1st Grade is Up and Running

I just wanted to share about my reading coaching experience with 1st grade teachers at one of my schools.  This was my "break through" group.  They DID NOT want to give up their beloved basal story all week with test on Friday or their one spelling list for the whole class.  But, bless their hearts, one day they came into my room and said, "Ok, we're ready...we want to just jump right in."  They even had me ask if I could spend an entire week helping them get started (rather than just my usual 3 day week there, 2 days at my other school).  I think their exact words were, "We are little birdies leaving the nest and we need you here for a week before we can fly on our own."  Love them!

Sooo, we spent lots of time sitting and just talking, looking at their student data, forming groups, making up plans, discussing centers and center charts, arrangement of the room, purchasing book boxes for the students, creating a schedule, going with them and supporting them as they asked the principal for a schedule change to accommodate the reading block we set up together, etc.  Then, I spent a whole week with them....two hour reading block in one room and a two hour reading block in the other room.  Basically, I was the first grade teacher for an entire week in two classrooms.  They co-taught with me and observed.  We made a pretty awesome team I think!

It was an extremely busy week for me (previous post!) that week, but the rewards were worth it.  They are doing awesome on their own!

They asked if they could store their basals in my room.   Of course, some of the stories can be used for some groups, but this is a 100% change from before!  :-)

Story map 

I did a minilesson on choosing "good fit" books using the I-PICK acronym and also did a lesson another day on retelling using the "Somebody, Wanted, But, So" format

Retelling minilesson whole group using the story The Pig's Picnic

One group's word sort

Individual book boxes with books that match student's levels for their independent reading rotation of guided reading

A response activity in a listening center

an activity in reading group 

working on some sight words and tracking

Letter and Poetry book

More teachers are checking out books!!