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Reading/Writing Connections in the K-2 Classroom: Find the Clarity and Then Blur the Lines
Leah Mermelstein, with Foreward by Lucy Calkins

ISBN-10: 0205412777
ISBN-13: 9780205412778

Publisher: Allyn & Bacon
Copyright: 2006
Format: Paper; 240 pp
Published: 08/30/2005

Suggested retail price: $31.99
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Reading/Writing Connections in the K-2 Classroom demonstrates how through careful, explicit assessing, planning and teaching every student can understand the relationship between reading and writing.

 

The text is filled with practical classroom strategies based on both theory and research. Focused on the goal of understanding the relationship between reading and writing, the text demonstrates how to move students between the two to become more skillful readers and writers. In three parts, the text explores the essential understandings needed to use the reading/writing connection; demonstrates how planning helps to use the reading/writing connection; and outlines teaching strategies to use the connection to strengthen your everyday encounters with students.

 

Assessment is integrated into each chapter, providing a clear image of what it looks like to assess in the service of student learning. Practical ways to integrate phonemic awareness, phonics, word study and spelling into planning and teaching reading and writing are incorporated throughout. Word study is integrated into every chapter to ensure a systematic approach to the topic.

  • Includes strategies on how to make assessment part of lesson planning and classroom teaching.
  • Incorporates phonemic awareness, phonics, word study and spelling throughout.
  • To Sum Up feature in each chapter reviews key ideas. 
  • Putting The Reading/Writing Connection Into Action feature suggests practical ways to use the reading/writing connection in the classroom.
  • Charts, minilessons, and curriculum calendars provide organization of ideas.
  • Includes appendix of professional literature, classroom examples and assessment tools.
  • For Further Study feature for staff developers, literacy leaders, principals and/or members of a study group.

  • Forward by Lucy Calkins.

Foreword by Lucy Calkins

 

Preface

 

Acknowledgments

 

PART I BUILDING

CHAPTER ONE

Powerful Relationships

INTRODUCE ENGAGING TOOLS

EMPHASIZE HOW STUDENTS TREAT ONE ANOTHER

GET TO KNOW YOUR STUDENTS

LET YOUR STUDENTS GET TO KNOW YOU

START WITH STRENGTH

FOR FURTHER STUDY

 

CHAPTER TWO

Find the Clarity. . .

HOW ARE READING AND WRITING THE SAME?

Both reading and writing are purposeful activities.

Both reading and writing are a process.

Readers and writers use similar sources of information (cueing systems).

HOW ARE READING AND WRITING DIFFERENT?

Writers express text for a purpose. Readers access text for a purpose.

Writers always produce a product. Readers sometimes produce a product.

Writing is a slower process. Reading is a quicker process.

Writers must choose their topic. Readers must read about the topic that the writer chose.

Writers choose their own structures. Readers are introduced to new structures.

Writers go from sound to print. Readers go from print to sound.

FOR FURTHER STUDY

 

CHAPTER THREE

. . .And Then Blur the Lines

WHAT COMMON THINKING STRATEGIES DO READING AND WRITING SHARE?

Readers and writers make decisions independently.

Readers and writers activate relevant prior knowledge.

Readers and writers determine importance.

Readers and writers infer.

Readers and writers envision.

Readers and writers synthesize.

Readers and writers ask questions of themselves and the writers and readers of their texts.

Readers and writers monitor their reading and writing processes.

Readers and writers activate their knowledge of letters and sounds.

HOW CAN I USE THIS INFORMATION?

FOR FURTHER STUDY

 

PART II PLANNING

CHAPTER FOUR

Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing

HOW DOES SPEAKING CONNECT TO WRITING?

HOW DOES SPEAKING CONNECT TO READING?

HOW DOES LISTENING CONNECT TO READING?

HOW DOES LISTENING CONNECT TO WRITING?

SUPPORTING SPEAKING AND LISTENING THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY

Choice time.

Sharing sessions.

Informal conversations.

READING AND WRITING PARTNERSHIPS: A POWERFUL STRUCTURE

Launching partnerships.

FOR FURTHER STUDY

 

CHAPTER FIVE

The Components of Balanced Literacy

WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS OF BALANCED LITERACY?

WHAT DOES BALANCED LITERACY ACTUALLY MEAN?

LOOKING AT COMPONENTS THAT CONNECT

Shared Writing: Highlighting meaning and structure sources of information.

Read-Aloud: Highlighting meaning and structure sources of information.

Interactive Writing: Highlighting visual sources of information.

Shared Reading: Highlighting visual sources of information.

Reading Workshop and Writing Workshop: Putting it all together.

USING ASSESSMENT TO PLAN THE COMPONENTS OF

BALANCED LITERACY

HOW MANY TIMES PER WEEK SHOULD I DO EACH COMPONENT?

FOR FURTHER STUDY

 

CHAPTER SIX

Units of Study

WHAT IS A UNIT OF STUDY?

PLANNING READING AND WRITING UNITS OF STUDY

Emergent literacy Units of Study.

Revision Units of Study in reading.

Series books Units of Study.

Nonfiction Units of Study.

Rereading Units of Study.

IMMERSION: LETTING READING COMPLEMENT WRITING

Immersion Lesson 1: Teaching students to notice the structures within texts.

Immersion Lesson 2: Teaching students how to internalize the structures within texts.

Immersion Lesson 3: Teaching students how to look at books to get new topic ideas.

Immersion Lesson 4: Teaching students how to study one particular text structure.

Immersion Lesson 5: Teaching students how to produce these structures through talking.

Immersion Lesson 6: Teaching students how to produce these structures while writing.

PLANNING READING AND WRITING UNITS OF STUDY SIDE BY SIDE

Plan clear reading and writing goals for both Units of Study.

Plan to teach reading and writing thinking strategies at similar times.

Plan the order of your reading and writing minilessons.

FOR FURTHER STUDY

 

CHAPTER SEVEN

Yearly Curriculum

WHAT IS A CURRICULUM CALENDAR?

GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR PLANNING CURRICULUMS

Curriculum calendars should have some genre Units of Study and some non-genre

Units of Study.

Planning yearlong curriculums and assessing your students should be simultaneous.

Curriculum calendars should be used as guides and should be revised and fine-tuned when necessary.

Curriculum calendars should have between eight and twelve studies. Each Unit of Study should last from three to five weeks.

Units of Study should build on one another.

MAPPING READING AND WRITING CURRICULUMS TOGETHER 96

Connect reading and writing curriculums by genre.

Connect reading and writing curriculums by strategies.

Connect reading and writing curriculums by process.

FOR FURTHER STUDY

 

PART III TEACHING

CHAPTER EIGHT

Crafting Your Teaching

LISTEN TO YOUR STUDENTS

STRUCTURE YOUR TEACHING IN CONSISTENT WAYS

Connect the known to the unknown.

Have one clear and brief teaching point.

Ensure that both you and your students are active.

TEACHERS TEACH USING THE QUALITIES OF GOOD WRITING AND THE COMMON

THINKING STRATEGIES ACROSS READING AND WRITING

TEACHERS TEACH THE SAME CONCEPT OVER TIME ACROSS READING AND

WRITING

TEACHERS ASSESS AND REFLECT UPON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF

THEIR TEACHING

FOR FURTHER STUDY

 

CHAPTER NINE

Minilessons

THE PURPOSE OF YOUR MINILESSONS MUST BE CLEAR TO YOUR STUDENTS

THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR MINILESSONS SHOULD BE CONSISTENT

The connection.

The teach.

The active engagement.

The link.

CONNECTING THE READING MINILESSON TO THE WRITING MINILESSON

Just tell the students how the two minilessons connect.

Retell a previous reading minilesson.

Use the same or similar language across minilessons.

Use materials from the reading minilesson in your writing minilesson.

CONNECTING THE WRITING MINILESSON TO THE READING MINILESSON

EXTEND MINILESSONS ACROSS TIME AND ACROSS SUBJECT AREAS

Teaching minilessons across time in the Writing Workshop.

Teaching minilessons across time in the Reading Workshop.

SHOULD THE WRITING MINILESSON OR THE READING MINILESSON COME FIRST?

HOW CAN I CREATE USEFUL CHARTS THAT DOCUMENT READING AND WRITING MINILESSONS?

FOR FURTHER STUDY

 

CHAPTER TEN

Conferences

STRUCTURE OF A CONFERENCE: RESEARCH, DECIDE, AND TEACH 133

Research.

Decide.

Teach.

TYPES OF CONFERENCES

Content conference.

Strategy conference.

Coaching conference.

CONFERRING ACROSS READING AND WRITING

Angela: Strong writer/not as strong reader.

Tan: Strong reader/not as strong writer.

Tynia: Similar needs across reading and writing.

FOR FURTHER STUDY

 

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Small Group Work

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SMALL GROUP WORK?

THE STORY BEGINS: ASSESSING WRITERS

THE STORY CONTINUES: FORMING GROUPS

DECIDING ON METHODS OF TEACHING

TEACHING SMALL GROUPS

Small groups should teach a strategy that some but not all students need.

Small group instruction should be structured in ways similar to your minilessons.

BLUR THE LINES: MOVING SMALL GROUPS BETWEEN WRITING

AND READING

Continuing with Group 3: Small group instruction in both writing and reading.

Continuing with Group 6: Small group instruction in both writing and reading.

FOR FURTHER STUDY

 

CHAPTER TWELVE

Final Thoughts

BLUR THE LINES IN YOUR METHODS AND STRUCTURES OF TEACHING

BLUR THE LINES IN YOUR PLANNING AND YOUR ASSESSMENTS

BLUR THE LINES IN YOUR STRENGTHS

BLUR THE LINES IN YOUR MATERIALS

BLUR THE LINES IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL READING

 

Appendixes

1: RECOMMENDED PROFESSIONAL LITERATURE

2: TRANSCRIPT OF REHEARSAL AND REVISION IN READING

3: STRATEGIES TO TEACH MEANING, STRUCTURE, AND ADDING SOURCES OF INFORMATION

4: THINKING STRATEGIES THAT READERS AND WRITERS USE

5: PLANNING SHEET FOR THE COMPONENTS OF BALANCED LITERACY

6: PLANNING A UNIT OF STUDY

7: PLANNING READING AND WRITING UNITS OF STUDY

8: PLANNING A CURRICULUM CALENDAR

9: SAMPLE CURRICULUM CALENDARS

10: TRANSCRIPTS OF A CONNECTED READING AND WRITING MINILESSON

11: CONFERRING WITH STUDENTS ACROSS READING AND WRITING

12: SMALL GROUP WORK PLANNING SHEETS

 

References

 

Index

 

An indispensable tool for the reading and writing classroom!

RINGING ENDORSEMENT FROM RENOWNED AUTHOR LUCY CALKINS:
“Leah’s book reveals ‘Leah, the classroom teacher’; ‘Leah, the staff developer’; ‘Leah, the budding scholar’; and ‘Leah, the woman. ’. . . . Leah Mermelstein invites you into her schools, her workshops, her summer institutes, and most importantly, she invites you into her mind. She demonstrates throughout the book that she cares that you and your students not only use the reading/writing connection but that you also understand it. Every word, every sentence is carefully crafted towards this understanding.”
—Lucy Calkins, Teachers College, Columbia University

ONE REVIEWER SUMS IT UP!
“Reading this book was like having a conversation with a respected colleague. It is lively, logical and interesting. . . . This is the best description of meaning, structure and visual sources of information that I have ever seen.”
—Tara Azwell, Emporia State University

This book is filled with practical classroom strategies that will help your students become skillful readers and writers!

Reading/Writing Connections in the K-2 Classroom demonstrates how through careful, explicit assessing, planning and teaching every student can understand and use the relationship between reading and writing.

Highlights of the Book:

  • Includes strategies on how to make assessment part of lesson planning and classroom teaching
  • Incorporates phonemic awareness, phonics, word study and spelling throughout
  • Putting The Reading/Writing Connection Into Action feature suggests practical ways to use the reading/writing connection in the classroom
  • Charts, minilessons, and curriculum calendars provide organization of ideas
  • Includes appendix of professional literature, classroom examples and assessment tools
  • For Further Study feature for staff developers, literacy leaders, principals and/or members of a study group

About the Author:
Leah is a nationally recognized literacy consultant who specializes in primary reading and writing. She works with students, teachers, principals and other district leaders helping them to design thoughtful plans for the teaching of reading and writing. She is the coauthor of Launching the Writing Workshop (with Lucy Calkins) (Heinemann).

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    ISBN-10: 013172133X | ISBN-13: 9780131721333


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    Education
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    ISBN-10: 0131175904 | ISBN-13: 9780131175907


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