Kim just sent us this great link to a recent article and video that Linda Christensen (author of our study group book) updated on the NWP site....below you will find a link to both resources:


Linda Christensen: Social Justice, Teaching Writing, and Teaching Teachers

"We teach our students not only by what we say in the classroom but also by what we do in the world," says Linda Christensen, director of the Oregon Writing Project.


http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3076

Big, Bigger, Biggest Fish Protocol

Big Fish Bigger Fish Biggest Fish Protocol

Complex text can offer many ideas and issues, but sometimes we need to address the foundational ideas, warrants of arguments, assumptions underlying a text, and make connections and take on those over-riding concepts.

Set-up/Identify - Time :

Read text, marking issues and concepts which seem to be, represent and/or imply the most important, controlling ideas and/or underlying assumptions.

Focus/Evaluate - Time:

Mark one or two ideas you think seem to include or subsume the others that address conditions or possibilities of teaching and learning.

Discussion/Critique & Synthesize - Time:

In small groups, ideally no larger than four, share your ideas and then prioritize or put into a hierarchy according to encompassing, critical or foundational idea.

Optional: create an illustrative poster showing your collective thinking and rationale.

Share/Social Critique - Time:

Each group explains their thinking: the Biggest Fish and their rationale.