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**//Welcome to this online community! Welcome to the text __Teaching Reading in Small Groups: Differentiated Instruction for Building Strategic, Independent Readers__. Welcome to an ongoing conversation with others across the county. Welcome to reflection and revision of our work with readers.//** =====

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**// Thank you for joining this book study. As we synthesize the ideas presented in this text with our own knowledge and experiences, please share often and openly. We will all benefit from the diverse voices involved in this group. //** =====

Here are some details:
A. Please check out the rubric for a high quality response page to guide your writing. B. If you are getting SB-CEUs or GVSU credit, please read those pages carefully and email crhine@muskegonisd.org with any questions anytime. C. **To comment on this wiki:** D. This online book study will run through Sept. 1st, and we will have one (optional) face-to-face meeting from 8:30-11:30 on July 21, 2011 at the MAISD. This meeting can be logged toward the class time and will reduce the number of required comments by 20%. We hope to see you there!
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**// Our collective and general hope is that this book study will impact our teaching. However, each of us has our own specific motivators for committing to this text and this online collaboration. Before we dig in, let’s name our individual purposes and then hold them in the forefront of our mind throughout the following chapters. //**

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**// In your response you may choose to reflect on details from your own practice in the past and hopes for the future. You may reply by sharing something that stood out to you as you read the back cover, the foreword, in flipping through the text, or in the chart on pages vi – vii. Or, you may simply choose to identify statements from that chart that speak closely to your purpose for reading this book. //** =====

I teach first grade and because of the differences found in that age group, I want to use small group instruction to beter meet the needs of each student. I also enjoy learning new ways to improve my instruction. This has been a very interesting summer for me. I had a second shoulder surgery on July 8th and was without the use of my left arm for about 5 weeks. Along with that my parents have been tag-teaming each other with hospital visits. So, I have had plenty of time to read the book and make notes. I am now able to join the group sharing. Deb McLeod 1st grade
 * __ Respond here using steps in (C) above. Please also name where and what grade(s) you teach so we can begin to get to know each other. __**

===// ﻿I am excited to be a part of this group! I am the principal of a prek-5th grade building and we are turning a big focus on to small group guided reading groups this year. Many of my teachers have been using this strategy for years but I think it is always important as educators to keep learning. Adding new information to what we already know or changing the way we approach our teaching has a direct effect on our students and the quality of their learning. I look forward to reading through the book and to reading the posts from this group to learn new ideas that will make me a better teacher leader in my school. Carol Dawson :) //===

=== Hello all. Erin Brown here, the facilitator of the course and a Kindergarten through 6th grade Literacy Specialist at Oakridge. I'm very excited to be stepping into this text with a new book study group again this summer. Last summer we all benefited greatly from Jen's clear teacher-friendly writing. She has a gift for making every concept easy to envision in our own classrooms. After studying this text last summer, it impacted my work time and time again throughout the year. I'm looking forward to reading it again with all of you and noticing new things this summer! Happy reading and posting everyone! ===

//- Erin//
Hello! My name is Bobbi Friend. I have been out of town until today, so I apologize for the late start. I have been reading, however, and have finished reading the book for the second time. I am participating in this online study this summer for two reasons. First, I completed the reading workshop series this year and began implementing it in my third grade classroom this year. I was hesitant to give up my old style of teaching reading, however, so I continued reading whole group books and completing my traditional reading which includes comprehension questions, vocabulary, spelling, and other word work types of activities on whole class books in addition to reader’s workshop. In some ways, it was great because we were doing a great deal of reading in my classroom. I realize as I read the book that my teacher selected books were probably less than engaging for many of my students. My second reason for participating is because I am taking a new teaching position next year. I will be teaching reading to sixth graders. I will have 5 classes of sixth graders (between 30 and 35 students per class), and my job will be strictly as a teacher of reading. I will have another teacher that will be taking on the writing and other language arts parts of the sixth grade curriculum. I am excited and worried at the same time. It will be very challenging to get 150 students fired up about reading! Lucy tells us that teaching reading is an art and we need to draw from all we know, think, and believe when we approach the teaching of reading so this online class should help. Bobbi Friend

Hello, my name is Margaret Fox. I had the pleasure of a face-to-face on July 21. I am a third grade teacher. I signed up for the book study to look at how and why I teach reading. The study has focused me in looking at my what I can do to lead my students to independent readers. This is an opportunity for me to collaborate with other educators. Sometimes we feel the challenges of creating a literate community but lack tha opportunity to do something about it.

Hello, my name is Ronda Morningstar. I have taught second grade most for most of my teaching career but changed to first grade last year. I teach reading in whole group as well as small groups. I am reading this book because I want to verify what I am doing in my classroom and want to gain new ideas that might help me to better my students as readers in first grade. Hi, I'm Jodee Tuttle (Hi Rhonda!) and I taught kindergarten for 12 years and this will be my 7th year teaching ist grade all at Orchard View. I am taking this book study because I want to make sure I am using my student's time with me to its maximum potential. I want to get the most out of every minute. I have been teaching reading whole group and small group. This year I am planning to start Reasder's Workshop and I am trying to get as much information as I can. I am participating in all 5 book studies--book 3 done 2 to finish and I am sitting in ICU with my Dad after complications from out patient surgery so I have time to read and type while here.

Hello, my name is Stephanie Benedict. This will be my 13th year teaching in Fruitport. I taught 2nd grade for 9 years, and this will be my 4th year as a Title I reading teacher. I chose to be a part of this book study for a few reasons. First of all, I never had the opportunity to implement Lucy Caulkin's reader's workshop, although I did something very similar. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about it so I understand the type of instruction and reading experiences my Title I students are receiving. Also, after teaching guided reading groups for several years, and morphing them more into strategy groups, I am very interested in Lucy's approach to small group instruction in the classroom. It is the component of the reader's workshop that I am most unfamiliar. Finally, I mostly teach small groups of 3, so I am looking forward to learning about how to provide the best small group instruction for my students.

__KDNash__

Hello--I teach at MHPS--I have done various things-Teacher, Literacy Coach, Title I teacher, Multi-age teacher, Literacy Coach Title II this year. Lead Teacher for summer school.