S'More From The AP
Week Ending January 30, 2015
For The Love of Guided Reading - With Mrs. Walter!
“Every thing has a place, and every place has a thing.” This has been my motto for my organizational habits since the day I moved out of my parents’ house and into my first apartment. My friends would even joke that I had OCD about being organized… I now know that I don’t meet enough of the criterion in the DSM-5 to actually be considered OCD, but that’s a different blog for my post-graduate school degree someday…
So, that being said, my life at home is pretty tidy and orderly. It’s easy to keep it that way because I have no kids… unless you count my husband and fur-baby, HA! All joking aside, I’m content with my orderliness and I must admit that it keeps me happy and sane. However, one thing I notice is that there is a clear difference between how I organize my home life and how I organize my work life. If you’ve ever been in my classroom, you know just what I mean. Papers are always stacked to be put away later and usually a corner ends up sliding into my half-eaten lean cuisine from lunch. I have a pile of copies to be made and a grocery list that I started a week ago. If you’re thirsty, come on down to Room 208, because somehow I’ve acquired five water bottles (some half-full) and some serious caffeine in the form of diet coke and/or coffee. Amidst the mounds there is still some slight systematizing going on... it just looks a little different. I like to call it organized chaos.
One of my goals for this year was to make sure that no matter what my desk looks like; my guided reading will be ready for inspection. It’s the one time during the day when I get to have the full attention of my little friends. They are ready to soak up whatever it is I throw at them, so I have no choice but to stay organized.
There is definitely more than one “right” way to get your guided reading in gear. It all comes down to finding a system that works for you and your class. And this can sometimes be overwhelming. A simple Google search will bring you to blogs upon blogs and pins among pins with titles like “Guided Reading Guru” or “Dr. Daily 5” just ready to give you the perfect solution to every problem you’ve ever run across. The trouble is, these blogs all suggest very different “perfect” answers to how to keep the wheels turning smoothly.
The one thing I’ve found is that determining what works best for you is the key. It’s not going to look the same in my classroom, as it will across the hall. Since moving to kindergarten, I’ve changed my routine umpteen times and that’s okay. They all go with the flow and love whatever it is I come up with. As long as you keep the end goal in mind and work backwards to plan how you’re going to get from point A to point B, your students are flexible and think it’s all part of the plan.
For what it’s worth, here are some things I have found to be tried and true year after year.
- Grouping kiddos based on instructional reading levels (keeping in mind both fluency and comprehension) makes the most of your time.
- Time fluctuates group-to-group. Some groups need more of your time than others. And we all know that some kiddos have longer attention spans than the rest (no matter how engaging your small group lesson plan is). Make the most of what you’ve got.
- Use new texts in order to build skills and old texts in order to build confidence. This helps kiddos look forward to their time with you!
- Keep a binder (or binders) to stay organized! Fill it with what works for you… I prefer logs, running record forms, reading notes, book lists, checklists, etc.
- Remember to write while reading. Writing can be done in multiple outlets (shaving cream, iPads, Etch-a-Sketch, etc.) If it’s something amazing, take a picture and have them record it on something more permanent later.
- HAVE FUN! Use silly pointers (witch fingers, seasonal themed pointers, and these cool finger laser lights-shout out to Mrs. Stern) so students can keep track while they read, use silly voices, have some go-to games, sticky notes on hand, and be sure to laugh! The kids will be eager to work hard!
I always keep my student needs at the top of my priority list and the rest falls into place. At the end of the day if you’re basing your lesson plans around student needs then you’ve got the right idea! But that’s my opinion… and I’d be interested in yours!
The Principal Ponders
My first experience with guided reading was almost 15 years ago, my last year in the classroom, and the year that the guided reading gurus, Fountas & Pinnell, published their book, “Guiding Reading and Writers: Grades 3-6.” I was teaching 5th grade at a Title I school and over half the student population was bilingual/ESL. Guided reading and writer’s workshop had been a significant part of the reading/language arts program at the lower grades; however, at the upper grades, we were still doing the same old “everyone reads a class novel,” together, at the same time, practice. I knew if it bored me to death teaching it, it had to be torture for my students - there had to be a better way.
Sooooo …..the summer before that last year, I scoured, page by page, through Fountas & Pinnell’s book. I highlighted, I tabbed, I folded pages – whatever I had to do to make sure I could find the information I needed when I needed it. I put together reading response journals for each one of my students, thoughtfully planned mini-lessons, and hit every garage sale looking for books to add to my classroom library. Once the school year started, my reading instruction was anything like it used to be….and it worried me. I remember calling the district Director of Language Arts at the time and telling her that I had to be doing something wrong because we had been in school a month and I didn’t feel like I was teaching anything! Up until that year, “teaching” was me doing the majority of the talking, students doing a TAKS practice reading passage each day, reading a story from the basal with maybe some vocabulary work and comprehension questions, or possibly the class all reading the same novel. Now, I was taking the time to set up the routines and procedures that were to be the foundation of my reading/writing workshop – a brief 10-15 minute mini-lesson addressing a specific skill, read-alouds, discussions about books, books on individual reading levels, writing workshop, - the list goes on and my reading instruction and personal belief on how reading should be taught has never been the same.
The goal of guided reading should be to build a student’s reading power – to build a collection of purposeful actions for processing text. According to Fountas & Pinnell, 3 major areas make up the processing system of guided reading:
· Thinking Within the Text - This area encompasses solving words, self-correcting, searching for and using information, summarizing information for retention, adjusting reading according to purpose/genre, and maintaining fluency. All of these work together as the reader progresses through the text.
· Thinking Beyond the Text – This area calls for the reader to infer, synthesize, make connections and predict. Each reader constructs their own, unique meaning based on personal experiences and background knowledge, all while trying to understand the message the author is trying to convey.
· Thinking About the Text – This area requires the reader to critique and analyze text. Readers look at the text as tangible – something they can actually look at and analyze. What do they notice? How did the characters develop throughout the book?
What’s amazing is that all of these processes are occurring at the same time when guided reading is happening in the classroom! Talk about getting the most bang for your buck!
There are so many components of guided reading that are beneficial to building the reading skills of your students – components that a practice reading passage, a worksheet, or defining vocabulary words can’t come close to equaling. I encourage you to seek out a classroom on campus where guided reading is the cornerstone of the reading/language arts time. Visit classrooms, observe guided reading instruction, have the conversation with your colleagues that you need to make guided reading happen in your classroom. This has been an expectation in LISD for several years, so the time is now…..
And last….remember that Fountas & Pinnell book I mentioned that I highlighted, tabbed and scoured page by page? I still have it….tabs and all. It is available to anyone who would like to borrow it – and we also have several campus copies as well. In addition, take a look at the link below for a smorgasbord of guided reading resources. We have the resources right here at our fingertips, so we need to be like Nike and JUST DO IT!
You are all Rock STARS and I believe in you and what we do at OSE everyday! Shine on!