[MOSAIC] Classroom Updates

[BilsCntsa at aol.com]

In my 3rd grade classroom we have reviewed our use of the strategies this  
year since I looped and a few students were new to the group. We dove a little  
deeper and used text that had a little more depth. 
In January, we had a representative from Heinemann come and present to our  
school staff, and on day 2 she modeled the use of strategies. Day 2 was a  
limited group of teachers and I was not among them, but I heard a lot of the  
discussion after. What I came away with from both, is I needed to do more  letting 
go in the gradual release model. So, with my partner, we have since  launched 
into book talks, literacy groups or whatever you would like to call  them. At 
first we used a copy of text that all the students had access to, the  basal. 
This was to practice how to have discussions, to interact with our  reading 
as a group. I walked around and jumped in as needed, redirected, focused  
and/or questioned as we developed what worked and what didn't. 
This week the groups are in groups where the reading level is the same and  
the text is on their own instructional level. I have 4 groups. Again, I am  
walking around, meeting with each group and scripting or participating in the  
discussion. One group in particular had a fabulous discussion today. They were  
reading Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. Before they began that text, I gave them 
 several folk tales and allowed them to browse and explore and determine what 
 they had in common. With a little direction from me, they created a fabulous 
 chart with things they noticed. Today, I gave them the text for discussion. 
They  decided as a group how much to read before they started to discuss. I 
walked  into a discussion about this statement:
"kindness is a weakness". They had quite a debate going on, with one pair  
saying how good it was to be kind, and important in this world. But another  
disagreed saying, "kindness can be a weakness because you might try to please  
too many people." I asked him to take that further and explain his thinking, he  
stated, "people will try to take advantage of the kind, walk all over  
them."...The debate continued as I walked away...and soon I heard statements  like, 
"but look right here in the text.."
Needless to say, this is what I am hoping to see from all of them. But I  did 
notice some weren't there. Tomorrow I am going to begin by sharing what I  
saw in this group's discussion and how that occurred. I am also going to show a  
clip from a Strategies that Work video of a group of students having a  
successful discussion and continue with this new journey with my class.
We are also working on nonfiction conventions and creating notebooks. 
It has been a wonderful journey, and I am so glad the journey isn't over  
yet. I love to continue to learn and stretch my students beyond what I am  
currently doing. I hope I continue to find new paths to wander down, I thank  each 
member of the groups I belong to that keep stretching ME. It is a rewarding  
and valuable experience. I am also excited that my school is looking in this  
direction, that would not have happened if I had not had the support from all of 
 you to keep me going. 
Thanks as always,
Terry/3/FL