I have yet to find the sweet spot in my schedule. If it isn't a lack of continuity with my reading/writing workshops, it is a lack of focus on strategy instruction in reading. If it isn't one thing, it's another. I feel like I have solved part of my reading/writing workshop issue with my larger blocks of study. Going to 3+ weeks of consistent writing focus have given us more continuity, and led to some better results. Our writing stamina could use some work, but alas I digress.
The issue I have currently is with the reading section of my social studies block. It is a combined literacy block focused on social studies. But the issues we (I) run into are a lack of reading strategy focus as we continue through units. Additionally, we end up missing much of the fiction component that goes into reading. We end up doing more writing about social studies, and re-reading for specificity as opposed to simply reading.
The solution I've started to employ is breaking my social studies block into 2 parts: reading strategy and a social studies content focus. We start with 10-20 minutes (15 as a ballpark est) of silent reading in our 5th grade reading anthology. The reading is half, or a quarter, of a selection (which they already break into sections). Then we transition into our content focus area for the next 35-45 minutes. I need to front load the content and strategy info on Monday but the carry over should be successful.
My objectives in doing this are that 1) we'll engage in some thoughtful fiction/nonfiction study unrelated to social studies, 2) we'll practice reading comprehension strategies in a variety of formats, and 3) we'll have a period of time to acclimate, similar to having a read aloud or silent reading.
P Hanson: I love how you've described the struggles you've encountered with your 5th graders regarding reading Social Studies books. I am currently a student in the UWB Teacher Certification Program and we just wrapped up a quarter which included a unit on Multicultural Education with a focus on Social Studies. We discussed how bland and difficult it can be for adults to work their way through a SS text, let alone a 10 year old. I really appreciate your breakdown of how you decided to tackle this issue. By breaking down your Social Studies block into 2 sections: the first 15 minutes of silent reading then transitioning to 35 minutes of content exploration, you can engage students who otherwise wouldn't be interested in what may be considered "dry" content, and you give them a chance to discuss their thoughts about the section. I also love your attention to the necessity for students to acclimate to a reading because often, that component gets glossed over. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kirsten. We're fairly fortunate the our social studies text is accessible. The switch was driven by needing to focus more on reading instruction, particularly in the area of fiction. I'd had success with using the text for reading instruction, but I needed to diversify the content we were reading.
ReplyDeleteI think how well they understand the content, and how transformative the lesson is, depends on what you do with it. I'm certainly not at the transformative end of the spectrum currently, but I aspire to be.