Transcript Needs-Based Instruction: Managing Materials & Students Sara B. McCraw Georgia Reading First Conference June 14, 2006 SBM 2006

Needs-Based
Instruction: Managing
Materials & Students
Sara B. McCraw
Georgia Reading First Conference
June 14, 2006
SBM 2006
What is your role?
Thumb = kindergarten
 One finger = first grade
 Two fingers = second grade
 Three fingers = third grade
 Fist = support for more than one
grade (e.g., reading teacher, literacy
coach, special education teacher,
administrator)
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Overview
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Managing Materials - The
Easy Part
Managing Students - The
Hard Part
Getting Started Workstations & Routines
Moving Ahead - Flexible
Groups & Stations, Peer
Collaboration, Developing
Independence
A Plan of Action - Preparing
for Next Year
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“Differentiation is the
key to independence”
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Managing Materials
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Workstation routines - change content not
process
Accessible materials - teachers and students
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Managing Materials
Student Helpers
Resort pictures,
letters, tiles
- Table captains for
collecting & putting
away
-
Volunteers
Cut materials for
workstation activities
- Resort books by level/
theme
-
What else would you add?
Discuss in your group.
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Managing Students
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Fishbowl stations
Benefits:
- handle situations as they arise
- observer perspective
- collaboratively set expectations
- more involved in the process
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Managing Students
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Collaboratively define expectations
- more ownership & understanding
- e.g., flowchart of what to do after
whole group instruction
Let’s try …
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Classroom Vignettes
Preparing to
Read
- Identify
interests, goals,
& purpose
- Preview &
select text
- Make a plan for
reading &
responding
While Reading
Construct an
understanding
- Monitor
understanding &
response
- Apply fix-up
strategies as
appropriate
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After Reading
Reflect on &
pursue the
understanding
further
- reflect,
evaluate, retell/
summarize, find
a social
destination
-
Managing Students
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Student Accountability
- bring work/learning to small group
- community share at end of reading
block
- make connection between activity
and reading goal
- +/∆ chart
- collaborative rubric for self/class score
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Managing Students
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Observe/video students working in
stations to trouble-shoot routines
Scenario: A teacher notices a child
reading independently, but when she looks
closer she realizes he is only “pretend
reading”.
Why do you think this is happening? What
could she do? Discuss in your group.
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Getting Started: The Big Five
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Organize workstations around the five key
areas of reading
- phonological awareness
- phonics
- fluency
- vocabulary
- comprehension
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Getting Started: Differentiation
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Create workstation activities that are
open-ended enough to differentiate for
needs as a follow-up activity for whole
group lesson and/or small group,
needs-based instruction
Introduce activities during whole or
small groups
Put a list of students on activities they
can choose as reinforcement activities
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Reading Time
Choose one of the two classroom
vignettes (K/1 lilac, 2/3 teal)
 Refer to our collaborative plan for
reading (e.g., what is your purpose)
 Read and discuss the vignette with
others
 Consider how it relates to what we’ve
talked about so far (is it realistic?)
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www.fcrr.org
Website for center activities
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Getting Started: Materials
Common materials for needs-based
instruction at your fingertips
 Peer collaboration
 Pooling resources
 Resources available for browsing
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Getting Started: Routines
Begin on the first day
 Start small - one workstation at a
time, one group a day
 Begin the habit of community share
to check what’s working and what
needs changing
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Moving Ahead:
Flexible Stations
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Empower students to self-monitor progress
and recognize when they are ready to move
ahead
Consider having two stations open at a time
that align with whole group instructional focus
(phonics and fluency, PA and phonics,
fluency and comprehension, comprehension
and vocabulary)
Make activities flexible - opportunity for
independent, partner, and small group
activities
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Moving Ahead: Peer
Collaboration
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Work with grade level teammates and literacy
coach to develop lessons for small group
instruction and workstation activities
Share lessons and activities across grades to
reduce workload
Establish regular routines for observing other
classrooms (live or video), meeting within and
across grades for planning and problem
solving, and scheduling support from the
literacy coach
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Moving Ahead: Developing
Independence
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What can students begin to take control
over?
- selecting text for independent reading
- choosing activities within a workstation
- setting a purpose for reading
- determining post-reading activities
Releasing responsibility- how do we know
if we let go too soon?
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Student Control
Teacher Control
Changes over time:
pre-assigned to student selection
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Any questions not yet
addressed?
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Plan of Action
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How will you establish routines beginning
the first day of school?
How will you organize your materials to
maximize efficiency?
Who will you surround yourself with for
ongoing support?
What will you do if it feels overwhelming
and you just want to teach whole group
the entire time?
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Plan of Action
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Select a person in your building to be your
accountability partner
Record your ideas for getting started next
year and set goals
Create a timeline and list of actions to
meet each goal
Establish a routine for meeting with your
accountability partner to monitor progress
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Thank you for
choosing to work with
the students who need
you the most
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