Literacy+Coaches+Book+Study+-+Ellin+Keene+Book

//"To Understand: New Horizons in Reading Comprehension by Ellin Oliver Keene//
Please list discussion sessions held prior to the April 16th Coaching Workshop. Provide a summary of discussion. Each person should make one posting related to the reading conducted up to April 16th.

=Postings= Janet Donegan 4/13/09 Met 04/01/09 at FSEMS: D. Trainor, B. McCloskey, J. Donegan Discussion of **Chapters 1--3:** Discussed how we agreed with author's perspective of "we really do not teach for deeper understanding". We generally create tasks and assess students at a fairly basic level of understanding without a strong emphasis on developing intellectual cruiosity and rigor. Our students are doing well on what we expect them to do, but are our expectations high enough? Have State Standards, eligible content, and state testing influenced us in a way that we have limited rigor and higer level thinking? Great quote, "...believe all students are capable of understanding at a higher level" Charts for "What's Essential..." in Chapter 2 are an excellent resource. Reading Chapters 4-6 for April 16

Met with Janet, Dianna on 4/01/09 We discussed Chapters 1 - 3: To go along with the thought above: Pg. 11 4 Questions to ask to help focus while working with kids and teachers.
 * Bonnie McCloskey**
 * Ch. 1** - Understanding the Development of the Intellect and its chart on pg. 7 - to understand a concept: we need to remember, revise and reapply
 * Ch. 2** - Keene focuses on the three models for the book: Dimensions and Outcomes of Understanding, What's Essential for Literacy Learning and Literacy Studio. Pg. 24 -27, 32 - 35, 38 -39 Charts that spell out what the three models should like like for teachers and students.
 * Ch. 3** - This chapter focusd on The Literacy Studio - with a step by step "How to Craft a Successful Session." On pg. 66, the puzzles put it all together visually for me! She relates the concepts to life events both in and out of the classroom.
 * Ch. 4** - I focused on Fig. 4.1 and the three questions on page 95 - these are the "go beyond" the text thinking questions.
 * Ch. 5** - Literacy Essentials - MakingTime for What's Important, page 113 - Cognitive Strategies
 * Ch. 6** - A Renaissance of Understanding - Text and Genre - to take it deeper - page 147 - Genre Study Guidelines, small focus on page 150 -different Text Levels for Different Purposes, page 154 -Text is most readble when.....
 * Ch. 7** - Page 178 - Text Stucture Chart - This has PSSA language all over it! Pages 182 -189 should be on posters in all English classes.
 * Ch. 8** - Talking with children guidelines - these could be lessons for every day!
 * Ch. 9** - What Happens in Our Minds - this is crucial for deeper meaning,
 * //__Appendix A and B are awesome for all teachers to have in their daily plan book!__//**

Let's read The Daily 5 or Literacy Cafe next!

Chapter 2:**
 * Mary Teresa Maule Alft
 * "I believe that those of us who no longer work in a clasroom every day owe it to all the teachers who do to stay current and to synthesize research findings, particularly when numerous studies point to the same conclusions. I consider it a responsibility to read research and scholarly writing from a wide range of perspectives and to create models...that will help my classroom colleagues better understand patterns and trends in the research." I agree with Keene that I also need the benefit of the models developed from research to strengthen what I share. Reading and sharing professional literature is time well spent.
 * The //Outcomes of Understanding// and //Dimensions of Understanding// charts are so detailed and thoughtful, but I understand them better through Keene's anecdotes that are throughout the book.
 * Thought for New Teacher Meetings: What matters most for literacy learning: climate of rigor, inquirey & intimacy, cognitive strategies, text & genre, and text structures. I liked the concepts of instructional components that Keene describes in the Literacy Studio, as a way to have a schedule reflect depth of instruction, not just topic of instruction (crafting, composing, invitational groups, reflecting). "We need to move away from prescribing activities and groupings that may or may not meet students' needs, and move toward maximizing the time students have to be apprentices to more proficient readers and writers, to practice their skills and strategies, and to receive individualized guidance in their learning...to facilitate thought and in-depth understanding."
 * Chapter 3:**
 * The story of Kevin makes me wonder how can we foster his concentration and thinking, to develop understanding in classroom settings.
 * Great use the jigsaw graphic of the Elements of a Classroom Culture (Fig. 3.5 p. 66) with Tracy, Keene's representative new teacher.

Chapters 1-3: Discussed with Janet and Bonnie on 4/01. I felt like these three chapters were the author getting her thoughts together and taking us on her journey to writing the book.**
 * Dianna Trainor
 * Chapter 1 -** **I loved her discussion about what matters most in Literacy. "Teaching for deep levels of understanding dramatically increases the liklihood that children will retain and reapply what they learn." p.15 Isn't this idea what we have been talking about all year?

Chapter 2 - The charts were the meat of the chapter for me. Having the author talk about what these look like for both teachers and students is a great resource for teachers.

Chapter 3 - Is the beginning of the heart of the book. "If we want to give morethan lip service to the concept of highest expectations, we must consider ways to reshape, even subtly, out time and our interactions with students...We must do what may be the hardest of all- rethink what we believe is already working." p. 57 Figure 3.5 - Like the puzzle interpretation of the elements of the classroom. Made it so clear.**