Making the Most of Mentors: Pacing, Pulling, and

Pondering with Touchstone Texts

This is the time to start reading those all-important MENTOR or "Touchstone" TEXTS for the ‘14-‘15 school year.

While you are warming up your students to your workshops and “Building your Literate Community” through Unit 1 of our ELA curriculum, take a minute to consider a few texts YOU WILL USE LATER THIS  YEAR AS MENTORS that you could read now. Richard Parrott just did this today! In an effort to model writing a summary to his kids, he previewed a future mentor by reading aloud a short chapter and then modeling how to write an effective summary. He then offered his students an accessible text that everyone could read and “try on” writing a summary to share with the class. Upon sharing their writing, the students made noticings about the elements of effective summaries. It’s just one of the ways to intentionally introduce a mentor early in the year.

Consider Texts You’ve Already Read to Students and will read AGAIN

Think back to your past experiences in the classroom and consider which texts are jam-packed with craft techniques, structures, well-developed and organized Stoplight paragraphs, and/or content you wish to highlight and use throughout the year. If you find that you absolutely LOVE using Alice McLerran's The Mountain Who Loved a Bird, and you used it for teaching science concepts later in the year, anyway, why not introduce it in August and let the kids go ahead and fall in love with the story, the structure, the language, the artwork? If you had a book within one of your ELA units that was great for supporting your reading standards, how much more powerful will it be to introduce it early and return to it as mentor over and over again (when studying narratives, or beautiful language, or personification, or purposeful repetitive writing as well as the content in Unit 4). Why not?

Cast a Wide Net

As Carl suggests, don't limit yourself to long picture books. This is an easy one for us as we have always cut clippings from newspapers or magazines, or downloaded from online sources. The shift may be forcing yourself to feel even more comfortable using those less familiar texts or forms: nonfiction texts, poems, digital mentors, writing in math, science, or social studies. This wide net is important when we plan those first few weeks of school— supporting our writers in Building a Literate Community by offering invitations to write from sparks in a variety of forms (and for a variety of purposes) within a variety of workshops, and ultimately immersing our kids in ALL kinds of writing situations, forms, audiences, purposes, styles.

  Cut Excerpts from Longer Works

Although it's so tempting to feel like we have to use the ENTIRE text when we show students how to write in a certain way, it's totally unnecessary to always feel like we have to have to reexamine the WHOLE text. Carl contends that sometimes just a few sentences or paragraphs will do the trick- show the student the desired craft technique, or demonstrate the complexity of a sentence or two. The key is that that the child already knows and appreciates the text. Then they will seek to emulate that writer so they can have the same desired effect on their reader. So, consider cutting out a part to have that available for later use.

Use Student Writing

As a whole, we are successful with this... sometimes. As you dig into files from past students, or read through your students’ SHOWCASE PORTFOLIOs, think about if any of the entries will make great models for this year. Too often they sit in a folder and never get truly appreciated. What student written texts will you use... or pass on for a lower grade to use. (Always consider your colleagues when you search for student models).

Enlist the Aid of Colleagues, the LMS, LC (me!), and Your Future Students

 Although it's easy to get swept away in what we know and love, there are always new ideas and perspectives out there. Ask someone else what they have found success with using. Better yet, put into your plans to have new students search for mentors they want to have available in the class.

Make Our Own Mentors: We write!

Carl suggests that you never underestimate the power of using your own writing as mentor texts. You will have the desired traits, craft techniques, content, unique audience, and focus, as well as a way for your students to immediately see you as a fellow writer.

Final thoughts: Consider the kids' interests, the power of variety, and the opportunity for emulation.

Though this list is in no way exhaustive, it certainly offers food for thought. It gets us thinking about the year to come and the mentors we could use RIGHT NOW! At this point, you, or colleagues on your team, have: taught the new ELA units; know the demands of the standards; better understand the connection of the themes, and experienced much of the variety and types of writing the kids are called to do.  So, what might you use this week that will later become a marvelous MENTOR TEXT?

Resources : How's it Going? by Carl Anderson (Heinemann)                 Other supporters of mentor texts- Lucy Calkins, Katie Wood Ray, Ruth CulhamCheck out the BLOG www.theliteracyconnection.blogspot.com for more mentor texts and links from famous authors!        Sarah

Instructional Partners: Aides

We recently welcomed five classroom aides to our school to observe some of our instructional assistants in kindergarten and first grade. They left impressed by several things that "just seem so normal for us" and make us the instructionally-focused (yet emotionally nurturing) school we are and strive to be. Here are just of few of the "stand outs" voiced during their brief visit:

·       Instructional assistants are always open to working with their teacher partner. For example, they saw evidence of aides joining in on mini-lessons as a reader, writer, speaker, and listener: taking turns reading from a text, sharing personal writing, listening to pair- shares, and calling on students— just as another teacher in the classroom.

·        When these co-teachers are not participating in mini-lessons they are conferring with kids. The level of questions asked, (open ended, thinking strategy or decoding strategy-based are always encouraging. These dedicated educators always empowered students to seek their own answers by using the word wall, considering their own ideas first, and finally asking permission to share an idea or strategy. Aides always anchored the conferring opportunity in making meaning of the reading or expressing meaning in writing.

·        Another noticing that they commented on was two-way communication between the classroom teacher and instructional assistant. For example, the note-taking strategy of using labels to keep both adults abreast struggles, goals set, or work that had been accomplished with the students conferred with allowed both parties to be “at the ready” for moving and growing the child. Two-way communication between the aide and classroom teacher also stood out as PD learning is always shared, questions are always welcomed and encouraged, and time is devoted to planning so work with students during the day stays efficient. Because all clerical duties are taken care of in the first 20 minutes, the remainder of the day is spent supporting students in whole, small group, or individual situations.

These are just a handful of the great things we do here at BES with our collaborative approach to student learning. It's through working together that we really rise to be the B.E.S.T.!

Many more MENTORS and MODELS!

Mentors matter. We know this. We feel this. We live this. We actively practice and teach our children to write like the “greats” we’ve studied. Whether we have our collection of fifteen favorites we always return to, or introduce a few with each unit of study, we without-a-doubt rely on those who came before us.

2nd grade example

1st grade (page 1)

                As we have shifted and rethought our focus of modes and genres over the last few years of using the KCAS (Kentucky Core Academic Standards) and weeded out our mentor texts, we have at times, struggled to find those few esteemed models for our kids to use (read, enjoy, notice, name, and emulate) in order to create their own fabulous writing. The job makes us weary at times, but we never stop seeking those that do the work of “teaching our writers.” We know the power of the mentor text. Whether it’s the text we refer back to over and over again, or the model we use for offering kids practice with revision with “the greats in mind”, we know their value.

                But, it’s not always about the mentor for the kids, is it? Sometimes we are the ones who need calibrating. We seek a better understanding and ask, “So what does (insert the grade you teach) writing look like?” What ought my kids be able to do?” While the CCSS offer us Appendix C of student writing samples, they do not include every mode, and they don’t show a comprehensive picture of what an independent writer in X grade should be able to do?” They offer us a glimpse, but we crave more. Of course, we know we want to move EVERY SINGLE writer along the writing continuum, and stopping to ensure we are our setting our expectations high enough is part of the calibration.

                Fortunately, the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project offers us both mentor texts for student use, and “the kind of writing” a  ___ grader ought to be able to do. These are mentors and models for all us- teachers and students. With these, we can click on a mode and analyze the development of the student’s text. We can look for the greens (topic sentences), yellows (slowing down the reader to develop an idea) and then reds that (stop a reader to really explain). With these examples: we can see variety, analyze purpose and audience, consider organization, notice transitions, seek sentence fluency and structure, savor word choice, enjoy a students’ voice, and critique mechanics. We have something concrete to go by beyond our own intuition.  

If you are interested in looking and using these as mentors and models, I invite you to click on the link below:

http://readingandwritingproject.com/resources/student-work/student-writing

Lucy Calkins and her crew have worked hard for the last few years to offer you these online texts to use with your writers. You see, like us, they know that it’s through mentor texts that our kids learn the practice of writing well. Our background knowledge of writing, high expectations, and careful analysis of our student writers support us in designing that intentional instruction to teach our authors. We model writing and thinking about writing, co-design rubrics, and teach them how to use mentors and models so that ultimately, THEY can independently use “the greats” who will always be around, long after we are gone.

Please share how your students use mentors to support them as writers.

Book Sets to use for "Unlocking" Levels

Book Sets to Share

 

    Through our recent PD experiences we have been talking about all things Guided or Strategic Reading. We have spent time considering the purpose, structure, best practices related to guiding readers to be strategic in their problem-solving so they can ultimately understand what they read.

 

   In the K-2 group, Angelica's led teams through creating lesson opportunities for a set of books ranging from 6-24. *Check out the awesome doc they created! In the 3-5 group, I've worked to facilitate learning about the possibilities for using instructional texts with readers to raise the level of ANY reader-struggling, on level, above level. By examining and analyzing texts through the lens of "unlocking" a hurdle a reader would encounter at that level, we have begun the process of building strategic readers.

  

  When doing this process, we have to always ask ourselves, "What does the reader bring to this level?" and "What hurdles can I support them with as they read this instructional text?" We can think of it as holding their hands (guiding them) through something within that text (with a variety of texts) at that level so they can more quickly become independent enough to read that level.

  

   If you are looking for more texts to use with students, please consider using some of those in our building. Kevin has this set, there are also sets in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade closets. We have the DRA levels and you can ask for parent or student support (after school) in labeling them for easy access.

   

   Some books have been used and lesson plans with "What could I do with this book?" grid has been created by those using them. Check it out on the S drive in the Guided Reading folder.

   

   As always, you have the support of your colleagues, Angelica, team members, and me. We are here for you to guide or just grow with you.

 

Layering ELA Understandings Through the Lens of U.S. History

Examining Beliefs on Building Schema:

Layering ELA Understandings Through the Lens of U.S. History

Throughout Our Students’ Elementary Experience

* Dedicated to all those who crave a richer social studies experience for our kids, or maybe just some support along the way.

Do you catch everything the first time you hear or learn about it? The second time? What happens as you look and study the different facets of a topic?  We layer students’ learning of the thinking strategies, year after year, right? So, it’s only fitting that we honor that same process with deepening understanding of America’s complex history.

I’ll back up a little:  Just checking…how often do you hear or utter the words, “Our social studies curriculum is so dry. It lacks depth and there’s nothing for our kids to really sink their teeth into and get vested.” These honest and accurate sentiments are typically shared by K-4 teachers. Or maybe it’s, “ We have to teach all of American history in 5^th grade! From beginning to end- all of it. It’s just too much.” Of course, these teachers are right, too. Well, they used to be right. Now, our ELA curriculum threads powerful and engaging U.S. history through at least one of the units during the year.   Don’t get me wrong, the literacy learning takes the forefront and is the true focus, but who can resist the opportunity to build background knowledge so that the powerful history of our country makes more sense as students continue to reengage and build depth with it year after year? I can’t.  Nor can I argue with the logic and the excitement it create in learners. Ask any of our 5^th grade teachers about students’ willingness to participate or eagerness to learn more about American’s history: slavery, war, and ground-setting humans of our past. Children typically enjoy the emotional and factual connections our history has to our present, so why not layer their learning through literacy? The timing to consider this could not be better as we begin to plan our Unit 5 in an extended ELA planning session. It’s American History Background Building Time!

Curious about the intentional literacy and historic connections offered in Units 5 or 6?  These units support our learners with such skills and understandings as: questioning information fosters opinion making and depends understanding, cause and effect, revising for readers, comparing literary and informational texts, using digital tools, building and effectively using content-specific vocabulary, making sense of text structures.

Scaffolding students to build background knowledge for 5th grade American History through texts/concepts in a theme
Grade	Unit Title	Historic Connection and possible texts for literary focus
K	America’s symbols and celebrations	focus on symbols and celebrations
1st	American Contributions (unit 6)	important Americans (presidents, Paul Revere, Betsy Ross, Jackie Robinson, Pocahontas, Ben Franklin
2nd	A Long Journey to Freedom	long and multifaceted effort to break down barriers to racial equality in the United States (Harriet Tubman, Lincoln, Rosa Parks, MLK Jr., civil rights movement)
3rd	The People, the Preamble, and the Presidents	people, the Preamble (to the Constitution), and presidents of the United States. Immigration, America’s Start
4th	Revolutionaries from the Past	American Revolution, Abigail Adams, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Molly Pitcher, Revolutionary War, Sam Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere. Trail of Tears
5th	America in Conflict	American Civil War, Underground Railroad, Sojourner Truth, Abraham Lincoln,  Bull Run, all things CW

"United We Stand, Divided We Fall," right? Here's to powerful and layered learning experiences for our Bears.