By Maria L Le

The purpose of this presentation is to present to you – the parents and students – about our schools reading curriculum and how our class will work to becoming better readers on a daily basis. As we all know, there is so much to learn in 1 st grade. I hope that this presentation will explain what we will do this year. Our schedule allows for a 120-minute uninterrupted block of time devoted specifically for reading instruction. During this time, we will also incorporate writing, spelling, other language arts learning, children’s literature, and content area work to create a well-balanced learning atmosphere for reading.

Focused Mini- Lesson (7-10 minutes) Skills Block (30 minutes) Guided Reading & Writing (10-15 min. per group) (includes center time) Whole Group Instruction (10-20 minutes) Independent Reading & Writing(10-15 min. per group) (includes center time) 50 – 60 minutes

Reader’s Workshops (MWF) Reading Aloud Shared Reading Guided Reading Independent Reading Reading Centers Writer’s Workshops (TTh) Interactive Writing Shared Writing Guided Writing Independent Writing Writing Centers

Reading Aloud The teacher reads aloud to the whole class or small groups. A carefully selected body of children’s literature is used; the collection contains a variety of genre’s and represents our diverse society. Favorite texts, selected for special features, are reread many times.

Shared Reading Using an enlarged text that all children can see, the teacher involves children in reading together following a pointer. The process includes: Rereading big books, poems, songs Rereading retellings Rereading alternative texts Rereading the products of interactive writing.

Guided Reading The teacher works with a small group who have similar reading processes. The teacher selects and introduces new books and supports children reading the whole text to themselves, making teaching points during and after reading.

Independent Reading Children read on their own or with partners from a wide range of materials. Some reading is from a special collection at their reading level.

Interactive Writing Teacher and children compose messages and stories that are written using a “shared pen” technique that involves children in the writing.

Shared Writing Teacher and children work together to compose messages and stories; teacher supports process as scribe.

Guided Writing Children engage in writing a variety of texts. Teacher guides the process and provides instruction through mini-lessons and conferences.

Independent Writing Children write their own pieces, including (in addition to stories and informational pieces) retellings, labeling, speech balloons, lists, etc…

How on earth can one teacher ensure that all students do all of these things? Learning Centers are a big part of inquiry based learning that allows students to become independent learners. When our class is meeting in small groups with me during guided reading or writing, the remaining students will be rotating through learning centers.

Here are the different kinds of learning centers that your child might be working at. Listening Center: Students listen and follow along to a reading of a story. This is especially helpful to ELL and auditory learners. Enrichment Center: Students practice handwriting and spelling through tactile means (spelling with macaroni noodles, writing in a sand- tray, making words out of play-doh, etc…). Center keeps kinesthetic learners in mind. Reading/Writing the Room: Students explore the classroom by reading the words and signs around the room while creating a personal dictionary. Reader’s Theater: Children learn fluency through dramatic play. “Tell me a story:” Students learn how to retell a story through the use of a story board with pictures. A pocket chart is also available for work on sequencing. Computer Center: We are lucky enough to have a wonderful language arts computer program that focuses on reading and writing of high frequency words. Students will work at this center on a rotating schedule.

As your child’s classroom teacher I will: Systematically gather observational data over time to document the progress of individual children. Some formal assessments are used. Provide information to guide daily teaching. Provide a way to track the progress of individual children. Provide a basis for reporting to parents. Help school staff to assess the effectiveness of the instructional program. Provide children with evidence of their growth.

Parents are always welcome in school to participate in our workshops and to receive “Keep Books” for use at home. Give your child the opportunity to show you what they are learning. Provide an environment that offers them reading and writing materials at home. Demonstrate values and respect for reading and writing. Read in your own language if you have an ELL student. Talk about the pictures in books.

That’s it! We are ready for a fun-filled year of reading. The biggest joy that I have is watching all of your children grow as readers from the first day of school to the last. I hope that you enjoy seeing their progress as much as I will. I am always available for any questions, comments, or concerns you might have. Please do not hesitate to contact me.