If you really want to get a lot of ‘bang for your buck’ with your emergent and early writers and readers, then I highly recommend that you try out interactive writing with your students. As a former kindergarten teacher, it was staple practice in my classroom, a practice that led to eager, avid and independent writers. So many skills are taught and reinforced through the practice of interactive writing; concept of words, conventions of print, the sounds in words and how the sounds connect to letters, spelling patterns, sentence composition, punctuation, letter formation and a sense of the class as a community of writers.

If interactive writing is a new term for you, here is a brief definition of this practice: Interactive writing is a cooperative event in which
 teacher and children jointly compose and write text. Not only do they share the decision about what they
 are going to write, they also share the duties of 
scribe.

The process begins with the teacher and students planning and composing text. The purpose is authentic and meaningful; the planning is done through lots and lots of talk and is guided by the teacher. The pen is then shared as students stretch out words, listen for sounds and represent those sounds with letters on the paper. The students contribute what they know and then the teacher fills in the rest.

The writing can take many forms; a list, for example, if you are working on the sounds “y” and “w”, you can create an two column chart and have students brainstorm and interactively write words that fit in each column, a letter, one kindergarten class that I work in wrote a thank you note to some community volunteers, a diagram–see Frosty below, a rewrite of a big book, and on and on and on.

All you really need to implement interactive writing in the classroom is an easel, some chart paper, 2 different colored markers (one color for the teacher and one color for the students), corrective tape, the alphabet chart you use and an authentic purpose for writing.

Once the writing is done, it becomes text that all students can revisit and reread and take pride in knowing that they were one of the contributing authors!

“Frosty” is interactive writing done by kindergarten students at Shoreham Elementary School who were tired of this funny-no snow-winter and so took it upon themselves to create their own snowman, inside their classroom!

Here are a few more tried and true ideas for interactive writing to get you started. If you give interactive writing a try, please share your ideas here on the blog and remember to take a photo!

• Nursery rhymes are great – you can “fill” Mother Hubbard’s cupboard with magazine cut outs of food and then label them with interactive writing
• Winter rewrite of Rosie’s Walk – “around the snowman, down the ski slope, over the frozen pond, etc.
• An on-going list of ‘signs of spring’
• Rules or expectations at a new learning center
• Valentine’s Day Card to the Principal
• Directions for how to make something…like a snowman or an edible treat.
• An extension from a read aloud – “What did Goldilocks learn?”

My family loves basketball. So naturally, with the NBA lock out, there is a basketball void in our lives right now. When my daughter got word about a charity game being held at Harvard University, a game complete with a star-studded cast of players, she immediately shot me a text message saying that we just had to go. Without hesitation tickets were purchased and two days later we all hopped in the car to make the trip down to Cambridge. The game was spectacular and my basketball loving kids, now donning player autographs on both hands, were giddy with excitement on the car ride home.

However, it was the reaction of my son upon pulling into the driveway at 12:00 a.m. that got me thinking. As we were unloading the jackets, cameras and garbage from the car, he ran inside, grabbed his basketball and a flashlight and immediately started playing the game on our backyard hoop. It was dark, cold and late, but none of that mattered. He was inspired and fired up to play the game he had just witnessed so many of players that he admires play.

The same phenomenon happens to us as teachers. We go to a conference or a workshop to learn from the best in the field and when it’s over, we can’t wait to get back to our classrooms to put into action what we just learned. Personally, I have been doing a lot of reading and thinking about writing and my son’s reaction to the NBA charity game made me think about how powerful and motivating it is to bring a “pro” into our classrooms, especially when that “pro” is a published and maybe even ‘famous’ writer.

We are lucky here in Vermont to have so many authors and illustrators that live in our state and are willing to come into our schools and share their wisdom and excitement about writing with our students. My daughter’s high school AP English class had a visit from John Irving after reading his book A Prayer for Owen Meany and she couldn’t stop talking about it for the next few weeks. In a time of high stakes testing, bringing in an author or illustrator has the power to put a fresh spark in your writing program and motivate your students to willingly write, to take a chance with their writing and to find the joy, excitement and possibilities with writing. Yes, it takes time and effort and more than likely, money, to make an author visit happen. However, it has the power to fire up your student writers and let them see what’s possible. Who knows, they may even decide to grab a flashlight, a pen and some paper, and write the night away!

Attached is a list of Vermont authors and illustrators of children’s literature from the Vermont Department of Education. It’s a pretty star studded list!  I encourage you to work with your school librarian and administration to bring someone to your school. I believe you’ll find it worth the investment.

Vermont Authors & Illustrators

I recently finished teaching a two day session on writer’s workshop in the K-2 classroom. One of the first activities I did was to have teachers jot two or three things down about what they are hoping to come away with after spending two days together.  I have done this similar workshop a number of times and it never fails–the one thing teachers are always looking for are titles of mentor text to guide their writing workshop. There are lots of books out there that do just this (Wondrous Words by Katie Wood Ray and Mentor Text  by  Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli to name a few), but over the past several years, the first and second grade teachers and I have developed an extensive list to match our writing curriculum.  These are text that guide our workshops year after year. They are based on the idea that, as writers, we read books with “the sense of possibilities.” We read like a writer to learn about text structures, ways with words, genres, grammar, punctuation and illustrations. This list is always a hit. Enjoy!

Text Structure Examples

“Henry is not a very thoughtful person.  In that last chapter he….”, “How do you suppose fish can travel that far?, “I don’t agree with you, I think…..”, “I wonder if the author had to travel all the way to Africa to find that out.”  “I didn’t know that……”,  “I learned about planets in another book……….” “I’m thinking his best friend did it because………”,.

This is the language of readers questioning, growing ideas, and challenging each other to understand a text deeply.  Conversation is our connection to comprehension.  “Much of what I know, I know because I have questioned and thought about ideas with others, tried things out, modified stances, talked with colleagues………So it is with all learners.  I would argue that when no conversations are going on, as in whole class skill and drill, it’s not learning that’s taking place, but rather rote memorization.” (Regie Routman, 2000).

So how do we, as classroom teachers, create an interactive classroom that promotes thoughtful conversation resulting in learning?  It is possible, if we believe students should do the work of building meaning of a text, rather than teachers leading the way to the meaning.  The best teachers understand that we all have different thinking and experiences to bring to the group regardless of our level of reading.   By developing, connecting, and explaining ideas from the text, students discover their own way through.  Conversation helps to clarify thinking and reshape what we know.

Rich discussion is developed through careful planning and instruction that provides students with the tools to engage in thoughtful reflection and conversation.  The process takes time.  Worthy discussion is not just “assigned” without taking the time to:

• develop protocols with the students for what good discussion looks and sounds like
• model and provide practice jotting and tracking thinking to support rich conversation and evidence from the text
• provide models of discussion that get to deeper thinking
• start with conversations during read-aloud to draw students deeper into the text with teacher facilitation
• ease into group discussion beginning with pairs, moving to three, four, and more after all students are successfully engaged in each configuration
• provide opportunities for self-assessment and feedback on the quality of discussion

What’s everybody talking about?  Good reading, new learning, exciting ways of thinking, language, and vocabulary-that’s what everybody’s talking about!  We owe it to ourselves, and our students, to provide the very best opportunities we know how to develop readers and thinkers.  There is no greater accomplishment for a teacher than to stand back and listen to her room “buzzing” with students engaged in thoughtful reflection and rich conversation around reading.

Resources to get you started:

Angellilo, Janet,  Writing About Reading, Portsmouth, N.H., Heinemann.  (teaching students to jot thinking)

Beck, E. & McKeown, M. 2006. Questioning the Author, New York, N.Y., Scholastic.  (developing thinking during reading)

Cole, Ardith 2003.  Knee to Knee, Eye to Eye, Portsmouth, N.H., Heinemann  (grouping for discussion)

Serravallo, Jennifer 2010.  Teaching Reading in Small Groups. Portsmouth, N.H., Heinemann  (intervention for comprehension and conversation)

Sibberson, F. & Szymusiak, K. 2003.  Still Learning to Read,  Portland, Me., Stenhouse  (conversations to clarify thinking)

In the book , Still Learning to Read by Franki Sibbberson and Karen Szymusiak (Stenhouse,2003),  I have discovered a quick, fun, and engaging way for students to preview lots of books and talk about them. It’s called Check It Out Circle, and it provides a structure that can address a variety of purposes.  Do you want students to discover some just right books, or do an inquiry about a genre? If so, then go ahead and have some fun with Check It Out Circle.  Here are the simple steps to follow:

Check It Out!  Circle

• The teacher selects enough books for the number of students in the circle.  A small group of 4-6 students is best. The selections may be the same genre or topic, or a random collection that could address a variety of “just right” levels.

• Students meet in small groups in circles on the floor or at tables.  All of the books are placed at the center of the circle.

• Ask each child to take a book and wait for the bell/signal before they open it.

• Explain to students that when they hear the bell or signal, they have one minute to “check out” the book in any way that they want to.

• After one minute, ask students to pass the book to the child on their right.

• Continue doing this until every child has had a chance to briefly look at each book.

After everyone in the circle has previewed all of the books, use one of the following prompts to promote discussion in pairs or small groups.

1. How did you go about previewing the books in such a short time?
2. How could you identify if a book was “just right” for you?
3. Which books did you see that you want to go back to at independent reading time?   Why?
4. If the purpose is an inquiry into a genre study, ask students what they noticed about the texts.

Follow up with an anchor chart that documents student thinking.

Check It Out Circle encourages conversation about books, and reminds children that book choice is unique for each reader.  Everyone learns new ways to preview and choose books. Since students have just enough time to find something interesting, but not enough time to read the book, they are often eager to get their hands on the books that particularly interested them.

I find November as a difficult month.  Maybe it is the change in season; the weather seems a little drearier, the leaves are no longer bursting with color and we set the clocks back.  But, teaching in November is also a time of challenge.  The NECAPS are done, parent conferences have occurred in many of our schools, we are feeling a bit tired and may have even lost that spark that we had in September.  Boy, November can feel like a really long month!

Just this morning I was having a conversation with some of my colleagues about this time of year.  We especially feel this downward spiral when a new innovation like co-teaching, RtI, or even a new unit of study in literacy is involved.  November can be a time of disillusionment, frustration and even exhaustion.

How do we get out of this rut?  What can we do to find that spark again and feel energized?  We still have a few more weeks before we get to eat turkey and get a short break, so we have to find something and find something quickly.  Here are ten suggestions from www.bliss.com  to feel more energized.  I’ve added a few notes on how you could incorporate this to teaching:

1. Catch some Z’s:  Make sure you are getting plenty of rest at night, but also giving your students a time to be quiet during the day.  Maybe have a longer independent reading block.
2. Lighten your load:  Take some things off your plate.  Howa bout getting your students to take on more responsibility in your classroom.
3. Breathe:  Very important for everyone.  Take some time during your day with your students and take some extra deep breaths.
4. Sit up Straight:  Of course!  Keep your kids from slouching too.
5. Take up a hobby:  Find time in your day to do what you like.  Share this with your class.
6. Get Moving:  movement increases learning, so get those kids moving too!  Check out some of the Brain Gym activities:  http://www.happinesspages.com/brain-gym-exercises.html
7. Plan an Event:  How about planning an author’s tea?
8. Chat it Up:  Talking energizes, so try to include more “turn-and-talks” and “think-pair-share” activities in your readers’ workshop.
9. Smile:  Remember, smiles are contagious so even if you don’t feel happy, smile anyway- your brain won’t know the difference.
10. Tune In:  Bring more music into your classroom.

I hope these ten strategies help!  Enjoy your November, Turkey Day is right around the corner.

Last year I worked with an English teacher to revamp a unit on The Catcher in the Rye for her English Ten Class.  The class was a mix of students, but with a majority of students who proudly admitted to not reading.  Many of them knew me from work I had done in their classes and were quite comfortable in telling me they had made it until April without actually reading any of the text for class.  Yet, they were scouring the Spark Notes on a regular basis. Many also mentioned that they really hadn’t read a book since sixth grade.

In my world, I cannot NOT read. Since I was a child, if I find myself with a moment to spare, I need to be reading.  Growing up, if a book, newspaper, magazine wasn’t handy then I was reading the back of a cereal box or the driver’s manual in my mother’s car.  Although I do love to read, I still, according to Schlechty (2011), would be defined as a strategic complaint learner.  In school, I was the student who “was willing to do what is expected or required for the task” for an extrinsic reward (grade, etc.).  Within your classroom, you probably have some students like me, as well as a many other types of learners.  Schlechty lists the other types of learners as falling under the categories of engagement, ritual compliance (emphasis on minimums, avoiding confrontation, getting the task done), retreatism (feels unable to complete the work given), and rebellion (actively engaged in their own agenda; creates their own goals, etc.).

My goal in working with this teacher, and more importantly the students, was to focus on the retreatism and rebellion learners exhibit when they feel they couldn’t do the work or who had another agenda in mind. Sure, if they did the discussions we were having and completed the final product I would be happy as well, but, more importantly, I wanted those students engaged and motivated to read versus their usual approach of avoiding the assignment at all costs.

In thinking about how to engage our students in reading, it is important to think about the five areas that Guthrie (2007) talks about in engaging our readers:

• Mastery Goals – student purposes of reading for understanding
• Control and Choice – ownership
• Social Interactons – generates enthusiasm for text and contents
• Self-Efficacy – confidence in one’s ability to read and comprehend well
• Interest – feeling that text or topic is appealing or fascinating.

In addition, it is important to think about what Lesesne (2010) says about the importance of:

• Relevance – written about the trials and tribulations of a time
• Rigor – usually code for canonical authors (doesn’t have to be)
• Relationships – developed with an author or genre
• Response – reason why we form bond with authors, series, genres, format.

These elements all came into play when I was trying to figure out how to break those students of their usual motivations and reason for disengagement.  As we began the unit on Catcher in the Rye we looked for an alternate text that would encourage and engage the rebellious, retreatist readers.  We needed a novel with similar themes, decent writing, and that readers could master, find relevant, and maybe even form a bond with the author to want to read more.  We went with Ned Vizzini’s It’s Kind of a Funny Story.  Through the unit, which focused largely on discussion and reading, it became clear that the reticent students were actually reading because according to them “I connect with the character,” “the story makes sense,” and “I know what the author is talking about.” In other words, these were many of the reasons that Guthrie and Lesesne mention as pivotal to engaging readers.

I use this story to encourage you to think about ways to choose books (textbooks, articles, websites, etc.) that you may not think about including in your curriculum because they aren’t your cup of tea or they aren’t the classics.  In reality, whether they read a book like The Catcher in the Rye or one like It’s Kind of a Funny Story, we want students to embrace their identity as a reader and READ once they leave our classrooms and schools.

Here are some helpful References, Blogs, and Resources for engaging and motivating readers.

Anna crawled onto my lap, wiggled her body to face outward, and snuggled her shoulders into my chest.  She held the faded book by Patricia Polacco in front of her, expecting that my hands would grasp the cover with hers as she recited the title and opened to the first page.  Her voice joined mine for the words at the end of each line.  She lisped delightfully on cue, “Mommies say Shhhhhhh!” I chuckled with her as we turned each page.

My thoughts flashed back to the 1980’s, when the three-year old child on my lap was Anna’s mother. Our reading events had been enjoyable, too.  Yet they were very different.  At that time, I thought my job was to read to my child in order to help her be “ready” to learn to read and write in school.  I read countless books to her while she listened.  I bought workbooks at the grocery store, and I drilled her on individual sounds so that she would be ready to read.  I taught her how to form letters so that she would be ready to write.

Now, I read with Anna.  I praise and acknowledge her scribble marks on a page as writing, even if not one letter is discernible. I am amazed when she uses both drawings and scribbles with random letter shapes, showing that she knows the difference between words on a page and illustrations, and that both have meaning. When she gives the impression of orally reading memorized books while looking at the pictures, I value that as important literacy behavior. Her rapidly developing oral language intrigues me. I learn something about her literacy learning every time I am with her.

I owe my changed perspective to researchers like Marie Clay (1966, 1975), William Teale and Elizabeth Sulzby (1986), and Charles Read (1975), who systematically and closely observed early literacy behaviors, language, and ideas of young children.  Their work has been well-supported by subsequent researchers, and has enlightened teachers and parents about how to enhance the literacy that occurs naturally for most young children, before formal instruction in school.  Their emergent literacy perspectives opened my eyes, transformed how I taught kindergarteners, and now influence how I view and interact with my grandchildren.

Through an emergent literacy perspective, children at every age possess literacy.  There is no “readiness” point.  Teachers seek to understand how young children learn, accept children at any level of literacy at which they function, and provide a program for instruction based on individual strengths.  Children engage in authentic reading and writing activities early, with more emphasis on problem solving strategies and creating meaning than on isolated instruction of skills. Teachers and parents who embrace this viewpoint know that creating a love for reading and writing is essential.

I have observed, however, that in some well-intentioned school settings, educators still advocate that we hold children out of kindergarten until they reach evidence “readiness” for a set curriculum.  Some kindergarten and primary grade children spend school time engaged largely in skill and drill activities rather than reading and writing authentic texts. Most educators, however, embrace an emergent literacy perspective, and are less concerned with school entrance dates and specific readiness skills.  Instead of the student being “ready”, they believe it is their job to be ready for each student, by understanding children’s strengths and then providing continuous child-centered instruction, using connected, engaging texts and language.

Because of this variability, however, I am concerned for my granddaughter and all young children. Anna’s experience with early reading and writing in school will depend on good first teaching and her teachers’ perspectives about early literacy.  In fact, she expects to delight in the meaning from print!  Will she be asked, instead, to spend her precious time in school reading nonsense words and drilling letters and sounds? Will she learn literacy skills joyfully and continue to think of herself as a reader and writer? Will children with less home literacy experience share Anna’s delight for reading?

As ever…teachers make the difference. You always have; you always will!

Selected Professional Readings about Early Literacy Instruction and Resources

With the implementation of the Common Core approaching, I’ve made a list of some resources that might help inform us regarding the impact of the Common Core on future literacy instruction:

Here’s a “short list” of resources – I am 100% sure there are more to come!

1. Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium’s Content Specifications (aka assessment framework).  This is a DRAFT version, and there has been lots of feedback. Personally, I like the 5 “claims” – they are familiar and reassuring!
2. Publishers Criteria (not just for publishers, however) – one for K- 2; one for 3-12.
3. If you haven’t seen these videos from the Hunt Institute – done by David Coleman and Susan Pimental, they are really worth viewing.  They are short, to the point and focused.
4. Resources on the Vermont Department of Education website provide great links for the five priorities established by the Common Core Implementation Committee:

• K–12: Complex Texts for All Students
• The Importance of  Vocabulary Instruction at Every Grade Level
• K-2: What Educators Can Do Now to Implement the CCSS
• K–5: Integrating Literacy Standards in All Content Areas
• 6–12: Integrating Literacy Standards in All Content Areas

My Question!  Are there other resources that you know of that you have found useful?

In this second installment, I present guideline #2 along with inspirational quotes and related classroom practices:

Guideline #2: Poetry as Part and Parcel of the Integrated Language Arts Program

Poetry encompasses reading, writing, listening and speaking.  For this very reason, it is the ultimate vehicle for daily, ongoing language experiences in the classroom.

Poetry can be used for oral language development—to expose children to new, varied,and sophisticated words, word meanings (vocabulary), sentence structure, literary devices, topics, and themes, etc.–through teacher read alouds, shared reading, and any variation of choral reading (Routman, 1988).

To this extent, ongoing poetry readings and re-readings are great ways to boost fluency. Since poetry is meant to be read aloud (and is shorter and therefore more manageable text), it is ideal for mini-lessons on a range of literacy skills, strategies, and concepts & for building a literate community (Rothlein & Meinbach, 1991).  Poetry can be used to give students fun exposure to and practice with phonograms / word families / rimes to build decoding skills (Rasinski & Zimmerman, 2001).

Additionally, poetry is a great format for responding to literature in writing.  Students may create “character name” poems (Galda, Cullinan & Strickland, 1993) or “I Poems” to express character point of view, for example. Poetry can also be a powerful teaching tool in the content areas—to build prior knowledge on a particular subject, to explore the literature of a given time period or people, to consider varied view points on historical events, etc.

And, by encouraging students to perform their poetry, you inspire them to write, revise, and perfect their descriptive, persuasive or other genres of writing because they know the product will have an audience (Holbrook, 2006). Poetry performance—“the spoken word”— is oral publication; it an authentic way to encourage both writing and speaking proficiency.  Poetry performance helps students develop their PIPES: Project, Inflection, Pacing, Eye contact, and Stance

Also, having students perform or physically act out others’ published poems is another way to build comprehension. For example, students can translate an emotion into foot stomping or play around with inflection by emphasizing certain words to change the meaning of a phrase (Holbrook, 2006).

Poetry, in sum, is a rich and varied opportunity for language learning throughout the year and across the curriculum. Capitalize on its instructional power 180 days of the school year (Billy Collins, Poet Laureate of the United States).

Quotes for Inspiration

“Reading poems can become part of a classroom’s routine.  You might read a poem a day or the same poem every day for a while.  It should be as natural a part of their lives as play is” (Heard, 1989).

“The heart of my literature mini-lessons is presentations of poetry”  (Atwell, 1991).

Related Classroom Practices

1)    Make poetry a daily part of shared reading experiences—with teacher reading, student reading, and partner reading (Routman, 1988).

2)    Have students illustrate 2-3 poems weekly and confer with peers to ensure that drawings correspond with the content (Routman, 1988).

3)    Students keep those weekly poems in a binder and by the end of the year they have a personal anthology of poetry.  They can read, re-read, and recite these poems and thereby refine their reading fluency (Routman, 1988).

4)    Use overhead projector / Elmo / Smart Board / chart paper for an oral cloze procedure with poems.  Take a 5×7 note card and cover poem completely; move down page line by line.  With another card, expose the poem gradually word by word moving right across each line.  With rhyming words, only show beginning consonants, diagraphs or blends for students to complete rhyming couplets. Poetry in this format is a playful way for teaching phonemic units. (Routman, 1991).

5)    Keep a classroom notebook of favorite poems that students collect.  This can be a tool for … varying materials for independent reading, offering models for writing, making content-area connections, doing word hunts for particular spelling patterns, or practicing skills in younger grades such as alphabetizing (Routman, 1991).

6)    Use poetry for story theatre where students do mimes to relate a favorite poem.  (Rothlein & Meinbach, 1991).

7)    Use poetry for mini-lessons on literary devices (similes, metaphors, personification, symbolism, voice, point of view, etc.)  (Atwell, 1991).

8)    Create a poetry listening center with blank tapes for students to record their own poems and listen & respond to peers’ recordings (Heard, 1989).

9)    Have a bin for new poems collected and poetry boxes according to certain topics, themes (Heard, 1989).

10) Guide students to discover poetry in prose selections they read.  (Graves, 1992)