During the past three weeks at Dimondale Elementary, I have been able to observe and participate in talk about text almost every day of the week. My mentor teacher has a 90 minute literacy block every morning, during which we often have Reading and/or Writing Workshop. We often begin the workshop with a read aloud to the students. Primarily, the talk about text I am seeing during this time is completely teacher-led. She asks the guiding questions about the story every day and shares her ideas with them. Approximately two times a week, she initiates a turn-and-talk during which the talk is student-led, but only with a partner. She takes volunteers after the turn-and-talk to share their ideas about the story, so a short amount of time is dedicated to student-led group talk. Much of the time the talk about text is related to making text-to-self connections. During my discussions with my mentor teacher, we have discussed getting the students to be more confident in talking about the books that they are reading. Occasionally after independent reading time, she has them share something about their books (including what they think the author's purpose is and a part of the story/text that they can relate to).
The talk about text within Book Club Plus! the instructional purposes of surface knowledge, inquiring into text, and reflection upon text. The talk in my classroom provides more opportunities for surface knowledge and reflecting upon text than it does for inquiring about text. Surface knowledge includes read-aloud discussions (which we do almost every day as a class) and opening community share (which my mentor tries to do twice a week), and reflecting upon text includes summarizing and synthesizing a text (students do this when they must reflect and share what they have learned by reading the text). Our students have not has many opportunities to inquire about their texts (using book clubs conversations, guided reading sessions, or writer's workshop). While we often engage in writer's workshop, their writing using revolves around personal narratives. I would like to encourage them to use the time they have during writer's workshop to share their ideas about what they are reading. Since we have not started our book clubs yet, and are still testing students to find their reading levels, we have had extremely limited opportunities to encourage students to talk about their inner conversations with texts they are reading. When talk is primarily teacher-led, I feel it is hard to get the students adjusted to talking about their texts on their own.
Have you started book clubs in your own classroom? If so have you had issues with students feeling comfortable enough to share their ideas about the text?
In my classroom we do a lot of talking about texts. Like you, I started a read aloud with my students the second day of school. It began with me only asking them questions as we were reading. But I was surprised that today when reading many students were asking questions of their own and making predictions without me prompting or guiding them. Some were even making connections to different books or other experiences again without extra help. It was reassuring to know that they are listening as you read and are using their comprehension skills and strategies.
ReplyDeleteWe also just finished up all our testing and started or guided reading groups this past Friday. I would have to agree though that a lot of the discussions have been teacher driven rather than student-led. My MT has talked about how eventually there will be book clubs with in the groups and will be more student driven. It’s hard to initially jump right into this. Students need to learn what is expected of them and work up to this. I’m hoping that through out the upcoming weeks I will be able to see how to help students inquire about texts and have meaningful discussions. As Strategies that Work states, text matters. Sometimes I think we underestimate students’ skills and abilities to discuss a text in a meaningful way but this also correlates to the types of texts that are being presented to them. It not only needs to be engaging but build and strengthen their strategies.
In reference to the issue of students not feeling comfortable to share I think this too will come with time; especially if students work with the same small group of students.
I as well have had the opportunity observe talking about text occurring. In my classroom, we have a reading and writing block each day. The reading workshop block is in the morning for around an hour and a half and the writing block is at the end of the day for writing workshop at around an hour each day. Our reading workshop begins usually with some sort of a mini lesson in which a text is read to them to model that certain tool we are teaching them how to use during that writing period. In our Writing Workshop blocks we do not have an sort of a read aloud. We have a shorter mini lesson and the students then go off and write for about forty five minutes. During writing workshop and reading workshop they begin teacher led but only in the very beginning of the lessons. It goes off into partner sharing, small group sharing, students asking questions and building off one another as well as the teacher calling on students individually. Both writing and reading workshop are done on the carpeted area in the classroom library. This makes for a very relaxed and comfortable environment for both the students and teacher. I feel students are very comfortable to share and enjoy these lessons very much so throughout the day. This type of teaching including think pair share, group think, and whole group activities as well as guided questions from the teacher is how each lesson goes for both workshops each day. I believe through the strategies in reading workshop and talking with each student on an individual conference about their strengths and weaknesses in reading has helped the students to already this early in the year choose appropriate texts for them and books they will not only be at their reading level but also books they will truly enjoy and are meaningful to them!
ReplyDeleteI believe the discussions had in my classroom and the many opportunities for different types of discussion throughout the day about text hits on what Book Club Plus! is talking about. I believe students have the opportunity many times throughout the day to talk about the text they are reading not only through sharing with a teacher, friend, group, or within, but as well through their writing they can get their thoughts out as well. We try very hard to intertwine our writing and reading activities throughout the day, we have seen this to be much more meaningful and beneficial for the children. I think through our practices we certainly hit on surface knowledge as well as opening community share through what I shared about as well as reflecting upon text through sharing with your partner what you are reading and through writing a summary about what you have read during writing time. As well my class is still taking part in DRA Testing and this makes it difficult to go onto the guided reading sessions and truly dive into the reading aspect needed in reflecting and sharing about their text but that will all come with time once groups are more established and norms and a system are made for the students.