Florida Reading Association Conference - "Boys Behaving Badly" a Hit!
This weekend was a BUSY one! I drove down to Orlando Friday night and presented "Boys Behaving Badly - A Model for Literacy Centers in Middle School" Saturday morning at the Wyndam. At the last minute, we decided it was a great opportunity to spend some quality time with the family, since I had to fly out of Orlando to Miami on Sunday - my husband could just drive the kids back Sunday afternoon (after swimming, Goofy Golf, Ben and Jerry's, and Gatorland all day Saturday). Monday, I present to the Homestead High feeder pattern for more English Vertical Teaming.
The FRA Conference experience was AWESOME! In my haste to get everything together and do a good job, I forgot to invite the teachers to the blog. Nor did I leave my email address (except to those who asked while I was throwing everything in a bag to get out of the way of the next presentation). Age is taking its toll! The room was filled, and everyone clapped. I figure that's good. Those of you who know me know how I need that positive reinforcement =0).
Here's the idea. My level one readers (for non-Florida folks, that's low) were very difficult to motivate. I approached the issue from a "top-down" mentality. Choose a title that's over their heads, Lord of the Flies, and design literacy centers with catchy names based on a common theme, Boys Behaving Badly; Disabilities, Diseases, and Other Labels that Make Us Crazy; Heroes and Zeroes, etc.
I enlisted the help of my friends at Barnes and Nobles (seriously, Kathy and Jim are like family to me now). We rounded up every teen, young adult, and picture book title that could fit the theme. We came up with The Outsiders, Touching Spirit Bear, Mr. Was, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, The Janitor's Boy, Surviving the Applewhites, Dear Mrs. LaRue, The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig, Two Bad Ants, No, David!, A Creature Was Stirring, The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash, and my favorite, Walter the Farting Dog.
For each title, I created a literacy center that focused on one element of reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary, and literature: sentence structure, organizational patterns, characterization, vocabulary in context, etc. You could use literacy centers as a culminating activity (I like to see if my students can apply what they know about subordinate clauses) or you can hit those "hard to teach" areas - main idea and author's purpose are ALWAYS big bears.
As I said at the conference (and what I say EVERYWHERE), teach UP! If the focus is tone, somehow infuse a higher concept for scaffolding (irony). In the case of Dear Mrs. LaRue, the participants were asked to use tone words and phrases (warden, hardship, and "barren wasteland") in a sentence before introducing the book. Using the tone of those words, the reader is EXPECTING a story that will have a dark tone. Dear Mrs. LaRue (ALL PARENTS MUST READ THIS BOOK TO THEIR CHILDREN!) is hardly what they anticipated, yet all of those words are used in the story - irony, irony, irony.
I took the teachers through the finer points of the Boys Behaving Badly model. For instance, don't be afraid to use a book as inspiration for non-fiction topics that will address the 'Reference and Research' skills (i.e. - Walter the Farting Dog INSPIRES research on the origins of flatulence!). High interest for all!
As I enter this post, I am genuinely sad that I did not invite those participants to the blog. I love to hear what teachers do with my ideas. I have always hated when a presenter leaves fabulous ideas and no follow-up. The most difficult factor for literacy centers (and teaching in general) is management. I have to move about the room continuously, and though it's a great opportunity to work one-on-one with students on particular skills, it's TIRING! I am nothing if not honest.
The FRA Conference experience was AWESOME! In my haste to get everything together and do a good job, I forgot to invite the teachers to the blog. Nor did I leave my email address (except to those who asked while I was throwing everything in a bag to get out of the way of the next presentation). Age is taking its toll! The room was filled, and everyone clapped. I figure that's good. Those of you who know me know how I need that positive reinforcement =0).
Here's the idea. My level one readers (for non-Florida folks, that's low) were very difficult to motivate. I approached the issue from a "top-down" mentality. Choose a title that's over their heads, Lord of the Flies, and design literacy centers with catchy names based on a common theme, Boys Behaving Badly; Disabilities, Diseases, and Other Labels that Make Us Crazy; Heroes and Zeroes, etc.
I enlisted the help of my friends at Barnes and Nobles (seriously, Kathy and Jim are like family to me now). We rounded up every teen, young adult, and picture book title that could fit the theme. We came up with The Outsiders, Touching Spirit Bear, Mr. Was, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, The Janitor's Boy, Surviving the Applewhites, Dear Mrs. LaRue, The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig, Two Bad Ants, No, David!, A Creature Was Stirring, The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash, and my favorite, Walter the Farting Dog.
For each title, I created a literacy center that focused on one element of reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary, and literature: sentence structure, organizational patterns, characterization, vocabulary in context, etc. You could use literacy centers as a culminating activity (I like to see if my students can apply what they know about subordinate clauses) or you can hit those "hard to teach" areas - main idea and author's purpose are ALWAYS big bears.
As I said at the conference (and what I say EVERYWHERE), teach UP! If the focus is tone, somehow infuse a higher concept for scaffolding (irony). In the case of Dear Mrs. LaRue, the participants were asked to use tone words and phrases (warden, hardship, and "barren wasteland") in a sentence before introducing the book. Using the tone of those words, the reader is EXPECTING a story that will have a dark tone. Dear Mrs. LaRue (ALL PARENTS MUST READ THIS BOOK TO THEIR CHILDREN!) is hardly what they anticipated, yet all of those words are used in the story - irony, irony, irony.
I took the teachers through the finer points of the Boys Behaving Badly model. For instance, don't be afraid to use a book as inspiration for non-fiction topics that will address the 'Reference and Research' skills (i.e. - Walter the Farting Dog INSPIRES research on the origins of flatulence!). High interest for all!
As I enter this post, I am genuinely sad that I did not invite those participants to the blog. I love to hear what teachers do with my ideas. I have always hated when a presenter leaves fabulous ideas and no follow-up. The most difficult factor for literacy centers (and teaching in general) is management. I have to move about the room continuously, and though it's a great opportunity to work one-on-one with students on particular skills, it's TIRING! I am nothing if not honest.
posted by Lynnie at 4:36 AM
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