Monday, September 12, 2011

We are 15 days in! Now what?

We are 15 days in! Now what? I am feeling this sense of urgency to get the climate of the classroom established during the first 30 days.  I am taking some time to evaluate where we have been and where we are going. After all, we are ½ way to the 30 day mark. The routine of the day is slowly coming along. The children are starting to predict what the next routine or procedure will be. The voices were sing songy today as we read the ABC chart and our class poem. This is comforting to me because I truly enjoy getting out of the way of students and watching them shine. As I assess our Readers Workshop, the children are building stamina daily in independent reading and beginning to use the early reading strategies we have discussed. Today they were so happy to get back into their book baskets. They are engaged and so proud of that accomplishment. The initial assessments are slowly winding up. I am beginning to think about guided reading groups and the routines that will need to take shape. This is a huge task we tackle every year. I know the importance of articulate language while teaching in order for these routines to be flawless and automatic for the students as they meet my expectations. But what about the expectations the students might have? This year, I am going to ask the children to give input regarding their expectations for reading and Readers Workshop. Novel thought for me! My hope is that early conversations and goal setting will create a collaborative urgency around our reading. If I invest in their personal expectations, I hope this will affect our collective literacy outcome.  

     So… what will these conversations sound like? Probably, “Now that you know the types activities we will be doing during Readers Workshop (I will have generally explained prior to training; Guided Reading, Independent Reading, Shared Reading, Literacy Centers) what might be some interesting activities you would want to do or try?”  I could ask, “Have you ever done an activity that you loved so much that you didn’t want to stop? What might be some activities or books you would love to explore? Can you think of some things that you would enjoy doing so much that you wouldn’t want to stop?”

So… knowing if I ask the opinion of the stakeholders…and I want to maintain credibility with the stakeholders…  I will need to prepare to following through with their marvelous suggestions and thoughts. Hmmm... this might get interesting.

5 comments:

  1. Can't wait to hear what they will say. It's a good idea to be collaborative & I wonder if they'll be even more invested in their tasks? I like reading about your 15 days. You've already done so much! And, like that idea of the stakeholders-so true!

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  2. It sounds like the first three weeks of school are going smoothly. Your kids are flourishing in the environment you've created for them. You've done so much to establish a community. I think you'll be satisfied once you hit that 30 day mark. :)
    SAS

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  3. You are growing with your students when you try something new--that's the fun part of it! You will share your ups and downs together. You will have that community. You're on a good path.

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  4. I love the line, "The voices were sing songy today . . " It is delightful to read your thoughts. I can feel your urgency and your love for teaching young children. Great title also!

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  5. Gosh I'm only 2 days in and wondering what I'll be thinking about after 30 days! You are correct about the urgency I feel about this precious foundation I'm trying to lay in these first few weeks.

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