Goals/Benefits Time/Structure Sample Lessons Routines Texts Assessment

Facilitator Notes

The Routines Section is divided into parts, with one or more questions under each part and videotaped responses from teachers to each question.  Examples of anchor charts used to teach routines are linked to the responses.  Classroom in Action clips show how overall guidelines and stamina are reinforced in the mini-lesson, and teachers’ routines for transitions in and out of Independent Reading in a smooth, productive, and quick way.    A transcript of each clip is also included to facilitate discussion.

We suggest viewing all the clips under one question, with teachers taking notes while they view, and then discussing the clips (with partners, small or large groups) before moving to the next question.

See also Suggested Reading for information you may want to provide for discussion during the Session, or as follow-up after.

 

 

 

 

 

OVERALL GUIDELINES

What overall guidelines do you establish for Independent Reading? 

 

This part of the Section explores ways to establish clear expectations for students during Independent Reading.

 

PREPARATION:

  • You may want to show or download the different anchor charts for IR that each teacher in the videos uses.
  • If Independent Reading is well established in some classrooms in your school, you might ask teachers to bring some of their anchor charts to display during the discussion of routines.
  • See Engagement Inventory adapted from Jennifer Serravallo at SC Department of Education website: https://ed.sc.gov/scdoe/assets/File/instruction/early-learning-literacy/engagement%20inventory.pdf. (See AFTER VIEWING below).

 

DURING VIEWING:  Guiding Questions:

  • How can we help children understand and implement what it means to be an engaged reader?
  • What tips for establishing overall IR guidelines were most helpful to you from the teachers’ commentaries?
  • What were your take-aways from the Classroom in Action clip?

 

AFTER VIEWING:

  • Discuss participants’ responses to the Guiding Questions.
  • Why do all the teachers co-create the anchor charts with the students instead of using prefabricated charts?
    • They include the children in developing the charts to encourage ownership, community, and real understanding of the ideas listed.
    • They use the children’s language, providing additional ownership and understanding.
    • They can develop the charts over time, adding bullets as needed.
  • What other common themes were expressed in all the teachers’ comments?
    • They begin teaching the procedures and creating the overall guidelines at the very beginning of the school year.
    • They review and refer to the charts regularly.
    • They are very explicit about their expectations.
    • They emphasize why the guidelines are important. They are not just rules imposed; they are important to allow the children to be successful during IR.
  • Share other tips from the participants about establishing procedures for IR.
  • Compare the anchor charts created in each classroom on the website. What commonalities do you see?  Discuss with partners or small groups ideas you might incorporate in your own classroom anchor charts.
  • Discuss use of the Engagement Inventory as a tool for monitoring student engagement. How does Ms. DuBose’s process of using the Engaged Reader Anchor Chart assist students in meeting engagement goals?

 

 

BUILDING STAMINA and READING PLACES

How do you help children build reading stamina?

How do you establish where children can read during IR?

 

For each of these parts of the Routines Section, the three teachers offer slightly different anchor charts or approaches to accomplish the same goal.

 

DURING VIEWING:  Teachers could take notes on the approach taken by each teacher.

 

AFTER VIEWING:

  • Discuss the different approaches, and the teacher’s reasons for her approach.
  • With partners or in small groups, discuss how participants might incorporate any of these ideas into their own practices.

 

 

TRANSITIONS

What routines do you use for transitions to and from IR?

 

This part of the section shows Classroom in Action clips of the routines Ms. DuBose uses to move into and out of the reading segment of IR in Kindergarten, and Ms. Long’s second grade recorded rap for moving to IR.

 

DURING VIEWING:

Teachers note their questions and insights from the Classroom in Action Clips and Commentaries.

 

AFTER VIEWING:

  • Discuss participants’ questions and insights.
  • Ask participants to share other successful procedures for transitions that save time, engage children, and promote other goals, such as reading practice (the Clean Up Song) or responsibility and community.
  • Discuss any changes in procedures to transitions that participants want to try in their own classrooms.

 

 

 

 

PARTNER PROCEDURES

How do you teach children to share their IR with a partner?

 

PREPARATION:  You may want to download the Partner Anchor Charts and Buddy Sharing Anchor Chart for teachers to have visible for the discussion.

 

BEFORE VIEWING: If teachers are not familiar with partner sharing, you may want to view or revisit the Partner Sharing and Reading 2 Lesson Clip from Focus on Fluency.  Discuss:  Why is partner sharing beneficial as part of IR?

  • Talking about what we read helps us to remember it, motivates us to want to read, exposes us to other reading material we might want to explore, and helps us to deepen our understanding of our reading. Gambrell includes talking about reading (Collaboration) as one of the four main criteria for success for IR.  (See GOALS, Success Criteria, Researcher Commentary by Linda Gambrell.)
  • Partner sharing also gives teachers another window through which to assess what children have gained during IR. As they circulate, listen, and confer, teachers gain additional insights that are useful for future mini-lessons and conferences.

 

DURING VIEWING:

Teachers note their questions and insights from the Commentaries.

 

AFTER VIEWING:

  • Discuss participants’ questions and insights.
  • Share other successful procedures for partner sharing.
  • Discuss any changes in procedures for partner sharing that participants want to try in their own classrooms.