Got Comprehension? ..In the Beginning of the Year

Good comprehension is like cuddling with a soft puppy.  It just makes life better.

Comprehension was the most difficult skill for me to teach when I was first teaching.  I had A TON of enthusiasm, which probably saved me when I just didn't know any better. Unfortunately, graduating with a teaching degree didn't prepare me for everything.  I graduated when worksheets and whole book learning were the methods taught to prepare a future reading teacher, but my teachers in grade school taught me in differentiated homogeneous groups.  Did I, as a student, know who was in the top reading group?  Absolutely and so did everyone else.  Did kids know who were the better readers when I taught whole group reading?  Yes.  Did I feel like I was REALLY teaching kids how to read and how to comprehend what they read when I taught whole group reading?  No.  Luckily, I was able to go to a lot of workshops and training after I graduated from college and I was able to learn more effective ways to teach this incredibly important skill.

I am NOT an expert, however I LOVE teaching reading.  The best way I've experienced teaching reading is making small groups of homogeneous levels, especially when students need extra help.  However, once they are adjusted to REALLY experiencing good comprehension practices, mixing it up is great!  There are specific ways I've mixed it up, too.

ASSESSMENT

Within the first two weeks of school, I assess students' reading levels. This helps create the reading groups.  I have had experience with Rigby Assessment Kits and Fountas and Pinnell Assessment Kits.  Our school uses the Fountas and Pinnell Assessment Kit, Levels L-Z, Grades 3-8.  I like this because it offers two stories per reading level - one fiction and one non-fiction.  I also like it because it's easy to use if you read the directions.  I've created an assessment binder for my class that includes the word lists, directions how to give the tests, a section for each student to keep the tests I gave and scored, and one copy of each of the tests that I typically give in the grade I'm teaching*.)  *If I'm teaching third grade, I will not test a student above an "R" level.  At that point, a student is reading above grade level and I don't want to take away from tests an upper level grade could give to the student.

(Our reading specialist uses DIBELS to assess the lower elementary grades.  I am not familiar with it, but the lower elementary teachers like it.)

CREATE SMALL GROUPS

After I've assessed the students, I create small groups based on their reading levels.  Sometimes, if I have a low "outlier," I'll place that student in two groups:  one-to-one work with me and in the lowest group, as well. I do not like my groups to be larger than 6 kids, however it has happened when the students are "on-grade" level.  In this case, sometimes I split the larger group into two smaller groups.  They can stay the same during the entire novel, or the students can mix throughout the novel if they are reading the same one.

Once the students are in levels, I find appropriate books for them that are a little above their "Independent" reading level.  At this point, it's probably important to mention that the majority of workshops and training I've had is based on this book:  Guiding Readers and Writers by Irene Fountas, Gay Su Pinnell - Heinemann Publishing, and I have experienced tremendous success implementing this.  I've watched many students grow from reading below their grade level to reading at or above grade level in a year or two.  If you have not read this book, I absolutely recommend it.  I also think you should observe schools that do it.  Last, find workshops you can attend to help you learn more about it.

TEACH YOUR STUDENTS WHAT TO DO DURING READING WORKSHOP

There are different methods to organize your classroom using Guided Reading / Reading Workshop.  One is the Four-Blocks method.  Another is The Daily Five.  You can use the way Fountas and Pinnell suggest in their book.  I've used The Daily Five and Fountas and Pinnell's methods of organizing.  Another way is suggested by Laura Candler with The Power Reading Workshop.  I know there are a ton of others.  I chose to include the ones I did in my post because three of them I've read about extensively or experienced.  One, in addition, has recently grabbed my attention. Here are links to all of these:


Virtual Workshop on Four Blocks Model

The Two Sisters and The Daily Five

Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell - Heinemann Books

Fountas and Pinnell on Twitter

Laura Candler Power Reading Workshop - Book Preview

Down and Dirty Summary of Those Methods to Organize Your Classroom During Reading Workshop:

• The Four Blocks program -- integrates four language arts areas into reading instruction. Those areas are: guided reading, self-selected reading, writing, and working with words.  Children rotate between those areas during the time allotted.  Guided reading is done with a teacher in small groups.  The rest are self-directed activities.  I read the book many years ago and was interested in it, but have not implemented it into my own classroom.
• The Daily Five - Read to Self, Word Work, Listen to Reading, Work on Writing, Read to Someone are the choices that students are given to make when they are not meeting in small groups for Guided Reading with the teacher.  Word Work can be spelling.  I utilized this in a third grade classroom and it worked well to organize the children and give them focus during our Language Arts time.
• Fountas and Pinnell - Students are meeting with the teacher in a Guided Reading group or they are reading independently.  I appreciated the simplicity of this and used it in public school for third graders.
• Laura Candler - Utilizes a Reading Workshop format with Guided Reading, as well as "extras" that she intriguingly calls the Power Reading Workshop.  I'm interested in learning more.

MY EXPERIENCES LED TO THESE CONCLUSIONS:

• Choose a method to organize your students during Reading Workshop, whether it's one from the above I mentioned or another one you found or adapted, and teach your students specifically what they should be doing during Reading Workshop time during the first few weeks of school.  You may feel like you are "wasting reading time," but you should also be assessing your students and getting to know them.  This time is invaluable later.  I've never regretted having it as a part of the beginning of my year.  
• Be consistent.  I found that it's best if the students monitor each other, like in The Daily Five, than if I'm having to monitor the students when they are not meeting with me.  This helps with consistency throughout the year.  If taught properly, it doesn't lead to tattling either.
• It's helpful if your school chooses a method and all of the teachers buy into it and effectively use it rather than having a few teachers utilizing The Four Blocks while others use The Daily Five.  (That's just an example, but you understand.  However, if lower elementary teachers use one method and the upper elementary teachers implement it with adaptations for age and abilities, that works well.)
• "Reading Folders" that follow the kids as they move from grade to grade are useful tools for the teachers.  These should include any assessments and a list of books the student read throughout their time in elementary school.  I think there's an example of this in the Guiding Readers and Writers... book by Fountas and Pinnell.  It helps to see the growth in students and to see who is struggling as a reader year-to-year.
• If your school adopts one way to assess the students from PK to the end of elementary school, that is also helpful.  It gives teachers a more vivid picture of each reader as he/she has grown.  It's also easier for everyone to understand each child's reading ability level and to have conversations from grade to grade regarding reading levels.
• Having a book room that teachers share, where the books are leveled and activities are kept with the books is a fabulous way to encourage sharing and community among the faculty.  We had this in one of the schools where I taught and started it in another.  6-7 copies of each book were placed in zip-lock baggies and leveled A-Z by Guided Reading Level in small tubs.  Allowing older students to help organize it works well, too.  Plus, it was great to see what activities other teachers used with books and made it easy to keep students reading at a level that was effective for them to learn and grow quickly.  It also saved money for teachers so they didn't have to use their own.  This was great, too, because a second grade teacher may use a book for his/her high-level readers, but a fourth grade teacher may need that book for his/her struggling readers to teach them where they are now.  This is where the Reading Folders come in handy, so teachers can see what books their students have read and they don't repeat the same books for the same students.
• The organization methods mentioned above really help keep students on task.  They also helped keep me on task.  I didn't have students interrupting me during small groups or one-to-one work.  Students were able to problem solve for themselves instead of needing me to do it for them, and they could read for long periods of time.
• I do not share specific letter assessment levels with parents (unless they know a lot about Guided Reading Levels.)  It's not to discriminate, but the letters are not helpful to parents, as a general rule.  Most parents want to know if their child is reading below, at, or above grade level and how I'm helping him/her grow as a reader in my classroom.  They do not care if Bobby is reading at a level J in Kindergarten.

My first grader can decode The Cricket in Times Square, BUT she cannot comprehend it.  She will not benefit from reading that story at all.  She found a "Just Right" book with Kristen: An American Girl.

I think that summarizes how I begin my year and tips that I learned from my experiences.  Specific lessons that I teach during Reading Workshop come from the organization methods.  There are elements of The Daily Five that I really like, but some tend to be a little "young" and silly for fifth graders who are soooooo cool, dontcha' know?  Again, I am NOT an expert.  I'm just one of the many teachers who has experience with implementing an organization method that I like to make my Reading Workshop a place that grows successful readers.