Recording Assessment Data

We were talking in our staff room this week about how each year it seems as though we have more to teach and more assessments to give. One of our new teachers was talking about the disconnect she feels between the assessments we are asked to give, what we do in our classroom and the growth we see in our students. She went on to say that it feels difficult to monitor growth, real growth. When asked what she meant by 'real growth' she simply said, "You know, are they getting better at reading?" Ahhh, out of the mouths of our young teachers, simple pearls of wisdom!

Monitoring the simple data of a student's Independent, Instruction and Frustrational reading level over the course of a year can be very powerful for students, parents and for us as classroom teachers. There is no disconnect. We can see if our instruction is making a difference -- and we can celebrate tangible growth!

This week's tip is the Data sheet we use with our own students to record their reading assessment data.

http://www.thedailycafe.com/public/370.cfm

FAQ: I am wondering which assessments you use in your classrooms?

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We continue this week digging deeper with our Literacy Cafe Menu. Last week we posted the article outlining Cross Checking, the second whole group lesson we do with children when introducing The Cafe Menu in our classrooms. Partnering with the article from last week, this week you will find the Cross Checking Ready Reference Lesson Guide, the second guide we have posted on our way to having a Ready Reference Lesson guide for each and every strategy on our Cafe Menu. You will also see Cross Checking in action with two videos - one showing the teaching of the strategy and the other with a debrief of the strategy lesson.

We think the word Timely could also be the theme for this week. As we are settling into our routines at school, most of us have completed our assessments, are well on our way with one-on-one conferring and goal setting as well as thinking about the best way to group our students. So just in time we are posting an article on how we look at grouping our students a bit differently, complete with a download of the form we use to organize our groups. Also available is a look at a goal setting conference and the form for recording our assessment date in our classrooms.

Cross Checking Ready Reference Lesson Guide

The Accuracy strategy of Cross Checking is one of the first four strategies from our Cafe Menu we teach or reinforce to all of our students. It is one of those staple, fundamental or essential strategies we find all kids benefit from knowing. If you aren't sure of what the strategy is, or how to teach it, download this Ready Reference Lesson form. It is one of our lesson guides we are writing for each of the CAFÉ Strategies. Download this Ready Reference Lesson Guide and add it to your lesson plan book so it is at your finger tips when you are ready to teach this lesson one student, a few students or your whole class.

http://www.thedailycafe.com/members/368.cfm

Cross Checking In Action

In this video, you will see Joan working with Jason, first modeling and then having him practice the steps of Cross Checking: 1) Does what I just read Look Right? (do the letters and picture if available match what I am saying?) 2) Does the word sound right? 3) Does it make sense?

http://www.thedailycafe.com/members/101.cfm

Debriefing the Cross Checking Lesson

Kelly and Joan talk together about the conference Joan just had with Jason on his strategy of Cross-Checking in the first of this two part series. They talk over the conferring form that keeps track of the conference, Jason's goals and his next steps.

http://www.thedailycafe.com/members/138.cfm

Small Group Work - Strategy Groups

We have many options available to us when it comes to the delivery of literacy instruction. Whether we choose whole group, small group, one on one instruction or something else, we keep in mind that grouping children for instruction is a method for facilitating learning--it is not an end in itself. This little form - very simple, completely flexible, sometimes a bit messy, is the heart of managing our small groups.

http://www.thedailycafe.com/members/154.cfm

Goal Setting With Students

Heather and Gail discuss how to structure an individual conference and how to monitor increased vocabulary with a student. Ethan, a fourth grader, shows us how much students know about themselves as readers, especially if we ask.

http://www.thedailycafe.com/members/173.cfm

Until next week!