Certified Elementary Teachers Please Take a Look and Possibly Give Advice?

Question

I'm reposting to see if more teachers are online currently! Thanks!

This will be my second year teaching. Last year, I had to follow my team's plan for reading and writing which was very effective not as much of a workshop as I prefer. I am finding that I am overwhelmed with trying to consider all concepts in my planning and am now looking for a good model to follow that I can then adapt. I thought I'd see if any teachers out there had a good resource for a sample format for organizing instructional time in reading and writing that I could take and adapt to meet the needs of my students. Thanks so much!

Additional Details

I should mention that I have a strong background in reading. I have an endorsement on my license allowing me to teach reading K-12 while my primary certification is only K-3. I already do guided reading and work through the writing process with my students but I am looking to see how other teachers in other districts structure their reading and writing time.

How do you cover major concepts/skills of writing while students work through the process on projects at their own rate. Is everyone working on the same project? Are students writing in genres of their own choice? Secondly, how often do you meet with writers and readers and in what formats (conferences, guided reading, literature circles etc.) Does that clarify at all? :/ I guess it is harder to articulate this online that I had anticipated! Thanks for your patience and willingness to help a fellow teacher!

Also, I love the book Guiding Readers and Writers (We jokingly call it the Bible at school) but know that there has been a shift recently away from such strong teacher support--i.e. Reducing or eliminating formal guided reading and working more in whole group, readers’ conferences, literature circles etc. Any thoughts?

Bottom line--I love teaching and want to do use best practice but I spend all evenings and weekends at school and HAVE to find an easier way!

Answer 1

My school's general education Language Arts curriculum is Balanced Literacy... guided reading, writer workshop, etc.

I am the special education Resource Room teacher, so I actually do a completely different program involving research-based approaches for SLD/SLI and other learning differences.

However, I am very familiar, of course, with how the regular ed programming works.

Here are a couple of sites that may help you:

http://www.mandygregory.com/Guided%20Reading2.htm

http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/ela/planning01.html

http://www.funlessonplans.com/reading_lesson_plans/literature_circles_lesson_plans.htm


Hope these help!

Answer 2

Integrated curriculum is helpful. This is where you teach reading or writing skills as a part of another lesson.

For example, you might be doing a social studies project on prime ministers (or presidents if you are American), and as a part of this, you might have them write a letter in character. During this social studies activity, you can be teaching the students the different styles of letter writing.

I wasn't sure what grade level you were specifically referring to, but integration helps to reduce the overall load for a teacher, but it takes extra preparation in the beginning to decide when and where the curriculum crosses over. A great book on this is "The Arts as Meaning Makers".
Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I am certified in the state of Florida, USA. Our "Bible" is our state standards test, as our schools are labeled as A, B, C, D and F schools, and we must have our students pass the test in order to fare well to the community. We also pander (poor choice of words, but true) to the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND levels of adequate year progress. Thus, we teach the standards that allow us to look good, unfortunately. Reading is looked at in terms of being able to interpret main idea, cause and effect, inference, details, and other reading skills. We are an inclusion state, meaning ALL kids are in the same classes, no matter WHAT their handicap, giftedness, etc. This presents a great challenge!!!! At the beginning of the year, I use our diagnostic tests, (and the previous years' test scores) to group kids for skill needs. Not the old time reading groups, but for skill needs only. Even in Fifth Grade some kids still need phonic instruction. Three days a week, I pull small groups to the back of the room to work on whatever that group of children need at the time. This is done during our district mandated Silent Sustained Reading time. We still have whole group reading instruction as well. This might be an emphasis on something from our Reading manual or a Science /Social Studies lesson. Writing is taught as integrated with Reading with an emphasis on expository and narrative for the 5th grade. We spend 2 hours on Reading instruction and 2 hours on Math. Science and Social Studies often get short changed unless done in integrated fashion. As far as working alot outside the classroom, I hate to say this.. but I have been teaching 20 years, and well, welcome to the field!!! You will spend a God awful amount of time on your career "off of the clock" and you will spend alot of your own money on your students , too. Yes, it becomes easier, as you make files, and other things to use from year to year. However, testing, teaching methods and technology changes from year to year, and you must adapt, as they keep reinventing the wheel to help Johnny and Jane learn. Welcome to the profession...

Answer 4

I am not a teacher yet, but I liked the other person's idea about taking another subject and involving it. For example: if you are in science reading about animals, make it part of the reading lesson and have them write about it. Example: have them look at the bullet points in the lesson and the paragraphs to learn fragments vs sentences. Then have them write a paragraph about their favorite animal using complete sentences with descriptions and classify it into mammals, reptiles, etc. It is also important that they have an independent reading time to choose a book outside of the regular lesson.

Answer 5

I am not a teacher (although I took the courses and even passed my state tests before changing my mind) But I thought you might find some of the web sites below helpful.

http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/

http://www.proteacher.com/

http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/busyt/ele.shtml

http://www.teach-nology.com/