Hmm… What is that?

 It was a remarkable 43 degrees out today.  Unheard of on the last day of December in Maine!  I went out snowshoeing in a field in back of my house and found all kinds of beautiful dried gasses.  Many reminded me of Dr. Seuss characters with their odd formations and twisted, curly leaves but there was an odd object that I kept finding as I tromped through the field - galls. 

Galls

A gall that I found while snowshoeing.  Picture by Eliot.

It is spring

the growing green stalks

are creating storage of food.

I’ll need sustenance

during the long, cold winter.

I bubble up my mixture

and irritate.

I crawl,

surrounding myself

inside what will be

my edible sphere.

I sleep,

waiting for spring.

When I will eat

an escape hatch.

- a poem by Sheila

Sometimes a walk outside gives reasons for a fun writing project.  I wrote the poem about galls after doing a little research.  Encourage your child explore winter and chances are good that topics for writing will be abundant.

One of my favorite blogs for poetry is The Poem Farm.  In this site, the poet Amy LV has been writing a poem everyday and shares where she gets her inspiration.  Lately she has been on a non-fiction spree.  It inspired me to write about the odd formation in the field called galls.

Good Fit Books

It's always interesting to talk about what a student is currently reading.  I like to take a moment to discuss with   my students what's in their book boxes.  This gives me a chance to see what titles they are reading and also an opportunity to talk about the books to see if they are understanding what they are reading.  If  book is to hard, a student may not be able to understand what they are reading.  What a student has selected to read gives me insight into their interests as well as opening up the conversation about if a book is a "Good Fit" for that student.

I enjoy this picture... look at how the bookmarks show the use of an avid reader and the corners of the book are curled from use and being toted around.  These are the books from Jamie's book box.  Jamie is a fourth grade student that I interviewed to help explain what a good fit book is. 

In the classroom, students are taught to use the I PICK ( from The Daily 5, Boushey & Moser, 2006) method to select books that hold a student's interest but are books at a reading level that is appropriate for the child so that the child can understand what they are reading. 

There are five questions that the student needs to think about when selecting books usig the I PICK method:

1. I - I choose the book.
2. Purpose - Why do you want to read it?
3. Interest - Does it interest me?
4. Comprehend - Am I understanding what I'm reading?
5. Know - I know most of the words.

I interviewed Jamie, a fourth grade student, about the books in his book box and we talked about the five questions in the I PICK method for picking "Good Fit" books.

Jamie - Good Fit Books from Sheila Cochrane on Vimeo.

 These are the three tiles that Jamie had in his book box in November 2010:

Chronicles of Ancient Darkness: Book One, Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver

Ranger's Apprentice: Book Two, The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan

Goosebumps:  Horrorland, The Secret of the Haunted Mask by R.L. Stine

The books that currently interest Jamie are fantasy and he understands what he is reading.  What types of books is your child reading?  You can use the I PICK questions to discuss your child's choice in books and find out if the titles are a "Good Fit".

The Tricky Parts

This afternoon I went out for a run.  It was the first time since we had the snowfall at Thanksgiving and the first run this fall with distinctive signs of the winter ahead.  I knew went I set out that it would not be my fastest run and that I would need to watch out for the tricky parts along the way.  After running in Central Maine during the winter, I have learned the parts of the road that will be tricky: the place were the sun never manages to find throughout the day, the corner where the cars and trucks push the snow into a thick mound, or the highly polished black glaze that is pretending to be tar.  Knowing the tricky parts makes the run more enjoyable because I know what to do.  I either get into the fresh snow where I'll have some traction or onto the tar if the roads are clear.  I have my strategies for making my run go smoothly. 

           

The books that your child brings home to read should be 'good fit' books.  That is books that are at a level that is not to hard or to easy but just right.  Sometimes, your child may have a book that is more challenging and has some tricky parts in it.  There are ways that you can help your child manage through the tricky parts by asking a few questions before they start reading.

           

One great way to prepare your child for reading at home is to ask them about their book.  You can start off by asking why they chose it.  This will help your child think about what they know about the topic or characters in the book and gets their mind thinking about the book before they start reading.  Then you could ask them if there are any tricky parts in the book.  Usually a child will know if they have had trouble reading the book in the past or if there is a new challenge that the book brings.  Most students will be able to tell you what they will do if they come to a tricky part and share their strategy with you.  You might hear something like, “I will look for parts of the word that I know,” or “I will reread the passage (page, chapter, or part of the book) until I understand what I am reading.” 

           

By just checking in with your child before he or she begins reading, you can provide the support needed to begin thinking about the story and what to do when they get to a tricky part. For more ideas on helping your child, I found a nice web site that has great tips for parents on reading and writing called Reading Rockets.  Check it out!

Read to Self

There are two important ideas when it comes to reading… when you read, it helps you become a better reader and writer, AND it is fun!  In the classroom where the Daily Five is happening, you hear the students talking about read to self. 

      “Children reading to themselves is the first step in Daily Five and is the foundation for creating independent readers and writers.  On the surface—like all components in Daily Five—Read to Self seems basic and simple.  However, we have found that specific teaching techniques can make Read to Self a powerful tool for enhancing all literacy skills.” (The Daily 5 p.46)

One of the specific techniques that your child has learned in “Read to Self” is to read the pictures.  In this technique, the students look at the pictures to help them understand the what is happening in the story.  Another technique is to read the words. This is the traditional way most of us read independently.  The last technique is to retell a familiar story.  Retelling a story helps the reader remember what has happened in what they read and provides a time to think about the details in the story.  All of these techniques help your child to understand the story they are reading.

When reading to self, the student learns where to sit in the room.  This is important because you need a quiet environment in which to read.  Elaina, a fourth grader, tells us her experience with the Daily Five’s “Read to Self” in an interview:

https://sites.google.com/site/scochrane1/home/podcast

The most important aspect of read to self is that it helps your child to build stamina in reading.  It is not uncommon for a primary student to be able to read independently for 30 minutes and an intermediate student to reading independently for 45 minutes!  Because the student has some choice in the books they are reading, it makes reading fun.  In the next entry, we’ll hear about “Good Fit Books”.

           

National Writing Day

Today we celebrated National Writing Day!  There are student writings posted on the walls and throughout the classrooms for you to come in and read.  Each of the classroom teachers wrote a short article for the second edition of our National Writing Day newsletter telling about what is happening in their classroom or at their grade level in writing.

            The writing workshop is used through out the school.  While it may look different at the various grade levels, the process remains similar.  The student decides on a topic to write about and may organize the storyline in some way, gets writing on the first draft, and rereads the story often to make changes or add details.  This process of making changes and additions is the most important part... it lets the writer develop the meaning in the story through details.

It’s the details that give the reader the images that they can connect with through the writing.  In some classes, they may call this a ‘small moment.’ In a 'small moment', the writer gives enough detail so that it captures a moment in time – stretched out by the author’s tiny details of the important moment. 

So whether it’s in poetry, a story about your child's life, or the non-fiction information of a favorite topic, look for the small details that capture your attention!

Keep your eyes open for the National Writing Day Newsletter that went home with your child today.  It is filled with information about the writing that is happening throughout our school.

Fact or Fiction?

So what have you read today?  Chances are that most of the reading you have done today was non-fiction reading.  My non-fiction reading for today included maps, newspapers, magazines, e-mails, recipes, lists, order forms and pamphlets to name a few.  The list of non-fiction reading is extensive and my list just touches upon the variety of texts we read on a daily basis.

Non-fiction

Fiction

In school, your child is reading both fiction and non-fiction books.  In kindergarten and first grade, the conversation about whether a book is fact or fiction begins.  Most students in the primary grades will be able to tell you if the story is true (non-fiction) or make-believe (fiction).  A good way to talk about the difference between fiction and non-fiction with your child is to start with fiction because children hears many stories.  You tell them family stories or read stories to your child and all fiction – oral or written - have a beginning, middle, and ending.  While the individual stories may be different, they will all have the quality or structure of having a beginning, middle and an ending.

At the primary level, the non-fiction conversation asks if the book is true or has information but does not tell a story.  I am always amazed at how quickly these young readers can figure out the type of book they are reading!  At the upper elementary grades, the non-fiction books are identified with specific categories such as biographies, procedural or instructional, explanatory, persuasive, or descriptive.  Your child learns what features are important in each of the different non-fiction text structures so they can navigate through the information confidently.  By fourth grade, your child should be reading a mix of 50% fiction and 50% non-fiction books and the amount of non-fiction reading increases through adulthood.

So what did you read today? When your child brings home his or her book tonight, ask them if they are reading fiction or non-fiction!

A Poem by Heart

There was a game my sisters and I used to play on the hall way steps called, “Button, button, who’s got the button?”  We would start at the bottom of the stairs and the goal was to guess which sister had a button hidden in their hands behind their back.  If you guessed right, you moved up a step: if you were wrong, you moved down a step.  About the time I was halfway up the stairs, I’d break out into a poem.  A poem I knew by heart…

Halfway down the stairs

Is a stair

Where I sit.

There isn’t any

Other stair

Quite like

It.

I’m not at the bottom,

I’m not at the top;

So this is the stair

Where

I always

Stop.

Read the full poem HERE.

There’s something about poetry that can excite children in unexpected ways.  It has to do with the rhythm and the playing with words that requires them to pay really close attention to what the poem truly means.  There are poems written on just about any topic and in many styles – from funny, rhyming, in shapes, or with two voices! Best of all, poetry is the perfect size… It travels well and makes for a great reading between dashes to soccer practice or while waiting for the vegetables to cook before supper is ready.  Here’s a little poem to encourage you to savor some poetry.

How to Eat a Poem

By Eve Merriam

Don't be polite.
Bite in.
Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that

may run down your chin.
It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are.
You do not need a knife or fork or spoon
or plate or napkin or tablecloth.

For there is no core
or stem
or rind
or pit
or seed
or skin
to throw away.

Here is a link to a website that has 12 links to sites filled with creative ways to encourage your child read and write poetry.  Check it out!

The Book Fair is Here!

The big cases that hold the books for the Scholastic Book Fair were wheeled down the school halls and set up in the library. This week the book fair will open for you to visit starting Tuesday, September 21st through Friday, September 24th from 7:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. There will also be special hours on the evening of Open House so families can visit. So on Thursday, September 23rd, the Book Fair will have extended hours from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.

It’s always exciting when your child receives the Scholastic Book Order Form. They are eager to buy books that attract their attention. It’s a good idea to take a moment to go over some of the books that your child is interested in and develop a shopping plan. There is a spot on the back of the order form for just this purpose. As part of the Daily 5, your child is taught about finding a book that is a good for them – not too hard, not too easy. But if they do happen to purchase a book that is too difficult, it would make for a great opportunity for a read aloud.

Even if you child is naturally drawn to books and reading, you can still encourage the love of literature. Keep reading together. Even if you child is able to read well and reads alone, read aloud to your child. Reading books together offers opportunities for you to expand vocabulary and talk about the characters and action that takes place in the story. The discussions that will come out of reading a book together will help your child’s comprehension and build the enjoyment of reading.

When you come to Open House night, don’t forget to visit me in the Title 1 Room! I’m right across the hall from the library. I have handouts for you that are about writing and bookmarks with some nice questions on them to help promote your child’s comprehension while reading. I look forward to seeing you at Open House!

In the Midst of Assessments

There are moments when I feel like a rock star of reading. This week is one of those times – it’s reading assessment time! As I walk down the halls, I’m asked by students, “Are you going to read with me today?” This week we have been doing reading and writing assessments. While you may think of assessments as the dreaded test or pop quiz, your child usually comes away from assessments with a very different experience. Here’s how it goes…

When we read with your child, we are determining the characteristics and level of book they can read by themselves. Usually we offer a few books that your child can choose from to read and they select which book they want to read. The books are ones that they have not read before so the assessment provides a perfect time to see just what strategies your child knows and uses while reading. At the end of the reading session, the teachers share what they noticed that your child can do while reading. This is important because by sharing this information with your child, they know what they can do as a reader and come away from the reading assessment with a positive experience.

In writing, each child is giving a writing prompt where they write a story. In the classroom, the teacher introduces the prompt and your child works on their story independently. The teacher may talk about things they know about writing a story before they begin writing, then your child uses their experiences an imagination to create a story and tell it in writing (or drawing in some cases). Each writing piece is scored on a rubric and this information helps the teacher know what your child can do in writing and what they need to learn next to grow.

Once the teachers determine what your child knows, they can prepare what the next steps are to help them become a better reader and writer. You can find the results of the assessment when you look at your child’s language arts portfolio. Each assessment is saved in his or her language arts portfolio so that your child can reflect on their growth over the year(s) and parents and teachers can talk about your child’s work and share information with the reading records and piece of writing in front of them. It is wonderful to be able to look at your child’s growth over time with the portfolios. It’s like a time capsule of your child’s learning.

One, part two

Last week, our school celebrated International Literacy Day with a school-wide reading of the book One by Kathryn Otoshi. All of the ‘It only take ONE to…’ statements that students have written are now on display and make a proud statement of friendship, cooperation, and reach out to others in our community as they walk around our school. The colorful sentence strips attract your attention and they are being read!

I watched a class line up in the hall getting ready for lunch and heard a hum of whispered readings of the quotes. The display happens to be in an area where two hallways converge so there is a lot of foot traffic… and reading. Some of the students take a moment to spot their own quote and then began looking for friends or siblings quote but settled in to read statements nodding their head in agreement with what was written. Here are a few more quotes:

It just takes ONE to help other people when they fall.
It just takes ONE to make someone else happy.
It just takes ONE to turn a bully into a friend.
It just takes ONE to turn around the world.

Teachers have taken the opportunity to bring in other books to read aloud or a collection of books that echo a similar message. For example, Carol McCloud’s book, Have You Filled Your Bucket Today?, is a book that has extended the conversation around friendship and helping others.

If you are interested in looking for books to read with your child, I recommend the web site Kids Lit. The site offers book reviews on books from toddlers to teens as well as reading and writing information. I like the way the site is set up because you can locate books by genre, recommended book levels, authors, award winners and more. Check it out! Chances are good that you’ll find a book that is the ONE.

International Literacy Day

This year, we started off the year with a school-wide reading to mark International Literacy Day - September 8, 2010.  A good story sparks good conversations and Kathryn Otoshi’s book, One, did exactly that!  In the book, one character named Blue feels left out and picked on by another student named Red.  At last, one student stands up for Blue in front of Red and that turns the story around.  In the end, the characters learn that it is better to be nice and not to be mean or bully others because no one wants to feel left out.  The book was a great way to start a conversation about how we all need to cooperate and think about how others feel in order to have a supportive school community.

            The children worked together as a class, small groups, or with book buddies to come up with a statement that reflected what the book was about.  They came up with various “It just takes ONE” quotes.

“It just takes ONE to give confidence.”

It just takes ONE to have courage.”

It just takes ONE to help others.”

It just takes ONE to be a good friend.”

There is a display near the office that shows the thoughtful and insightful quotes that came out of the conversations our students had about the effects of bullying, cooperation, and the joy we can find in our school community.  As the year continues, we will be working on ways to make our school even better by working together.  And to think, it all started with a reading of a book… one really good book.

Reading at Home

In the next few weeks, your child will be bringing home a Ziploc bag with a familiar book that they have read in the classroom. There will be a form in the bag where the date, book’s title is written, and a place for you to initial after your child has read the book to you and send it back to school with your child the next day. Reading at Home is a program that has been at the Corinna School for over three years. It helps develop the habit of reading outside of school and provides a time for practicing reading. Your child should be reading at least 15 minutes (this is only a minimum; your child can certainly read more!) at home but we know that the more children read, the better readers they become.

         The books that your child brings home should be familiar books and ones that they can read with little or no help. When a child reads a book more than once, it helps them read at a faster pace and recognize words more consistently. You can tell when the book is just right because your child will have a nice rhythm to his or her reading and few errors. Your child can read to you or, in the case of an older student, read silently. You’ll want to ask them what the book is about or discuss their favorite part or character to find out if they understand what they are reading.

        Over the course of the year, daily independent reading at home will help your child to improve in fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and writing. But most of all, it will foster an enjoyment of reading and develop the habit of reading for pleasure. Encourage your child to read by providing a quiet time and place for reading, such as a time when the television isn’t on, a family reading time, or reading as part of the bedtime routine. As Dr. Seuss said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

Welcome

Welcome to a place where information and resources for reading and writing with young children will be shared.  As we start off the school year, I will post information that can help you get the most out of what’s happening at the Corinna School in literacy.  The classroom is an exciting place where all children are involved in learning through reading and writing.  Perhaps your child comes home and says, “We did Daily 5 today!” or “we are working on building our stamina.”  While this sounds funny, your child is trying to explain what is happening in reading or writing workshop.  My goal is to provide you with information about what is happening in the classrooms, post helpful links, and give support to help learning be fun.  Join in and subscribe to Learning for ME!