Little By Little!

Our workshops are coming together bit by bit.  I don't quite know how this will all work with a larger class size.  I am thankful to be trying it with smaller numbers.

Me as a reader...

When I think back to high school, I can related to Ellin Keene's description of her own school experiences (p. 4).  I was/am an impatient reader.  I like to read fast and not worry or think about the deeper meaning.  So, as the teacher was asking what the reading was about, I quickly learned to keep my mouth shut!  I enjoy reading, but didn't always savor it!  I am trying to work on consciously making by own connections as I read and reread.

Why Reader's Workshop

Ok.  Now that we are ready to go, let me begin by telling you why I think we need to move to a reader's workshop model.  I think we teachers a Surline have learned a great deal about how to teach the skills of reading.  Teaching those skills have gotten us so far.  Now we need to take the good things we know about isolated skill instruction and put it together with lots of integrated practice.  Read, read, read... with a purpose. In chapter one of Mosiac of Thought, it talks about "meaning from text is constructed socially," (p.7)  It also talks about four key elements:  time, ownership, response, community. (p.7)

I do not think this is a time to "throw the baby out with the bath water",  we need to take the great things we have learned and practiced (skill instruction) and move to the next level (reader's workshop).

Happy Reading!

Have we set any time frames for chapters???

Second try!

Please comment here so I can see that everyone is in.

is this working??

Ok Gail, I think I'm on and that it worked.  I wasn't sure how to go from creating the account to actually writing on the blog though....maybe something you want to go over.  And if you never see this message, you'll never know I wasn't sure and it will be obvious that I had no clue as to what I was doing!

Welcome

I hope you have all sign in and are ready for our online book study!  Please comment so I know who is here.