[MOSAIC] Taberski at MRA

[Joy]

These comments sparked a connection for me:
  
> Could that be why people think the strategies may be developmental? Because 
> of the assessments that are used?
> 

 . . .  I am beginning to think that many of the comprehension problems I am seeing with my struggling readers stem from a lack of experience and conversation. If we spend more time on conversations and discussions and less on pencil paper activities and assessment  . . .
   
  I'm behind on my reading, but this conversation has me thinking about how I assess my kiddos. As many of you know, I teach at a project based school. We don't give grades, I write holistic narratives about each of my students. (one reason why I'm behind on my reading, our "Report Cards" went home with the students yesterday.)
   
  While I'm not able to give any suggestions about how to assess students in a way that would transfer to grades, I can speak to some of the informal things I do with my kids. I do assess them in more formal ways, but find the informal assessment is the most useful for writing narratives about individual progress and acheivement.
   
  Of course I conference with them during Self Selected Reading time. I have them read to me, and we talk about their reading and their thinking. I also have Book Talks where they tell the class about what they are reading during SSR, and the students ask them questions or offer comments about that book. While they are doing this, I'm taking notes on 5x7 index cards. 
   
  Because I just finished writing the narratives, these comments are fresh in my mind. I noticed some kids making connections in their talk, others in their comments. I noticed students using sensory details and metacognition in their talk, and others telling about questions they asked themselves while reading. Still others I noticed using inferences and fix up strategies when meaning broke down. I noticed the progression from surface questions to deeper questioning skills in some of the students. I really think this daily ten minute sharing time is some of the most valuable time we spend.




                Joy/NC/4
  jwidmann at rocketmail.com
  How children learn is as important as what they learn: process and content go hand in hand. http://www.responsiveclassroom.org
   









       
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