Exploring an Emerging Medium in Literacy: A Study of Graphic Novels

On a recent afternoon in Lilac Band Literacy, the energy in the room was unmistakable as learners discussed a page from their current read-aloud. When Stars Are Scattered is a graphic novel adapted from the life story of Omar Mohamed, who spent his childhood in the Dadaab refugee camp, and who co-authored the book with noted graphic novelist Victoria Jamieson. Projected on the whiteboard in full color, five panels showed Omar and two friends discussing their dreams for life beyond the refugee camp: to become a lawyer, a social worker, and a teacher. As they contemplated the page, Lilac Band members engaged in a lively conversation about change in the central character. We captured a transcript of the last few minutes....

literacyLisa ZapalacSeptember 22, 2024Long-View Micro Schoolliteracy, graphic novels, unit study

Conferring: A Dialogic Teaching Practice from Literacy Block

“Talking in class.” For many adults, this charged phrase may conjure up memories of times when we were asked to be quiet in a classroom so that we (and others) could focus on our individual work. But at Long-View, as in many schools that lift up the practices of dialogic teaching and inquiry learning, “talking in class” – in larger group conversations, with partners, and between individual learners and teachers – is foundational to the way we learn.

One place where this ethic manifests is in the way that Literacy teachers at Long-View most frequently give feedback: individual “conferences” between a learner and a teacher. Our reading and writing conferences aren’t a once-a-semester affair, but happen in the course of every day. These brief interactions provide timely, individualized, holistic feedback on what’s happening at a particular moment in a child’s reading or writing life – and do so, critically, in a way that permits the child to engage dialogically with that feedback in real time….

generalLisa ZapalacNovember 3, 2023Long-View Micro Schoolliteracy, dialogic teaching, feedback, pedagogy

Reading and Writing Workshop Off to a Great Start

We have had a wonderful start to the year in literacy and are excited by what our readers and writers will accomplish this year. Our literacy block consists of reading and writing, and we use a workshop format to teach both. We stand on the shoulders of the great work of Teachers College Reading and Writing Project out of Columbia University to inspire us and inform our practices. This organization has an amazing research base and a strong focus on helping kids do the work of real readers and real writers…

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