Inservice Activities: Helping Teachers Understand A Balanced Approach to Reading Instruction in the Primary Grades
Guided Reading Centers
A commonly asked question among teachers is "What do the rest of my students' do while I am having guided reading groups?" Many different meaningful activities are available for the rest of the class. This in-service is going to give several suggestions for those center activities. The students should be broken into three reading groups. Each group will meet with the teacher for twenty minute sessions. While group one is with the teacher the other two groups should be working on independent seatwork or on centers. I will list the different centers and describe what they entail.
Center 1-Read the room
Students will use a pointer to go around the room and read all the different print. There should be poems, labeled items, a word wall, and several different types of print scattered around the room. Make the writing at the eye level of the students.
Center 2-Writing Center
A writing center should contain many different types of writing paper- lined paper, unlined paper, note cards, writing pads, envelopes, graph paper, etc... There should also be several different writing utensils-pencils, pens, colored pencils, markers, and crayons. Have several different stamps and many different stamp pads. Have a list of words. The words could either be words from a particular theme or a list of frequently used words. The students' journals and writing folders should be kept in the writing center. Have dictionaries for them to use.
Center 3-Reading Corner
The reading corner should be an inviting place. There should be pillows, bean bag chairs, and stuffed animals. It can be used for independent reading or buddy reading. There should be several different types of books as well as different genres and reading levels. The books can be arranged many different ways. They could be arranged by category, reading level, or genre. There should be magazines, encyclopedias, travel brochures, student made books, etc...
Center 4- Listening Center
The listening center should include many different stories on tape. It is important to have multiple copies of the books so more than one student can enjoy it. For younger students label the on and off buttons. A good way to increase the listening center is to record yourself reading the stories or have another person in the building make a tape for you. Children love to guess whom the mystery voice belongs to.
Center 5- Drama Center
This center can include puppets and a puppet theater. It should also have a flannel board with pieces to familiar stories so the children can retell the stories. Depending on the age of the students there could be clothes to dress up in.
Center 6- Computer
Hopefully you will have more than one computer in your classroom. For this center make sure each student knows how to log on to the computer at the very beginning. This will save you from having to help them throughout the year. It is also good to pick a few students as a designated "computer helper." Students can type their stories or play educational games.
Seat work
If students are not at centers they can be working independently or with their reading group. They can be doing several follow-up activities to the stories they are reading. For example:
· They can write about and illustrate their favorite scene.
· They can make a mobile about different scenes in the story
· They can make a book and retell the story.
· They can rewrite another ending to the story.
· Write a letter to someone in the story.
Using Interactive Writing
Goal: To inform teachers of the usefulness of interactive writing by teaching them how to implement the technique.
Materials:
Large sheet of chart paper per group of four teachers
One marker for each group
Post-it Correction & Cover-Up Tape ( A.K.A.: "boo-boo tape" for primary teachers)
Short, repetitive story with high interest
Description of Activities: (Activities should take approximately 45 minutes or less)
Explain the interactive writing process to staff members and explain its value. (see implementation of interactive writing for a greater understanding of this process).
*Answer all questions.
*Divide the participants into groups of four and have them practice this new technique with their colleagues. ( give approximately 15 minutes )
*Finish the inservice with questions and answers and a quick questionnaire regarding the quality of the information provided.
The Observation Survey
The purpose of this in-service activity is to explain what the Observation Survey is and how to administer it. The Observation Survey is an assessment tool that allows the teacher to observe and evaluate processing as it occurs during more natural, real world tasks. The Observation Survey gives insight on strengths and weaknesses, confusions, processing and strategies, and gives information on what the child already knows. The Observation Survey includes six sub-tests: letter identification, word test, concepts about print, writing vocabulary, hearing and recording sounds in words (dictation), and text reading. All teachers will receive a copy of the actual Observation Survey packet and written directions. A demonstration video of each sub-test will also be shown.
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Letter Identification This is an inventory of known letters. The child is asked to identify printed upper and lower case letters by name, sound or as the first letter of a word. This task also gives information of unknown letters, confusions, and substitutions. |
Word Test This is a list of high frequency words in isolation that the child is asked to identify. It is useful to see what words the child knows. It is also useful to see the attempts, if any, the child makes on words. The attempts show how detailed the child uses visual information. |
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Concepts About Print In this task, the teacher reads a small book while working with the child. During the reading, the child is asked important questions about directional movement, book handling skills, meaning of concepts (punctuation, ideas of letters and words, and ideas of first and last) and other details of print. This task helps teachers to understand exactly what the child knows about print and if the child has had exposure to print. |
Writing Vocabulary The child is given and blank sheet of paper and asked to write as many words as he or she can write in 10 minutes. The teacher may use a list of writing prompts of high frequency words if necessary. The child starts the task by writing his or her name. This is useful for the teacher to see what words the child controls, how the child forms letters, and whether the child has appropriate directional movement during writing. |
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Hearing and Recording Sounds in Words The child is given another blank sheet of paper and is asked to write a dictated message from the teacher. The message contains 37 phonemes. Through this task, the teacher can see the child's ability to move from sounds to letters. Also, how the child approaches unknown words. |
Text Reading The child is asked to read several texts while the teacher is being a neutral observer. The child continues to read until the texts reach a difficult range. The teacher must do a running record in order to assess the reading process. A running record shows how the child processes information and problem solves on the run. Running records are very useful. They can be used for grouping, appropriate text selection, providing insights as to the child's use of meaning during reading, among many other things. |
Implementing A Cross-Age Tutorial Program
Providing adequate reading opportunities for struggling readers remains a major challenge for educators. An effective intervention method which appears to meet this challenge in addition to sustaining the effect of early intervention is cross-age tutoring. Cross-age tutoring speaks to the guided reading concept in that it illustrates the processes of observation, powerful examples, and support for younger readers. Cross-age reading exercises have been found to build word recognition, rate, accuracy, fluency, and reading comprehension for the reader and tutor (Taylor, Hanson, Justice-Swanson, & Watts, 1998). In this in-service we will delineate some necessary steps in implement a cross-age tutorial program and outline sample cross-age tutorial reading schedules.
Components:
Instructor Selection - Implementation of a successful cross-age tutorial program requires the collaboration of at least two committed instructors with complementary schedules. Consistent opportunity is an essential component of the program. Incompatibility in regards to teacher schedules often results in missed sessions which significantly weaken the value of the program. Two-year grade level intervals are preferable but are not requisite.
Participant Selection Process - Reader (younger-age participants) selection can be performed via achievement record review prior to the opening of school term and confirmed at the onset of the school year via observation and additional formal evaluations (if desired). Criteria for tutor selection is desire, likelihood to benefit from tutoring experience, delayed reading ability, and word recognition with ninety percent accuracy at the readers reading level.
Scheduling - Appropriate scheduling is one of the most important components of a successful program. Students should be paired and schedules adjusted by the third week of classes. Routines should be established as quickly as possible. Participants should receive implicit instruction on when they are to meet, where they are to meet, the sequence of activities to take place while meeting and the location of reading materials/supplies. Alternate tutoring schedules should also be developed so that absenteeism does not result in session cancellations. In cases of absenteeism, groups of three (one tutor and two readers or vice a versa may evolve). Portions of the language arts block may be allotted for tutorial sessions or for the preparation period.
Biweekly sessions of twenty-five minutes are strongly recommended for tutoring.
Preparation - Readers' should meet with the classroom teacher in larger groups for ten to fifteen minutes per week prior to tutoring sessions to select the text for that week, peruse the text, and to discuss the reading experience and organizational concerns. Tutors should meet in large groups with classroom instructors for thirty to forty-five minutes a week prior to weekly sessions to discuss word attack strategies, self-monitoring skills, tutorial protocol, and concerns.
Materials - Reading materials for the cross-age tutoring program generally consist of remedial text and additional books based on readers' interest and reading level. Reading material should offer just enough challenge to support problem while promoting fluency and meaning. Tutors should have word recognition accuracy rating of 85 - 90 % for remedial level text.
Tutorial Journals - Tutors should keep an ongoing journal of word recognition strategies. When practicing to read the books which are to be read to them, tutors may refer to the journal. Tutors are to also regularly list specific questions to be addressed during the oral discussion period.
Activity Sequence - Please see sample schedules
| Tutor's Sample Schedule |
| DAY | TIME | ACTIVITY |
| Mondays & Tuesdays | 30-45 mins |
Preparing to Tutor |
| Wednesdays & Thursdays | 25 mins |
Remedial text read by reader Vocabulary clarification Comprehension extension activity Return to classroom for debriefing session |
| Friday | Write weekly reflection in journal | |
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Reader's Sample Schedule
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| Tuesdays | 15 mins |
Reading preparation
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| Wednesdays & Thursdays | 25 mins |
Tutorial Sessions |
| Friday | 15 mins |
Review Activities |
This delivery model incorporates tutorial sessions into the regular classroom routine over the course of the year.
This program should be viewed as complementary to an existing reading program. Of note, school-to-Home cross-age tutorial programs also exist which benefit siblings (Fox, & Wright, 1997).
Interested teachers would now discuss the benefits feasibility of participating
in a cross-age tutorial program. Those individuals willing to remain may
sketch out a preliminary outline and introduce it to the group for feedback.