Lawson's Ready Readers are you ready to get down to business? I just want to add, these are things I have put into practice that have worked and helped with my reading instruction.
So, we have our small groups, we gathered our materials, we've done our homework with professional development, and we have considered book choices for students to insure independent reading is meaningful.
Now what? How do I plan my instruction so that it's effective and targeted?
As new teacher, I learned how to administer the Fountas and Pinell's Reading assessment to get student instructional reading level. However, as a new teacher I was never told how to use them to inform my teaching. As I attended more and more professional development, asked questions and read books, it became clearer how the time it took to administered the test per child wasn't just a procedure. It had it's purpose.
I also learned how to analyze the running records to group students based on comprehension. There are 3 levels of question on the test that address what students should be able to do with text: About the text, Within the text and Beyond the text. A second way I learned to group kids was according to their MSV errors, the third way was looking at the band text descriptors and seeing what they should be able to do before starting instructional text, during and after instructional text.
My next step is to take each individuals assessment and pull out strengths to use to propel them to work and improve in areas of need. However, if the majority of the class has a shared area of weakness, then I teach it to the whole class not small group. I try to keep my groups to less then 6 but 4 is better. Yet, lets be real in a class of 20 or more students, keeping the groups to four would be hard. Your goal is to try an pull at least two groups a day. so create a schedule.
If I groups students for Reading comprehension, I choose one of the three types of questions from the reading assessment , I pick a book, plan lessons around the book and develop question that fit the category of questions learners should be able to answer as they read books.
So, what is this document I am referencing? (See the link attached below.) This is the one I liked and chose to use. However, you can google and look for others not so wordy.
Reading text_level_indicators.pdf
Once I determine focal point of lesson, I usually use a familiar read aloud to model and practice the skill or strategy with my students. Students will then independently read and apply to their Browsing box book. Remember this group can be mixed levels sharing same need. I make sure to include word work in my group instruction as well.
A s I stated, the running records not only help you plan comprehension lesson it allows you to look at the student's MSV errors and plan lessons to work on fluency and accuracy as well. Marie Clay's work is a great tool to have to help you understand MSV errors, and gives you a second way to group students for small group instruction. So be sure a to look for materials to model, practice and have students apply independently. Here are two books I recommend that you add to your reading list.
As you see, a lot of work goes into preparing for small group instruction. Once you determine your focal point, you have to choose books wisely, Make sure what ever books you chose are appropriate for the lesson focus and the reader's reading level. I usually use a familiar Read Aloud because I wanted them to feel successful and be successful when they apply independently.
The one wrinkle I found was scheduling my groups. When I was departmentalized, I was able to get 3 of my 4 Reading groups in daily. Once I became self contained, it became harder to pull even two groups a day. So I became strategic with my grouping, and focal points.
Things to consider when scheduling:
- Area of focus
- Length of mini lesson, length of time to spend with small groups
- Which group to meet with, and on which day to pull them.
- The number of days to pull each group.
I am constantly reading and studying to get better at being a better teacher of reading. The information in my blogs can work with all subject areas. I immediately saw this once I became self contained. I figured out how to get the most bang for my buck so to speak.
So what questions do you have? Are there specific topics you would like me to share my experience and thoughts? comment below. Up next, possible lesson plans, a video lesson presentation or ways I hold kids accountable during independent reading, or how to use small group lesson ideas across all subjects. You pick.
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