Writing to Read

Another report I explored recently is Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading, A Report from Carnegie Corporation of New York.  I may have read this report earlier in the semester. However, I have the hard copy in my personal library, so I picked it up last week and begin to read it.

 

 

 

nwp.org



Click HERE to access the report.

 

In many ways the report reminds me of the information I gleaned from the article, The Neglected "R".  The Writing to Read provides evidence answering the following three questions:

1. Does writing about material students read enhance their reading comprehension?
2. Does teaching writing strengthen students' reading skills?
3. Does increasing how much students write improve how well they read?

The report identifies a cluster of closely related instructional practices shown to be effective in improving students reading.  The grouped three core recommendations. 

 

1. Have students write about the texts they read--this includes responding with a personal reaction, writing a summary, writing notes, and answering and/or creating a question about the text

     2. Teach students the writing skills and processes that go into creating a text--this includes the process of     writing, text structure, paragraph or sentence construction, and spelling skills.

      3. Increase how much students write.

<This doesn't exactly seem like rocket science to me, more like common sense. However, it is nice to have the empirical evidence for those 'non-believers'. >

The Reality:
Although our grandparents (and perhaps our parents) only needed a high-school education to find jobs that paid enough to raise a family, this is a rarity today.  Changes in our world and our workplaces have increased the need for young adults to attend some form of higher education, whether it is a two or four year college.

A Grim Snapshot from WTR Report:

• Forty percent of high school graduates lack the literacy skills employers seek
• Only one out of four twelfth grade students is a proficient writer
• One out of every five college freshman must take a remedial writing course
• Three out of ten high school students do not graduate on time

The good news!
After meta-analysis on the effects of the three recommendations above, there was positive growth in student achievement! (Again, not rocket science--but enough evidence to rock the boat and shake things up a bit with instructional practices).

I appreciate how the report gives specific examples of how to implement the instructional recommendations.

Examples:

Extended Writing Example

• With guided journal writing students respond to text by answering open-ended questions about it in writing. For example, students might be asked to analyze why they think characters acted as they did and indicate what they would do in the same situation.

::Side Note::

We have started to do more of this at our school using the Guided Reading Plus lesson plan framework incorporating Better Answers prompts with the "formula" of how to look good and sound smart <Give a gist, add a body of details, and a wrap up.>

::End Side Note::

Writing Instruction: Examples

•  One instructional procedure that facilitates reading growth is sentence combining.  With this method, the teacher models how to combine simpler sentences into more complex ones. Students then practice combining similar sentences. An interesting twist on this approach is to have students combine sentences in material they are reading or disassemble such sentences.

::Side Note::

Interesting that the source for this suggestion was from Hunt and O'Donnell in 1970!!!  This idea makes so much more sense than an endless packet of "grammar" worksheets.

::End Side Note::

Conclusion

The study showed that students' reading abilities are improved by writing about texts they have read; by receiving direct instruction in spelling, in writing sentences, in writing paragraphs, and text structure, and by increasing how much and how frequently they write.   The key in this report is DIRECT TEACHING---NOT ASSIGNING.  I think sometimes we get confused with the difference between showing students how and telling them what.

I think the best thing to do with this report is to synthesize the big nuggets into an engaging presentation/workshop and have teachers try on some or all of the instructional recommendations.
I look forward to discussing this report with my coaching colleagues at UMO in the near future. :)

What Would You Attempt To Do If You Knew You Could Not Fail?

I recently saw this prompt in an artsy type of store:

I think this would be a great prompt for a writer's notebook!  If you gave this to your students at the beginning of the school year and asked them to think and write on it, I think you'd really get an idea of who the child is sitting in the seat.   It would be interesting to give this prompt to a first grader, a fifth grader, an eighth grader, and a senior in high school.  It would be interesting to give this prompt to teachers or graduate level students.  How would a person's age and life experience impact the response?

Here goes my response...

If I new I could not fail, I would attempt to open a wellness center for families with  low-socioeconomic status.  The purpose of the wellness center would be to educate families and children. The impact of the wellness center would reverse the cycle of poverty and slow down the Matthew Effect we see happening in our schools.  Families who receive support from our welfare system would be asked to visit the wellness center twice a month.  Transportation would be provided for those who do not have vehicles.

The wellness center would focus on the benefits of being educationally healthy.  It would serve parents, caregivers,  as well as children in infancy up to age seven.  As soon as the mother is pregnant and qualifies for welfare services, she (and her partner) would enter the wellness center program.  During her pregnancy she would learn about infant/child development.  She would learn the how language impacts learning. Sh would learn the importance of talking to and reading to her infant, toddler, preschooler, etc. 

The wellness center would employ professionals such as pediatricians, early-intervention specialists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, child psychologists, child psychologists specialized in equine therapy, literacy specialists/Doctors in education, specialized in early childhood.   Each professional would have their own wing of the facility with family (patient) rooms.  

The wellness center would be a spacious, modern facility with cathedral ceilings filled with natural light set on 40 acres in Northern Penobscot County.  The wellness center would be a place of tranquility and would overlook Mt. Katahdin.  It would have a huge children's library, filled with beautiful books, comfortable reading nooks, and a reading fort.   It would be a place that families and children look forward to coming.  The 40 acres has a forest, and a pond for children to explore.  There would be a horse farm nestled into the corner of the forty-acres equipped for Equine Therapy.

There would be "behind the glass" rooms where mothers would watch professionals model interactions with their children.  A professional would lead the mothers in a discussion of what they are noticing about the interactions.  Mothers would then try on different strategies for interacting with their children.  One of the professionals at the facility would be assigned to family.  This professional would visit the home twice a month for two hours to support the family in providing an educational environment for the child in the home.  The professional would provide education to the family in the home as well. 

As a result of attending the wellness center, families would receive free diapers, baby food, books, and other items for their attendance and cooperation in the wellness program.  Once the child is seven and has graduated from the wellness center, he or she will receive a $15,000 scholarship to a university of his/her choice in the University of Maine System.  

Until the child graduates from high-school, the family would be supported by a case manager.  The case manager would visit the home twice a month to check on the family and their needs.  The case manager would be in constant communication with the family as well as the child's principal and classroom teacher.

This is what I would attempt to do if I knew I couldn't fail.

Taking the Next Step with Technology

I have been fortunate this semester to be introduced to many great texts about writing and the teaching of writing.  In my last post I talked about four great books I've explored and have shared (or plan on sharing) with my colleagues.  My writing class this semester is an online course.  At first I was a bit skeptical of how the course would play out (I had never taken an online course before).  However, I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of a digital community.  I have learned much about technology and writing.  I now have a few more tools to add to my writing/technology toolbox.  With the adoption of the Common Core Standards last month, I am excited that I am a bit more "in the know" when thinking about how to integrate technology.  I have just gotten a taste technology, and I am thirsty for more!

Our instructor introduced us to many interesting articles about writing and technology this semester. I have also read and explored other professional writing texts.  One text I'd like to talk more about is Lisa Miller's Make Me a Story: Teaching Writing Through Digital Storytelling

search.barnesandnoble.com



What I loved about the book:

• The book is highly organized and has friendly language that ANY teacher could easily understand
• Lisa gives a step-by-step process of  "how" to create a digital story
• It gives a great argument for WHY we need to teach digital storytelling
• It validates what teachers are already doing in the classroom without computers
• The explicit steps make teachers feel at ease with taking their students to the next step by integrating technology
• The digital storytelling process could easily be implemented K-6 (and beyond) with some modifications
• It comes with a CD with examples of digital stories!

Big Nuggets:

• Microsoft Photo Story 3--it is very easy to use!
• Lisa simplifies the elements of a digital story
• The "Resource Boxes" provide many helpful links for art and sound
•       Examples: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/
•                       http://www.kitzu.com/
•                       http://www.soundzabound.com/
• Lisa links us to other digital storytelling communities: http://www.storycenter.org/index1.html
• Chapter 4:  How to make it happen!

How it will impact my teaching and learning at our school:

• I have partnered with a second grade teacher this year, and we plan to try this on with her second graders.  I think the digital storytelling will be a great vehicle for the students "how to" books.
• It will be a tool I will use when working elbow to elbow with teachers as I support them in their teaching
• I work closely with a special education teacher who is always eager to try out new teaching strategies.  She has been looking to integrate technology into her classroom--this would be perfect for the students she works with.

I recommend this book to:

• K-6 teachers
• Technology Teachers
• Librarians
• Elementary principals
• Undergraduate education students
• University instructors working with education undergraduate and graduate level students

Great Texts for Teaching Writing

Great Texts to Explore

betterworldbooks.com

This is a great text for the teachers of our youngest writers.  It truly captures the importance of language in writing.  If we think about the four vocabularies: receptive vocabulary, expressive vocabulary, reading vocabulary, and writing vocabulary, the receptive and expressive are building blocks of the latter two.  This text includes possible lessons for PreK and K teachers.  This would be a great text to explore in our youngest grades before launching into Calkins Units of Study.

book123.net

This is a fabulous text that truly gets to the heart of the writing workshop and the development of young writers.  The first chapter explores the debate of do children need to know how to spell in order to write.  It offers a wealth of mini-lessons for our youngest writers.  It also gives us a clear map of how writers develop.  This text is a great read for teachers, and a wonderful resource to refer to again and again.

bookbyte.com                               stenhouse.com 

These two books offer a wealth of information of different craft lessons as well as provides a "treasure chest" of mentor texts to use.  Each chapter provides an opportunity for the teacher to "try on" what she has been reading about.  



A Possible Plan for Professional Development

In 2011-2012 school year, KES has a wonderful professional development opportunity.  A UMO implementation coach has volunteered to teach a year-long graduate level literacy course at our elementary school.  Our principal, the coach, and myself plan to work together to plan the outcomes of the course.  Writing will obviously be a big part of our learning.  I wanted to journal about my initial thoughts about what may work for our teachers.

The Nuts and Bolts:
12 classes on-site
2 in late August
1 class a month throughout the school year
3 hour classes = 36 credit hours

Big Nuggets:
The classroom environment: organizing for differentiated instruction
Workshop Framework for reading and writing
Reading Workshop: The essentials
Writing Workshop: The essentials

I have a pretty good idea of where we need to take the teachers in reading.  I'd like to explore what the writing piece may look like in the class.

Routine:
I'd think it would make sense to organize the class, so that when teachers come into "the classroom", there is an expectation (just like we'd have in our classrooms).  Teachers would be expected to get themselves a quick snack, and sit down and write in their writer's notebook.  This is how we would start every class--with a 10-20 minute free write.  Participants could then share the entry they are working on,  another entry, or a celebration from the teaching and learning in their classroom. (Participants would be expected to try on different prompts from Inside Notebooks  or try on different ideas from the Units of Study).

Writing texts to use:

www.readingmatters.net                                 

Our school uses Calkins Units of Study in our K-2 classrooms. Our goal is to implement the units of study in grades 4-6 as well.  The course will provide a great vehicle to explore and possibly pilot some of the lessons, especially from the first book: Launching the Writing Workshop.  We also have the accompany DVD that shoes the lessons in action.

leeapwordpress.com

I think this would be a great resource to refer to when talking about what the Writing Workshop is.  Perhaps we could use this to prepare a presentation of the writing workshop.

Notebook Know-How could be used as a working text throughout the course.  Participants would read a chapter and try on 1-2 prompts in their writer's notebook.  Participants would be expected to have at least 30 entries in their writer's notebook throughout the length of the course. (This seems do-able for a semester length class).  We also have the DVD accompany to this text as well.  Perhaps I could share my book talk at one of our first classes: Notebook Know How

Articles that will be important to share and discuss are:

The Neglected "R"

Writing: A Ticket to Work ... Or a Ticket Out

Websites that will be important to explore:

National Commission on Writing

The National Writing Project

Alliance for Young Artists and Writers

If I do not have a chance to share my writing plan with the whole staff, I think this class would be a great place to share my prezi: Teaching in the Know: Using Technology as a Tool in Our K-6 Classrooms

These are just a few of my ideas of how to share some of my new learning with my colleagues.  I'll keep adding as I come across new ideas.  I welcome any and all comments. :)

Advice from Unlikely Sources

Last week in Portsmouth, I saw a t-shirt that said, Advice from a Trout.  I can't remember what it said, but it inspired me to do some thinking about animals and what advice they may give us.  This is definitely not my best writing, but I've had some fun thinking about this.

Advice from a giraffe,

stand tall.

Advice from a mouse,

avoid traps.

Advice from a dog,

be a loyal friend.

Advice from a cat,

relax.

Advice from a salmon,

go against the flow, if you need to.

Advice from an owl,

be watchful.

Advice from a hen,

don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Advice from a lizard,

bask in the sun.

Advice from a skunk,

cause a stink.

Advice from a penguin,

chill out.

Imagine the fun we could have writing about this in our classrooms!  



What Do You Think Of?

When you think of Easter, what do you think of?

Do you think of the Easter bunny?

Do you think of an Easter basket?

Do you think of a man, the Son of God?

Do you think of his walk to Calgary?

Can you see him beaten and bruised?

Can you see his friends betraying him?

Do you think of Easter dinner with your family?

With ham, potatoes, and all the fixings?

Do you see Him hanging on the cross?

Do you think of Him dying for our sins?

Do you give thanks for His sacrifice?

Do you thank Him for all the gifts He has given you?

When you think of Easter, what do you think of?

http://1800sunstar.com 

Merry Christmas, Mom

From The Pocket Muse

Imagine a coat.
Imagine the pocket of a coat.
Imagine what's in the pocket...


   Jane slowly opened the door of the closet. Thoughts of her little Matthew flooded her mind as her eyes found themselves on her black wool jacket.  She could see his toe-blond hair, his crystal clear blue eyes, and hear his infectious laughter.  Oh, how she longed to have her little boy back.  It was hard to believe a year had passed.
   She hadn't worn the jacket since the accident. She considered throwing it away, but with Chris being laid off, money was tight, and she knew another coat like that would be at least one-hundred dollars.  They just didn't have money like that anymore.   Now that the Holidays were here, she thought she could muster the courage to throw it on and go to Mass.  Jane slipped the heavy coat over her frail shoulders and silently asked God to help her be strong and get through the next few days.
   Jane told her parents she would meet them at St. Malachy's for midnight Mass.  Normally, they would pick her up and she would ride with them.  Tonight, she wanted this time for herself.  She wanted to ride in silence and think of her little boy.  
  The parking lot was almost full, she found a place to park in the rear of the church.  The December air had a bite that almost took her breath away.  She tucked her head down and quickly walked to the entrance of the church.  Once inside, she shook off the cold air, took her gloves off, and zipped them into her purse.  
   With her heart aching, she plunged her hands deep into her pockets.  She felt a stabbing pain in her right middle finger. "What on earth is in my pocket?" Jane thought to herself.  She pulled her hand out of her pocket and examined the puncture wound on her finger. The blood had started to peek through the skin.  "Great. I know I don't have a band-aid in my purse," Jane thought as she stuck her finger in her mouth to lick her wound clean. 
    She carefully put her hand back in her pocket to find what had caused her this inconvenience.  The  object was the size of a pea.  She slowly pulled it out of her pocket.  Jane's eyes filled with tears.  "Oh, Matthew," she whispered, "how could I have forgotten?" 
    Jane examined the tiny tooth in her hand.  How could she have forgotten Matthew's first tooth?   He had proudly pushed the tooth out with his tongue as they were walking to the car on that icy December day. She had hurriedly put it into her pocket, and planned to slip it under his pillow that night.  That night never came for Matthew.   He was killed instantly when the man in the black pick-up truck smashed into the backseat of their car. 
   Jane gently placed the tooth in her left pocket, gingerly slid her hand around it and gave it a little squeeze, and joined her parents at the back of the church.

The Silent Sister

Pocket Muse Prompt:  Write something in the voice of someone who has, until now, been silent.


I didn't exactly write this from the voice of someone... Instead, I tried to convey someone being the voice of someone who has always been silent.


"Sigh.  Why does he have to behave like this every Sunday?" Cynthia thought to herself, as her younger brother Aaron was wailing and fighting with their mother in the front seat of their mini-van.
      "But Mooommmmmm, you said I could bring my ninja turtles into church!" Aaron argued.  "You always say I can do something, and then I can't!  I don't want to go into church if I can't bring them!" he yelled at his mother.
       "Ugh.  Aaron, it's 10:58.  Mass starts in TWO minutes you ARE coming into church with Cynthia and I, without your ninja turtles," Brenda said in her most motherly voice.  It had been three days since she really had spent any time with Cynthia and Aaron.  Working doubles at the hospital brings the money in, but it certainly had created a wedge with her and Aaron's relationship.  Greg tries the best he can as a stay at home dad, but he just doesn't share the same discipline philosophy as herself.
     "I am NOT going in.  I'm staying right here WITH my ninja turtles," Aaron persisted.
 Brenda looked at the clock.  11:00 on the dot.  She hated to do it to Cynthia, but she had to. 
    "Cynthia, honey, you go ahead inside, and Aaron and I will be right along.  You can sit with Jack and Sharon and their family, or with Ashley, Harold, and Emma.   Just walk up the center aisle, honey, and look for them.  I know you can do it," Brenda said with confidence.
      Without a word, Cynthia got up and nervously struggled to slide open the heavy mini-van door.  The door rolled open and she hopped out. Cynthia turned around and attempted to slide the door closed.  The door was in need of repair, and she could never get it shut.  She gave it one gallant pull. Nothing.  The door wouldn't budge.
      "Cynthia, just leave it, sweetie, mommy will get it," said Brenda, as she looked over her shoulder at Cynthia.
     Smoothing her hair back with her trembling fingers, Cynthia raced up walkway towards the entrance of the church.   When she was nervous, she could never just walk.  Her feet moved faster than her brain.  Her feet move so fast they hardly touch the ground. She knew from the many doctor's visits, that this was just one way that her brain worked differently than everyone else's.  She tried to slow down, she just couldn't. 
    What if Fr. Joel has already started Mass?  Are people going to turn around and stare at me?  What if Jack and Sharon aren't there?  Who am I going to sit with?  These questions flew through Cynthia's mind as she approached the large, wooden church doors. 
   It took all of her strength to pull open the heavy wooden door. Silence.  A wave of relief swept over Cynthia as she stepped into back of the church.  The door closed with a loud thump behind her.  She tip-toed up to the second set of wooden doors and peered through the crack.  Church was pretty empty today.  She could just walk in and nobody would even notice her. 
  "Here I go," she said to herself as she pushed the door open.  She pranced swiftly up the center aisle, her feet barely touching the floor.  "I don't see Jack and Sharon! Where are Ashley and Harold? Where do I sit?"  Cynthia panicked,  then she saw Mr. Rausch.  "We always sit in front of him," she said to herself as she quickly jumped into the pew.    "I made it, I made it!" she thought.  "Did anyone just see what I did?"  Cynthia looked around for familiar faces.  
   Thump.  Boom.  Crash.  Cynthia heard the noise before anyone else did.  Then the loud whispering voices.
"No." 
"Yes."
"I don't want to."
"Come On, RIGHT NOW, Aaron."  
   "Oh, no," Cynthia thought to herself.  Here they come.  And sure enough, Brenda and Aaron made their grand entrance.  Brenda had a grip on Aaron like you wouldn't believe.  He was struggling to get away from her all the way up the aisle.
  "Get over!"  Aaron yelled in his whisper voice to his sister.  "I want to sit there!"
Without a fuss, Cynthia slid over and let Aaron and her mother sit on the end of the pew.  Just once Cynthia would like to sit there.   She loved to watch Fr. Joel and the alter servers on the alter.  She dreamed of being an alter server with her friend Molly one day.
   During Mass, Cynthia tried to pretend she was sitting somewhere else in the church.  Aaron was up to his same old tricks again.  The ninja turtles distracted her and a few others when Aaron would make them battle.  Under the pew, over the pew, jumping on his mother's back, Aaron wouldn't sit still. At communion Aaron stayed behind and slithered like a snake back and forth in the pew. Cynthia was horrified, but kept her eyes off her brother and on Fr. Joel and the alter. She silently prayed for Aaron to stop acting so foolish.  She wondered how many people were watching her brother act so ridiculous.  She could hardly concentrate on Mass, she couldn't imagine what it was like for the people behind them.
     Mass was officially over, and she could hardly wait for her favorite part.  Fr. Joel and the alter servers process down the aisle, and he gives her a high five.  Cynthia quietly moved herself closer to the aisle so she could stick her hand out.  "Here they come, here they come," she said to herself with excitement.  Fr. Joel gave her his big smile, put his hand up, and gave Aaron the big high five. 
      Cynthia was crushed.  Aaron hadn't been attentive all through Mass.  She was the one who came in on time.  She was the one who sat so quietly.  She was the one who went to communion, yet he was the one who got Fr. Joel's high five.  It just wasn't fair.
      All of a sudden, Cynthia heard a gruff voice behind her talking to her mom and Aaron. 
      "Now, let me tell you something, young man," Cynthia turned around to see Mr. Rausch speaking.  "Your sister here, she knows respect.  She came in just as quiet as a cricket.  She sat by herself and waited for you to have your little tantrum,"  Cynthia could not believe her ears.  Was someone speaking up for her?
      "In case you were not aware, this is the House of the Lord.  The Lord's house is one to be respected.  We DO NOT jump on the pews.  I've just about had it with you, young man," Mr. Rausch said, "If you can't behave sitting with your mother,  you can sit with me next Sunday."
       Brenda had tears in her eyes and apologized to Mr. Rausch for her son's behavior.   It took everything Cynthia had to keep her face from breaking into a large grin.  As Cynthia, Aaron, and Brenda walked slowly out of the church, Cynthia snapped her head around to find Mr. Rausch, as if to say thank you.  She caught his eye, and Mr. Rausch smiled and winked at her.
  

The Arbo Family ABCs...

You know the game...The ABC category list.  As a child, I would play this game for hours on long car rides with my younger brother and sisters.  We had the ABC game for every category imaginable.  So, one rainy/snowy afternoon this is what Lige and I came up with for products, companies and businesses we proudly support.

Aveeno (their skin-care products are the best!)
Bounty paper towel--select a size!
Courtyard Cafe--(A restaurant in Houlton we absolutely love!)
Dove soap
Ellis Family Market
Fuji Restaurant--(the only place we've found in Maine that has Korean food!)
Giffords Ice Cream--(Moose Tracks, please!)
Houlton Dairy Farms
Ichiban Restaurant (we love Japanese food!)
Jeep
Katahdin Elementary School (best place to work!)
L.L. Bean
Maine Maven (a great local business in Orono!)
New Balance Shoes (Made in the U.S.A.!)
Oracle (the payroll company that cuts Lige's checks)
Paddy Murphy's (a great Irish pub in Bangor)
Q-Tips (keep those ears clean!)
Randy Lincoln Insurance
St. Benedict Church, Benedicta ME (womb to tomb!)
Traveler's Restaurant (to get our French toast fix)
Uncle Henry's
Verizon Wireless--(we almost get service way out here in the woods!)
Wyman's blueberries and raspberries
Xtra laundry detergent
Yamaha
Zumba! Zumba! Zumba!

Writing from another's perspective...

This is what I've learned, writer's write about what they know.    This is what I know, most of my writing is from my perspective based on events from my life.  This is what I'm trying, it's not about me.  I've made a list of possible different perspectives... 

• A seven year old boy from a tangled, troubled home
• A pregnant teenager
• An elderly widow
• A single father
• A single mother battling cancer
• A young, successful woman  hiding a drug addiction
• A successful middle-aged man hiding his alcoholism
• A veteran of the Iraqi war trying to fit back into American society
• A six year old boy who is at war with himself
• A new mother

From the Pocket Muse

Most Good Stories Are About Trouble

• Trouble getting from point A to point B
• Trouble being understood
• Trouble understanding
• Trouble doing something
• Trouble having something done to you
• Trouble talking
• Trouble listening
• Trouble within
• Trouble without
• Trouble being human

I wonder what would happen when I combine one of the characters above with one of the pieces about trouble from above...

An elderly widow who has trouble getting from point A to point B
A seven year old boy who has trouble being understood
A six year old boy who has trouble talking

A Friendly Dinner

Another prompt from the Pocket Muse...

Write about trouble from resulting from a good deed.

The last thing dad told me as I bounded out the door this morning was that my slingshot was not for killing animals.  I knew that.  No killing animals. This was the spit-palm promise Dad and I made when he bought me my 500 Sling-Back Cardinal for my birthday last week.   So, the first day out with the new girl, the last thing I wanted to do was to go back on my word.

It was quiet in the woods.  The dew still clung to the green carpet of moss beneath my feet, and the sun was just peeking through the leaves as I tip-toed along to our hunting camp.  As I meandered along our beaten path, I could feel the three stones rattling around begging to be let out of the darkness of my jean's pocket.  

I pulled the first rounded-to-perfection stone out of my pocket.  I slowly, carefully placed the stone into the rubber elastic of the slingshot.  I was pinching the stone so hard, I thought for sure my hand would start bleeding.  I slid my fist and forearm up underneath the metal brace.  I knew I could fire that stone into the hole of that old rotting maple. 

Just as I was about to let 'er fly into the tree's abyss, I saw it.  That old thing must have been older than  dad.   I knew there was no way I could hit it, but I just wanted to practice getting something lined up in my sight.   I slowly pulled my arm up, squinted my left eye, and put it in my sight.    I don't know what happened, I swear.  The next thing I knew, the rabbit was squealing and wailing and crying like a baby.  I've never been so scared in my whole life!  I shoved my 500 Sling-Back Cardinal in my back pocket, covered my ears with my hands, and ran like hell back to the house. 

Everything would have been fine if it hadn't been for that damn Mr. Murphy.   Wouldn't ya know, he was in the woods this morning.  He arrived with a big pot of rabbit stew for dinner tonight.  He told dad it would have been a sure waste to not have me enjoy my first kill.  Mr. Murphy told dad he's never seen anyone so accurate with a slingshot before.  

Mr. Murphy stayed for dinner, Dad insisted.  It was the quietest dinner I've ever had.   I quickly excused myself from the table and came up here as fast as I could without appearing rude or unappreciative.  They're still down there talking.  I got a pretty good idea that's the last time I'll be using my slingshot for a while.

Quotes I like...

...about writing assessment from the NCTE

Quality assessment is a process of inquiry.

It is not enough for assessment to serve the well-being of students “on average”; we must aim for assessment to serve, not harm, each and every student.

First and foremost, assessment must encourage students to become engaged in literacy learning, to reflect on their own reading and writing in productive ways, and to set respective literacy goals.

Thus, assessment should emphasize what students can do rather than what they cannot do.

Information about students’ confusions, counterproductive strategies, and limitations, too, can help students and teachers reflect on and learn about students’ reading and writing, as long as it is provided in the context of clear descriptions of what they can do.

Unless teachers can recognize the significance of aspects of a student’s performance—a particular kind of error or behavior, for example—they will be unable to adjust instruction accordingly. They must know what signs to attend to in children’s literate behavior. This requires a deep knowledge of the skills and processes of reading and writing and a sound understanding of their own literacy practices. Therefore, it is important that teachers themselves be readers and writers who understand these processes from the inside out.

Because of the need for this level of expertise and because the quality of formative assessment has a strong effect on the quality of instruction, improving teachers’ assessment expertise requires ongoing professional development, coaching, and access to professional learning communities. Nurturing such communities must be a priority for improving assessment.

In reality, our understanding of language asserts that it is not possible to construct an unbiased test of literacy.

A teacher who knows a great deal about the range of techniques readers and writers use will be able to provide students and other audiences with specific, focused feedback about learning. Indeed, students learn things about themselves and about literacy from teachers’ feedback that no standardized test can supply

We must depend less on one-shot assessment practices and place more value on assessments of ongoing classroom performance, assuming that classroom curricula develop the full complexity of literate learning.

Given the complexity of the tasks involved, reducing reading and writing performance to a letter or number grade is unacceptable.

Questions to Consider

Yesterday I had the amazing opportunity to listen to Dr. Mary Lose's research symposium:

Considering the Relationship of Student Self-Selected Reading in Middle School and High School on Student Achievement Outcomes in Literacy

Before I launch into this post, consider this question:

What are 3-4 books you read in high school?

                                     

                                                                     



Below are a few questions she posed to the audience.  I encourage anyone who reads these questions to truly try to answer them (whether you are an educator or not).  Because, dear friends, even if you are not an educator, you are a tax payer.  You're paying for the education of our youth.  If we do not know the answers to these questions, we need to start asking questions.

• How many of your students in grades 7-12 read on level, at what levels?

• Do you have assessment data that show which students are not reading at level? (For teachers: do you know their names?)

• How many students read (and enjoy reading) at the secondary (7-12) level?

• Do the secondary teachers (at your school) know how to teach reading?

• How many secondary English Language Arts teachers teach...
• ...using whole class novels?
• ...using a variety of reading material and genres?
• ...materials organized by theme?

• Do secondary students read self selected reading material every day?  

• How long are they able to spend reading this self selected material?

• Where are the reading materials located?  (In the school library?   In classrooms?)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you asked me these same questions about children in grades K-3, I could answer in the blink of an eye.  Yesterday, I realized that I need to know the answer of the questions posed above.  We get kiddos loving books in grades K-3, and then by ninth and tenth grade a majority of children hate to read.

In one study, 151 6th and 9th graders were interviewed and it was found only 12 students were readers outside of school.  Another study (National Endowments for the Arts 2007) reported half of 18-24 year-olds never read a single book for pleasure and just 30% of 13 year-olds read 'almost every day for fun'. 

Steven Wolk, an associate professor at Northeastern Illinois University, found that when looking at what students are required to read in 2010, it might as well be 1960.   Do you remember the 3-4 books you read in high school?  Did they happen to be one of these books?

The Great Gatsby

To Kill a Mockingbird

The Catcher in the Rye

Lord of the Flies

Romeo and Juliet

The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn

Macbeth

Of Mice and Men

Hamlet

1984

Things They Carried

Students of today are reading the same texts as their parents as well as their grandparents.   Do you see why kids may be turned off to reading?  

 What if we let students choose what they read?  GASP!?!  "What about the curriculum?" you ask.  Well, it may be time to revamp the curriculum.  If we continue with what we've always done, we'll continue to get the results we've always got.   What if students were taught to think critically about texts using universal questions and themes, yet they were able to self-select the texts.   If you haven't read these young-adult books, I highly recommend you check them out. 

  

                                                This trilogy is even being made into a movie!

Other titles that will surely be a hit with teens (especially boys) are:

           

 

I guess the bottom line is... 

We need shake things up a bit. 

We need to let students self-select materials.

We need to start meeting our students where they are at. 

We need to help students become critically literate. 

We need innovative leaders to make this happen.



Another Prompt from the Pocket Muse...

Seven days ago _________________, now nobody will talk to me.


Bradley leaped out of the chair and began angrily pacing across the stained carpet of the school counselor's office. 
     "I'm so stupid. I'm so stupid," Bradley muttered while delivering painful blows to his forehead with his clenched fist. 
     "Bradley, I see you're angry.  What's going on?"  coached Mrs. Beckford, the school guidance couselor.
     "You won't understand.  You just won't understand," Bradley grumbled, still pacing the floor.
     "Bradley, I want to help you.   You know you can trust me, when you're ready to tell me what's happening, I'm ready to listen.  If you don't want to talk, you can stay in here with me until you're feeling better," Mrs. Beckford reassured him in her most gentle voice.
     "Mrs. B, I really messed up.  I really messed up this time," Bradley choked in a strained voice as Mrs. Beckford sat silently and waited for him to continue.
     "It's been a whole week, a whole week!   Seven days ago,  the cops came to the house, arrested Gramp, and now nobody in my family will talk to me."
     Mrs. Beckford sat quietly as Bradley continued.  She knew it was a matter of time before Randy LaBelle was arrested for selling oxy cotton, as well as other prescription drugs.  Mrs. Beckford just wasn't sure who would have the gall to finally turn him in.
     "Mrs. B, it was... it was me.  I'm the one who called the police," Bradley said quietly, now sitting with his head in his hands.  "I just couldn't take it any more.  I was so sick of it, sick of him, sick of all his loser friends that would come over every night and smoke and drink, and snort that stuff."
      Mrs. Beckford walked across the room and sat at the table with Bradley. She gently placed her hand on his forearm, as if to say, I'm so sorry.  I'm here for you, kiddo.
      "I couldn't take the swearing, and the teasing anymore.  It got so bad, Mrs. B, that Gram locked Virginia and Colton in one room, and Andrew and I in the other. They even put buckets in our bedroom for us to use as a toilet.   I guess that was just as well, before they locked us in at night, Gramp would throw things at us and yell at us to get back in our rooms when we came out to use the bathroom." 
     Bradley continued to pour his heart out, as his school counselor was torn between listening and trying to mentally formulate a plan to keep the children together.  She knew what would happen to these precious children once the grandfather was indicted for selling drugs.
    "Mrs. B?"  Bradley's shaken voice snapped Mrs. Beckford out of her planning daze.
     "Yes, Bradley?"
     "Is it true what Gram said?  Will people come and take us?  Will we have to move?" Bradley asked with wide, terrified eyes.  "All I wanted  was for him to stop.  I just wanted to be able to go to sleep, and not worry about Virginia and Colton in the other room.  I just waned it to stop. I'm so scared.  Please tell me they won't take me away."
     Mrs. Beckford swallowed the lump in her throat hopefully without Bradley noticing.  "I'm not sure what will happen, Bradley," she honestly answered, "what I do know, is that I will do everything I can to keep you safe."

    

Technology in the Classroom

I need to hop back on here and get in the habit of posting what I am thinking.  Thanks to ERL 590, I am up to my ears in writing and technology.  I am loving it! So, lately I have been ultra sensitive when I see other educators incorporating technology into the classroom to enhance the learning of children.  When I saw this article in the Bangor Daily News, I jumped for joy on the inside.  Kudos to this third grade teacher for introducing these students to the power of technology! 

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/03/15/news/brewer-third-graders-%e2%80%98chat%e2%80%99-with-barbara-bush/

I hope you can view this great story!

The Suji Soundtrack

I discovered Glogster on this icy afternoon.  (http://edu.glogster.com/)

This is one of my genres for my multigenre project. 

The Suji Soundtrack

Let's see if it works! :)

The Art of Summarizing

This power-packed writing resource accompanied me to Texas this week.  I appreciate how well Aimee summarizes summarizing.   She reminds us in chapter five that summarizing in writing is just as essential as it is in reading.  "Students should have a concise idea of what they are writing" (p.87). As she teaches summarizes as a reading skill, she flips it into a writer's tool for revision.  <Reading and writing reciprocity at its best right here, folks!>


She tells her readers the best way she has learned to help children synthesize information and summarize just about anything is by asking these simple questions:  (And she means SIMPLE!)


Who? (Who is the character?)
Wants what? (What does the character want in the story?)
But? ( What is the problem? What gets in the way of the character getting what she or he wants?)
So? (So, what does the character do to solve the problem?)
Then? (And then what happens?  What's the wrap-up? how does the reader know the character moves on?)

When students write a narrative or piece of fiction, the reader should be able to summarize the story. Students ask themselves the above questions about their work.  The questions they can't answer, based on the stories they wrote, let them know how they must go back and revise their drafts (p. 89).

I can see how following this framework can certainly support teachers with teaching the art of summarizing.  Thank you, Aimee! 

Learning To Read At 27...

Riding on the crowded Seoul city bus

ipod in

thinking, wondering,

what am I doing here?

what is my purpose?

I am a traveler

I am an adventure seeker

I am a learner

I am a teacher

I am a child of God

trying to find my way.

Staring out the window

catching Korean symbols at a glance

pronouncing only the sounds

unknowing of how they fit into words

and the meaning they carry.

A banner

a chicken

a chicken with green glasses

 

치  킨    리틀

 

치킨

chic-ken

리틀

lit-tle

 

치킨

chic-ken

리틀

lit-tle

 

Chicken Little!

Chicken Little!

 

I can read!

I can read Korean!

 

Big smile

Proud of myself.

 

Wondering...

How many people in my country

cannot read the banners in our cities?

 

I am a traveler

I am a learner

I am a child of God

remembering my

passion and my talent.

 

I am a teacher

I want to give the gift

of learning to read

to others.

 

 

 

 

A Gray, Misty Morning in Suji...

The gray, misty morning was refreshing after the excruciating heat wave that had been wreaking havoc in Suji the past week.  I welcomed the splashes from passing cars as they sped by on the four-lane highway.  Everyone seemed happier in this wet, cool weather. The rain had melted many of the hard exterior facial expressions I often met on the street. The older Koreans were looking me in the eye today, smiling and nodding, instead of gawking at me as the overweight, pale-skin stranger.

As I waited patiently for the light to turn from green to red so I could cross the street to get a few last minute items at the local grocery store, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and thanked God for this beautiful rainy day in this strange new country I now called home.  I welcomed the rain as it gently kissed my face. I breathed in the dampness and city smell around me.  I thanked Jesus for the kind smiles and the cars passing by creating a nice breeze as they zoomed by me.   I thanked him for the man beside me on the old metal bicycle with the kind eyes. His gentle eyes and kind smile reminded me of my grandfather I once knew.  I said a little prayer for him that he wouldn't have to pedal too far in this wet weather.  I prayed that he, too, was thanking God for the relief from the weather. 

The beeping of signal crossing let me know it was time to get on with my errands for the day.  I slowly opened my eyes, trying to savor the last raindrop dripping off my nose. 

Screeching tires.  Metal colliding.  Horrifying gasps.  A sickening thud.   The man on the bicycle with the gentle eyes and kind smile lay under the tires of the rusty, green city bus.

Trust.

Since asked to write about "this I believe", I've found myself keeping this idea of "trust" closer to me than I realized.    This is what I've thought about in the last week:

I put my trust in the Lord every month when Elijah goes to work. Elijah leaves our little home in Shin Pond, America and flies across the country to Louisiana and then boards a helicopter to take him hundreds of miles into the Gulf of Mexico.

I put my trust in the Lord every month when Elijah hops on the helicopter and flies back across the country to Shin Pond, America.

I put my trust in the Lord when I confidently place my bundled-up bottom on the back of our snowmobile, and hang on for dear life as we travel to speeds up over 85 miles an hour.  One false move, and we could both meet our maker.

I placed my trust in the Lord and in someone else when I picked up a stranger in a snowstorm last Saturday night.  When the inebriated stranger wouldn't tell me his name, I put more trust in the Lord that we both would make it safely to our intended destinations.

I put my trust in the Lord when I watch my sister suffer with Chron's disease.  I trust that he will help her make smart decisions about her eating habits and help ease her pain.


Crafting my belief statement last week for this multigenre project helped make me more cognizant of how many times a day I place my trust in the Lord, others, and myself.  I also realize how many times a day my belief is tested when I worry about things I cannot control.

A Noise or Silence That Won't Go Away

Another prompt from the Pocket Muse...

"When did this start?" My worried, tired mind wondered. 
POW. POW. POW.
"I can't remember," I quickly answered myself.
POW. POW. POW.
Annoyed, I snuggled deeper under the covers and rolled over on my right side.
POW. POW. POW.
The cold, soft pillow welcomed the right side of my face and cradled my right ear.
POW. POW. POW.
"Can I really hear my heart beating in my ear or am I making this up in my head?" I silently asked myself. POW. POW. POW.
"Ugh.  I just want this noise to go away.  I need some sleep.  I need to get up in five hours, " I kept telling myself.
 POW. POW. POW.
"Is this how Mom knew something was wrong with her hearing?" I wondered.
 POW. POW. POW.
"I need to make sure I ask her," I told myself.
 POW. POW. POW.
"I guess the best way to describe this sound is a hammering noise, or like I can hear the blood being pushed through the blood vessels in my ear.  Either way, this is just crazy," I laughed to myself.
 POW. POW. POW.
"Maybe I'm just making this whole thing up... Maybe if I ignore it, it will just go away..." I tried to reason.

This sound still has not gone away.  I hear it most when my mind is not screaming one-hundred miles an hour. In the evening when I'm alone, just before I drift off to sleep, and when I first open my eyes, this is when my noise visitor likes visit the most.  I've learned that my little noise friend is tinnitus.  I've learned that I have a hearing loss in my right ear.  I know I'm my mother's daughter, because she experienced the same noise and was diagnosed with hearing loss at 31.  Three surgeries later, she wears hearing aids in both ears.   I wonder if I will have hearing aids in both ears at 60...

POW. POW. POW.

Verbs Are Sometimes Just a Matter of Opinion

A prompt from the Pocket Muse
Use the following verbs in any way you wish:

racket snug green spoon boggle snake

The thin, cloudy window pane racketed in the bitter, frigid wind as Sarah snugged deeper under her worn red flannel sheets.  My second Maine winter, she thought to herself.  Her new remote, isolated lifestyle suited her well.  Her thumbs now greened after her first season as a gardener.  Sink or swim.  If she hadn't learned to garden she would have starved to death last winter.  Sarah's mind wandered back through the day's events.  She was most pleased with herself for chipping a large hole in the ice on the lake and designing the clever apparatus to spoon the ice out the hole.  She now had access to water, melting snow just wasn't working out as well as she had hoped.  It boggled her mind to think about the high-stress, fast paced life she used to live.  She could picture her former friends still in the rat-race, snaking money out of high-profile investors.    Sarah shut off the light, rolled over, and thought about what adventure awaited her tomorrow.

This I Believe...

This I believe... Have trust in the Lord, yourself, and others.



Growing up in a large Catholic family, I have always known I am never alone, I have grown up trusting the Lord, believing in myself, and putting trust in others.  Never has my belief been tested more than in the thirteen months I spent living and teaching in Suji, South Korea.



My Korean Air flight touched down in Seoul on the soupy, misty, cold night of January 12,  the tenth anniversary of my dear grandmother's death.  I could feel her presence, and could almost hear her whispering in my ear, "I'm proud of you, Brittany Ann. You can do this." I took a deep breath, slung my LL Bean travel bag over my shoulder and walked confidently off the plane. This confidence led me through customs and into the myriad of Koreans busily scurrying like ants around the airport. I could hear an unfamiliar buzz, the sound of language I did not understand.  I trusted I would find my job recruiter as soon as I passed though the doors.  I started to doubt this when I saw the sea of beautiful dark skin and ebony hair.  Thankfully, I was easy to spot. The hour ride from Seoul to Suji was filled with chit-chat about the weather, my flights, and what the next few days would bring.  I did my best to fight the jet lag and the thirteen hour time difference. My body was begging for sleep.  I felt as though I was in a foggy dream.  On the ride, I silently thanked God for Brandon and his kindness.  I can do this, I thought to myself. 


As I entered my new apartment I instantly knew the spacious two bedroom apartment I had fabricated in my mind was now more like the size of my kitchen in Maine.  I hid my surprise and disappointment and exclaimed how much I liked my new home.  Brandon graciously said good-night and shut the door.  And there I was.  Alone.  No phone. No food. No money.  I had my suitcase, my journal, and myself. I curled up into my scratchy twin bed sheets and I cried myself to sleep, convincing myself I had made the right decision. I ached to hear my mother's voice and her reassurance that this adventure was the right decision. I drifted off to sleep in prayer, praising God for this opportunity, and begging him for strength for me to get through the lonliness that filled my heart and spilled over into every fiber of my being.   The prayers that passed my lips were not the Our Father's and Hail Mary's I prayed as a child.  No, I was pleading and begging my Heavenly Father to hold me, to pull me close to him, and help me feel His Love. 

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Gasp.

Ouch.

Crunch.

Creak.

Whir.Whir.Whir.

Please Start.

A beautiful January morning in Shin Pond, America!

I am amazed at how we adapt to mother nature.

There is a 100 degree difference between today and the day I married Elijah.

Crazy.

Thank you, LL Bean and The Northface for making winter gear to keep me

 warm on mornings such as these.

Dear July,

 I miss you.

Launching the Notebook

With the start of ERL 590, I've been meaning to start my own writer's notebook.  I want to be a writing teacher.  I want to show the students I work with that, I too, am a writer.  I have been thinking about writing my way through Lucy Calkins Units of Study grades 3-5, so when I go into classrooms to work with teachers and students, I have a few entries in my notebook that are similar to what the students have been writing about.  I still want to do this.  I have a little secret, I have a really bad habit.  I have all these great ideas, and then I lose my follow through.  It's tragic.  How am I supposed to make a difference, if I can't follow through?!

Another great example of my effort to be a writer is me scouring through my professional library. I brought every book home that would help me be a writer.  I named all ten to fifteen books in an earlier post.  I thumbed through them, but I hadn't really started any.  Until yesterday.  Thank you, God, for giving us a snow day. :)   Thank you, Aimee Buckner for writing Notebook Know-How.  I picked up Aimee's book and read what Ralph Fletcher had to say. I was hooked.  After reading the first two chapters I grabbed my writer's notebook and got started.

In Chapter 2 Amy shares some of her strategies for beginning notebook writing. The first strategy she gives is History of a Name.  The mentor text she lists for this is Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes (1996).  

So, yesterday, in my notebook I tried writing about my name.  I even called my mom to ask about my name!

Here goes...

Brittany Ann

My mom's first choice for my name was Duffy-Ann.  When she decided to keep her maiden name, Duffy, she knew my name could not be Duffy-Ann Duffy-Stanley!  My mom is a devout Catholic, and one of her favorite saints is St. Ann.  So, when Duffy-Ann was off the table, my parents went searching for my first name to match with Ann. They chose Brittany. 

Brittany was chosen after Brittany, France. France, you ask?  Why Brittany, France?  Well, interestingly enough, St. Ann is the patron saint of Brittany, France.  Another interesting tid-bit about me is, I was due to arrive into this beautiful world on July 26, 1979. July 26th just happens to be the Feast Day of St. Ann.   Did you know tradition refers to St. Ann as being the mother of the Virgin Mary? I'm named after the grandmother of Jesus!!  How awesome is that?!   

I have learned St. Ann was married to a man named Joachim. After twenty years of marriage,  they still were not able to have children.  It is said that Joachim went to the desert to pray and fast.  An angel appeared and assured him that he and Ann would have a child.  They were to name her Mary and give her to God.  It is said that Ann did not know where Joachim had gone, in despair of being barren she called out to God and asked him why she was born.  An angel also appeared to Ann and revealed to her that she would soon have a child she would name Mary.  St. Ann is the patron saint of mothers and grandmothers.

I liked being Brittany Ann Duffy-Stanley for thirty years.  I'm pretty sure I was the only Brittany Ann Duffy-Stanley on the planet, a hyphenated name helps with that. :)   I do have someone named after me, although I don't know her. An acquaintance of my father liked my name so much, he named his daughter Brittany Ann.  I loved my initials spelled BADS.

On July 10, 2010 I married my true love, Elijah Arbo.  I am now Brittany Ann Arbo.  My initials for the rest of my life are now BAA.   Would you believe my favorite animal is a sheep? 

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This little exercise has made me more conscious of names.  I will hopefully be a mom in the next few years.  I want to be sure that I choose a name for my child with meaning, just as my wonderful parents did. I am excited to report that the girl's name we have in mind has a strong history in Christianity as well. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My Namesake



St. Anne with Mary
Photo credit:
http://www.chotkis.com/catholic-chaplets/chaplet-of-st-anne.php

Brittany, France



Photo Credit:

    http://www.westernfrancetouristboard.com/brittany.html

                                                          

References:

http://www.saintanne.webhero.com/index.html