New year brings new teaching level

It's been a while since I posted my thoughts on this particular blog but a recent change brings me here once more.  Starting 2012, my sixth year of teaching, I will be teaching year one and two students (5 and 6 year-olds). I'm really looking forward to it.

The biggest change for me will be planning a predominantly 'learning to read' (decoding) programme rather than 'reading to learn' comprehension programme.

I'm interested to see how maths will go.  I feel confident in this area. Especially as having worked with the older students, I know where I am expecting them to achieve as well as common gaps I came across in their knowledge.  I will be able to plan a programme which hopefully strengthens these gaps rather than focussing too much on lesser-needed areas.

I still have some of my original practicum folders from when I worked with this age during my teacher training, so will look back at them.

Here's to a new year of new learning for the whole class, including the teacher!

(note to self: routines, routines, routines)

Reading Contracts and Target Box under-way

Well, this week I started a couple of ideas from my Harry Hood professional development course.  Both are programmes that I will run for four weeks, then switch over for the second half of term.

The reading contract I have set up integrates with our energy/electricity topic study and has students generating questions to research and then present an interactive learning centre for other students to view.  I will see this group (of capable readers) once a week for a specific reading skills teaching session.  I have been impressed with their positive attitude and engagement in self-directed independent work.

The other group (of fairly confident readers) I have on a reading mileage programme called 'target box' where over four weeks they will be aiming to read as many (mostly short) books as possible.  They also have a list of possible follow-up activities to choose from, which they do on a 3:1 basis.  That is, they can choose one follow up activity for one in every 3 books/articles they read.

Both have got off to a good start, and I hope this will allow me time to focus some planning for the more regular teacher sessions I have with my other two lower reading groups.

Harry Hood - Literacy Professional Development

A very useful and informative day.  Things I will specifically take away with me...

1. Audience & Purpose are key
   
2. pre-writing | drafting | revising | proof-reading | editing [NOTE: TEACHER EDITS AT FINAL STAGE - focus of student's writing goes from deeper to surface, that is meaning to mechanics]
   
3. Guided reading not designed to drive up reading age (recreational reading does that).  Year 5-6 students, focus is on developing skills in critical thinking and exploring language.  Therefore they need to be reading text they can already read (ie. just below current reading 'age').
   
4. Reading contracts for upper reading groups to 'free up' time to spend with lower readers daily.
   
5. Newsboard, Target box (see personal PD notes)