Online Learning: May Not Yet Be What We Think

   There's an intriguing article in Education Week this week that tells of studies in Colorado and Minnesota, describing how students who complete all their studies online are not keeping pace with traditional classrooms. Who knew? I had assumed that already flesh-and-blood teachers would be running a fast race against online learning -- after all, look at the way our children take to online games, both educational and recreational. The article also reports there's even some question as to the financial incentives some of these online schools have. (Now that I had always suspected.)
    But of course there are huge advantages to online learning -- most importantly, its ability to individualize --and I think such companies just haven't discovered what they can do and what we traditional teachers can't do (given the numbers of children in any classroom). How often we've wanted some great program that will take our most struggling students -- or our brightest -- and let them soar...

You Can Now Download Early Readers...

You can now download my early readers (CADERS), at least the last few postings. I am presently designing a website where you'll be able to download all 80+ beginning readers I have. More are being created each week. Instructions for how to create the 8-page booklets are at the end of each posting. And be sure to refer back to November 14, 2010 for explanation of these booklets.

Please do remember -- these are posted for families and communities. They are not for other websites, to earn $, or anything other than to for single copies with your children (or class sets with your students). Enjoy!

CADERS (Early Readers): Can a Cliff Sniff? (for studying blends)

                     Can a Cliff Sniff?

This 8-page story practices blends, as posting 21 and 22 included, but it doesn't use digraphs. Don't forget to play with the vocabulary. And definitely, definitely, much of the fun of these stories is in how the children use them -- drawing illustrations on their copies, creating skits off of each page.

As always, check back with November 14, 2010, if you need to see more about these CADERS readers.

Directions for creating this 8-page booklet:
1. Click on story title above, then on link that opens under it.
2. Run off story that opens. (If your printer prints double-sided, print only on one side.)
3. Take every other page and turn it upside down. All pages will still face upwards, but every other one will be upside down.
4. Run in copier, double-sided.
5. Fold in middle. Result is 8-page booklet, using only two sheets of paper.
6. If making more than one copy, set copier to "sort."

CADERS (Early Readers): Trick a Tick (for studying blends, digraphs)

              Trick a Tick

As with the last story posting, this 8-page story is for blends but also includes many digraphs (ch, sh, th, th). It also has some good vocabulary worth discussion with your child.

And, as always, check back on November 14th posting for last year to read an explanation for these CADERS readers postings. (You may still sometimes find them listed under "Berenson Books," but as they were part of a larger program, having two names became much too confusing -- at least for me!)

Directions for creating this 8-page booklet:

1. Click on story title above, then on link that opens under it.

2. Run off story that opens. (If your printer prints double-sided, print only on one side.)

3. Take every other page and turn it upside down. All pages will still face upwards, but every other one will be upside down.

4. Run in copier, double-sided.

5. Fold in middle. Result is 8-page booklet, using only two sheets of paper.

6. If making more than one copy, set copier to "sort."

CADERS (Early Readers): You Are Pink (for studying blends)

           You Are Pink

This 8-page story is for children learning blends (sl, st, nd, etc):

    

Directions for creating this 8-page booklet:

1. Click on story title above, then on link that opens under it.

2. Run off story that opens. (If your printer prints double-sided, print only on one side.)

3. Take every other page and turn it upside down. All pages will still face upwards, but every other one will be upside down.

4. Run in copier, double-sided.

5. Fold in middle. Result is 8-page booklet, using only two sheets of paper.

6. If making more than one copy, set copier to "sort."

Pam Allyn and Reading

On 11/12/11, Pam Allyn in Huffington Post asks that students spend a far greater time of the school day reading. Her analogy -- what if a soccer player spent much of her practice time talking about playing? -- is appropriate. I often tell my students I've yet to see a student read a lot (and read widely, not simply one category) and not be a good reader. (I also tell them there are some strong readers who seldom read but who are fluent readers, though this is far less common.) True, there are deeper levels of understanding that should be addressed, but just as the coach gathers around his players and discusses better strategies after his team has been on the team, a teacher can discuss strategies, hidden meaning, etc after the students have delved into their stories.

We just finished up a book fair at our school, and teachers and I agonized when we saw children leaving the library -- a library filled with delightful books to purchase -- only carrying out the toys and novelties they bought. (One such group came to my reading classroom, proud not one of them purchased a book).

Yes, our children need to read. And enter new worlds. And delight.

Another Awful, Awful Bullying Result

And again, we read of a child, ten-year old Ashlynn Conner, who could not take the bullying at her school and ended her life.

Parents, please talk to your children. Find out if they feel threatened -- by anyone, anything. Let them know their rough days will pass; they always do.

And investigate.

Our kids need us.

CADERS (Early Readers): Grouch (for studying ou/ow, silent e, digraphs)

           Grouch

This 8-page story, Grouch, practices the ou and ow sounds. It also includes silent e and digraphs. And don't forget new vocabulary words that are introduced.

(Be sure to look back at my posting last year on November 14th for a full description of CADERS readers.)

    

Directions for creating this 8-page booklet:

1. Click on story title above, then on link that opens under it.

2. Run off story that opens. (If your printer prints double-sided, print only on one side.)

3. Take every other page and turn it upside down. All pages will still face upwards, but every other one will be upside down.

4. Run in copier, double-sided.

5. Fold in middle. Result is 8-page booklet, using only two sheets of paper.

6. If making more than one copy, set copier to "sort."

Bk: The Hunger Games Series

Suzanne Collins definitely has some of my students reading, and I thank her for that. I've only read the first two in her Hunger Game series. I found the first one excellent for my older readers. The second one was more difficult to get involved in, but I think it is because she is somewhat awkward in how she covers backstory. Once that was over, though, the story picked up pace. Unlike Horowitz's books, though, Collins apparently reworks the same theme and format with each Hunger Games. This may keep my students enthralled, but I think I'll pass on the last of the series.

A New Take On Same-Sex Schools for Girls

Ok, we learn something new every day, don't we? The online magazine Slate recently posted that, contrary to recent studies, girls really do not do better in same-sex high schools, and they have a peer-reviewed article in Science to prove it. Now having taught in a high school, and having struggled to get my many of my girls to add (anything!) to the conversation (rather than keeping their hands folded in their laps) while the boys in the room couldn't keep their hands down, I had every reason to believe those "other" studies. But I should argue with Science? I think not. Time to reread that article and see what I did wrong with those high school girls...