Lucy Calkins isn't the Devil: And Neither are Fountas and Pinnell

     Texas didn't send me through "the" science of reading course so I could bash people OR programs. Nothing in the world is "the" answer. Texas sent me through a science of reading course so I could be the Reading Scientist that knows how to select instructional approaches, texts, and lessons that best meet the needs of my students. Texas wants to empower me to be an expert that can rally and adapt materials and resources that help me empower my students with their reading practices. (More could be said about "the" science of reading, but Dr. Paul Thomas does a much better job at that than I can.) And, as a side note - Texas really can't tell us what programs to use. That's a district decision. 

Here's a perfect example that Lucy Calkins isn't the devil. Emma has written her Valedictory graduation speech after completing the Introductory Unit in Texas Home Learning for English IV. (The unit was FABULOUS, by the way. And Emma is my niece. My 81 year old mother home-schools her.) Now I need her to practice delivering the speech with passion and power. 

Well Lookie Here: 

Right there is Grade 8, Section 7 of Calkin's Units of Study "Unleashing the Inner 

Dramatist to Give Speeches More Impact." Now I have a beautiful resource complete with "Tips for Rehearsing and Giving Confident and Stirring Speeches" along with a model of a teacher's think aloud 

that I can adapt for my own writing to share with Emma. I also have a model student level exemplar 

that is just perfect for her to see and hear what her work should look like and sound like. I also have 

movie clip examples that she can watch to learn other techniques. And guess what? The unit concludes with an authentic graduation speech that is just the perfect way to help Emma practice the direct address that she imitated from a mentor text. 

Here's a snippet of her introduction. 

     During my senior year, I was told that I would be Valedictorian at my school.

Which makes sense, since I’m the only one in my class. Then I was told I had to make a speech and

I wondered how someone who is still growing (that would be me) could advise older more experienced

people  (that would be you). 

Now, the devil might be in the details, but Calkins turned out to be the angel I needed to move Emma to the next level of sophistication.