From reading Routman, I have noticed that my MT follows much of Routman's suggestions and guidelines for reading and writing. In a recent conversation with her she told me that she has been to a workshop with Routman in the past and really likes what she lays out in her books. I thought that this tidbit of information was very valuable! I'm pleased by what I see in the second grade classroom and the more that I read and learn, the more I feel that I am ready to help her with informal reading conferences, which is nice.
One of the biggest hindrances that I see in the classroom is the lack of time allotted for the kids to read. She has taught them from day one how to follow independent reading guidelines in order for her to conference with students, but time is the crucial piece in the puzzle and I constantly question how to manage the day accordingly to get the proper time for these types of conference moments with students.
I don't particularly have questions regarding the methods of conferencing. I think it is a valuable tool for teachers to have the chance to periodically check in on their students and their advancement in their reading (or writing)- especially in the primary grades, but I think conferencing is important for any grade.
In the past two weeks, the students have not been able to do any silent reading so I'm not sure when the last time it was that my MT was able to conference with any of them. I wish I was there more than two days a week so I could see the class daily and know what really happens in these areas that I haven't seen for a while.
In a nutshell, I don't have too many questions right now. I'm just trying to figure out how all the pieces work in the day that I will soon be leading.
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3 comments:
Shelley-
I wrote on the same topic and I have lots of questions still. Maybe we can discuss this on our carpool ride!
Here is the link to my blog for your reference:
http://ark-journeytoteach.blogspot.com/2010/01/ensuring-excellent-readers-and.html
Most Definitely - we will have to discuss this further!
TIME is like a giant, sharp-toothed, insatiable monster, consuming everything in the classroom! If students have not had independent reading in two weeks, then they have missed ten opportunities to practice their reading skills and strategies in class. Two weeks is 5% of one school year.
When I was teaching I made reading an absolute priority. We had independent reading (either within reading workshop or by itself on shortened days) every day, no matter what. This was at times difficult to do, but I really wanted to set reading as a top priority. Time, and scheduling to compensate for an inherent lack of it, present a massive challenge to teachers.
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