Reading

Reading - last year I did a lot with Daily 5. I loved the structure and the kids did really well. They liked the choice time and knowing that they could do everything. I had six reading groups. I saw 3 everyday and my para saw 3 everyday. We did 4 rounds so everyone did a reading group and 3 of the daily 5 - read alone, writing, and word work. On Fridays we did read with partner. I also did centers, but sometimes I felt that I was forced and rushed. With Daily 5, I could be flexible with time. The only problem that I had with Daily 5 is that I wanted the kids to have time to put into practice what strategy that we were practicing and I found it difficult to monitor their success. In that aspect I wanted centers so that they would have practice time. 

A fellow teacher did a true reading workshop in the beginning to build up reading stamina and then slow introduced centers that were geared around the strategies. So the first part of her workshop was reading and response journals and then the second part was centers. I am not sure how I think that would work...It sounds a little too crazy for me...holding students accountable and also my self is important this year. 

Another teacher did something a little different. She had her mini lesson and then the students were dismissed to reading workshop. The students had to read 5 books, enter one of them into a reading log, respond to that one book in their reading response journal. Students would then get it checked by the para and then they could move onto centers. I can see myself doing this method, but I really don't want the para to be only sitting there and looking at work. I want her to be working with students and small groups during reading workshop/D5. See my problem...I can see Reading workshop working really well in my class, I can see D5 working, what do I do.

There are some non negotiables that I need to have in my classroom during reading...

Reading Response journals

Reading Log

Guided reading groups

Mini Lessons

Some sort of center...independent work

Maybe I should start with the non-negotiables...

Reading Response Journals and Reading Logs.

- students need to put at least one book in their reading log each day

- students need to have one entry in their reading response journal

How do I hold them accountable?

- weekly reading log in their folder?

- students need to turn in their logs and journals on Thursday. If their logs and journals are not completed to the standards on our anchor chart...they must work during read with partner and choice time?

- that seems like a lot of work for me on Thursdays...But it needs to be known that I will hold them accountable

Guided Reading Groups

- Last year it worked really well having 6 groups.

- my para this year has her teaching license so it will be a great thing having her with groups. I really want her with groups

- I am going to have weekly lesson plans for her as well as me to hold myself accountable with my instruction

Mini Lessons

- I already have 8 comprehension strategies that I want to teach this year

- I am planning to do one a month (which ends up to be about 3 weeks) each

- I want to have read alouds and each day progression planned 

Centers

- I will have word work stations

- I will have writing stations

- what about reading stations

      - I am just not sure what to do. is having work work and writing stations enough and then during reading time their journals are where they show me they understand?

     - guided reading - is this where students can show me and do some work with these strategies?

     - Friday reading stations?

     - what would be different in centers than what I would expect for reading response?

- What if...instead of reading centers, the area for maybe reading can be trays with reminder papers for each strategy that has been learned...ooohhh...I kind of like that idea. That way the students who are more independent can work in their reading response journals and the students who need more support have reminders and have that support.

- I also kind of like the idea of Friday Reading Centers