Making Meaning
2 weeks 1 day ago
from Ann H. Leon
I had the privilege of experiencing a dynamic and stimulating exchange with a group of progressive educators in western Wisconsin recently. They are forward thinking in their practice to examine, collaborate, and adjust their already strong system of teaching; all the while promoting growth by doing the work internally. The goal of our day was to support these teacher leaders to further their...
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3 weeks 3 days ago
from Maria Gallo Avila
Alright, I admit it. I need to be held accountable. Although I don’t mind exercising, I am more successful when I know that someone will be there to motivate me, encourage me, and teach me more efficient strategies so that I can see immediate results. Unfortunately, I do not choose to exercise on my own...yet. I require a support system. Someone who will help guide me and make exercise a...
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4 weeks 3 days ago
from Bill Goldsmith
[Editorial note: we love that Bill was inspired to extend the strategy instruction in the Making Meaning® program. We wanted to note that he teaches these lessons in a small group setting and Making Meaning, as written, is typically taught using whole class instruction.]
As the year progresses it is my goal that students begin to take more ownership of each strategy that I’ve...
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11 weeks 5 days ago
from Patrick Graham
With the school year well underway, we invite you to take a moment to reflect and congratulate yourself on just how far you’ve come. Routines are established, and students have a good sense of both what to expect and what you expect of them.
But it’s also likely that you’re becoming increasingly aware of that thief called “time.” The holidays are right around the...
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18 weeks 5 days ago
from Susan Hult
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...
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21 weeks 5 days ago
from Bill Goldsmith
Another blog from Bill on building independence in the choosing of books is here.
Bring the Students into the Class Library
When I first model selecting a just-right book, I gather my students on the carpet in our class library. Next to me is the poster "How to Chose a Just-right Book." I tell the students that I am going to select a book that looks interesting and read the first...
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21 weeks 5 days ago
from Bill Goldsmith
Another blog on modeling the choosing of books is here.
This is a lesson that you should visit again and again throughout the school year. As the year progresses your instruction on the topic of "just-right" books will become more complex, and your students’ understanding of what a just-right book is will gain depth.
However, to start the year off, students need to have a basic...
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24 weeks 1 day ago
from Stacey Abeyta
Now that desks are in place, bulletin boards are on the walls, and students’ names are on files and folders, we turn our attention to planning. I usually leave that first staff meeting of the year overwhelmed and slightly confused. Is it just me or are we really being asked to teach three days’ worth of content in 320 minutes? I look back over the lists of requirements, schedules,...
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24 weeks 2 days ago
from Isabel McLean
DSC consultants Pati Cunningham, Ann Marie Corgill, and Jill Johnson presented on conferring at our sales meeting last week. We learned so much from them! They began with a quote by Carl Anderson: “Conferring is not the icing on the cake; it is the cake.” (Or as Frank Zappa would say, “the crux of the biscuit.”) Conferring truly is the sweet spot of all that we do....
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27 weeks 1 day ago
from Stacey Abeyta
As soon as the calendar page turns to August, I begin to think about the year ahead. I think about what my hopes are for the 29 second-graders who will walk through the door in the next few weeks. I reflect on what went well the previous year, and what changes I am planning to make so that this group of second-graders will have a year to remember.
I open the classroom door and begin to think...
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