[MOSAIC] Question: How do you squeeze it all in?

[Linda DeGreen]

I'm also teaching grade 2 after teaching 4th for many years. We're in  
our 6th week and I feel finally getting into true independent reading.  
I do just as you're thinking, I do my gR groups while the rest of the  
students are engaged in reading (no centers). They're either reading or  
responding in their reading response notebooks (1x weekly). I still get  
in some conferencing between GR groups while I peruse the room-I find  
that is key for keeping these younger ones on task! Keep checking in on  
how they're doing. I try to get in about 2 share times a week after  
reading so students can do book talks. I can't do it daily.
Linda/2/OH
On Sunday, October 8, 2006, at 10:42 PM, Will and Beckie Spears wrote:

> I am teaching second grade for the first time, but I have used  
> reader's and
> writer's workshop for many years with upper grades kids.  Over the  
> summer, I
> read as much as possible about the RW approach to primary grades and  
> learned
> what it should look like.
>
> My district, however, mandates that every k-2 teacher would teach  
> guided
> reading groups (with leveled books) each day for 90+ minutes (meeting  
> with
> groups for around 30 minutes).  The district wants us to use literacy
> stations as the work students do when not in GR groups.  I've got the  
> guided
> reading piece in practice, but I'm not yet sold on the effectiveness  
> of the
> literacy stations (which seem labor intensive).  I have been focusing
> heavily on teaching comprehension strategies explicitly in shared  
> reading
> and read alouds, and I've been linking them to our work in GR groups.
> However, I know that the most essential piece of a reader's workshop -
> independent reading practice - is missing from my day.  It doesn't  
> feel like
> reader's workshop!
>
> I've been toying with the idea of beginning our literacy block with a
> reader's workshop mini-lesson.  While I work with GR groups, students  
> can
> then practice the strategies and their independent reading from their  
> own
> self-selected just right books in their individual book bins.  Then,  
> at the
> end of GR time, I'd regroup everyone for sharing and reflecting on  
> their
> independent reading.  That way, we can all speak the same language and  
> get
> time to practice in a workshop format.  It may be asking too much of  
> the
> second grade brain, and I realize that by doing it this way, I would
> completely eliminate the opportunity for conferencing (which is what I  
> found
> so effective in reader's workshop with upper grade kids in the first
> place!).
>
> I'd like to hear from others with similar situations.  If you are  
> mandated
> to do guided reading groups, and are finding a way to also include a
> reader's workshop, please let me know.   I know it can be done.   
> Thanks!
>
> Beckie
>
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