Simple Changes in Language

I still remember the overwhelmed feeling of my first year of teaching.  At that time, I distinctly remember telling myself to hang in there as surely by year three I'd have it figured out.  HA!  Here I am at year twenty something, and I'm still always working to figure it out.  The challenge, I believe, becomes that teaching is a people profession.  Children are always different, and different children have different needs.

This year, I've found myself looking hard at my teaching yet again.  As I work to support readers I have been really trying to figure out how to change my language to help the readers I support move toward independence.  I've changed a lot of aspects of my teaching with this group this year as a result of observations I have made.  I've worked to improve my language, my prompting, and our use of time.  Still I have felt that some of the students I support over-rely on adults when they read.  

Recently I read, Tripwires, The Prompting Funnel, and Letting Students Do the Work by Kim Yaris and Jan Burkins.  In the post, they said, "Typically, when a child encounters difficulty when reading, we are inclined to say things like,  'Does that make sense?' or 'What would sound right?' We worry that these prompts intervene too quickly, telling students what they need to do before they’ve had a chance to self-monitor and think for themselves about what they need to do."  This statement really made me pause.  Could my challenge be that simple?  Could a simple change in my language make a difference for my students? 

Last week I went back into my groups changing my language.  I changed two things:  

• More wait time (I'm pretty good at wait time, but I extended it --- and made no eye contact with students who were solving --- just kept a little ear on their attempts)
• When students needed support I started with a much higher level prompt:  "What could you try?"  (this higher level prompt often worked)

These two changes seemed to make a difference.  In another recent post, Jan & Kim created an infographic titled:  Who's Doing the Work.  You should check it out.  It was this statement within the infographic that I have hung onto across my work with readers this week:  "Ladders vs. Scaffolds:  Scaffolds only support us when they are in place.  Once the scaffold is removed, we are in no better position to reach a high place without the scaffold.  Instead, let's give students ladders they can fold up, take with them, and use anywhere."  I think I'll be thinking about both of these statements for awhile as I work to create ladders toward independence for the readers I support.  

Growing Readers in Digital Spaces

"We have found that when our students have lots of ways and reasons to connect, their stance as learners begins to change (p. 72)." Sibberson & Bass 

When the school year ended I had good intentions to stay connected with my students.  I had brought parents in for a discussion around keeping students reading across the summer, updated our reading hub, and talked with students about summer reading plans.  As the calendar turned from June to July, I was struggling to connect with readers I had served in intervention.  My students are too young to have their own accounts so all correspondence goes through their parents.  They don't see my updates on Twitter.  They don't read my emails.  The only way I stand a chance is if they stop by our hub, but that didn't seem to be happening.

Where did I go wrong?

As the calendar turns from July to August, I'm still finding it difficult to connect with these readers.  I'm hoping they're still reading, but I miss hearing about the books they are discovering.  I miss hearing them make recommendations to one another.  When I had my own classroom we spent time together in digital spaces across our year.  We had a class Shelfari account.  We posted together in our class blog space.  We continually visited our Kidblog account to write, read, and respond.  We posted together using our class Twitter account.  We used our Symbaloo spaces to connect to sites for our learning.  Digital tools were embedded in the learning we did across our day.

Building Digital Habits
In thinking back to my last year working as an intervention teacher, I hadn't really developed those same digital habits in my students.  I had tried to incorporate greater use of digital tools.  We responded to reading using Pixie, Educreations, and Explain Everything.  We set goals and talked about our reading lives in Evernote.  We participated in the global read aloud.  We commented on the reading hub blog periodically.  The problem, as I think back, was that we didn't do anything regularly or in routine.  We didn't really talk through the purposes of digital work.  Digital work wasn't consistently an option for my students.  Limited time added to the challenge.  I found it easier to work with students digitally if their classrooms had set digital spaces and digital work was just part of the way they learned.

Having just finished Digital Reading:  What's Essential by Franki Sibberson and Bill Bass, I'm finding myself thinking more and more about the work I do supporting readers in classrooms.  As I step back into my role in August I know I want to be building habits that will help my students to grow as readers, both in traditional and digital ways.  I know that I want to find ways to make digital opportunities an intentional part of our lessons.  I know I want to grow their connectedness with their reading communities, books, and authors.  Most of all, I know I want to find ways for parents and students to be [digital] readers TOGETHER.

What changes will I make?

• Build My Awareness:  Instead of creating new spaces, I want to work within classroom systems where they exist.  I want to be more aware of digital spaces students are using in their classrooms and weave these spaces into the work we are doing.  Students don't always need to respond in their notebooks.  I'm going to need to be more intentional about helping them to find times they want to share their response/thinking with others beyond our group.  If students have digital space to collect important work, I want to utilize this space more as a part of our normal routine.
• Use Digital Spaces:  When students do not have digital opportunities in their classrooms, I need to be ready to grow spaces we can use.  Finding opportunities to use our community blog space, create spaces for personal blogging/response for students who do not have them, and taking them back to our hub to connect/link to spaces that support our learning as part of our routine will be essential.
• Connect Parents to Our Learning:  I've spent a lot of time building our community hub. I need to find ways to bring parents into this space with greater intention.  I'm not sure yet how I will accomplish this. I think it will be combination of working to improve the content so parents want to go there, continually updating and reminding parents of information here through emails or consistent posting, and getting students to help guide parents into this space may be a start.  
• Intentionally Embed Digital Possibilities:  Last year I had some students who would light up when digital tools/reading sites were used during our lessons.  I need to figure out who those students are early and provide them with opportunities that might help grow their interest in literacy.  I also need to make more of an effort to balance digital possibilities with traditional print possibilities in both reading and writing.  
• Document Our Reading Stories:  Right now, I use Evernote to document our reading stories.  I'd like to find ways to turn this over to students.  One place I'd like to begin is in keeping track of the books we read (more on this in an upcoming post).  I'm also playing around with Seesaw, Google, and our new Canvas LMS to figure out how to make this work.  

Digital tools/sites provide new opportunities and space for genuine choice.  My lessons have to stay focused on literacy, but I could be doing more to open paths toward digital possibilities.  This year I want to work to build the authenticity, intention, and connectedness discussed by Franki and Bill into the way we learn so that when summer comes next year, these habits will be part of the way we work as citizens in our literate [digital] world.  

Classroom Environments that Support Inclusive Intervention

Last year was my first year in reading intervention for quite some time.  It was the first time I had been completely out of my classroom and devoting my entire day to supporting readers.  My time is spent with primary students needing additional reading support.  I don't consider my readers to be struggling or deficit, but to be a different place than most of their peers.  My role, as I see it, is to help them to build bridges and make connections so they can be a part of their reading communities.  I still find myself thinking between my role as a classroom teacher and my role as someone providing reading support.  Both roles provide different advantages and challenges in supporting readers.

To support readers I prefer situations in which I am able to go into classrooms (some advantages here).  I'm not a big fan of the word push-in.  It sounds controlling.  It sounds forceful.  For me, I think of it more as working alongside.  There's something that feels more accommodating about going into a classroom.  I feel like it sends the message that the student is most important.  It seems to say, "I'll meet you where you are."  I also find that it helps me to make stronger connections to classroom instruction and help students with transitions between lessons and the work they do in their classrooms.

I am continually reminded of how lucky I am to have teachers who are willing to set up communities that make coming into their classrooms to support readers work.  Of course, for this type of situation to work classroom teachers and support staff must be willing to work together in the best interest of the children.  Communication has to be open and honest.  Time has to be respected on a daily basis.  These are some of the characteristics I find conducive to success:

• Long Literacy Blocks:  Recently I was talking to a few friends who work in the same role I have in other districts.  They were asking how I managed to get into classrooms with schedules being the way they are.  As we talked I realized some of what makes my situation work is that teachers dedicate 120-150 minutes in literacy instruction.  In grade levels where teachers run similar schedules, it is also possible for me to flexibly move students between classrooms to better match lessons to student need without shaking up everyone's schedules.   
• Consistent Routines and Schedules:  It's easier to go into classrooms that have consistent routines and schedules.  In these classrooms students know their role across learning times and teachers are freed up to meet with small groups and individuals.  Coming into classrooms works best in classrooms that are using a workshop model.  There's much flexibility within the structure of a workshop to meet with students.  
• Timeliness:  Both teachers and support staff have to work to respect time.  If I say I am going to be in someone's classroom for a certain period of time it is important that I am there every day at that time.  Because the time of support staff is also limited, it is helpful when classroom teachers are keeping the class on schedule to help utilize the time available for specialists.  
• Cooperative Learning Environment:  I find the best inclusive intervention happens when the tone in the room is one where everyone works together, problems are solved as a community, and each member is seen for the strengths they bring the others.  In these rooms the group understands they're stronger together.  The teacher isn't the only one solving problems, and students are connected to others beyond their classroom.  
• Students Engaged in Self-Selected Work:  I have found I've had the most success in classrooms where students have choice and ownership in their work.  In these situations, students know they have time during workshops to complete projects as learning carries across days and isn't as full of deadlines.  Stepping away from their work for a bit doesn't mean they won't be able to finish.  Students given tasks to complete by the end of a literacy block worry they won't be able to finish on time.  Additionally, it is easier for me to connect our learning to the work they are doing when they are working on authentic tasks related to learning.  
• Students Are Responsible for Their Time:  When all students in the classroom are responsible for their time and have ownership in their learning they are more likely to use their time effectively.  Interruptions are much less in these types of classrooms.  
• A Hum of Learning Fills the Room:  Silence isn't necessary for me to go into a classroom.  As a matter of fact, our small group can sometimes be a distraction in a room expected to be silent.  However, in rooms where everyone respects the learning space it is much easier to meet.  In these rooms students and teachers move to one another to talk.  Voices are kept at a whisper and conversations are about learning.  There's conversation in these rooms, but it is purposeful conversation.  
• Thoughtful Movement:  It isn't necessary for everyone to stay in their seats for small group work to happen, but it is easier when movement is limited to purpose.  In classrooms where students collect books, tools, and other items needed before finding a space to begin there is less movement during the time we work together.  

As the calendar turns to August I'm busy thinking of ways I can better support students in the coming year.  What worked?  What needs to change?  I know I couldn't do any of this without the help of the classroom teachers that support these students across the day.  I'm fortunate to be part of a community that believes in the power of literacy and putting students first.

Intervention and Classroom Instruction: Side by Side

June is a time to reflect.  The school year is complete, my classroom is packed, and I've had enough days to catch up on sleep so I'm beginning to think about what I learned last year that will carry me into a new school year.  This year was my first year to be out of the classroom.  I'm going to tell you it hasn't always been easy.  I miss the craziness of work in the classroom.  I miss the closeness of a community.  I miss read aloud, community writing, and hearing the stories of students.  I miss having the time to support literacy learners in multiple contexts across the day.  This year I moved to a reading intervention position supporting mostly first and second grade readers.  This isn't my first role in intervention, but it is my first time to completely be out of a classroom.

As a classroom teacher, I often felt that reading intervention seemed separate from classroom instruction.  As a reading intervention teacher, I wanted to do all I could to blend the support readers needed to the work they were doing in their classrooms.  For this reason, I felt going into classrooms would allow me to provide stronger support than pulling students out.  Thankfully, teachers were willing to let me come into their classrooms to work with their students.  (Yes, this did also allow me to get a classroom fix.  Bonus!  **wink wink**)

Looking back, here are reasons I look forward to trying to improve this model next year:

• Students miss less classroom instruction:  Going into classrooms instead of having students come to me feels more welcoming.  It just says, "I'll meet you where you are."  Additionally, students don't feel like they are missing out on learning happening in the classroom.  Our time together is just part of their learning time in the classroom.
• Ease of transitions:  Not only is going into the classroom easier for students who have difficulty transitioning, it is also saves time.  There's no waiting for kids to get materials or losing time in the hallway.  
• Stronger connections for students:  Since I could see and hear much of what was going on in the classroom it was easier to make connections between our lessons and the work students were doing in the classroom.  It was also possible to reinforce whole class instruction and strategies being taught in the classroom as we worked together.  
• Easier to match books and readers:  In most cases, I felt like I had a little better handle on what student were choosing to read independently.  This helped me to pick books I thought students might be interested in reading and support book choices for independent reading.
• More effective monitoring of student progress:  It was easier to monitor students who were not receiving intervention, but were often sitting close to that line.  Sometimes I was able have these students join our groups for targeted instruction.  It was also easier to note student progress in relation to peers for students who were being served in intervention.  It also allowed me to reduce services in cases where students were making good progress (and watch progress) and monitor students who had been served but were discontinued.
• Better communication:  There's always room to grow here, but coming into classrooms makes using assessment information, sharing observations, and creating common goals with classroom teachers possible.  There's just something about being in the same place that improves communication.  

Of course, there are things I would like to improve.  For example, often I come into classrooms with a planned lesson, but students are doing smart work when I arrive.  During these times I often consider if I can target instruction in this context chosen by the student.  I'd like to get better at making use of these situations.  

There's always room to improve communication with teachers.  Last year I tried keeping a weekly Google doc of lesson information (books read, focus, word work, things I had noticed), but it was difficult to manage this doc and few were using it.  I also tried sending my weekly plan to teachers in email.  This met a bit more success.  The best conversations seemed to happen in impromptu moments.  I'm going to have to think about how to more effectively communicate with teachers in a way that makes it easier for them to support the readers we share.  

Finally, I still felt like the class knew who I was coming to see.  It's hard in limited timeframes to work to improve this, but I'd like classrooms to see me as someone who might read with anyone.  I'm thinking in rooms with workshops just stopping by to chat with other readers, occasionally pulling different groups, or hosting reading events outside of the classroom may be possible ways to help with this.  Last year most classrooms had 30 minute support blocks, if I could wiggle in 40-45 minutes in each room I'd have more flexibility.  Not sure this would ever be possible. 

I think going into classrooms had many benefits for students.  I also know it isn't always easy for teachers to have someone else in their classrooms.  I appreciated their willingness to help make this work for our students.  There's still a lot to learn, but we're moving in the right direction as we work to find more effective ways to serve readers needing support.  

Considering Social Learning when Grouping

What can students learn from
one another?  

"I don't get it," Autumn said as she looked up from her copy of Henry and Mudge:  The First Book.  It wasn't a surprise to me that she was confused as I had been watching the question grow in her facial expression as she read and reread the sentence.  The book said Henry would never worry again, but this didn't make sense to Autumn who was sure that Mudge had run away on purpose because Henry was upset with him.

"What are you thinking?" I asked, trying to get to where her confusion might be, but allowing her to continue to sort it out.

"It just doesn't make sense," she said as she reread the sentence to me.  "Why wasn't he going to worry?"  I waited for her to continue, but she did not.  

"Why don't you go ahead and finish the chapter.  Then we can come back to this part and talk about it," I suggested thinking that maybe the last part might help her to put her thinking together a bit more.  I also knew that talking about this with another student might allow her to sort out her question a bit more.

After the pair finished reading we returned to the book.  "What you did was important to understanding the story," I reminded Autumn.  "Sometimes readers will just skip a part that is confusing, but you reread and looked back a bit to think more about what the author said.  Can you share with your friend the part that seemed confusing?" I inquired.

Autumn reread the part, and Matthew looked thoughtfully at her for a minute before he replied.  "I think he won't worry because he knows where to find Mudge now," Matthew considered.

They went back and forth for a bit, discussing the question, going into the text, and considering different possibilities as to why Henry felt this way.  As they talked I inquired, "Do you think Mudge ran away or got lost?"  The two readers continued to think about this.  I wasn't looking for a particular answer as much as I was hoping to get them to use evidence from the story to think about it.  When they would reply I would ask that they show me the place that made them think that.

Matthew quickly went back into the text to use parts of the story to support his thinking.  This was harder for Autumn, but I could tell she was listening to Matthew and really considering what he was saying.  He was causing her to rethink some of the events in the story.

As I listened to these two talk about the story, I began to think about how important diversity in our grouping can be.  There are many reasons we pull small groups together, but often it is because we have noticed they need the same thing.  Sometimes groups get put together for a particular reason, and then we forget to really rethink our purpose and keep moving students around.

As I listened to these two talk together, I began to think about how individuals construct information with other learners.  Matthew gave Autumn new things to think about.  He challenged her thinking and because these two respect one another, they listened to each other and were willing to reconsider what they thought they knew.  While Matthew helps Autumn to reconsider new thinking, Autumn helps Matthew to look a little more deeply into text.  Her questioning slowed him down a bit, and reduced his tendency to speed through reading with only surface level understanding.

When we think about a child's zone of proximal development (Vygotsky), that space between what they know and what can do with support, we often think about how we as teachers can help them to make the next shift in understanding.  I try to continually remind myself that this theory is a social theory in nature and that sometimes the most powerful shifts in understanding really come from conversations with peers who often are closer in language to where the student is.  Often the rapport students have with one another can help lift learners to new places.

There are many things to consider when grouping students for learning including what they understand and what they need to know next, but I'm trying to think more and more about what learners can get from one another.  Instead of focusing solely on what they need, I'm trying to think more about what learners can bring to one another.  How can I bring students into a group to compliment the thinking of one another?  How can I bring students together so they can help each other reach new understandings?

Changing Our View

Every day I'm reminded of how fortunate I am to be teaching and learning with the colleagues in my school.  In my new position supporting readers, I'm continually in and out of classrooms, taking time to talk with teachers, and seeing the work they do with students.  I'm continually humbled.  I'm also continually challenged to keep up and adequately support the work these educators do every day.

Recently I've been reminded of this again.  Imagine my joy when I received these emails from the classroom teachers of a few of the students I support showing me new steps of learning in their classrooms.  I'm used to sharing next steps with parents and teachers via Evernote, but I haven't really ever been on the receiving end of these joyous celebrations until recently.  These emails celebrated where students were as learners and honored the ways they were growing.

This sample of student writing shows how this student is growing her understanding of story.  It also demonstrates shifts in her oral language and confidence.  I was thrilled when her teacher, Deb Frazier, sent this to me!

Click HERE to listen to the conversation. 

This next example is one sent to me of a student we have been supporting to think of his message before getting started with tools to create.  He wasn't just expected to make the change, you can see in the picture the way his teacher has been supporting him before he got started with his work.

This is a picture of one of my students leading a book talk about Danny books she has been reading in her classroom.  Her teacher, Marie Nixon, made my day by sharing it with me.  She's quickly becoming a reading leader in her community.

When Pete the Cat and His Magic Glasses was published, I fell in love with its message.  Sometimes just changing our view makes everything better.  How lucky these students are to be in classrooms where teachers recognize and celebrate these new steps as they grow as literacy learners.

In my new position had a few questions I had started my year asking:

• How do I support readers in a way that works for each child?  (In other words, children's needs before system, teacher, my own needs.)  
• How do I advocate for children and celebrate the steps they make as learners with them, their teachers, and their families?  
• How do I help these readers connect to their reading communities?
• How do I connect the work we do to their independent reading and daily learning in their classrooms?  
• How do I support teachers without giving them one more thing to do?

It's easy in teaching to fall into a "what needs fixed" mentality.  Our systems are often set up to make us look as deficits instead of strengths.  We have to work hard to keep our thinking and conversations focused on what children can do.  I'm grateful to these classroom teachers for their persistence in finding the little steps to celebrate and supporting these young learners in their journey.

Supporting Readers: The Global Read Aloud

The Global Read Aloud
The last few years as a classroom teacher, I've participated with my classes in the Global Read Aloud.  I was thrilled this year that an author active in social media was chosen for the event.  Over the next six weeks, students all around the world will be reading the same books.  Within the last few years, a picture book author study component was added.  I found this focus to be a better fit for my young readers who are just learning to navigate text.  As I've participated in past years, I've found the conversations are deepened by the interactions with other students.  Students are motivated by the connections made around the world.

Growing a Reading Community
This year, I wanted to find a way to participate with the readers I support in our building.  As I've watched my students in their classrooms, I have realized that it is as essential that I connect them to a community of readers as it is to help teach them to read.  This year's picture book study uses books written by Peter H. Reynolds.  I really wasn't sure how this would look working with small groups across the day, but decided to just dive in and figure it out.

The first week's book was The North Star which was impossible to locate.  Thankfully, the book was available in a digital format at Fable Vision.  Though the illustrations are more powerful in the picture book, I wanted to get started while I waited on my copy so I printed QR codes to the site, brought in iPads for students, and away we went.  First graders followed text and listened as the story was read aloud.  Second grade readers participated in a shared reading of the story.  Students were excited to be part of a global reading discussion.  Many had friends participating in The Global Cardboard Challenge and were excited by the opportunity for global collaboration.

Connected Conversations
After reading the book, we talked about what happened in the story.  In some groups, we discussed the message of the author.  Here were two of my favorite responses:

Students wrote about their dreams.  Some wrote about dreams for their future, others dreams for today.  It was a reminder to me of how important it is to support these young readers who have big dreams for today and tomorrow.

We then joined the conversations at #gra14 and #graPeter.

This!

Great Conversation:  It seems discussing big themes engages readers.  Groups had interesting discussions about the author's message, their dreams for today and tomorrow, and the challenges the character faced.  We've carried these higher level conversations into our thinking in other texts.

Community Connections:  Joining the Global Read Aloud is helping us build our connections to other readers in our school as well as around the world.

Connecting Readers to Books:  When I went into my last classroom yesterday afternoon.  One of the readers I work with came over with another Peter H. Reynolds book she had checked out at the library.  She had selected next week's title:  I'm Here.  She wanted to read it….and how could I resist?

Looking forward to seeing where this takes us.

You can connect with our community at:

• Merely Reading
• @DarbyCreekReads

Luxuries for Readers Needing Support: Independent Reading Time

Walking into the classroom to support readers, I glance around to find the students I support in a small group reading a book with their teacher.  Research has demonstrated that one of the most important pieces for readers needing support is strong classroom instruction so this time with their teacher is important.  While I wait, I begin to walk around the room to talk with students I have on a list to watch as well as other students working in the classroom.  Soon the readers I came to see leave their group and, because I am on a schedule, I use my remaining time to have them work with me.  Of course, because they've worked with both of us, they have little time left for other reading today.

The teacher and I talk after school about this continuous dance between reading support and classroom instruction to make it work so we can both work with students to help them catch up to peers.  I love these conversations.  I'm always amazed by the willingness of teachers, whose plates are so full, to grapple with these big questions and find solutions.  We both want to make the best use of student time and both understand the need to make quick shifts with these learners.

We both also worry about independent reading.  We know these students need time to read independently as much, if not more, than their peers.  Structured independent reading times give readers opportunity to:  

• read continuous text
• develop a reading niche
• connect with peer readers
• practice new strategies and understandings
• build reading stamina 
• to fall in love with books  (this should be first)

In this particular classroom, students have time immediately after lunch before they go to special to read.  This twenty minute block brings us some peace of mind, but we continually talk and adjust to make the most of the time students have available.  

The need to provide quality independent reading time to readers needing to make gains is a continual challenge.  The solutions are not always obvious or easy.  Additionally, what works in one classroom or with one student does not always work in other cases.  We push ourselves to keep an open mind, remain flexible, and continually adjust.  Ultimately, we need to see growth in readers and keep a close eye on forward momentum.  Independent reading is a luxury developing readers need to enjoy.  

I'd love to hear from you.  How do you make time to meet with readers receiving intervention and carve out time for student independent reading?  

Beyond Innovative Spaces: Thinking Purposefully About Learning Spaces

There's a lot of talk about innovative learning spaces.  I'll be the first to agree that there are many innovative ways to use space in our learning environments.  We are fortunate to teach in a time where much thinking goes into spaces and new types of furniture are being created to increase the usefulness of spaces.  However, to repeat the words our principal so often uses, furniture isn't really what makes a space innovative.  I think she's right.

The talk of innovative learning spaces does push our thinking about innovative learning.  Perhaps, however, it is time to move our conversation beyond innovation and refocus the discussion on being purposeful.  This year I have moved to a reading intervention position.  Though most often I go into classrooms to support readers, I do meet with some students in the reading room.  I just moved into this intervention room at the beginning of this year.  When you are in a new space, you have to continually think about what works and what does not.  You have to continually rethink the way you need to use space.

For the first six weeks of school, I have found myself continually reworking this space to make it purposeful.  The space needs to allow us to work in different ways.  Our lessons are short so I have to be able to work efficiently in this space.  Additionally, because we are working to make quick gains, I need to be able to provide alternate learning opportunities to students to help them to progress.

This week I made some big changes, and I'm loving them!  I'm still discovering ways to make our space work for us.  I'm sure there are more to come, but I wanted to share these with you.

Before
Here is what the space looked like at the beginning of the year:

Before

Phase 2:  I switched the U shaped table for a rectangular table.  This freed up a lot of space for readers to move around our tiny room.  Additionally, students can look at each other as we discuss books.  I can also shift our seating, including my own space, to more effectively work with readers.  

New Changes
Phase 3:  Here are some of the ways I've shifted the space so we can use it more effectively:

Creating Spaces:  I placed two old bookshelves back to back to create a space for students to leave the group to get a quieter work space or do independent work.  The shelves create a partition-like look that sets spaces apart.  The bookshelf contains tools we use most often and sits near our table so we can easily access these tools.  The back of the shelf contains the assessment kits I need to monitor student progress.  I need them in a place where I can grab them quickly, but I don't want them taking visual space in our room.  

Space for Small Group Work with Computer Accessibility:  I had the desk removed to free up space for learners.  (Honestly, I just stack things on desks anyway.)  I was able to place the computer at the end of the table so I can make websites, student work, and other media visible to students.  If we are working with iPads, student work can be displayed on the screen using AirServer.  (Thanks, Tech Department, for the quick installation.)  If we're discussing a book, student response can be sent to the computer using Flick to quickly share thinking.  The chair pockets allow students to store book totes as we work and keep table space clear for learning.  We can easily read and discuss books together here.  

Spaces for Magnetic Work:  Getting rid of the desk allowed me to open up space near the file cabinet to use for word work.  Being able to stand and work with words will be perfect for students who enjoy movement as they learn.  It also provides another space for repeated practice.  

Book and Material Solutions:  I've added containers and turned the books facing out.  This not only gave me more space, but it also makes it easier to find books.  Of course, the students notice covers as they come in as well.  I now use the top of this shelf to store containers of class materials.  Each group has a container with their familiar book bags, new books for lessons, writing journals, and other items I might need as I travel from room to room.  It's a grab and go area!  

Multiple Use Storage:  I grabbed this unused piece of furniture because of its storage potential. The back stores items I need, but don't use every day.  On the sides, I have dry erase boards, magnetic squares (stove covers) for letter/word work, dry erase boards and other tools we might need as we work together.  This stand is right beside our interactive writing area so students can easily get tools needed.  The front will soon contain baskets of books.  I still have some finishing work to do.  

Spaces for Small Group Writing:  I cleared the space around this dry erase board so we could all sit together for interactive writing.  The tools we need, shown above, are close by for extra practice.

Tactile Opportunities:  I removed a chart from this book holder to discover a chalk surface perfect for adding a little texture to word work.

Making spaces purposeful should be the center of our innovative learning discussions.  I'm sure there will continued adjustments in the weeks to come, but the room is starting to feel a little more like home.

Follow Cathy's board Rethinking Learning Spaces on Pinterest.

Support That Makes Sense

Walking into the first classroom as the day begins, I smile to myself as I look around the room.  This classroom has already established important morning routines which allow learning to happen even as students settle into the day.  Students greet one another quietly as they move about.  They smile, chat, and then continue to begin the day.  Some students are unpacking book bags.  Others are signing in for lunch.  Others have already settled into reading their poems or collections of books placed on tables for independent reading.  As soon as Amber sees me, she gets her reading bag and returns to her table.  Her class is adding a poem to their poetry notebooks today so instead of beginning with her familiar reading, we start with her poem.  This all happens seamlessly as everyone is busy learning.  She reads her poem.  We discuss it.  Friends at the table join our conversation.

In my new position as a reading intervention teacher, I'm grateful to have the opportunity to go into several classrooms to support readers.  Setting up a schedule wasn't easy.  Trying to balance classroom schedules, student needs, and teacher preferences when developing a plan for support took a bit of time and flexibility on everyone's part.  In a few cases I bring students to our reading classroom, in other cases I go to students in their classrooms.  Working with readers who need to catch up to peers, I continually have an eye on instructional moves that are intentional and intensive enough to keep readers moving forward.  I've known it would be a challenge to make these embedded learning opportunities intentional, systematic, intensive, and inclusive.

Reading Donalyn Miller's book, Reading in the Wild, over the summer has helped to remind me that intensive instruction is only one piece of the puzzle for readers needing support.  Readers, especially those working to catch up, need to be able to connect learning to their classrooms.  Readers, especially those finding their way, need to belong to a reading community.  Readers, especially those working to make progress, need time to read independently.

Here are the benefits I have noted in classrooms in which I go to students for reading support:

• Reduced Transitions:  This is not only helpful for students who do not transition easily, it also is helpful for entire classrooms.  The transition as I walk into classrooms to provide support seems to get less attention than students exiting the room.  Additionally, we seem to gain minutes by not traveling.  
• Connected Conversations:  Sitting in classrooms it is easy for me to pick up on the routines, the focus of learning conversations, and the shifts classroom teachers are trying to make.  It is easy to begin to connect these conversations in our work together.  For example, I came into one of my classrooms at the end of the focus lesson for reader's workshop.  They were talking about asking questions as they read.  It was easy to incorporate this discussion into our conversation during our small group lesson to connect this learning for these young readers.  
• Belongingness:  Readers needing support need to belong to their reading communities.  Meeting students in their learning communities helps them to stay connected to the other readers in their classroom.  
• Big Picture:  I can't find the perfect word here, but going into classrooms allows a better system vision.  It is easy for us to include students not in intervention who still may need specific support in new learning.  It allows me to keep an eye on students I am watching to be sure they make continued progress.  Newer students, students previously needing supporting, and students who seem to just inch along are easily monitored in inclusive situations.  It also keeps my vision on where readers are in the classroom and the gains students receiving support need to make.  This change allows a more system driven network of support.  

There are still pieces we continually want to improve.  Is the support intensive enough?  Do students have enough time to read independently?  How do we carve time for these readers to meet with their classroom teachers and with me for additional support?  These, I believe, are the same challenges readers face when leaving the classroom for pull out intervention.  I'm excited about the barriers we are removing for young readers and the connections we are helping them to discover.  

Opening Doors: Stepping Inside a Learning Community

It's hard to believe we've nearly completed the first month of school.  With assessments nearing completion (that's another day's story), it feels good to be getting into the routine with students.  Yesterday, I was afforded the opportunity to come in to read aloud to Deb Frazier's first graders.  Next week, I will begin going into her classroom during reader's workshop to meet with readers needing extra support.

Upon entering I found her students gathered around the carpet engaged in a deep conversation about living in other places.  I had to smile as I listened to students share their stories of visiting family around the globe.  It wasn't long until the conversation turned to their reading lives.  Many families had started Shelfari shelves and friends were deciding "what they knew about the reader" based upon the books resting on their shelves.  Deb led the discussion linking students' home reading lives to the books available in their classroom library.  "If you read this _____, you might want to check out _____ basket."  This class is beginning to develop as a reading community.  It was obvious students were already learning to categorize books, developing a reading niche, and beginning to build conversations with one another.

Deb and I had decided to use the read aloud I would be sharing, My Pet Book, as part of the focus lesson for the morning.  I can't lie, it felt good to be holding a read aloud and sharing it with a live audience.  If you haven't read the book, a boy decides a book is the perfect pet for him.  It doesn't need to be fed.  It's quiet.  You don't have to carry a scoop when you take it for a walk.  It's perfect --- until it runs away.  Oh no!

For me, it was helpful to be able to see how the readers I will be supporting interacted with their peers in book conversations.  It was helpful for me to find out how they talked about books and listen to their responses.  It was helpful for me to see how they got started as we sent them off to read.  Of course, it was therapeutic to have an opportunity to read aloud to a group of students, especially a group as eager to be drawn into the story as this class was.

Opening Doors
In Rethinking Intervention Frost reminds us, "If you want students to do well in regular classroom instruction, then the intervention curriculum has to be aligned to the classroom curriculum (p.9)."  Opportunities for students to receive added support IN their learning communities is one way to meet the needs of students.  Helping them to apply new strategies and understandings in daily classroom work will help them continue to progress.

I'm grateful for the educators I work with each day, and their willingness to work together to help make the best decisions for kids.  We've flexibly used what we have learned about students and their learning communities to determine the best way to support them today.  We will continue to flexibly make adjustments as needed to help students grow as readers across the year.  In the weeks to come, we will be moving from getting to know each other, to celebrating all we know so we can continue to build on it, and then begin taking next steps.

Slowing Down

Picture via @DarbyCreekElem

Slowing Down

In my new role as a reading intervention teacher, it would be easy to get caught up in collecting data in these first days of school.  When teachers see me coming, I think they expect that I want to know something concrete or I've come to collect it.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Honestly, the end of year data from last year gives me the perfect place to begin.  It would be easy in today's world of testing to rush right in, but I want to slow down.  Young literacy learners need time to get back to what they know.  They need time to learn new routines, find their places in their learning communities, and reacquaint themselves with their favorite books.  They need time to tell their new stories and time to learn the stories of their friends.  They need time to feel safe in this new place they'll learn and grow. 

Stepping Inside

Quietly opening the door to the first grade classroom I step inside trying to not attract attention.  The students have seen me come in and out a few times already, and are getting used to my arrival, giving it little attention.  It's hard to believe these first graders have been in school for less than a week.  It's writer's workshop and these writers are working hard on their stories as music softly plays in the background.  

Though I came in the classroom to focus on a few of the students I will likely work with in the coming school year to provide extra reading support, I also want to get to know the class.  I glance around to see where the students I have come to sit beside are working, but my plan is to move around the room.  I soon notice Kelsey sitting with an empty paper in front of her.  Though the kids around her are confidently drawing their stories, adding color to their illustrations, and attempting simple sentences, she is just sitting.  I ease my way in her direction, chatting with a few writers along the way, and ask how it is going.  "Is it writer's workshop?" I inquire.  "Yes," she replies.  

"What story are you going to tell today?" hoping that will set her up to tell me something.  She only shrugs and then rests her chin on her hand.  By the appearance of the papers in front of the friends around her, I would guess today's workshop is well underway.  I wait for a bit to see if she is going to add anything, but silence fills the air.  Finally I offer, "There are so many things we don't know about you yet.  What do you want your friends to know about you?"  She shrugs again.  We chat for a bit as I try to get to know her and listen for a story.  As she begins to talk about her dog, a smile finally shines across her face.  I think we've found her story for today.  She decides to write about her dog, but quickly stops as her pencil nears the paper.  I can tell she isn't sure what to do to tell her story.  "Do you want to add words or draw a picture  first?" I ask.  

"Draw a picture," she affirms to me and herself, but she continues to hesitate.  "I don't know how to draw a dog," she confides. 

"I always think about the shapes first," I tell her and together we work through getting started.  

In these first days, I not only want to get to know students as readers, writers, and learners, but I want to get to know them as the people they are.  I want to build rapport with students, but most of all I want them to know they can trust me to help them when they need it.  

In these first days, my goals are simple:

• Get to know them.  Likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies, family.
• Learn their stories.  
• Notice what they choose to read.
• Celebrate what they already know.
• Discover the strategies they use as they read, write, and learn.
• Compare current performance to last year's end of year data.  
• Determine their comfort with risk.

Knowing Them

It would be easy to rush to collect data and push leaners toward next steps, but there will be time for that.  These days are foundational in building for the important work we will do across the year.  There will be time to take next steps, set goals, stretch as learners, but for today I want to slow down and get to know them.  

Developing Wild Readers: #cyberPD Week 2

The #cyberPD conversation continues to grow.  Today we are discussing chapters 3 and 4 of Donalyn Miller's book:  Reading in the Wild.

• Chapter 3:  Wild Readers Share Books and Reading with Other Readers
• Chapter 4:  Wild Readers Have Reading Plans

Stop by Laura Komos's blog today, Ruminate and Invigorate, for today's discussion. 

To Participate:

• Link in the comments of the host blog (Chapter 3 & 4 at Ruminate & Invigorate).
• Comment on the host blog.
• Tweet comments using #cyberPD hashtag.
• ???  (creativity is always welcomed)
• Add your favorite book quotes (any book) to our graffiti wall Padlet created by Amy Rudd.
• Pin related links to our #cyberPD Pinterest board (contact Michelle Nero to join). 
• Our 2014 #cyberPD jog where all posts are linked (in process doc until the end of the event).   

After three previous years of participation I can tell you I am amazed by how much I learn as I move from blog to blog.  I value the varying perspectives from other colleagues joining the conversation. Because it is the conversation that matters, I suggest reading and commenting on at least three other posts each week.  

Connected Communities 

Donalyn shares a quote by Jeff Wilhelm (loc 1760) that will stay with me awhile this year, "What's your bottom line?  What do you really want to happen for your students?  Now, how does what you do every day serve that bottom line?"  When I think about my upcoming work alongside students needing extra support as readers, I am continually drawn back to this idea of the significance of reading community.  If I want these students to become passionate about reading, I know they will need the support of their reading communities.  I'm continually asking how I can support these students in building a reading life beyond our time together.  Donalyn reminds us, "At the campus level, scrutinize every component of the school day to determine if your procedures, policies, and systems support or hinder students' reading. (loc 1836)"

To help shape the reading lives of young literacy learners I want to be able to help them to connect: connect with other readers (community), connect with a next book, and connect with story.  How can I lift readers up to help them see themselves as part of this reading community?  

• Create a reading "hub":  My hope is to recreate my Weebly site to serve parents, readers, and classroom teachers.  This will be a place to provide information to parents "about the importance of daily reading, increasing book access through libraries and book ownership, and promoting the value of reading aloud (loc 1809)" to children as well as share recommendations for books with families.  Additionally, this site will be able to house links to digital reading work students have created and recommendations for books.  Perhaps an "iRecommend" page can house blog posts and video commercials for books.  
• Create reading clubs:  Leaving the classroom is going be hard as I know I will miss being a part of this community so I'm trying to rethink my community.  How can I create a culture of reading in our school?  Creating reading clubs to provide opportunities for readers to connect with one another is at the top of this list.  
• Share my reading life:  I keep track of my reading (usually) on Shelfari, but I would like to make this visible to the readers I will be sitting beside each day.  Creating "shelfies" of my favorite titles and displaying my "currently reading" (loc 1809) books is at the top of this list.
• Provide opportunities for students to share their reading lives:  I'm thinking a display outside the room I'll be working from is one way to honor the reading lives of my students.  Displaying covers of their current recommendations with stars and explanations might be a great way to start. (Tapping into their home reading lives early is going to be a first step in this journey.)
• Lift reading voices:  With a little help from the school news team, readers can share book titles with our school community.   (Book commercials, loc 2206) 
• Book swaps (loc 2785):  I'm thinking the idea of having students bring a book from home (or choosing from a collection of books I need to weed from my old classroom library) and hosting book swaps before breaks with students I will be supporting is a great way to send the message of the importance of continuing to read.  It seems like a fun way to celebrate reading as well!
• Graffiti Walls (loc 2177):  Creating spaces, digital or paper, to share favorite lines from books would be one way to honor the voices of readers and build community.   
• Rethink grouping:  Look for opportunities to have readers learn alongside other readers within their communities to form connections to support readers across the day.  
• Develop reading plans (loc 2511):  Consider the reading plans students have during their reading workshops and when taking reading home.  Help to make connections to next books and create reading plans.  (This video with Tammy Mulligan demonstrates one way to help students learn to make "reading plans."  It is Choice Literacy premium for member access.)

When considering building reading communities, Donalyn Miller shares some community building titles for middle grades (loc 2132).  It made me ponder community building books for primary grades.  I thought I'd try to consider her topic and some titles I would recommend.  Feel free to share your ideas in the comments below.

Communities That Read and Write

Follow Cathy 's board Books About Reading on Pinterest. Follow Cathy 's board Books About Writing on Pinterest.

Communities That Value All Members
Follow Cathy 's board Social Imagery on Pinterest.


Communities That Have Fun

Follow Cathy 's board Laugh Out Loud on Pinterest.

Communities That Care About the World

Follow Cathy 's board Go Green: Taking Care of Our Planet on Pinterest.

Join us next week as we discuss chapter 5-6 with Michelle Nero at Literacy Learning Zone.

• July 9th:  Chapters 1 & 2 here at Reflect and Refine
• July 16th:  Chapters 3 & 4 hosted by Laura at Ruminate and Invigorate
• July 23rd:  Chapters 5 & 6 hosted by Michelle Nero at Literacy Learning Zone
• To Be Announced:  July 30th @ 8 p.m. EST

Change & Possibility

"If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don't have to be pushed, the vision pulls you."  -- Steve Jobs

Change 
After days of sorting, packing, pitching, putting things away, I looked around the now empty classroom.  It was in this moment that I realized for the first time in 26 years I was saying goodbye to spending part of my day in a classroom.  Each year, for 26 years, I've become entwined in a community of learners for a year.  Each year we've learned to share space, we've helped each other discover new learning, we've shared books, and we've laughed together.  Even during my years as a Reading Recovery teacher and a Literacy Coach I was still in a classroom for half of my day.

Suddenly I stood in the doorway and realized the significance of my decision to move to a reading intervention position in my building.  It was time for a change.  I like change.  I thrive on change.  I'd been teaching first grade in the same space (well, nearly the same space --- long story) for at least 8 years.  That's kind of a record for me and speaks to the community I am a part of which always pushes my thinking and keeps me laughing at the same time.  When I heard of a primary reading intervention spot opening up in our building, I'll admit I was intrigued.  There was so much possibility there.  The idea of thinking about something new was exciting.

As the possibility became a reality I was excited, but I was also a little worried.  How would I feel not having a classroom community?  What about reading aloud to a classroom of students?  What about not sitting beside writers every day?  What about technology?  What about my amazing team?

Possibility 

As I looked around the room, I took a deep breath and tried to gain perspective.  Walking to the new room I would use as a hub in my work with readers I started to consider the new possibilities and determine ways around potential roadblocks.  Having just come from a classroom, I have learned a lot I hope will help me in this position to support readers and teachers.  From my point of view as a classroom teacher I have learned many of the benefits of reading support and some of the challenges readers receiving support face in the classroom.  In my work as a Reading Recovery teacher, my friend, Jen Morgan and I, worked to consider classroom transitions.  This will be important to think about in the months to come.

This summer, I will be contemplating possibilities.  My bookshelf is stacked with books to read and reread about reading instruction, intervention, and shaping readers.  I'm keeping a running list on my phone of ideas I may want to consider as I begin a new year.  I'm rethinking "community" and making mine bigger.  I'm considering how I will collaborate and share information with teachers to make it easy for them to access without taking much of their time, yet allow us to stay consistent in our messages for readers.  I'm wrestling with Google vs. Evernote.  I'm thinking about technology tools and applications that will purposefully support the readers I will see each day.  I'm planning ways to transition into a new year and get in touch with readers as they do the important work of learning routines and finding their place in their classroom communities in the first weeks of school.

This summer, I'm planning possibilities.  I'm looking forward to the new opportunities and challenges that are ahead.



Let's Connect
If you work in this capacity and you have thoughts/suggestions/tips you'd like to share, please leave them in the comments.  I'd love to build connections and learn from you.  If you work with readers who receive support and you have have thoughts/suggestions/tips you'd like to share, I'd love to hear them.  I'm interested in knowing about books that have shaped your practice, challenges you've faced, organizational tips, planning suggestions, your instructional framework, structuring days that work for students and teachers, and much much more.