Mustang Musings
December 15, 2019
The Gift of Reading
ARC Focus of the Week
- We will use equitable conferences to meet the needs of all of our students.
- Our equitable conference schedules will be posted in the classroom.
- Our emergency students must be conferenced with 3 times in a 10 day period.
- At-risk must be conferenced with 2 times in a 10 day period.
- Proficient students must be conferenced with once in a 10 day period.
- Log home and school steps daily
- We will continue to focus on entering quality evidence into School Pace.
IWCS Reading Goals
ALL learners will receive the differentiated support needed to ensure 1 year of reading growth.
And we are striving for GREATER with this added part of our goal...
Proficient learners will make at least 1.0 (1 year) of reading growth.
At-risk learners will make at least 1.25 (1 year and 2 and half months) of reading growth.
Emergency learners will make at least 1.50 (1 year and 5 months) of reading growth.
On Target for IRLA Reading Level
K- .30
1st- 1.30
2nd- 2.30
3rd- 3.30
4th-4.30
HES creates readers!
On Target for Reading Practice
STEPS calendar
Teach the Teacher
WHY do we have our students read independently EVERY day?
Have you ever wondered WHY we do independent reading every day? It is so much more than just allowing you time to conference with your students!
- Research supports that independent reading has the most significant impact on student success in reading
- Student choice in text is essential because it motivates, engages, and reaches a wide variety of readers.
- Independent reading leads to an increased volume of reading. The more one reads, the better one reads. The more one reads, the more knowledge of words and language one acquires. The more one reads, the more fluent one becomes as a reader. The more one reads, the easier it becomes to sustain the mental effort necessary to comprehend complex texts. The more one reads, the more one learns about the people and happenings of our world. This increased volume of reading is essential (Allington, 2014).
- During independent reading, students spend time authentically practicing a wide variety of skills within their self-selected books. Through practice, and with teacher support, students are able to gain the skills necessary to access a wide variety of genres and book formats.
- The volume students read is critical to the advancement of their reading skills and overall academic success.
How do you teach students to infer?
In working with students and teachers last week, it became evident that inferring is a problem that many of our students struggle with. Inferring is a prime example of a critical thinking skill in which students are asked to read a text and analyze it by thinking deeper—way beyond the visual text.
This post will provide ideas to help your students learn how to infer. These lessons will take several days, but the skills are so critical that the time will be well spent.
Here is a snapshot of the ideas presented:
Day 1- Play a Game
Start by playing a game. I like the Headbandz game or play a DIY guessing game similar to Headbanz. Headbandz is designed to have students guess the animal, object, or place that is on the card on their head. A DIY version can be to tape a picture or word on the back of a student or have a student cover his/her eyes and secretly show others a card or word. The student then tries to guess what is on that card by asking yes or no questions like: Am I an animal? Do I live in the water? Do I have legs? Explain that you will be teaching them how to infer and that inferring involves finding answers that you can not see.Day 2- Photo Inferences
Practice using photographs. Show photographs that can prompt thinking and questioning. I like to use the Notice, Think, Wonder method for analyzing photographs. As a whole group, have students in groups discuss each step and then share with the class. It is amazing to hear the different observations and thinking! Explain that this is a visual way of inferring and that tomorrow they will learn how to infer within a text.
Notice- What do you notice? What do you see?
Think- What do you think is happening? Why?
Wonder- What do you wonder about the image or people in it?
After you practice a few of these with your students, place photographs in a center or give them independent practice with Notice, Think, Wonder.
Day 3- What is an Inference?
Tell students that the Headbandz game and Photo Inferences are activities to introduce a more complex way of inferring- Text Inferences. Explain the meaning of inferences:
- An educated guess
- “Reading between the lines”
- Reading facts and evidence to reach a logical conclusion or opinion
What is the text trying to tell you without coming right out and writing it word for word?
- The author wants me to think…
- I’m guessing…because…
- Do I need to change my thinking?
Want to know more? Click here to find out the next steps!
What can I do for you?
- Modeling
- Side-by-side coaching
- Coaching and modeling of using the IRLA
- Round up resources
- Assist with differentiating lessons or materials
- Cover your class so that you can observe a colleague's class
- Cooperatively plan a lesson or series of lessons that meet best practices
- Serve as another pair of hands for a lesson
- Offer strategies for classroom management
- Help you connect with other teachers in the district
- Lend an open ear for a topic of your choice
- Reflect on student learning in your classroom through conversation and observation
- Work collaboratively to bounce ideas off one another to address a concern
- Evaluate new students to guide instruction
Hardy Elementary School
Email: lhenk@iwcs.k12.va.us
Website: http://hes.iwcs.k12.va.us/
Location: 9311 Hardy Circle, Smithfield, VA, United States
Phone: 757-357-3204
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hardy-Elementary-School-205065852892284/
Twitter: @Mrs_Henk