My students are very inquisitive! They have a drive to grow and learn. They truly love being at school. They have the "Power of yet!" This means that they actively encourage each other and if they do not know something, instead of saying I cannot do it. They tell themselves and others that they simply cannot do it YET! It is amazing seeing students who have been identifies as struggling readers have such a desire to learn and not give up when something is difficult!
I have a special group of students in my 2nd grade class.
I have a "bridge class." This means that my 2nd graders have a reading level ranging from the beginning of kindergarten to the middle of 1st grade. My classroom is a general education classroom; however, we have a very strong emphasis on reading skills. Out of my 25 students I have 17 of them in tier 2 reading intervention.
My school is also a title 1 school. Due to the specific group of students I have in my room, I have a large percentage of students in my room who qualify for free and reduced lunch.
My Project
Due to the reading levels of my students, many of them have not yet mastered the ability to read in their mind. Many of them still have to hear the sounds as they break down a word to figure out what that word is. While I am in guided reading with my students, it can be very distracting when you hear students reading all around the classroom. The "whisper phones" will allow my students to read where they are developmentally, but not interrupt the important instruction going on in small group. My students also get distracted with multiple lines on a white board. When completing the word study portion of the lesson it is distracting when students see multiple lines of words on a white board. They have such a desire to learn that they want to fill up every line. The single line white boards will remove this distraction and assist with their focus on the task at hand. My small groups can also be up to 7 students large. This means we have minimal space at our small group table and need to be strategic with what materials are out at one time. These smaller white boards will help loss of instructional time that occurs when we need to move things around or remove items simply to fit the white boards on the table.
When they see their group on the board has been assigned to come to guided reading I often hear whispers of "Yes!" They tell me all the time that it is their favorite portion of the day!
My students' reading skills are identified as below grade level. With that said they absolutely love our guided reading time. They love getting a book that they actually can read and grow their reading skills.
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