rereading did not work but reading circle success

I did the rereading of the book for new vocabulary (from Primary Snapshots videos) and fell flat on the second reading. The kids were bored with the story so I improvised right away by having them call the word out loud when they heard me read it. That got their attention. These were kindergarten kids. All of those videos that show kids sitting quiet and listening may work at that school for that teacher but not for me or my kids. One reason - I reflected on - is that the kids expect me to read in a noisy way. They are use to my animated book readings and their ability to interact. So if I continue to read for new vocabulary I will have to keep with the program and have them involved.
I loved the literature circle video but knowing there were so many gaps in how to get to what the teacher did for the video I showed my students the teacher centered/guided clip first so they knew my expectations. It seems to have worked! Sitting in with the groups and listening to them discuss the graphic novels they are reading (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz or The Storm in the Barn or Amulet 1: The Stonekeeper). The language and the depth of thinking about the novel sis not there but they are listening to each other and discussing the book. They have ideas and thoughts about what is happening in their novel and they are discussing it. I need to pose an example of thinking deeper, questioning, visualizing and connecting so they can get deeper into the book. These students have no Adrienne Gear learning so I will start to incorporate this into the lessons before their discussion. Visualizing will be the first and only for this novel. My reasoning is because the "gutters" between the frames lends to visualizing. I think this is like reading between the lines in a text written novel. I do not want to overwhelm them so one Gear per novel, with the encouragement to continue to use the Gear's learnt, is enough metacognition.

Reading a picture book to primaries for vocabulary

I did my first reading of a picture book today "Arnold's Apple Tree" for two kindergarten classes. The words rustle, bud, blossom, drift were my focus for new vocabulary words. I found myself thinking about other words after or eve while I was reading (eg. company) so I included them. That was not good I reaized after. The purpose was to talk about the seasons and the changes in plants. I got caught up in the moment though when I suddenly realized there were other new words for the kids but they were not about seasons and plants. Next time I will stick with my focus. Too many words and it was too much for the kids to handle. So I will be rereading the book 2 more times and I will focus on the orginal four words (they are up on the alphabet word wall). The kids liked the gestures for drifting and rustle. I think they can even distimguish between a blossom and a bud too. I will find out next week when I see them again!
This was fun though:)

polished Webcasts

Watching Snapshots of Effective Practices Primary Literacy Clips makes me wonder about who is left out of the filming. Are the Webcasts teaching use wonderful things that are really only practical in the digitally imagined world. I know the purpose of the videos are to help teachers learn new methods of teaching and reaching out to our students but I wonder at the practicality of the lessons. I don't know of many classrooms were there are not management problems going on. I don't see those kinds of challenges happening in the videos. The kids are so ideal. They ask just the right questions and even when they conference with their parents they are like little professionals themselves. Seeing videos like this make me feel like a failure. How can I do this for my kids? I try but when someone gets off task or has to use the bathroom or is missing mom because she is undergoing cancer treatment in Vancouver or??? How do I do it all. I know it is the beginning of the school year and the early primaries will take time to settle but I am still in awe of the perfect setting in every clip.
Then I think of the reading Critical Media Literacy in Middle School: Exploring the Politics of Representation by Jesse S. Gainer and his surprise at how his students really acted in front of the camera. Thinking about his revelation makes me appreciate the risk he took in the project he gave to his students. I wonder if his students learned more in the end from what happened after they made their own videos that were suppose to show how they really think they act without being stereotyped but end up stereotyping themselves anyway. When we (teachers) video ourselves to teach others I think we often remove the "interferring factors". We are suppose to be showing how it worksin a classroom setting but in the end we don't want anyone to see the distractions from the webcast lesson. So then I wonder, if all of these webcasts are so rehearsed are the kids just programmed. Are they really learnig? Can these kids make mistakes and learn more from making those mistakes?
Just taking a reality check.

This one is about URLs

It always drives me nuts when I can't find an article listed in our readings. I started to wonder how my instructor found the article. What database was used? STOR? Academic Research? Then I wondered if this information should start getting included in bibliographies. I know I found a paper one time for a course, I did my bibliography with the date I found it and then my instructor could not find it later. Niether could I! So would it help to note the persistant URL and the database were the article was found?
Just wondering...

Not Plugged in

Yep. I could have deleted this and maybe I should but ... I am laughing at myself. My techy principal came in to help me and unwrapped to cord asking "Would you lke me to try plugging this in?" I could have died. We had a great time laughing about it since. So I admit it. I did not plug it in. I have learnt from this mistake. I guess I got too caught up in wonding if I could get it all to work.
So I did a Mo Williams website talk for his books. The primaries (K to 2) loved it! They want to take out his books and his website info was taken home so they can play the "Fun!" stuff. I put on a short movie promo trailer for "The Littles" and the books went out. Roland Smith has a neat website. I only intended to show "Peak" and "Elephant Run" but the kids were interested in the video with wolves too. Now I have to get more Roland Smith books in too.
I have decided to make slips of paper with the websites or blog sites I show for kids to take and staple in their planners. Teachers that came in for my book talk and book exchanges were also excited about the sites I was showing.
I also started my Lit Circle groups using the ideas from module 4's Ontario webcast. I typed out the notes shown in the webcast videos and allowed my students to view the teacher lead lit circle talks. I hope that this is a good place to start from. I will review what we watched last class and hand out the 6 important points for honouring our lit circle talks. I hope to have set a strong guideline for respectful behaviour. This group I am doing lit circles with is very offtask. There are 20 kids - 3 or 4 kids to a group and 6 groups. There are 3 graphic novels we are studying so two groups have the same novel but different members. The books are: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Storm in the Barn, and Amulet Book One.

Trying to get the projector working

I spent the afternoon yesterday trying to get a projector to work in my library. I want to show videos I have found on the internet that promote new released books or have book talks by authors or to show TumbleReaders to primary kids.
I have a projector screen mounted in place from last year so it determines where I project the images. It is also in the best place in the library. Because of the distance from where the projector must sit it is a distance of about 8 feet to the nearest computer. (A circle station of 6 computers.) I went out and purchased a 15 feet long DB9 plug and 12 meter long 3mm plug for audio. (I learnt these name from the London Drugs and Future Shop computer people. I took the two pictures I have included in this blog with me on my camera.) So I got back to the school and realized I need the video information from the hard drive to go to the monitor and the projector. So back I went to the computer store but with no success. I need a specialty store. I guess what I really need is our techy. That could take 2 weeks though. I will also show my principal as he is pretty techy about these things. I am just frustrated because I want to get started with promote new released books and have book talks by authors and to show TumbleReaders!
Now I am thinking ... with the limitations I have with access to technology in my library, how can I teach multiliteracies. I am forced to think about what multiliteracies is. Are?
I will ask for a techy today (for both schools, as the problem is the same at both) and move on to Lit circles. I am doing this with one class (grade 3). I watched the fourth module last night and it had interesting information on teaching lit circles. I am going to do mine with graphic novels that I know these kids are interested in. I will let you know how this goes.

Movong on.

putting together images and text

I have just been watching New Learning: transformational design for pedagogy and assessment. (2011). Expanding the scope of literacy pedagogy. Considering multiliteracies 1.1
http://newlearningonline.com/multiliteracies/videos/#CM

I had to stop it and write this because I now realize that it is any text and image together that is multiliteracy! So, yes, graphic novels are multiliteracy. If I show a youtube video or a book talk video from an author's website or a promotional video online for the release of a new novel -- this is all multiliteracy.
The text can be verbal too. So if I Skype of Voice thread is this multiliteracy? I think so. See I was thinking that multiliteracy was digital literacy.
I will watch the rest of this now and let it settle in my thoughts.

Wanting to do more with digital

Anyone looking up new literacies will see this video but I wanted to keep it somewhere. It reminds me of where things are at in one school I work at. Even with some new teachers, they are restricted with what they can do because of our bandwidth or old technology. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs2YPGTEWGU
I can't add the video from YouTube. So you will have to copy and paste in Google search.
This video will remind me to change and adapt. Keep learning. Be curious!