Reading aloud to students is a great way to begin to build a community of thinkers. It fosters a central theme in which to begin dialogue. Random questioning about the obvious may not yield the desired results. But preselected questions can guide learners to look for meaning beyond the text. Got any great books that you would like to recommend for Read Alouds? Let's share.

S. Howell
May Community Academy

Not a Bad Read Huh?

Talking about Text,(chap. 1) really not a bad read. Clear ,concise and right to the point. Teaching students to talk purposefully and meaningfully around text. I can see where purposeful talk can foster collaborative thinking (ah, a nice way of saying teach them to listen to one another.) Its goal is to also help students build habits of the mind.(I like the way it sounds, habits of the mind). Having students to understand that what they say will be questioned, and they must have evidence to support their thinking, may assist them when they are writing extended response. From what I gathered purposeful talk will help students to understand that there will be points of view different from their own, which in turn, may assist them in conflict resolution as well. ( hmm, just a thought.)
Look forward to hearing some of your thinking around chapter 1.

Sandra Howell