CSCOPE vs. Textbook vs. GOOD Teaching

It's all a little strange for us as far as what we teach and when we teach it.  We have CSCOPE that we have to follow. {If you want to know what that's all about, just type CSCOPE into google.  Read about all of the craziness!} We also have a state textbook adoption, too.  Then, we have what we have done that we have seen work that we KNOW is GOOD SOLID teaching. Teaching that we have seen make our data shine.

Here's the problem I often run into with CSCOPE and the adoption.  They are never on the same track.  CSCOPE doesn't have me teaching comprehension skills for any amount of solid time, either.

Example from last week:
textbook says discuss inferring
CSCOPE says teach about media and how advertisements can be false

So I thought to myself....which would be better for my kids?  Which teaches them to think like a reader? I understand the importance of understanding media and how it affects us, but I teach 1st grade.  I have to teach these kids how to read and COMPREHEND.

My conclusion: I taught inferring. For a solid week I modeled how to infer during read aloud.  They practiced with me during shared reading as we read a big book.  We practiced again during guided reading if the text lend itself to that. (Some books just don't and that's okay.  We focused on other comprehension skills.)

I feel like I could go on and on about how I don't care for CSCOPE or the adoption.  They aren't horrible, I just don't think they always offer the BEST for kids.  Then again, is there any ONE resource that does??? If you know of one, please tell me!

I DO care for BALANCED LITERACY my friends! I never have had to teach with either of those two, CSCOPE or the adoption, until I came to my new-ish district.  I try my best to stay on track with what the rest of the grade level is focusing on... i.e. inferring last week. Call me bad, but my as my wonderful friend Dawn has told me over and over. You do what you know works and your data will show that you are doing something right.

It hasn't failed me yet.

Here is a peek at how I taught making inferences. Adoption + GOOD Teaching.

We read these David Shannon books.

The kids LOVED it! It also was great because they were familiar with David because they have heard No, David! a jillion times by now.

We made an anchor chart of course.  We had already made one earlier in the year with all of the sentence stems that we use when we talk about inferring, but we made this to help us remember that an inference is different than a prediction.

No judging on cuteness....it got the job done and it can be cute-sified later! 

At the end of the week, the kids had to write about their own inference.  I think led them with teacher directions to make their own david! Here is mine completed.

 We made a silly David since we read David Gets in Trouble.

Here is what their's look like so far! We will have to complete the arms and other few details when we return.

My wonderful teammate had a great idea to make David much like David Shannon did...as a 5 year old.  I had a few perfectionists that were begging for tracers.  I. LOVE. THEM. They turned out JUST as they were supposed to!! Even if they drive some of my friends a bit crazy!! ;)