Notes from a middleschool teacher and principal

1
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
We modified the think-along process for our
students.
2
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
We used paired reading. One student read silently
and thought aloud. The other student listened and
used the check-list to keep track of the
strategies the student was using.
3
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
Teachers circulated about the room and listened.
They learned about students

• Vocabulary strengths

• Background experiences

• Predictions

4
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
Students reported and we observed that

• All readers felt they could contribute something
  (their ideas)

• Good readers could be paired with less adequate
  readers

• Better discussions followed the reading

5
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
Students reported and we observed that

• The less verbal students began to talk more

• They liked hearing what others thought as they
  read

6
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
These are the results we observed

• Students views of reading have changed. They are
  now active thinkers about what they are reading.

7
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
These are the results we observed

• Students are relying more on their thinking
  rather than just asking the teacher.

8
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
These are the results we observed

• Students are monitoring their reading and
  understanding much more.

9
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
These are the results we observed

• Students are sharing more of their ideas with
  other students since everyone feels they can
  contribute.

10
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
These are the results we observed

• Students are more likely to engage in
  discussionseven without being asked questions.

11
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
We have been using the think-along ideas in other
classes like science where

• Students think aloud the steps in an experiment.

12
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
We have been using the think-along ideas in other
classes like science where

• Students think more about experiments that didnt
  work like the book said. They thought about the
  reasons!

13
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
We have been using the think-along ideas in other
classes like science where

• Students thought about science experiments that
  reminded them of other ideasand other
  experimentsand not just in science.

14
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
We have been using the think-along ideas in other
classes like science where

• Students recognized the similarity between
  predictions and hypotheses.

15
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
We have been using the think-along ideas in other
classes like mathematics where

• Students think about the information they need
  and dont need.

16
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
We have been using the think-along ideas in other
classes like mathematics where

• Students thought aloud to try to figure out just
  what the problem was that they were reading.

17
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
We have been using the think-along ideas in other
classes like mathematics where

• One student said that math was just like reading
  because you have to think about the story and in
  math you have to think about the problem.

18
Notes from a middle-school teacher and principal!
And one student said

• It seems that all were doing is thinking,
  thinking, thinking. But I like it because I get
  to think my thinking.