Connie Dierking holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's degree in special education, both from Kansas State University. During the past 32 years, Connie Dierking has experienced the joys of teaching kindergarten, second grade, third grade, and exceptional education students. She has experience as a reading/writing demonstration teacher, reading coach, and writing staff developer. She also provided guidance for literacy teachers throughout the southwest region of Florida as a Reading Coordinator. She currently writes literacy curriculum and is an instructional staff developer for Pinellas County Schools in Florida. She is the author of several books written for literacy teachers to assist with the teaching of writing and reading in the primary grades, including Linking K-2 Literacy and the Common Core: Mini-Lessons that Work, and co-author of Growing Up Writing: Mini-Lessons for Emergent and Beginning Writers. She conducts professional development in the areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening throughout the country.
Connie cuts to the chase again, taking complex theory and research
and transforming it into ready-to-use lessons! -- Barbara Nizza,
First-grade Teacher
Elementary teachers use mini-lessons, often 3-4 in one day, as they
teach the language arts block. Dierking provides reading and
writing mini-lessons which intertwine the two areas of instruction
in order to reinforce the literacy process. The mini-lesson
instructions are displayed in an easy format which needs little
preparation beyond what the primary teacher already has. In the
first three chapters, the author provides teachers with background
knowledge on the reciprocal development process of early writing
and reading, the basics for creating a connected classroom and
finally, the how-to's of teaching a writing/reading workshop. The
mini-lessons are categorized according to operational, print
awareness, foundations, and craft -- categories which were
developed by Dierking and Sherra Jones to insure a balance in K-2
writing instruction (p. 50). Operational mini-lessons provide
writers with skills needed to succeed in the writer's workshop such
as setting goals, choosing pieces to publish, editing writing
pieces, and communicating with partners. Print-awareness
mini-lessons are exactly that: exposure to print through letters,
sounds and words. Dierking points out that these mini-lessons
provide students with abilities to move through the phonics
continuum. The final categories of mini-lessons, foundations and
craft, provide support for all writing (p. 120) and moving
students' writing beyond basic proficiency, (p. 127) respectively.
Various foundation mini-lessons include using pictures and words to
tell a story, writing with a purpose, and labeling a diagram. Craft
mini-lessons prepare the K-2 student with strategies to
successfully raise their writing above the ordinary. The author
fulfills her goal of providing an assortment of mini-lessons to
reinforce literacy processes. The simple mini-lesson format works
well due to Dierking's commitment to provide a reading connection,
materials needed and a prep step for each mini-lesson. In all, 52
mini-lessons are presented across the four categories; the
mini-lesson format includes a five-step process of making a reading
connection, teaching, active engagement, linking to future work,
and follow up ideas. Experienced teachers who are feeling the need
to change tactics might consider these simple techniques to
facilitate smoother transitions in their literacy instruction.
-Reviewed by Darryn Diuguid, teacher at Saint Louis University in
the Department of Educational Studies, for Education Book Reviews--
"Education Book Reviews"
No matter what your reading or writing program, you need to
understand this book and apply these strategies across every
subject. -- Kathy Duncan, Principal
She presents a practical text for primary teachers on how to teach
early writing and reading simultaneously, to intertwine instruction
in the two processes of literacy. The text contains 50
mini-lessons, organized by their classroom function, to help users
teach foundational literacy skills during writer's workshop or
whole-class and small-group reading instruction. -- Book News Inc.,
Portland, OR
Teaching Early Writing and Reading Together, written up by Connie
Campbell Dierking, takes mini-lessons and brings K-2 literacy
instruction together. I loved that I found where each of my
children are within the alphabetic principle, spelling, reading,
and writing. This helps out tremendously; now I know which
mini-lessons in the book will work best for each child. This book
has taught me how to teach a writing/reading workshop and both the
kids have their very own writing folder now. I have found that even
though they are in two separate grades, they love working together
as partners. I think this is the only time of the day that they
actually get along. I am going to continue using this book as we
move on through the school year. -- Ang, Just an Army Wife and Just
a Mommy blog, http: //justanarmywifejustamommy.blogspot.com
(October 2009)-- "Just an Army Wife and Just a Mommy blog"
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