Independent Reader (Self-Selected Reading) Procedures

Read the book, Petunia, then establish the procedure that there is no FAKE reading during independent reading time by students.

Establish that students pick a book that they want to read instead of that the teacher assigns a book to the child.

Establish with the students what independent reading looks like and sounds right.  What are the expectations?  When we look around the classroom, what does the teacher see and hear?  What do the students?  How is the teacher holding the students accountable?

Read the book Wolf to establish what fluency understanding means. 

Triangle Knees (a wonderful format for during reading)

One of the during reading formats that supports students is triangle knees or triads.  I developed this extensively in numerous schools across the United States.  Teachers purposely place students in triangle knee groups of three students.  Usually a high reader, a middle reader and a low reader are place in each group.  The goal of each group is excess to the text.  Since the children are reading on-grade level text, the teacher is careful when planning the groups.  Students are not left stranded without support.  Students are encouraged to make a purposeful decision of how to read the text.  They either reading chorally together, 123 together, or the student makes a decision to read aloud, 123 alone.  If a high reader reads alone, the other students benefit by listening to fluently reading.  If a low reader says 123 together, then everyone has the opportunity to read more pages of text.  This format allows every student to access many pages of text and discuss the teaching point in small groups.  The students read, read, read, stop reading, think about the teaching point, and then talk about the teaching point.

Sounds Like – Looks Like (Guided Reading the 4 Blocks Way) (Shared Reading)

One teacher I work with takes pictures of what reading looks like and sounds like while the children are reading.

Beyond Retelling

http://www.allynbaconmerrill.com/authors/bio.aspx?a=9ff52629-7f85-44b5-b756-cb9f8d1939c8

Thinking Theme Read Aloud

Thinking Theme Charts

My book:  Beyond Retelling

http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Retelling-Toward-Higher-Thinking/dp/0205542174/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271400883&sr=8-1

THANK YOU

Writing Mini-Lessons for Second Grade

A few days ago a wonderful teacher from New York left a message on my answering machine.  It was accidentally deleted by my family before I could return it.  I am very sorry since I would have loved to call this wonderful teacher back and thanked her personally.  She said very awesome things about my book and asked where she could buy it.  One bookstore that sells it is, beach house books.  If you read this, you could email Susie Williams, the book store owner at beachhousebooks@comcast.net