How might teaching and encouraging student independence and providing meaningful literacy activities during my guided reading block impact the independent reading level of my first grade students?

Seminar Title

How might teaching and encouraging student independence and providing meaningful literacy activities during my guided reading block impact the independent reading level of my first grade students?

Meaningful literacy activities and student independence during the guided reading block

1st Grade

2nd Grade

Reading

Reading

“Mrs.Jones, (pseudonym) I don’t understand what I’m supposed to be doing?” Five minutes later...”Mrs. Jones, what center am I at again?” Do these questions sound familiar? Chances are if you’ve taught guided reading you, like me, have struggled with the concept of what should the rest of the class be working on during this time and how can I teach students to work independently so I can devote myself fully to the group in front of me? I am excited about my research and the results I’ve seen in my classroom this school year. If you are looking to engage in a discussion of how best to structure your one hour guided reading block, teach student independence and also ensure that the independent work being completed is meaningful and purposeful, this is the session for you!

Abstract How might teaching and encouraging student independence and providing meaningful literacy activities during my guided reading block impact the independent reading level of my first grade students? The questions guiding my research are as follows: How can I best structure my one hour small group literacy block? How can I provide meaningful and differentiated literacy tasks for students who are not working with me to work on independently? How can I teach what is expected so that students are able to work independently on these tasks without interrupting me, other students, or becoming off-task? Through my research, I have begun to gain insight into how I can best set up, plan for, and teach in preparation for this guided reading time to help ensure it is meaningful for all students. Four essential components began to emerge through my research for a successful small group literacy block. They include 1) best practice for the small group guided reading block 2) the need for a clear and predictable structure/rotation so students can easily navigate where to go next 3) clear expectations for students who are working independently or with a partner to prevent off-task behavior from occurring 4) and finally the work that students are doing independently needs to not only be purposeful and at their level of ability, but there needs to be some sense of accountability to it. Through my research I have learned how to plan for, introduce, model and review expectations for students to work independently at work stations during the guided reading block. The number of times I have had to stop working with my small group of students to provide assistance to students who should be working independently has decreased. Student independent reading levels have increased steadily and modeling work station expectations helped increase student independence and engagement in literacy activities.