Daybooks Of Critical Reading And Writing

Description

Encourage your student to become an active, rather than a passive, reader. Teach them to get out their highlighters and pens and circle, jot, scribble, and respond as they read! That's the essence of the Daybook series. Daybook is defined as a journal or diary, and these books are, in essence, journals about literature. They encourage children to read, write, and think critically; to chew up and taste before they swallow; to jot notes and formulate responses as they read. This series from Great Source is different from anything I've seen before. They will invite students to get involved by virtue of the high-interest excerpts that are included as well as the format of the book itself. These books just cry out to be written on; if I could show you one in person, you'd see what I mean! The reading excerpt is centered on a two-page layout with writing space "around the edges." In typical Great Source fashion, the Daybooks are graphically energetic and colorful. They make me want to be a student all over again. The use of examples, models and graphic organizers are excellent! Literary selections include a wide range of articles, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry chosen from the recommendations of veteran teachers at each grade level. At every step, students are encouraged to participate via a variety of response activities. My sample is for grade 6. To give you an idea of the scope of the book, the main sections are titled: Angles of Literacy; Essentials of Reading; Essentials of Story; Understanding Character; Author's Craft; The Art of Argument; Focus on the Writer: Lois Lowry; Challenging Reading; Active Reading: Social Studies; Active Reading: Expository Writing; Style and Structure; Active Reading: Poetry; Active Reading: Persuasive Writing; and Focus on the Writer: Gary Paulsen. Each section has five lessons, for a total of 70 lessons. High-school level books each have 80 lessons, however. This course can be used as a daily, one-semester English course, or can be used as a supplement, integrated into your existing literature program, or just to add variety to your English program.

The series is correlated to the Great Source handbooks - a chart in the Teacher's Guide shows the interrelationship between the Daybook lessons and the handbook sections. Teacher's Editions also contain guidelines for assessment of student responses, information and teaching tips for the assignments as well as page-by-page lesson plans. The first part of each lesson helps prepare students for the reading selection by providing background and introducing new or difficult words. The second half concentrates on the writing portion giving sample responses, rubrics for assessment, and writing suggestions. An extensive reading workshop section gives tools to use with students - word webs, vocabulary inventories, etc.

Teaching Method
Traditional
Teacher-centered curriculum commonly used in classrooms that may include a text, teacher manual, tests, etc.
Charlotte Mason
A methodology based on the work of a 19th century educator who maintained that children learn best from literature (Living Books), not textbooks.
Classical
A methodology based on the Latin Trivium (three stages of learning), including the grammar stage (memorization and facts), logic stage (critical thinking), and rhetoric stage (developing/defending ideas).
Unit Study
A thematic or topical approach centered around one topic that integrates multiple subject areas.
Montessori (Discovery)
A methodology based on the work of a 20th century educator that emphasizes student and sensory-driven discovery learning and real-life applications.
Other
Other methodologies
Religious Content
Secular
Contains content contrary to common Christian beliefs (i.e. evolution).
Neutral
Avoids religious or theoretical topics or presents multiple viewpoints without preference.
Christian/Religious
Faith-based or including instructional religious content.
Learning Modality
Auditory
Learns through listening, talking out loud or reading out loud.
Visual
Learns through seeing, prefers written instructions and visual materials.
Kinesthetic/Tactile (Hands-On)
Learns through moving, doing and touching.
Multi-Sensory
Curriculum that employ a variety of activities/components.
Presentation
Sequential
Curriculum progresses through well-defined learning objectives. Emphasizes mastery before moving to the next topic.
Spiral
Topics and concepts are repeated from level to level, adding more depth at each pass and connecting with review.
Conceptual/Topical
Focus is on the “why,” often with a unifying concept as well as specific skills; coverage may be broader.
Teacher Involvement
Low Teacher Involvement
Student-led materials; parent acts as a facilitator.
Medium Teacher Involvement
A mix of teacher-led time and independent student work.
High Teacher Involvement
Teacher-led lessons; may utilize discussions, hands-on activities and working together.
Additional Materials Required
No other materials needed
Everything you need is included.
Other Materials Required
There are additional required resources that are a separate purchase.
Other Materials Optional
There are additional resources mentioned or recommended but are not absolutely necessary.
Consumable
Consumable
Designed to be written in; not reusable.
Non-Consumable
Not designed to be written in; reusable.