Did You Know?

Highly effective teachers make incremental change throughout their career?  Usually this is includes collaborating with other peer professionals and administration with the intention to see student achievement gains.  Here are the hallmarks of this "Deliberate Practice":

* Continually self-assess and seek feedback on performance, particularly about  proficiency on the research based practices linked to student achievement

* Focus on "thin slices" - work on mastery of a small quantity of skills  each year rather than doing too much at one time..steady growth over time

* Identify areas of weakness and/or interest

* Select focus area for improvement..a research based practice that is of interest (I want to be able to do that) or where improvement is needed (I need to be able to do that)

* Determine current level of performance in focus area

* Set goal and time frame for improving performance

* Seek mentors in area where they are working

 These habits form a life-long learning process that results in continuous improvement,  quality collegial relationships, and higher student achievement.  Effective school leaders support teachers' efforts to engage in deliberate practice.


Excerpted from Florida School Leaders Website:  http://www.floridaschoolleaders.org 

A GREAT Recycling Idea...

Saw this on Facebook today and thought it was worth sharing:

" I have the best new idea for recycling. Have an old, broken umbrella? Remove it carefully from the wire brackets until you just have a circular piece of material. Cut off the closure string. Now you have a FREE small parachute to use with children. Depending on the size of the umbrella, 4-6 children can use it for parachute play with or without balls! Clever?"  

A Great Chuckle

If you've ever had to help kids get boots, hats, mittens, and such on during the school day, then you'll love this little laugh.  I am not sure who to credit with it, as I received it in an email from my 90 year old Grandmother:

The Cowboy Boots 
(Anyone who has ever dressed a child will love this one!) 

Did you hear about the Texas teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put on his cowboy boots? 

He asked for help and she could see why.. 

Even with her pulling and him pushing, the little boots still didn't want to go on. By the time they got the second boot on, she had worked up a sweat. 

She almost cried when the little boy said, 'Teacher, they're on the wrong feet.' She looked, and sure enough, they were. It wasn't any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on, this time on the right feet. 

He then announced, 'These aren't my boots.' 

She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, 'Why didn't you say so?' like she wanted to. Once again, she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off his little feet. No sooner had they gotten the boots off when he said, 'They're my brother's boots. My mom made me wear 'em.' 

Now she didn't know if she should laugh or cry. But, she mustered up what grace and courage she had left to wrestle the boots on his feet again. 

Helping him into his coat, she asked, 'Now, where are your mittens?' 

He said, 'I stuffed 'em in the toes of my boots.' 

Did You KNOW???

"According to a recent international survey of 2,200 mothers, 81% of children under the age of two currently have some form of online presence — ranging from photos uploaded and shared by their parents, to a full-fledged profile on a social networking site. A full 92% of children in the U.S. have an online presence by the time they are two, compared to 73% in western Europe."  


And...


"AVG CEO J.R. Smith said he found it “shocking” that most 30-year-olds have an “online footprint stretching back 10 to 15 years at most, while the vast majority of children today will have online presence by the time they are two years old — a presence that will continue to build throughout their whole lives.”"


Here's a link to the info on CNN.  

Music + Arts + Literacy = ENGAGEMENT

We just returned from presenting at the Florida Alliance for Arts Education's West Coast Symposium.  It was a great day filled with many ideas for integrating arts into core subject areas.  Our presentation is called "Music + Arts + Literacy = ENGAGEMENT" and describes how we use all forms of visual and performing arts along with books to help students with their comprehension strategies. This approach to our reading intervention came began from our work with Tanny McGregor, author of  one of our favorite books: Comprehension Connections.

Using Tanny's book as a springboard has led us to discover some fabulous picture books based on music and, in turn, artwork that supports our teaching.  Here is a partial bibliography of books, art prints/paintings, music, and poems to teach each of the seven key areas of comprehension:

SCHEMA-

BOOKS/TEXT:

Piggie Pie (T-T connections) Margie Palatini

The Ghost Eye Tree (T-S connections)

SONGS: “Whistle a Happy Tune” (The King and I)

                “Monster Mash”

                “Popular” (Wicked)

                “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” (Toy Story)

 ART:  The Scream (Edvard Munch)

POETRY:

Poems:  Monster Motel  Doug Flourian

Poems:  A Little Bit Scary by Gill Davies and Illus. by Gill Guile  (Ghost Train)

INFERENCE-

BOOKS/TEXT:

Day is Done  by Peter Yarrow

An internet synopsis of the Broadway musical “Annie”

Song lyrics from Tomorrow

Zoom books by Istvan Banyai

SONGS:

“Tomorrow” (from Annie)

“Day is Done”  (Peter, Paul, and Mary)

“Cat’s in the Cradle” (Harry Chapin)

ART:

Artwork of Horace Pippin-

Examples- Christmas Morning, Breakfast; After Supper; West Chester; Fishing  Through Ice; The Wash; Domino Players

QUESTIONING-

BOOKS/TEXT:

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles

Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges

            *Use with Norman Rockwell’s print, The Problem We All Live With

Frederick by Leo Lionni

Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Berger

SONGS:

“Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” (Pete Seeger)

“Blowin’ in the Wind”

“Part of Your World” (Disney’s The Little Mermaid)

“Why Not”  (Hilary Duff)

 ART:

Where Have All the Flowers Gone? etching by Laura Chassy

Where Have All the Flowers Gone? by Ladija Ivanek   (SILA) This work is abstract  expressionism.

The Problem We All Live With by Norman Rockwell (use with the story of Ruby Bridges)

The work of Jan Vermeer is very appropriate for questioning.

POETRY:

It’s Raining Pigs and Noodles (Jack Prelutsky)

            Examples- What Oinks?

                              Why Do I Have to Clean My Room?

DETERMINING IMPORTANCE-

BOOKS/TEXT:

The Coat of Many Colors  by Dolly Parton

Lyrics to  “Simple Gifts”

SONGS:

The Coat of Many Colors  by Dolly Parton

Simple Gifts by Jewel

ART:

Simple Pair by Norma Wilson

Simple Gifts oil painting by Kimberly Applegate

VISUALIZING-

BOOKS/TEXT:

Grandma’s Feather Bed adapted by Christopher Canyon

Take Me Home Country Roads adapted by Christopher Canyon

SONGS:

“Grandma’s Feather Bed” by John Denver

“Take Me Home Country Roads” by John Denver

“Thank God I’m a Country Boy” by John Denver

ART:

American Gothic by Grant Wood  

POETRY:

The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky- “Michael Built a Bicycle”

SYNTHESIS-

BOOKS/TEXT:

The Littlest Matroyska by Corinne Demas Bliss

For Baby for Bobbie 

SONGS:

“Sunrise, Sunset” (from Fiddler on the Roof)

ART:

Sunrise and sunset paintings. One source: www.alloriginals.com, impressionistic paitings by Daniel Haney

www.yapespaints.com/.../trees/sunset-sunrise.jpg

METACOGNITION-

BOOKS/TEXT:

Don’t Laugh at Me by Steve Seskin and Allen Shamblin

The Red Book by Barbara Lehman

(*Any wordless book is a great tool to develop metacognitive skills.)

SONGS:

“(Feeling Groovy)

By Alabama

ADDITIONAL CHILDREN’S BOOKS IN SONG (some with audio cd)

Over the Rainbow (cd performed by Judy Collins)

Colorful World (cd performed by CeCe Winans)

What a Wonderful World

Goodnight, My Angel- A Lullaby (with cd of Billy Joel)

New York State of Mind (with cd of Billy Joel)

Let’s Sing Together- The Peter Yarrow Songbook

Love Me Tender (with cd of Elvis Presley)

Say a Little Prayer for You

This Land is Your Land

Puff the Magic Dragon

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Monday Funny...

One teacher on our campus always wishes the students "Happy (insert the name of the day)!" as they arrive at school in the morning.  This morning, the Assistant Principal was standing near when this teacher looked at a young man and said, "Happy Monday, A!"  He turned around to the AP and said, "It's MONDAY???"  She confirmed that it is, in fact, Monday.  He thought a moment and replied, "Even at the Boys and Girls Club???"  And she said, "Even at the Boys and Girls Club!" 

You gotta' love them!  Happy Monday...everywhere!

Glog: Guided Reading

I Realize...

I realize that the world kids are being raised in is so very different than the one I was.  I also realize that their knowledge and capacity to grasp technological gadgets and gizmos is far greater than mine.  I believe their brains are wired differently.  Most have been looking at moving images and digital images from the time they were born.  Yet, so many of our classrooms are the same as the ones that I started teaching in more than 25 years ago.  Sure they are equipped with smart boards vs.chalkboards.  And there is a document camera where the overhead used to be.  Yet I think most of us have only begun to scratch the surface of the potential of the tools that we have.

For me, digging in to Glogster yesterday really helped me see that kids need to be able to present information in a way that makes sense to them.  They should be able to access what they know to share what they've learned in powerful and more meaningful ways.  There must be a huge disconnect between the digital world of their homes and the lack of digital focus at school.

This makes me realize that rather than leading them on a journey of discovery, many of us may be stifling their learning.  For me, I plan to get out of their way and start listening to what they know.  I plan to stop assuming that my students, who come from lower SES homes, don't know how (or shouldn't have the opportunity) to access the wealth of resources that are available via the Internet.

It makes me realize it's time to step up the game and help them access, process, and communicate knowledge and learning in new and relevant ways.  It's time for a change.

Glogs...

I have spent a good portion of the day creating this Glog: to share with colleagues at our first Guided Reading session this Thursday.  You're going to have to click the link below to preview it because I cannot make it paste here without it being HUGE and when I resize it's distorted.  It may not look like this when it's complete, but it's not bad for a first attempt--at least that's MY opinion!  Today reminded me just how painful new learning can sometimes be--yet how rewarding in the end.


Guided Reading Glog Link

Have you tried "Dip and Tip" in your classroom?

If we want our students to make wise selections of books, then we have to be constantly aware of their choices. I haven't read every single book in my classroom library (although it's my goal to do so).  Instead I think we need to use a strategy I am calling "Dip and Tip".  Occasionally, while your kids are reading their self-selected books, take a few minutes to conference with them.  These should be SHORT conferences (1 - 3 minutes max).  

When you "dip" into their reading, sit down next to them and ask them to read aloud to you right where they are. It doesn't take long to figure out if the book is a good choice for them...are they reading at a pretty fluent rate?  Or are they stumbling over their words?  Do they seem interested?  Or obligated to it?  Give a quick "tip" to the reader and then move on.  A tip could be a question you ask to nudge them further in their thinking.  It could be a suggestion to abandon the book.  Or it could be a strategy for figuring out an unknown word or part of text.  

Although you could probably give a lot of tips, resist the urge to do so.  Give a quick one and move on.  This allows you to get to the next reader.  It also allows your readers to continue their work without a lot of interruption.  

You could carry a small notebook or note-taking page with you to jot down the tips you are offering each reader.  This provides a good anecdotal record over time of the student's independent reading behavior.  

How do you conference with your students during independent reading?    

How Well Do You Know Them?

While reading Donalyn Miller's book, The Book Whisperer, I am once again reminded of the importance of really knowing the kids we teach!  Oh sure I know them IN the classroom.  We laugh there.  We share stories there.  We share text there.  I learn a lot about them.

But what do I really know?

She interviews her kids so she can make "book whispers" to them.  She doesn't just ask them "what do you like to read?"  She asks what kind of TV they watch, what hobbies they have, and what websites they visit.  She knows that this is the way to really uncover their interests.  And she knows books (titles and authors) well enough to suggest them to the appropriate students.  I mixed her questions with some of my own and plan to ask these:

• What kind of books do you like to read?
• Where do you like to read?
• How did you learn how to read?
• What are your favorite magazines or websites?
• What type of TV shows do you watch? Why?
• What is your first choice about what to do when you have free time at home?
• What kinds of things have you collected? What do you do with the things you collect?
• What is your favorite activity or subject at school? Do you have a least favorite?
• If you could talk to any person currently living, who would it be? Why? Think of 3 questions you would ask them.
• If you could talk to anyone from history, who would it be? Why? Think of 3 questions you would ask the person.
• What are your hobbies?  How much time do you spend on your hobbies?
• Tell about your favorite games.
• What was your last favorite book? Why?
• What career do you think might be suitable for you when you are an adult?

One time at a reading conference Dr. Samuel Betances, diversity trainer, made a profound statement.  He suggested that every teacher should read and know 100 books at their grade level.  Then he added that we should also know 100 books below the grade level (one to two years).  And finally he said we should know 100 books above the grade level.  And when he talked about "knowing"---he nudged us further and suggested that we had actually READ that number of books.

After all, how can I make meaningful recommendations to a reader if I haven't read widely?

This week I made myself read some books I've never read before.  And next week I will interview my students to really dig in and start to know who they are as people.  Then...I plan to whisper away!

Never Assume!

I  read this great book by David Shannon to my struggling third grade readers the other day.  My goal?  To help them access schema.  I mean everyone has probably had the experience of having to purge toys, right?

I paused mid-book to ask where everyone gets their toys.  Every kid had an answer except G.  She looked at me with the blankest stare I think I've ever seen.  I rephrased the question thinking maybe her language barrier was getting in the way.

In a sheepish voice but with an ultra sincere matter-of-fact tone, she looked at me and said, "I don't have any toys."  I was startled and said, "None?"  She said, "Nope."

I was reminded that you cannot assume anything when trying to access and teach schema to readers.  The most basic of assumptions on the part of a teacher can still leave the reader floundering as he/she tries to make connections!

I probed further and asked G if she knew anyone who had toys.  She said she did.  And THAT's where we began her connecting!

If you haven't read this delightful book by David Shannon, I highly recommend it to you.  I laughed out loud the first time I read it...and I was alone sans any children!

Walk On!

If you have not read Marla Frazee's book Walk On! I highly recommend it!  At first, I picked it up to use in staff development courses.  It's a perfect analogy for any new learning that one must undergo in life.  There are nuggets of wisdom such as finding support, go when you're ready, it's ok to cry, and "if your diaper is weighing you down, change it"!  Frazee dedicates this book to her son who is leaving for college...it is written in a similar vein as "Oh the Places You'll Go" by Seuss.

Today, this book took on another role for me.  I used it with third graders.  We read it and talked about what it means.  Kids wrote responses to it.  On their own, several came up with the parallel to any type of learning.  As we talked further and thought about ourselves as readers, the connections started coming.

Next Step?  I think we're going to write an innovation called "Read On!"  I can't wait to read what they create!

And then, I plan to connect it to the old song, "You'll Never Walk Alone"  from the musical Carousel by Rodgers and Hammerstein.  I can't wait to find out where this journey takes us!.

Stay tuned...

Isn't this AWESOME? It's a "Wordle" created from this blog.  Imagine all the fun things you could do with a tool that picks up key words and phrases and creates a word map for you!

If you haven't tried Wordle, here's a GREAT link to suggest ways to use it in your classroom: IdeastoInspire

What's Shaping Your Thinking?

I have been reading The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller.  She is careful to note which books shaped the thinking for her book about awakening the inner reader in every child.  That got me to thinking about which books shape my thinking.

While there are "old standards" like "Mosaic of Thought" by Keene and Zimmerman, "Guided Reading" by Fountas and Pinnell, and "Reading Essentials" by Regie Routman, there are also some books that are currently at the forefront of all my instructional thoughts.

I've mentioned a few of these here on the blog or via our Facebook page.  I must add Miller's book to my list right now.  And I need to "re-up" an "old favorite", Jim Trelease's Read-Aloud Handbook (the 6th edition).

These books are currently helping me rethink my own stand on the Reader's Workshop Model.  They are reminding me of the importance of Reading, Writing, and Thinking for every reader every day.  And, more importantly, they are reminders that every reader deserves to choose his or her own books for reading and NOT have to create a response for each and every book read.

I am excited to follow Miller's journey in her sixth grade classroom.  I am excited to see how it will impact my work with youngsters at the elementary level this year.  And I am so glad that my job, and my approach to it, are never stagnant in the area of literacy.  In the words of Miller's mentor, Susie Kelley, "If you ever think you've got all the answers, it's time to retire."  To that I say a hearty "AMEN, sister!"

Now, what's shaping YOUR thinking?  Let's help each other grow!

ENGAGEMENT

Several years ago I worked as a Summer School Literacy Coach.  It was my job to train teachers who were going to be working with some of our most striving learners in reading best-practices and then be available to work with them side-by-side in their classrooms throughout the summer.  I was new to the district in which I was working and found myself surrounded by many veteran teachers. 

Most of the teachers I worked with that summer were quite willing to listen and implement some of the current reading strategies---even if they were coming from a “young teacher”.  They had to keep the kids for five hours, and only do reading, so they were hungry for activities that would sustain these youngsters.  There was one, however, who made it quite clear to me at the outset that she’d never taught any different for 30 plus years and really had no intention of doing so that summer either. 

Prior to starting summer school, we conducted a HUGE literacy center workshop complete with make and take opportunities so teachers had some “tricks” in their bags to help students practice and apply reading skills and strategies.  We focused on those centers that regenerate themselves and require little or no effort on the teacher’s part.  One of these centers was “Read the Room”, where students use unique pointers to wander about a print-rich classroom and practice reading the walls. 

Not too long into our summer adventure, many of the teachers with whom I worked were happily implementing the centers and strategies we discussed in our introductory in-service. 

Imagine my surprise when one day I arrived on campus and the “conscientious objector” excitedly pulled me into HER classroom to see her students practicing their literacy skills.  Feeling quite proud (and perhaps a bit cocky) that “I had broken through to this staunch critic” I excitedly entered the room.  What I saw next, couldn’t have snapped me back to reality any faster. 

The children, twenty 2^nd graders, were lined up in rows.  They all had a basal textbook open on their desk.  Their hands were folded neatly on their books.  Their eyes were facing the chalkboard and the teacher perched on a stool at the front of the room.  Norman Rockwell would have loved this picture, I am sure, as it screamed “turn-of-the-century” American classroom.  The teacher excitedly tapped me on the shoulder and said, “See?”  I looked in the direction that she pointed and I still found myself questioning just what the commotion was all about. 

There, in the corner of her room, I saw one little girl, meekly walking with a large pointer in her hand, mumbling something barely audible to any of the rest of us.  The teacher smiled a HUGE “I-did-it” smile and said, “See, I’m doing what you said, we’re reading the room!” 

She was so proud that she’d “given in” to one of the strategies we’d suggested.  She’s right that ONE child was, I think, reading the room.  But she just didn’t get it!  One of the key points of the whole in-service was total class engagement.  I’m pretty sure she missed that part. 

It’s a picture I will never forget.  I wanted to tell her “NO!  You don’t get it!”  I wanted to take over the class and show her how to reach into the emptiness that was on almost every face at every desk.  But, you see, she “had a good class”.  They were sweet boys and girls who were willing to sit obediently while one child roamed the room trying to read the print.  They even obediently raised their hands when the girl was done and asked to be “next”.  She thought she “had them” and was doing the right thing. 

Let’s face it, “in her day”, that would have been considered a good teacher.  She had control.  Children were behaving.  No one was up and moving around.  Had a principal walked into that room 30 years ago, and even in some places today, he or she might have said, “Way to go, Mrs.  B!” 

I fear that too often we “miss it” though.  We miss those opportunities to engage our students…really engage them.  Instead, we settle for compliance.  And the more I ponder it; the more I really let my mind wrap around it, I am certain that deep learning that lasts is found when the learner is totally engaged.  It’s messy.  It’s social.  It requires kids to take risks.  It is not “top-down” but “side-by-side” learning and doing. 

It should be the goal of each educator to “go for that place” each and every day with each and every student.  I am reminded of the motto of our district at the time this incident took place:  “Every Child, Everyday, Whatever it Takes!”  What could be more clear than that?     

Getting Started with Literacy Centers in K-2

Here is a synopsis of the first six weeks to set up Literacy Centers in the K-2 classroom.  This is excerpted and adapted from The Next Step in Guided Reading by Jan Richardson and More Primary Literacy Centers by Susan Nations and Mellissa Alonso. 

Week 1: Building Community and Collaboration

Have students work in small groups or teams at tables or a specified place on the floor doing activities they can manage with little direction from you.

• Plan a variety of engaging small group activities: puzzles, manipulatives, clay, coloring books, Legos, blocks, or simple art projects. Put each activity into a separate tub and give one to each group.
• Set the timer for 10 minutes.
• Observe the teams and see how they interact with each other. Try not to interact with them at this time.
• When the timer goes off, clean up and bring students together to a gathering place. Praise them for working together and solving problems.

Each day of week 1, redistribute the tubs so that teams can practice working together on a different activity.

Week 2: Begin Teaching Literacy Centers

• Begin teaching ONE Literacy Center this week. Consider starting with the Classroom Library so students really learn that it is the HUB of your center activities. Only teach one team per day. The others can work with tub activities from the previous week.

o Use some of the same activities from week 1: puzzles, manipulatives, clay, coloring books, Legos, blocks, or simple art projects. Put each activity into a separate tub and give one to all but one group.

o Set the timer for 10 minutes.

o Pull one team to the Literacy Center and demonstrate all aspects of it while you are there. Allow them to practice while you observe and coach.

• When you teach a new center: set a purpose for it, identify the materials that will be used, talk about what successful use should look like and what it should sound like, role play use, practice putting materials away.

• On each consecutive day, teach another group the Literacy Center until all groups have been taught how to use it.

Determine a signal for clean-up time like a song or a bell. Make sure to give them a five-minute warning.

Week 3: Expand Time and Teach Another Center

• Teach a new Literacy Center this week. Consider adding a Writing Center this week. Expand your time to 15 minutes daily.

o Use some of the same activities from weeks 1 & 2: puzzles, manipulatives, clay, interesting picture books, coloring books, Legos, blocks, or simple art projects.

o Set the timer for 15 minutes.

o Put one team at the familiar center (introduced in week 2).

o Pull another team to the NEW Literacy Center and demonstrate it. Allow them to practice while you observe and coach.

On each consecutive day, teach another group the NEW Literacy Center and allow another group to PRACTICE the familiar center while everyone else works with tubs.

Week 4: Teach a Center and Expand Time

• Teach another NEW Literacy Center this week. Consider adding Word Work this week. Directly teach one team per day. The others can work with tub activities or the TWO familiar centers.

o If you have five groups, allow two to do tubs and two to do familiar centers while you teach one group a NEW center.

o Set the timer for 20 minutes.

o Remember to make your centers open-ended so that students are never really “done” with them.

• Begin using a Center Management board this week. Show students how to find their name and where their group will be during this 20 minute session.

Week 5: Expand Time and Develop Independence

• Expand to 25-30 minutes. Continue to assess, adjust, and clarify expectations at the centers during this time. Add two NEW Literacy Centers this week. Consider adding Listening and Poetry (with Read the Room).

o Teach BOTH centers to ONE group per day (10 – 15 mins. per center)

o Set the timer for 25-30 minutes.

o Remember to make your centers open-ended so that students are never really “done” with them.

Begin using a Center Management board this week. Show students how to find their name and where their group will be during this 20 minute session.

Week 6: Introduce Guided Reading Groups

• Show the center management chart. Remind students that they know how to work in and complete each of their centers.

• Hold a class meeting explaining Guided Reading procedures:

• Remind students they should NOT interrupt a guided reading group.

• Designate a few “knowledgeable” students as your “center captains”. Give them a clothes pin or necklace to identify their role. Students may ask center captains questions while you are teaching.

• Pull ONE Guided Reading group daily.

• Make sure if a student comes to ask you a question, that you do not acknowledge them. Hold up your hand and continue to teach.

• Be sure students know WHEN it IS appropriate to interrupt: i.e., fire, blood, someone is sick, etc.

At the end of each session remember to gather together and discuss what went well and what needs work.

Gradually increase the time to a full 60 minutes allowing you to work with 2 – 3 groups daily.

Reading Workshop: Oral Language Development

For so long, reading experts and educators everywhere were fixated on the "Fab 5":  Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.  Now, it seems everyone is realizing that there is no way to condense reading into only five components.  In fact, in some places, they are now calling it the "Sensational Six".   The sixth component is absolutely critical to successful literacy development.  It is also quite simple to implement:  Oral Language. 

Letting students talk with one another regularly is the best way to develop oral language.  In fact, Reading Expert and Author Dr. Brenda Parkes once said in a workshop:  "Teachers need to know when to zip the lip.  You already know how to talk. Children develop syntax and an ear for the language when they practice talking.  How else do you think the kids will learn it?" 

Here are some thoughts on Oral Language Development in preK, K, and early 1st grade:

“The child’s everyday speech is linked to the fluency with which he will read.”  Marie Clay, Becoming Literate
(5-10 minutes daily) 

• Use fun language activities found in your teaching resources or come up with your own.
• Singing and talking support listening and speaking skills.  
• Post a daily song/poem on your board, projector, a poster, or the white board and recite it together
• Use oral language and conversations as part of your morning routine
• Embed opportunities to increase oral language abilities and applications throughout the entire literacy block and the school day.
• Conversation, collaboration, and learning through others are integral to learning. A child's oral language ability is the basis for beginning literacy instruction. They learn from you as well as the other students in your classroom.  

You might consider the approach used by teachers in Buffalo, NY  called "Let's Talk" 

 (LET'S TALK: A Different Approach to Oral Language Development. Woodward, C., Haskins, G., Schaefer, G., & Smolen, L. Young Children, 2004, 59(4), 92-95.):  

Implement "table talk" in the preschool and kindergarten classroom daily.

Identify children with low language skills, and pair them with classmates who have higher language skills for 10 - 15 minutes per day. 

Provide  boxes of carefully selected dramatic play toys and manipulatives.  Tie these manipulatives (or talk items) to other teaching and learning that will be taking place throughout the day.

Wander around the room during the "Let's Talk" time and stimulate conversation, if needed.

BE CONSISTENT---a short amount of time every day will result in dramatic increases in vocabulary, language use and understanding.

Several factors seem to contribute to the success of the Let's Talk approach to oral language development:

* Children work together in designated pairs at the tables, with little intervention from adults.

* Manipulatives used for the table talks are rotated weekly to initiate new conversations.

* Teachers model literature and vocabulary related to the manipulatives each week.

* Opportunities for sharing with others are provided routinely in the classroom.

* Extensions related to the manipulatives are integrated throughout the curriculum.

Oral Language development happens all day long in the busy classroom.  Look for ways to increase their talk with you and with one another.  The paybacks are worth it!

Thoughts on Community

Barbara Streisand sings, "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world."  There is no doubt that relationships are critical for most of us.  How does that translate to your job as an educator?  Do you think you need others to help you do your job?  

You may be able to come in and execute your lesson without much difficulty, but what happens in those times when a lesson doesn't go quite right?  Or when you are wondering just how to reach that child that seems unreachable?  Or when you are downright frustrated by the latest mandate or instructional focus?  

When you can talk to a colleague and process what is happening in your classroom and around the school community, you're often stronger.  Consider this quote:  

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”

As you step foot into the new school year, how will you build positive collaborative relationships around you?  Look for the opportunities.  To change Streisand's song just a bit might just sum it up:

"Teachers who need teachers are the luckiest people in the world!"   

Read Alouds for Fifth Grade

And to round out our elementary lists of Read Alouds...here's a Fifth Grade suggested list.  Picture books are GREAT teaching tools...never underestimate their power to teach, launch lessons,and develop a love of reading:

Classics

·       Sounder by William H. Armstrong

·       The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

·       The Indian In the Cupboard by Lynn Reid Bank

·       Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

·        Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.

·        Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

·       From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

·       The Borrowers by Mary Norton

·       The Black Stallion by Walter Farley

·       Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Realistic Fiction  

·       Coco Grimes by Mary Stolz.

·       Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voight.

·       The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson.

·       Hello, My Name is Scrambled Eggs by Jamie Gilson.

·       More Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron.

·       The Skirt by Gary Soto.

·       Wanted: Mud Blossom by Betsy Byars.

·       Me, Mop and the Moondance Kid by Walter Dean Myers.

·       No Arm in Left Field by Matt Christopher.

·       Skinnybones by Barbara Park.

·       The Trading Game by Alfred Slote.

Adventure

o       The Cay by Theodore Taylor..

o       Hatchet by Gary Paulson.

o       The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton

o       The Illyrian Adventure by Lloyd Alexander.

o       Julie by Jean Craighead George.

o       My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.

o       The Scorpio Ghosts and the Black Hole Gang by Kathy Kennedy Tapp.

o       Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan.

o       Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner.

o       Trouble River by Betsy Byars.

Books that Teach in the Content Areas

·       Sir Cumference and the First Round Table: A Math Adventure by Cindy Neuschwander

·       Math Curse by Jon Scieska

·       Science Verse by Jon Scieska

·       Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett 

·       Gorilla Doctors by Pamela S. Turner

·       Babe Didrikson Zaharias by Russell Freedman

·       A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids by Julie Hall

·       Hurricane Force by Joseph Treaster

·       The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns

·       Math Potatoes: Mind Stretching Brain Food by Greg Tang

Award Winners and Honor Books

·       The Cricket in Times Square  by George Selden

·       Airborne by Kenneth Opel

·       Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinnelli

·       Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith

·       Ringold

·       Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

·       A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle.

·       Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully

·       The Bicycle Man by Allen Say

·       The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordecai

·       Gerstein

Fantasy/Mystery

·       The Boggart by Susan Cooper.

·       The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander.

·       The Borrowers by Mary Norton

·       The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper.

·       The Dark Stairs: A Herculeah Jones Mystery by Betsy Byars.

·       The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.

·       The Mennyms by Sylvia Waugh.

·       Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Justin.

·       The Sea Egg by L.M. Boston.

·       Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt.

Fantasy/Daydreams and Folk/Fairytales

·        The Boy Who Painted Dragons  by Demi  

·        The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley

·        My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

·        Half Magic by Edward Eager

·        In the Time of the Drums by Kim Siegelson & Brian

·       Pinkney

·       The Korean Cinderella by Ruth Heller

Picture Books and Books that Teach a Lesson

·        Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco

·       The Wall by Eve Bunting

·       Smoky Night by Eve Bunting

·       Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson

·       Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges

·       The Gardener by Sarah Stewart

·       Ma Dear’s Aprons by Patricia McKissack

Humor and Books About School

o       Aliens for Breakfast by Jonathon Etra.

o       Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowrey.

o       Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery by Deborah Howe and James Howe.

o       Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith

o       The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald.

o       How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

o       Kevin Corbett Eats Flies by P. Hermes

o       The Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson.

o       Class President by Johanna Hurwitz

o       Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh.

o       Maniac McGee by Jerry Spinelli.

o       The Top 10 Ways to Ruin the First Day of 5th Grade by Kenneth Derby

o       No Talking by Andrew Clements

o       The Canning Season by Polly Horvath

History and Historical Fiction

·       Anthony Burns: The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave by Virginia Hamilton.

·       Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds,

·       Civil War Spy by S. Reit.

·       Bound for Oregon by Jean Van Leeuwen.

·       Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Brink.

·       The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli.

·       A Family Apart (The Orphan Train series) by Joan Lowrey Nixon.

·       Johnny Tremain: A Novel For Young and Old by Esther Forbes.

·       Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

·       Mississippi Bridge by Mildred D. Taylor.

·       My Brother Sam is Dead by James L. Collier.

·       Sing Down the Moon by Scott O'Dell

Charley Skedaddle by Patricia Beatty