This is my second year using the Units of Study, this
course has really helped me to spend more time not only in the units but also given
me the time to read The Guide to Reader’s
Workshop. This year I started using the units at the beginning of the
school year. I believe the units help to create a real focus on the importance of
spending time reading. I believe this is
why my students have built such a strong foundation and stamina. One uh,oh
and/or aha is my classroom library; I have leveled text in my classroom that I
use for guided reading groups as well as a classroom library. The classroom
library in theory is filled with books that children can select and read,
however, many of the books are not within their text level ranges, and honestly
I do not believe many of them are high interest. So, my summer project (if not
before) is to create a 1st grade friendly classroom library (one
that has many high interest texts that range in level from A-M) I hope to use
my Scholastic points to order some of these books. I would love to hear, or see pictures of others
classroom libraries, or find out what some of your favorite titles are.
One of the things I still struggle with is the mid-workshop teaching. I
find that it can be very difficult to fit this in, in the way the book describes. I continue to try weaving this teaching point
into my lessons at some point, but I do not feel like I am doing it justice. I would love to hear how or what others are doing for the mid-workshop
teaching.
We talked about this a little bit in our small K-2 discussion group. It is hard for me to get that mid teaching part in as well. I am either busy with conferences or reading groups and lose track of time. I'm looking forward to the comments on this as well.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with the mid-workshop teaching too. As Karen mentioned, I sometimes take that teaching point and use it as a lesson the next day. There are times when I complete ignore it too. It depends on the teaching point. If it is something that relates to the original teaching point, I may introduce them together.
ReplyDeleteKaren,
ReplyDeleteI can see how some of the mid-workshop teaching points lend themselves well to an additional mini-lesson. For me it is getting to know the units and my students well enough to determine what they need and how best to disperse that information to them. The first year I did not give my self permission to deviate, which was probably not the best for them. This year I am feeling a bit more confident and hopefully will continue to learn and grow along side my students.