Making the Most of Small Groups: Comprehension

I am behind (oops!) but I am enjoying reading Debbie Diller's book Making the Most of Small Groups. Chapter 4 is about comprehension. I think that teaching comprehension in reading is extremely important, but I find it interesting that the Common Core Standards has left out standards regarding the strategies we use to teach comprehension: text connections, visualization, accessing prior knowledge, etc. However, I believe that these skills are still relevant to learning how to read. (By the way, I am reading a very interesting book Pathways to the Common Core by Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth, and Christopher Lehman).

I am going to use the reflection questions from page 64 to give my thoughts for this chapter.

1. What have you learned about teaching comprehension that you'll try in the next few weeks?

It won't be in the next few weeks, but when I start small groups in my class, I am definately going to use the lesson plan for my small group planning. Dina from First Grade Smarties created this lesson plan in a word doc...you can find it here.

2. Who comprehends well in your classroom? How can you help them think even more deeply?

I taught second grade this past year for the first time in about 6 years, having been in first grade for quite awhile. I had a range of abilities...two of my special ed students were emergent readers and were still working on decoding. I also had students that were reading on forth and fifth grade levels; and of course, I had students reading on grade-level with good comprehension and poor comprehension. Having set up a small group folder and reading binder described in this book, I think that it will be easier to be focused on skills that each group needs. This chapter gives examples of lessons and explains how the teacher uses the planning document to stay focused and how to document the lessons and outcomes. 

I did something this past year that really helped my students with asking and answering questions about non-fiction text. My grade level orders Scholastic News each year. I used these issues to help my students learn how to answer questions. I would ask a question and they would have to find evidence to prove what the answer to the question was. I taught them how to be able to show me what sentences or words they used to answer the questions. I started with basic (thin) questions that needed only a few words or one sentence, and then moved to harder (thick) questions that needed more than one sentence or needed some inferring to answer. I then moved to letting the students ask me questions about the text to see if I could find the answer. They enjoyed coming up with questions for me to answer and once we determined that the point wasn't to stump me, they came up with good questions. I would show them where I found the answer in the text. I saw great improvement in this area after using this strategy. 

4.  Which elements of comprehension have you taught well? What could you focus on more?

I have already said that I think I did well with questioning...I think that I did well with schema, too. Summarizing is most definately the area I need to focus more on. 

5. How are you using writing to help students comprehend? 

I have implemented quite a few graphic organizers into my lessons. I get many of them from our reading series but I also use some of the many organizers you can find on tpt.

What else might you try to link reading and writing and deepen comprehension? 

I am going to use the sticky note strategy more often. I am also using journals to try to make that link and I think that's really what I am going to try to use a lot more. I don't really want to try to implement something else completely different because I find that if I try to use too many things, then I don't use any of them well or consistently! 

This is giving me some great things to think about and how I want to use comprehension strategies in both whole- and small-group instruction!

Debbie Diller Small Groups Ch. 3

Chapter 3 in Debbie Diller's Making the Most of Small Groups is all about grouping. Trying to make small groups for reading instruction can be really difficult. I have heard that small groups should be homogenous and flexible. They can be based on anecdotal records, classroom observations, and assessments. 

Some of my thoughts from the chapter:

1.  Debbie suggests using both formal and informal assessments along with anecdotal records to form groups. Some of the formal assessments include DRA, TPRI, DIBELS, and QRI. In some schools, teachers complete their own assessments while in other schools the teachers don't. It is suggested in this chapte that the teachers tesst their own students in order to get to know them as readers, writers, and individulals.

2. When managing the assessments in the classroom, Debbie suggests waiting a couple of weeks so that students are more comfortable during the assessment and you will get a clearer picture of the students' abilities. You can also complete some of the easier testing first and then go back and complete the testing later. 

3. What do you do with the rest of the students while you are testing? In order to complete your testing and avoid interuptions, it would be best to have the other students completing activities that they can complete independently. There is a list of examples, but a few include: have kids write about or draw their favorite things to do, their families and pets, what they did during the summer, etc; let kids work with partners to do puzzels or word sorts; have kids read independently, browse books at their tables. 

4. Managing anecdotal notes is am important part of assessing students but can be difficult to keep up with. There are some great ideas given to managing them including keeping an index card file and using sticky notes. I personally follow the strategy Debbie uses: In my small group binder, I have a pocket divider for each group. I keep an index card for each student so when I call a small group, I take out the index cards and jot notes on students either during the lesson or after the group leaves. When the card gets full, I replace the card with a new one. I refer to these cards when getting ready for conferences and report cards. 

5. Debbie gives directions/suggestions for keeping a small groups folder and for showing how to manage groups that are flexible. I have to admit that I posted construction paper lists with sticky notes like she does and it worked very well! It was easy to move a student from one group to another.

6. There are two examples in the chapter showing how to use formal assessments to form groups. I mostly use the DIBELS assessment to form initial groups and then make adjustments as I go. This helps me get groups going within a few weeks into the year-even if meeting with them is just for a few minutes in the beginning.

7. Running records: Can I just say I don't care too much for running records? I have found them difficult to keep up with. This is definately an area I need to work on A LOT this year. I know they can be helpful...but, dang, I don't like them! Anybody else?

8. Meeting with groups...I think that most of us probably know a majority of the info included in this section but there were a few things I am going to take from here: 

-students can be in more than one group depending on their needs

-rearrange students and groups when you need to, groups are not set in stone

-you can begin with just one group a day (I tend to think I have to do it all right from the beginning)

-quality instruction is our goal, not quantity

-how often to meet with each group depends on the needs of the students, fair is not always equal

-meeting with small groups can happen any time during the day, ie. in the morning when they come in

Questions to consider:

- Do you test your students or does someone else? I complete DRA's in my classroom but DIBELS is completed by the Title One staff.

-What ways have you all come up with to keep anecdotal records?

-How do you form small groups in your classroom? Do you use formal or informal assessments? How do you post groups so students know which group they are in?

-What criteria do you use to switch students to another group?

There was a lot of great information in this chapter! It already has me thinking about the upcoming year. I would love to hear some input from you all about the questions I asked! Thanks for visiting!

Debbie Diller: Small Groups Ch. 1 & 2

I am linking up with Mrs. Samuelson's Swamp Frogs to read the book Making the Most of Small Groups: Differentiation for All by Debbie Diller. You can read Heidi's blog post for these chapters here.

These are my thoughts for Chapters 1 and 2:

1. Time? Isn't that always something we are fighting? Finding a balance between whole-group and small-group instruction is always difficult. Knowing I can begin the year teaching my students the routines and procedures and then changing our schedule to fit our needs helps take a little of the pressure off at the beginning of the year. 

2. Lesson planning... The lesson planning part is not usually difficult for me, but making sure I meet with all the groups is where I fall apart. This is where being organized more will be helpful.

3. Benefits of small group instruction...I believe that students benefit from the focused instruction they receive in small groups. I have to keep that focus in mind when I start feeling overwhelmed by the daily happenings in the class and in trying to fit it all in.

4. Small group space...I created a space for my small groups where I have a horseshoe table, shelves to hold materials, drawers for supplies for each group. Having that space is so helpful! It keeps the materials and books I use close by and easier to plan with.

5. Student interruptions...I need to find a sign or something I can have up during small group instruction time. The student interruptions are very frustrating! But I think the other thing I need to do is to really teach my students the independence and expectations of what they are supposed to be doing while I'm with the small group. I think if I planned that piece of it better, then the interruptions would lessen.

6. Small group planning folder...Last year, I created a folder like Debbie Diller explained in the book and I have really enjoyed it! I have a tab for each student for data like running records and I use the index cards to record information about students. This works well for me since I have quite a few transitions of students during the school year since I work on a military base. Some of the forms I use come from Mrs. Bainbridge's class...you can find them here.

7.  I have considered trying to use an app or some technology source to keep notes on students, but I find that writing it down is my preference still. Is there anyone else besides me?

I hope these thoughts are helpful to someone! I am enjoying reading the book and hope you will join us next week for chapter 3!

Tanya

Debbie Diller's Small Groups Book Study

 I am linking up with Heidi at Mrs.Samuelson's Swamp Frogs to read Debbie Diller's Making the Most of Small Groups. The book study starts the week of June 16th.

You can read Heidi's post on her blog by clicking here.

Hope you can join us!

Guided Math Ch. 2

I am currently reading the book Guided Math by Laney Sammons. I am hoping that working through the book will help me get more organized for the upcoming school year. 

Oh my, these are long chapters! Chapter 2 discusses building a classroom learning community. In a learning community, the teacher is a part of the community and is a facilitator of information. Risk taking and mistakes are a part of the learning that takes place in the classroom. Students learn, through teacher modeling, that they are encouraged to offer different perspectives and through these different perspectives, more complete understanding is achieved by all students. 

These are the main points I took from this chapter:

1. The Guided Math framework offers teachers various approaches to provide scaffolding and support

2. Communication is stressed...teachers model and instruct how to communicate ideas, how to hold conversations, how to justify

3. Teachers establish appropriate spaces for each Guided Math component...teachers who teach Guided Reading probably have a classroom conducive to Guided Math

4. Teachers typically do well with establishing a literacy-rich environment, but need to establish a numeracy-rich environment to include an interactive calendar, student-made charts, and a math wall

5. In a Guided Math classroomm, the flexibility allows for the teacher to demonstrate using manipulatives in a whole-group setting then continue to use them in small groups.

6. Math walls and math journals are used to help students understand the vocabulary taught in class and can be used for assessment and to identify misconceptions students may have. 

7. Teachers should read lots of math-related literature...use comprehension strategies to understand the literature, then focus on the mathematical relevance

A few things I am going to be thinking about this week:

1. How can I develop classroom norms to help us in classroom discussions?

2. What Kagan strategies would be conducive to use during Guided Math time? 

3. This chapter said that class charts should be made with student participation rather than pre-made  to truely reflect the learning happening in the classroom- what about math journals? I have bought a couple pre-made interactive math journal pdf's from Teachers Pay Teachers. I am wondering if the math journals should be more student-made also, created by me?

Well, I already have a lot to consider for next year. If anyone has any comments or thoughts, especially about Math Journals, please comment! 

Until next time!

Tanya

Guided Math Summer Read

As a kick-off to my summer, I have decided to finally read the book Guided Math by Laney Sammons. While I usually feel like I am pretty good at teaching math, I have never really liked the organization of my math time. I have used math centers and math work stations in the past and have always felt unorganized. My school is adopting a new math curriculum, My Math, so I figure now is a great time to figure out how to finally get myself organized during math time.

What are my goals?

-To devise a plan for organizing my math block so I can meet with small groups of students for more individualized instruction.

- Figure out how to make sure that students I am not meeting with are engaged in meaningful learning, not just doing busy work.

- Incorporate our mini iPads into the math block.

- Include more problem-solving and real-world math work.

- Integrate math journals and math conversations more often.

The first chapter in Guided Math by Laney Sammons is an overview of the components of guided math. The components include:
1. A Classroom Environment of Numeracy
2. Morning Math Warm-ups and Calendar Board Activities
3. Whole-Class Instruction
4. Guided Math Instruction with Small Groups of Students
5. Math Workshop
6. Individual Conferences
7. An Ongoing System of Assessment

(Excerpt From: Sammons, Laney. “Guided Math.” Shell Education, 2011-04-01)

I will be posting information and my thoughts from each chapter. My plan is to post every couple of days. I hope you enjoy the information! If you have any thougths or comments, please leave them!