[MOSAIC] Combining comprehension strategies and basals

[Carol Carlson]

We use a basal in grades K-3.
Some of the teachers in grades 1 and 2 would like to use the basal  
less frequently, but they are in teams and sometimes feel they must  
follow the team's curriculum.
Here is what is recommended through team meetings, and any staff  
development I can get.
1. The curriculum is THE STRATEGIES, not the basal. We also have  
identified essential benchmarks and they all relate to at least one  
of the strategies, often several. The important curriculum is the  
remaining strategies and any skills outlined in our state standards.
2. During yearly planning, determine the order of the strategies.
3. THEN, look at the basal and any other texts to determine where the  
stories would fit.
4. Regularly use pre assessments to determine student's understanding  
of the strategies.
NOTE: our district has participated in a consortium that encourages  
identification of essential and important learning. Once that has  
been identified, use formative and summative assessments to inform  
instruction and determine mastery.
I have prepared a suggested yearly plan for each grade level which  
does this. Teachers use it in planning, but, in no way, are they  
mandated to follow it to the letter. I prepared them because I had so  
many teachers asking "How do we fit everything in?" Also, teachers in  
grades 4 through 6 did not have a common text. Now, they all have the  
Daybook from Great Source, but it doesn't go into enough depth on the  
reading strategies.
Our district also has instructional facilitators in each building to  
help teams, model in classrooms, and work with teachers to  
differentiate the curriculum.
Hope that helps.
Carol

On Jul 11, 2007, at 5:42 AM, Zoe Jackson wrote:

> Although our faculty is familiar with teaching reading comprehension
> through strategies, they are not yet practiced. The administration,  
> for
> numerous reasons, ordered McGraw-Hill reading materials for us to  
> begin
> using.  The money is spent.  The books are on the way.  Who of you  
> have
> found ways to combine strategies and basal texts?  We DO have freedom
> in the classroom to make choices in how and what we teach, but of
> course, we will be expected to use the new texts in useful ways.
> Eagerly awaiting your suggestions,
> Zoe
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Mosaic mailing list
> Mosaic at literacyworkshop.org
> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to
> http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/ 
> mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.
>
> Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
>