the faithful reader september 2018 - luc.edu faithful reader... · fish in a tree by lynda mullaly...
TRANSCRIPT
The Faithful Reader September 2018
How Classroom Structures Maximize Learning and Student Engagement
Eachday,weconsider-didthestudentslearnwhatIwantedthemtolearn?Thisischallengingwiththenumberofstandardswearerequiredtoteach.
Onewaytomaximizeinstruc@onistoplanwiththeendinmind,usingayear-longplanorcurriculummap(seetheAugust2018newsleHerforthis).Anotherwaytomaximizeinstruc@onandstudentengagementistouseyourclassroomspacemoreefficiently.Havingstudentssitinstraightrowsisn’tengaging,anditrequiresyoutobetheonlyexpert.Whenstudentscanworkindependentlyonmeaningfulwork,youarefreeduptoworkwithsmallgroupsandindividuals.
Below,youseetwostructures.Thetopstructureisappropriateforgrades3andup.Itallowsstudentstowork“near”eachotherorwitheachother.Itgivesspacesfortheteachertoworkwithsmallgroupsattables,orusingthewheeledchairshecanwheeluptoapodofdesks.
The“Fantas@cFour”structurewascreatedbyseventh-gradeteacherJohnNickas,modeledaWertheDailyFive.Mr.Nickasno@cedthathisseventhgraderswerestrugglingtoreadtheirsocialstudiestextbook,sohecreatedthisstructurewhichheusedtwodayseachweekfor44minutes(11minutesateachsta@on).Seepage3ofthisnewsleHerformoreinforma@on.
Don’tfeellikeyouhavetojumpinwithbothfeetandtrythewholething.Considerthefirstimage-isthereonewayyoucanchangeyourdeskset-uptogiveyouspaceandfreedomtomeettheneedsofallstudents?Startsmall.
InOctober:whatdostudentsdointhesestructures?Whatdoestheteacherdo?
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THE FAITHFUL READER
Assistant Director for Professional DevelopmentAndrew M. Greeley Center for Catholic Education
Michelle P. Lia, EdD
Loyola University Chicago
The Faithful Reader September 2018
The Most Magnificent Thing written and illustrated by Ashley Spires
AliHlegirlwithherbestfriendintheworld(thedog)wantstobuildTheMostMagnificentThing.Butwhenshecan’tgetitrightthefirst@me,shegetsfrustratedandgivesup.Bestfriendtotherescue!
Independent Reading Level Lexile 380 grades 1 and up
Most appropriate for age 7 and up
Genre realistic fiction picture book
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
In1975,HàislivinginSaigonwithherfamily.TheVietnamWar(ortheAmericanWarifyouareVietnamese)isnearingtheend.AsSaigonfalls,Hàmustleavetolive.SheandhermotherandbrothersgotoarefugeecampinGuamandthenaresponsoredbyanAmerican“cowboy."HesponsorsthemaWertheychangetheirreligiononpapertoChris@an.TheymovetoAlabama,andthenbeginsanewjourneyforallofthem.
Agreatbooktostudyperspec@ve-bothofachildrefugeeaswellasadifferentperspec@veoftheVietnamWar.
Reading Level Lexile 800
*Appropriate for grades 4 and up
Genre historical fiction written in free verse
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Text SetsAtextsetisasetoftextsthathavethesametopicorthemeincommonbutmaybetoldfromadifferentperspec@ve.
Usethesetextsetsforliteraturecircles/bookclubs.
HistoricalFic,on-VietnamWarInsideOutandBackAgainby
ThanhhaLaiAlltheBrokenPiecesbyAnnBurg
Cracker:TheBestDoginVietnamby
CynthiaKadohata
TheWallwriHenbyEveBun@ng
illustratedbyRonaldHimler
Patrol:AnAmericanSoldierin
VietnamwriHenbyWalterDean
MyersillustratedbyAnnGrifalconi
Realis1cFic1on-Inclusion
WonderbyR.J.Palacio
FishinaTreebyLyndaMullalyHunt
OutofMyMindbySharonM.Draper
ClosetoFamousbyJoanBauer
RulesbyCynthiaLord
Book Recommendations
Greeley Center Mission
We are Catholic educators who challenge Catholic schools to be excellent because they are essential in preparing students
for the future.