I have been working with schools lately regarding Guided Reading, and one principal asked me to put together a list of tips (basically reminders) for teachers who are implementing Guided Reading. Teachers were so grateful; I thought I might share it with others. Below is my list!
- Guided Reading is the heart of Reading Instruction. It is the time where students apply all the reading strategies taught throughout the literacy block.
- Students should be reading independently most of the time during Guided Reading, while teachers monitor and make notations of reading behaviors.
- An instructional leveled text is a text that students can read with 90% to 94% accuracy. Any percentage below that is frustrational level. Students reading 95% accuracy or higher are reading on an independent level.
- Running Records and observations of reading behaviors help teachers determine when students are ready to move to the next level.
- Running Records should be taken on leveled texts recently read in Guided Reading. Conducting Running Records on each student weekly allows the teacher to make necessary instructional decisions regularly.
- Students access fiction and nonfiction texts differently. Nonfiction is more difficult due to the text features such as captions, tables, graphs, maps, etc. Students need many opportunities for application of strategies with nonfiction.
- Selecting an appropriate leveled text plays a vital role in reading instruction. Teachers must determine the purpose or focus of the lesson based on the needs of students. Students’ needs are always first priority.
- For longer texts, teachers should give an introduction to the section of text being read that day. A discussion should always follow the reading in order to assess comprehension.
- Meeting with all reading groups daily is definitely ideal. However, that may not be possible. Schedule your groups throughout the week, making sure that struggling readers meet daily. Students on grade level could meet three times a week, while students above grade level could meet twice a week.
More on Guided Reading:
We just came across a fascinating editorial piece in Education Week that addresses the need for professional development as part of the new shift toward the common core standards.
The commentary, entitled Common-Core Work Must Include Teacher Development and written by Stephanie Hirsh, cleverly asserts that ”the dramatic shift in teaching prompted by the common core will require practical, intensive, and ongoing professional learning—not one-off “spray and pray” training that exposes everyone to the same material and hopes that some of it sticks.”
In addition, she reminds us that new technology resources make professional learning all the more accessible via shared learning platforms and “emerging tools such as classroom video capture, earbud coaching (in which teachers receive real-time coaching via an earpiece while they work), virtual classroom simulations, and online tutoring.”
Hirsh sites the state of Kentucky as one to watch — having recently claimed to be initiating improvements to professional development as part of the commitment to the common core standards.
What about your schools? As the 2013-14 school year approaches, (and it will be here before you know it) what is the buzz in your hallways about preparing staff for the shift to common core?
More Common Core topics:
- Common Core: Emphasis on Complex Text
- Using Genre to Teach Informational, Narrative and Persuasive Texts
What in the world is a word study notebook? What is its purpose? What goes in it? Even though many teachers have word study notebooks down to an art form, there are many others still asking themselves these questions.
“What in the world is a word study notebook?” Well, a word study notebook is a tool that students can use to record word study activities such as word sorts and word hunts. It can be a spiral-bound notebook or loose-leaf paper stapled together. Basically, it is whatever you choose for it to be.
“What is its purpose?” It serves several purposes. For the student, the notebook is used to record word study activities and develop and apply word study concepts. They will also document their generalizations and reflections from their learning. For the teacher, it is a record which provides documentation to monitor, assess, and grade student learning.
“What goes in it?” A word study notebook could include word study activities, generalizations, and reflections, as mentioned above. You can also create sections in the notebook to categorize the types of word study activities. Some of these sections could include groups of words sorted according to features, patterns, and meanings. For example, one section could be titled “Meaning Sorts” and include words such as portfolio, deport, airport, and transport. The words contain port which means “to carry.” This helps students determine meaning in their reading when they encounter unfamiliar words in text. As students come upon new words throughout the semester or year, they can add them to the appropriate sections in their notebooks. Notebooks should include word study activities that are meaningful and intentional.
Overall, word study notebooks allow students to take “ownership” of their learning and provide them opportunities to become successful readers and writers!
VOCABULARY, vocabulary, when will I teach it? Maybe while I’m reading to the students? Research says that some vocabulary words are learned indirectly, and others can be taught directly. We’re going to discuss the latter. Read-aloud is a wonderful time for you and your students because it provides the perfect opportunity to teach words directly. Many of you are doing this already. However, new teachers or teachers changing grade levels might find this refresher helpful. Let’s prepare for read-aloud!
First of all, you need GREAT books–not just any book will do. When you select GREAT books for instruction, you need to think about what your students are interested in, background knowledge, and age, racial, and gender appropriateness, to name a few. You could just peek into the classrooms of those expert teachers around you. They always know and have the best books. That will at least get you started with titles of interest to you. Once you have chosen a book, read all or a portion of the book. Upper grades like to read chapter books, so they would probably read one chapter at a time (unless it’s too long of course).
On to vocabulary. How should you choose the words you use during your read-aloud? Let’s start by reviewing the three tiers of vocabulary:
- Tier One encompasses basic words such as to, all, of, etc.
- Tier Two words are words that we use in everyday life. (These are words such as marathon, computer, and splatter. These words can also have double meanings, such as the word “conduct.” In this case, conduct not only has multiple meanings, it’s pronounced differently too!)
- Tier Three words relate to the content areas of math, science, and social studies. Some examples of Tier Three words are biology, Fahrenheit, and genetics.
It really makes the most sense to use Tier Two words on a daily basis. So let’s think about how we may choose great Tier Two words in our read-alouds. The first thing to do is search for words while reading your book. Of course there are many cool words to choose from. However, it is important that you focus on just two or three words. Once the words are chosen, think about friendly definitions for each. Then you will create fun activities for students to interact with the words. One of my favorite activities is giving examples of the word but also including a couple of examples that do not reflect the word. Let’s use the word “splatter.” Some examples to use could be a glass filled with water falling off the counter, paint spilling from a ladder, a book falling off a shelf, and a pillow landing on the floor. You would tell the students to give you a signal in response to the examples, such as giving a thumbs up if it is an example of the word, and turning the thumb down if it is not. Other signals could include standing up or sitting down, and touching the nose or not touching the nose.
Now that you’re set, you can share the book and special vocabulary words with your students. Conduct your read-aloud as usual. After reading, go back to the page in the text where you found the first word you chose. Read the sentence containing the word. Explain the meaning of the word in context. Have the students say the word. Give students a friendly definition (one they can understand). Now it’s time for your brief activity. After the activity, have the students say the word again. Continue with your other words.
There are many ways for your students to interact with words. You can find them in professional books, online, everywhere. A reader must know most of the vocabulary words in order to comprehend a text. Read-aloud provides a wonderful opportunity for students to enjoy a great story and to learn new vocabulary words while having fun doing it!
For more information on effective vocabulary instruction and read-alouds, visit:
Effective Read-Aloud Techniques
This summer, how about starting a book club among your staff?
Thomas Hoerr, a Head of School in Missouri, started a summer book club almost 15 years ago among his faculty to build a sense of community and inspire professional development over the summer. The books clubs are optional, run predominantly by the teachers, and based around a school wide interest or goal. The books they have selected run the gamut from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings to Emotional Intelligence.
You may even be able to begin this year. As Mr. Hoerr says, it doesn’t even have to be a book to get started; it could just be a magazine article or a newspaper editorial, anything that sparks interest and relates to school activities.
If your school had a book club for its staff, which book would you want to read first? And if you actually get inspired to do so, let us know which works you choose.
As background, I started my education career in Arkansas as an elementary school teacher, a reading specialist, and a Reading Recovery Teacher Leader. My strength was working with struggling students who weren’t on-level readers, and eventually I moved on to a more macro-level role as an Early Childhood Curriculum Specialist for the State of Arkansas.
At that point in my career, I had gathered enough literacy knowledge that I wanted to share it on a national scale, which is when I (together with some friends/colleagues) began working on the launch of Benchmark Education. In Benchmark’s nascent phase, I personally handwrote some of our first guided reading books.
Today, I consult in schools all over the country, assisting teachers and administrators with the implementation of research based literacy practices. But my favorite responsibility these days is to provide “school improvement services,” offering deep consultation on best practices. In these cases, we do extensive background research to uncover the areas of greatest need at the individual school and then offer hands-on recommendations for change. This might include initial dissection of school-level data, on-site interviews and observations, preparatory work and collaboration with teachers, demonstration lessons in the classroom, and/or training for administrators on curriculum or professional development.
We find through sharing our experiences and demonstrating our theory in action that we can collaborate effectively to create great outcomes. I personally have seen vast improvement in the schools in which I have worked, and I have found tremendous satisfaction brainstorming with teachers about how to be thoughtful and creative with the activities they use in the classroom.
For examples on recommended in-class activities, please check out our Best Practices Library.
Much of this work requires a more proactive, 24-7approach, but I welcome that. I wouldn’t trade my current job for the world!
And of course, I would be happy to help you too. Please reach out if you want more insight on our Best Practices Library, if you have questions about the implementation of any of our Benchmark products, or if you just want to talk about literacy.
We developed this blog to examine the latest in educational innovation, to hear from experts in the field about what works (and what doesn’t), and to discuss the personal stories and the public policies that have shaped our world.
However, today we’d like to deviate slightly from our usual topics. Ever since we released the results of a groundbreaking study conducted in 2009, we have had so much wonderful feedback from educators that we felt compelled to share the results once again.
During that year, Main Street Academix, a university-based independent research firm, conducted a study among 3rd graders in East Hartford (CT) Public Schools. Some of the schools used Benchmark Education’s Literacy Program with on-site professional development, and some did not.
The results were astounding. Some key findings included:
- The 3rd graders who used the Benchmark Education program achieved 44% higher reading score growth than their peers within the school district who did not use the program.
- Economically disadvantaged (Title I) students using the program achieved 82% higher reading score growth than their peers not using the program.
- The Title I students in the program saw test gains that matched or beat the gains seen by more affluent students also in the program.
- English Learners who used the Benchmark Education program saw average Lexile reading gains of 148 points, compared to 112 points by ELs in schools using other literacy programs.
We here at Benchmark Education have always felt confident in the impact that our programs can have on student achievement, but it’s certainly great to have the data to back it up!
Click here to see the full results.
