A review of my visit to Summit, NJ: Readers and Writers Workshop at Washington Elementary

On Monday, we here at Green Brook Township Public Schools had the amazing opportunity to visit and see the great students and teachers at Washington School in Summit, NJ!

We were there to meet and talk about Readers and Writers Workshop, to which they have been doing for nearly a decade. Mrs. Lauren Banker, the school Principal, was kind and nice enough to set up a pre/post conference and four demo lessons to see both types of workshops in action. We saw students as young as 1st grade and as experienced as 5th grade in the workshop model. It was fantastic. 

My Take-Aways:

• No pre-made bulliten boards - the charts are made just for that class with those students in mind. 
• Mini-lessons are just that, mini. 10 minutes or less!
• In the workshop model, teachers get more face-to-face time with students, thus, more interaction. 
• No workbooks/textbooks here - not one cookie cutter book to be found. 
• Reading begets more reading. As the students read in school, they also continue to read at home. 
• The students work in pairs all year to increase discussion/listening skills. 
• When the students are invested in their own work, they care. Their engagement was through the roof.
• The expectations are high - the Common Core is already being exceeded here with these models. 
• The students, even as young as 2nd grade, are making text-to-text connections. 
• Enthusiasm and passion of the teachers comes through when they can share the stage and be the guide on the side.
• The kids read and read and read ... they also write voluminous notebooks worth of work. 

Here are some photo highlights of the classrooms and their phenomenal work!

A readers workshop model in action in this Third grade classroom. 

Teach your reader!

First Grade chart on keeping notes in their books!

Fourth grade chart on Non-Fiction Text Structure

Fourth grade library - Broken down by levels and by genre. 

Of course, there are challenges. Such as:

1. It takes time to build libraries, even with donation and online books. 
2. Some schools are tied to the texts.
3. Movement from a teacher-centric model to a student-centric model. 
4. Takes a lot of time to get it right (They are in their 10th year working on it).
5. It is a change in mind-set that may be tough for some to overcome. 

So, why does this model work? It is because the onus is on the students. The workshop model allows the teacher to be a facilitator and coach rather than a sage on the stage. It also allows the teacher to get out of the way of authentic, organic learner that goes on. In each and every classroom, I saw students passion. That is not something that comes across when you are reading from a textbook or just looking at a ditto. There are no "skill and drill" activities. Just real learning and passionate teaching. 

Thank you, Washington Elementary!

App-O-Da-Week #5

It's Friday, Friday... gotta get my apps on Friday! 

It's the App-O-Da-Week time again and this week we are serving up two apps for the price of one. 

One paid, one free! Two reviews = you win!

First up, we have Sushi Monster. This app was made for Scholastic and is a fantastic FREE app (we love that word) that allows gamers to bone up on the mathematical skills in an entertaining way. Students feed their Sushi Monsters by correctly choosing two numbers that when added or multiplied result in the number that the monster wants to eat. When the monster has been fully fed students move on to feeding a new monster. 

It's fun and addicting!

For a more detailed review, check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mqXeHr6bkNE

Our next app is an all time classic. Many companies are taking their most popular books and turning

them into interactive reading apps for a new generation. 

That is certainly the case with "The Monster at the end of this Book" which start, lovable, furry old Grover. 

This was staple in my childhood. We would read this book every night  gestating how Grover would and acting out all the parts. It was great. Now, with this $4.99 book app (which is a steal if you consider how much books cost), you get a great interactive story with real life voice and sound effects!

The Review from About.com lays it out perfectly. "Grover’s expressions, which range from sheer overconfidence to utter dejection, are also a hoot, adding that Sesame Street personality to the tale. His comments are quite Grover-like and amusing as well."

Here are just some of the great features - taken from the iOS store site - 

Funny, furry features include:





• Lively, interactive animation that responds to your child’s touch



• Narration by lovable old Grover himself

--and tapping Grover makes him talk!

• Engaging activities that empower readers to decide how and when to move the story forward—plus encourage kids’ spatial development and listening skills



• Word highlighting to help build beginning reader skills



• Easy-to-follow parent tips for helping kids tackle common fears, reflecting the book’s underlying curriculum messages about courage and labeling emotions

• Bookplate personalization — add your child's name!

I hope this weeks installment will get you through until next week & remember, join me for #appyhour on Twitter @MrCsays