The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy
April 10, 2010
Read Aloud Rituals for the
End of the Year
I'm not a teacher: only a fellow
traveler of whom you asked the way. I pointed ahead - ahead of
myself as well as you.
George Bernard Shaw
Are you looking for some memorable ways to close out the year with the
fellow literacy travelers in your classroom or school? Nothing
pulls a group together more than the read alouds shared throughout the
year. In Mary Lee Hahn's fourth-grade classroom, there is a
birthday tradition. The birthday child gets to choose a favorite
passage from a book that has already been read aloud to hear again on
their special day. Franki Sibberson adapted this idea with fifth
graders. At the end of the year, each of her 25 students was
assigned one of the final 25 days on the calendar. On their
designated date, the child selected a favorite passage from a read
aloud shared during the year for everyone to hear again. It was a
wonderful way to revisit favorite books, and remind everyone of the
different reading personalities of their classmates.
I'm wondering if this wouldn't also be a terrific activity for closing
out the year with adults in grade-level groups, professional learning
teams, or even the whole staff? If everyone shared just a passage
or excerpt from something read by the community, it would be sure to
spark favorite memories from the year. What about morning
announcements? Each class could vote on their favorite read-aloud
from the year, and select a brief passage to be shared on their
appointed date with the whole school. Think of the conversations
the selections might launch about different choices within the same
grade, or the possibilities for compiling summer reading lists from
each grade's top five picks.
The best thing about read aloud may be that it is so calming. In
the hustle to get everything done, taking a moment each day during the
last weeks of school to remember where you've been with your fellow
literacy travelers this year may be just the pause you need.
This week we've posted resources for sprucing up your science
curriculum with connections to literacy, plus more as always - enjoy!
Brenda Power
Editor, Choice Literacy
Free for All
In "What Velcro Can Do: Science, Literacy, and Coaching," Heather
Rader faces the challenge of a teacher who won't do hands-on science
because it's "too messy." She finds her role as a literacy coach
enables her to promote reading and writing within the science program,
without becoming the "curriculum police" for teachers:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/1132.cfm
If you're looking for more graphic tools to help students organize
their data and observations in science, you'll want to visit the
Periodic Table of Visualization - it's a treasure trove of
visualization tools organized under categories:
http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html
Take five minutes to watch this video - you'll be glad you
did. Amy Krouse Rosenthal is the author of the children's
book Duck! Rabbit! and a truly creative person. The Beckoning of
Lovely project will get you thinking about what you, your colleagues,
and students did this year that will endure and should be
documented. Plus it's a jolt of inspiration when many of us are a
little weary heading into the home stretch:
http://bit.ly/SVfty
Have you ever wondered what an integrated Daily 5 and CAFE Assessment
program looks like? One Morning is Choice Literacy's new eighty
minute DVD featuring "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) as
guests in Courtney Tomfohr's first-grade classroom during her
integrated literacy block. The DVD includes three rounds of Daily
5 and CAFE conferring, as well as read alouds, minilessons, and
strategy groups:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/products/item35.cfm
Summer Events Update: The Portland, Oregon; San Antonio, Texas;
and Columbus, Ohio CAFE in the Classroom and the San Antonio Delight in
Words workshops are SOLD OUT. Thanks so much for your
enthusiastic response - our other events are filling rapidly too.
If you are interested in these summer workshop topics, please consider
registering at our Wrentham, Massachusetts or Tacoma, Washington
locales where there is still space available. You can download
registration forms at this link:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/department22.cfm
For Members Only
In Making Connections as a Reader and Scientist, Heather Rader
considers the similarities between reading strategies and scientific
explorations. This is a new installment in her popular On
the Same Page Series for teachers and coaches:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1133.cfm
In this week's video, Jennifer Morgan helps her intermediate students
use their writing and thinking skills as part of the science
curriculum. This is the first video in a three-part series:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1136.cfm
Franki Sibberson shares her favorite rituals and gifts for closing out
the school year:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1131.cfm
A bonus video from the Choice Literacy Archives features Gail Boushey
and Joan Moser ("The Sisters") as they work with middle school students
to update and redesign a middle school library. This is one of
our new higher resolution videos:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1137.cfm
Video Updates: We are in the process of reposting many videos in
new formats and players (with higher resolution and full-screen
options). As we make these improvements, we'll announce them in
the newsletter. Here are updated videos you may want to revisit -
Ruth Shagoury confers with Eddie, a young English language learner who
is just emerging from the silent period:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1135.cfm
Katie DiCesare leads a guided writing group in first grade. The
feature includes her assessment template:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1138.cfm
Finally, if you want to mark some of these features to read or view
later when you're less busy, make sure to try out the "My Favorites"
tool for custom bookmarks and notes on individual selections at the
site. (I know, I nag and nag and nag members to try this feature
- sorry about that!) But with over 1200 articles and videos
available at Choice Literacy, it's by far the best way to organize the
materials for your needs:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/846.cfm
That's all for this week!
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