RPI Day 5 - Planning a Reading Programme

 Manaiakalani kaupapa and shared pedagogy in the context of class sites. 

Fiona Grant spoke to us to remind us of the purpose of our site.

These are the basics... It's critical that they should be able to default to this.

This is an area that is really lacking in our learning space this year. Our site is not user-friendly in terms of navigation... It is heavily loaded with content.

Next year this needs to be improved from the get-go

We need to have consistency.

How organised is it?

How much is clutter that isn't necessarily accessed?

Ensure whanau understand the site and content navigation.

Reinforcing that this is independent or outside of 9-3 choices

Sharing the other blogs with the kids, not just teachers. In a similar fashion to Tuhi Mai, Tuhi Atu... kids could be connecting with kids all over the country. As many of our topics are based around topical events, The Arora Australis, NZSL week, Samoan language week etc, I'm sure other kura have been learning about these areas too. Why not consolidate their learning by creating dialogue with another learner?

Utilising a site as a stand-alone project, so that all content is curated into one place... perhaps we could do this for Matariki? If it's valued content, then it can be added to and developed over time. Teams can work together to develop "crowd-sourcing"

This could be potentially across clusters. I've downloaded Term calendars for the remainder of the year so that I can put them into the LTP for texts and start developing something. I'll bring this up at next week's Leaders of Learning Meeting too. I noticed that the Multi-text set database hadn't been added to in a while, so we need to start making these fabulous resources live and breathe to give them the prominence they deserve.

So much already around that can be harnessed and used... we need to create a "spread" to roll them out.

Overview of Planning a Reading Programme.

End to End - Monday to Friday, week to week, 

How do we tame the beast to make sure we are hitting all of these pieces?

This is an area that I'm really battling with at the moment, with being out of the classroom 2 days a week. It was fine, last year, when the person was following my planning... but this year it's been really demoralising to be planning a 5 day programme and either not being able to implement it, or finding the other person isn't implementing it either. It comes back to the assumptions that we make... I had assumed that they were being followed, however upon checking in with how they were finding the planning... it turns out they didn't understand the format, couldn't follow it (didn't actually realise it was there etc) and had been doing something completely different... none of which has been conveyed to me. It's week 5 of term 2! Hours of planning amounting to nothing. 

Am I making sure that my text selection is hitting variances? I've noticed that the texts I'm giving are heavily Non-fiction based... how can I include more fiction texts?

How can we protect what's important?

How can we set them up for success to be working independently? At the moment our learners are very reliant, but they have been made this way due to previous and current practice. While I appreciate that they are very passive and like a routine, they cannot develop independent learning habits without being given the opportunity to experience it.

Our literacy sessions are split across the day into individual tasks. I can't help but feel that if these were grouped together better, some of these tasks could be a part of the Taskboard to be completed independently, rather than in a whole class teaching 20-minute slot. If the task doesn't involve direct instruction from the teacher, then they could be independently undertaking it while the teacher is taking another group for instruction... optimising teacher time and effectiveness.

We want them to have opportunities to be in the Learning Pit, rather than doing everything for them. Are we enabling their learned helplessness and lack of resilience by maintaining the status quo?

How can we use a Mahi Tracker in class... to be more efficient?

Morew synergy between reading, writing, and BSU

This could all be more streamlined as a school.

Teacher Timetabling

Here's the "Rule of thumb":

Not necessarily with the teacher for all of that time, but completing literacy tasks.

Think about where they are.

How does our whole week look? When can we fit in other snippets of reading with students?

Keep in mind: If students are continuously late, then perhaps shift timetables so they don't always miss the same things. Also for students going out for things.

How might we ensure learners are engaging in robust engaging learning?

I want to know how to lock each line!

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Right click line... Protect range...change sharing settings so other people can view, but they can edit.

Learner Timetabling

Different approaches to Learner Timetabling that empowers learners such as selecting, sequencing and organising independent activities. 

The learners having their timetable so THEY know what they're doing at any given time. Resources are allocated.

Moving towards independence:

Less or more choice depending on how often you are seeing them.

Needs a check in/completion to ensure the students are being monitored and checked in.

Choice board has mileage activities etc.

Funnily enough, I agree with Angela Jones... we moved away from this around the time of joining Manaiakalani.

EXTREME END OF TIMETABLING... when learners can independently manage their learning.

This one tracks across curriculum:

Sites can look different, but they need to work for you and your learners. Build in the routine with the students and then they can do it fairly independently.

Independent activities including Digital Reading Apps: Getting ‘bang for buck’!

The "why" is more important than the "what"

Can create text sets. Engaging texts for kids.

Read to. option can be good for kids. Can be pushing assignments out to kids. Can incorporate with text sets.

I've never heard of ReadWorks!

Level 20+ starts to move into mini chapter books. Inbuilt Running Record capability.

I really like the look of Literacy Planet. It. reminds me of a digital Hilton Avery text, with follow-up questions.

The Intrepizine Worksheets are quite good for linking into a topic.

Read Like Writers: Write Like Readers:Part I -  Leveraging reading to write.

I have to say... I had been inter-weaving my reading and writing for a very long time. I can't even remember how many years, but it feels like always. It's been a weird feeling having these separated and I can't help the feeling of underutilized teacher time. I would love to teach these together again, rather than separately. I would love to have some input into the other strand of literacy.

This is WHY we are doing this!!!:

As the person from our school that delves into this data... I know that it is grim... but constantly feel that I have no vehicle to do anything about it. 

Challenge: How are we going to capitalise to improve our reading?

This opening paragraph leads to suspense, rich sensory vocabulary.

My paragraph:

"The Jetty was silent that late morning. The only sound was the birdlife in the bush. The boat was bobbing on the harbour. Soft salt spray enfolded old Jerry as he readied methodically for a sail.

Will it all fall into place?"

Including those tier 2 & 3 words in writing. The problem gets introduced early and captivates the audience. We can capture the essence of these passages and create more wow factor in students' writing.

Making solid connections between reading and writing. Hunt for those paragraphs in a text. These are the pieces we need to be using to model for our learners!

Inferring

Easy to model writing with "think-alouds", but we need to ensure we're doing it for reading too.

Reading Rockets Resourcing

Keys into Inference example

Key into Inference (Paid for) Highly recommended by Naomi. Ties in with Probe)

Question-Answer Relationships

Really strong links to Assessment success. Great to explore.

Need to ensure students get plenty of practice with inferences. Link to LTP.

Read Like Writers: Write Like Readers:Part II - Creating an exemplar poster.

"Writer's are Robbers"

If we're not providing really rich stimulus then how can we expect kids to deliver it? The status quo provides a disconnect that prevents us from leveraging our writing from our reading. By incorporating them together, then we can help tease out all of the features we want them to transfer.

Powerful learning opportunities to engage our learners:

Write an alternative ending... Change the character - how does this change the story?

If not using a school journal, then use the opening of a novel. 

Use a suspenseful statement to end the paragraph.

Pulling it all together

So what...

• How can we develop learner independence? The gradual release... This needs to happen! Something needs to give.
•  I will bring this up at our Leaders of Learning meeting next week.How can we do a better job of crowd-sourcing resources for specific topics that are being covered?
• Can we have an overarching tracking sheet across the curriculum, rather than all separate?
• What is the best way to "spread" this gold? To our middle hub?  - Our beginning teachers are in there so it would make sense to introduce to the whole team.
• I'd love to trial Literacy Planet! The texts are engaging for kids. The questions etc are great check in's. 
• There are quite a few snippets of changes I'd like to implement throughout this post. In order to enact any change, I first need to have the power to enact change.

Today has probably brought everything to the forefront, in terms of implementation (let alone implementing any change). Something needs to happen in our hub, as it's not feasible to continue with the status quo. A conversation needs to be had in our team around... well, everything. It's a difficult position to be in, where you have the declarative and functional knowledge to implement effective change... but no power to do anything. No voice over what happens in the learning space. It's also rather daunting, knowing it's a conversation that needs to be had, but a great deal of uncertainty about how it will play out. Attempts to address things up until now have not gone well. It's frustrating to be in this position and somewhat powerless to do anything about it because nobody has been willing to address it. In the words of one of my highly regarded former mentor/co-teachers Richard Breach, "Nothing changes if nothing changes". We are doing our learners a disservice and it is not good enough. What is the age-old adage to use as a benchmark for a teacher? - Would I want my child to experience this? I would not.