In Kindergarten through 6th grade teachers can be heard using common language in the classroom. Below are some "buzz words" you may hear our students repeating.
Building a reading life: Reading is a lifelong skill, not just a subject in school.
Reading Log: A chart to track titles read and minutes read each day.
Reading Journal (grade 2-6): A place to track thinking about reading.
Post it: Sticky notes to mark a spot quickly.
Stop and Jot (grade 3-6) Using post -its to write, think, indicate new learning.
Conference: A small/ individualized meeting with the teacher to share customized teaching points and next steps.
Stamina: The ability to sustain independent reading/writing for an extended period of time.
Celebration: The school community event of students sharing their love of reading and writing.
Mentor text: A common bookor passage used numerous times for teachers and students to refer to for many different strategies.
If you were to walk the halls of our schools, you may hear these fun phrases being repeated in our classrooms:
What makes you think that?
Stretch it out
When you think you’re done, you’ve only just begun.
Turn and Talk
Today and every day….
Watch me as I…
Now it’s your turn.
Off you go!
According to Teacher's College, the mission of this instructional model is to help young people become avid and skilled readers, writers and inquirers" (Lucy Calkins, 2015). Students are first assessed at the beginning of the school year,and periodically throughout the year. We learn the level of text difficulty a child can comprehend with success during reading class as students are involved in the workshop. This consists of a 10-15 minute mini- lesson that the teacher explicitly teaches. This lesson includes time when all students are involved in a short practice of the day's concept. Next, the students return to their desk and have the rest of class time to read/write independently. Teachers and coaches may conduct small groups or confer with individual students at this time. The premise of the instructional model is that when readers "apply strategies, work hard and revise their initial understandings and get help, their reading will get visibly and dramatically better" (Lucy Calkins, 2015) .