Tovani+Reading+Group

Present: Senft, Hill, Bowerman, Koren, Ford, Wrigley, Kutz, Plassio, Rizzardo, Bowman, Beauregard, Senft: I like where students tell three things that bothered them about groups. Not giving group grades is useful. Hill: Horrible experience with groups and wishes she had them go over what they had as issues. Kutz: It seems like the groups in her book are all functioning, but the working in groups doesn't stop in high school. They need to take those skills to the next level. Ford: The modeling was key when she and her friend showed how not to work together. Kutz: I like the calendar. I have a low-functioning reading group and it would keep them accountable and requires coherent thoughts. McKay/Ford: Troubleshooting a student who needs to read aloud Bowerman: I like the sticky notes because I can understand assessment more by having the students turn in the sticky notes on one paper. Kutz: A struggling reading would rather take a zero than be embarrassed by not being able to complete an assignment. Kutz: Need to teach kids how to summarize. Ford: Some of them will write down every single word the teacher said and then they are frustrated because they can't keep up. Hill: Bottomline. McKay/Plassio: When using a PowerPoint, they are not listening to the explanation. They are too busy writing. Hill: Desensitized to PowerPoints Ford: Same thing happens with cloze reading. The techniques are good in the book because they have to think about what they read. Bowman: I liked the suggestions for working in a group because I know that sometimes I'm the quiet person and it's important to ask that person what they think. Senft: Highlight and revisit form. They record quotations and explain why. In the groups shared to see if they were finding importance in similar things. Blauch: I have been using the Reading Response Logs for reading assignments in AP as well as authentic listening assignments. They seem to be working- or they are pulling the wool over my eyes. But at any rate, I have used them several times and will continue to use them next year in level 4 and AP (if I'm teaching them)
 * 4/21/2011 Meeting #6**

Present: Hill, Rehrig, Ford, McKay, Hawkins, Bowerman, Wrigley, Kutz, Blauch, Bowman, McKay, Bolen, Beauregard,
 * 3/17/2011 Meeting #5**

Hill, Hawkins and Ford: discussion on text sets. How do they work realistically? Ford: Could work with high school if the kids had to do reports on history. Bowerman: Could have them read and respond to a nonfictioin piece about math once a month or every so often. Hawkins: How to read a math problem with reading skills. Cathy: I particularly like the idea of having them write down questions. The other thing I was going to do was to make one of those comprehension connectors from the back of the book, but it needs to be in Spanish. Ford: How do they hold their thinking while reading? The graphic organizers seem to help them while they're reading. Fill out something while they are reading because they don't want to go back. Hill:The students don't necessarily read the accompanying information. Bolen: With the benchmarks, the students sometimes only get half of an answer if they read the question first and try to find the answer. I also do summarizing a page as they read. Bowman: I've had students use post-its and it works for them. Hawkins: My daughter just wants to read the content for enjoyment. Is there time on the Spanish AP test to read the story twice? AP and SAT are timed. Rehrig: Good point about teachers becoming experts of a book and then not being able to choose what is important for novice readers. Next meeting is Thursday, April 21, 2011, for the final chapters.

Present: Bowerman, Hill, Rehrig, Ford, Wrigley, Kutz, Hawkins, Rizzrardo, MacLeod, Beauregard, Plassio, Bolen, Quinlan, DeMartino
 * 2/17/2011 Meeting #4**

Hill: Loved I'm the stupid lady from Denver. "Where it's long boring, difficult to read for adults, it is difficult to read for kids."

MacLeod: Everyone has different tastes, so you have to consider that. She stressed the importance of modeling.

Rizzardo: If you are excited about something, then the kids will be too. I try to do the modeling more. Hearing the voice in your head, thinking and writing journals, so they could see what goes on in my head. Double entry journals: gave the kids a menu to pick from.

Hill: Had a kid say yesterday, "I actually had to read this."

Bowerman: Strategies to stick with a boring text? The PSSA has boring texts.

Hill: Targeted reading to chunk it. Must read this difficult text, "Plymouth Plantation"

Rehrig: Why do you hae to teach the boring text?

Kutz: Having them read the question first might work, but then they won't necessarily read the story. Are we going about it in a different way here with losing an elective?

Bolen, Kutz, Hill, Plassio: PSSA and 4Sight discussion. Negative consequences? Positive rewards? No prizes because parent called PDE about highlighting kids who pass. NHS - and not pass? Bolen's benchmark assessments do help.

next meeting: Thursday, March 17, chapters 4-6.

Present: Hill, Senft, Ford, Bowerman, Plassio, MacLeod, Beauregard, Blauch, Wrigley, Kutz, Bowman, McKay, Rehrig, Harrison, Rizzardo, Farrow, Bolen
 * 12/16/2010 Meeting #3**

Senft: I liked the wonder chapter. "I was always disturbed by teenagers initial lack of curiosity. They lose the ability to ask questions when they turn 13." Real world questions are a cool idea.

MacLeod: Tried questioning. They didn't need a lot of modeling. They had a lot of questions.

Hill: Book report includes three dinner conversation questions for characters with predicted answers. L3 class likes to read as long as it is not from the literature book. From "The Outlandish Inferences": Kids think that if it is their opinion it can't be wrong.

Senft: Research - all in my head.

Ford: Making connections - bank statements were a surprise to students.

Plassio: Many times in science we connect to math, and when I say the "M" word, they don't think they can do it.

Blauch: "If they ask their own questions, they become more involved in reading."

McKay: Uno, dos, tres, quatro = quatrain, 4 lines of poetry.

Beauregard: Did not see connection in poem. Allowed I don't have to be right feeling.

MacLeod: Did anyone try the double-entry journals linked to prior knowledge.

Rehrig: Does anyone have _Strategies That Work_ by Stephanie Harvey and Godevist. Kathy Ford does.

Bowerman: Stephanie Harvey and Harvey Daniels also have books that take the idea of inquiry further into inquiry circles.

Rizzardo: This book has changed much of the way I approach Reading Issues in my class. Just because a student has been here for a short time, they may have better reading comprehension strategies than a student who has been here for a long time. I'm able to pinpoint issues. I've been using stickies, and stopping and checking.

Bolen: I like the fact that they need to visualize with movies or something. If they can't visualize, these kids turn stuff off.

DeMartino: The section entitled, “Connecting the New to the Known” was helpful for me. I am lucky to teach sports medicine in which students always want to offer up their stories about injuries that they have experienced themselves or saw someone else go through. They often know a lot about what professional athletes have what injury. While reading this chapter it confirmed to me that I should be taking time to explore some of their background knowledge related to sports or injuries.

Next meeting: February, other book, up to page 49

Present: Blauch, Plassio, Farrow, Ford, McKay, Senft, Wrigley, Bowman, DeMartino, J.MacLeod, Harrington, Rehrig, Beauregard,
 * 11/18/2010 Meeting #2**

Senft - It was interesting to learn about the conversation voice that good readers use. I never consciously thought about that happening, but it makes sense that struggling readers don't recognize they are just using their reciting voices.

Hill - Pg. 48- "Good readers know that when the following behaviors occur, it is time to stop and make a plant of repair meaning." Okay, I have found myself doing some of these behaviors many times. The difference is, I recognize it. I don't think most kids understand that this doesn't mean it is time to "give up." I like the bit about giving kids the two colored highlighters. If we can TEACH the kids how to get "unstuck," then they will be that much more ahead of the game the next time it happens.

Ford - It's the student's job to make the meaning from the text. They don't realize reading is an active process.

Blauch - I liked the idea to go back where you first get confused. Kids don't really think about that. I also liked the idea about highlighting what you did and didn't understand. I also like how they get distracted. --It's harder to get kids to read again in larger chunks.

Wrigley - You can buy highlighting tape to use on the pages. It won't damage the page. It was like a privilege when I gave it to the elementary kids.

De Martino - It reminds me how they'll do it halfway, but if you give them something like a ball or to make it creative, they'll do it. --I gave my Sports Medicine class an article to read. They knew exactly what was going on. I spent so much time making activities, but the class read and got it the first time.

Harrington - The tape is expensive enough to keep it as a novelty. You can't be buying it for every kid. ---Set 3 different purposes for the reading. Take the time and build excitement before opening the book. There is less resistance.

McKay - I liked where the teacher said if you understood everything, then you can take this quiz. If not, take the post-its and mark where you got confused. My kids will come in and say they got stuck everywhere. My seniors - the underlining, making notes, is starting to get old. If I ask the right questions, I can get them to go back to the text.

Plassio - p. 38 - I liked the 5 or 6 bulleted items, how you know you are stuck. It brought me back to 5th grade social studies. I hated the content. The camera inside your head shuts off.

Beauregard - I've used the interactive readers to help focus my kids.

Rehrig - They are supposed to read the piece more than once. The second time they are to answer the questions and margin notes.

Farrow - I don;t think you can convince them just to go back and read again. THere needs to be a secod set of tasks.

Present: Bowerman, Wrigley, Hawkins, Rehrig, Ford, Hill, Senft, Bowman, Beauregard, J.MacLeod, Kutz, Farrow, DeMartino, Harrington, McKay, Blauch, Rizzardo, Quinlin, Bolen
 * 10/21/2010 Meeting #1**

Kutz - If they don't understand it, they can't get the content. We need strategies across the board. Hill - I like the fact that they do this. What was your favorite book? Rehrig - Interesting that tovani did not enjoy reading until she was 30. Her son was similar. Beauregard - This was me. I highlighted half the book. I have to go to a corner and talk it out loud.Kids can make it through and ask "safe" questions. Senft - The resistive reader part lets you know how they get through school by not reading. MacLeod - She thought the two most important things were to be a passionate reader and model how good readers read. Ford - Kids don't realize that it's an active process Bowerman - How can we help kids who re-read several times and don't get it. Ford - Need background knowledge. It is an important thing for teachers to do: get them ready to read. Teachers tend to do too much for them, giving notes and telling them what it is about. Wrigley - Hunger Games example. Several poor readers are now excited about reading it. Bowerman - second book has an example about viruses.

For November 18 read through page 61.