Guided Reading: Chapters 4 & 5
"In short, an organized and well-designed classroom enables the teacher to observe, support, and meet the learning needs of each child." (p.43). That pretty much sums it up! Simple? Not exactly. It takes trial and error and most of all time! Time to build relationships with the kids, time to organize all of the materials, time to create that perfect schedule, etc. And who has all of that time?? Well, if our students are to be successful, confident, independent learners we MUST find the time. As I read the section in chapter 4 on underlying theory I immediately thought of the COT. Okay, I guess you could say 2 things are going on here. One, I LOVE theory (but you know that!) and second, I have been conducting COT observations so I guess I had all of those APS' on my mind. But seriously, I made some connections with the theory and the COT. First, let me share some of the theorists that have guided my understanding of literacy and learning.
1. Roger Brown - form follows function It is within the context of authentic, purposeful experiences (function) that we help children understand specific skills (form)
2. Michael Halliday - Children learn language in order to function in their world. We have to set up reasons for children to want to be literate
3. Brian Cambourne - There are certain conditions that need be in place in order for children to learn language (or anything). One of those is responsibility. The students have to be responsible for the strategies we teach so they can use them when they are away from us and for future learning. Also, expectation is a condition. We need to expect children to read and write and communicate that expectation to them. (Remind me to tell you the Brian Cambourne story!)
4. Lev Vygotsky - learning is a social process. Any 2 or more learners will learn from each other. Learning occurs through the give and take interactions between 2 or more people.
5. Shirley Brice Heath - every community has a legitimate language system. Students come to us with "funds of knowledge". We value what they know and what they do as they emerge as readers and writers.
Now, let's connect the underlying theory to the COT.
1. APS 4A - establishes and communicates high achievement expectations
2. APS 4C - communicating relevance and purpose of learning; facilitates active ownership of learning
3. APS 5B - opportunities for both independent and collaborative learning
4. APS 5C - students applying learning beyond classroom
5. APS 8A - meaningful, relevant displays
6. APS 8C - facilitates inquisitiveness and teamwork; involves students in designing instructional activities
And so on.
I loved all of the ideas in Chapter 4 regarding space. The checklist for analyzing the classroom environment (Figure 4-3) is a great tool for reflecting on your environment.
The essential question of Chapter 5 is "When I am working with guided reading groups, what are the rest of the children doing?" The answer is simple. "All other class members must be engaged in meaningful literacy." Worksheets, color sheets, fill-in-the blanks, etc. are not efficient nor productive. Students need to engage in activities that are purposeful, authentic, and interesting for them. This chapter provides a repertoire of ideas and suggestions for literacy center activities. Another important aspect of managing the class is establishing procedures and routines. I love the quote on page 62, "Every moment invested in teaching routines is time well spent, because it will save hours of instructional time later." Read that again. Take the time at the beginning to explicitly teach routines & procedures. You may want to consider introducing 1 center at a time in small groups. Just like our preschool teachers introduce their centers. You cannot assume the students know anything regarding the routines. Demonstrate, demonstrate, demonstrate everything!!! Some groups will catch on faster. They can be the center experts. Students come to them with questions about equipment or other tools and the daily tasks. Figure 5-3 is a nice chart detailing the first 6 weeks of guided reading. This chapter is full of helpful charts and information on implementing centers and rotation schedules. You could even use these same procedures for math centers.
Think about this quote: "Getting students absorbed in meaningful, purposeful literacy activities requires a number of significant changes in the classroom - in the physical environment, in events and activities, and in the nature and quality of the interactions." Are you ready to make some changes???
Reflection:
1. Reflect on your classroom environment using the checklist on page 52 (Figure 4-3). What changes do you need to make? How might you go about making these changes. Set a timeline for yourself.
2. What work stations or literacy centers do you have? What types of activities are included in your stations? Are the activities differentiated? How? What procedures are in place for stations, i.e. competing activities, rotating stations, etc.? How do students engage independently in each station? Collaboratively?
3. How do you determine your work groups?
Chapter 5 was very interesting to me. I am still trying to figure out the best way for my centers to run smoothly. I have been struggling to find the best system to differentiate the center work and make it meaningful for the students without adding more time to my 12 hour work days. Currently, my guided reading group is a center and students rotate through 3 other centers a day. This seems to be working ok but I am interested in pulling students from centers instead of having guided reading as a center.
ReplyDeleteChapter 5 helped me wrap my brain around how “pulling reading groups” would work. They suggest putting students into heterogeneous center groups, not by ability level. Using a work board, students will be assigned a number of tasks to complete in a specific order. The students do not have an allotted amount of time to complete the task. They would take as much time as they need to complete the task before moving to the next assigned activity. There are a number of centers suggested including browsing boxes, ABC, listening, art, writing, reading the room, independent reading, drama, poetry, buddy reading, games, reading journals, literature circles, and pocket charts.
Though I am a little overwhelmed by the thought of managing the supplies needed for each center, it seems like once everything is organized, there would be very little extra work for me to plan. I am considering reworking my centers over the holiday break and starting something new next semester. I would make sure to introduce expectations and routines for each center gradually to make sure students can complete the tasks independently.
Do any of you already pull reading groups, use a work board, or student checklists? I am wondering if students would stay on task when given the freedom to move about the room… I foresee students going out of order to work at a center with a friend. Also, with so many different centers, would it be a challenge to differentiate?
I would also love to rethink my centers. My centers run smoothly, but I do feel like my students are bored and uninterested in the majority of the centers. I would love to provide them with more meaningful opportunities so that they are engaged and I am able to be productive with guided reading groups. Christina, I would also be concerned about not have a more structured rotation and how to differentiate.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of having a buddy reading station. Reading journals seem like a more student centered way to hold students accountable for what they read and at the same time allow the opportunity to respond to what was important or meaningful to them.
When I student taught, we used a reader's workshop model which I used to think was so different from centers, but after reading chapter five I think there are many similarities that ultimately reach the same goal of meaningful literacy experiences. We taught a mini lesson, then the students read independently or with a partner for about 30 minutes. During that time I met with guided reading groups. It was wonderful because it was not silent, but a quiet time, in the room for everyone. After that period, the whole class moved onto a reading extension project such as reader's theater, creating character puppets, or creating fact files on a nonfiction topic. Students were still engaging in the four kinds of reading and the teacher was able to circulate and assist with extension projects or meet with guided reading groups if needed. I felt like when everyone was focused on reading, it was easier than it is now to get children to focus on independent reading. I could see my class benefiting from this structure especially if I provided them with a list like the one on page 54.
Once again, I posted a long blog and hit publish; it disappeared. To summarize, I like the idea of giving students choice and freedom. It will not flow perfectly initially. The beauty in implementing this midyear is we already know who may and may not be on task. I agree that spending extra time implementing this change will increase student learning and time on task in the long run.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I taught reader's workshop last year and absolutely loved it. I taught it while must students were pulled out. I miss having that quiet, independent reading slot in my day.
I enjoyed the theory bullet points in chapter 4 on page 43-44. It’s always a good reminder to read that “all children can read and write”, especially coming from a special education background. It may take my students much longer than others, but the desire to learn is a part of all of us and my students will get there! Also, “learning is a social process” reminds me why it is so important to have special education as a small group, or sometimes one on one as the best case scenario for learning. It gives my students the opportunity to feel like they are a part of a group and can contribute when they may not feel the same way in a large whole group situation. I also agree with “powerful demonstrations are an important part of the learning progress.” This reminds me of why the mastery teaching model is so important. My students are going to learn by observing me model what is expected, guiding them through the process and then giving them time to master what they learned on their own. I am able to have my students engage in centers once a week while I am progress monitoring my students individually. All of my students really enjoy knowing that there is something in a basket specifically for them that they can do independently. Since I am very limited on time, the work in their baskets is simple due to them needing to work independently, but relevant to their individual needs. I am always trying to find new and different simple center activities related to literacy, writing and math so any suggestions on things that really work are appreciated!
ReplyDeleteAmanda please let me know if you figure out why that happens because it happens when I publish too. Let's try this again. I am enjoying this book. I have attempted to pull reading groups from heterogeneous groups on many different occasions. I always revert back to including myself in the rotation. I am not completely sure why but I believe it is because I don't feel like the students are completing expected activities and I am not exactly sure what a consequence should be.I feel guilty if I am pulling them from a center and they don't get to finish something because I have pulled them. I really need to reconsider the expectations and consequences (positive and negative) for work being produced. I feel pulling groups allows a teacher to meet more of the needs of the higher and lower groups in the classroom. I had started puylling groups again before the fall break. When we return tomorrow I plan to reestablish expectations and continue with the work I have begun. I am still only using five independent stations but hope to work up to more.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the checklist for analyzing the Classroom Environment, I can check off a lot of the questions for my environment during centers, but I can always work on improving this environment. I noticed that I do not have noisy and quiet areas separated; my classroom is very small for a Kindergarten room and so this is very hard to separate the room. I do have designated areas for each center and have tried to separate them with bookcases and furniture. We do use a work board in our classroom and the students are trained to know how to use the work board and for the most part, it helps centers run smoothly. It also makes the students more independent because whenever the timer goes off to switch centers, a student has the job to go up and switch the "arrow" to the next round of centers so that I can keep teaching my guided reading groups. I have also tried to mix the work groups into students that are Spanish speakers and students that are English Speakers, so that they can practice conversing in English. I agree with the book when it says that "Children learn by interacting with each other as partners and in small groups. The opportunity to talk with others while learning contributes to the rate and depth of understanding." I too can work on providing more meaningful and engaging literacy activities in each center, though, even in the math and housekeeping centers.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading these chapters and found many useful ideas to help the management in my classroom and help differentiate for the children. Something new I have tried this year is having Ms. Bailey not pull a group for guided reading. Instead she pulls a math group one day, works on practice folders on day, does reading assessments one day, and does catch up work with a group one day. This means that most days she is able to take a break and help with management. I have a very talkative class this year, so sometimes centers can be disruptive to the groups working on guided reading.
ReplyDeleteOne center group that I really struggle with keeping engaged is the reading center. I loved the idea in the book on page 54 showing the poster of helping kids to determine various activities during reading center. I do think it may be a bit difficult for kindergarten to follow the chart, so adding pictures would help.