A Day in the Life The Three Approaches to Middle School Reading Instruction

The Three Approaches 1. Regular education classroom 1. Regular education classroom 2. Foundations of Learning 2. Foundations of Learning 3. Read Read 180

Reading Instruction in the Regular Education Classroom

Classroom Atmosphere Instruction was scaffolded, differentiated, and explicit as evidenced by teacher modeling, guided practice, and independent practice. Students were able to take risks (Reading aloud, participating in discussion) in an atmosphere of respect and motivation. Evidence of higher order thinking skills being exercised throughout lesson.

Lesson Components Nearly a third of the period was devoted to independent reading, with a few minutes allowed for writing in a reading response journal. The strategy being used was effective. “SQ3R” ( SURVEY- students skim text looking at headings, pictures, and captions, QUESTION - students reword all headings into questions, READ - students read text, RECITE - students recite answers to questions, and REVIEW - students review what they’ve read and learned. This strategy was whole group in the beginning, then broken into smaller groups to complete assignment.

Resources The classroom text was Houghton Mifflin Triumphs. This set of materials included many sets of beautiful leveled readers to accompany each unit, which in turn allowed for differentiation. A large collection of of other materials and textbooks to allow for teacher discretion and to reach many learning styles. A typical Reading class the size of approximately 25 students.

Foundations of Learning 1st level of intervention for struggling students. 1st level of intervention for struggling students. Qualifying students score below the 50th percentile on the MAP, have a Word Per Minute score of less than 125, and a Comprehension score of less than 75%. Qualifying students score below the 50th percentile on the MAP, have a Word Per Minute score of less than 125, and a Comprehension score of less than 75%.

Classroom Atmosphere Although students were expected to read independently the assigned text for most of the class, a relevant “priming” activity was supplied to get them started. Clear expectations and directions for what was expected, students knew what to do. One student was off task, but most seemed to accept expectations and followed classroom routines easily even though the teacher was in an adjoining room assessing individual students.

Lesson Components Assessment driven, as evidenced by frequent Qualitative Reading Inventories. Independent reading and written assignment. Teacher set the purpose for the day and the assignment. This was an assessment day - a time to formally assess students individually.

Resources The materials for this class had just arrived the day I visited, so had not been used. The teacher had pulled together her own resources. The students were reading Roald Dahl’s Witches and had writing journals. The room was a bit small and had no signs of any technology except a very old overhead.

Read 180 2nd (and lowest) level of intervention for struggling readers. 2nd (and lowest) level of intervention for struggling readers. Scholastic program that utilizes a combination of technology, whole group and small group instruction, and independent reading. Scholastic program that utilizes a combination of technology, whole group and small group instruction, and independent reading. Highly scripted Highly scripted

Whole Group - 20 minutes Teacher begins with Read Aloud Teacher led discussion Students are to respond to Read Aloud and discussion with two sentences in journal Students share their responses

Small Group - 20 minutes Teacher led Skill based ~2 students per group (no more than 5) Quality of lesson relies on quality of teacher

Computer - 20 minutes Three main options, “Word Zone,” “Reading Zone,” and “Spelling Zone.” The Word Zone refers to vocabulary building, and allows puzzles and games to build vocabulary. The Spelling Zone is just that, a place to practice spelling words in isolation. The Reading Zone allows the student to listen to text and to practice reading the text in a built in microphone. Students are free to move from one category to the next freely.

Independent Reading - 20 minutes Students are to read an assigned book for about 15 minutes. At end of reading they are expected to “make a connection” with what they’ve read. Reading assignments are based on MAP scores where a reading lexile level can be approximated. At the end of each book students complete several worksheets and must pass a quiz with a score of 8 out of 10 correct to move to a new book. Once four books have been completed, the student may choose to listen to an audiotape of a book.

In the End… Although I have described what I saw in the Middle School in terms of the reading program, it is important to remember that I saw only one day. I do feel that when I walked out at the end of the day I had a a very good idea of the width and depth of the Reading instruction in that school. However, in the regular education classroom particularly, I really got only a small snapshot of the curriculum that will be covered over the course of a school year. Although I have described what I saw in the Middle School in terms of the reading program, it is important to remember that I saw only one day. I do feel that when I walked out at the end of the day I had a a very good idea of the width and depth of the Reading instruction in that school. However, in the regular education classroom particularly, I really got only a small snapshot of the curriculum that will be covered over the course of a school year.