd grade.... Not true, brad. Place value can be taught very simply in kindergarten
brad - I thought the burns unit and the investigations stuff were quite similar michelle
Michelle - but, eilene, i think the Deep understanding of pv doesn't take hold until the kids are older.
Michelle - Some of it is more similar than others, brad.
brad - I used the new burns book, "Teaching Arithmetic" series. It's excellent
brad - very similar to math by any means but more sequenced I think
brad - I think Investigations just needs a little help in the sequencing and "tying it all together" aspects
eilene - if the place value of say, ones and tens is taught in kindergarten, okay, say first grade, then reinforced and applied with simple addition facts... it's much easier
eilene - the problem with our books is that place value is not applied in context
brad - A little help there and it could be an excellent program
Michelle - it's funny, we talk so much about literacy, it sometimes seems like that's all we teach!
brad - Just a series I caught and taught a little of as a sub that I thought was excellent is Everyday Math
eilene - I've never done investigations. never even heard of it, actually
Michelle - Investigations has really become big in Oregon.
eilene - what is it about?
brad - Michelle, I have a link bookmarked to the Portland site I think. It's a great website, with a supplemental measurement unit to use
Michelle - yeah, we are getting a lot of info from Portland. I was actually first trained in Investigations when I was a sub in Portland. They were that invested in it.
eilene - let me ask you guys about the measurement issue. do you teach metric measurement in math or science?
brad - yes, wish i didn't have to teach standard
Michelle - Mainly in math, but use it in science too, eilene
Alta Rose/2 - Math. I didn't know you guys taught metric.
Michelle - yeah, we have to teach both.
Alta Rose/2 - Isn't that a bit confusing!
eilene - In the US, metric is only used during science studies. It would make more sense to teach it then
Michelle - yes!
Alta Rose/2 - We only teach metric, but we still use imperial. That's confusing, too.
eilene - yes, it is... but all science measurements are in metric. never in standard for some reason.
Michelle - well, often not a lot of time is dedicated to science....anyway, metric measurement is on our statewide math assessment
brad - I think metric is super easy, but. . .
eilene - metric is based on 10 like our numbering system
eilene - other than the language, the kids are able to get it
brad - that's why. . . where do you stand on fact learning?
eilene - I totally push it down their throats
Michelle - right....it's easy. what's hard is when people try to teach both units at the same time...it should be taught separately.
Michelle - I don't have time for fact learning this year. It's not in Investigations, so we don't do it.
brad - Exactly how do you push it down their throats?
eilene - I have kids who don't know their fact families still... or their ten partners, grr!
eilene - worksheet drill and kill, because my kids are behind we don't have the time to talk about the theories yet
Michelle - i figure, if they can figure it out...if they have a good system...then it's all good.
Alta Rose/2 - I was in seventh grade when Canada changed to metric system, so never did learn the imperial system well. I have no clue when you talk in fareingheit. But I still think pounds, inches and miles. Talk about confusing for our next generation!
brad - See, that's where I part ways with Investigations. I just think there's a gap there in the way Investigations wants students to think (and they should) and then the way they're supposed to "intuit" things that doesnt' seem to come without a deeply ingrained knowledge of number system and facts
Alta Rose/2 - See..I can't even spell it!
Michelle - yeah, investigations wants kids to get that intuition awfully quickly!
eilene - that's okay, alta. For some reason, the cars destined for States still has miles and kilometers on their speed gauge. go figure
brad - That's why I think Investigations should not be instituted only for certain segments. It's really a building-levels-of-olearning system
Michelle - i often spend more than the recommended time on the sessions
brad - It just leaves too much to "chance" and happenstance for me to use it full time
Alta Rose/2 - brb
brad - But I still like it much much bettter than our traditional adopted text, so don't get me wrong
eilene - "intuit" with math? sounds pretty scary
Michelle - that's what the Inservice lady tells us...Investigations does NOT work if you only do parts of it....you must do all of it in order to get the gains they claim
eilene - I spend almost an hour a day on math, between warmups, count bys, and the skill of the day
brad - Okay, you use district text, eilene, but if you didn't have to, what would you do?
Michelle - well, a lot of schools in our state have done the Bridges/Investigations adoption. They really are compatable.
brad - Can Bridges stand alone, Michelle?
Michelle - I spend about 80 minutes per day on math.
Michelle - Bridges is K-2 only. Yes, it stands alone.
eilene - Well, I'm not that informed yet... but I would check into TIMSS (not TIMS, which was developed in Chicago) I would have to do a lot of research to answer that one brad
brad - I'm interested. Where can I find out more?
eilene - Well, the theory behind the arguments can be found here:
Michelle - Let's see...I know it comes from the Math Learning Center....I think that's the name of it. I know they have one at Portland State University, and one at Oregon State University...
Michelle - oh...maybe you meant Eilene.
eilene - http://nces.ed.gov/timss/ (That's for TIMSS)
brad - There's such a literacy push in our district, and sure that's important, but I look around and I see some real weakness in math that's not being addressed at all. And I think it would help our reading, because it's about logic.
brad - No, I meant Bridges Mcihelle
eilene - see he wasn't talking to me, michelle
Michelle - OK...I can find out for sure for you by Monday, brad. My son's teacher was one of the ones who really researched Bridges.
eilene - what exactly is Bridges, guys?
Michelle - It's a math adoption. It uses a lot of the same ideas as Investigations....investigative learning, number sense..
eilene - oh, okay....
brad - michelle, is it a text or program???
Michelle - it's a program.
brad - have you used it?
Michelle - it's got a huge calendar component. The homework part of it is pretty good (I know that part because I've seen it at home!)
eilene - My sister who is getting her doctorate on algebraic thinking in children (she's my math consult) actually used the same text as I have for her gifted kids... but she did some major adaptations
brad - I really went all out on claendar this year, and I think it's helping because the same stuff pops up over and over. made up on my own from "the best of subbing" years. LOL
Michelle - My son, who is very high in math, is really into it. He was discouraged in math last year because it was too easy. This is multi-level.
eilene - I don't do that much calendar, which may not be right, I guess
Alta Rose/2 - That's great, Michelle. Math is always the hardest one to make multi-level, I find.
eilene - I'll have to do some research into the Bridges program then
Michelle - yeah, I really believe that learning needs to be recursive! The calendar program we use in 3-5 is really good for geometry. It's not related to Investigations.
eilene - I agree, Alta. It is so hard to do that
brad - I do it Eilene for the review of concepts on daily basis that you just have to do. I was just too shocked last year at the kids who couldn't read a calendar or know what an odd and even number is. It lets me do a lot of concepts in a little time
Alta Rose/2 - Can you explain a bit as to how it is multi-levled?
eilene - Oh, odd/even numbers. derr! I never even thought to apply that to a calendar. I'm stupid
brad - And if they don't get it in a day or two, it's no biggie, because it'll keep coming up over and over and over
brad - Theres' way more to my calendar than just a calendar, eilene
eilene - I just put it up there to help me keep my days straight
brad - LOL
Alta Rose/2 - I do money at the calendar. Has that ever helped!
brad - me too alta
Michelle - I'm honestly not completely knowledgeable about Bridges. I have seen some samples of how students are working on "math work places" at their own level....but I can't completely answer that question right now. I guess because it's more investigative in approach?
eilene - I still feel like i'm drowning at times there's so much for me to still learn... burn out, methinks, is right around the corner
brad - well get back with us mcihele, for pity's sake
Alta Rose/2 - It's like the 4Block philosophy--Do a little bit, every day, and they will get it.
Michelle - I will! I'll grill my son's teacher.
brad - I think so alta
eilene - I do money with addition... the next question is this: doesn't it seem logical to do multiplication after addition since it's an extension
brad - has anyone used the north carolina site
eilene - ?
brad - there are those who would back that up, eilene (addition then multiplication)\
Michelle - wow...look at us still talking professionally at this time of night! And I'm in the "earliest" time zone!
Michelle - no. Never heard of it, brad.
eilene - If it weren't for the lack of fact skills with my kids, I would do it like that, but alas, I can't
Michelle - yeah, eilene, if you are introducing multiplication as repeated addition, it completely makes sense.
brad - okay, so for me in math, it's come down to this, do we do a focused time with one concept or do we do a sprialing thing and keep doing it a little at a time over and over ad nauseam?
brad - "earliest time zone??" hardly
Michelle - focus on something for a short time, and then add it to the spiral...I BELIEVE in the spiral! But Investigations doesn't seem to work that way.
Alta Rose/2 - I think spiraling is best, brad, but we have so much to cover it's hard to have time to spiral! I keep reviewing the most important concepts.
eilene - Well, technically, each skill is incorporated ?with the newer one, isn't it
Michelle - I mean, it's earlier for me than it is for you. It's later in Ohio than it is in Oregon
brad - not the way american textbooks are organzied eilene
eilene - (hmm, a rogues question mark, I see)
brad - it is?
eilene - (along with that rogue "s")
Michelle - last year, I noticed that with constant review, even my slower students eventually learned the concepts. I'm afraid they won't do as well this year.
eilene - you're right, brad, so you should work the skill into the newer skill, so the students can apply it. That's the biggest and bestest thing you can do
eilene - Don't you dare follow up place value with time (like my textbook is) Do addition
brad - yes, but michelle, in american textbooks, it's not "incorproated review" It's just "mixed practice" at the bottom of the page, And I think kids learn to see it as unrelated crapola
Alta Rose/2 - But some of the concepts are so different--number concepts, geometry, measurement, data management, etc.
brad - and how do you get off thinking you're the earliest. I'm in OHIO for Christ's sake. It's Two here. eastern standard.
eilene - geometric thinking is entirely different, I agree, but should only be taught after number sense. because you need to apply some number sense to volume and area, etc
Michelle - yeah, that's true, brad.
Michelle - i didn't use that stuff, though. I made up my own review stuff. Every day.
Alta Rose/2 - brad, she means it's earlier in Oregon than in Ohio.
Alta Rose/2 - brad, she means it's earlier in Oregon than in Ohio.
Michelle - I know that, brad. 11 pm is earlier in the evening than 2am.
eilene - every friday I have to do standardized math test skills
brad - sounds like someone really needs to get on the ball and meld the best of both worlds in math. The investigative approach with a respect for sequencing, concepts, adn a little algorithms.
Alta Rose/2 - How do your kids do in problem solving?
Michelle - yep, brad. You got it.
Alta Rose/2 - Here, that's always the weakest math area on provincial test.
eilene - in respect to story problems?
Alta Rose/2 - No...
brad - They stink at problem solving. Matter of fact they suck. Teachers here don't ask them to explain their thinking. Kids just look for what formula to apply and do it (and half the time it's even the wrong formula)
Michelle - the communication and verification portions of problem solving are the hardest for my kids.
Michelle - they all want to say that they figured it out in their heads.
Michelle - or that the "just know" the answer.
brad - LOL, Michelle, they sure do
eilene - yeah, i had them for the first time today, put their thoughts in words.... oh, boy, were they lost
eilene - but they are pros at "guess the missing number." My kids can solve this x plus 4 equals 12.
brad - There must be a way we can think of for them to scaffold this. C'mon, let's pretend we're Jan and Judy for a second, only in math.
Alta Rose/2 - It's also so related to reading comp.
brad - LOL, too late on Friday to do that.
eilene - yes, it is, Alta, and that's where most of our students fail
Michelle - and metacognition.
Alta Rose/2 - I use a pretty good program called "The Problem Solver."
Michelle - there's a reason Jan and Judy leave earlier...they can't think this late either.
brad - We have that, Alta. It's a little too prescribed though. That's what I'm talking about with a good mix. It needs to be just open ended enough but with a proper sequence.
Alta Rose/2 - It teaches them the steps and strategies to problem solving.
Michelle - I used The Problem Solver last year. It really works well. But I don't have time for it this year.
eilene - Well, last year I had my students draw their numbers and problems so they used those as tools... this year, I'm a slacker
Michelle - but some of the problems were very difficult.
brad - explain eilene
Michelle - I like that it teaches them the different problem solving strategies. that's it's biggest strength
Michelle - its
eilene - like I said before we still use the base ten blocks, which is great for regrouping, etc.
brad - we need to encourage the math talk on the prof reading board.
eilene - and i had my kids make the number with the blocks and then draw it. 11 would be one stick and one dot... so then they would eventually use the pictures to support their thinking. We call them "Proof Pictures"
brad - that sounds interesting eilene.
eilene - it really is, because if they draw the number, and then count how many squares, sticks and dots they have, their answers would all work out
eilene - and then with regrouping we do what's called "Packing it up." 10 dots gets packed up into one stick, like it's easier to carry one dime instead of ten pennies
eilene - easier to carry one dollar than ten dimes, etc
Michelle - well, I am tired. It's time for me to go to bed.
eilene - Unpacking it, on the abstract level, is a bit difficult however
eilene - night, michelle
brad - ok, i have to go. Truly let's continue this on board when freshened
Michelle - maybe if we bring up math on the board, we will bring some life into it.
Michelle - goodnight!
Alta Rose/2 - Night, everyone!
eilene - okay, give me some time to do some research
eilene - night guys!
brad - ok, michelle bridges onmonday. LOL
Alta Rose/2 - Sounds great, eilene! Talk to everyone next week!

 
 

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