This week has been cRaZy. Seriously.
Monday - Pretty laid back. I continued to work on updating our TPT store (if you hadn't noticed, we are doing a major overhaul...trying to make it more convenient to get both our popular games in one download by skill).
Tuesday - Went to the school. I know, I know. I don't report back until August 21st. What am I thinking? Well, at the end of the year I moved all of my stuff from my classroom into the library (my new office is just off the library), and I felt guilty for anyone trying to clean and/or work around my stuff. My few hours there were not too productive. Too many people in the building. Now I remember why I usually set my classroom up in July!
Wednesday - Went at 6:30 a.m. to try and avoid people (not because I don't like my people, you know what I mean :-)) and got some more done. The problem is I'm cleaning out the office first and there is A LOT of stuff to clean out.
Thursday - Went and bought furniture! I cannot even explain my excitement except to tell you that in 21 years of marriage, we have always just had hand-me-downs. I also did a TON of staining for my laundry room closet doors (the last DIY project I'm trying to get done before returning to work) and enrolled my daughter (junior) and my son (SENIOR - WHAT?!?! When did that happen?).
Friday - Family day! We're surprising the kids with a little fun before we head back to school. :-)
Okay, now that you know way too much about my week, let's jump into the book study!
If you've missed the previous ones, check them out here:
Don't have the book yet? Grab it here: The Reading Strategies Book (affiliate link). This is definitely one of those teaching books you will use!
"Readers of nonfiction have to decide and remember what is important in the texts they read if they are going to learn anything from them." ~Harvey and Goudvis
9.7 Click and Clunk
I'm telling you. I love the catchy phrases within a lot of the strategies of this book. Kids love catchy phrases and so do I! This strategy teaches that after reading each sentence, the reader should think about whether they got it ("click!") or it's confusing ("clunk"). If it is a "clunk," go back and reread.
9.15 Using Analogies
I chose this one because my 2nd graders really enjoyed spotting analogies (once I taught them what they were) and discussing why the author would choose to compare the two items. They actually got pretty good at it! I'm looking forward to doing more with analogies as I work with upper elementary this year.
"Instruction needs to be more than about identifying the {text} features; rather we need to help students use these features to get more information from a text." (pg. 271) YES!
10.2 Cover Up Then Zoom In
I think littles especially would enjoy this one, although it is suggested for all levels. Here's how it works:
Take a sticky note and cover an image on a page. Read and think about the text. Then, uncover the image and 'zoom in' on it and ask, "What new information am I getting from this image?"
I can just imagine my little readers enjoying the picture much more because of the anticipation of waiting to see it! ;-)
10.10 Why a Visual?
Okay, this is just one of those obvious things that I hadn't thought about purposely teaching. Insert embarrassed emoji here. I mean, students always tend to want to skip over visuals (especially charts and graphs). I draw attention to them as we read and ask questions about it, but teaching this strategy with this wording...
STOP and THINK.
What information am I learning?
Why is this information important?
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I want to hear from you! Tell me about your favorites either in the comments below or on our Facebook page.
Don't forget to check out the other blog posts below for more thoughts and ideas!
Moving to a new space at school is no picnic - it's a HUGE job! And, you need to clean two spaces at once - WOW! Hope you enjoyed your family day. Plus, we both love analogies! Cool!
ReplyDelete:-) Yes, family day was a hit! We surprised the kids with a trip to Tanganyika Wildlife Park (interactive zoo) and the weather was perfect. I haven't been back to the school. I'm trying muster up the energy and motivation! Ha!
DeleteCrystal
Sounds like you had a very productive week! I report back this Wednesday, and I'm just about at that point where I can't think of much else. Time to jump back in! Hope that all of your moving and cleaning goes smoothly and that you'll feel ready when school officially starts.
ReplyDeleteI liked 9.6 -- "How Do I Know?" and also 9.2 which teaches students to read with curiosity and interest, rather than with a "just have to get through this" attitude. In Goal 10, I liked 10.4 "Caption It!" and 10.10 that reminds kids to stop and think about what they're reading.
Hi Melissa. I know that feeling. It hasn't hit me yet this year--don't know if it is because I won't have a classroom or because I'm still a couple weeks away. I'm hoping to head back up there this week. I was so close to being done cleaning out the old stuff. :-)
DeleteI noted the "caption it" strategy also. Overall, it seemed these goals were filled with strategies that I need to be more deliberate and purposeful in teaching!
Happy back to school!
Crystal