View Read to Someone in Room 11

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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