GETTING THE GIST Chocolate Sustains Intelligence – CSI session 4

As a table take 5 minutes to jot down what you have done in your classroom that incorporates learning from one of the previous sessions… Session 1: About (structure/textual expectations) Session 2: Within (questioning strategies) Session 3: Beyond the Text (Schema – making connections) Pre-Reading: Making Connections – a classroom snapshot How did what you read in this chapter support our previous learning? What do you think is the ‘connection’ between what we’ve learned previously and a student’s ability to ‘get the gist’

Strategies: 1.Bringing them back to the text 2.Fizzelbox 3.Modeling teacher thought processes 4.Questioning each other and referring to the text as evidence Aesop’s fables are morals which teach life lessons, the Tortoise and the Hare teach we should keep trying. Aesop a former slave created and/or passed on stories with a lesson called fables which are loved by many. Aesop’s fables are short stories with lessons which are gathered together and passed on for generations.

Goal: To deepen understanding through multiple readings of text EQ: How do I help my learners make meaning of what they are reading (get the gist – get the point)? Why is it important to identify the significant moments within the text?

DL (Disciplinary Literacy) Patterned Way of Reading, Writing, and TalkingPatterned Read to get the gist know, express, and track ideas Write and talk to learn; know, express, and track ideas Reread to find significant moments select and explain ideas Write and talk to learn; select and explain ideas; reflect on writing and thinking

AESOP Do you know the story of the race between the tortoise and the hare? The hare was sure he would win. So he took a nap instead of running. The tortoise kept going. And he won! It’s a story that has been told again and again. The story is a fable, or a short story with a lesson. Many fables came from a man named Aesop (EE-suhp), he lived in Greece. Aesop’s fables are famous. But we don’t know much about Aesop himself. We do know that he was born a slave. He was set free later. Did Aesop make up all the fables he told? Maybe not. Like all good storytellers, he may have made up some stories and retold others. Over time Aesop’s fables were gathered together. They were put into books. Today there are many collections of Aesop’s fables to enjoy. Why do we love Aesop’s fables? They are fun to read. And each fable has a lesson, or a moral. The moral of “The Tortoise and the Hare” is that we can win if we keep trying. Aesop’s fables are like old friends. We never get tired of them.

Dolphin What sets dolphins apart? They’re very smart! What makes dolphins first-rate? They communicate! How do dolphins “speak”? They click, whistle, and squeak! How was this information found? By recording their sound! ~Meish Goldish, Animal Poems from A-Z

Classroom Video - 4 th grade As we watch the video – what do you notice about student or teacher behaviors that support student learning (how to get the gist)? Shout out!

Smiling is infectious, You can catch it like the flu. Someone smiled at me today, And I started smiling too. ~Author Unknown No matter how grouchy you're feeling, You'll find the smile more or less healing. It grows in a wreath All around the front teeth - Thus preserving the face from congealing. ~Anthony Euwer It takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown. ~Author Unknown If you would like to spoil the day for a grouch, give him a smile. ~Author Unknown SMILE

Using the lesson you brought with you, or another lesson or unit you teach, where would you incorporate strategies for getting the gist? Why? What strategies would you use? You may refer to the guidelines for teaching comprehension strategies, your DL model, the Gist Log or cards (attached to the sample lesson) for ideas. Take 30 minutes to reflect and either adapt the lesson you brought with you or construct a lesson that would work for your students.

Within the professional development process this year, what did you find most valuable? What will you, or have you, taken from our professional development threads into your classroom? How could we make this an even richer learning experience for you next year?