Setting up for Independent Reading DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Setting the Stage for Independent Reading  Time  Literacy Environment Appropriate Materials Rituals, Routines, and Artifacts (Overview of important points to consider when setting the stage for independent reading) Watch video of Sharon Taberski’s independent reading, if available.

Time “When readers read less than 10-15 minutes at a time, they are less likely to engage in reading, make connections and recall what they have read.” --Linda Hoyt (2001) We need to engage children in reading for much longer periods of time.

example, ABC centers could be in the skills block. Reading Workshop Writers Workshop Skills Block 25 min Whole Group Instruction (E*) ·         Mini-Lesson (Shared Reading) ·         Read Aloud 7-10 min Whole Group Instruction (E*) Focus on 2grade level genres each year 30 min Whole Group Direct Instruction (E*) • Phonics • Word work • Sentence Combining 60 Work Period 43 –48 min   • Conventions Teachers are: (E*) • Instructing guided reading and/or • Holding reading conferences with 1 to 3 students Students are: (E*) • Reading independently • Partner reading • Engaging in book talks, • Engaging in book clubs • Writing in response journals • Doing author studies • Conferencing with individual or small groups of students Students: (E*) 1) Work on their writing and will be at various stages of the writing process: planning, drafting, meeting in response groups, revising, editing, publishing. 2) Work on genre studies 5 min Closure Author’s Chair 90 minutes 60 minutes 30 min Discuss the amount of time dedicated to independent reading in the Reading Workshop Work Period. Points to make: These are goals – they will have to build up the amount of time students can stay engaged in reading. If the school is using a basal, they can still use that for small group instruction, but teachers must put in the independent reading time (no more workbooks) and reading conferences. If the school is using literacy centers, only have literacy centers that involve reading during the reading block. For example, ABC centers could be in the skills block. ECE and half-time K classrooms will adjust the times appropriately, but students should be spending significant time looking at and listening to books

Literacy Environment Large group area for meetings, demonstrations, and sharing The way the room is arranged and the type of environment that is set up is a reflection of the teacher’s beliefs and understandings about teaching and learning. (If they’ve seen the video of Sharon Taberski’s room, ask them to talk about how her room arrangement reflected her beliefs about learning. If not, they could look at the diagram in Taberski’s book on p. 20 or the pictures in Joanne Hindley’s book (right after p. 92) and talk about those set-ups.) It’s important to set up a comfortable large group area first and arrange the room around that – this area will be used for mini-lessons, read aloud, shared reading, and sharing groups. This space helps to build a sense of community in the classroom.

Literacy Environment Areas for small group work Teachers will also want to build in areas for small group work where they can confer with students and do guided reading.

Literacy Environment Rich classroom libraries, arranged purposefully in an inviting way Classroom libraries should contain baskets of leveled books and baskets of books by theme, genre, and author. They should also contain student-published books, magazines, newspapers, etc. Refresh the books from time to time so the library doesn’t go stale – teachers might switch some of their books in the middle of the year to give students new books to choose.

Literacy Environment Comfortable spaces for reading Many students don’t want to sit at their desks and read; there should be areas with pillows, bean bag chairs, rugs, etc. where students can settle in and read.

Literacy Environment Charts and Word Walls as a visual resource Teachers and students will be developing learning charts together, and these charts will go on the walls as a visual resource for students to use when they are reading or writing. They should be arranged attractively so that the walls don’t become cluttered and “noisy.” Word walls that teachers and students build together during the skills block will also serve as a reference for students. Please keep Spanish and English word walls separate from each other.

Materials Just as we would not ask a doctor to heal without medicine, so we should not ask teachers and schools to teach without the materials to do so. Reading material is basic to all education, and providing a rich supply of reading matter to children of all ages, as well as a place and time to read, is the first step to bridging the gap between poor and good readers. --McQuillan (1998) Having lots of books accessible to our students is the foundation for the literacy program.

    “It is extremely important that students’ independent reading be within their control. They should be able to read these texts with ease and fluency so that they can concentrate on their responses and interpretations. Only by successfully processing texts they understand can they build reading power.” Not only do we need a large number of books for our students, we also need to have books that are at students’ independent reading levels, which means that students can read the books with 95-100% accuracy with comprehension. -- Fountas and Pinnell (2001)    

Considerations for Analyzing Text to Match Students’ Reading Levels Considerations for Text Selection Matching Text to Students’ Reading Levels   Considerations for Analyzing Text to Match Students’ Reading Levels Language Layout Content   Students need choice in selecting texts, but they also need support in determining which books are right for them. At least half of the classroom collection should be organized in levels. Pass out books to teachers that are at different levels and have them arrange the books from easiest to most difficult – the discussion they have here is the most important thing. Come back together and talk about issues related to Language, Layout, and Content that make books supportive or challenging. Most readability formulas only look at Language (number of words, syllables, sentences), but it’s important to take into account things like background knowledge and experiences, concepts, density of text, etc.  

Correlation of Different Leveling Systems Grade level (Basal) Stages of Reading Reading Recovery Levels Guided Reading Levels (Fountas & Pinnell) Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) Levels Kindergarten Early Emergent Upper Emergent Early Fluent Fluent   1 2 3-4 A B C 3 1st Grade 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12 13-14 15-16 D E F G H I 4 6-8 10 12 14 16 2nd Grade 18-20 24-28 J-K L-M 3rd Grade 30 34-38 N O-P 4th Grade 40 Q-R S-T 5th Grade 44 U-V 6th Grade V-W X-Y This chart can help them compare the different leveling systems.

Second Language Learners “Although the research in second language is not as extensive as in first language reading, it strongly suggests that free reading in a second or foreign language is one of the best things an acquirer can do to bridge the gap from the beginning level to truly advanced levels of second language proficiency.” --Krashen (1993) This is just a reminder of how important reading is for our second language learners as well.

Rituals, Routines, & Artifacts Rituals - The procedures. The point of a ritual is that an activity is always done the same way. It tells the students how to do things in Readers Workshop.  Routines –The daily structure. Routines are predictable so students know what is expected and can operate independently. Artifacts - Objects that are central to learning. Standards books, rubrics, texts, reading folders, book bags, charts. Rituals, Routines and Artifacts, NCEE, 2001   Refer to the Literacy Block schedule. We are expecting students to be engaged in independent work and not interrupt us for long periods of times. This won’t happen unless we use Rituals and Routines to teach our students how to be independent.

“We put our trust in creating calm, joyful settings with simple, clear routines.”   --Shelley Harwayne