I'm also teaching grade 2 after teaching 4th for many years. We're in our 6th week and I feel finally getting into true independent reading. I do just as you're thinking, I do my gR groups while the rest of the students are engaged in reading (no centers). They're either reading or responding in their reading response notebooks (1x weekly). I still get in some conferencing between GR groups while I peruse the room-I find that is key for keeping these younger ones on task! Keep checking in on how they're doing. I try to get in about 2 share times a week after reading so students can do book talks. I can't do it daily. Linda/2/OH On Sunday, October 8, 2006, at 10:42 PM, Will and Beckie Spears wrote:
> I am teaching second grade for the first time, but I have used > reader's and > writer's workshop for many years with upper grades kids. Over the > summer, I > read as much as possible about the RW approach to primary grades and > learned > what it should look like. > > My district, however, mandates that every k-2 teacher would teach > guided > reading groups (with leveled books) each day for 90+ minutes (meeting > with > groups for around 30 minutes). The district wants us to use literacy > stations as the work students do when not in GR groups. I've got the > guided > reading piece in practice, but I'm not yet sold on the effectiveness > of the > literacy stations (which seem labor intensive). I have been focusing > heavily on teaching comprehension strategies explicitly in shared > reading > and read alouds, and I've been linking them to our work in GR groups. > However, I know that the most essential piece of a reader's workshop - > independent reading practice - is missing from my day. It doesn't > feel like > reader's workshop! > > I've been toying with the idea of beginning our literacy block with a > reader's workshop mini-lesson. While I work with GR groups, students > can > then practice the strategies and their independent reading from their > own > self-selected just right books in their individual book bins. Then, > at the > end of GR time, I'd regroup everyone for sharing and reflecting on > their > independent reading. That way, we can all speak the same language and > get > time to practice in a workshop format. It may be asking too much of > the > second grade brain, and I realize that by doing it this way, I would > completely eliminate the opportunity for conferencing (which is what I > found > so effective in reader's workshop with upper grade kids in the first > place!). > > I'd like to hear from others with similar situations. If you are > mandated > to do guided reading groups, and are finding a way to also include a > reader's workshop, please let me know. I know it can be done. > Thanks! > > Beckie > > _______________________________________________ > 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. > > _______________________________________________ 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.
