So what is a teacher to do when this happens. If you were like me when I first started I was trying to teaching them using fourth grade material and then wandering why they are still struggling. Well as the years unfolded, I learned better and I now do better.
I realized that being a teacher is not an easy task and requires lots of work, planning and modifying and adjusting along the way. I begin to study and learn and ask questions. Everyone had advice, everyone had resources to give, everyone told me to press on. I knew this was not the answer. After much learning, research and reading on my own. I had the privilege of being connected to some of the best facilitators and mentors. I will never forget how one day as I was sitting complaining about how I was suppose to teach fourth grade curriculum to a child on a second grade level, my mentor looked at me and said, by teaching them using second grade resources to teach the fourth grade skills.
I grabbed my pen and paper and readjusted my thinking. I used the students Formal Reading assessment and let it guide me.
1. What is the child able to do?
2. How can I use this to help with what he/she is struggling with?
3. What resources do I need?
Number three is where the work comes. As a teacher, it is our job to provide differentiated instruction where and when needed. Reading is an area that requires this more often then not. So what do? I grouped the kids by Reading level first. Once I had groups formed the work began If students were reading below grade level expectation they were grouped into Guided Reading Groups where others may began Book clubs.
The book clubs are easy. I find 2 or 3 books and the students choose which one they want to read. I create a Bingo Board response board they use to guide them. I make sure to show videos that represent students engaged in Book club discussions. Once I set expectations and model for students. I don't just leave them alone. I closely monitor and participate in the book clubs the first go around to make sure that they understand the expectations so that the next book they are able to run their groups with less scaffolding.
So back to making sure to meet learners where they are. How do I help the below level students? So where do I get these resources from if students are below level?
Guided Reading Resources can be pulled from the grade level in which students are performing. I often go to below grade level teachers for resources, or even view their Reading Curriculum I analyze their strengths to build students up and their weaknesses become my teaching point. Lots of scaffolding and modeling is necessary. Remember we need to do the work that we expect the students to do in order to see what the possible pitfalls may be or just to experience what I kids experience. Keep in mind they are below level so their frustration is probably 10 times what we are experiencing. One thing is to make sure to pull books that represent their independent levels. You want them to feel success. The instructional level text is where you as the teacher need to model and scaffold. Lots of visuals, and repetition may be needed. Make sure to give feedback to monitor and adjust daily.
So where will I get these books that I will use?
Well, We are fortunate enough to have a Guided Reading Library that we go to pull sets of books from. If we can't find it there, we ask our facilitators and they go pull them from our Primary sides Guided Reading Library. If you don't have such a library, you can always use other resources to guide you, Here is one such great resource to have on hand is Fountas and Pinells Guided Readers and Writers resource and Jan Richardson;s Next Steps to Guided Reading. If your struggling finding books to use with your students again go to your colleagues, pull from their class libraries, go to your librarian. Ours is awesome at recommending books, look at scholastic book order forms, search the wide wide web. You can always find resources. The most important part is not to say the students can't do the work, just have them apply the skill or strategy to a text that is on their level and work to move them a year and show growth.
Here are the resources that I rely on daily:
Another great resource is the Text band descriptors. These resources provide characteristics of books at various Reading levels, what students who are on the level should be able to do. This will allow you to further analyze exactly what your learners can and can't do. You will often see that sometimes you are constantly switching between grade levels depending on the skill or strategy. One thing that Reading teachers need to know that the goal is for students to have access to books, time to read those books and direct explicit instruction on how to process the text.
As a Reading teacher, you also need to make sure you are keeping track of students progress, and needs. Check out my previous blogs that talk about how to setup a Reading Binder. I have a binder for each Guided Reading Group. As well as a binder for Strategy groups. I have a section for every child. I do biweekly progress monitoring, confer with every student at least once during the week, but I also make sure to pull small groups daily. I use Read Alouds to introduce skills, and develop activities around those Read Alouds. I share those Read Alouds via my TPT page. If you would like to access them or check out the free resource to determine if they meet your needs click on the link on the right side bar.
