SSLA

Summary of Sessions

October 14, 2008

Session Summary: After a brief review of current research on the efficacy of teaching comprehension strategies to students of all ages and an update of what has been happening with comprehension strategy instruction in Baltimore County Public Schools since the publication of Reading is Our Business, Ms. Grimes modelled and shared resources on how to teach connecting, questioning, and visualizing to K-12 students using wordless picture books, picture books, fiction, nonfiction, and online digital resources. Ms. Grimes will also model the use of Web 2.0 tools to engage students in transforming reading into a "full contact" process.

Session Notes:
The notes are PowerPoint slides.
- Reading Is Our Business - Part One - S. Grimes
- Reading Is Our Business - Part Two - S. Grimes

 

January 12, 2009

Title of Session: Model Lessons on Teaching Determining Importance, Predicting, and Inferring

Session Summary: Participants had the opportunity to watch Ms. Grimes share a model lesson on predicting and inferring to a first grade class and observe as she co-taught with another teacher-librarian on how to teach determining importance to a fourth grade class. A lively question and answer session followed the model lessons where successes and problems with implementing CSI in their libraries were discussed.

Session Notes:
- Predicting and Inferring Video - S. Grimes

 

March 2, 2009

Title of Session: Reading Is Our Business: How to Teach Students to Analyze and Synthesize

Session Summary: Ms. Grimes modelled and shared resources on how to teach analyzing and synthesizing to K-12 students using wordless picture books, picture books, fiction, nonfiction, and online digital resources. She also modelled the use of Web 2.0 tools to engage students in transforming reading into a "full contact" process. Collaborative conversations, critical thinking, and higher order questioning was the heart of this session. Learn how to take proficient students even deeper and discuss next steps to help your learning grow.

Session Notes:
Video #1: An eighth-grade class uses a summary strategy to generate "juicy" and "dry" questions.

Video #2: Watch teacher Cris Tovani lead a lesson in interpreting data, charts, and graphs. Excerpted from Stenhouse Publishers' "Analyzing Data."

Video #3: Teacher Cris Tovani shares her own reading habits with her students, using the discussion to guide her instruction. This clip is excerpted from Stenhouse Publishers' "Modeling Good Readers."

Presentation: Reading Comprehension Strategies PowerPoint.

Baltimore County Public Schools - Links to Resources and Information Literacy Process Model

 

Biography of Presenter

Sharon Grimes serves as the Supervisor, Library Information Services at Baltimore County Public Schools which is located in Baltimore, MD. Prior to serving as Supervisor, Sharon served as Library Media Specialist at Lansdowne Elementary. She is the author of Reading is Our Business, published in 2006 by ALA, and of numerous other publications. Her school received the Exemplary Reading Award from IRA in 2007. She received the Teacher of the Year Award in 2005, and Technology Educator of the Year Award in 2004. At present, Sharon is a member of AASL, ALA, NCTE and IRA. Sharon attended Towson University where she studied Instructional Technology and earned a Masters degree in 2006. Sharon's core expertise is in web design and development, professional development, reading comprehension and 21st Century Literacies.

 

SSLA Learning Events Committee

The SSLA Learning Events Committee is comprised of Carlene Walter, Jacqueline Helman, and Jennifer Climenhaga.