Laura

Reflecting back...name and describe a strategy that I can commit to... I am interesting in finding a partnership with another teacher who is teaching in a content area, and cataloging and working through some of the techniques described in the //Reading for Understanding// text. The couple that I did have a chance to try were great. I have to admit that the whole scope of the text was tremendous, and not as easy to remember from time to time because they introduced so many techniques. So, I think I need to try to put myself of a regime to really work them into my memory! It would be fun to compare results with another science teacher or a history teacher.

Paulette's Talk and Reading Apprenticeship Paulette's talk was so rich in content and strategies that it is a little hard to focus... I think the strongest way connection may be that she worked so hard to build context, text and disciplinary knowledge together. There were many ways for students to engage with the topic through text but often visually. The picture books linked the two so nicely. I also liked the way she worked to embed reading strategies in the social studies content.

Chapters 6 and 7 I have to try the lab work through pictures trick! I get so many high maintenance questions from students. These are questions they should know the answer to, or be able to figure out by answering. I am going to try this technique of having them cartoon their work before they get materials!

Chapter 5 This was the most academic chapter so far. It was a lot to absorb and I wish I had started to read it soon. My apologies about that. What I think I need is a way to organize some of the techniques. Their work was done as a whole and I need to jump in because we are not all doing this in a setting as their program was.

That said, I did try a technique this week, having students paraphrase to "translate" difficult scientific terminology. The 8th graders were told they were doing this for the seventh grade, but of course they probably learned the most because they did the active literacy work. We worked on the document collaboratively using Google docs.

Linking Logging with a Ning and Etch-a-Sketch to the Reading Apprenticeship Framework: 1. Social Dimension Safety: Both techniques developed a sense of comfort in the students. In the case of the Ning, the comfort was through developing a community. In the case of the Etch a Sketch, the comfort was by allowing students to hear the text more than once and by allowing them to modify their sketches. Because students usually had access to the text they could also read along as well as listening. Both techniques also helped develop the link between literacy and power as students shared work and saw either the sketch as a visual link to the power of words, or their logs and photos being enjoyed by their class community. 2. Personal Dimension Etch-a-Sketch was important for developing metacognition because it bridged the visual and the words. As students were given time to revise, it also developed confidence and range. 3. Cognitive Dimension The Ning developed Big Picture thinking in that students read a summary of each class. When given a change to reread a trimesters of work, they could see the scope of the year so far. Both Ning Log and Etch-a-Sketch also encouraged the breakdown of information into smaller parts. And, both gave students a chance to monitor their understanding: By agreeing with a log, by remember a photo, and by checking a drawing against a partner's or against the text. Knowledge Building Schema building is possible with both methods, as is content knowledge. While the Etch a Sketch is more forward working--it would be a good introduction to material, the Ning is more reflective asking students to look over each class or a series of classes as a whole. Finally, the Ning can ask students to engage in discourse, especially if they comment on each others posts.