Farewell

You are ready to reach for the stars now and I wish you all the best of luck! Please continue to use the class resource pages: Reading Links
Enjoy the summer! Sue

After Class Twelve

For our last class we will be in room EDB 8620F (opposite the CET), meeting from 1:00 - 4:30 p.m. Please bring two or three of your best ideas for teaching reading to share with the class for our Literacy Fair.
Christine F. also had the great suggestion of everyone bringing a snack.
After all your hard work this semester, I think you need a few laughs. Teaching rule #1 : Always keep your sense of humour handy! (Feel free to post your own jokes!)

After Class Eleven

"The Zoo" by Prajita S., age 10, West Bengal, India. (This is a wonderful website for children's art: Natural Child.com )
We are in room EDB 7610 for the next class, meeting from 1:30- 4:30. (Can anyone play the piano?)
Also, if you are interested in seeing previous 473 classes' lesson presentations, here are the links: 2005-1 2005-2 2005-3 2006a and 2006b. Lots of good ideas here!
Lastly, I've been getting some questions about the Portfolio. Here are the criteria again: I will be looking at the progress or changes you have made from the original three assignments to the revised assignments. Please submit your original assignments (A.1, A.2 and A.3), the revised version of each assignment and a rationale for each assignment. (If you submitted the original assignments via e-mail, you do not need to resend.) The revised assignments should consider the feedback. Each rationale should discuss the changes you made and why, what you learned, what the writing process was like for you, how you might use it in your classroom, etc. If you decide not to make any changes in the revised assignments, please discuss your reasons in the rationale. I'm looking for a minimum of two paragraphs of discussion in the rationale. I would like you to demonstrate an awareness of how the revisions helped you to advance your understanding of the material and/or the process of writing.
Enjoy the weekend!

After Class 10

Hope everyone is feeling much more comfortable now!
Just to let you know, I will continue to post information related to our class on the blog. Your postings are optional from this point onward.
**Reminder: the blog entries/reading logs are due next week, Wed., July 18. Please e-mail them to me or bring a paper copy to class.
Also, the Portfolios will be due in two weeks, on Wed., July 25. I will try to return your third assignment, related to the short stories, as soon as I can so you will have time to consider the feedback.
Lastly, we will meet in the same room next week, EDB 8651, at 1 pm.
Stay cool!

After Class Nine

This is our last blog entry! :( I've truly enjoyed reading your comments. You will have two weeks to edit or catch up on your postings. Please e-mail one document to me with all your dated postings by Wed. July 18. (You should have nine entries in total.)
***Reminder: Our third assignment is due next week, Wed., July 11. Please have a look at our updated class website for choices for the third assignment and the notes from today's class. (Scroll down until you find Class Nine: 473 CLASS NOTES )
Lastly, we will be in the same room, EDB 8651, for July 11 & 18. Hopefully we can take advantage of the deck again.
Enjoy the summer weather!

After Class Eight

Thanks again to everyone for being adventurous and trying out the Writers Workshop activity today. For next week, try and write your own story -- it can be in the form of a short story, children's story, personal narrative, poem-story or other creative form -- I would just ask that you try to put together some kind of story. Please e-mail your draft to me by Tuesday evening, July 3, and also bring a copy to class on Wednesday. (Let me know if you prefer not to share. We will be taking a look at how peer editing works.)
Enjoy the long weekend!

After Class Seven

**Please note: our next class, Wed., June 27, will start at 1:30 p.m. in a new room, EDB 8620 (directly above our current room). Hopefully we will be able to find another available room and can continue to start at 1 p.m. I'll let you know as soon as I do.
Due on Wed., 6/27, is the second assignment, an essay on your choice of topic related to teaching reading.
Again, thanks for such effort and creativity in the spontaneous lessons on reading comphrehension! Amazing!

After Class Six

A big thanks to our second presentation groups. We saw many creative, worthwhile and fun lessons. (Please scroll down below this posting and find the prompts where you can put your feedback for each of the groups.) It was a big treat to see all the lessons -- this class is awesome! All the lessons are now online at: Lesson Presentations It was also great to hear about your favourite books and share our enthusiasm for children's literature. Please post your title and author in the comments area of this prompt.
Reminder: A.1 is due next Wed., June 20, for the groups who presented this week. And a heads up on the due date (June 27) for the second assignment, which is your choice of some aspect of teaching reading that you would like to learn more about. Have a great weekend.

Group Five Phylum Digest

Ackie, Hamid, Jami & Jennifer

Group Six Kindergarten - Friends

Christine H., Denise, David & Laura S.

Group 7 Alliteration

Mollie, Laura H. & Trista

Group 8 Introduction to Comprehension Strategies for Literary Circles

Brenda, Tracy & Raymond

English to Algebra

(Chantel, Heather, Justyna & Gareth)

Thanks very much to the first four groups for getting us off to a great start. To those groups: 1) Please send me your lesson plans asap, b) Your first assignment (A.1) is due next Wed., June 13. Write a 2-3 page reflection on the experience -- what your group did well, what you might change next time and respond to any feedback that interests you.
Everyone in the class should choose one thing in each presentation to comment on. Please put these comments in the proper prompt's "comment" areas.
Lastly, please bring your favorite work of children's literature to share with the class. If you can't get ahold of the book, just recall what it was about the story that moved you.
Hope you are living on dry ground this weekend. :(

Words Their Way - Class 5

Lindsay C., Neha, Sherman & Christina A.

Derivational Patterns - Class 5

Erin, Bethany, Josh & Melinda

Readers' Theatre - Class 5

Carmen, Christine F. & Lindsay G.

After Class Four

Next week our first four groups will present their Reading Lessons. Those groups should e-mail me one copy of their lesson plan on Tuesday. Also, I had one request for a TV/DVD player for next week. Please let me know if there is anything else I should get. Looking forward to seeing the lessons. Maybe we should do them at the beach!

After Class Three

It was amazing to see how quickly everyone put together lesson plans and came up with some worthwhile reading activities for their grade levels. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Reading Lesson presentations in a couple of weeks.
As promised, here's the Hinky Pinky website!
http://www.beavton.k12.or.us/jacob_wismer/leahy/2001/hinkypinky/hinkypinky.htm

After Class 2

Thanks to everyone for giving a "book review" today. Just a reminder that we will be meeting in the NEW ROOM starting next week, May 23, in EDB 7600 (front half). Also, note the NEW START TIME - 1 p.m. (From now on, class will run from 13:00 - 16:50.) Also, if you could bring your CMCM textbook to class next week along with the photocopied chapters I handed out today for our next activity.
Hope everyone has a great Victoria Day weekend!

Link to class notes

The notes from Wednesday's class are now on our website.

http://www.sfu.ca/~smbarber/473notes.htm
Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!