Summer Reading

I loved using the CAFE system last year and believe I'll do it again.  It was what the children did when they first arrived at school.  They put things away, got their book boxes and started to read.  This happened without a single bit of talking for the whole school year.  AMAZING!  To get ready for this next school year, I'll reread CAFE and refresh my memory.  I think I'll be ready to take new steps using this system.  Happy summer and reading, Angela

Community

Dear Fellow Teachers,

I'm feeling the joy of conferences being behind me.  I hope this is true for all of you soon.  When I asked Oliver what his favorite things were at school, he stated "CAFE Reading, ... ."  Can you believe it?  I can.  I, too, love our quiet time being readers and sharing with each other what we love about the books we are reading.  The CAFE system empowers my students.  Within the framework, they not only have reading choices, but what job they will start the day with.  As I shared with parents, I realized that my teacher time is more efficient and effective because of this new system.  We are a reading community in Room 11.

I was reading an article on how to organize a classroom to support learning.  It made me think of our efforts this year, and so I'm sharing this article with you.  Just click on the link to read about a teacher who has used the theme of a town to organize her classroom.  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/classroom-environment-demonstrates-caring-learning-elena-aguilar?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spiralnotebook+%28Spiral+NoteBook%29

Happy Thanksgiving soon,
Angela

Enjoyed our night together last night to discuss how using the CAFE strategies are going in our classrooms. Wow! I am constantly amazed by the incredible talent of our teachers. I was working with children today to ask hem to name what they are good at doing as a reader. Their ideas were wonderful. One little boy said that he was good at enjoying a good book!

View Read to Someone in Room 11

 http://voicethread.com/share/1321569/

Choosing New Books

I'm having trouble figuring out when to have the students choose books.  More books are needed by the reader the lower the reading level.  It is suggested by CAFE that choosing books should be at a time other than reading time.  Do you have any ideas?  What does book choice look like in your room?

Thanks in advance,
Angela

Touchpoints

At our first "CAFE Get Together," we were trying to figure out how "touch points" were used and the numbering system.  Touch points keep track of a child's success at using a strategy.  The teacher marks the student's record each time the child demonstrates use of the strategy.   After four or five checks, the teacher determines the student's next steps.  The marks are recorded on the child's conferring sheet along with the dates.  When the child demonstrates consistent use of a strategy, teacher and student talk about another strategy from the CAFE menu.

What were the numbers?
1 - below standard
2 -  approaching standard
3 - meeting standard
4- exceeding standard

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Conferring Notebook

This photo is courtesy of http://www.thedailycafe.com

I've set up my conferring notebook. This is the organizational piece that will support my efforts to make all assessments directly impact individual student learning. The forms have been given to you when we met or in you staff box.  You will also find the forms used in the notebook on the CD-Rom in the back of the book. If you do not have the book, contact Elizabeth.  She has extra copies.

The notebook is divided into three sections: Appointments, Guided Reading/Focus Group, Individual student data. I'm most excited about the appointment area because it will help me know who I work with the most and who might have fallen off my radar.

Appointment: The appointment section has a list of students. When using the CD-Rom, you can type in your students names. The grid is for dates that you meet with students. There is a blank calendar for every month. You can use the Mac calendar to print monthly calendars or use the calendar that Andrea and I included in the packet. The calendar is where you write down the next meeting with a group or individual student.

Guided Reading/Focus Group: The sheets for this area are your lesson plans. The CAFE system not only has guided reading as its organization, but uses reading strategy groups. On the CD-Rom, you will find a list of strategies along with teaching suggestions. The authors also provide the research that supports their choices.

Individual Student Data: Each student has a section. On the CD-Rom, you will find forms for individual goal setting. As you meet with a student, you would write down what you observe: student’s strengths and strategy focus. The goal is to be productive and effective as you focus your teaching for student learning.

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