Teaching with Intention Chapter 5

I think I already said this about some of the previous chapters, but I think Chapter 5 is my favorite! Debbie Miller gives us such powerful examples of think alouds and the discussion that occurs with students. This week From Kindergarten with Love and Mr. Greg from The Kindergarten Smorgasboard are hosting.  Check out their blogs to read what they thought of this chapter. 

First of all, I love the idea of keeping a notebook to jot down the ideas of your students.  At times I forgot something that struck me as powerful from the day before.  Not only does she write these down, she refers to these statements in subsequent lessons. The simple act of writing it down sends a message to students that their voices are important and are being heard.  This is a practice that I want to become a natural part of our time together on the carpet.

Her intentional planning included books that her students could read, but also ones that were more difficult.  For the latter, Valerie knew that her students could use various text features for support. It is evident in the way Debbie Miller describes this activity that Valerie knew her students reading habits and was adept at matching texts that reflected the type of interactions she wanted her students to have.

For me this was the most significant part of the chapter.  The way that she describes her think aloud for the mental file folders was amazing.  I saw that exchange as an example of the type of discussions that we need to have with our students.  I have no doubt that when these same students came across new information they will have that type of internal conversation as they attempt to make meaning of it.  I love how she likens the file folder to the processes that occur when you take in new information and then accommodate for your misconceptions.  Here are a couple of examples of the file folder visual aid that other teachers have used.