Message Time Plus (MTP) Intro Seminar My name is Adriana Hernandez. I am your new teacher coach. I was a preschool, kindergarten and first grade teacher at Forest for 8 years. Today I am going to introduce you to a new practice that will be an addition to you reading and writing instruction, which is called Message Time Plus.

What is Message Time Plus Message Time Plus is a modeled writing and shared reading instructional practice that follows seven steps for planning and implementation. The seven steps have been carefully designed to support young readers and writers through a meaningful and authentic reading and writing experience. Each step is supported by research-based effective practices.

The Seven Step Process of MTP

Step 1: Planning Step 1: Planning- Planning for Message Time Plus occurs before the lesson and planning notes are recorded on a lesson plan template. The students are not present It is important to plan because you are then able to be explicit in your teaching. A copy of a planning template is provided for you in your packet. We will have the opportunity to look over the template before we leave.

Step 2: Thinking Aloud Although labeled as step two, this is actually the first step that a teacher would implement in a Message Time Plus lesson (with the students). Thinking aloud is one of the best comprehension tools teachers can share with children. New information is much more likely to be understood and remembered if it can be linked in the mind to concepts which are already clear. Thinking Aloud before beginning to read or write explicitly makes the connection between the unknown and the known, especially when the thinking process involves activating prior knowledge.

Step 3: Writing and Reading This step occurs as the teacher is writing the message and the students are simultaneously reading the message. After the teacher thinks aloud, the teacher begins to write the message in front of the class, a research based instructional practice known as modeled writing. The teacher begins to compose a piece of written text on an unlined white board or chart paper—carefully forming letters, modeling concepts of print, and sound stretching words, as necessary. • As the writing is happening, the teacher and students read the message together, a research based instructional practice known as shared reading. During shared reading, the teacher varies the level of support she gives readers while reading together.

Step 4: Predicting and Assessing Step four is occurring simultaneously with step three. During modeled writing and shared reading, students are making predictions, the teacher is offering feedback, and the teacher is assessing students “on the fly.” • While the teacher is modeling writing, she may occasionally stop to note certain writing behaviors such as indenting, needing to go onto the next line, and sound stretching words when necessary. • In addition to being explicit about writing behaviors, the teacher makes decisions to stop and praise readers during shared reading on their use of good reading strategies (for example, when they predict words based upon letter patterns and/or predict a word by thinking about what makes sense). • During this step the teacher is also mentally assessing students’ abilities during shared reading, noting their predictions and use of strategies.

Step 5: Re-reading After each sentence that is written, the teacher guides the students to re-read, allowing them to put all the words they read into a meaningful sentence that “sounds right.” This re-reading happens again after the entire message is written. With each opportunity to re-read, the students’ reading becomes more automatic, accurate, and smooth.

Strategies to Help You Get Started… Plan a mini-lesson on the expected behaviors for MTP Use a method for calling students to the board. Example: (popsicle sticks) Start off by only writing a couple of sentences in the beginning making them predicable especially for beginning of Kindergarten

Rhyme Time Song Sing to the tune of the Adams Family Song There’s cat and hat, sat and bat, rat and mat the “at” family. Rhyme time “snap, snap” Rhyme time, Rhyme time, Rhyme time “snap, snap” Super Duper “snap, snap” Peter Di Duper “snap, snap” Super Duper, Peter Di Duper, Super Duper