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** Colleagues, **
=== ‍ // Welcome to this online community! Welcome to the text __The Art of Teaching Reading__. Welcome to an ongoing conversation with others from around the county. Welcome to reflection and revision of our work with readers. //===

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‍ // Thank you for joining this book study. As we synthesize the ideas presented in this text with our own knowledge and experiences, please share often and openly. We will all benefit from the diverse voices involved in this group. //=====

‍ Here are some details:
A. Please check out the Online Book Study Rubric page to guide your writing.

B. If you are getting SB-CEUs or GVSU credit, please read those pages carefully and email crhine@muskegonisd.org with any questions anytime.

C. ** To comment on this wiki: **

· ‍‍ ** Click "Save". **
D. This online book study will run through Sept. 1st, and we will have two (optional) face-to-face meetings from 8:30-11:30 on July 13 and/or August 4, 2011 at the MAISD. These meetings can be logged toward the class time and will reduce the number of required comments by 20%. Please call or email Cindy Rhine to RSVP. We hope to see you there!

// Our collective and general hope is that this book study will impact our teaching. However, each of us has our own specific motivators for committing to this text and this online collaboration. Before we dig in, let’s name our individual purposes and then hold them in the forefront of our mind throughout the following chapters. //


 * // So, for you, why study __The Art of Teaching Reading__ this summer? //**

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‍ // In your response you may choose to reflect on details from your own practice and hopes for the future. You may reply by sharing something that stood out to you as you read the back cover, the foreword, in flipping through the text, etc. //=====


 * __ Respond here using steps in (C) above. Please also name where and what grade(s) you teach so we can begin to get to know each other. __**

// I'll go first. Hi everyone. My name is Erin Brown and I am a Kindergarten through 6th grade Literacy Specialist at Oakridge Public Schools. Through my involvement with the Reading Workshop Professional Development work at MAISD the past 4 years, I've read this book 3 times and am starting to read it for a 4th time. It is that good! It is that rich! Many of us have read it more than once and we often comment on how there seems to be new pieces added every time we read it. This speaks to the fact that as we grow in our knowledge of teaching reading, we hear different messages and different details each time. I'm looking forward to seeing what gets highlighted for me this time through, and even more, I'm truly looking forward to learning with all of you. I know that thinking through this text together will push us all to new levels of reflection this summer. //

// This is the first time we are using a wiki to house our book study work. In the past we've used blogs. We think a wiki will work nicely for this purpose, but please give any suggestions for improvement any time. There are 20 of us involved in this online book study! That is the largest group we've had so far (this is our third time). So, I'm guessing the pages will get pretty long. One thing that makes me wonder is, what if two people are composing at the same time? I think it will be okay, but this reminds me to mention that it is always best to compose your responses in a word processing program like Word, then cut and paste to the wiki. That way you can save your thinking in a running document if you choose, and have all of your responses in one place. You'll probably want to read through your thinking again later in the school year and refresh your work with the ideas you wrote this summer, so this Word document compilation would be an easy way to do so. Oh, and click "refresh" on your browser periodically if you are on the wiki for long periods of time. That way you'll see the most up-to-date postings. //

// Who's next? Just type right below me. Have at it! // // Happy reading and posting! // // - Erin //

Hello Everyone!

This is Mary Jo Stewart (husband Al is not a singer) LOL. This is my first time doing an online book study and have never used Wiki. So, with that said, I have always loved ELA’S and feel I have a lot to offer my students. I work in a transition room located on Sherman and Baker Streets. We are part of the Wesley School center-based program in MuskegonCounty. For several years, I had worked with and read books to students with Autism. For some reason, I do not consider myself qualified enough to do a thorough job of teaching reading to someone else. I loved it when our 7th grade literature teacher used to read and act out some of the great stories he had. Therefore I agree with this statement; “**Reading literature within a classroom community is powerful because literature can help us escape the boundaries of ourselves.” “We feel less alone when we understand that our pain and joy are shared.” (pg. 14).** Although I have worked with other teachers to learn the 4-Block method, phonics, word families, [|www.starfall.com], reading milestones, Unique Curriculum, [|www.news-2-you.com], and ‘Words Their Way.’ After testing my students, I realized that the majority need help to hear the first and last consonants of pre-primary words. On the other side of the spectrum, I had two students who were able to read chapter books and write 3-4 sentences in a paragraph, using 1-2 descriptive words and even compounding some sentences. We use a lot of chorale or individual reading with picture support and really encourage others to help their peers when they are struggling. **Recent research shows that parents talk with their children an average of ten minutes per day. “Our children,” Bill Moyers says, “are being raised by appliances.”** **(pg. 22)** That statement is very true. For example, our students are being entertained by the television, movies, video games, their cell phones/text messaging, and music videos. Furthermore, getting our students to sit for even ½ hour to read is very rare. So, we have developed regular morning meetings that help our students practice good listening skills and paraphrasing back what was said. This gives 'weight and meaning' to their words. Finally, I signed up for this course with the hope that somehow I will be validated in my efforts to make readers out of my class and learn more effective ways to accomplish that. M.J.

Hi! My name is Jodee Tuttle and I have been a teacher at Orchard View Schools for 18 years: 12 years as a kindergarten teacher, 6 years in 1st grade. I love watching and guiding students enter the world of reading. In my eyes it is one of the most remarkable accomplishments they will ever make and I feel very fortunate to get to go through the transformation with them! My students always amaze me and I am so excited to be able to offer them reading workshop in my classroom. I have gotten lots of great ideas from the Home Grown Institute of Reading and am so anxious to implement them into my classroom. I have always been a book "hoarder" and I am now seeing better ways to use all of the books in my classroom. My goal is to have them all out of the cupboards and into kids hands. For a long time I thought only leveled books were what kids should be reading and now I see how to incorporate all the books I have by favorite authors and on favorite topics! So far by reading The Art of Teaching Reading (TAOTR) I feel a freedom to do what I can do in the best way that I can. Lucy is so encouraging but I love that she doesn't make it an all or nothing approach! I have district expectations that I have to fufill along with my personal goal of using the Reader's Workshop format and I feel like she has given me her blessing to ease into things as I am able. That has taken a lot of pressure off from me!! JT

Hi, I'm Mike Gerard and I teach at Holton Elementary. I am moving to 5th grade this year after teaching 3rd grade the last 3 years. I will have some of my former students again this year! Jodee, I graduated from Orchard View in 1972. My family still has students in the Orchard View system. In fact, my sister drives bus for OV. This is my first book study. I am looking for some focus in the way I teach reading and hope to find that during our study. I'm a bit tech challenged and see this format as a new challenge for me. Additionally, the SB-CEU's for this class will help me with my last renewal before I retire in June 2014. My first impression is that there is some freedom involved, that a lot of what I need to learn I can shape into what my students need to learn. Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts and ideas. MG

Hi! I am Sue Ronning and I am a resource room teacher at Reeths-Puffer Elementary. This is my first time participating in an online book study and I am looking forward to learning from everyone. Having listened to collegues this past year as they participated in the Reader's Workshop and then being involved in the Home-Grown Institute this summer; I am looking forward to improving how I teach reading and share my love of reading with my students. My first impression from the Institute and the beginning of the book is how important it is to have our children reading real books, not teaching skills in isolation. So often in remedial setting, we focus on specific skills and forget the important transfer of reading real books and spending time reading. I am excited to learn from everyone! SR

Hello, I'm Margaret Fox and I teach 3rd grade at Lincoln Park Elementary. I have taught "forever" and I'm always reinventing myself. This is my first time doing an online class. It's scary, because I'm in new territory. Reading is an art not to be taught in isolation. As I read and reflect on where I've been and where I am I find I am an artist, now I have better tools to bring out the artist in my students. I taught in Colorado for a year and the school was designed around the Media Center. This school put literacy at the heart of their school. I still remember that experience because I returned to the traditional library that we visit once a week. I was responsible for creating a literate community for K-6 at that school. I'm not a Media Specialist but I am a teacher. My program, to my surprise was much like __The Art of Teaching Reading__. I have followed this path but now I have a map that will better fullfill the needs of my students. I'm ready to design a curriculum that is authentic. I'm so excited. The minilessons will help me create a classroom that is truly child centered. I love the fact I can stop feeling "guilt" when I give children the time to learn the skills that will make them life long learners.

Greetings! I am Tracy Taylor and I teach adult education at Orchard View Schools. I teach English, History and Adult Basic Education. I have many adults who read at around a third grade reading level or at just very low levels in general. I incorporated Tina Harmon's (from the MAISD) Literacy Circle into my classroom this past school year and I felt it had a really postive impact on my students. I am always looking for ways where I can not only help my students but also hopefully get them to share my love of reading. I have not read the book yet as I just picked it up, but I look forward to reading it and discussing it with all of you. :)

// Erin here again and wow, what a fantastically diverse group of participants we have already! From Kindergarten to Adult Ed., these individual perspectives will give this book study a life of its own! Thanks for sharing so openly. I look forward to getting to know you all better as we process this text together! - Erin //

Hi, everyone! My name is Kari Bonnema and I teach Kindergarten Explorers at Muskegon Christian. I have taught 1st grade, 2nd, and 6th grades but am really enjoying this level right now. Kindergarten Explorers is a "young 5's" program for our school and a Kindergarten enrichment program, for those kids also in Kindergarten, so I have kids in my class for different reasons (and ages). I am looking forward to gaining ideas as to how to help those who are just learning their letters and also helping those kids who are at the beginning stages of reading to really "fly"! I have heard alot about Lucy Calkins and the Reading Workshop and I'm hoping to soak up some great new ideas to try this coming school year. KB

== Hello! My name is Jacquelyn Ball, and I've taught for sixteen years at Fruitport Middle School. I began my teaching career as a middle school special education teacher of students with emotional impairments at Froebel School and NEEC. After transferring into the middle school at Fruitport and teaching special education for a few years, I decided to try my hand at general education. I enjoyed teaching special education,but I felt that I had something to offer the general education students in the area of language arts - my passion area! I've been teaching about 120 6th graders every since. ==

== So. . . why did I decide to take this book study? I chose to take this book study for two reasons: 1. I was signed up last year,but I had trouble with the initial posting, etc., so I never finished the course. I'm hoping to not experience technical difficulties this year. 2. I want to thoroughly study the book and learn from all of you. ==

== ** I will elaborate a little more on my second response. I piloted the reader's workshop last year in my 6th grade classroom. I was amazed by the progress my students made throughout the year, and I saw their passion for reading increase as well. 6th grade is a tough grade level to foster the love of reading, but it isn't impossible. Like any other grade level, I strongly believe that kids will "act as we act" - so we need to express a love of reading and share our thinking with them often. Now, that doesn't mean that you totally have to fake it. I wasn't always a reader. I had many reasons why I was turned off to reading during my younger years, so I share this information with my students, so they know it is "okay" not to love reading at this point. However, that doesn't mean I can't change this with them as the year progresses. At the end of last year, I had many success stories. ==

== I've read the book the past year, but often I turned to sections that would help me at that point in my teaching. I'm hoping to have a better understanding of how to to teach reading at the middle levels. This summer I was able to attend the week long series with the teachers from New York. This is my fourth year, and I the experience "jump started" my excitement for teaching reading at the middle levels. I've been working on several lessons from this week of training. ==

== I also hope this book will provide me with some of the data/reasons as to why reading and reading instruction is so important. I often encounter "grumpy" parents when it comes to reading and reading logs. I do my best to explain why it is important, but it seems to fall on deaf ears. ==

jball
__KDNash__

Hello--I teach at MHPS--I have done various things-Teacher, Literacy Coach, Title I teacher, Multi-age teacher, Literacy Coach Title II this year. Lead Teacher for summer school.

I enjoy being in a book study--but like Marge it is my 1st wiki--I would rather talk than type--so the jury is out.- Kimberly Nash

//E rin Again - Hey, thanks for being so honest about your practice and thoughts, everyone. This will really help us to have an authentic conversation this summer. Hopefully you'll find that the chapter posts also lead you toward honest reflection and sharing of thinking. Also, I didn't mention two things earlier, because I had already inundated you with so many details, but Jackie and Kimberly both reminded me of them so I'll mention now: //// 1. Feel free to change your font color like Jackie did. It might make it easier to differentiate between responses. You just choose a color and stick with it throughout the wiki pages. I do this when I'm on wikis and you'll notice that my responses are always this navy blue color. If you want to mix it up and try color, just make sure it is a darker shade to make it easy on all of our eyes. Just click the upper case T with the color palate in the tool bar above, click in the "text color" box, then click on ﻿any color box, or choose one of your own from the large spectrum below, then click "Apply Styles". // // 2. Yes, there is a discussion tab for each page, and that would be one way we could reply to posts on pages, but Linda (facilitator of 3 of the other book studies) and I decided to have people reply right on the page instead, right under the posts (see steps in C above). That way we can read all of the ideas before adding in. One goal we have for this summer's book studies is to make them a little more conversational if possible and we think this might help. // // - Erin //

Hello, I’m Stephanie Cooper and I will be teaching a 1st/2nd split at McMillan Elementary this fall. I taught second grade for the previous four years and fourth grade three years before that. This is my first experience with an online book study. I read a couple of books and used many of the ideas posted on Beth Newingham’s website last year and gave reading workshop a try. The kids seemed to enjoy themselves and I saw some marvelous growth with nearly all of my students. Having a split class is going to necessitate reading workshop in order to ensure all of my students are reaching their full potential. I’m still apprehensive about how I’m going to teach two grades, but I know this tool will help me along the way. I'm looking forward to learning how to put it all together.

SC


 * Hi, my name is Sara Sabourin. My philosophy has always been to have a child-centered classroom. I know how important it is for students to have ownership in their learning, for the curriculum to be influenced by their passions and new discoveries and lingering questions. I also know well the struggle of standing on that teeter-totter of child-created and state-mandated. Some days I place my weight more on one side and tip fully that way. I know now kids need structure, which is something I felt in the beginning of my career was too rigid for my free-spirit ways! I never wanted scripts, schedules and “stuffiness.” I wanted and still want (but now within a more balanced approach) kids to play, discover, create, and inquire. Throughout my career I have taught talented & gifted kids in multi-age 1st-3rd & 3rd-5th classrooms and the rest of my career has been teaching students in Kdg and 1st grades on the east side of MI and now in Fruitport. Like **** you Jacquelyn, I believe “kids will ‘act as we act’.” I see the impact of “sweeping” kids along into our excitement for whatever we give attention to. I love the Reading Workshop approach because it fits with my philosophy of child-centered and it also provides balance with what they need to learn. I’m looking forward to studying this text together and building rich meaning that will guide my teaching. This is my first wiki. I’ve signed up for two other book studies this summer as well. I like the convenience of an online class (this is my first) and the time to craft my response, however I feel face-to-face meetings are important (unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it to the meetings). I've attended the Home Grown Institute two summers and have been implementing Reading Workshop for the past three years in my first grade classroom. **
 * Sara Sabourin **

Hello! My name is Bobbi Friend. I have been out of town until today, so I apologize for the late start. I have been reading, however, and have finished reading the book for the second time. I am participating in this online study this summer for two reasons. First, I completed the reading workshop series this year and began implementing it in my third grade classroom this year. I was hesitant to give up my old style of teaching reading, however, so I continued reading whole group books and completing my traditional reading which includes comprehension questions, vocabulary, spelling, and other word work types of activities on whole class books in addition to reader’s workshop. In some ways, it was great because we were doing a great deal of reading in my classroom. I realize as I read the book that my teacher selected books were probably less than engaging for many of my students. My second reason for participating is because I am taking a new teaching position next year. I will be teaching reading to sixth graders. I will have 5 classes of sixth graders (between 30 and 35 students per class), and my job will be strictly as a teacher of reading. I will have another teacher that will be taking on the writing and other language arts parts of the sixth grade curriculum. I am excited and worried at the same time. It will be very challenging to get 150 students fired up about reading! Lucy tells us that teaching reading is an art and we need to draw from all we know, think, and believe when we approach the teaching of reading so this online class should help. Bobbi Friend
 * Hello Everyone! My name is Keri Cooper and I'm a second grade teacher for Muskegon Public Schools. I have been teaching at the elementary level for about 18 years and I have a Masters in Administration. I can't see myself using that Masters Degree at this point in my career because I just love working closely with students and seeing them learn and grow as a classroom teacher. **
 * Last year I taught a 2/3 split and decided that Reading Workshop would be a better way to teach reading. It afforded me the time and the format to differentiate reading to an even greater extent and it was conducive to a classroom with so much diversity. I am aware that even in just a second grade classroom there are many different reading and learning levels, but it is my belief that the span is even greater in a multi-grade classroom. Reading workshop also blends well with my teaching style. The independence that it provided the students was amazing and I was able to spend my time more efficiently by working in small groups or one-on-one. The conversations that evolved from this was also unbelieveable. I really believe that I had always done a great job of teaching reading, but I never really taught my students to LOVE to read. This past year I did! :) **
 * During the Reading Workshop seminars last year, we read parts of "The Art of Teaching Reading." We also used it as a reference. In a year or two prior, I us the book as a reference as well. This will be my first real "read through" and my first real book study. In addition, it is my first real experience with an on-line class and using a Wiki. **
 * I am looking forward to getting to know all of you through this process and learning a lot from you as well. I will be working hard to catch up with you all, since I was gone over the 4th of July and then had some Wiki issues that I had to figure out in order to join this group. **
 * Again, looking forward to all this book study has to offer. I'm ready to learn and grow with you. **
 * Hugs, **
 * Keri ** ** ﻿ **