Today after I completed my third day of the Tuesday Field Experience I walked away with the knowledge of just how important it is for students to take part in independent reading (DEAR). My teacher has the students reading idependently all the time (after they have completed work, when they don't know what to do, etc.) and today was know different. When the students got in from recess, My teacher made the decision to have them read independently (DEAR) for a couple of minutes while she got her stuff together for reading. She finds that DEAR allows the students to settle in from recess and gives them a break before they have a big afternoon of working on reading and math, and i couldn't agree more with this. I seems like she has the perfect system set up in her classroom, for the most part everything runs smoothly during this time.
After they finished DEAR she had them meet her on the rug so she could introduce their new centers for the week. While the students are at their centers she meets with the Guided Reading Groups. For example, when centers begin and she says that the blue group should start off playing the main idea game, she says what Guided Reading Group she is meeting with first. If there is a student in the blue group that she needs to meet with in her first Guided Reading Group, that student will not participate in that center that day, they do those centers all week, and she rotates her groups, so everyone will get a chance to go to each center and participate and complete that center and the work that goes along with it. Every week the centers change, but there could be one of the same centers for two weeks in a row. This weeks centers include; Word Work, Squiggle of the Week, Main Idea Game (Around the World), and ________________. She explains each center on the rug with the students. She has a colored wheel of each color (the groups of the students, it goes by the groups of the desks they are at), and each color starts off at a different center and then it is rotated, each groups moves to the right on the wheel and goes to that next center. The students know the routine for the centers and they understand how to move from one to the next. My teacher said today and I observed that the students have had issues with listening when they are finishing one center and moving on to another. For example, when she gets their attention and says it is time to finish the center they are at and move on, she says they do not listen and they are cleaning up while she is speaking, and then they come to her for directions because they missed them. Today she specifically went over what she would like them to do when she rings her bell. When they hear the bell, she wants them to freeze, stop what they are doing, make eye contact with her, and to stop talking. She wants them to work on this and master it, but today they were practicing it. They did a very good job. To me these are great ideas and fun ways for the students to learn. When a grooup has finished they are told to read independently, but this isn't a problem for them becasue they get to read the book they love and enjoy, they choose them. Reading is supposed to go an hour and five minutes today, but it went about an hour and 10-15 minutes, especially because they started later.
Overall this is deffinetly an activity that I would like to try and conduct one time. I am hoping that by the end of the Tuesday experience I will get to run it once or twice. My teacher has told me that next week I am going to be running one of the centers. I am looking forward to that very much.
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3 comments:
Hey Heather,
I agree with you totally on this!! The teacher I am working with also does DEAR time. I really like that the students are able to read independently especially after having reading groups. It is very important that they are able to practice their reading on their own. My teacher does dear time right after recess as well to get the students back into transition time. She also allows them to read whenever they have a free minute. The amazing part is that they LOVE to read!!! They get so excited when they get to start a new book. I really like the idea of DEAR time and I hope that I will also be able to use this technique in my classroom.
Heather- My teacher uses a similar technique- SSR (Silent Sustained Reading) to fill up time during the day and promote independent reading. In fact, today the class was participating in the Read Across America day to honor Dr. Seuss' birthday. The majority of the day would be spent in reading groups, read alouds and SSR. The class was also having a book swap where everyone brought in books or magazines they've already read to share with their classmates. I loved this idea and thought it would be a great way to introduce students to new topics outside of what they usually read. They will also be able to discuss what they read with the other students who have read the book as well.
Thought you might like to read a bit of information about SSR or D.E.A.R. as it's called in this school.
"...literature offers a list of key factors to make SSR programs more successful (adapted by Marzano, 2004, from Pilgreen, 2000) http://www.nwrel.org/nwedu/12-02/ssr/index.php :
1. Access: Ensure that students have books available to them at school, either in the classroom or school library. Students should not have to provide books from home or outside school.
2. Appeal: Allow students to choose books that interest them and are at the appropriate level of difficulty.
3. Conducive environment: SSR should be done in a quiet and uninterrupted environment.
4. Encouragement: Be excited about what your students are reading, show excitement for your own reading, and encourage children to share what they are reading with others. Model reading during the SSR period.
5. Staff Training: This is crucial to successful implementation. The purpose of SSR should be discussed, and all staff members should be supportive.
6. Nonaccountability: Don’t test students on their reading during or after SSR.
7. Follow-up activities: Have students discuss their reading, if possible.
8. Distributed time to read: Many successful programs have at least two days a week scheduled for SSR. It is important to have systematic and distributed times to read, whether it is 20 minutes a period twice a week or another arrangement.
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