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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1.02.28

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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1.02.28

Research:Movement and Choice Support Learning

This is from a literacy blog written by Brenda Power that I'm following.  It seemed to fit in nicely with the things we are learning from our CAFE reading. 

Moving to Learn

This week I've been reading some fascinating research that challenges much of what I thought I knew about studying and learning.  Robert Bjork of the University of California at Los Angeles and other researchers have been documenting how the "always study in the same place" rule really doesn't work as well as studying in different locations.  The findings are complex, but it appears the brain "tags" the learning with the sites, sounds, and stimuli of the location.  More locations with different stimuli make it easier for the brain to tag and store new learning.

Once you think about the research in the context of how you learn, it makes perfect sense.  How often have you solved a seemingly intractable problem when you g0t out of your classroom or living room, and thought about it in a different place? Think about a recent "aha" moment you had when considering a long-term problem, and my hunch is it came when you were on a beach, wheeling a shopping cart, or driving home. . .not in a place you associate with doing your best thinking.

The other finding to ponder is the importance of varying the material studied in one setting - far more was learned by research participants when they didn't focus on one subject or concept for too long, but instead moved between multiple concepts. This finding not only challenges skill and drill instruction - it pushes literacy teachers to vary reading and writing tasks even more, with choice a crucial piece of the mix.

But as I thought more about these studies, I realized how daunting they might be for new teachers early in the year trying to put management systems in place.  How to be consistent and clear, yet still allow for the movement and flexibility students require to maximize their learning?   How to provide choice and flexibility throughout the day, yet still remain focused on specific goals?


Brenda Power
Editor, Choice Literacy
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/1285.cfm

New York Times:Mind: Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits  By Benedict Carey; Published: September 6, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/health/views/07mind.html?_r=1

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1.02.28

Pensieve ~ Conferring Notebook

Dumbledore: "I use the Pensieve. One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one's mind, pours them into the basin, and examines them at one's leisure. It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form."

Harry: "You mean... that stuff's your thoughts?"

Dumbledore: "Certainly."

— Albus Dumbledore to Harry Potter

A Second Welcome

We have wanted to send an invitation to this blog since July, but hesitated because summer wasn't over.  Then school prep and the first day arrived and still this blog reminded unused.  So here we go - a new forum for sharing ideas.  Do you have to be reading the CAFE book in order to participate in the discussion.  NO!  The invitation is being sent to everyone on our staff in hopes that we can help each other grow in our skills and abilities for matching assessments to students' needs and teaching.

For those that wanted a book talk, Andrea and I have been discussing when our first book talk will be.  Tentatively, mark your calendar with Wednesday, September 8 at 4 p.m.  Place to be announced.  Thanks to Logan we are going to have a Pensive or Conferring Notebook making party.  Bring a 3 holed binder, class list, assessments you already have done.  Optional: Bring your computer along with the CD from the back of the CAFE book.  If you do not have the CAFE book, Elizabeth has extra copies.

Andrea and Angela

Resources

What is the difference between The Daily 5 and The Literacy CAFE books?

Over the summer, Andrea and I have considered this question. We agree that The Daily 5 is important to read, as well as The Literacy CAFE. In fact, we believe that this book is the place to start.

The Daily 5 is a system that helps students develop the daily habits of reading, writing, and working independently.

The Literacy CAFE is the teaching plan to help students understand and master different strategies used by successful readers. CAFE is an acronym for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary.

In combination, these books have information that help teachers with classroom management and literacy assessment. The teaching strategies are based in sound research. " In both the Daily 5 and Café books, we've included an extensive bibliography of the resources that have influenced our philosophy and practice," write Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, the authors, on their website.

Welcome

You have reached the White Oaks CAFE Literacy blog. This blog is for questions, as well as good ideas. In order to return, make sure to bookmark this page. Before signing off, please leave a message. Click on the word "Welcome" in order to add a message to this portion of the blog.

Thanks,
Andrea and Angela