Chapter three discusses practice time vs. instructional time. I know that when we are doing guided reading we have students practice at their seats. I have laid awake at night wondering how to fit both in.
Later in Chapter three they say "if a principal is willing to cut almost everything else but math, it is possible to give a student 200-220 minutes of direct instruction". What do you think about that comment/idea?
I know that over the past 4-5 years there has been a big push to include much more Science and Social Studies. I have always seen the value in that but also know that when students get to 3rd, 4th and 5th grade, they cannot do the Science or Social Studies without the reading/literacy skills. Should we be just focusing on the literacy and math in k-1-2? We are all trying to integrate, but with the new Science and Social Studies curriculum's it is forcing us to do more workbook pages instead of just read alouds. What are you currently doing in your classroom? What would you do differently in a ideal world? What ideas do you have about this?
Thanks,
Vickie
** click on () comments at the bottom of this box to respond to my questions.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It does seem to go against what we have done in the past to completely cut Science and Social Studies, but as Debbie mentioned, we can still touch on these subjects through read alouds and even the books groups are reading. I had read an article recently (I'll have to find the source) that stated using Direct Instruction improved cognitive skills and also improved self-esteem in students. Aren't these also ideas we hope to instill in our students? By getting more "eyeball to eyeball" time with our students, it is likely they will succeed across the board.
ReplyDeleteMelanie, I agree...we are expecting kids to do well in all subject areas without the proper reading foundation to support them along the way. The book states that "85% or more of the curriculum comes from reading textbooks, whiteboards, worksheets, and computer screens...Students must read well to do well." I think that is so true and we have the power to make that happen for our studnets. That is exciting and not an easy task, but we do have power to effect change.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be a difficult decision to cut out SS. and Science but I can also see if students are reading below grade level when they are in the upper grades then it will be extremely difficult for them to read and absorb the content in other subjects. There's a part of me that would like to focus on just reading and math at grades K and 1 (maybe 2nd). Also it has been more difficult for me to integrate the new science and S.S. curriculum into the literacy block than it was before when I used more Big Books and read alouds that I already had.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Connie said. When we used to do a basal reader it was easier to fit in all of the Science and Social Studies in the literacy time, but with guided reading it is more difficult. Since there are standards for Science and Social Studies we would still need to cover them, but maybe a read aloud is all we need. I know that I many times felt that the Science and Social Studies topics ih firt grade were easily covered in conversation or a read aloud. Most students usually understood the concept before we taught it. For example day/night. That is something that all students knew yet we covered it every year. Another one that is big in first and second is the habitats. When you discuss those habitats or do read alouds, students usually get that pretty fast. I am not sure that it would ever be possible to "get rid" of those subject areas, but just spend less time on them and more time on reading/writing. Thats my opinion anyways.
ReplyDeleteIf we are allowed to work more with groups overlapping SS and Science as read alouds, we could do Science experiments and observations in the afternoon. My beliefs are that the major focus in the Primary grades should be on reading and writing. If SS and Science are covered through the read alouds and reading texts, necessary concepts can be achieved to not lose important ground for the upper grade tests. You state that the curriculum forces us to do more workbook pages. In Kindergarten the pages could be a bonus since the “meat” of the sheets aren’t deep. Discussions and texts cover these worksheets easier and with more comprehension of the concept. In the long run, I think SS and Science scores might fall at first but jump forward as important decoding and comprehension skills are gained.
ReplyDeleteI agree that our focus in K should be on Language Arts. We could utilize read alouds for some science and SS and we could have science and SS centers in the afternoon during our guided reading time. We should also take a good look at our science and SS content standards and I think you will find that we teach well beyond what is necessary in those subjects. If you really look at what is being asked of us in science/ss I think we will not have any trouble meeting the standards if we stick to only what the standard asks for.( remember what the lady told us at one of our fun get togethers at the board office"look at the verb."
ReplyDeleteI haven't had a chance to go too deep into The Second Step curriculum we are supposed to start this year but it seems like it would work as part of language arts if you count it as oral language, new vocabulary and if we incoporatesome writing into it, ( is second step mandated?)
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 16 I loved the quote "Before third grade, students learn to read. After third grade, students read to learn". This is so true and really backs up the importance of teaching EVERY child to read during Kindergarten, First and Second grades.
ReplyDelete