Now that you have taken the time to go through all of your closets, and attics and basements and anywhere else you could find items for your Bio Book Bags, what does this collection say about you as a reader? As a writer?
Choose one of the items from your bag and do a quick write on it...right here on the computer...right NOW! This is not something you have to draft and revise, just let your thoughts flow as you explore the corners of your mind to discover how this item influenced you and who you are today in terms of attitude, your teaching, your likes and dislikes. Have some fun with this. Here is mine as a model.
My Winnie the Pooh cookbook makes me think of my Nana. Nana was the one person in my life who really saw me as her "favorite". How do I know this? I know this because of the way I felt when I was with her. She listened to me and really heard what I was saying about what I liked and what I didn't like. Her gifts, which include this cookbook and my Raggedy Ann and Andy chalk board, were gifts that "showed" how she knew me in a way nobody else seemed to. Somehow she knew that I loved to bake and that this cookbook would be something I would always treasure.
The chalkboard was something that validated my desire to one day be a teacher, but it was even more than that because at that time in my life I was an avid collector of Raggedy Ann and Andy. Anything with Raggedies on them...I HAD to have!
It was not just the gifts, but the fact that she really listened to me and would take the time to hear what I had to say. This meant the world to me and now that I think about it, that is one of the things that I carry with me as an educator...a teacher...a mom. To listen, to really listen when someone is talking shows that they matter. It shows that their thinking, their thoughts, and their ideas count. Yes, that is what my Nana showed me. She showed me the power of someone hearing you out and truly listening to what is in your heart.
That is my quick write. Notice how I get "off track" a little bit. THAT is what a quick write is! Just start writing and see where it takes you. I had NO idea that was where I was going. Quick writes ask us to follow our stream of consciousness...to make connections where there might have been none. It is a way for us to discover what it is that we did not know before.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Fall 2008 Syllabus
Learning Through Teaching Syllabus
Salem, NH
Tomasen M. Carey
Required Text: Comprehension Connections by Tanny McGregor
Class Dates and Topics:
September 25th: Histories and Metacognition. Who are we as readers and writers? How does that impact our teaching of reading and writing?
Model Bio Book Bag.
Assignment:
• Read article on Bio Book Bags and Chapters 1 and 2.
• Create your own bio book bag to share.
Classroom Invitation:
1. Using a digital camera, take a picture of what reading “feels” like. Write a sentence to go along with each photo. Post them outside your classroom.
2. Draw a sketch of a reader and write about your sketch. What does a reading look like? Sound like? Feel like?
October 9th: More Metacognition: Discuss readings and share Bio Book Bags in small groups.
Use Graphic organizer from book.
Demonstrate using paint chips to “monitor” your reading.
Assignment:
• Read Chapter 3 (and possibly another article from me)
Classroom Invitations:
1. Try one of the ideas from the reading with your students that deals with metacognition. Invite me in to come and observe!
2. Model Bio Book Bags with your students. Let them create their own bio book bags.
October 30th: Schema and Making Connections. Model “I am From” poetry discussing “reading like a writer” as a a think aloud.
Assignment:
• Read Chapter 5 in Comprehension Connections.
Classroom Invitations:
1. Try “I am From” Poetry with your students
2. Do a think aloud on schema using the book Roxaboxen. Track connections for your students in the hallway illustrating how one connection leads to another. Watch the connections grow throughout the school!
November 13th: Questioning. Identify the types of questions.
Model Passion Poster
Model Think Aloud using The Three Questions.
Assignment:
• Read Chapter 4 in Comprehension Connections.
• Create your own Passion posters. Will be used for questioning in our next class.
Classroom Invitation:
1. Model a think aloud using the book, The Three Questions to your class and post their questions about this book out in the hall.
2. Try something from our reading and invite me in to observe!
December 4th: More Questioning and a bit of Inferring: Put Passion posters up around the room. Ask everyone to go around the room and write questions or inferences on sticky notes on each poster. Discuss the implications of this poster and the other uses for it across the curriculum.
Assignment:
• Read article by Cris Tovani
Classroom Invitations:
1. Work on passion posters with your students. Post them outside your classroom encouraging other students to also put post it’s on your posters asking questions that cannot be answered with yes or no.
December 17th (Wednesday) : A day of Reflection and Celebration!!
Bring something you have tried this semester that you were happy with! Please also bring a letter to the class that outlines some of your thinking and reflections over the past semester. Please bring a copy for everyone to have their own!
Course Requirements: These requirements will be evaluated to determine final grades.
• Regular attendance and participation at group meetings, having all of the assigned reading completed and ready to discuss it in detail. (40%)
• Classroom Invitations (30%)
• Weekly blog entries on (http://thinkingitthroughsalem2.blogspot.com/) 20%
• One visitation in your school or within your district of a colleague. I will ask that you post your observation on our blog. There will be a special section on the blog specifically for visitations. (10%)
Salem, NH
Tomasen M. Carey
Required Text: Comprehension Connections by Tanny McGregor
Class Dates and Topics:
September 25th: Histories and Metacognition. Who are we as readers and writers? How does that impact our teaching of reading and writing?
Model Bio Book Bag.
Assignment:
• Read article on Bio Book Bags and Chapters 1 and 2.
• Create your own bio book bag to share.
Classroom Invitation:
1. Using a digital camera, take a picture of what reading “feels” like. Write a sentence to go along with each photo. Post them outside your classroom.
2. Draw a sketch of a reader and write about your sketch. What does a reading look like? Sound like? Feel like?
October 9th: More Metacognition: Discuss readings and share Bio Book Bags in small groups.
Use Graphic organizer from book.
Demonstrate using paint chips to “monitor” your reading.
Assignment:
• Read Chapter 3 (and possibly another article from me)
Classroom Invitations:
1. Try one of the ideas from the reading with your students that deals with metacognition. Invite me in to come and observe!
2. Model Bio Book Bags with your students. Let them create their own bio book bags.
October 30th: Schema and Making Connections. Model “I am From” poetry discussing “reading like a writer” as a a think aloud.
Assignment:
• Read Chapter 5 in Comprehension Connections.
Classroom Invitations:
1. Try “I am From” Poetry with your students
2. Do a think aloud on schema using the book Roxaboxen. Track connections for your students in the hallway illustrating how one connection leads to another. Watch the connections grow throughout the school!
November 13th: Questioning. Identify the types of questions.
Model Passion Poster
Model Think Aloud using The Three Questions.
Assignment:
• Read Chapter 4 in Comprehension Connections.
• Create your own Passion posters. Will be used for questioning in our next class.
Classroom Invitation:
1. Model a think aloud using the book, The Three Questions to your class and post their questions about this book out in the hall.
2. Try something from our reading and invite me in to observe!
December 4th: More Questioning and a bit of Inferring: Put Passion posters up around the room. Ask everyone to go around the room and write questions or inferences on sticky notes on each poster. Discuss the implications of this poster and the other uses for it across the curriculum.
Assignment:
• Read article by Cris Tovani
Classroom Invitations:
1. Work on passion posters with your students. Post them outside your classroom encouraging other students to also put post it’s on your posters asking questions that cannot be answered with yes or no.
December 17th (Wednesday) : A day of Reflection and Celebration!!
Bring something you have tried this semester that you were happy with! Please also bring a letter to the class that outlines some of your thinking and reflections over the past semester. Please bring a copy for everyone to have their own!
Course Requirements: These requirements will be evaluated to determine final grades.
• Regular attendance and participation at group meetings, having all of the assigned reading completed and ready to discuss it in detail. (40%)
• Classroom Invitations (30%)
• Weekly blog entries on (http://thinkingitthroughsalem2.blogspot.com/) 20%
• One visitation in your school or within your district of a colleague. I will ask that you post your observation on our blog. There will be a special section on the blog specifically for visitations. (10%)
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