S&L Response - Amelia

In the first unit of Lucy Calkins we have already been able to practice the S&L standard #4 for 4^th grade.  We review giving a chronological summary of a book and work on retelling the most recent chapter read bringing in details from previous chapters when needed for understanding.  We practiced doing this as a group together, with the mentor text we are reading.  Then, students were given time to use their silent reading books to practice this skill with a partner.

 As we continue reading the mentor text, I would like to start having students volunteer to recount the most recent chapter pulling in details from further back in the book for the whole class.  This would allow me to monitor progress in this area by students and also for others to hear examples of how it is supposed to be done if they are struggling with this task. 

S&L Response - Shelby

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

I believe that we must teach these skills with intention, and the beginning of the year is a terrific time to set the pace and tone for discussion in the classroom.  We begin by analyzing what speaking and listening should look like and sound like.  We then learn to practice being active participants and listeners during discussion times.  This is primarily done by learning accountable talking/listening  strategies and ways that we can help each other build upon our thinking.  I explicitly model skills, then we practice, provide feedback and set goals for improvement.  

Sentence starters are very helpful to the students. Here are some examples:
Speaker:
I'm thinking...
I learned...
My opinion is ... because...
I'm wondering...

Listener: Active Listener Rubric
I heard you say...
What made you think that...
How do you know...
Can you explain...

Builder:
I agree with ...  because...
I respectfully disagree with ... because...
I would like to add...
That's a good idea.  Another idea could be...

For my class project, I am also creating formative read aloud assessments to align with each standard addressed in the units of study.

McNeil's S & L Response

In light of our class today, I find this blog entry especially easy; we have just finished reading Freak the Mighty, our class read aloud.  I love this novel and have always found it to be a hit with my middle school students. Each day, we sit together on the carpet and I read to them for at least 15 minutes; I honestly think it's the best part of our day.  Kids grab pillows, lean against each other, and breathe deeply, as they settle in to listen to a great story.  


As for the speaking and listening standards, I find that  CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1.C, 

"Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion" is very accessible.  In fact, there have been many instances where I have had to ask kids to hold their thoughts during our read aloud time.  They want to share, they want to be heard, and they want to show that they can connect.  Gone are the days of typing up questions for students to answer after reading; I have found that discussions during read alouds are MUCH more effective and meaningful.  

More importantly, holding discussions as a class enables us to build upon each others' comments and reflections.  Our read alouds are similar to the book clubs that I have always enjoyed.  

As for the standards, I feel like my 6th graders have this one "in the bag".

S & L Response Jessica

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.1.a
Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
To address this standard we practice engaging in sharing.   Typically on Monday's and Fridays we do a verbal sharing and each child takes a turn telling what they are excited to do over the weekend and on Monday we share what they have done over the weekend.  Also, each day is a child's day to bring in something to share and talk about.  Questions and comments are taken from the audience.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.4
Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
In a roundabout way we do this in our narrative writing.  A big part of the pre-writing process is thinking of their story, and telling it orally.  Then they sketch it out on post-it notes and then telling their story again to me using as much detail as they can.  I think a step I could do in writing would be to have them practice rehearsing it a bit more so that they really have it down (especially my lower writers) who often forget their story.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.5
Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
I think this one can really connect to the last one in that for my struggling writers who often forget their story, I am looking to incorporate some sort of technology to help them.  I am thinking of using something like story creator? or a similar app (which I have used in the past) to have them take pictures of their pages and then rehearse what they want to say for that page on the i-Pad .  Then as they are writing, they can refer back to their recorded voice to remember what they wanted to say.

S & L Response- Holly

Standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.5 caught my attention as I read the Speaking and Listening standards for third grade.

• Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.

Just this week, I started the first unit on building a reading life. I have only started getting in the swing of the FULL workshop model, and same with my kids! Moving forward, I think it would be really fun for my students, and for me, to have them practice reading poems and passages for fluency work. I remember in my student teaching placement, the special educator would use a PVC pipe that was made to look like a phone (an opening by the ear and an opening by the mouth). She would use this to have students hear themselves read and get a better sense of how fluid they sound. I think this would be a great first step in them practicing engaging reading. We have just done the lesson on reading a book like a Curmudgeon (grumpy) or like the book is gold. I think this would be a big wake up for some students to recognize if they're adding intonation and making the passage interesting.

After repeated practice and guided fluency instruction, I think it would be fun for students to create engaging audio recordings of picture books, poems, or passages, which could be used for other students to listen to. This will reinforce them to read a book as if it was gold and really get their readers engaged so they can understand the story even better. 

I think this would be beneficial to work on during conferences or small groups. I am eager to see if anyone has tried any of these activities before and if it's proven to be beneficial.

S&L Response - Amy D.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4
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.

My students have been working on these skills every week during our morning meeting sharing. This is not necessarily related to reading, but the format they have been following will transfer nicely when we begin our book discussions and book groups/clubs. We have discussed as a class what makes a "share" interesting to listen to without giving too many details, but just enough information to make others wonder and ask questions. Transferring this skill to book talks and retelling parts of stories will hopefully make it easier for students to grasp the skill. I've noticed that sharing has become more interesting and some students become a little competitive when hearing a good share from a classmate. It certainly has increased confidence among students who are shy or apprehensive about talking in front of the whole class. 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.C
Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.

This skill is also transferable between our morning meeting shares when the speaker asks for comments and questions. It is a more difficult skill to cultivate, but it will be so important when students are asked to respond to classmates after hearing a retelling of a book or the explanation of a theme or main idea they've discovered. Making a response relevant and meaningful in order to contribute to the discussion takes some practice from what I've seen and heard so far, but practice makes progress!

Speaking & Listening - Liz

I have found this standard a really tricky one to assess, and find opportunities for formal practice (followed by assessment). I feel that so many of the other standards are more concrete and seem to make more sense to me, as well as to the students. I use lots of turn and talk in my classroom, as well as group work and discussion, so I've been able to get a handle on it a bit that way, but I knew I needed to step it up a bit. I'm still working on it, but one of the ways I've started to more "officially" tackle parts of the standard is through quick, but planned, presentations. I focused on this standard:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.A
Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.

Recently, my students completed book clubs as part of the first reading unit of study. Before moving on to the next part of the unit, I gave each group about 15 minutes to plan a short book talk about their club book to present to the class. There were just a few guidelines: tell the title and author, a brief summary without spoiling the ending or any twists, and someone they'd recommend the book to and why. I also told them that every group member needed to be involved in some way.  The students were excited to present, and also interested in hearing their classmates' presentations. The presentations were short, but by circulating during the planning process, and then listening to the presentations, I was able to quickly assess each student's preparation and delivery of the material. I've since been looking for more opportunity for these more "formal" presentations, so that students can practice, but also become more comfortable with preparing and speaking about various topics.