#SOL18: Cookies
It began with a tweet.
And then my #OLW, “curious” surfaced.
What would a student response be?
Quirky, out of the box. Unexpected!
How about response #2?
And again, an unexpected answer!
Now, all in, I had to ask 3 more so I had an even 5.
Small data pool.
But yet, bigger than an N of 1.
Answer 1: “He will have to take the 98 burned cookies sprinkled in powdered sugar because Cameron’s friends and family ate the 185 good cookies!”
Answer 2: “If he promised to take 283 cookies, Cameron will go to the store and make 98 more cookies so he can take the cookies he promised.”
Answer 3: “Cameron wanted to make sure the cookies were good, so he ate four. Then he could only fit 135 cookies into his container. He took 135 cookies to the cookie swap and left the rest for his brother.”
Answer 4: “Cameron will be so embarrassed that he burnt the cookies that he will not go to the cookie swap. He won’t be taking any cookies.”
Answer 5: “Cameron was taking the 185 cookies that were fine to the cookie swap. Along the way, he met a man who was hungry so he gave the man five cookies. Then he met his friend Albert who was not going to the cookie swap because he didn’t have any cookies. Cameron gave him 80 cookies. Cameron took the 100 he had left.
Thinking?
Reasoning?
If any of these students “chose” a multiple choice answer and filled in the bubble, would we have known WHY they missed the answer?
100% accurate according to the stories. Hmmm. When a wrong answer is a RIGHT answer!
Thank you, Betsy, Beth, Deb, Kathleen, Kelsey, Lanny, Melanie, and Stacey for this weekly forum from Two Writing Teachers. Check out the writers, readers and teachers here.
#SOL18: Why?
My #OLW stood me in great steed this weekend at #ILA18.
So much to see . . .
So much to do . . .
So much to learn . . .
But What’s the Point?
Back in the Dark Ages,
In the late 2oth Century!
I remember the value placed on
Whole-Part-Whole in education.
The goal was always LEARNING!
The intent was for ALL to be LEARNING!
Students
Teachers
ALL!
After #ILA18 I feel that many empowered teachers have been set free in the universe to “change the world” and continue learning. We haven’t learned it all. There is a real need to continue to grow and build our knowledge base.
And that brings me to one of my Sunday sessions. We were learning about the Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts (4th edition) under the leadership of Diane Lapp and Douglas Fisher. It has 18 chapters. Chapters that could be used in schools for professional development.
18 Must Reads.
18 Invitational Conversations.
Exploring the tight connections between research and best supported practice that promotes literacy for every learner.
This was not a book available to purchase in the Exhibit Hall.
But could it? Dare it be a lens to consider best practices? A lens to consider What? How? or even WHY we do what we do in instruction?
In its entirety this is one side of a handout from a round table at that session . . .
Chapter 16
8 Essential Components of Comprehensive Language Arts Instruction.
Any surprises for you?
As I reviewed the list, I found it quite interesting that this list of components included nine, or exactly half of the chapters. Curiosity, of course, won out. What on earth could the other nine chapters be about if this is “the list of components for instruction” and if THIS is the book for teachers to study.
So I was off researching.
In a classroom, I would have been in major trouble because I was on my computer and might have appeared to NOT be on task. But I was in search of more information. What is the other half of this book about? This book we should study? This book we should use? This 499 page book!
This post is titled “Why?” not to just allow me to pose my own questions but also to perhaps begin to develop some of my own theories. Why these eight components? Why do two of the eight (25%) not have chapter resources supporting them?
WHY?
What are the “Whys?” that are circling in your brain?
What format will the chapter take?
Will there be recommendations of “amounts of time” per component?
Will there be “recommendations of additional resources”?
Were any teachers involved in updating this handbook?
Is there any support for how to put these 8 components into action?
Or how to “know” when the components are all aligned?
Will this text continue to treat each component as a separate silo? What about the reciprocity of reading and writing? How will we grow readers and writers?
Why this text now?
What’s so compelling about this text, right now, that this book should be a part of a district’s professional development?
It was a pleasure to hear much rich conversation around real reading and writing at #ILA18. Real, rich, robust reading that is NOT about single standard instruction or assessment. It’s actually quite refreshing to go back to the “Whole” of language arts instruction in reading, writing, speaking and listening that moves stedents to take action in the real world.
Doing school must end. It’s time to capitalize on any instruction that promotes high learning and engagement that challenges students without mind-numbing page after page of annotation, Cornell notes, and skills-based minute particles that can easily be googled. Why do adults think these decisions can be made without broader input from our communities?
If the whole is our entire language arts program
and the part is the eight components,
what “WHY?s” will you need answered before you can implement these 8 components?
Thank you, Betsy, Beth, Deb, Kathleen, Kelsey, Lanny, Melanie, and Stacey for this weekly forum. Check out the writers, readers and teachers here. 
#SOL18: Goals
Yesterday was the intersection of my #OLW: Curious and my reading goal of 52 books for the year. One per week. Paralleling a student goal of 40 books during the year.
How does Goodreads summarize my reading?
So how am I doing?
We are in the ninth week of the year and I’ve read 18 books so I have a good lead on the year. Never having set a “books read per year goal”, I have no clue what is realistic.
What’s in the future?
March is #SOLSC.
March is blogging daily.
Reading and writing daily.
Both with public goals.
How do I feel about my progress in 2018?
I’m pleased that only 1 / 3 books are professional books. That’s better than I had anticipated. Here’s a look at the professional books.
What’s their focus?
Literacy,
Reading,
Reading,
Reading,
Writing,
Writing,
Writing
Looks like a pattern or two. I must admit that not all of the books are first reads; in fact, five are rereads. A few more quotes collected for PD work. A bit more solid foundation and many, many more post its and tabs to mark my place. Five are also signed by the authors. That means they reside on a special shelf of honor (when shelved) and are treated royally. Not allowed to be stacked on the carpet or the table. Gentle, loving treatment! Books displayed preferentially!
What’s different about 2018?
I joined a book club group. There are 192 strong of us from across the country. One title came from a student’s blog recommendation. I had to “guess” what the solution to the mystery would be (Alibi) and so I had to buy the book. But 1 / 3 of the books came from watching what others were reading, checking out the recommendations and reading the reviews on Goodreads and Amazon.
What’s your process for choosing a book? Is it the same as the one you teach students?
What’s your goal? What’s the goal for your students?
Should you meet or exceed their goal?
Thank you, Betsy, Beth, Deb, Kathleen, Lanny, Melanie, and Stacey for this weekly forum. Check out the writers, readers and teachers here.
Note:
Personal goal setting.
No prizes, no trinkets, no stickers.
No points.
No quizes.
No book reports.
Yes, some comments on Goodreads or back to the book club members to respond to questions.
No dioramas, no art work, no projects.
Accountability to myself.
Some accountability to my #G2Great team and chat authors.
Public sharing of my choice – my selection, my format, my idea.
Resource - Full 