The Four Steps
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To share the great results my students have had year after year on the NJASK (New Jersey‘s NCLB test) simply read these directions every day.
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Directions to be read first thing, of each and every class… and try to smile when you say it… remember, yes, they might groan, but they also all know it’s for their own good…
The next school day you must come to class having another 4 Steps. As always, the description of the 4 steps can be found on my blog. Any questions/concerns/problems? (wait 5 seconds). Great! The next assignment is…
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Step 1. Write a sentence about something you did today.
Step 2. Read your book for 20 minutes or more.
Step 3. Write a sentence about one thing that happened in the book.
Step 4. Bring your book back to class.
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For example: (step 1) Jenny gets home and opens her writing binder. She writes about a fascinating language arts lesson she had that day. (step 2) Next, she kicks off her shoes, and reads the climax of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight biting her nails at each turn of the page. (Step 3) She then returns to her binder, and in between sips of soy milk, summarizes the thrilling rescue of Bella. (step 4) She then puts both the binder and her novel in her book bag and pats herself on the back for a job well-done!
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© 2010 David Mach
