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 Self-Selected Reading includes (and usually begins with) a teacher read-aloud. The teacher reads to the children from a wide range of literature. Next, children read "on their own level" from a variety of books the teacher has gathered together and keeps on a bookshelf or (more popularly) in crates or buckets. The teacher selects books for the classroom library on themes they are studying, easy and hard library books, old favorites, new easy predictable books, etc. While the children read, the teacher conferences with and takes anecdotal records on several children each day." The block usually ends with one or two children sharing their book with the class in a "reader's chair" format. |
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The Writing block is carried out in "writer’s workshop" fashion. It begins with a mini-lesson (10 minutes.) The teacher sits at the overhead projector or with a large piece of chart paper. They write and model all the things writers do (although not all on any one day). While writing, the teacher models looking at the word wall for a troublesome word which is there as well as inventing the spelling of a few big words. The teacher also makes a few mistakes relating to the items currently on the editor's checklist. When the piece is finished, the children help the teacher edit the piece for the items on the checklist. Next the children go to their own writing. The children are at all different stages of the writing process -- finishing a story, starting a new story, editing, illustrating, etc. While the children write, the teacher conferences with individuals who are getting ready to publish a selection from the three to five pieces from which they have to choose. This piece is edited with the teacher's help and the child will copy the final published version (which may include illustrations). This block ends with "author's chair" in which several students each day share work in progress or their published piece.
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In the Working with Words block, children learn to read and spell high-frequency words and learn the patterns which allow them to decode and spell lots of words. The first ten minutes of this block are usually given to reviewing the word wall words. The word wall is a display of high frequency words above or below an alphabet. The words are written with thick black marker on colored construction paper and are located by first letter only. The teacher adds 5 words a week. Students practice new and old words daily by looking at them, saying them, clapping or snapping the letters, writing the words on paper, and self-correcting the words with the teacher. The remaining 20-25 minutes of words time is given to an activity which helps children learn spelling patterns. A variety of activities are included in this block each day. The most popular of which is Making Words. Word wall is practiced every day but the second activity varies. In addition to Making Words, this second activity could be Rounding up the Rhymes, Guess the Covered Word, Using Words you Know, Reading/Writing Rhymes or another activity through which children learn how to use patterns to decode and spell hundreds of words.
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