Making Good Choices

During the month of January, I needed to do middle-of-year running records on my 60 students. Yes, this is time-consuming. I needed a way for students to be able to work independently so I could get my assessments completed.

 

 

I designed a choice chart as a culminating activity for our nonfiction unit. All students must complete the activity in the middle and then choose 2 other ones.  The activity in the middle uses leveled Social Studies readers, so that activity matches each student's reading level.  The other activities are based on multiple learning styles. I included activities with drawing, singing, writing, reading, poetry, vocabulary, text structure, main idea, and technology. There is a little something for everyone!

 

 

Students could work with small groups, partners, or independently.

 

 

 

 

 

As students completed their activities they posted the name of the activity on the Parking Lot.

Data! Data! Data!

My school requires teachers to have Data Binders, but I have been using one for about 15 years. I like all of my students' information to be in one place. It makes it easy for me use during conferences and take to meetings. Some years my binder is thicker than other years, but this year is the largest it has ever been due to the increased number of assessments students are required to take during the school year.

 

 

I place my student contact sheets in the front pocket so I can easily contact families. Behind my table of contents (which I seem to constantly edit) I keep all of my passwords because who can ever keep up with all of them?!

 

 

Students are working below grade level are required to be placed on Personalized Education Plans (PEPs) so I keep all of their information in one section.

 

 

I keep my students' reading levels in a section which includes oral reading fluency, Guided Reading levels, and all of my reference charts from Reading 3D, Teachers College, and Fountas and Pinnell.

 

In the MAP section I keep my training booklet for when I can't remember what a report is called or what it should be used for. I record progress on charts and also keep signed copies of growth reports from parents/guardians.

 

 

I keep track of MAP goals so I know who needs reteach and who can benefit from enrichment.

 

 

 

Everything in my binder is designed to be easily accessible and easily understood. I keep my data current because it ensures I am differentiating for my students' needs.

 

No Better Feeling in a Teacher's World

I have a student this year who is The Little Engine That Could. He came to 3rd grade unable to speak coherently. He would babble animatedly and we would have to listen very hard to initial consonants to try and figure out what he was saying. We knew he was an identified exceptional needs student, but after one day of school we knew we would be digging into our toolboxes to help him learn.

He was a nonreader. Now he is a level F. He wants to read all of the time to everyone he sees! He used to use the string of letters eyeyeyeyey no matter what he was writing. Now he has published 2 books--one personal narrative book about swimming and one nonfiction book about flies. I wrote a previous post about this student titled The Reason.

I pulled the student over yesterday to conference during Reading Workshop. I asked to see his My Reading Life Log. He brought it over and proudly told me that he was filling it out all by himself.

His log in September

 



His log yesterday, April 18

 



 

The entire date (M-D-Y) is written by him. The genre is not correct. The book levels range from a C (read independently) to an H (read to). The titles are written by him. His time for reading ranges from 20 to 45 minutes! His page numbers are sometimes inverted. He has a variety of read to, read with, and read independently.

 

Everyone who knows this student is excited for his progress. The special needs teachers who work with him celebrate his growth. His speech therapist shares his progress. The literacy facilitator writes him notes. The principal gives stickers when the student comes to his office to read to him. The secretary claps when she hears him read. The teaching assistants congratulate him when they see him read.

 

There is no better feeling in a teacher's world than when the reading spark ignites in a student. This is why I love teaching reading.

Using Tests as a Teaching Tool

Tests should be used as teaching tools. They should not be administered, graded, and then put away. Students should be able to dissect the test and learn from it. Yes, this does not happen with standardized tests, but a classroom is a place of learning. In my classroom students see their tests and review them to learn from their mistakes.

I took our last assessment and tore it apart based on the data results from my students. On the cover of the test, I wrote out the steps that I use to review the test with students. I wrote out the steps for one of the instructional assistants at my school so that when she comes in my room to help students she and I can be on the same page regarding instruction. I know what I am doing, but I want her to be familiar with my process.

 

I set up work stations in my classroom. I wrote the students' names that we are working with on index cards. I am working with the neediest students and my assistant is working with the midlevel students who need some practice with strategies to give them that boost to be on grade level. I also placed a basket of sticky notes, pencils, and pens (students think work is so much more fun with pens, right?).

 

 

Beside each question in the test I wrote the percentage correct that each of my blocks earned. This lets me know on which questions I need to spend more time. If both blocks scored poorly, then I need to do a whole class reteach. I also mark which answer most students selected to help me understand why they struggled with that particular question. Finally, I write notes to myself about teaching points.

Biography Book Club Jottings Assessment

This is one of the forms I used to collect data on my students and what they were learning during our biography and narrative nonfiction unit. I asked them to choose some of their jottings from their Biography Book Club books and then they had to tell why they chose those particular jottings by circling the choices at the bottom of the form. I used these forms during conferencing to celebrate success and address any weaknesses.

 

During the conference with this student, I complimented her descriptions of Rosa Parks' character, but we talked about how to better reference the text and explain events in her life that showed she was that type of woman that was described in the jottings.

 

I complimented this student on her independent use of a chart from a previous minilesson. We discussed synonymns to use that are more detailed than just caring and helpful.

 

I complimented this boy on asking such an intense question. In addition to a quick reminder of capitalization, we discussed other people he has read about that also changed the world. I encouraged him to make more connections between other texts when reading.

 

I complimented this student for referencing the text, but reminded him that when he is a biography reader he should not just be recalling facts. I had him practice relating to the text instead of just retelling details. I led him to the thought that maybe the statue was so big because Dr. King did big things for civil rights.

I was proud of the student, Bryan, because the other members of his book club were absent on the day they did this activity so he put all of their names on the jotting.

 

EMPATHY!

 

relating...not just recalling

 

again relating...not recalling

 

 

This child is religious and often makes connections to her church. In this jotting I complimented her for relating to Abe Lincoln reading the bible. We talked about reasons why he possibly chose to become a stateman instead of a minister.

 

I complimented this student on asking a question and then drawing a line to write the answer to the question after he found it in the text. I encouraged him to reference the text with a few more details. I complimented him on relating to Black Beard's family because he thought the pirate should protect his family and not the gold treasure.

 

I complimented Mya for referencing an event in her book and relating to it. I told her I agreed with her 4-star rating of her jotting.

 

I complimented this student on being in touch with the text and asking questions to help understand what she was reading. I told her that I agreed with her star ratings. She is limited English proficient (LEP) so I think that her questions were justified. We had a basic conversation about Obama and his life. It was not too deep or detailed because that is not what she needed at this time.

 

EMPATHY!

 

Great use of character traits and referencing the text.

 

I complimented this student for referencing the text, but we talked about the difference between fact and opinion when reading a biography.

 

When I conferenced with this student, I had him show me the fancy writing that he found because I thought maybe he was not understanding italics. It was actually a photograph of Declaration of Independence. We had a conversation about how writing has changed from old times and the different types of writing we might see and use today.

Series Book Clubs Self-Assessment

My students wrapped up their series book clubs. As a self-assessment I had them write why they liked book clubs and what they learned from their discussions.  They also completed a rubric where they scored themselves on the various elements of book club procedures and elements.

 

I displayed them on a bulletin board.

 

This rubric can be found at the website http://maisdreadingworkshop.wikispaces.com/3rd-12th+Grade+Resources under the topic Resources to Support Unit 4: Tackling Complex Texts (Book Clubs). I edited it to reflect my classroom book club expectations and procedures.