After reading the first two chapters it really validated that what we are trying to do this year on the first grade team is what is the best practice for our students. This is the first year, since I have been here that we have done away with SRA and headed in the direction of student getting choice in what they read. These past few weeks of implementing the Daily 5 routine in place of my typical SRA curriculum I have noticed a lot of positive changes. My students are excited when it comes to read independently. We have taught students necessary skills to become independent readers and they are thriving. We have also spent the proper time building stamina which to me can make or break your independent reading time. If you allow students to build their stamina before long they will be able to be an engaged reader, leaving you time to really work one on one with students. I am grateful that we have been given more time this year to go full force with a program like Daily 5. It's structure is a no fail approach to allow students to work on their own.
One element of the Daily 5 that left me uneasy was that they get so much choice. Like Jessica and I have talked about before in prior meetings was the fact that we were not given much choice in what we were allowed to read going through elementary school. For me, as a child I enjoyed reading at home when my mother allowed me to buy the books I wanted to read. Other than that I don't remember any positive experiences in school. My goal is to not allow my students the same experience as I did in elementary school. I do not read as an adult as much as I would like to but when I was a child at home I remember I was always reading and loved doing it. I wish I knew what went wrong, why I lost that passion for reading and can I ever get it back.
I felt that the table on pg.16 was helpful to use as a guide to reference. It listed a few ways for students to grow as independent readers. I have begun to teach mini lessons on good fit books and trying to teach my students the difference in easy, just right and challenging books. They seem to approach the challenging books more confidently knowing they can read the pictures and that I will give them support in reading that book.
If it is a best practice we should be implementing it into our classrooms and time should not be a factor.
I love your last sentence--"If it is a best practice we should be implementing it into our classrooms and time should not be a factor." If we make time for what we value, I'd agree with you that best practice should be at the top of that making time list! I can tell that raising engaged, independent readers is important to you. Your personal connections with choice (or lack of it) will continue to shape your beliefs and practices. I'm sad that you did not receive a positive reading experience in school, but I know you will provide your students with one!
ReplyDeleteHi Allie,
ReplyDeleteI am cheering with you and your first grade teachers as you restructured your reading program this year to provide students with choices over their reading material through independent reading and writing and feedback in the form of conferencing and guided reading. I know that you are using the Daily 5 structure for providing students with mini-lessons in read to self and work on writing and I appreciate how you are building where they are with increasing stamina and introducing opportunities using a gradual release of responsibility. I also loved your last sentence and agree with you that we need to make time for what we value!
Sincerely, Dawn