Interactive Read Alouds...like a heartbeat?

Just got back from Boston...
(training October 16, 17, 18)

During a discussion about interactive read alouds, one classmate described them as "the heartbeat of literacy instruction." What wonderful wording...

Now I'm pondering the meaning...

First, consider the question: how might the read aloud qualify as the "heartbeat"? Well, it's the common text that students and a teacher experience together, it's coupled with shared class conversation, and it also provides opportunities for teachers to model a think aloud for the class. Those characteristics seem to align it with powerful positioning in a classroom.

The text must be well-chosen material. It must be engaging - to both the teacher (who exhibits enthusiasm towards the read aloud) and students (who must find it intriguing enough to want to focus on it). Without these "musts," it would fall flat on engaging students, the teacher, or both. (Bet we've all experienced the dreadful class where material - perceived as irrelevant - is meticulously poured over - ugh!) Learning might take on a "negative increase" under such circumstances. ~sorry to dwell on the negative for a second~

Therefore, I am going to agree with my Lesley colleague; the pulse of relevant, shared, engaging material can be the "heartbeat" of a classroom lesson.

To extend the metaphor, consider this pulse infusing the rest of a lesson. The engaging text and discussion of a read aloud will influence students' next thoughts, comments, and writing, and the teacher's thinking aloud will provide moments of meta-cognition that will deepen any lesson.

I am sure I haven't yet articulated all the benefits of this methodology, but I am beginning to see its powerful instructional potential.

How Many Data Points Does It Take To Figure Out A Teenager???

Worked quite intensely in the past two weeks analyzing numbers/data on students. (Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not a true numbers, girl), but I'm on this intense new learning curve...

The frustration at times is in the inconsistency of data. Sometimes students look to be achieving quite well, and then the next assessment/data point shows they are really low. The follow-up question has become - did they take the test seriously? I'm beginning to believe that May data is not a real good indicator of a student's ability. At that point they are so "schooled" out and over assessed that I think some just "tank" that assessment. Stinkers!

A new catch-phrase around the high school...are they a "can't do it or won't do it" kid?

So, you keep adding data points, and you believe some points more than others.

It's messy, it's new, but it's still more than we've ever done to apply data to students' next instructional steps.

I can now look back and see all the seeds planted long ago that got our school to this point (kudos to Chad and Nancy)! I can also see an intriguing new direction for learning at RLHS.

At the end, some kids have been targeted, and quality specific instruction is beginning. Meeting with Guided Reading teachers on Thursday... probably will be the focus of my next blog. : )

That or next week's training in Boston... watch out Irene Fountas - we're comin' to learn from ya!

Delving into Data...Day One

So one of the tasks of the new Rice Lake High School literacy coaches is to benchmark all the "flagged" freshman, the kiddos we're worried about being our lowest readers. This is my 20th year at RLHS, and doing this benchmark instruction, is probably the best data to advance instruction that I've ever witnessed. Unfortunately, I am not the classroom teacher for most of these kids and need to pass these instructional notes on to the appropriate teachers. However, the key is that we are using focused data points to drive instructional practice. This is (unfortunately?) a newer concept. hmmmmm

Still - we're doing something! For example, after I listen to a student read aloud and answer a sequence of questions regarding a text, I can think of specific skills that need to be coached into a student. Some students need to correct their actual reading aloud skills. Others are clearly "glossing over" the words and not truly comprehending text. They need modeling, practice, and patience.

Now another data point has entered the equation. We have last week's MAPS results for the students as well. So, how is it that we have kids who were low on the benchmark and high on MAPS or vice versa? I know other data points need to be added as well- WKCE, current grade, etc.

These high school learners are complex, and what's even more intriguing is that some have developed complex coping strategies for finding success at school, in some arenas. I fear this is just going to make our "figuring out" of them even tougher.

But I keep returning to - at least we're trying something, which is more than we've done for some of these struggling readers in the past.

Delving into Data - Day Two...tomorrow!

Instructional Time, 2/3 vs 1/3

So I went to a conference last Friday in Eau Claire. The instructors were Chris Tovani and Samantha Bennett. While I gained quite a few good "take aways" on the day, the one that's really stuck with me is the 2/3 vs 1/3. Bennett professes that 2/3 of the the instructional minutes should be students reading, writing, and speaking. That means the teacher gets 1/3. So in our 80 minute period, the students should get 53 minutes, and our teachers should get 27 minutes. The point is that whoever has the minutes in their "column" is doing the learning. For example, if a teacher is just blabbing away, the teacher is the one doing the learning. That makes total sense to me. We need to make our students the active learners. (And we all could take a lesson from our marching band directors.) And then the reality of my own classroom hits me again on Monday morning. What is my instructional minutes total? I can't get that out of my head. Then, the guilt seems to kick-in when I know my minutes are starting the add-up, and my students are being robbed of their minutes to read, write, speak.

I will aspire to that notion. But I'm sure I will also wrestle with that reality.

In a similar vein, as I begin coaching, when I notice teachers who are monopolizing the "students' minutes," how will I coach them along - to hand those minutes back to the kids?

Three workshop days ahead of me in Brit Lit - focus on students reading, revising, research. Boom!

"Teach the Reader, Not the Book"

Ok, so this blogging thing...keeps getting down-graded on my to-do list. I don't want this to feel like a chore. I want this to feel like a place to journal thoughts, something I WANT to do.

I gotta quit feeling guilty about what I don't post and appreciate what I do have time to post!

Ok - now for a focus: After three days of training in what I'm fondly referring to as "Kasey's Klass" and four amazing days of learning at Lesley, one of my big "ah has" was "teach the reader, not the book."

Let's think about that for a minute. The last 19+ years of teaching students, I have taught novels, short stories, poetry, nonfiction. I help kids dig deep in books. It has taken me this long to consider the reader first and the text second - geez! Kids need the skills to tackle all kinds of text, and it is up to ALL content teachers to help them achieve those skills. What can help educators get there? About a million content area reading strategies!!! : )

It was not only cool that this understanding hit me, but I actually witnessed one of my colleagues go through the same revelation. At the same time she was speaking these words, "teach the reader, not the book," you could sense that a true instructional shift was happening.

Now, here's the thing. I've done all sorts of reading, reflection, discussion, professional development, etc. this summer. What I really need are some students to try this on. I guess I'm ready for fall! : )

A starting point

I am not certain what these younger generation principals are doing to me, but the one who just moved on and my new principal are sure that blogging is a process I need to embrace with my changing role in the Rice Lake Area School District. After 19 years of teaching 9th-12th grade Language Arts, I will be going to part time teaching and adding the role of part time High School Literacy Coach. Is this really what I want to do for the start of year 20? hmmmmmm........

I am not a particularly strong writer, in general. I am not sure exactly the direction this blog will head. Heck, I'm not really even a reader of blogs and such (I don't even have a smart phone). However, like I said earlier, I have been encouraged, I have a few extra minutes here and there in August, and what do I have to lose?

I am one who feels the need to provide background, so I guess my first few posts will try and fill-in some of that information. Then, like I heard so often in grad school, I'll "trust the process" moving forward.

Like I said before, as of May, I became one of our district's two new high school literacy coach positions. The most daunting part is that these are newly created positions, so there is really no road map to follow. We're really "jumping in" already with leading our school's literacy team and planning some professional development for staff groups this month. Considering training at Lesley University doesn't even begin until August 20th, it's been a little overwhelming, but the other coach and I are veterans in the district, strong in our reading/knowledge base, and probably have something worthwhile to offer the district. Hopefully...