Before I go any further, I absolutely agree 110% with his perspective on Readicide in our schools. I wish I taught right next to him so I could be a part of his school and listen to his conversations about his classroom. However, since I am not high school qualified, and he is in CA and I am in OH I will continue my professional learning through reading blogs, having conversations with colleagues, and follow twitter. Here are some of his BIG ideas that I need to remember as I prepare to go back to school in about three weeks.
*Our goal is Life Long Readers and to instill the desire to read in our students.
*it is important to put books in our students' hands and provide a rich print environment in our classrooms-it's all about access
*Model reading as the teacher as well as a reader, model what readers do when they are confused, build prior knowledge and understanding of the world with all text.
Bringing me back to January 12:
*...teachers are being held to these tests, that the idea of recreational reading has been not put on the back burner but completely taken off the stove."
*"I think the kids who read the most will score well on the tests."
Recently my daughter asked me how I was preparing my lessons for the new school year, my answer surprised me. I told her that I haven't prepared one lesson and haven't looked at one CORE standard. I have spent my summer thinking about how to build inquiry into every lesson, how to raise the level of thinking in my classroom, how to allow my students to be problem solvers as well as collaborators with each other. If all of these things happen, I believe we will have a successful start to our school year.
*Our goal is Life Long Readers and to instill the desire to read in our students.
*it is important to put books in our students' hands and provide a rich print environment in our classrooms-it's all about access
*Model reading as the teacher as well as a reader, model what readers do when they are confused, build prior knowledge and understanding of the world with all text.
Bringing me back to January 12:
*...teachers are being held to these tests, that the idea of recreational reading has been not put on the back burner but completely taken off the stove."
*"I think the kids who read the most will score well on the tests."
Recently my daughter asked me how I was preparing my lessons for the new school year, my answer surprised me. I told her that I haven't prepared one lesson and haven't looked at one CORE standard. I have spent my summer thinking about how to build inquiry into every lesson, how to raise the level of thinking in my classroom, how to allow my students to be problem solvers as well as collaborators with each other. If all of these things happen, I believe we will have a successful start to our school year.
