Lucy Calkins New Books

A Quick Guide to Boosting English Acquisition in Choice Time, K-2
A Quick Guide to Making Your Teaching Stick, K-5
A Quick Guide to Reaching Struggling Writers, K-5
A Quick Guide to Teaching Persuasive Writing, K-2

It is always a good day in my life when I can order new books from Heinemann especially when Lucy Calkins had her fingers on them! I cannot wait for the BROWN UPS man to come. And the price is right, $8.00 each!

Small Moment Writing Lesson

1. Teacher reads the wonderful picture book, Rollercoaster by Maria Frazer. This story adds many specific, exact details in writing to a small moment story. Anyone who has ridden a rollercoaster will recognize this perfect description of a rollercoaster! This is a small moment story.
2. Teacher discusses the importance of adding specific details to a story with students. Details make the reader want to read the story and help the reader make a good picture in his/her mind. These are a few of the specific detail sentences from Rollercoaster that help build a picture in the reader’s mind about the rollercoaster. These are a couple of specific details from the book. There are LOTS more.
a. The roller coaster is very big and very noisy.
b. You must be tall enough to ride it.
c. But sometimes even those who are tall enough decide they don’t want to. (Lots of people change their mind about riding the roller coaster at the very last minute.)
After reading these sentences, what are you seeing in your mind?
3. The following chart will be displayed regarding how to add specific details:
a. Use your five senses (what does it look like, feel like, sound like, etc.)
b. Use color words
c. Use size words and shape words
4. The teacher asks the students, “Where are these attributes in your writing? Add these attributes to your writing.”

Hope Application Submitted Today!

Hope College
Today was exciting! Andrew completed and sent his application to HOPE COLLEGE. The tradition continues from grandparents to parents to child. As parents we are given the gift of children. Then as they make decisions, we celebrate their independence.

Comprehension Advice by Michael Pressley

I found some notes I took once from a lecture by the late Michael Pressley. His life was too short. I admired him greatly! I have read numerous books and articles by Mike. I count myself lucky that I heard him several times too.

He recommended making a chart…

How do you teach students the strategies?
1. Start with one. (Usually prediction or imagery)
2. Explain it to the students.
3. Model using it during read alouds.
4. Encourage students to use the strategy as they read.
5. Practice the strategy in small reading groups.
6. Students will not use it on their own at first. Cue them, but let them know you want them to use the strategies on their own and report when they are using them when they read aloud. It might take awhile for students consistently to use a strategy on their own. After awhile, they will. Then, it is time to…
7. Introduce another strategy (explain it.)
8. Model its use while you read, but continue to model use of the first strategy, letting students know that good readers articulate a variety of strategies as they read.
9. Begin to expect students to use it as they read aloud, cuing them at first. How you cue is important, with the clear message being that they must choose when to use each strategy. Is there a strategy you might choose to use here? Are you actively thinking as you read. If you are, be sure to let me know what strategy you are using.