Throwback Thursday ~Literacy Stations

Hi, Friends! How are ya?  I’m linking up with the awesome Cara Caroll for this week’s installment of Throwback Thursday!

This post was originally shared on April 23, 2013 and quickly became my most popular post!  Enjoy!

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Just recently, I shared how we conduct math stations in our classroom….NOW its time for the biggie! Literacy stations! Our absolute favorite time of the day! Math is fun. Science and Social Studies, very informative….BUT literacy, reading, word work {ahhhh}…OUR FAVORITEs!

Now, before we proceed, I should probably tell you that I sneak as much literacy into EVERYTHING that we do throughout the day as possible! This post however, outlines how we conduct our specific literacy block of time. It begins around mid-day, just after lunch and runs until we leave for the end of the day.

We begin this time with a quick transition to the carpet that focuses on some phonemic awareness skill done orally.  After settling in at the carpet, we move through a mini-lesson that is focused on phonics, comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, or word usage. We use the concepts outlined in The Daily 5 in our classroom. For us, its more like the Daily 6 because we use our computers as part of the rotation, but still call it The Daily 5.



On a normal day, we visit 3 rounds of stations. We check in by sitting at the carpet quietly and waiting for the stylus to be passed from one friend to the next. Students conduct this activity independently as I’m already off and running with my small group at the teacher table. This chart has student numbers on it from the beginning of the year. We have since changed it to names. You can also see the names of each of the areas students have a choice of visiting. They check in and off they go…

Do I tell students which area to visit?  Nope! That’s the great part of it all. They get to have a say so in their learning by making the choice themselves. They get to be in control and decide how they will work on becoming a better reader, a more literate little being!

Do YOU like to be told what and how to do things all day lonnnng? Probably not.

Well, guess what…neither do your students! Ha! Choice is very important and besides, I control what they’re learning through the materials and activities that are prepared for them, so its ok to give them a little control. =)



While they are working independently throughout the room, I am at the teacher table (most days) working with a small group of students on comprehension and word attack skills. If you look closely, you’ll also notice that not all of the books are exactly the same. Initially, we begin the year with just guided reading groups…BUT as the year progresses and as students progress as readers, we move from just guided reading groups (where we’re learning how to read) to guided reading AND strategy groups (where we’re learning how to comprehend what we read).

Soooo, there are some weeks where our books are different, BUT the skill we’re focused on is the same. That way we get a bit of a mix to our groups and students aren’t so easily identified by their level of expertise.

What are my OTHER kids doing while I’m at the table? Wellll, I’m glad you asked!



As they go to stations, they have a choice of activities on each shelf. On each shelf is a choice of bins. In each bin is a supply bucket and  ‘I Can’ statement for them to read that provides a simple explanation of the activity underneath. (This also helps to keep our shelves looking neat and tidy. I HATE DESPISE LOATH CLUTTER!) Everything needed to complete the activity is in the bin to minimize movement in the room. Only 2 students are allowed to share any 1 activity.



Students work to review and practice previously taught skills that will help build literate little peeps! Stations help to extend skills over a length of time (that I determine) to gain a greater level of mastery. I do not change station materials each week. I change them as I notice students losing interest or having gained a great understanding of the concept they’re practicing. This allows for extended practice and a little less work for me. =)



There is generally a manipulative of some sort to organize, sort, or put together and a reflection sheet to record thinking, reflect on reading, or demonstrate understanding.  These little guys were used to practice understanding multiple meaning words.  Here’s a close-up!



Students are encouraged to do their best work by possibly having it used as a model for others.





We incorporate a little art that is connected to shared reading or writing.



….and do lots of word work!



Interactive writing is always connected to literature. We tackled this BIG guy in small group AND as part of our mini-lessons on comparing and contrasting in order to get it completed! It’s HUGE!

Each round of stations is timed for about 30 minutes. As I complete a small group, I leave the table or area where we’ve been working and rotate around the room to monitor students and join in for a little “chit chat” in order to provide some individualized attention.  In order to get students attention to change stations, a rain stick is turned quietly.

When they hear it, they know they have 2 minutes to clean up and move to the carpet for the next mini-lesson. Sometimes, we need gentle reminders…but most days, move pretty quickly because we want to get back to stations as soon as we can! Reading is fun!

Friends that have added a new poem to their poetry journal get to bring it to the carpet to read aloud to help build their fluency at this time as well, so you’d best believe they’re the first to get to the carpet as fast as they can!



Most importantly, we read to each other and work together to become better readers! After recess, we move from reading to writing. Writing is often a reflection on our unit of study in reading or a connection to a science or social studies topic.

AND that my friends is how we conduct our literacy block! …our absolute favorite time of the day! Whew! That was a mouthful! Thanks for sticking around!

You definitely deserve a treat! Click the pic below to grab the fab freebie we used to practice multiple meaning words {pictured above}! It’ll give you an idea of what our station activities are like. Hope your firsties like them as much as we did! Enjoy!

THROWBACK THURSDAY~What’s in YOUR book box?

Hi, Friends!  How are ya? It’s Thursday…time for another installment of Throwback Thursday! I absolutely bloggy *LOVE* Cara Caroll! She is the absolute sweetest! Her posts are always fun and completely crack me up!




I cracked open my copy of The Next Step in Guiding Reading yesterday and flew through the first chapter  with highlighter, sticky notes and pen in hand! I absolutely LOVE teaching reading and my literacy block is my FAVORITE time of day! It’s the kid’s favorite too! As I read the first chapter and saw how it aligns so wonderfully with The Daily Five, I thought back to how much easier stations became this past year after incorporating D5. Talk about….take a load off! Whew!




One of the concepts mentioned in Chapter One of the book was providing students with individual book boxes, sooooo I thought for this Throwback Thursday, I’d share with you what we kept in ours this past year.  It was a pretty popular post. I hope you find it helpful. 

It was originally posted October 2012.  Enjoy!

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As we’ve moved into week 7 of school, we’ve practiced and launched all of the components of Daily 5.  One thing my kids love the most about it…….??? Their book box! They carry those things around from spot to spot like their lives depend on it! 

Well, except for a couple that just leave it sitting any old where! Their book boxes just may come up missing! And then we’ll see how well they keep up with it! Ha!



Our little $1 boxes are holding up well and the kids are filling them with lots of goodies! They’ve become a real important piece to keep our day running smoothly.  They’ve also helped me to keep the copy cops at bay because we use them as part of our morning work routine too.  No more worksheets…..well, at least not as many.

Each morning when students come in, they put their personal belongings away.  Their Take Home folder goes into a bin.  They indicate their lunch choice for the day and then…..and then….and then? They grab their book box! It’s the first and last thing we use each day.

They get their book box and head to a “read to self” spot also known as the pieces of blue painter’s tape stuck around the room on the floor! It helps to spread them out, so no one is sitting too close to anyone that might break their stamina.  Works like a charm!



After finding a comfy, cozy spot each student reads a book or two (of their choice) from their book box.  Once they’ve finished reading, they each move to their desk to write about the book that they read.  This is done at their own pace, so some may be reading while others are just getting unpacked.  Some may be writing or completing a writing from the day before.  Everyone is busy becoming a better reader or writer.

Inside of each friend’s book box is a leveled reader, a decodable reader, a reader’s notebook, 3 “good fit books of their choosing and a folder.

On Friday afternoons, we swap the leveled reader for a new one for the following week and return the 3 “good fit” books back to the classroom library.  The decodable reader stays put for the entire 6 weeks because it contains many stories that follow the phonics patterns of our main story each week.  Can you imagine how much these repeated readings will help to build their fluency by year’s end? *LOVE*



On Monday mornings, students are allowed to visit the classroom library to “I-PICK”  3 new “good fit” books. 



Inside of each kiddos folder is their personal coaching sheet.  This sheet is a handy reference tool for “reading to someone”.  If a friend should get stuck on a word, they’ll have the strategies that we’ll be using during shared and guided reading to help each other read words.  Rather than simply tell the word, we want to help our friends to offer either coaching or time {to figure out the word}. 

Sooo, if you’d like to toss one into your student’s book boxes too, click the pic below to grab one!



I’d love to know…..What’s in YOUR book box?

 

Throwback Thursday…Linky Parrtay!!!

Hi, Friends! Just as I was thinking about maybe getting up off of the couch, the fab Cara Caroll posted an invite to a weekly linky! I just *LOVE* her and all of the wonderful ideas she shares! Soooo, instead of moving from my comfy spot, I grabbed the laptop to link up! Hopefully, you’re enjoying a lazy summer morning and will take a few minutes to link up too.

The idea for the linky is simple….grab one of your previous posts to share again! What’s old is new again! Bam! Done! Sweet, simple and a chance to possibly share something old with new friends.



This little post was originally shared on August 6, 2012. Hey, I can’t throwback too far, I’ve only been blogging just over a year, lol! Thanks for joining in the fun. It’s been the best year ever! I’m not quite sure how I taught BEFORE blogging after having the opportunity to collaborate with soooo many fantastic teachers around the globe! Enjoy……….again! =)

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Hi, Friends! I’ve been asked that question several times this summer as I’ve shared my excitement for implementing the Daily 5. We have an amazingly fun time in my classroom! I am really big on structure and routines. My absolute favorite time of day is literacy workstations and over the years, I’ve tweaked and tweaked and developed a system that has worked really well for us.  Teachers sometimes walk by and peak into the room just to see if we’re actually in there because the room is generally quiet (during our literacy block) with kids involved in meaningful work stations and literacy activities.

Our Math block is whole ‘nother story! Let me just say….manipulatives and firsties does not equal quiet! Hehehe!  Over and over I’ve been asked….what you have in place works so well, why change it?

AND here’s why. The answer for me is pretty simple. It’s because I have personally made a commitment to improve (continuously). I will never see anything in my classroom as perfect with no need of change. Every year, every class is different and I want my teaching and what is in place in my classroom to evolve, challenge, differentiate, and go deeper. I want it to be responsive to changes in research and to meet the rigor of what I know students will face as they continue on their individual journeys of life long learning.



I’ve used Debbie Diller{ish} stations for the past 3 years and they’ve worked wonderfully! What I will be doing this year, will not be entirely different, it will just be more focused on the 5 specific areas that students need most in order to become successful readers.  My biggest challenge has been wrapping my mind around allowing the students choice, BUT then I had two HUGE epiphanies!

1. I don’t want to be told how to teach all day long! I want to be told what to teach and left alone to create and implement instruction that will best benefit my students.  

2. When I taught Pre-K, I DID allow my students choice in their learning stations and trusted them to be responsible for their learning. Guess what? They chose and they were! AND some of them were only 3 years old! ANNNND many of them left my classroom as emergent readers!

Now, if I enjoy having choices as a teacher and if I can trust a 3 year old to choose a station, why did I think I had to TELL my firsties where to go AND what to do? {LIGHTBULB!}




So, I’ve put the stations chart away. I’ve put up our CAFE menu with Daily 5 choices and am going to build stamina as the year begins. We’ll move to choice when my students show me, through their actions, that they are ready.

{Deep breath……} NOW, if I get a group of “what THE what”, we’re going right back to that stations chart, lol!!!

For now, I’m letting go of some of the control and trusting that through modeling and practice (then some more modeling and some more practice), my students will rise to the occasion and be responsible for their learning. With our standards being setup in a workshop model, the Daily 5 will be PERFECT and fit beautifully! I’m excited about the changes in instruction this year will bring!


To that end, I’m prepping and getting the details of our room ready! What could make them even better? Sharing them with YOU, that’s what!

 My little bloggity blog is growing and slowly ticking towards 400 followers! What?!! You guys are fantastic! The feedback, conversations, and exchanges that I’ve shared with all of you is greatly appreciated and will undoubtedly help to make me a better teacher! Wasn’t that why we started blogging in the first place? It’s been great seeing so far out beyond the 4 walls of my classroom!

Soooooooooo, instead of a giveaway to celebrate, let’s start a frenzy! A FREEBIE frenzy!

Tune in every day this week for a freebie to get geared up for the new year! I’m not quite at 400 followers yet, so FB this little cutie, G+, Pin It, Tweet it…..share it ‘til your heart’s content! My goal is to reach 400 followers by Friday. With fab followers like YOU, I know it’s possible……THEN the race will be on….to 500! I’ll be calling in reinforcements for that one!  Anywhoooo, here’s your freebie for today!
 
Click the pic to grab them and I’ll see you tomorrow! Same bat channel, same bat time….with another fantastic freebie! Thanks for following!

 See ya soon, Raccoon!
  

If you're interested, the freebie is still available. Just click the pic the download and grab it! Now, hop over to Cara's to check out some of the other fantastic Throwback Thursday posts! You can click the linky pic to get there....See ya there!