Juli Kendall's Weekly
Reading/Writing Workshop Journal
A MiddleWeb Listserv Project
Members of the MiddleWeb Discussion List and other interested teachers
are joining together to explore the Writing Workshop and other ideas about
supporting young adolescent writers and readers. Juli Kendall, a reading-writing
teacher/coach in Long Beach, California, is helping moderate the discussion.
Juli also posts a weekly journal entry from her reading/writing classroom.
This year, Juli will focus on her efforts to integrate subject matter into
her reading and writing workshop approach. In her first
journal of the year, she explains the rationale behind this move and
some of her thinking about how she hopes to accomplish this goal.
Find out more about our project at our Reading/Writing
Workshop homepage. You'll find Juli's background article here.
Links to many of the tools created by Juli and her colleagues are embedded
in these journals. Most often, when you click on them, a PDF file will begin
to download. You'll find a list of the downloads here.
If you'd like to join the daily discussion that parallels Juli's Journals,
find out how here.
2003-04 Reading/Writing
Workshop Journal
Week #31
So How Did I Do at Teaching Reading This Year?
Reading the book, Do
I Really Have to Teach Reading? by Cris Tovani, you get the feeling
that teachers are no more than cardboard cutouts until they take on the
challenges of teaching adolescents to become better readers. This I understand.
O.K., I do it with 11 and 12 year olds at risk of retention. Many are English
Language Learners. I have lots of support and resources. And I never go
anywhere without a pile of wonderful books. My students insist on it. "You'll
hurt your back," my friends warn. But how's a teacher supposed to be
able to teach reading and writing without a pile of books?
This adventure in adolescent literacy was not quite as I'd dreamed. Before
I taught adolescents to read, I'd spend hours admiring my ability to get
kindergarten, first, and second graders to read and write. But after I arrived
in middle school, the landscape changed. I had a few things to figure out.
After six weeks of "getting started," an eight grader asked me,
"You used to teach kindergarten, didn't you?"
Not a pat on the back. Not a "You're doing a good job." Just some
suggestions about my teaching. I was tempted to ask, "Do you give points
for trying?"
So how did I do at teaching reading this year? To get a clear idea, kids
are doing final retellings of informational text to see how much their understanding
and comprehension has grown during our year of content literacy. Journal
#4, "Using Retelling to Check for Comprehension of Informational
Text," explains why I chose retelling to evaluate our progress.
During this year we'll do retellings periodically to check for
comprehension of informational text. I want to find out when things click
for them and when they don't quite understand. In order to choose "next
steps" for instruction and make teaching decisions, I'll follow the
progress on retelling for seven students.
Then in the middle of the year, we did another retelling to check our progress.
Journal #14, "Our Mid-Year Retelling Activity:
Checking for Comprehension" talks about how "informational text
is particularly challenging to retell. There usually isn't a strong plot
line, so the retelling focuses on the main ideas and details."
Now for our end of the year retelling. It is based on a selection adapted
from Scott, Foreman Science, Grade 5, (1984, p. 289).
Laser Light
Scientists have found a new kind of light. This light is called laser light.
Lasers are being use in medicine, industry, and science research.
How is laser light different from other kinds of light? White light actually
contains all the colors of the rainbow. And the "red" light in
a traffic signal contains red light of many different wavelengths. But the
waves of laser light are all the same wavelength. So the light from a laser
is one pure color. Another difference between laser light and other light
is that a laser makes a thin beam of light that travels only in one direction.
Finally, the waves of laser light are all lined up. Because the waves of
laser light are the same length, travel in one direction, and all line up,
a beam of laser light can be very powerful. A laser beam can even drill
holes in metal. A lens focuses the laser beam to hit the point where the
hole is to be drilled.
Laser light is useful in many ways. Laser beams can be used to carry radio
and telephone messages. Lasers can even prevent some people from going blind.
A person's eye is often damaged in an accident. Doctors used laser beams
to reattach the retina. Lasers can be used to burn out tumors without a
lot of bleeding. Lasers are also used to cut cloth for clothes. Every year
new uses for laser light are being discovered. This new light in our life
will continue to help us in many ways.
I'm using the "Retelling
Rubric for Informational Text" to measure growth. As I analyze
the retellings, I keep in mind what I wrote in Journal
#4.
"One thing that's tricky about scoring retellings is that
conventions and grammar do not enter into the score . Yes, you want
them to do their best work and use their best grammar, spelling, etc. But
what's important here is their comprehension of the text. It takes a while
to learn how to read retellings with your focus on the content -- setting
the rest aside. But it gives tons of information about how and what kids
comprehend in text. It's fascinating because you can follow the trails of
their thinking."
Initially, Daniel, Juan, and Viviana scored a "1" on their
retellings. Comparing their most recent retellings to their first ones,
it's easy to see their progress.
Daniel
This time Daniel's retelling scored a "2." He demonstrated a partial
understanding of the text. He included some details and utilized key vocabulary
(laser light, message, radio, telephone, blind, burn). It also included
a few inaccuracies.
September Retelling (1)
"This story is about people who save the wild birds from a oil spill."
June Retelling (2)
"The laser light is like a tool it can be use for drilling holes in
meto. It can be use for cuteining cloth from close this laser is use with
doctor to see inside their moth it can to to message in radio and on telephone
this is a very very very very dangrees it can blind you if you point in
their eye this is a laser that can do stuff to thing and you. It can burn
through your skin and make it bleed with just a small laser this is a strong
laser then."
Juan
Juan's first retelling was primarily copied. This time he scored a "2,"
although he depended heavily on Rin for assistance with the writing.
He demonstrated a partial understanding of the texts, randomly restating
facts and concepts. He also utilized key vocabulary (laser light, rainbow
light, scientist laser beam, messages, reattach, retina).
September Retelling (1)
"The beautiful bay with it's shores was a favorite resting place for
many wild water birds. One day ship spilled oil over the water in the bay.
Bob and Gary and pernets made a newscater on televisision asking to help
clean off oil off the birds"
June Retelling (2)
"Scntists have found a new light that's cool it's called laser light.
The laser can damaged person's eye and mealt. Did you know laser is like
a rainbow light. Scientist Laser beam been used to carry radio and telphone
messages. Doctor use laser beam to reattach the retina Did you know that?
The laser can kill you."
Viviana
Vivana really showed growth in her retelling. This time she scored a "2+".
She demonstrated an understanding of the text, using supporting details
from the text in her own words. She used signal words to indicate sequence.
She utilized key vocabulary (laser light, industry, science, rainbow, blind).
September Retelling (1)
"one day there was some duck that was hungry and some kids where pasing
by and saw the duck that was hungry so they whent to a store and cave the
duck some food. There was a big garbage full of soil the soild fall down
and mde a big mess at the grownd and some body from the tv said that the
ones that do it need to clean it."
June Retelling (2+)
"First, some people needed to find new kind of light. The light is
called a laser light. They have been use for medicen and industry for the
science to reach.
Next, lasers are different than lights the light actually maches with other
colors of the rainbow
Then, laser light is use many ways like the telephone raidio and for the
meseches of the telephone. Sometimes it helps the people when they are blind.
Lasers are also use for clothes if they are new or old.
Finally, the light could be our life so that it could be continew for lots
and lots more things."
In September, Loren, Jeannie, and Rin scored a "2" on the retelling
rubric. Over the year's time, all three of them made significant progress
on retelling informational text.
Loren
Loren's retelling scored a 3-. She showed progress in explaining the
main ideas and supporting details from the text in her own words. She organized
the information using an appropriate text structure. She also utilized key
vocabulary (scientists, laser light, rainbow, wavelength, blind).
September Retelling (2)
"First, their was a buitiful bay.
Next, a ship came by and throw soil.
Then, the soil was sticky and black
Finally a women went to clean the water."
June Retelling (3-)
"First, scientists have found a new kind of light. The light is call
laser light. Laser light can be in mdicen, and sientist reacher.
Then, Laser light is different than the other laser. The color white actually
cantain all the color of the rainbow.
Next, all th laser light are all the same wavelength. The laser light are
the same legth. Laser light can be powerful.
Finally, laser can make you blind. Laser can burn your clothes. The new
laser can conitune to help us in many ways. Laser light is useful in many
ways. With laser we can cary radio or telephone.
Jeannie
Jeannie made remarkable progress in her ability to retell informational
text. Her retelling scored a "4-". She accurately retold important
concepts from the text in her own words. She utilized key vocabulary (laser
lights, doctors, laser beams, reattach, retina, pain, bleeding, rainbow,
message, melt, metal, medicine, industry, science research). She is beginning
to synthesize concepts from the text, using textual evidence and prior knowledge
to draw inferences.
September Retelling (2)
"Today is a beautiful day for brid to rest in a place to lay eggs,
brid came to one of the people that live next to beach and one day a ship
spilled black oil and the bird got stuck and the feather got stuck to. One
of the bird land on the sand and people that live next to the beach came
and look at the bird. One day the family (the family save the bird) call
everyone to help the birds."
June Retelling (4-)
"The laser lights can help us in many ways. Doctors use the lasers
beams to reattach the retina. Laser is also use for pain and it can make
it stop bleeding. Laser can make people eye. A laser that can cut things
is also good for cutting cloths to make clothes. If the lights white it
actually stand for all the color of the rain bow. Laser Beams can be used
to carry things, like radio and telephone message. Also the laser can continue
to help us in many, many ways. Lasers can be very powerful. Also lasers
can melt through, drill holes in metal. Laser can use for medicine, industry,
and science research. Laser can be all different can of color. Laser can
use for school, at work."
Rin
Rin did the most original retelling. He scored a "3-". He
explained the main ideas and supporting details from the text in his own
words. He also utilized key vocabulary (science, laser, rainbow, laser light,
rainbow, scientist, medicine, industry, science research).
September Retelling (2)
"The duck got oil on their fether and newcast was talking about the
duck and a lot of people came to see the duck and clean the duck with gasoline
or soap water but the news cast said you must clean them with salad oil
and corn meal and they will be clean."
June Retelling (3-)
"Science said laser is like a rainbow that cool. Sciene said
it's like a driller but can go throw anything. Scientist have found new
kind of light it call laser light that cool they should called it rainbow
laser light. Scientist Laser ben use in medicine, industry, and science
research.
Did you know laser beam can use as radio, telephone in may way use it to
carry. Science laser are different from other light And laser light are
red because it can contain red light of many different wavelength.
Did you know scientist new light in our life will continue to help us in
many many way that is so cool."
SEE Juli's new Resource List for Teaching
Content Literacy
Read next week's journal
Read last week's journal
Read Juli's backgrounder about her work
Back to Juli's journal index
Back to the Writing/Reading Workshop Index Page