Hi Rosie, I feel your pain in being told to comply with a way of teaching reading that does not make sense for your children or you, and then being expected to be held accountable for student achievement. NCLB, Reading First, administrators, and dictators can't have both.
I have read more of your postings and understand you MUST use the basal in the order in which it is given. Years ago (25 maybe?), when I used a basal in fourth grade, we grouped the children in three classes of high medium and low. The low group was taught using a 2nd grade reader because they just couldn't read the grade level text. The next year I looped up to fifth grade and was told that these same children would be taught from the grade level text. I got the low kids that were two years behind. We used the basal, we read every story together, we did most of the workbook pages together, and we talked a lot about vocabulary and meaning in context. That group of fifth graders made the highest gains in standardized test scores I have ever seen. Many jumped two and three years in reading growth. I did very little "grading" and a lot of teaching, explaining and telling. The kids were helped and helped to read and comprehend until they didn't need my help. There were many words that couldn't be sounded out easily so I just told them the pronunciations. I have a new respect for what children can learn when they are given enough help. Plus, we did NO TEST PREP! In your third group, let the children find answers together and cooperatively to the worksheets that must be completed. That can be your product. At the end of the reading period perhaps all groups can discuss the reasoning behind how they got answers. Reading does not have to be something hard to learn. Since you can use trade books, fill your room with wonderful books for read aloud and pleasure reading and let children read during other times of the day like the last 20 minutes, or just after lunch. Let them check out books from your library to take home, and share highlights of special books during morning meeting so others may know of good books they may want to read. As for AR, I don't read books because of the level of difficulty, but because I want to read them. Sometimes those books are easy children's books that make me laugh or cry, sometimes they are professional books I don't completely understand but plow through anyway, and sometimes they are adult novels that I read because they are just plain interesting, exciting, thought provoking, hilarious, or intriguing. Adults don't read on AR levels. There are no AR levels in libraries or bookstores. How will children ever learn to choose books well if they are restricted in making choices? Oh well. I know I 'm preaching to the choir. I hope you are beginning to find ways to teach reading that fit with your ideas. Stand up to your literacy coach with the district framework, letting her know you have a right to use novels and tradebooks. Hang in there, Ruby In a message dated 9/18/06 5:02:01 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > I am sorry if this is off topic, but I am really stuggling and had hoped > for > some advice. > > I teach third grade and during my ninety minute literacy block, 60 minutes > consists of small group and literacy stations. Last year I had an > assistant > to be a small group, I was a small group and one group of students was > working > on literacy stations. I no longer have an assistant available and I am > struggling with what the kids should/can do during that 20 minute rotation > without me. > > I am calling this time the thinking station, the majority of my class reads > below grade level and they are not independent enough to read silently for > 20 > minutes. Also, they MUST produce a product of some sort each day for > accountability. (This part drives me nuts, what is wrong with just reading > for the > sake of enjoyment?) I am not allowed to let them do anything related to > grammar, or writing, unless it is in response to a book they have read. > Nothing > cross curricular either. > > > Any ideas? I am loosing my mind over this. > > Rosie > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
