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Reading Teachers Chatboard

Lead 21

by Freddie

Apr 15, 2013

What are the major concerns w/ the Lead21 that your primary teachers are having? I am a first grade teacher andi find it overwhelming to do all that's expected in a day or week. I feel the word study area moves too quickly from idea to idea and should spend more time on each idea/skill. I also think the arrangement of skills/concepts for word study...See More

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Math - Reading - Writing basic math lessons on youtube.com

by Jorge Aleman

Apr 29, 2013

Greetings!

I focus on reading and writing in teaching basic math. I have created , 10 so far , lessons on youtube.com channel : jalemanmathminute

I use a puppet. Please share with teachers , students , and parents. I mean well in my effort!

Thank-you!

Jorge Aleman

Retired teacher , for now.

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Some amazing writing is happening in this classroom

by Teachers.Net Gazette

Jun 2, 2013

Judy, 5th grade teacher in California writes about something very exciting that happened in her classroom. You won't believe the results!

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Character Study Activity

by Mrs. S

Jun 6, 2013

Hey everyone,

I started using this "Fakebook" profile template this year for character study and my kids loved it! I thought I'd share it with you so that you can use it next year, too.

Best,

Mrs. S

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Achieve 3000/Teenbiz 3000 Reading/Writing Program

by sms78

Jun 25, 2013

Our school district is considering looking more into the Achieve 3000/Teenbiz3000 for our middle school students.

I was wondering if there are any Texas school districts that have bought into this program and how you felt it has worked for your students.

Thanks.

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Debbie On 6/25/13, sms78 wrote: > Our school district is considering looking more into the > Achieve 3000/Teenbiz3000 for our middle school students. > > I was wondering if there are any Texas school districts > that have bought into this program and how you felt it has > worked for your students. > > Thanks. I found your post! Let...See More

Jun 26, 2013

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Focus Poetry in Balanced Literacy

by Tex

Jun 27, 2013

Is any using Focus Poetry as part of their Shared Reading and Word Study in Balanced Literacy...especially for 5th grade?

I'm going to start this year and thought perhaps if someone else was starting we could jointly develop material.

Thanks,

Chuck

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Middle school-appropriate Science and Math non-fiction?

by JPV

Jun 30, 2013

I will be starting at a new school this fall, with a small student base; I will be teaching 6-8th grades, in every core subject. My primary certification is English Language Arts, and I am hoping to integrate at least one cross-curricular unit in ELA between each of the other core subject areas (so, one unit will be ELA and Social Studies, another ...See More

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Sara On 6/30/13, JPV wrote:

In this first year you may need to use some 'too easy' books while you initiate this interesting approach. It will be work and I admire you - I don't think I could keep straight in my head enough to guide and monitor the discussions with 12 - 20 different books possibly being read at the same time.

And you'...See MoreOn 6/30/13, JPV wrote:

In this first year you may need to use some 'too easy' books while you initiate this interesting approach. It will be work and I admire you - I don't think I could keep straight in my head enough to guide and monitor the discussions with 12 - 20 different books possibly being read at the same time.

And you're going to have to read all these books between now and then. I'll toss out some possible fiction choices - maybe I can post back with more and more non-fiction as I think about it. I used to teach LA every year but the past few years I teach only social studies so know I'm working from memory.

Non-fiction - Archimedes' Revenge - math. Fiction math - The Devil's Arithmetic Numbering the Stars

Science - fiction - The Andromeda Strain

Social Studies - wow - there's always a lot there because when you think about it - everything is social studies, every book applies to social studies (unless you define social studies as only history but I don't)

Fiction - Social Studies Stargirl and almost everything else by Jerry Spinelli The Breadwinner I Heard The Owl Call My Name Julie of the Wolves Dogsong (and almost everything else by Gary Paul)Hatchet, River, etc. etc. Gathering Blue The Giver Manzanar Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry The Watsons Go To Birmingham Holes (students love this book) Bridge To Terabithia

For non-fiction, it might be easiest in this first year just to use biographies. Biographies offer great opportunity for rich comparison and - I think- the reality is - there's hardly the same amount of non-fiction written for Middle Schoolers as there is fiction. Sam Slater Henry David Thoreau or the biographies of scientists - those abound - for your science unit. the biographies of mathematicians are likely available at a Middle school reading level as well. Issac Newton for one. And you're going to have to buy copies of these books - enough for everybody? - because you don't know what students will choose? That can be pricey.

I think if you do a google search too - not just Amazon - you'll find a great deal. Nonfiction science books middle school level etc.

Maybe go to your nearest Barnes and Noble or - search Amazon. I think it will be particularly challenging to have comparative discussions between students reading fiction and those reading non-fiction.

Have you taught before? You say you're starting a new school - I hope this is not your first year of teaching because in and of itself the first year of teaching is a Great Deal of work. Maybe... decide which subject you're going to do first - and just start with those books. Social Studies is by far the easiest subject in which to find plenty of fictional books and enough non-fiction too.

> I will be starting at a new school this fall, with a small > student base; I will be teaching 6-8th grades, in every core > subject. My primary certification is English Language Arts, > and I am hoping to integrate at least one cross-curricular > unit in ELA between each of the other core subject areas > (so, one unit will be ELA and Social Studies, another ELA > and Mathematics, and another ELA and Science). > > Each of these units will be in a "reading workshop" format, > wherein students will split up into 4 groups and decide upon > which book they will read together. The result is that each > group will have a different book, and > similarities/differences, concepts, and other points will be > discussed between the groups during class time. The rest of > the staff seems pretty enthusiastic about this approach, and > I am excited to teach it. > > However, the challenge is finding non-fiction books for each > of these units. Ideally, I'll have 4 fiction and 4 > non-fiction books to let kids pick from (they will be > encouraged to pick the other, if they have already done, for > example, 2 of one kind, by halfway through the year; this > fulfills a content area expectation for ELA), but I'm > finding that many of the non-fiction books for science are > either "too easy" or "too difficult" for groups of middle > school (ages 12-14) students. > > So far, I have a few fiction picks (for science, I have > fiction books "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" and "Ender's > Game" - Ender's Game may get the axe - and for non-fiction, > I have "The Monkey Wrench Gang"; for math, I only have the > fiction book, "Secrets, Lies, and Algebra", though I've > considered "The Phantom Tollbooth", but probably won't take > it because, iirc, math is only a small part of it). > > I'm hoping for 4 fiction and 4 nonfiction books for each > cross-curricular unit (frankly, more than I need, and I'd > settle for 3 of each; I just don't want to NOT have a decent > number of options for kids). Any recommendations?

Jul 8, 2013

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JPV Thanks for the responses! I've considered many of what you've listed, but the appropriate-"reading level" biographies are tough to pin down (or even find) sometimes.

I've read most of those books, and have picked out all but one book for the first reading unit (I have a few I'm up in the air over).

This is my first year teaching...See MoreThanks for the responses! I've considered many of what you've listed, but the appropriate-"reading level" biographies are tough to pin down (or even find) sometimes.

I've read most of those books, and have picked out all but one book for the first reading unit (I have a few I'm up in the air over).

This is my first year teaching, yes. I'm planning all four subjects across three grades, however, my student population is only thirteen (it's on an island in northern Alaska, so there aren't many people there, in general); there will not be so many books read at once, however; each book will be given to a group of 3 to 4 students, and there will be 4 groups.

The district has *most* of the books at its libraries, which I have access to; however, if not, I am given some money with which to purchase them. I actually own many of these, already, and can ship them up with me. I have purchased several (including extras of the ones the library doesn't have sets of) at thrift stores recently for just a couple of bucks, and have others on their way to my AK address from Amazon or PaperBackSwap. At this point, it's really a matter of picking the books in a timely fashion. Curriculum-wise, most of the units/lessons have been planned (for the first half of the year), and will be timed appropriately as the year unfolds. I'm collaborating with the classroom's former teacher, and she seems impressed with my preparation thus far.

That's not to say it will all go well all the way through, though.

On 7/08/13, Sara wrote: > On 6/30/13, JPV wrote: > > In this first year you may need to use some 'too easy' books > while you initiate this interesting approach. It will be work > and I admire you - I don't think I could keep straight in my > head enough to guide and monitor the discussions with 12 - 20 > different books possibly being read at the same time. > > And you're going to have to read all these books between now > and then. I'll toss out some possible fiction choices - maybe I > can post back with more and more non-fiction as I think about > it. I used to teach LA every year but the past few years I > teach only social studies so know I'm working from memory. > > Non-fiction - Archimedes' Revenge - math. > Fiction math - The Devil's Arithmetic > Numbering the Stars > > Science - fiction - The Andromeda Strain > > Social Studies - wow - there's always a lot there because when > you think about it - everything is social studies, every book > applies to social studies (unless you define social studies as > only history but I don't) > > Fiction - Social Studies > Stargirl and almost everything else by Jerry Spinelli > The Breadwinner > I Heard The Owl Call My Name > Julie of the Wolves > Dogsong (and almost everything else by Gary Paul)Hatchet, > River, etc. etc. > Gathering Blue > The Giver > Manzanar > Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry > The Watsons Go To Birmingham > Holes (students love this book) > Bridge To Terabithia > > For non-fiction, it might be easiest in this first year just to > use biographies. Biographies offer great opportunity for rich > comparison and - I think- the reality is - there's hardly the > same amount of non-fiction written for Middle Schoolers as > there is fiction. > Sam Slater > Henry David Thoreau > or the biographies of scientists - those abound - for your > science unit. the biographies of mathematicians are likely > available at a Middle school reading level as well. Issac > Newton for one. > And you're going to have to buy copies of these books - enough > for everybody? - because you don't know what students will > choose? That can be pricey. > > I think if you do a google search too - not just Amazon - > you'll find a great deal. Nonfiction science books middle > school level etc. > > Maybe go to your nearest Barnes and Noble or - search Amazon. > I think it will be particularly challenging to have comparative > discussions between students reading fiction and those reading > non-fiction. > > Have you taught before? You say you're starting a new school - > I hope this is not your first year of teaching because in and > of itself the first year of teaching is a Great Deal of work. > Maybe... decide which subject you're going to do first - and > just start with those books. Social Studies is by far the > easiest subject in which to find plenty of fictional books and > enough non-fiction too. > > >> I will be starting at a new school this fall, with a small >> student base; I will be teaching 6-8th grades, in every core >> subject. My primary certification is English Language Arts, >> and I am hoping to integrate at least one cross-curricular >> unit in ELA between each of the other core subject areas >> (so, one unit will be ELA and Social Studies, another ELA >> and Mathematics, and another ELA and Science). >> >> Each of these units will be in a "reading workshop" format, >> wherein students will split up into 4 groups and decide upon >> which book they will read together. The result is that each >> group will have a different book, and >> similarities/differences, concepts, and other points will be >> discussed between the groups during class time. The rest of >> the staff seems pretty enthusiastic about this approach, and >> I am excited to teach it. >> >> However, the challenge is finding non-fiction books for each >> of these units. Ideally, I'll have 4 fiction and 4 >> non-fiction books to let kids pick from (they will be >> encouraged to pick the other, if they have already done, for >> example, 2 of one kind, by halfway through the year; this >> fulfills a content area expectation for ELA), but I'm >> finding that many of the non-fiction books for science are >> either "too easy" or "too difficult" for groups of middle >> school (ages 12-14) students. >> >> So far, I have a few fiction picks (for science, I have >> fiction books "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" and "Ender's >> Game" - Ender's Game may get the axe - and for non-fiction, >> I have "The Monkey Wrench Gang"; for math, I only have the >> fiction book, "Secrets, Lies, and Algebra", though I've >> considered "The Phantom Tollbooth", but probably won't take >> it because, iirc, math is only a small part of it). >> >> I'm hoping for 4 fiction and 4 nonfiction books for each >> cross-curricular unit (frankly, more than I need, and I'd >> settle for 3 of each; I just don't want to NOT have a decent >> number of options for kids). Any recommendations?

Jul 8, 2013

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Matching Comprehension Strategies with books

by Resa

Jul 30, 2013

Does anyone know of a site where you can type in the title of a book and it will tell you a recommended comprehension strategy to teach using the book?

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Sara On 7/30/13, Resa wrote: > Does anyone know of a site where you can type in the title > of a book and it will tell you a recommended comprehension > strategy to teach using the book?

Why would comprehension strategies vary from book to book??

A very good book to read for comprehension strategies in general is Mosaic of Tho...See More

Aug 4, 2013

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Texuye On 7/30/13, Resa wrote:

> Does anyone know of a site where you can type in the title

> of a book and it will tell you a recommended comprehension

> strategy to teach using the book?

What grade levels are you focusing on? "Revisiting The Reading Workshop" by Orehovec and Alley has a pretty good list of...See More

Aug 5, 2013

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Middle School Flipped Reading

by CS

Jul 31, 2013

My school would like us to start utilizing "the Flipped Classroom." Does anyone have an idea how to implement this for Reading with middle schoolers? I've watched a bunch of Youtube videos but haven't come across one that teaches reading strategies, text features, and using informational text or reading a chapter book. If you have any experience, p...See More

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Sara On 7/31/13, CS wrote: > My school would like us to start utilizing "the Flipped > Classroom." Does anyone have an idea how to implement this > for Reading with middle schoolers? I've watched a bunch of > Youtube videos but haven't come across one that teaches > reading strategies, text features, and using informational > text or r...See More

Aug 3, 2013

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Wendy On 8/03/13, Sara wrote: > On 7/31/13, CS wrote: >> My school would like us to start utilizing "the Flipped >> Classroom." Does anyone have an idea how to implement this >> for Reading with middle schoolers? I've watched a bunch of >> Youtube videos but haven't come across one that teaches >> reading strategies, text...See More

Nov 16, 2013

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Reading

by Joe

Aug 19, 2013

I have 10days to learn the Journeys Reading/Writing program by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The first two selections are: Because/WinnDixie & My Brother Martin. Anyone willing to share ideas,materials, or activities for Gr.4? Thx:)

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