S&L Response Becky

After refreshing my memory on the 2nd grade standards, I would agree that they correlate well with what we are doing in Reader's Workshop using Lucy Calkins. This one in particular stuck out to me:

Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

I do this daily with my read aloud. I read, we all discuss what I have read as a class. We also do turn and talk and often partner up to do work around the read aloud. I also have mini-conferences with my students 2-3 times a week to discuss the book that they are reading.

S&L Response - Steve

My attention was initially drawn to the CCSS 8.1: "Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly". This standard has been covered throughout the read aloud that I have been completing with my students connected to Everything, Everything. For example, the students were asked to turn and talk multiple times during the last mini lesson connected to developing character traits. To get them started, the students watched a short video clip from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. They were tasked with finding shortcomings that Harry might have as a character. We then discussed how characters can be multilayered, which led us directly into a conversation about Madeline, the protagonist in Everything, Everything. This lesson pushed my students to see Madeline in a different way. It was great to observe this group of students working together, sharing information, and contributing to the overall conversation. 

S&L response -Traci

When reviewing the CCSS for speaking and listening in first grade I chose the standard ELA-Literacy SL1.2, Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. I can see how our recent response to reading provides ample opportunities for this back and forth exchange of ideas and information. I read aloud the story Bear Feels Scared to my first grade students. The students talked about the title and cover and then predicted what the story might be about. In this pre-reading conversation students shared ideas and asked questions to one another about their thoughts and predictions. After reading the story we had a longer discussion, students explained why they believed bear was scared and what they used in the book to make that decision. The reading response was both verbal and written and the students were very engaged. I am hoping /planning to do them weekly. I believe the time we give children to respond to literature both verbally and in writing not only supports the CCSS, but also fosters an important connection with the stories, and a deeper love of reading/books. 

S&L Response example Lindy

I focused on the grade 1 #4 S&L standard: "Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly". After reading One Green Apple I might expect first graders to respond with details related to being in an apple orchard, feeling different because she speaks a different language and wears something different, she feels kind of scared at the beginning and won't talk. At the end she says a word and smiles. They might turn and talk as I listen in, pass the talking stick and share one detail, work in a small group to draw/write details and then come back to the circle to share orally what the group came up with.

Responding to Reading -- Various Approaches

Recently there has been discussion concerning the Speaking & Listening standards and how these are addressed. In reviewing speaking & listening standards I recognized how strongly they go with our reading response work, perhaps in a different way. Here is S&L standard #4 for 4th and 6th grade:
GR 4:"Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace."
GR 6: "Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation."

When thinking about response to reading create a post explaining something you have done in your class or may be planning to try that addresses this area. Feel free to consult your particular grade S&L standard for your response.

Please start a new post and label it "S&L Response (your name)"

Getting Kids Engaged in Reading - Darby

One of my favorite ways of getting kids engaged in reading is by sharing with them about what I am reading and entering into casual conversations about books they are reading or might interest them.

About two weeks into the school year this year, I asked my class to help me organize my classroom library. I am new to the school and am completely unfamiliar with the library in my classroom and hadn't had time to go through and sort them into bins or even organize the shelves. At first I was feeling that the exercise was a total mistake. Students had pulled all the books and had piled them up all over the desks and the floor. It was loud and messy! But I started to hear conversations between students about genres or noticing books they had read before. There was interest and excitement in the voices. One student came up to me with a copy of Where the Red Fern Grows and asked me what genre it was. I sighed. This is one of my favorite books to read aloud and I cry every time. I started to tell the student a little about the book and how I cried. Said I would probably put it under realistic fiction, but instead of going back to the shelf, the student asked if she could put it in her desk instead so she could read later. Of course! I then proceed to circulate between the groups, picking up books, answering questions, and talking about the different books I had read. More and more kids brought me books to ask if they could hold on to them for their reading. It was a wonderful, organic experience born simply out of curiosity and exploration.

Getting Students Engaged - Shelby

 Aside from teaching students how to read, I believe it's very important to be a reading role model and to create a classroom culture where reading for pleasure is encouraged and supported.  Teachers should model that they are enthusiastic readers themselves and work hard to create a lasting interest in reading for their students. I also believe that it is important to build up your classroom library,  give students the opportunity to build up reading mileage and read aloud to them every day.

Here are some things that I do in the classroom:

• Work tirelessly to help students find books they can enjoy
• Provide access to engaging material across all genres at many different levels
• Use Scholastic Book Clubs to get free books for your library and make a huge dramatic deal of new arrivals. Place books in "New Arrival" bins
• Make time every day for students to read
• Encourage reading challenges as a class
• Recommend books and speak with enthusiasm about them
• Reading Promotions- book talks, recommendations, reading partnerships/book clubs...book discussions of all kinds
• Make sure that students are reading Just Right Books - Check with struggling readers every day
• Send home a bag of Just Right books
• Weekly (or more) reading conferences
• Reading groups - More frequently with struggling readers
• Student Reading Interest Inventories - especially for struggling readers
• Use nonfiction for lower level readers that are sensitive to how the book level "appears"

• Reflect on my own reading practices and model strategies aloud for students
• Develop stamina - Add 5-10 minutes per day depending on the class
• Constantly review workshop expectations and problem solving strategies to help students stay focused on their reading, which better allows for engagement and uninterrupted conferencing/group time
• Review online sources/promotions with students as appropriate