The past two days off have given me plenty of time to read. A colleague of mine said that it was break, and time to take a second or two off from schoolwork. While I agree, I also think that change needs to be thoughtful and planned. In other words, in order to make change you need to know what you are talking about. Just having a cool idea doesn't cut it.
All the reading has put me at a bit of a crossroads. Student teaching is 8+ weeks. Factor in Spring Break, which starts a week from tomorrow (Friday). Now this is supposed to be your classroom, but you are stepping into someone else's turf where the kids have had 20-25 weeks (115-120 days) of a similar style/routine. Where do you make the changes you want to make?
As I talk this out with TeacherWife (as I'll now affectionately call my wife), I keep finding myself in a bit of a bind. I want to bring in some Reader's Workshop and Writer's Workshop elements that are at least slightly different. But I also want to bring in some new content, particularly raising the amount of non-fiction being seen and discovered. If you bring it all in at once, it could be a disaster. Where to go? My first week is going to be about getting acclimated as well as keeping a similar schedule (few add in's). But I am planning to bring in some writing at the end of the day, to start building their sustained writing. I am also planning to bring a shared reading/poetry part into the end of our literacy block. Small steps, not giant bounds.
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Reader's Workshop
I am considering some changes, alterations, to our Literacy time. The first change is in the name... While it seems aesthetic, I want to change the name to Reader's Workshop. Literacy is broad word, and one that I am not sure all kids really get. The word ends up being a catchall, when what we are doing revolves around reading. So the renaming places the emphasis on reading, something all kids know.
What will happen during Reader's Workshop? Let me say that I've been re-reading Regie Routman's Reading Essentials, and going through Growing Readers by Kathy Collins. Both use similar concepts. Currently we have a block of 75 minutes, and the time is spent with students reading just-right books. The books depend on their level... so some are reading out of a Houghton Mifflin basal reader. Others are reading books like Junie B Jones, or the Dragon Slayers Academy. Guided reading happens while students read, and then there are some extension activites such as grammar worksheets, spelling, etc.
I want to keep spelling as part of word study, but wrap that into the end of the morning meeting time (Use it to introduce words, have students looking for patterns, and uncovering meanings). The guided reading I want to retain, at least partially, as well.
What I want to do is add in an Independent Reading time. The idea comes from Routman's Reading Essentials, which is that in order to become better readers and writers we need to read and write more. Much of this needs to be independent, and with just right books (in the case of reading). During that time I will do formal/informal assessment as well as meet with guided reading groups. I also want to add in Partner Reading time. This will be when they are retelling what they have read to an assigned partner. This will help them talk about books, work on comprehension, and interact with each other about texts. I will also have some whole group instruction prior to reading time- the goal being to model strategies, and demonstrate what careful readers do...
Other thoughts I'm having are about including reading centers. These would be around like-topics (different non-fiction topics, or character study, etc) and involve students of like ability and interests looking at different books (above and below their level) to practice the skills careful readers use. I still have more to add, and more to flesh out. But I am excited about where I want to go...
What will happen during Reader's Workshop? Let me say that I've been re-reading Regie Routman's Reading Essentials, and going through Growing Readers by Kathy Collins. Both use similar concepts. Currently we have a block of 75 minutes, and the time is spent with students reading just-right books. The books depend on their level... so some are reading out of a Houghton Mifflin basal reader. Others are reading books like Junie B Jones, or the Dragon Slayers Academy. Guided reading happens while students read, and then there are some extension activites such as grammar worksheets, spelling, etc.
I want to keep spelling as part of word study, but wrap that into the end of the morning meeting time (Use it to introduce words, have students looking for patterns, and uncovering meanings). The guided reading I want to retain, at least partially, as well.
What I want to do is add in an Independent Reading time. The idea comes from Routman's Reading Essentials, which is that in order to become better readers and writers we need to read and write more. Much of this needs to be independent, and with just right books (in the case of reading). During that time I will do formal/informal assessment as well as meet with guided reading groups. I also want to add in Partner Reading time. This will be when they are retelling what they have read to an assigned partner. This will help them talk about books, work on comprehension, and interact with each other about texts. I will also have some whole group instruction prior to reading time- the goal being to model strategies, and demonstrate what careful readers do...
Other thoughts I'm having are about including reading centers. These would be around like-topics (different non-fiction topics, or character study, etc) and involve students of like ability and interests looking at different books (above and below their level) to practice the skills careful readers use. I still have more to add, and more to flesh out. But I am excited about where I want to go...
Back to Basics
I took a week off from blogging. Between completing projects for our Literacy and Science classes, I needed to finish a lesson and management plan for our Winter Seminar. Altogether, I spent a good 2+ days in front of the computer (hours-wise, not figuratively). What is next?
Student teaching starts on March 23rd (5 days and counting). There is a two day rest bit from the classroom, which gives me a chance to observe a friend's Kindergarten classroom (a veteran teacher of 20+ years), and finish reading Growing Readers by Kathy Collins. My goal is to have a good idea of the ideas I am going to try and implement, and the units of study I want to investigate in the next 8-10 weeks. There are some things I will keep the same (either because they need to stay that way, or want to), and there are some things I will need to teach. But I have some freedom...
The hope is to blog more in the next weeks, using the blog as a reflection tool... and a way to stay engaged. Let's hope it works!
Student teaching starts on March 23rd (5 days and counting). There is a two day rest bit from the classroom, which gives me a chance to observe a friend's Kindergarten classroom (a veteran teacher of 20+ years), and finish reading Growing Readers by Kathy Collins. My goal is to have a good idea of the ideas I am going to try and implement, and the units of study I want to investigate in the next 8-10 weeks. There are some things I will keep the same (either because they need to stay that way, or want to), and there are some things I will need to teach. But I have some freedom...
The hope is to blog more in the next weeks, using the blog as a reflection tool... and a way to stay engaged. Let's hope it works!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Why So Glum?
There are many things that I haven't done of late. I have fallen a little behind in my reading, pushing them into the school week (instead of over the weekend). I was going to post on Memoir Monday... well I was too busy running in circles to do so. I've even fallen behind in my blog reading, watching my list grow to an appalling 100+ entries, partially because of the addition of some new blogs. Thankfully I cleaned some of that out today, and got in some great reading. I have some starred that I will post later.
One striking observation: the tone seems to be rather glum. Whether it is KIPP and charter schools, seeing so much red ink in grading, or irritation about Arne Duncan and the stimulus, people seem to have been taken by the grim reaper. Why so sad friends, why so sad? My glass is half-full, and I can't help but think of Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams! Let's build it (whatever it is!) so that they will come...
That has gotten me thinking about student teaching, which officially starts in 7 weeks. I've been formulating how I envision my blocks of time, and what I want to accomplish in those blocks. I harken back to Regie Routman who said, in response to those who complained about a lack of time, that you make time for what you value. Change makes me a tad nervous, but I can rely on my experience and knowledge to buttress the reasoning for making changes. I feel ready for the challenge. It has been interesting contrasting my experience with those of another student teacher who I have yet to introduce myself to. Turn that frown upside down!
One striking observation: the tone seems to be rather glum. Whether it is KIPP and charter schools, seeing so much red ink in grading, or irritation about Arne Duncan and the stimulus, people seem to have been taken by the grim reaper. Why so sad friends, why so sad? My glass is half-full, and I can't help but think of Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams! Let's build it (whatever it is!) so that they will come...
That has gotten me thinking about student teaching, which officially starts in 7 weeks. I've been formulating how I envision my blocks of time, and what I want to accomplish in those blocks. I harken back to Regie Routman who said, in response to those who complained about a lack of time, that you make time for what you value. Change makes me a tad nervous, but I can rely on my experience and knowledge to buttress the reasoning for making changes. I feel ready for the challenge. It has been interesting contrasting my experience with those of another student teacher who I have yet to introduce myself to. Turn that frown upside down!
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