Oh how long it has been and how busy I've am!!  Currently I'm working on workshops for a few different districts.  These workshops revolve around writing.  I am surrounded by writers!  My son wrote The Secret Peace, a true look at how the world is improving.  He updates it regularly on his site http://www.jkrweb.com/shelf/
  My husband has published 2 books:  Episodes A Poetic Memoir and Solving the World's Titanic Struggles.  In addition he leads 2 writing workshops weekly.  He has volunteered teaching technical writing at an alternative school and in October will teach a class at Princeton's Adult School.
  And my daughter-in-law wrote a memoir Hungry for Life. She writes a monthly newsletter about her massage practice, with links to her youtube channel.
  As I think back to how I have taught writing to elementary and middle school students over the years, it's difficult to pinpoint strategies that I would count as successful or not.  For it seemed that there had to be myriad of times, ways, leads etc. to allow students to find their ways.
  Some needed formulas like the hamburger.  Currently I teach EFL writing online for university students in another country.  Since the grammar is the challenge, I suggest shorter sentences and basic paragraphs with a topic sentence, 3 detail sentences and a concluding sentence reiterating their topic.  During the semester, as their English improves, we can add transitions and more details.  Of course verbs are the challenge!
  Many students are stymied by what to write about.  So many techniques of brainstorming, paired challenges, lists and books to inspire can be used.  Often, once they have a topic, they writing flows.
  And timing!  The whole concept of the draft on day one, proofing on day two, rewriting and then publishing harnesses too many into a schedule that doesn't work for everyone. 
  The pressure is on, and maybe coming off a bit!! to prepare our students for the tests that not only evaluate them, but also evaluate their inspiring teachers.  Share ideas with your PLN.  Try some new plans for the next school year.  I'd love to hear about them!

It's that time of year.  PARCC is touting that it has made improvements - one time testing, reduced time on test, etc. Teachers here in NJ feel a bit more comfortable with the test having gone through it once.  Some states are removing PARCC results from teacher evaluations.  All steps in lessening the stress and pressure on students - our main concern! - teachers, administrators and parents.

So what do you do?  Some schools are administering the 2 day math sections in elementary to a Thursday and Friday.  Then complete the ELA parts on the following Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.   This gives everyone a break.  Many teachers plan reviews the days before testing, but use test days mainly for real learning - enrichment - having students work on projects that they find stimulating.  A reward for suffering through tests that have no impact or little on students, but where companies make big bucks.

Don't get me wrong, some testing is needed.  These are supposed to be a snapshot for a district.  What areas do we need to address, update, provide professional development?  They let the district know where support is needed to encourage staff and parents.  PARCC does not help individual students or teachers.  The results last year didn't come till late fall.  They have promised a quicker turn around this time.  We'll see.

Remember (if you're as old as me!) the CAT tests or the Metropolitans?  I could distribute the results to my 5th graders and show them - this should be high since you have been learning synonyms since 1st grade.  We didn't cover multiplying and dividing fractions until after the test, so my expectation is that you didn't do as well in that area.  It showed teachers what topics were expected in what grade level.

So happy testing.  It will soon be done and the remainder of the year can be spent enlivening students' interest in learning without the cloud of testing hanging over the classrooms.

Read Alouds

One day in Shop Rite, a young man called out my name.  Immediately he shared how the best book he had ever read was in my 6th grade class.  Upon reflection I realized I had read it aloud to the class. Wonderful that he still remembered it (That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E. Hinton) and that the book had made such an impression.

I always had a book ready to read to the class whenever time allowed, in addition to part of Language Arts.  These included James and the Giant Peach (best read aloud!), multiple Harry Potters and dozens of others.  What a way to expose children to genres that they may not choose by themselves or that aren't their favorites.  One of my fellow teachers always reads aloud outdoorsy books which the students love.  Not my cup of tea, so glad they got it from her!

It's more than that.  The biggest gain is in vocabulary development.  They hear new words and latch on to some.  They hear volume changes, characters in different voices and the reader's comments. 'Oh, I didn't expect that!' and 'Now I have to change what I thought was going to happen.' And their background expands and sometimes even explodes.

This happens especially when a new word is used repeatedly.  Research shows a strong relationship between vocabulary size and reading comprehension levels.  Reading picture books aloud shows a 12% increase in vocabulary with repeated readings of the same book.  Adding word explanations adds a 10% more increase!  This is most effective while reading the book.  Then use the word(s) in everyday experiences to cement in the meaning.

So read aloud more. And enjoy!

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Take a deep breath, finish a book, take a walk, meet with friends.  You've probably already been back in the classroom - unpacking supplies and starting to cope with the piles of paperwork that technology promised to decrease.

Your expectations for the year will set the mood.  Face it - it has to be better than last year!  If it looks like it won't be - make it better.  Reading is the foundation of all learning, so here's a few ideas to kick off a wonderful reading year.

Modeling!! - read to them, in front of them, with them!

More effective teachers have their kids read 10x as much as less effective teachers!

Good readers read!

Poorer readers spend most of their time learning about reading and practicing isolated decoding skills, being taught to read but NOT reading!

DEAR  - drop everything and read         

Read when your work is done.  Have Reading corners  and special spots.

Instead of a science fair, have a reading fair -students can make displays of favorite books, invite other classes in to visit.

READ on!!

Consistency!

Every couple of years in many school districts, a new program is introduced.  Teachers are in-serviced, often at the end of the school year - what! before summer break.  Or the in-service is in the beginning of the year when there are a million projects, ideas and forms to fill out.  Neither is effective.  And the rooms are hot both in June and early September!

The best program I ever was a part of was a new Math program.  The training happened slowly - two times the first year, a follow up the next.  Best part was a monthly get together with grade level partners in a few schools (not all of them- to keep the groups small) for about an hour after school. We shared what had worked, what hadn't and we had a mentor, who had a direct link to the author of the series!  So when we were really stuck, there was a way to get an explanation or answer.  Also we split up the planning, shared and then adjusted the lessons to our own style.  And the district was smart enough to keep this program. Turn-keyed the new teachers and kept up the tweaking.

As the years passed, each new group of students was stronger and more confident with the language and methods taught.  They were able to more easily build upon the previous year's learning.  Success!
Math grades improved and teachers were more skilled and comfortable in their teaching.

I saw the same concept in another district where they have been using Writer's Workshop for years. The students' writing was exemplary and far more developed than my district.  Why?  Maybe continued training, practice and comfort.  Wish my district had followed their commitment they made with the Math program and do the same with Language Arts!

What do you think?  As teachers, we want to improve and keep up with the times.  But there has to be enough time to really get used to a program, to let it become second nature, to see the nuances and anticipate where students will be successful or need help.  Districts need to choose wisely and allow success a chance.

                                  Read Alouds

There is strong evidence of a positive link between vocabulary development and read-aloud experience.  Every day through elementary and if we wished hard - into middle school, students should hear a read aloud.  This can be a chapter, a poem, a paragraph from science or social studies.  It's an entirely different experience for a student to hear modeling by the teacher, than reading themselves.

There are many ways this can be accomplished.  I always kept a novel on the lectern, so if there was 5 minutes left over or we were waiting for the fire drill or whatever - I could pick it up and continue the story.  If there are proficient readers in the class, they can sometimes read.  It's also handy if there is a substitute teacher, for them to read to the class.

Studies show that pairing an explanation aids vocab growth, especially at the first reading. This is in addition to stopping and wondering aloud 'Oh I didn't expect that!' or 'That's surprising.'

Vocab grows significantly with alouds and high interest reading.  One day in the food store, I heard 'Mrs. Richards!'  It was a student who I had taught 10-15 years before.  His first comment was "Remember that book I read in 6th grade?  It's the best book I ever read!'  He had to remind me of the title and then I realized it was one I had read aloud to the class. But it left quite an impression on him!

Invite others in to read aloud to your class.  Staff, parents, friends!  I recently read to a first grade and they were riveted, even though the librarian had read the book previously to them.  They found that so funny - different comments and questions and they knew th ending!

Using Templates

In an effort to alleviate some of the pressure on students to respond to questions on standardized tests, many teachers have employed templates.  These can be used to help reluctant writers follow a pattern.  It helps them not leave out parts of a response.  And it aids those students who get confused by the question - gives them a tool to at least partly answer the question.

A popular template that has been around for a while is Better Answers. It's often pictured as a hamburger.

•Better Answers

1.  Restate the question & write the general, or gist, answer

    2.  Provide evidence for the answer

•To begin with…Then…Next…For example…However…Finally...

•3.  Refer to the question again for concluding statement

•That is how/why…As a result…For this reason…Therefore…In conclusion…

Another template is:

RACE

R= Read – circle key words to use in answer

A= Answer – use key words

C= Cite examples straight form text for each answer

E= Explain – how each citation proves your point.

At a recent workshop, teachers at Connecticut Farms School in Union shared a formula they use called RAPP

R = restate

A = answer 

P = prove 

P =proofread  

And of course we can't forget OREO (opinion, reasons, explanation, opinion), but it is falling out of favor with the emphasis now on argumentative writing, backed up by facts and not opinions.

Happy writing!