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Beth Ackroyd

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October 28, 2016: 3-odd, 6-odd, 7-odd, 4-even, 5-even

Published Oct. 28, 2016, 2:40 p.m.

Students worked in pairs to read Junior Scholastic articles and notice the kinds of thinking they do as they read. They are trying to become more active, engaged readers. The chart they used to track their thinking is attached: Thinking While Reading

We had an IR+ day on Friday and will do the same for Monday classes. Students were asked to make observations about their reading. Again, the goal is to become a more self-aware, active, and engaged reader. My sample of the IR+ Reflective Reading Log is attached: 

October 23, 2016

Published Oct. 23, 2016, 8:35 p.m.

• Classes reading books in the LLI program (2-odd, 4-odd, 2-even) have been reading, discussing, and working on comprehension, fluency, and word level skills.

• Other classes did some work with Junior Scholastic magazine:
- We quickly reviewed the features and tools that help readers digest information in magazines.
- We talked about how a reader needs to bring his/her background knowledge to any article. This might mean reading an article with lots of questions because you don't have a lot of background knowledge on the topic. It might mean seeing if the article matches what you think you know about a topic. It almost always means getting more information on a topic and adding that to your existing background knowledge.
- I demonstrated for students how reading for complete understanding requires paying attention and doing a lot of active thinking. We then tried this kind of reading on an article together.

All students should be reading at least 180 minutes each week. Please be sure to ask your child about his/her book and sign the IR bookmark when a book is completed.

October Already?!

Published Oct. 12, 2016, 10:41 a.m.

Well, it's happened: I lost track of time and didn't keep up with weekly blog posts! Better late than never, I hope....

• Students have set up binders to keep and organize the work we do in class. The two main categories are Academic/School and IR+. The former category of work will include reading that I provide and that we work on together. The latter category of work will center around students' own reading choices and provide opportunities to set goals, reflect on reading, talk about books, and make new book choices.
• All students decorated and shared binder covers that represented them as readers. This was one of few homework assignments and was an opportunity to show effort.
• I have been doing 1-on-1 conferences with students, using the F&P Benchmark Assessment System. Students have learned that these conferences give us both information about 4 main components of reading: comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expanding vocabulary.
• While I am doing conferences, students have been doing IR+ work: keeping book lists, making index cards to publicize books read, exploring new book options, and reading while tracking their own reading stamina.
• 2-odd, 2-even, and 4-odd have begun work on reading books in the LLI system. These books provide opportunities for 1-on-1 coaching, whole group discussions, as well as targeted work on areas of need such as comprehension and fluency. We also started some word work, which helps students develop the skills needed for accurate reading. Students will occasionally bring home a game to play for homework.

Week Ending on September 23

Published Sept. 24, 2016, 3:58 p.m.

Another great week!

2-even, 2-odd, and 4-even shared their binder covers and told us about who they are as readers. They did some independent reading while I did assessment conferences with individual students. We all talked about how these conferences are one way I get to know readers, and how they help me "see" things like comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and vocabulary knowledge. While students read, they noticed what was hard about reading for a sustained block of time. We talked about ways they can help themselves stay focused: turn the chair away from others, wear headphones or earbuds, and/or take small breaks.

Other classes spent time getting to know common features of magazines, reading magazine articles, and sharing their questions/confusions. It's these questions/confusions that lead to learning, and it's important for students to notice them and be willing to share them. Many students came away realizing that they are not noticing what they don't understand when they read. This will be an important area of growth for us as we move forward.

First 5 Day Week in the Books

Published Sept. 18, 2016, 3:36 p.m.

It was a pleasure meeting some parents at Back-to-School Night on Thursday. Thank you for your interest and support!

Students are settling into the routines of our class, becoming more independent with getting ready for class and getting started with our first activity. There also has been marked growth and effort in using the listening and speaking skills that are required for interesting and effective conversations.

One thing we all worked on this week was making our reading and thinking visible (or at least audible). This is the only way that we can know what others are doing as they read. We practiced two methods - sharing our thinking out loud, and marking up a text. The work students did this week will serve as a baseline that we can measure future growth against.

We also talked and wrote about what made us feel comfortable in a class. These conversations led to the creation of class norms (posted in Resources for "Reading at the Rock All Students").

Some classes got their Reading Binders set up.

Some classes did an activity called a Book Pass. This exposed students to some new books and gave them time to preview them.

The First Few Days

Published Sept. 9, 2016, 11:32 a.m.

Well, we made it through two weeks of school! Luckily, each of those weeks was shorter than the usual 5 day weeks - that helped us ease back into school routines.

It has been a pleasure getting to know all of my new students. Each group is settling in to our classroom routines. All of our work so far has focused on getting to know each other, building a safe learning community, and helping students develop self awareness:
• We used extended name tags to get to know each other.
- We talked about and practiced good listening and speaking behaviors while we shared some of our summer books.
- We each rated one of the books we read over the summer.
- We explored the High Rock Effort Rubric and talked about how it would guide our work and our grades in this class.
- Students completed a "Getting to Know You" survey.

Check out two important documents posted under "Resources:"
- Effort Rubric
- Syllabus



What to say when your kids ask why they have to read....

Published Oct. 15, 2015, 11:33 a.m.

You may have your own responses to the "why do I have to read" question. If you need new ammunition, use the information in this article:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/5things/5-science-backed-reasons-to-pick-up-a-book-and-read-1.2607170

You may even find new reasons to pick up a book of your own or to renew your efforts to do some reading aloud to your child.......

When Students Email the Teacher

Published Sept. 17, 2015, 11:48 a.m.

If a student would like to communicate with me via email, he/she should do the following:
- Start with a conventional greeting such as "Dear Ms. Ackroyd"
- Use proper writing conventions such as capital letters and punctuation
- Sign the email with both first and last names.

Students should not expect an immediate response to an email.

Update: 9/15/15

Published Sept. 15, 2015, 3:33 p.m.

9/15/15
Our work together has a personal component and a social component. We have built classroom routines to develop both of these.

¥ Personal - To develop their self-awareness, students are asked to think and write on a topic for 5 minutes. This topic will usually relate to the students' reading, school work, school experience, or sense of self-efficacy. Students are expected to think and write for the whole 5 minutes, pushing themselves past the point of thinking, "I'm done."

¥ Social - To develop a safe reading community in which all ideas are respected and all voices are heard, students share their thinking with one another. During this time, we use agreed upon norms for listening, speaking, and including. These norms are posted in the classroom and include things like making eye contact, responding, sitting up, looking awake and engaged, using names, and keeping oneself involved in the conversation.

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