journal 33-O.M.G.

That was painful.  That's all I can say.  I worked with my lowest reading group today on asking and answering questions.  It was like pulling teeth.  They had no clue what to do.  I can't even think about it anymore-I need to figure out what to do.  O.M.G. 

HELP!!!!

I'm reminded of the Finding Nemo character's saying..."just keep swimming."  I'm trying to remember-"just keep teaching."

journal 32-left field

So another one of my sleepless nights brought me to the realization that I need to work more diligently with groups.  Yes I've been pulling groups, yes we've been working on something, but I haven't had a focus.  I haven't had a specific plan each time we sit down.  I need to be more organized with this.  I know from my Masters what a guided reading lesson should look like.  My lessons do look like that, but the trouble is that I'm pulling them out of left field.  I've been so busy planning and implementing the mini-lessons and the differentiated curriculum for my nonreader that I haven't been spending time planning what I'm going to do with those groups.  So from my list of my sleepless nights came the idea to work on questioning as my sole to my guided reading lessons.  Of course I'm going to work on other things too-word attack, inferencing skills, and using context clues to figure out unknown words but I really want the groups to get comfortable with asking and answering the different types of questions.  i've heard such great things about QAR from the sixth grade reading teacher that I'm going to try it.  It's worth a shot!

But after looking at the data I can't do a guided reading group with one of my groups.  They're very high and don't need a teacher guiding them through a book.  They need some independence and to be able to talk about text.  So yesterday morning I came in and picked a higher level book from my stash and began a novel study.  I wrote questions for the first 10 chapters using the Bloom's taxonomy list my principal gave the staff.  I introduced the book and the concept of a novel study today.  They did the first 2 chapters together and when I came back and we went over the questions together, I asked them what they thought about the novel study.  They said "it's good."  "It's different than what we've done before, we don't have to read with the teacher."  "It was nice hearing other people's answers."

So far so good.

journal 31-jumping into nonfiction

Today began our journey into nonfiction and believe it or not-THEY LOVED IT!!!  Some responses when I asked them after our lesson how they feel about reading nonfiction today-

"I like that it teaches us things."
"I like that I can become an expert on things my parents aren't experts in."
"I like that I can read about gross things."
"I like that I can read about animals they're cute."   

I'm excited!!! :)

journal 30-being honest

When I started this Action Research project I expected to completely transform my teaching, my attitude, my student's attitudes and my scores.  I hate to say it but my scores matter.  They are constantly being analyzed and constantly being scrutinized and they do mean a lot.  I haven't really written about it but I have a love hate relationship with my job.  I LOVE where I teach and I LOVE what grade I teach.  I HATE the pressure that is put on my students to pass the test by March. 

I'm not going to lie.  I was completely disappointed in my first results.  As I looked back on my post it didn't sound like it.  But let's be honest-I was.  So much in fact that I've woken up the last 5 nights thinking about it.  What am I going to do to be better?  Why is this teaching method that I thought was going to be my cure all and make everything perfect like the classrooms you read about in books and make my scores something they've never been before not working?  What am I doing wrong?  What can I do more of?  What can I do less of?  Maybe this isn't all it's cracked up to be? 

My mom always told me to write down my anxieties on a piece of paper if i can't sleep and then they are out of my mind.  Obviously, sleep anxiety is something I've struggled with for a long time so this doesn't come as something new to me.  So last night I got up and wrote down what I was thinking and what are some fixes that I can do and hopefully will work and up my scores.  This teaching method has changed the way I teach, the way I think and the way my students read and interact with text. 

So here's my notes from last night:
1.  Continue with it-have some faith
2.  Introduce nonfiction.  I have 18 boys and 11 girls and my boys are the ones that aren't progressing.  I need to get their attention.  Also many passages on the tests are nonfiction.  I need to get them to be able to read it correctly.
3.  Write back to them when they work on writing about reading.  I'm a terrible teacher and haven't figured out a system to write back to them after they journal in the daily work on writing about reading.
4.  Beef up my intervention Read Naturally-each student in my class needs to have a packet with Read Naturally leveled passages to practice test taking skills-I hate that I just wrote that but it's a fact.  They need to be able to read a test.
5.  Work with small groups MUCH MUCH more.  I've been working so much with my nonreader and my two other RTI students that I've forgotten about my highest and most middle students.  
6.  In those groups I'm going to work on asking and answering questions so that it becomes second nature for them to answer and ask questions...another test taking skill...but I'm going to try and do it in a fun way. 

We shall see how it goes...

Journal 29-but...

"But Ms. T, when are we going to do out dailies?"  That's what my students said today as the day passed by and we didn't do the daily 5.  I am continuing to do the basal reading tests on the last day of the week and today was like our Friday because of the student day off tomorrow.

Journal 28 making connections

Today's mini-lesson was about making connections and man did they ever!  I read Now One Foot Now the Other which is a gripping tale about a little boy whose grandpa has a stroke and can't remember him or how to walk.  The little boy eventually teaches his grandpa to walk just like the grandpa did earlier in the boy's life.  I had my list of connections that I was going to model to make but the kids were off and rolling.  They wanted to share and each of them had a connection that really was touching.  I also taught them about making fluffy connections vs. concrete connections.  I had never used this language before but it was easy for them to understand.  I explained that fluffy connections are connections that you make but don't really help you understand the text.  The concrete connections are the ones that really help you feel like the main character is a friend of yours.  I couldn't believe that they understood this so well! 

I used a graphic organizer today and had the kids that were reading to self use the same one as they were reading.  It worked for most kids but the trouble was that one boy didn't have any connections!  I find this a lot.  Many kids just want to read.  They don't want to write anything down!  I can agree with this as real reading when you're an adult doesn't have a graphic organizer at the same time and doesn't have you writing down anything.  I'm having trouble with this because I need them to be accountable for something but don't want them to not do authentic reading just to please me and complete the organizer. 

I didn't work with a group as planned today as I had to manage a few problems at the beginning of the dailies (one little girl had gone with a parent volunteer and then couldn't find her book bag).  So instead I went around and did running records with a few kids that I'm a bit worried about.  They aren't my lowest kids but they are my reluctant readers and the kids that had a hard time with me telling them which book level to pick.  At first they weren't listening and I kind of had to force them to listen to me.  They're doing great with the level I put them at.  In fact when looking at their Scantron results it's really helping them to be at the level that they can be.  I may even move a few of them up to the next level as the level I put them at may be too easy.  After the running record I asked each kid what they thought about the daily 5 and doing our dailies.  Here are some of their responses:

"I like it because I can read what I want and that are just right for me."
"I think it's helping me because before I didn't really like to read for a long time but now I do."
"I like that I pick what I want to read about and we don't have to read all in the hard cover book." 

I swear I didn't pay them to say that!  :)   All thumbs up today at the check-in.  I'm not sure they all should have had thumbs up but they did! 

journal 27 first results

Well it's been five weeks since the first Scantron testing and I was dying to have my students retake the assessment.  I wanted to know if what I'm doing is helping.  And the results are they are growing!  I just looked at the gains analysis of my class and only 2 of them went down by a few points but all the other ones went up by at least 100 points!  I was so excited.  I was a little stressed looking at who was the ones that didn't grow that much.  The highest kids in my class didn't grow all that much which I was a little disappointed to find, but when I think about it-first it's only been five weeks since testing and second they are already so high up there but I know they have to continue growing and I have to continue challenging them.  So what am I going to do with this data?  I'm not sure yet but I'm thinking it has something to do with doing a novel study with different activities with the bloom's levels?  I don't know I've really never had such smart kids that are so apt to want to do the easy stuff.  I don't know. 

I did ask my students today before we took the assessment what they know now about reading that they didn't know before.  One said, "we should be thinking while we read and not just focus on answering the questions!"  Another said, "I know that questions with the 5 W's and the 1 H have their answers right there!" 

I'm proud.  I know there's a lot more work to do with their Reading but it seems to be helping.  I'll be excited to see how the Winter Scantron goes or the one right before Christmas break?  One thing I did notice is that I really need to work on my Math teaching.  I have been so excited about teaching reading and really I think that's part of why my students are successful that I'm not really that excited about Math.  I don't know obviously a Reading Specialist is not going to be as excited about math as reading strategies but I need to tweek something.  My kids didn't grow that much in Math as they did in Reading. Excitement is contagious and I really just need to keep that excitement not only during Reading but also during Math.

journal 26 enough?

Today was a good day.  I started off with a mini-lesson about reacting to reading.  The kids really got into the article that I hd with the lesson.  It was a nonfiction article from time for kids about how girls in other countries don't always go to school.  The kids could not believe it.  They reacted so well which was the objective of the minilesson.  After that I had the kids go into their daily of the day.  I worked with two groups on questioning and answering questions.  I introduced right there questions to one group and reviewed right there questions and introduced think and search questions.  We are still going to pracitice that a lot but it went well. 

My wonderings today were about if I'm having the kids do enough, especially during the read to self daily.  I haven't really been grading them on anything but I expect them to be post-iting their thinking.  I think one way I can make them accountable is to have a graphic organizer for their thinking.  I know that we are only on the first full week of mini-lessons but I want to make them accountable.  I was really thinking about this because my two most gifted students were in read to someone and they were reading a joke book.  I don't know how to keep the ideal part of the daily 5 with kids choosing what they want to read when the gifted kids are often to apt to go towards what is the easiest.  How do I force them to do things when so much research says give them the choice?  I know they are smart I just want them to keep pushing themselves.  I have on particular boy in mind who is right on the cusp of meeting standards instead of exceeding them. 

I know I am doing a lot during this time...constantly working with groups, but am I expecting enough?  I know that what I'm doing is affective but how do I continue to push those gifted students?

journal 25-35 minutes-2 groups!!!

I was like a proud mother today.  My students are so in the routine of doing the daily 5 that I was able to do one on one making words lesson with my nonreader for 15 minutes probably 17 when you really clock it and then a guided reading lesson focusing on questioning for a total of about 20 minutes!!  I could not believe how much I was able to get done and how many kids I worked with-a total of 9!!  I was really proud of myself and my students. 

I decided that I would try and cure my anxiety about the students saying we hadn't gone over the story and worrying that I'm not teaching enough, with making sure I was on top of my Cafe board.  I made it today and then went over with the students what we've learned in our mini-lessons this year.  They were impressed to see how much they've learned.  I heard one student say "that's why I like reading better!"  Another proud mother moment!!  :) 

Another thing that I was really impressed with today was my word work/Text Talk group was really on task and really enjoyed the book and followed through with getting their work done.  My only concern today was that I have my two highest students reading with someone together.  They finished reading Fantastic Mr. Fox which they started in the beginning of the year and then they went on to read a joke book which I knew was too easy for them but they were really enjoying themselves and a part of me didn't like it but a part of me did because reading is supposed to be a social affair right?  All in all another good day!!

journal 24 no difference!

I'm happy to report that the grades my students received on the basal assessments hasn't changed much since we stopped drilling and killing the basal.  If anything they're doing better on the comprehension portion.  The only thing that I could beef up and that I think is important is the grammar from the week.  Maybe I could add that into the week someplace?  Maybe a mini-lesson during the week?  I decided this because on the portion of the assessment when they asked about which was a irregular plural many of my students got it wrong simply because I hadn't taught that.  I still need to pay attention to what the grammatical lessons are because there are questions like those on the ISAT and they need to know those for life lessons.  But I'm so pleased to find that they don't need to read the basal story a million times in order to get the questions correct.  Maybe just  maybe this will help them become better test takers???  I'm forcing them to use the text to help them pass and that's exactly what a test is like!  love love love.

journal 23 fix up strategies

Today's mini-lesson was about fix-up strategies.  I've noticed that when I share things about my reading that my students can't believe that I've had problems with reading.  It really makes me think about how they think teachers are these super human beings and don't make mistakes!  Crazy.  I decided not to do the read aloud today with the mini-lesson because we had had such a great read aloud with our class read aloud book that I was running short on time and I wanted time to do the dailies. 

I found out that if i count down from 5 they get into their dailies a lot faster and I don't have to manage by proximity like I was worried about!  Today was the first day that I didn't work with the Text Talk/Word Work station from the beginning.  They got down to work right away. 

I felt sort of useless today during the dailies!  Well not really, but they are so independent it's crazy!  I had students form a nearby university pulling pairs of students.  Many of my students that had their partner pulled did a great job at just moving to read ot self!  Most of the students pulled were in read to someone which worked out well.  I worked with a reading group that is below according to their scantron scores.  I introduced the QAR with right there questions.  They read a leveled SRA text which was very easy for them even though it was the approaching leveled text.  Then after each page I asked right there questions and had them point to it in the text.  It was helpful because I don't think they knew that they could really find answers in the book.  It helped to share that they start with the 5 W's and How.

Something that I was a bit worried about today was at the end of the day I assigned that they had to read the basal story for homework in preparation for tomorrows assessment.  One of my smartest students said, "but you haven't even introduced it to us yet."  That made me think that they don't think I'm teaching!  But I'm working harder than I was when I was solely teaching the basal!  I reminded them that the mini-lessons that I'm teaching them will help them become better readers and that the dailies we are doing will also help them.  It kept my up at night because I was worried-what if the parents think that what I'm doing isn't helping their child?  I'm so nervous and feel pretty alone in this journey because I'm the only one doing this correctly in my school.    Tomorrow morning I have to grade the last 2 weeks of basal tests which will give me a view of how they are doing on the assessments without so much drill of the story but only one reading and then listening to it on CD.  I'll be interested to see if it's made much of a difference.

journal 22 continued thinking...

Today we continued the mini-lesson that I had started yesterday.  today I had the students contribute more of their thinking.  The I introduced the post-it tracker that I had put into their portfolios.  We took all the post-its out and then decided which were the most important.  I was surprised that the post-its that they chose were the ones that were really important to the text!  Impressive.  Then they were off to do their own daily.  Again I was impressed with the post-iting that I saw.  I also saw a few girls using the post-it tracker and picking out the important ones.  I worked with the Text Talk/Word Work group for part of the time because they were the last group to be introduced to it.  When I felt that they were comfortable I pulled my nonreader and did a making words lesson with him.  I am doing the Kindergarten making words with him because that's where he is at.  With the basal I wouldn't have had this time to work with him.  It was great!  He needs the individual attention and while he was working I continued to work with the Text Talk/Word Work group.  They are all getting my attention finally!!!  Only took 5 years.  After the lesson with him he worked on his own on telling me if the words he made were aileen or real words.  He loved the lesson!  I'm really hoping this helps with his NWF because he's really struggling with that. 

When I called the kids back today for the check in, they all had thumbs up again and instead of asking what they did that was rockstar today I asked them "do you think doing the dailies is helping you to become a better reader?"  I didn't tell them what I thought before asking that because I wanted honest answers and not please the teacher answers.  Some answers were:
"Yes!  I get to choose the book I read and it's jsut right for me." 
"The dailies are helping me because I've finished more books durng the dailies that I don't think I would have." 
"I'm learning new words that help me be a better reader"
"I'm thinking while I'm reading and I didn't know I was supposed to do that."

I kid you not I did not make them say those things!  It's just amazing the transformation I'm seeing! :)

Journal 21 mini-lesson

Over the weekend I spent some time alligning the Cafe with the Comprehension toolkit.  I was lucky enough to have a professor that gave me the toolkit for K-2 and then I had grant money that I purchased the 3-6 toolkit with.  I was a bit nervous at using the Cafe only because it doesn't give mini-lessons and I don't really trust myself quite yet.  I want to know that what I'm doing will be effective and I know that these will be.  I want to make sure I'm teaching the thinking strategies the correct way so I figured I would allign the requirements of the Cafe with that.  It took a great deal of time but all in all helped to make sure I felt a bit more confident.  It's tough being the only one in my building that's attempting this and completely abandoning the basal for the most part.  I know in my heart that the basal won't get me the results that I want or the time to work with my students that I need but it's hard to change.  Change is hard. 

So today started with a mini-lesson which was kind of a review for my students.  We talked about reading and thinking.  We had already done that earlier in the year but I really showed them today how to do it.  I introduced post-iting which I had kind of half a**ed earlier in the year but today I showed them with The Art Lesson.  What a powerful book.  It really helped them understand what a connection is because in the book the boy wants to be an artist from early on and I connect to that because I've only ever wanted to be a teacher.  They loved to hear that about me.  Then we were off to start the dailies.  I was impressed that my students that were reading to self were actutally post-iting without me telling them that they had to and the students in read to someone were talking about their thinking and then post-iting!  It was great to watch. 

Some things that I'm still having trouble with myself is not managing by proximity.  The Daily 5 book really pushes that but sometimes I just want to make sure some students know that I'm there.  Also a few of my friends take about 5 minutes to get down tot he daily unless I'm standing right there.  Luckily, I've had a cold so I go to blow my nose and manage by that...they tend to hang out by the door because it's farthest away from where I am but it's helped.  I'm also worried about my students that need to be challenged.  When they go to work on writing about reading they always pick to draw a new cover.  How can I change this?  Do I regulate what they can pick?  Doesn't that take away their creativity?  Decisions decisions...

During the dailies today I continued to work with the Text Talk/Word Work team because they hadn't been to the daily yet and I wanted to make sure that they knew what to do.  I was impressed how well they are reading together.  After they were finished I asked them what they thought and one student said, "it was fun because it's words I had never heard before but I'm going to remember them now because the book is so funny!" 

At the end of the period I had students come back to the rug and check in with the thumbs.  Everyone was thumbs up today!  I always ask for students to share "what made them a rockstar today,"  and one student said, "I finished a book and then I started a new one."  Another said, "I did 19 post-its!  I was really thinking."  When I asked her one post-it to share because I wanted to make sure she was doing important thinking, she shared a connection post-it that was totally relevant to the text!  Another student shared "I learned new words that I hadn't learned before."    All in all a good day!