Ask the Expert: Our first live chat!
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On Tuesday, October 4 at 4:00 PM EST/1:00 PM PST, we are very excited to be hosting our first-ever live "chat" on our Facebook page. This is a chance for those new to the Making Meaning program, as well as those veterans who have been implementing the program, to ask questions, discuss implementation, and share tips. The chat will be led by teacher and staff developer Stacey Abeyta who has taught the program for seven years, as well as shared many valuable teaching tips in her blogs.
The Making Meaning® program is a classroom-tested K–8 reading comprehension curriculum that combines the latest comprehension research with support for students’ social and ethical development. The program uses nonfiction and fiction read-aloud books to teach students nine different comprehension strategies while also developing their social values to create a supportive community of readers. Watch this clip to learn more about the Making Meaning program.
If you would like to create a calendar event as a reminder, you can register for the chat here (though no registration is needed to participate).
The DSC Way creates a culture of learning where students are motivated to do the thinking and talking that builds community, literacy skills, personal relationships, and personal responsibility while engaging teachers in reflective professional development. The seven core principles of the DSC Way are integrated within each of its program, professional, and product development activities.
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See below for a transcript of
See below for a transcript of our live chat:
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Gina Fugnitto Zugelder
What ways have you used the extension activities? I am always looking for ways to engage students beyond the lessons...
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Peter Brunn I try to make connections to content areas. This can be a powerful way to connect our programs to the other important areas we cover with students.
20 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Gina Fugnitto Zugelder That is important work, Peter! Thank you! I so appreciate your work in The Lesson Planning Handbook.
20 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Gina Fugnitto Zugelder This could be project oriented, would you say?
19 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Peter Brunn This is especially true when I look at a social studies unit. I will review where I will be in Making Meaning or Being a writer and see if there are authentic ways to connect the skills they are learning in MM or BAW to the social studies unit I am covering.
18 minutes ago · Unlike · 3 people
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Gina Fugnitto Zugelder Connecting the content - a smart way to save time - something to consider in my planning process!
18 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Isabel McLean Great idea, Peter!
17 minutes ago · Unlike · 3 people
Developmental Studies Center We use the structure of the lessons and the cooperative structures throughout the entire day. We are becoming and International Baccalaureate school so all the titles we use for our themes are delivered using the strategies used in the Making Meaning program.
14 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Penny K Berg
They're from the QAR book. text direct where the ans. is printed; text they have to use clues to find ans. along w/ prior knowledge; text to text thoughts and relating text to personal thought (reactionary)
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Isabel McLean Are you using MM too?
29 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Penny K Berg Isabel, I've followed DSC when I can and have attended 2 conferences in LV,NV (where I live now). REfresh my MM memory please
23 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Isabel McLean MM is a reading comprehension program that DSC developed for grades K-8. It incorporates lots of partner work, like BAW.
20 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Tracy Dunn Arrowsmith Penny: This is a good place to start: http://www.devstu.org/making-meaning
19 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Isabel McLean Making Meaning gives kids opportunities to think and talk about great texts their teachers are reading aloud.
18 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
Developmental Studies Center We use Making Meaning with struggling students. All students can benefit from doing this work, but especially those who are struggling with comprehension. Making Meaning is a program that is built around children negotiating the meaning of text so that they can understand it more deeply. It uses a gradual release model that provides structure to help them take those skills into their individual reading lives.
18 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Ginger Cook And by using read alouds, students whose decoding ability is below grade level can still grapple with larger comprehension questions.
16 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Penny K Berg sounds excellent.
14 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Sue Wilder Hi Penny, Do you want a sample of Making Meaning or would you be interested in seeing some lessons?
13 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Ginger Cook Penny, do you know Lindee Witt there in Clarke County? She's used it for a number of years and it also a resource - as is Sue Hendrix - our local rep and a professor at UNLV...
12 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Penny K Berg I watched a small group MM lesson. Grps read diff books, questioned, answered and gave reasons for the ans w/in the group's book. the teacher walked around the room, chatted w/ the groups about their ans to their specific questions. That worked well from what I watched.
8 minutes ago · Unlike · 1 person
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Penny K Berg
Sue, I've done the same discussing, chunking & reading aloud. It seems often they lose it rather than keep it. That's even w/ using the 4 types of questions & how to locate the answers.
Unlike · · 37 minutes ago
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Isabel McLean Penny, what are the 4 types of questions?
35 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Sue Wilder I find that having kids stop frequently and retell what they've read or heard is helpful. I also find that using open ended questions allows me to hear where their confusions might be.
33 minutes ago · Unlike · 1 person
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Ginger Cook Cris Tovani talks about kids being more aware of when they aren't understanding what they're reading. I found her book "I Read it but I Don't Get It" helpful in thinking about how to support struggling readers, particularly older kids. What grade level do you work with?
32 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Sue Wilder I think it's amazing when kids can decode fluently but don't understand what they've read. Seems like it would be really hard to learn such a complex thing without any meaningful connections, right.
32 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Penny K Berg Yes, I totally agree.that's what makes it so hard for them. Too often they haven't experienced what they've read about. Connections we provide for them only tips the iceberg's corner.
27 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Penny K Berg Ginger, I've done reading intervention for a long time. Reasons beyond my control have me in a license advancement program for res. rm.
25 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Sue Wilder Right, and what i know about how the brain works, new learning has to be connected to something previously learned. I found this especially difficult when I was working with students who were hard to accelerate in Reading Recovery.
24 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Monica Colfax We have a lot of kids that really don't know how to read at their reading level. We have 6th, 7th and even 8th graders with really poor reading skills, and it's very hard to motivate them.
20 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Sue Wilder I find that success breeds success but sadly the opposite is also true. Have you tried audiobooks for independent reading?
18 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Sue Wilder Older readers get a real sense of accomplishment when they've read a big thick book that their friends have also read and can enter the conversations. Audiobooks allow them this opportunity.
17 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Ginger Cook
Do you do IDR right after MM lessons? Do you ever do IDR at a different point in the day?
Unlike · · 40 minutes ago
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Isabel McLean I think she does IDR in the afternoon.
36 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Gina Fugnitto Zugelder Ginger, I have tried it both after the lessons and at another time of the time. For me, the most important part of the planning the day is having a sustained time for IDR that engages the students and allows me the opportunity to conference and coach students.
35 minutes ago · Unlike · 3 people
Developmental Studies Center We do IDR in the afternoons outside of our literacy block. The reason for that is that we have a limited amount of time to cover vocabulary, writing, guided reading and Making Meaning. We have time right after lunch to do IDR. The only day that is different is on the individual strategy days, we do those lessons and then go immediately into IDR. We move those lessons into the afternoon which allows us additional time for writers to complete work in the morning session.
32 minutes ago · Unlike · 3 people
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Ginger Cook Thank you, Stacey!
31 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Penny K Berg
Re-asking my ? how should a good reader w/out comprehension be taught? Usually it's a res rm issue
Unlike · · 50 minutes ago
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Ginger Cook We're responding now...
49 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Sue Wilder Hi Penny, I've worked with lots of kids as a Reading Intervention teacher who could decode but were unable to focus on the meaning.
48 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Ginger Cook Sue is writing more right now..
47 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Sue Wilder I found that by breaking the text into smaller chunks and having kids think and talk about the text in these more manageable bits their comprehension improves.
46 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Sue Wilder Making Meaning lessons are perfect for meeting the needs of these struggling readers as it gives them the chance to listen, think, and talk about text during the read alouds. Then during IDR we can support these students in thinking about meaning as they read.
44 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Isabel McLean Don't you think the opportunity to TALK about their reading and listen to others' thoughts is huge for students who struggle with comprehension?
44 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Gina Fugnitto Zugelder I agree, Isabel and I think that the intentional build of the unit to unit, week to week and day to day supports that development of making meaning of the text.
43 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Ginger Cook And the open-ended questions that focus on particular aspects of comprehension and build in complexity, rather than just basic recall?
42 minutes ago · Unlike · 3 people
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Ginger Cook
Stacey, I have heard you talk about how you manage conferring with students. Can you remind us how you handle that?
Developmental Studies Center I have a blog that might help you: http://www.devstu.org/blogs/2010/12/13/making-meaning-idr-conference-tips
IDR Conference Tips | Developmental Studies Center
www.devstu.org
I have an enormous amount of data on my student readers. They take a district as...See More
48 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Isabel McLean Stacey's blogs are very helpful--thanks for the reminder, Tracy!
46 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
Developmental Studies Center I divide my class into five groups. . .one for each day of the week. That way I can stay on a regular conference schedule. I put my strongest readers on Monday because there are the most holidays on Mondays. I then conference with those students on their appointed day.
46 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Patricia Handly
Hi All, Has the Event begun yet?
Unlike · · 55 minutes ago
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Ginger Cook we're here!
54 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Gina Fugnitto Zugelder Hi Pat, please refresh and you will be able to see the conversation.
54 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Ginger Cook You might want to try a different browser...
54 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Tracy Dunn Arrowsmith Yes Pat, we are here and Stacey answered your question below.
53 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Ginger Cook
Stacey, I have heard you talk about how you manage conferring with students. Can you remind us how you handle that?
Developmental Studies Center I have a blog that might help you: http://www.devstu.org/blogs/2010/12/13/making-meaning-idr-conference-tips
IDR Conference Tips | Developmental Studies Center
www.devstu.org
I have an enormous amount of data on my student readers. They take a district as...See More
48 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Isabel McLean Stacey's blogs are very helpful--thanks for the reminder, Tracy!
46 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
Developmental Studies Center I divide my class into five groups. . .one for each day of the week. That way I can stay on a regular conference schedule. I put my strongest readers on Monday because there are the most holidays on Mondays. I then conference with those students on their appointed day.
46 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Patricia Handly
Hi All, Has the Event begun yet?
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Ginger Cook we're here!
54 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Gina Fugnitto Zugelder Hi Pat, please refresh and you will be able to see the conversation.
54 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Ginger Cook You might want to try a different browser...
54 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Tracy Dunn Arrowsmith Yes Pat, we are here and Stacey answered your question below.
53 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Tracy Dunn Arrowsmith
To see the latest, please refresh your window.
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Monica Colfax
Hello Stacey, do you have any tips to engage kids in reading books that deal with topics unfamiliar to them?
Developmental Studies Center Are you talking about students with limited background knowledge or something else?
57 minutes ago · Unlike · 3 people
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Isabel McLean I wonder if that is a chicken/egg question--so important to read books about lots of different topics to build background knowledge.
53 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
Developmental Studies Center If it is limited background knowledge, you may want to think about what the missing pieces are. Sometimes that people think that because a child does not have a lot of experience, they will access a text in their own way. You do not need to understand everything about the holocaust to understand a story like "Star of Fear, Star of Hope" and the friendship component in the story.
53 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Gina Fugnitto Zugelder http://www.devstu.org/blogs/modeling-how-to-select-a-just-right-book
45 minutes ago · Unlike · 3 people
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Gina Fugnitto Zugelder Monica, these are two blogs that assisted me in helping students select text.
44 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Gina Fugnitto Zugelder Sometimes I think they struggle to know how to select text and find variety in that selection process.
44 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
Developmental Studies Center If we are talking about how to get children engaged as interested in an unfamiliar topic, you might want to consider the following looking at what in the text the may be able to make connections to. . .things like friendship, family, what commonalities are in the text. Sometimes showing a short clip from the internet makes that story come to life.
36 minutes ago · Unlike · 3 people
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Patricia Handly
Hi Stacey, This is Pat Handly, another DSC Consultant. I work mostly in international settings and would love to know if you have experience with beginning English speakers and Making Meaning ... and if so, what are some 'teacher' tips to begin the partner work. Thanks
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Tracy Dunn Arrowsmith Refresh your window to see Stacey's reply below.
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Lynda Donaldson Burke
Lynda Burke is here
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Sue Wilder Hi Lynda, glad you could join us.
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Patricia Handly
Hi Stacey, This is Pat Handly, another DSC Consultant. I work mostly in international settings and would love to know if you have experience with beginning English speakers and Making Meaning ... and if so, what are some 'teacher' tips to begin the partner work. Thanks
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Linda Rourke Hi Pat!
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Christine Venturis hello Pat!
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
Developmental Studies Center Hi Pat! We met at the International Baccalaureate conference in San Antonio. We have a huge population of second language learners in Napa where I live. I think thinking about partners is a good first step. If you have a student with very limited English, you may want to partner with a group of two others. Sometimes front loading some vocabulary is a good support as well. The conversational nature of the program is great for language development.
59 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Patricia Handly Thanks, Stacey and now I remember! Great to talk to you again! Also, have you ever experienced a class where all the students are beginning in another language say in a total immersion kindergarten MM class? If so, any suggestions there?
50 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
Developmental Studies Center Some of the Making Meaning trade books are available in
42 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
Developmental Studies Center Spanish. We will provide a list for you.
42 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
Developmental Studies Center You can download the K-2 Spanish tradebook list here: http://www.devstu.org/forum/making-meaning-for-k-2-trade-books-in-spanish
| Making Meaning for K-2 trade Books in Spanish
www.devstu.org
I am looking for a list of books that are available in Spanish for the K-2 book ...See More
39 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Tabatha Dobson Scharlach Here is the link for K-6 Making Meaning and Making Meaning Vocabulary:http://www.devstu.org/blog/making-meaning-trade-books-spanish
37 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Gina Fugnitto Zugelder Tabatha, Making Meaning Vocabulary is such an engaging and smart way to expose students to vocabulary but also to be more conscious of words! The kids love the instruction!
16 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Sue Wilder
What units have you taught so far? How long do your lessons take? How do you fit the lessons and IDR into your schedule?
Developmental Studies Center Right now we are Unit 3. In second grade lessons usually take about 20 minutes. We usually combine the third day of lessons each week with IDR and that lesson takes a little longer. We do IDR in the afternoon.. . .outside our literacy block.
48 minutes ago · Unlike · 4 people
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Isabel McLean How do you confer with kids Stacey? Do you usually work 1:1 or do you sometimes hold small group conferences?
40 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Sue Wilder How long is IDR? Do you do some kind of anchor lesson at the at the beginning of IDR to connect kids back to the MM lesson?
38 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
Developmental Studies Center On the independent strategy lesson day, that is the anchor lesson. Kathy Collins has some great ideas in her book Growing Readers which have been the seeds for most of the mini-lessons we do each day. Each day in IDR starts with a short mini-lesson which students will talk about when they share out after IDR each day.
25 minutes ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Tracy Dunn Arrowsmith
Type your questions to Stacey below.
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Isabel McLean I wonder who is joining us but not asking questions?
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Christine Venturis
I'm here!!
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Sue Wilder
Looking forward to hearing from Stacey.
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Penny K Berg
why an online chat rather than audio?
also how do you address those students who read well w/out comprehension skills.
Developmental Studies Center That is one of the most powerful aspects of Making Meaning! It allows children to experience what other readers are thinking about the reading we are doing together as those readers develop their own skills
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Tracy Dunn Arrowsmith It is a great way to capture conversation. Let us know what you think.
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Isabel McLean
How's the partner work?
Developmental Studies Center We are starting to make some real progress now that procedures are in place. We spend a lot of time reflecting on the work that we do to help with individual and and community growth.
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Gina Fugnitto Zugelder
I am ready!
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Tracy Dunn Arrowsmith Me too!
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Isabel McLean
I want to know how things are going in Stacey's classroom this year!
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Isabel McLean
I'm here!
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Tracy Dunn Arrowsmith Let's get this party started!
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Linda Rourke
Who's here for the chat?
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Susan Hult Let's chat!
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Megan Green I am here!
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Developmental Studies Center
We would love to have people's Making Meaning and reading comprehension questions. Stacey Abeyta is standing by, ready to answer your questions. There is no audio, this is purely a online "chat."
https://www.facebook.com/TheDSCWay
Patricia Handly Hi Stacey, This is Pat Handly, another DSC Consultant. I work mostly in international settings and would love to know if you have experience with beginning English speakers and Making Meaning ... and if so, what are some 'teacher' tips to begin the partner work. Thanks
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Developmental Studies Center
We are almost ready to answer all of your reading comprehension questions right here. Post them below in the comments or as a new wall post!
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Linda Rourke Really excited about this event!
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Developmental Studies Center
Live chat today! Join us!
Ask the Expert: Our first live chat! | Developmental Studies Center
www.devstu.org
Tuesday, October 4 at 4PM Eastern/1PM Pacific, we are so excited to be hosting our first-ever live "chat" on our facebook page. This is a chance for those new to the Making Meaning program, as well as those veterans who have been implementing the program, to ask questions, discuss implementation, an...
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Penny K Berg just checking is it on the wall? if not where/
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
Developmental Studies Center Yes, Penny! Right here!!!
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Linda Rourke Penny, are you still here?
about an hour ago · Unlike · 2 people
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Developmental Studies Center
Don't forget to join us for our first-ever LIVE CHAT tomorrow, right here on our facebook wall! Bring your Making Meaning questions. Teacher and staff developer Stacey Abeyta is ready to answer all your questions.
Making Meaning®: Ask the Expert | Developmental Studies Center
www.devstu.org
Making Meaning teacher Stacey Abeyta will be hosting our very first live chat. Come join us on The DSC Way Facebook Wall on October 4, 2011, at 4PM Eastern/1PM Pacific. Bring all of your questions about reading comprehension and ask our expert!
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