100 Minutes Book Study Chapter 7 - The Foundation of Independence

Time to continue with our  book study of 100 Minutes by Lisa Donohue. If you missed my previous posts you can find them below:

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Today I am linking up with Brenda from Primary Inspired for Chapter 7.

 This chapter is another one where I have written and highlighted all over the pages!

My thoughts on Chapter 7:

Donohue states, "The key to successful small-group instruction is independence and it begins in the first few days of school." In order for you to work with a small group of students, the other students need to be doing something productive.  In this system that is called AWARD time.  The thing that separates this from others systems such as the ones used in Daily 5 is "the intentionality with which students' independent work is connected to the learning that is happening during other times during the literacy block."  I love this because I often felt that the accountability piece was missing in Daily 5.  I have had many students who can look quietly engaged in reading or writing, yet never do a lick of work.

In this system, students go from a guided reading situation, to working on a written reading response.  The next day they work on independently reading and then independently practicing the skill from the day before. Likewise, in writing, they would go from independent writing to a conference on one day to independent writing and then a peer sharing the next.

The thing I am most excited to try this upcoming school year is to add this intentional piece.  Having students be more accountable will be a key part of this.  I love the gradual release of responsibility that is shown.  I also really like having the peer mentor piece of writing added to it.  I  used peer mentors this year and it worked really well. I like the idea of students meeting with myself or their mentor each day.

I want to think more about what my students will be responsible for in the way of both reading responses and writing.

Next up- Chapter 8: Small Group Learning

Be sure to visit our co-host Emily from Emmy Mac's Class on June 21st to continue this learning journey with us. 

100 Minutes Book Study Chapter 5 - Writing Around The Literacy Block

Today is another installment of our book study on 100 Minutes, Making Every Minute Count in the Literacy Block by Lisa Donohue.

If you missed my previous posts you can find them below:

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Today I am linking up with Melissa from Dilly Dabbles who is hosting today's chapter.

My thoughts on Chapter 5:

Summer time is the perfect time to work on a book study like this.  It gives me a chance to reflect on all of the areas that went well in my classroom, as well as an opportunity to brainstorm ways to improve things that did not go over quite as well.  As I read through this book I have several a-ha moments about both.  Many of the practices that went well (independent reading for most of my students was very strong) are ones that the author advocates using.  I have found a wealth of ideas for areas that I would like to improve such as writing and adding more time for social studies and science.

Chapter 5 details how to carve out a block of time in your literacy block for direct instruction of writing. Donohue states that you can use this time to model new forms of writing, explore mentor texts, determine success criteria, topic selection, mini-lessons on grammar, and much more. I know I hit some of those things last year, but I would like to go deeper with that.

Research states that teachers need to model thinking and composing strategies when teaching writing.  - THIS is what I need to be doing more of.  I occasionally modeled writing (and got much stronger written papers from my students) but I need to do this all of the time.

Donohue also offers some great questions to ask students as you explore mentor texts as writers.  Many of these questions such as "How does the author use descriptive writing and clear evidence to support his/her work?' align with the Common Core and will really stretch my students.

As I read more and more, I am beginning to give myself permission to do less.  Many of the comments on my previous post involve teachers saying they do not have enough time in the literacy block.  I have felt that way myself and we have 120 minute blocks of time set aside just for literacy - and yet it is never enough.  I think that limiting myself to the 100 minutes (and freeing up additional time for social studies and science - which will also have elements of literacy in them) and making that time more purposeful will be better than 120 minutes of just good enough instruction.  Do I really need to spend 20-30 minutes on word sorts when students don't transfer those spelling skills to their writing? Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels this way!

I will definitely be modeling writing in my classroom more.  Students need to know what my expectations are otherwise they will hand in superficial responses and ask "How many sentences do we need to write?"

We already use Marzano strategies at our school, so I love the idea of having students help generate the success criteria.

What mentor texts will I use and why?  What technique do I want them to notice and use?
How will I plan lessons that fit into our instructional units but also allow time to address student needs?

Next up- Chapter 6: Exploring Different purposes and Audiences

Be sure to visit Erin from A Piece of the Apple on June 13th  to continue this learning journey with us. She will be hosting chapter 6.

100 Minutes Book Study - Chapter 4 Reading Response

 Today I am linking up with Jen from Teaching, Life, and Everything in Between our next hostess for our  book study on 100 Minutes - Making Every Minute Count in the Literacy Block by Lisa Donohue.

You can read my previous posts below:

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

My thoughts on Chapter 4:

Lisa Donohuev suggests introducing reading response following guided reading.  The teacher initially teaches the skill during the guided reading portion, then the student practices it on their own.  The next day, those students are able to transfer their new learning by reading independently and completing the response to the text they have chosen on their own.  This follows the gradual release of responsibility method.

She points out how difficult it is to assess independent reading and states that the most effective way to monitor it is the use of reading responses.

My favorite part of the whole chapter has got to be the reading response task cards she has included.  There are 8 pages of these along with a list of other ideas you can use as well to make your own.

I already use reading responses in my classroom (and for homework) with my weekly read and respond reading logs and it was nice to have the affirmation of this effective process.



I will probably change the way that I introduce response prompts to the way that Donohue recommends.  I think it will create much better responses from the beginning. I also like the idea of having several response choices available for the students during their independent work time.

How will I incorporate these strategies into my current practice?  What read alouds will work best with each type of written response?  How do I encourage students to self select books that fit with certain strategies?

If you are reading along with this book, feel free to join in the discussion by linking up below.  I am looking forward to reading everyone else's thoughts and reflections!  

Next up- Chapter 5: Writing Around the Literacy Block

Be sure to visit Melissa over at Dilly Dabbles on May 27th to continue this learning journey with us. 

100 Minutes Book Study - Chapter 3 Reading Around the Literacy Block Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card

I am late for my chapter post - I am so sorry!  But last night was Palmer's graduation.

I obviously knew this ahead of time and planned on pre-scheduling my post but this happened...

and we had to have an unexpected surgery and follow up appointment.  He fell off some playground equipment during one of Tyler's baseball games :(

He is handling it well, but needless to say, I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off since this was our last week of school!

I hope you forgive me, but I have a giveaway to make it up to you!

Now, onto my chapter of 100 Minutes -Making Every Minute Count in the Literacy Block.

 If you haven't bought the book yet, you still can - it will be a great summer read! Keep reading to see how you can win a $25 Amazon gift card to help you purchase the book : D


 You can read my previous posts below:

Chapter 1
Chapter 2



My thoughts on Chapter 3:

Lisa Donohue opened this chapter with a blog post she had written about the magic of the read aloud.  I also have fond memories of read alouds with my own teachers during my childhood.  Like Lisa, there are STILL days when I say that I want to move to Australia when I have a bad day because of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.  Read alouds are also a sacred time in my classroom today.  If we have to let go of anything during the day due to special occurrences (assemblies, fire drills, etc.) I will NOT give up my read aloud.

This year I experimented with using whole group novels for some of our read alouds.  I still was the one reading, but each student had a copy of the text to follow along with as I read and to look back through when answering questions to refer to text references.  Many teachers I talked to disagreed with the use of a whole class novel, especially because of differentiation needs.  I love that Lisa Donohue addressed that you could still use whole group instruction, but still provide for varying needs.

Whole group lessons are a time to model reading strategies.  She notes that the purpose of reading strategies is not to give students a checklist of activities to accomplish, but rather is to provide them with a tool kit of strategies to use as they work to comprehend a given text.

It is also important for students to have an opportunity to talk through texts.  I have often heard it said that we do not allow students enough opportunity to talk in class, but instead as teachers do most of the talking.  I always try to keep in mind, that the person doing the work is the one who is learning.  If I am talking, i am learning - if the students are talking - they are learning.  Donohue recommends several ways to develop a talk-centered classroom with sample talk partner success criteria, and sample questions to ask students to encourage deep thought.

I also love that she provided web site resources and sample questions to use with these resources.  Our students are growing up in a digital world, and they need to be able to navigate these resources  as well.

I think one of the most valuable portions of this chapter are the suggested questions.  I love how just a small modification can result in such deeper thinking.  For example, she says:

"instead of asking... How did the main character feel at the end of the book?"
"try asking: How do you know that the main character learned an important lesson through the book?"

I am going to really think about the questions I will ask during read alouds next year.  

If you are reading along with this book, feel free to join in the discussion by linking up below.  I am looking forward to reading everyone else's thoughts and reflections!  

Next up- Chapter 4: Reading Around the Literacy Block

Be sure to visit Jen from teaching, life, and everything in between on June 4th to continue this learning journey with us. She is hosting chapter 4.

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100 Minutes Book Study - Chapter 2 - The Building Blocks

I have bought some professional development books that are ok and I have bought others that I come back to time and again that get so beat up and used because they are just that good.  Each time I read them I find a new nugget I missed before.  I think this book is definitely going to be the latter and I am only through chapter 2!  I have had so many thoughts and ideas and am so glad that I decided to join this book study. If you haven't bought the book yet, you still can - it will be a great summer read!  You can read my thoughts on chapter 1 here if you missed it.

I am linking up with Kelly Anne at AppleSlices for Chapter 2.

My thoughts on Chapter 2:

As I read through the first two chapters I was really struck by how similar to Daily 5 many of the components are.  A lot of the research behind both methods is the same.

The author states that the 100 minute literacy block model was based on "the fundamental belief that students need time for explicit teaching, time for guided practice, and time for independent work." (p.14).

Chapter 2 fleshes out the key components or building blocks of the model.  Essentially the time is divided into two different chunks of whole group instruction (one for reading and one for writing) wrapped around a time for independent and small group work.

The end of the chapter paints a picture of the routine modeled by a class who has been using the routine.  As I read more, it is a picture I would like to see in my classroom, and one I am excited to continue to learn how to build.

As I read more and more, I am seeing how having less sessions and less switching during my literacy period will be a richer and more productive environment for my students.  Often I feel like I am interrupting them as they are really making a break through (finally settled into a book, or scribbling feverishly as they tell a new story) just to squeeze in a mini-lesson that isn't always what they need, but sometimes feels like I am just trying to fit SOMETHING in that chunk of time.

I am going through the standards for third grade (since I taught 4th this year) and am thinking about how I can create lessons around these new parameters.  I am both excited and nervous at the same time!

If you are reading along with this book, feel free to join in the discussion by linking up below.  I am looking forward to reading everyone else's thoughts and reflections!  

Next up- Chapter 3: Reading Around the Literacy Block

Be sure to come back here on May 30th to continue this learning journey with us. I am hosting chapter 3 and will have a giveaway and a freebie!

100 Minutes Book Study - Chapter 1 - 100 Minutes to Balance Literacy

One of my favorite things about summer is that I really get a chance to dig into some professional development books.  I have a chance to read, annotate, and reflect about how to change and constantly improve my teaching practice.  I am really excited to start the summer with this book study on 100 Minutes - Making Every Minute Count in the Literacy Block by Lisa Donohue.

The author opens the book with a confession of how she originally spent the first 100 minutes of Language Arts.  She talks about the feeling of it initially being an immense chunk of time.  I had to chuckle, because I remember feeling exactly the same way when I started teaching (now it seems there is never ENOUGH time!). She filled the hours with reading activities, worksheets, independent writing, and spelling units.  She also describes her struggle with the line of students that formed needing help as they edited their rough drafts.  Many of the struggles she describes ring familiar with me, and I look forward to digging deeper in the book to find her solutions.

My thoughts on Chapter 1:

Lisa Donohue opens this chapter by sharing the core beliefs that the 100 minute model is based on.  These beliefs are that students need:
                                               *time for explicit teaching
                                               * time for guided practice
                                               * time for independent work

In addition, students need to have choice in their learning and the opportunity to have their individual voices to be heard.  Most importantly, she states, "students should see their learning as important, relevant, and authentic."

In defining the term balanced literacy, the author believes that we need to include not only the traditional fundamentals of reading writing, listening, and speaking, but also the models of instruction (modeled, shared, guided, and independent) alongside the vehicles through which we learn and communicate (print and on-line texts, digital tools, media texts,collaborative, learning, and critical thinking).

The 100 Minute Literacy Framework centers around three blocks of time:

                                                  1. Reading Time  (20-30 min)  Lesson
                                                  2. AWARD Time (about 40 min) Independent/Small group work time
                                                  3. Writing Time  (20 - 30 min) Lesson

I currently use the Daily 5 system in my classroom, but our district is switching over to Balanced Literacy.  In reading this first chapter i have a few a-ha moments.  I often struggled trying to keep up with 5 mini-lessons for my students, especially that effected the whole group.  My students have had very varied needs, and I found my small group lessons a lot more effective.  I could target my instruction to their needs rather than to a "lesson" to fill time. I like the idea of having only two main lessons - one reading and one writing, and I think this will be more manageable and effective.  I think the individual activities of Daily 5 (read to self, read to someone, work on writing, word work, and listening to reading) will work well with the AWARD time.  This may be that missing link or puzzle piece that we older elementary teachers have struggled with in implementing Daily 5.

What will I include in the reading and writing lessons to make them as effective as possible?
  How will I tie this into the Common Core Standards?

If you are reading along with this book, feel free to join in the discussion by linking up below.  I am looking forward to reading everyone else's thoughts and reflections!  

Next up- Chapter 2: The Building Blocks

Be sure to visit Kelly Anne over at Appleslices on May 27th to continue this learning journey with us. 

What's Your Math Problem!?! Book Study Chapter 8

Have you read the book, What's Your Math Problem!?! This is a brief review of chapter 8.

Questions form The Field

In the final chapter, the author answers some commonly asked questions about problem solving.  The first question answered is one that I think would be asked by most teachers:

How do I find time to fit problem solving into an already full curriculum? 

This is a question that I myself have wondered.  With the Common Core, it seems like more and more is being asked of teachers.  But, with the problem solving component, it is actually asking teachers to do less.  By giving students one complex rich problem instead of multiple easy operational problems, we are killing two birds with one stone so to speak.  We are not only teaching the skill, but we are teaching problem solving.

Where Can I find Rich Problems:

The author suggested NCTM Illuminations as one possible resource.

Some other sources I have used include:

Math Landing

NRich

I am linking up with 
                                                     Jennifer Smith-Sloane from 4mulaFun
                                                     Meg Anderson  from Fourth Grade Studio
                                                    Jamie Riggs from MissMathDork
                                                    and Jennifer Findley from Teaching to Inspire 5th Grade

for this book study on What's Your Math Problem!?!



 If you missed my previous posts you can find them here:

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7

What's Your Math Problem!?! Book Study Chapter 7

I am linking up with
                                                     Jennifer Smith-Sloane from 4mulaFun
                                                     Meg Anderson  from Fourth Grade Studio
                                                    Jamie Riggs from MissMathDork
                                                    and Jennifer Findley from Teaching to Inspire 5th Grade

for this book study on What's Your Math Problem!?!



 If you missed my previous posts you can find them here:

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Assessing Problem Solving

As we all know, we need to use assessment to drive our instruction, but how do you assess problem solving?  The author suggests throwing away any preconceived notions of using assessment for grading purposes, but instead as a way to analyze the student's thinking.  How does the student organize their work?  What strategies did they use?

Gojak suggests having the students involved in the assessment process by teaching them to ask the following questions:

• Am I making progress with the strategy I am using or should I try a different one?
• Does my work make sense? (I always have my students ask themselves, Does my answer make sense?)
• Can I explain my work and justify it to someone else? (This really ties into the Common Core)

The book also contains rubrics which can be used by both teachers and students.

What's Your Math Problem!?! Book Study Chapter 6

I am linking up with
                                                     Jennifer Smith-Sloane from 4mulaFun
                                                     Meg Anderson  from Fourth Grade Studio
                                                    Jamie Riggs from MissMathDork
                                                    and Jennifer Findley from Teaching to Inspire 5th Grade

for this book study on What's Your Math Problem!?!



 If you missed my previous posts you can find them here:

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Chapter 6 - Advanced Thinking Strategies

This chapter focuses on four new thinking strategies:

Solve a Simpler Problem - This is one of my favorite strategies that I have used in my classroom for years.  I tell my students to plug in smaller numbers to see if they can figure out how to solve a problem.  The author also addresses a second form of this strategy by beginning with a simpler case of the problem.  The example they give is:

Find the sum of the first 50 odd numbers.

The author suggests first finding the sum of the first 2 odd numbers, and then moving on to the sum of the first 3 odd numbers and so on.  You would keep track and see if a pattern appears.

Account for All Possibilities- In real world situations and problems, we often find that there may be more than one possible solution.  The key part of this strategy is systematically accounting for all possibilities. 

Work Backwards -In this type of a strategy, the student starts with the answer and works their way backwards.  This might be a strategy to teach using multiple choice questions.  If you worked backwards, would that particular answer work?

Change Your Point of View- This is one of the more complicated strategies to use, because it involves stepping away from the problem and trying to solve it a different way.  I think in the classroom it might be helpful to teach students how to use this strategy by seeing examples of how other students solved a problem differently.  You could ask, could anyone else use so and so's strategy in another way?

Book Review and Freebies!

On Monday through Thursday my class has specials right after our first recess.  Hands down their favorite special is "Mr. Shea".  Mr. Shea is the counselor at our school and he comes in once a week to work with the kiddos on a variety of topics from team building, self-esteem, and character education. 

But... they were really excited to learn that Mr. Shea was an author!  His first book The Adventures of Bob: To Doodledip For Soup was just published this month.  Our whole school got a sneak preview a few months ago during a special assembly.

The basic premise of the book is that a man named Bob is whisked away to a faraway planet where he is invited by the King to enjoy some soup.  But... Bob doesn't want to eat the soup. His punishment for not eating the soup? He is forced to take home a fat, purple, servant cat named Bongo who doesn't listen to anyone!  He should have eaten the soup!

Mr. Shea has also created his own TPT store where he has several free activities to accompany the book.

Since the assembly, Mr. Shea and Bongo (one of the main characters of the book) have been busy making cute little videos available on YouTube.  The one below is my son, Luke's favorite.




You can purchase a copy of the book at the link above or at Amazon here.