This chapter, for me, is getting about letting go of control
& letting my kiddos take responsibility for their own actions. Up until now, the work has been more
independent—easier to manage. At this
point, we will be at a make it or break it stage. For my firsties, working cooperatively is
always more “exciting.” Even if they are
on task, they tend to get a little more “active.” In comes the daily 5. With practice, I feel like this task will help
my students grow into independent and more self-sufficient readers!
The
first step the talk about is introducing the concept. A routine that has become familiar by now,
the I-chart. The difference in this skill
is that the students should have at least 6 days of being introduced to this skill. Day 1 is all about the EEKK!! I love that they relate this to a story about
spiders—something most kids can relate to.
It’s teaching how to sit with your partner during this time….Elbow to Elbow, Knee
to Knee….EEKK! Another part of this section is what it
sounds like to read with a partner.
Students get to try a shouting voice & see just how successful that
would be in this situation; epic fail.
Then they practice their whisper voices to realize that noise level is
the only way to make this a success in a classroom of 20 + kids.
Next,
they talk about holding both partners accountable for this reading time. In the past, this is definitely what I’ve
struggled with in my classroom. If it’s
not “their turn” to read; my students are pretty much uninterested. Getting away from that “all about me”
attitude; both partners have a job! One
is the reader; the other gets to summarize what was read at the end of each
page. This is definitely going to take a
lot of practice and modeling. The idea
of both partners being engaged and accountable with make all of that worth
it!!
Now
comes the different ways they can choose to read. Day 2, introduce the “I Read, U Read”
method. Pretty straight forward; they
take turns reading. And then another way
to read: Read 2 different books. This is
a foreign concept to me; as I’ve always thought that would be too much
information for them to process. .
Another mantra, “I keep my book closed.
When you finish, I check for understanding.” Again, rules & accountability for both
partners. Now my favorite part:
choice. The students get to choose how
they want to read. Of course, now more
stamina building practice.
Day 3
brings into play conflict. Something 6-7
year olds are not experts in yet; conflict resolution. It is up to us to teach them methods to
resolve problems independently without name-calling, getting physical,
etc. “Let’s Make a Deal.” “You pick a book, I pick a book. We read yours first, then we read mine.” “See, we made a deal.” Sounds simple, but this is definitely a
behavior that needs to be practiced.
 |
| graphic from http://www.dots-n-spots.com |
EEEkkk….Day
4 is what really makes me nervous. Up until
now, I’ve chosen spots for the partners.
Using my spidey-teacher-sense; I’d have placed them around the room in
proximity to me, based on the behaviors I expect to see. Now *gasp* I teach them how to choose their
own spots. Another step in being
responsible and independent; they choose a spot they can be successful in.
Day 5
is all about choosing a partner. More
independence. They need to learn the
correct way to communicate effectively they need a partner. The biggest hurdle I can foresee, is
them understanding this is not a
popularity contest & they don’t need to be with their best friend. My favorite, the only acceptable answer when
someone asks to be your partner is “Sure, thank you.”
Finally, Day 6: being a coach. Teaching them how to not just blurt out a
word if their partner is stuck. Teaching
them use the word attack strategies we’ve practiced in class to help coach
their partner. It gives specific
examples on what they should ask. Do you
need a coach or do you need time?
The last part of this chapter is on
Listening to Reading. This is already
engaging for most students; so I think all the practice we’re going to need
with this strategy is appropriate vs. inappropriate behaviors in the listening
station. There are so many options for this nowadays
with technology. The old tried &
true CD player, tons of computer sites that offer read alouds, and mp3 players
that have stories pre-loaded.
Possibilities are truly endless.
This was a looooooong, but useful
chapter. Lots of good information. I really enjoyed how each behavior was
outlined and expectations are clear. Like
always, practice, lots and lots of practice.
the too cute graphic about how ways they can read came from Becky over at dots & spots ....check her out!!
Ok, this isn't really open-ended per se, but it is better for sight word practice than just boring old flash cards. There is a free version, and a pay version ($4.99.) I would totally opt for the pay version...it's worth it!! Sight words are presented, one at a time; and you can click on the character for it to say the word, and then you also WRITE the word. Practice both reading and writing, and there's no "Miss Curtis, what does this say?" Then, to spice it up....every 8 or so words, there is a game to play with the words--concentration, hangman, etc. Both the free app and the pay app are well worth your time and money!
