School Talk: Record Keeping

I think that no two classes/teachers will ever have the exact same record keeping model. We all have to figure out what works best for us. I learned last year that what I was doing wasn't very practical, and I have developed a new system this summer that incorporates both some of my old methods and some new methods that I have learned. It may work, and it may not work, but I won't know until I test the waters. Effective record keeping is so important in so many ways...we have to be able to keep track of where our students are and what we can do for them. We need to be able to show and label their growth. We have to be able to share with them, their parents, and other teachers/administrators what they are doing in their academic life. We are often called on to present data in cases of SAT or IEP meetings. One thing I did do and will continue to do is always make my notes and observations available to students. I keep my notes on each child in the same notebook as their notes, published works, etc. It is all in one location that can be accessed by me and the student. Allowing students to read and hear my language and understand what I am thinking gives them some ownership over their own educational plan. They have so much insight to offer about themselves, and talking about their reading and writing lives together helps them grow as learners. I find kidwatching to be extremely valuable. In college we were required to complete a VERY extensive kidwatching project on one student. It opened my eyes to the possibilities of sheer observation and note taking. It is a daunting task when you have a classroom full of children and not just one, but it is a task that is worthwhile. A sentence or two a day on a specific notice or observation can go a long way in monitoring progress and guiding instruction.

Reading Aloud - Katie Wood Ray

I love this book, and I think this chapter was fabulous, inspiring, encouraging, and full of great ideas. I wholeheartedly believe in the value of read alouds, and I think Katie Wood Ray does an excellent job of expressing their importance. On page 67, she says "read-aloud time diminishes...in classrooms where most students are reading independently." I find this to be true; time is always such an issue! I believe we need to be truly purposeful in incorporating many read alouds into our school day. I am the type of reader who gets completely lost in a book. I become one of the characters and live in the setting of the book. When a really good book is over, I am sad! Reading is such a huge part of my life, and I enjoy it so very much. I want to be the type of teacher that creates that kind of love for reading in my students. Reading and hearing literature does so much for students' writing lives. Through the Midlands Writing Project I was a part of in June, I learned to view my life through my "writer's eyes." I think that we can get all students to do this very same thing when we give them ample reading and listening experiences. It is also very important for students to practice reading aloud. When they own it, they can see the true value in it. The spoken word is just as important as the written or read. I am also learning that it is okay to read only part of a book - sometimes finishing it later and sometimes not. The importance is exposing the students to and immersing the students in the language. We don't want them to get overwhelmed, bogged down, or uninterested in the text. It's okay to break it up into manageable and exciting chunks.