So last year, some teachers in my school (including me) decided to get together and form a writing curriculum group. We wanted to focus on writing because we felt that our literacy curriculum was lacking in this area. With the Common Core coming in full force we wanted to make sure we were properly aligned. We started out by deciding on one graphic organizer that we could use from kindergarten to fifth grade. This was a difficult task since some were very difficult for kindergartners to use. We used to use the four square method which was extremely difficult for kindergarten and first grade to use because they couldn’t follow it. I was thrilled that my coworkers worked with the kindergarten team to make sure that the new organizer worked for us. They are now realizing that if we start them off using it in kindergarten then it will be second nature by the time they got to MCAS grades. Through many hours of discussion and trials and error within our classes we decided on using two column notes. Now at first, some might not think that this would be easy for kindergarteners but let me just tell you that it is. The kids are learning how to read so going from left to right and top to bottom made sense for them. At the beginning of the year, I will write the sentence and have them draw the picture on the left. Then, move on to putting the sentence starter on the left and having the students fill in the sentence on the right. Towards the end of the year, the students would be writing the whole sentence by themselves and it would be set up more like a paragraph. Using this type of graphic organizer helped the kids be able to write a full paragraph by the end of the school year. They also loved learning how they could use it in all aspects of our curriculum.
Last year, I was only able to implement two column notes halfway through and I was amazed at how much it helped. I am very excited to use this graphic organizer from the start and see how far the kids can go! I will post pictures throughout the year of their work so you can see how impressive these kiddos are.
What a great tool to start using when your students are just beginning to read and learn how to write. It is also neat to see that your school has a supportive staff environment that wants to be all inclusive so that students in every level are using the same graphic organizer. I think this will also be good for the students that are in Kindergarten but may be a little advanced and have the ability to grasp the concept before others. Those that struggle will still have an early introduction to it and recognize it later when it is used in 1st grade. I was surprised to hear your examples of how you used it already. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had pictures of what my class did last year. I was amazed at how well they did with it! Keep checking back because I will post some examples. ;)
DeleteAny chance you'd be willing to share what you've come up with? It would be nice if these kinds of materials were created by the experts and given to us. I don't know why each individual teacher has to recreate the wheel. :0/
ReplyDeleteI definitely will share anything that I have. The only thing is my examples are at school. When I am back in September I will post my examples. ;)
DeleteI am very impressed that you are collaborating and that you are able to come up with creative ideas even though you must pay attention to COmmon Core. Common Core, to me, is such a challenge because I have always been involved with independent schools. I do think that children are so capable of rising to their highest ability when they are challenged just enough so that they are intrigued and want to dig in but not so challenged that they are too frustrated. I am just learning about graphic organizers and I do appreciate how useful they are for every age!
ReplyDeleteGraphic organizers are great! They scaffold just enough to keep them on track without babying them. Don't get too overwhelmed with the Common Core! Once you break it up it is pretty easy. It is basically what you are probably doing anyway. Just take it one standard at a time. I do love how these standards connect all of the states together and make it more universal.
DeleteI am truly impressed that you have agreed as a school district to make every grade use the same graphic organizer. Consistency is important to a child's success and it seems like you are doing it the right way!
ReplyDeleteWe actually decided as a school, not a district. I wish the district would come up with something but I think that is too difficult because we have too many schools. I'm happy that at least we came together as a school though.
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