Interactive Reading Wall

More ideas but need help. I really appreciate any thoughts. I don’t really have people at work who are into this kind of stuff, so any help is nice.

FIX UP STRATEGY
I’m thinking of a pause/stop sign. Maybe written on an animal paw w/ stop sign. Paws=Pause I need to simplify this somehow. Ideas? See link. I want them to pause and ask themselves “Does this make sense?”

http://www.writingproject.org/cs/nwpp/lpt/nwpr/495
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. Maybe I could list all the prefixs with the meaning next to them listed. We can use it to unlock meaning of new words we encounter. I can write them on little keys, to unlock meaning. Maybe put example words with these affixes on a locked treasure box. I’m just brainstorming outloud here.
un
re
in
im
ir
il
dis
en
em
non
over
mis
sub

s
er
ion
tion
ible
able
al
ial
y
ness

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MAIN IDEA

Take pictures out of the Visualizing Verbalizng book that are simple pictures. Once in a while ask what is the main idea of the picture. For example, there’s a picture of a pig eating corn near a fence and grass in background. Many LD kids can’t name the main idea until I use this program.They might say grass is the main idea. I will explain…there is a fence, yes, there is some grass, yes, but the MAIN thing happening is the pig is eating corn. Main idea questions are like this. They will name details from the story, but the BIG IDEA is……… This is a whole involved program I use, so if you don’t use it, this may not make any sense at all.

The idea here is that when we come to main idea questions, I can prompt them by saying………remember the pictures we studied and how we found the main idea? Here are our choices. a,b,c,d. Several of these happened in the story, but only one of them is the BIG IDEA, like in the pictures.

Still need something for FACT/OPINION

CAUSE/EFFECT need ideas
key words:
becasue
so
since,
maybe written on a key?

FICTION/NONFICTION (kids need to classify)

Fiction = Fake
Fiction written on a flying space saucer or unicorn
fable, fairytail, folktale, tall tale, play,novel

Non-Fiction= NOT FAKE on the shape of not sure
play,report,informational print, biagraphy,

autobiography,envirnmental print

I’m thinking each time we read or encouter one of these we can make a list on the board of these. Each time we read something we ask, Is this Fiction/nonfiction?

I have this rolled paper from an old adding machine. I was thinking of using this scroll like paper to use to list the titles

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++===

Mastery Elements

background conflict
climax
resolution
cause
Mood
tone

I was thinking about having a poster with the line that builds up like a mountain to the climax that is laminated so I can write/erase. We could point to the parts at times during read alouds and talk about these parts (all this is state standards)I can use this many times, as needed

I have found using these physical objects helps. Not only does this make a connection, it helps the kids see the word, over and over. I have done a lot of this stuff already with magnets and written words on paper strips that I reach for. I’m just putting it all up on a bulletin board now for quicker use. For example, the word, persuade in AUTHOR”S PURPOSE. I have been grabbing this word off my magnetic board each time I say it, so my kids will recognize this tough word to read as it shows up in testing. Sometimes LD kids don’t process all the words we say. We think we are covering stuff. With this added step, the brain connects. I will also have the kids grab the objects to get them active.

awesome… the creative brain isn’t lighting up this minute but i’ll let it simmer…

I’ve always enjoyed the irony that we remember a given teacher’s sometimes arbitrary but vivid analogies or structures… yet we often regard them as painful and unnecessarily arbitrary when they’re being inflicted upon us. I think we have to be very careful because what for one student is a disciplining structure that leads to better knowledge, is for another student a confusing mystery. The student who thinks the grass is the main idea of the picture may also think that the “pie” is the main idea of the strategie we’re trying to teach with that analogy… we have to be sure the salad doesn’t get lost in the dressing — and stick to them long enough so that the analogy fades away and the structure remains.
You don’t want people on mnemonic overload, either … I could see a situation where one or two good images would stick but by that tenth one…

Wow, Michelle, you should be writing teacher idea books! Those are great ideas…I would like the reminders for myself! But I’d never get around to teaching all that! You must be great at multi-tasking!

Janis

I have had time this week during state testing to go back over books and hit my weak areas. Thanks Janis and Sue.

I’m watching my kids test. So many times the language is what trips them up. It’s sad. Everyone at grade level testing, no exceptions.

What I will do different now is really hit the types of questions. We are going to highlight key words on the reading practice pages. For example, when we see a MAIN IDEA question, we will highlight the words that say main idea or the synonyms of main idea. (You know how we have posters in class of all the key words in addition story problems/subtraction etc…)

We will make our own poster as we progress through the year for the key words of main idea, inference etc…. The test questions don’t always say exactly what is the main idea. So, as we read questions….we will sort the questions. Maybe I’ll even color code them, who knows. I already have highlighter velcroed on each table with all the Step Up to Writing colors.

When we see the author’s purpose words will highlight those. My thoughts are that it will be easier for kids to answer comp questions. When we do inferencing, I’ll explain that yo can go back a million times and the words are not back in the story. These are the tricky parts where you have to find the Sherlock Holmes clues and go back to your own life experience perhaps to find the answer. I found a great practice book that has stories with the questions labeled such as MAIN IDEA< INFERENCE etc…. This was helpful for them this year.

This year I had a mom tell me that her daughter recognized transitions at home reading non school material. The mom was impressed because comprehension is very low. We have highlighted transitions. So, I think the highlighting will be good. They love to highlight and interact with the text.

I’m thinking that I can break down some of the language barrier by using highlighters. We can do comprehension questions this way until they see that almost all those questions are the types on the Interactive Wall. When you know what kind of question the test maker asks, you can attack the question better. Some questions you go back and find the answer, others, you have to think to arrive at the solution. I think that to most of our kids, its all just one big blob. If I can show them that there is a pattern they should do better. I’ve done this some, but not good enough.

Sticky Notes

Would anyone of you be willing to share your ideas on how you
organize your sticky notes to monitor comprehension? As you may have read, I’m working on my comprehension program. Do you have them available at any time? Do you pass them out only for certain lessons?

Stephanie Harvey said in Strategies That Work,(p.189) that “Personal response to reading gives us a window into the students’ minds. We connect with their thinking when we know what’s going on for them as they read.” SO….I’m thinking for my post it note/sticky note part of my wall I might have a big window in a head or binoculars or something. I might have to get together with my last semester student teacher who is an artist to help .

Anyway, my question is, do you have any tips on utilizing/organizing post it notes? As you know I teach LD resource students. I was thinking I make a bunch of stickers from address labels that I can easily make on my computer. The labels would say things like:

I wonder…..
This is important because…
The picture in my head looks like……..
I’m stuck because………..
This reminds me of………

Do you have any favorite sticker starter ideas for me?
I might color code the stickers. Still brainstorming. One color maybe red if the student needs an I’m stuck, another color connections maybe green, because it goes back to experience.

I’d be careful not to overload here…. that’s an awful lot of verbiage (is this for now or for next year? it takes a mess of repetitions for this stuff to stick).

Some of our sticky notes/ highlighting topics (or ‘highlations’ as one of my students coined, blissfully unaware that he was coining a new word) were:

— new character! [describe or highlight]

— surprise or question

— change in setting

I really like yours…

Sue,

This is for next year. I already do a variation of this. It sounds like a lot yes. But, we won’t use every part every day.

For example, if we read a new story I’ll ask, “What is the genre of this story? Is is historical fiction, poetry, etc… When they give the correct answer, I’ll pick or point to the word genre and the word historical fiction. This way the kids will see the category of genre’s often. Plus, they will see that the piece of writing is in one of the categories. I might say, whoever is reading an AR book that is fiction, line up for lunch. I might point to the word fiction. The word genre shows up on our state test. If they don’t see this word written, they won’t recognize it. This is why I like this idea.

I use these words all day long. I’m just going to point to the words as often as I can. (not always of course)

This wall will take up the whole back wall of my portable.

I’ve ordered some poster of the pointillist artist of ebay. So, when we talk about Main Idea, and we are going over comprehension problems, I can refer to the poster as needed. Early in the year, it will be often, soon they won’t need the visuals as often. These are just movable posters that also have magnets on the back. I use them as I teach, then instead of putting them in the drawer, they will hang on the back wall to be used….as needed.

As you know, our kids need many exposures. Words sometimes glaze over them and they tune out. With this board, I can ask kids to go a word of the board. For active kids this is nice. For example, “In this story what is the author’s purpose for writing?………..(someone answers) Can someone go the author’s purpose PIE and get me the word persausive or persuade?

As they read they can use this interactive board when they find something for the monthly drawing to make my kids aware, like similis.

Certain days we will refer to the board, others no.

It will take quite a while to get through this and then it will lend itself to a nice review. We teachers use these words/ideas all the time, we just don’t always point to a visual. There’s a lot of state standards to cover. These are my state standards with visuals and/or words writtten out so I don’t just have to speak the words, if that makes sense.

I’ve got it all in my head, so I’m not sure I explained it all but I don’t think it will be overload. I must cover the state standards and don’t have a choice of what needs to be covered. If it gets to be too much visually, I’ll know and will modify. The board serves the purpose of review but also will gently remind me what I need to keep covering.

Thanks.

Michelle