c intemann

Reading, Writing, and Buddies: 

Reading, Writing, and Buddies Buddy visits promote literacy for the middle school students and their pre-school and primary partners.

Who?: 

Who? The partners can be any young children. Our buddies are a nearby child development center with 3-5 year olds. The center is part of a larger neighborhood community center that is on our school site. We also have two elementary schools within walking distance of 10 to 15 minutes. We do have to cross one arterial street. Our other buddies are kindergartners and 1st graders. I have been going to the first grade for four years. I adopted the pre-school and kindergarten last year. We have always been more than welcome. I would not recommend buddies older than second grade.

Finding the buddy: 

Finding the buddy I have over the years had several different buddy classrooms and schools. This may be the hardest part of the experience: finding a teacher that is willing to have middle school children in their classroom and you are willing to return to their class. Past Experiences The classroom teacher left the room during the buddy visit. I did not return the next year. The classroom teacher did not like middle schoolers. She came unglued when a child said, “That sucks.” My student’s behavior was not appropriate but certainly it wasn’t the worst language out of a middle schooler’s mouth. Attire bothers teacher or principal. Before uniforms, we were asked not to come back at one school. Middle schoolers can’t stay together while walking, they may cause trouble in the neighborhood. Middle schoolers play too roughly with the little ones-this has happened at the pre-school however not intentionally. Now we can’t go outside with them.

Getting Started: 

Getting Started Discuss with the principal/get permission Find partners--I teach in a block of two periods so each of my classes has a buddy school of their own. Arrange a date, time, and theme. Once I established our buddies, I now go at the same time every visit. Times vary each year because of my prep. Sometimes I arrange the next visit during our current visit Permission slips Planning the visit Supplies Preparing students The trip itself Follow-up

When?: 

When? The number of buddy visits depends on the teachers involved. For the past few years I have made five buddy visits. The first time I made one visit to a nearby elementary. In subsequent years, I made only two or three. Now I make five visits. 1) Around Halloween-Thanksgiving 2) Around Winter Break 3) Around Valentine’s 4) Around Spring Break 5) In May

Planning your trip: 

Planning your trip I allow my students to plan their trip. If the teacher has a specific request for our visit, I remind them of the request. Otherwise I let them take over. We brainstorm a list of suggestions. If feasibility is an issue I explain the difficulties to my students. I always ask students to remember the abilities of their buddies; pre-schoolers can’t do the same thing that first graders know how to do. Also length of the visit is an important consideration I remind them about. Once that list is long enough we have a vote on the top four or five. We discuss these in greater depth, and then we have a final vote. We make a list of supplies and a plan for getting supplies. I have collected money from students when there is a cost. Usually $1 a student subsidizes the cost. I have also had parents donate supplies. The past two years I have used money I received from the PNM Foundation to pay for our materials.

Supplies: 

Supplies Supplies have varied from plaster of paris to graham crackers and candy for gingerbread houses. Usually I have been able to purchase all supplies from a craft store or grocery store. I have also ordered kits from Oriental Trading Co. Glue-lots of glue Foam sheets Construction paper Boxes to carry supplies Scissors

Getting Ready: 

Getting Ready A few days before Permission slips Purchase and assemble supplies Assemble supplies I have found that individual baggies for each student is the most efficient way to use time when we get to the buddy school. So we have an assembly line where students prepare and assemble as needed whatever project we are doing. Make sure you have camera and photography supplies. Film, camera charged, discs etc.

On the Big Day: 

On the Big Day On the day of the visit Check attendance and plan for those without permission (There are a handful of students who don’t want to do this so they don’t get their slips signed.) Double check supplies Head out the door. Arrive and locate buddies I hand out supplies to each set of tables I monitor and keep up supplies, handle problems and take photos Classroom teacher does the same thing We leave - when the buddies have another activity-lunch, recess, pull-outs or we have to get back or everyone is losing control

Matching the big and the little people: 

Matching the big and the little people Student ask, “How do I find a buddy?” “Go pick one out.” Classroom teachers always make sure all of their students have a buddy-sometimes we have to share a seventh grader with two buddies. Also there are students who are at pull-outs who arrive in the middle of the visit. Yes, we try to have the same buddy every visit. Even if YOU have a difficult child you need to keep the same buddy. There are always students withdrawing from the class and admitting on both ends of the visit. We just make allowance. Sometimes my students have to get a new buddy and my new students have to be a replacement for the student who left.

Some of our past projects: 

Some of our past projects “My favorites” book Coyote stories My students write their own as a cross curricular activity with the Social Studies teacher Aligns with 7th grade social studies standard for study of New Mexico Scrapbooks I do this every year using the photos I take during each visit I leave the photo scrapbook with the classroom teacher I always get doubles and make a scrapbook for my students “My family” book Marshmallow turkeys Gingerbread houses an annual favorite every year Seasonal cards Turkey pins Valentines Bags After the projects are finished buddies read to their 7th grade partners Any reading/writing or craft project will work Seasonal and theme related always work well

Reading and Writing for our buddies: 

Reading and Writing for our buddies Some Standards we help our buddies meet Kindergarten and Pre-school Reading Builds vocabulary by identifying and sorting common words, pictures, objects from basic categories Uses appropriate nouns to name objects Uses pictures, prior knowledge and context to make predictions about story content Describes the beginning, middle and end of a variety of texts. Retells stories and events, indicating beginning, middle, and end Kindergarten and Pre-school Writing writes or uses written symbols Shares written work with others dictates a story with beginning, middle, and end based on own experience Kindergarten and Pre-school Speaking develops awareness of speaking strategies by taking turns expressing ideas, asking, and answering questions Kindergarten and Pre-school Listening and Viewing Listens to and views attentively, sits still, talks at appropriate times in small and large group settings

Reading and Writing for our buddies: 

Reading and Writing for our buddies Some standards we help our buddies meet -part 2 First grade reading Demonstrates how print is organized and read Reads and writes from left to right and top to bottom Matches spoken words with print text Reads listens and interacts in a variety of situations Reads grade level text aloud with fluency, accuarcy, comprehension and appropriate intonation and expression Retells stories and events indicating beginning, middle and end First grade writing Uses the writing project to create a final project Demonstrates penmanship skills Uses complete sentences to write simple text composes a variety of written texts First grade speaking Participates in classroom discussions First grade listening and viewing Increases vocabulary through reading,listening and interacting

Reading and writing Standards for 7th grade: 

Reading and writing Standards for 7th grade Reading Identifies the purpose and audience for a variety of texts Writing Demonstrates proficiency in using the writing process to create a final product Demonstrates increasing proficiency in applying appropriate types of writing Composes a variety of written work that develops sentence fluency using a variety of technologies Speaking Interacts in group activities and discussions by giving valid reasons that support opinions and offering personal opinions confidently without dominating and soliciting and considering others’ opinions Listening and Viewing Organizes information that is heard or viewed (or experienced) my addition Standards taken from Albuquerque Public Schools K-5th grade Language Arts Power Standards and6-8 Language Arts Power Standards 2006

Writing in my room: 

Writing in my room After each visit I have my students write about their buddy visit. The general outline for their writing Write about the planning and preparation Write about the actual visit What did your buddy do, how did they act, what kinds of successes and problems did you have? Write an evaluation of the experience. What went well, what didn’t work well, what suggestions would you make? What did you learn and what do you think your buddy learned from this visit? Did you like the buddy visit? Why or why not?

Reaching Beyond the Standards: 

Reaching Beyond the Standards One of the challenges of buddy visits is to make them fit into the curriculum. How can I justify buddy visits in the standards era? For the middle school student: Buddy visits provides a form of service learning They give older students responsibility They help them see literacy in a broader perspective They make students think of someone besides themselves They let my students understand better that there are all types of learners and all types of children: loud, silly, quiet, shy, good readers, readers who are behind, neat writers and drawers, sloppy writers and students who color neatly and those who scribble.

Benefits for Buddies: 

Benefits for Buddies For the primary student It gives them a chance to work one on one with someone It gives them an opportunity to work with an older student. Some of these little ones are the oldest in their family. It gives both their teachers and the children a break from the daily routine It gives the little ones a chance to show off their reading and writing abilities

Benefits for Seventh Graders: 

Benefits for Seventh Graders All students can achieve success Learning disabled students in my class have the same responsibility Modeling correct spelling and writing becomes important for my students They are forced to act maturely (most of the time) and model good character. Character Counts is built in Responsibility Caring Respect Citizenship Fairness Trustworthiness Students see how differently children learn and respond They have to work with their student regardless of the buddy’s abilities They have to determine how much or little to help, how to keep the buddy’s attention focused and on task, how to finish in the allotted time and what to do if their buddy finishes early.

Evaluation: 

Evaluation What my student’s get out of this in their own words Sharing overheads from my scrapbook Each of the three years I have kept a scrapbook

My scrapbook: 

My scrapbook Each year I take photos of my students and the buddies working together in the classroom. I then take one of the four or five writing samples from my students and type up all of my students’ responses. I make a scrapbook of our year with our buddies with a picture of each of my students, their comment and their buddy. Each of my class sections is included.

Questions and Answers and New Ideas: 

Questions and Answers and New Ideas What would you like to know? How could this work for you? I’m always open to suggestions

Did I miss anything?: 

Did I miss anything? Every year I think to myself, “This is just too much trouble.” I go ahead and do it though and when I see the interaction, and I read what my students say I know that the value for my students is much more than anything I can measure on a test. I am also certain that our buddies gain from having someone bigger to be a part of their learning. When my seventh graders ask, “When is our next buddy visit?” , I know I’m succeeding. When the seventh graders become eighth graders and ask me if I am doing buddy visits, I know they loved it. Sometimes they even ask,”Can we come with you?” “No, I’m sorry. You are in eighth grade and this is just for seventh graders.”