The way we approach this is through the balanced literacy framework which includes GR during our reading time. It's basically the gradual release of responsibility model so that reading begins each day with teacher read alouds (modeling thinking, strategies, etc), moving to some form of a small group or partner practice of that lesson (often this happens in the gR groups with the teacher), and works it's way into the expectation that students will use it in their independent reading during what you are calling reading workshop. Are you saying you have not supported learners in small groups before and this is the "mix" you're concerned about? I usually pull just one or 2 groups to work with each day and spend the rest of the time monitoring/conferencing individual learners. But it all happens during the reading workshop where students have chosen their own books to read and respond to.The difference is that in GR , teacher has chosen the text based on children's levels to help them with the strategies. Linda/2/OH On Sunday, September 17, 2006, at 07:35 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> I could really use some input here! > My school has struggled to get out of the dark ages of reading for some > time. We finally made the big move to strategies about three years > ago. We even > had a big group of us go to a conference with Ellin, Debbie Miller, > etc. > summer before last. The problem is that our specialist (who did not > go to the > conference, but is the one who started strategies school wide) has > not really > followed up with enough training, follow through, etc., and many of > the > teachers who should have been teaching strategies have not really > been doing it. I > just don't think that the teachers quite "get it" yet, and so they > end up > falling back on old ways. My incoming 5th graders this year didn't > even know > what schema is. Here is the problem. We have a new staff member who > was a > reading specialist at her old school. We were very excited about her > coming. > She has had lots of special training, etc. She is a teacher here. > Long > story short, even though I have not "heard" what she is expert in > yet, I now > strongly believe that she was doing guided reading in her old school. > Guided > reading seems like a totally different thing to me than Reading > workshop. It > is set up differently, the timing is different, etc. I only have a > 110 > minute block each day for Reading and Writing, and so where does that > leave time > for the truly independent reading that I want my readers doing each > day? > My fear is that because this is a strong personality coming in, who is > confident in what she has been doing, and because some grade levels > are struggling > with Reading Workshop, that we will cave in to yet another system. I > don't > want that. I have seen the format that we are doing work too well at > my > grade level, where we have actually been doing it, albeit imperfectly. > I was wondering if any, many, or a few of you have leveled groups > during > your independent reading time for Reading Workshop? Do the two mix, > and I'm > just not getting it? I'm feeling that what we really need here is > more support > in the school for strategy teaching in the reading workshop format. > Opinions? > Sherry > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/ > mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.
