Key Words & Summary Statements-Comprehension

During guided reading in 2nd and 3rd grade, we have been working on determining importance in non-fiction text and summarizing key ideas.  Main idea is currently a focus in second grade as well.  One strategy that I have been teaching my students is to locate key words in the section and then use those words to summarize the information. It has been very helpful in that students are learning to figure out what is truly important information and how to break the text down into a concise summary.

I used the following steps to teach students this strategy.
1. After introducing the new section or book during guided reading, I set the purpose for reading that students need to determine what they thought was really important. 
2. After reading, they were to write on a post it or note card, 3-4 words or phrases that they thought were important.  It helped that we have been working on paraphrasing what they have read, so I told them to think about what they paraphrased and write down a few words they said or thought. 
3.  I also wrote down the key words on my whiteboard.  Then, we each shared our key words and compared with the group.  If students were way off, we talked about their response and what made it not so important in the section. 
4.  Then we took the words that most of us had and formed a summarizing sentence.  When learning this strategy, we only focused on one small section of the text.
5.  The next day, we repeated this process on the next chapter or section of the book/article. 
6.  After they began getting the hang of it, I would have them try the entire process on their own.  They would write the key words and summary statement.  Some days I would have them write them on note cards.  They divided their note card down the middle vertically.  On the left, they had their key words and on the right would be the summary.  We would use the same note card for an entire article or book and just drew a line under each section.  Sometimes,  I would let them do it on whiteboards. 
7.  After reading and responding, all the students in the group share their key words/summaries with a partner, myself, or the whole group.  If students have reading response notebooks, we have used those to record this as well. 

This is a great comprehension strategy to focus on during guided reading.  It encourages students to determine importance and works on summarizing key ideas in the text.  It is quick and works as a good way for students to respond in writing after their guided reading lesson.  I used this in third grade for students around levels 30, 34, & 38.  I also adapted it to second grade guided reading.  Second grade is working on main idea currently.  This is a perfect way to get students to pick key ideas and then write a main idea sentence.  The second graders that I tried this strategy with were just slightly below level or on level in some cases. 

I hope this helps:)  Let me know if anyone tries this or has another approach that I could try!
Brooke

Using Boxes all the Time!

Recently, I attended the National Reading Recovery and K-6 Classroom Literacy Conference in Columbus, OH.  I attended many great sessions and heard some awesome featured speakers, including Gay Su Pinnell, Katie Wood Ray, and children's author Jack Gantos (who was awesome & hilarious, by the way). 

While at the conference, I got some great reminders that smacked me in the face and made me remember what good teaching is all about!  Its just that, good teaching!!!  I don't need a program to tell me what to do, or a test prep manual to tell me how to prepare kids for "the test".  I need to follow the kids and teach them what they need to be readers and thinkers.  I need to use great books and teach them in authentic ways.  Now that I got that out, I can tell a little bit about a session that reminded me how great, using sound boxes are, and how I can use them here, there, and everywhere.

As a Reading Recovery teacher, I used sound & letter boxes every day during the writing portion of my lesson.  Sometimes I would put a word in boxes that the child was stuck on while reading to help them blend through the word left to right, if they were really good in boxes.  If you don't know what I'm talking about; sound boxes are a way for students to learn how to hear and record sounds in sequence, which is super important for beginning readers.  I've always known how powerful using sound boxes can be.  But I neglected to use them as much as I could have. They can help a kiddo say words slowly and learn to link what they hear to what they should expect to see.  They really help with getting the left to right visual processing under control.  I have noticed that kids really aren't checking with their eyes all the way through a word when they read.  Putting words in boxes is a great way to force them to LOOK.  What do I mean by all of this?? Well, here are some places in your literacy instruction where boxes can be used;

• During interactive writing (practice page)-choose words that you can clearly hear all the sounds. 
• During guided writing, small group writing- I work with a small group of first grade students and we always write about the book afterwards.  This is a great way for students to learn how to say words slowly and learn how to write unknown words. I wouldn't take words to boxes that are high frequency words or words that you cannot hear most of the sounds, or long multi-syllabic words.
• During guided reading-you may put a word in boxes that the child is stuck on to show them how to blend left to right with their finger.  Then have them re-read the sentence once they successfully solved the word in boxes.  You could quickly do this on a whiteboard.
• Writing-while you are walking around conferencing with students, and they ask you how to spell something, you could draw boxes on their "try it" page. 

I use these strategies all the time and I have started to see kids being able to process left to right in a more efficient way.  If anyone wants the exact procedures of how to teach a child how to use boxes, I can post those as well.  I think they are useful in kindergarten and first grade for sure.  Some second graders may need them. 

STP-Stop,Think, & Paraphrase

I wanted to share about a strategy that my partners and I have been teaching to support our third graders during an acceleration block and guided reading.  We have noticed that many of our students who are struggling to comprehend the text are ones who read, but then have no idea what they have just read.  They struggle with answering questions about the text and discussing the main idea.  They also have trouble with determining importance.

So before we began working with our new groups, we looked for some strategies that we could explicitly teach the kiddos.  These students were in need of some direct strategy instruction and needed some comprehension instruction to help them monitor their own thinking while reading.

We wanted to be able to address these things within the context of real reading instead of just "teaching to the test". We looked in the book Next Steps in Guided Reading, by Jan Richardson.  This book has a lot of great suggestions for teaching comprehension in your guided reading lessons.  Richardson talks about a particular strategy in the transitional levels (starting around J), called STP (stop, think, paraphrase).  Basically, you have students read a small section of their text from a passage, article, or book,  and then they cover the text with their hand and think about what they've read.  Then they tell what they learned or read in their own words.  This takes a lot of modeling by the teacher first. 

We began by modeling how to read a paragraph, stop and think, and then retell the most important facts or details.  We talked with the students about what was really important about the section and what was just extra information.  We also talked about putting the information we read into our own words.
My partners and talked how we would scaffold this strategy by modeling it for several lessons and letting the students try it out with us.  Then, we would have them try it on their own while we listened in.  Next, we would expect them to do as they read the entire article. 
We also followed up with the same strategy during guided reading.  After our introduction and students begin to read the text on their own while we listen in and take a running record, we had them do the STP strategy while they read.

A next step, was to have them write notes in the white space next to the text if it was a passage or article.  Whatever the students paraphrased, we modeled how they could write down a few key words or phrases related to that, so they could use it as a reference during our discussion and written responses.

So far, we have been seeing some success with this strategy.  Some of the students began taking on the strategy while independently reading.  The students' responses to our discussion are getting more clear and are more thoughtful.  I have seen small shifts in my group with their ability to understand their reading and monitor their thinking as they read.  We still have a long way to go. We have been working with the STP strategy for about 5 lessons now.  I know I will continue with this until I see more of a shift with their ability to re-tell and discuss the important facts and details.  This group of students in particular don't have trouble at the word level, they have just needed some very explicit comprehension instruction.

One thing that has made a big difference is text selection.  We have been using short non-fiction articles from the Comprehension Tool Kit. They are short enough to be read in one lesson and the topics are engaging.  The students also LOVE the article from the Scholastic Scope Magazine and Action magazines.  I highly recommend these article because they are awesome topics that the kids can relate to and have great opportunities to teach text features. 

I will update everyone on the group's progress and the next strategy that we take on!
Happy Teaching,
Brooke

Meaning & Visual Working Together

I don't know about anyone else, but this year it seems I am having the hardest time getting my students (my first graders) to use both meaning and visual cues.  They are relying heavily on one or the other and cannot integrate the two.  Granted, these are some of the lowest students and it is very difficult for them to put the pieces together in general.  However, it seems that I have not yet effectively taught them to use both cues to help them solve unknown words. I know this is a complex process for the brain, but many students can do this naturally with ease. For some, its like putting the pieces of a puzzle together when you don't even know what the end picture is supposed to look like!

Let me explain the issue in more detail.  They either rely heavily on visual, only trying to "sound out" the tricky word, or give the first sound and that's it-totally neglecting meaning altogether.  Or, I have children that re-read but nothing pops out when they get to the tricky word.  It seems this issue is the most difficult to get a shift.

Like I said, I STILL cannot get them to use first letter to problem solve unknown words.  They still make a miscue that makes sense, but doesn't begin the same at all!! Or when they come to the word, they just sit and I must prompt them to "get your mouth ready", then they make a guess that makes sense and looks right.  But how do I get them to do that on their own???

I was thinking that I haven't supported them enough or scaffolded them in the right way.  I started thinking about some strategies and tools that maybe I hadn't utilized enough.  I thought about how when the students get to the unknown word, after prompting for meaning, the prompt should be, "do you know a word that starts like that?"  If they say no, I need to get the magnetic letters out and make a word that they know that begins the same.  For example, if they are stuck on lost, I would make like, right on top of the word in the book with magnetic letters.  Have the child read the known word and ask, "what does your mouth do here? pointing to the l in like, and so what will your mouth do here?, pointing to the l in lost.  Now re-read and make that sound when you get there." 

I think they may need that scaffold to make the shift.  I need to keep my magnetic letters armed and ready when working with students during the first read in my guided reading lessons.  I'll let you know how it turns out:)  Does anyone else have suggestions?
As far as students relying heavily on visual, I think as long as I keep emphasizing the meaning, I can fix that more easily.

Happy Teaching!!!
Brooke

A Simple Tool for a Complex Problem:The Slider Card

As I have been working with students this year in guided reading, I have noticed that students from first grade, on up to 4th grade, have a common issue.  Many are not checking all the way through a word when they make an attempt at an unknown word, or are problem solving an unknown word. 
This year I work with students in guided reading in all the grades, 1-4.  I was noticing on my running records and notes that many students are trying the first letter and making a guess that looked almost right, then not checking.  These were mostly first graders- example: they said grass for ground.  My second graders were doing the same thing, except maybe sliding for slipping.  My third graders might say blushing for blistering.  My fourth graders were doing the same thing, except their words were even more complex, with more parts.  I thought about what I could do to help them notice.  They were not monitoring with visual information from left to right. Sometimes, they were stuck on the word and would just blend the beginning sounds and that's it!  bl, bl, bl....  Say more!!! (I thought). 
What to do? 
I started thinking about what I would do when I was a Reading Recovery teacher.  Ding!! (light bulb)  One of the strategies that I would try was to get the good ole slider card out and show the student how to effectively process through the word left to right.  Sometimes it is very important to show the kiddos EXACTLY where to look and how to look through the word.  Sometimes kids just grab on to a feature that stands out in the word, not good!  I had to show them how to look at the first part, the middle part and then the last part.  The slider card can isolate the word and focus the eyes.  The slider card can do many things.  You can isolate the beginning sounds, a certain part or chunk of the word that may be known, or show the whole word.  The slider card is easy to make and a great tool to help teach students how to look left to right through a word.  It is just one tool that you can use to help teach kids during guided reading.
I found it helpful even when working with third and fourth graders who were having trouble chunking multi-syllabic words in smaller print.  They were having a hard time really seeing the parts they knew in longer words.  I only used the tool for a short time as a scaffold until they could do it on their own with their finger and then their eyes only. 
All you need is some heavier card stock paper and a thinner sentence strip or regular paper cut into a strip.  I have uploaded a picture of one to show you if you haven't seen one before. 
I hope this may help someone out there who is having the same issue.  Happy Teaching!!

Brooke

To my followers; as always this should be professional.  Please do not comment with any specific school or student names:) for all of our protection.  This is for ideas/reflecting/learning/&fun!

A New World for Me

Hey everyone!!! I started this blog to help me connect to other teachers, reading intervention professionals, and just readers!!! This blog will have posts related to my teaching, my favorite books, and anything related to literacy teaching and learning.  The first thoughts that are coming to my mind are the thoughts that have been consuming every teacher's mind; how to fit it all in!!
I am a reading acceleration teacher, which is code for reading intervention provider.  I spent the last five years as a Reading Recovery teacher, which was amazing.  I learned from one of the best Reading Recovey teacher leaders in my opinion, which makes me really lucky.  Through my training and the years of Continuing Contact, I learned how to effectively observe, assess, and then teach early literacy behaviors and reach the most struggling of students.  I want to continue to keep learning and growing as a literacy teacher and I no longer have my monthly professional development meetings with the rest of my colleagues.  Those sessions were so helpful to me as a teacher.  We learned from each other. I have learned from so many amazing people; Donna, Barb, Ann, Cheryl, Kathy, Merla, Carrie S., Karen, Melissa, Carrie R., Stacy, Rebecca, Rebekkah, to name a few!  
So my first questions to all of you teachers out there is this; how do you maximize your groups with only 20 minutes, without Reading Recovery?  I have been racking my brain on how to be more effective.  I am trying to fit in all the components of a good lesson, based on the needs of the students.  For example, in my first grade acceleration group,(I do have a tad bit more time with them), but the needs are so varied.  I am struggling with how to maximize the instruction and get the best bang for my buck!  These are some of the lowest first graders and I have been following this general framework.

1. high frequency word practice(words that should be known): write on whiteboards, make with magnetic letters, etc.  prompting for fast and fluent writing & reading the words
2. new book: interactive introduction, predict and locate
3. teaching during the first read
4. teaching after the first read
5. interactive writing about the book-teaching page/writing page/boxes/words to fluency etc.
6. more word work-either teaching a new word or learning how words work

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions?  They are also struggling with learning the high frequency words.  It is taking a long time for them to learn a new word.

Sometimes as teachers, we get caught up with going through the motions and getting everything done, that we don't stop and think "is this really working?"  That is what I realized when we started up after the break.  I thought, "what am I doing?"  Has anyone else ever thought that? I hope so.  Well, I am happy to have successfully posted my first entry on my new blog:)
I hope that everyone is having a great new year so far!!!
<3 Brooke