Photo credit: Header Image for Aviva’s Blog.
A reflective post by a grade five teacher from Ontario about inquiry in her classroom. A quick but inspiring read: http://adunsiger.com/2014/02/28/slowing-down/
Do you have any tips on how you fit inquiry into your busy classrooms? Please share!
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Letters from our Colleagues
Colleague Letter #5:
I have been inquiring about the following question:
How can we effectively teach reading strategies so that students will utilize them to improve their self-regulation and joy of reading?
Here is something I have tried that other teachers might find interesting and/or helpful.
At the beginning of this project, I asked myself what I could do in my French immersion classroom to improve my grade three students’ reading skills. At that time, I found the Daily 5 method (Les cinq au quotidien by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser from Modulo) and ( Lecteurs engagés cerveaux branchés by Adrienne Gear from Duval). Those books were very helpful in improving my practice and helping my students understand the process of reading. In retrospect, I can say that it was a revelation. I introduced the Daily 5 method slowly and gradually. At the beginning, I taught my students how to choose a book according to their reading level. In order to do that, I demonstrated what to do by using an analogy: I explained that choosing the right book is similar to choosing the right pair of shoes. Shoes need to fit your feet like a book need to match your reading level. I asked one student to put my shoes on and verify that they fit. Of course, they were too big. So, I compared that to choosing a book that is too hard for yourself. After, I ask the same student to try a baby shoe. Of course, it was too small. So, we compared that to a book that is too easy. My goal was for students to gain knowledge of their reading level. We also went over all the self-regulation aspects a good reader use to be successful and we practiced a lot of self-regulation behaviors.
In the Daily Five, we have five components:
The students have to complete all five components during the allowed time. During this time, I have interviewed students one by one. This way, I could make them read to me and use the Method Café. We collaborated to fix goals to reach and by doing that, the students became more aware of what they can achieve and what they need to do to improve their reading skills. For once, I was not the one who decided! The control was in their little hands. It was very powerful and amazing to observe. We always tell them what to do but I realized that it is way more powerful when it comes from them. They can be very surprising.
In a small amount of time, I was able to see a big change in my students’ attitude towards reading. I observed the growth in their joy of reading and it blossomed week after week. My students were asking daily if we were doing the Daily 5. They loved to read with a partner and they learned how to do it. They also developed ways to help each other. As a teacher, we sometimes assume that they know how to read with a partner but they do not. So, I taught them the strategies of reading with a partner. They were thrilled to learn and I am happy to say that they are now able to identify in their own words the reading strategies they should use in order to read a book.
After doing this reading project, I realized that in the past I had too much control over my students’ reading process. Those methods allowed me to give them back their power as a reader. Amazingly, one of my students said to me that she feels more confident and successful as a reader. She said that now, when she reads, it is like watching TV. The pictures are now showing in her mind. Also, by focusing on one student specifically, I helped, without knowing, many of my students. My miracle with this project is a little girl who was struggling with reading. She was reading at level 5 and hardly decoding words. Last month, she asked me if she could read me a book. I listened to her and she read me a level 16 book with expression, fluency and even comprehension. I was blown away. Putting this method all together was a lot of work, but I can affirm it was worth it! Now, I feel much more helpful as a teacher.
Colleague Letter #6:
I’ve been inquiring into the following question:
What will happen if I increase the number of positive interactions and the amount of time I spend with B ?
Here’s something I’ve tried that other teachers might find interesting/helpful.
Instead of using the SEAS to work with B I changed my practices and routines so I became the person who delivered his program.
I have the best expertise so I felt I should be the person working with him. I also felt my relationship with B was not developed well enough because my SEAS spent more time with him. My relationship with B is vital. I now feel we have a close relationship, I understand him and he understands me.
In order to make this change possible I trained my SEAS to do my job. I selected four activities that could be delivered by an SEA: gratitude journals, calendar time, word work review and journals. I worked with the SEAS side by side during the training and gradually released the control to the SEA. I also released the power to the SEA in front of my students so they knew that Mrs.___ was the boss while I worked in the back of the class.
Approaches that have worked for B :
Language experience sentences and later building to a paragraph which described something he dictated.
He dictated, I wrote. He tracked the words with a fancy pointer reading together with the teacher and then on his own. I cut the sentence into phrases, he reassembled it and read it. I cut the phrases into words he reassembled the whole sentence and read it. The pieces went home to practice that evening. I now do multiple sentences with him. We use his language for the sentences his expressive language is becoming richer. He helps me spell the words while I write.
I also read with B using the SMART approach focusing on (connecting, predicting, inferring, questioning and imaging). We also work on what he needs to do while he is reading: tracking, using picture clues, skipping unknown words and rereading the whole sentence, rereading confusing parts, using phonics for three and four letter words, and developing a sight word vocabulary.
Colleague Letter #7:
I’ve been inquiring into the following question: What does my student find funny or interesting and how can I tap into this to help engage her?
In seeking out an answer to my inquiry question which was to find things that would motivate my grade two student to read, I had the opportunity to sign her up for a program at the local library. This was a six week program where she would be able to read to a therapy dog once per week. She was thrilled to be able to do this as she really enjoys connecting with animals. In my discussions with her about how she felt being able to participate in the program, she said she was very happy to be able to read to the dog because it “did not correct her.” This got me to thinking about how I could tap into this kind of engagement and enjoyment at school without adding more to my already full plate. We decided to get a class pet in the form of a fish, with my intention of having them be able to read to the fish. Every morning as the students are exchanging their home reading books and return back to the classroom we have a quiet reading time. This is where the students have the opportunity to pull out their book bags and read several books that are at their “just right” level. A lot of my students are not provided with an opportunity to read outside school so I feel that this is a nice relaxing start to the morning. I introduced the idea of reading to the fish with all my students. This really excited my case study student and at first she was very enthusiastic to have a chance to read her “just right” books to the fish. As the term progressed we have found other venues for her to read to others, which has also kept her engaged. What I also found as the months have progressed from January to April is that a group of my grade two boys who have been reluctant or struggling readers have really taken on the opportunity to sit with the fish each morning and read their book to him. I have also used the fish as a writing topic. I have found this to be one of the best pieces of writing that my students have done this far. It was meaningful and connected to their interests. I have continued to use the fish for several other activities in reading, writing and social responsibility. Overall it has been a very good opportunity to introduce a low maintenance classroom pet to help motivate my students in many ways. I will continue to do this each year as it has proved to be a very good motivator for students who I had not really thought of when I started this case study.
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Letters from our Colleagues
Colleague Letter #3:
I’ve been inquiring into the following question:
If we explicitly teach the concept of learning as a journey, in what ways does this increase students’ confidence and engagement during the reading process? And in what ways does this lower anxiety for our most vulnerable and anxious readers?
Here’s something I’ve tried that other teachers might find interesting/helpful.
One whole class strategy that we used was “Learning Journeys” from the book Learning in Safe Schools by Brownlie & King. We brought a grade 3 class and a grade1/2 classes together and the three adults (2 classroom teachers and 1 support teacher) created large personal learning journeys in front of the students. We compared common and differing milestones, and at what ages we reached them. It was fascinating for the children to see the diverse learning journeys each of us had taken thus far in our lives. Our next step was to have the children create their own learning journeys. We then explored “Reading Journeys” – we read several books about adults learning to read and about a boy learning to write his name.
We focused on our learning journeys beginning with our personal timelines (modeled by the teachers first). The students brought in information from each year of their lives; they found things they had in common (been to Disneyland, lost tooth, etc) and things that were unique to each of them. This instilled a sense of pride in, and bonding among the children.
We then started focusing on personal reading journeys. We read stories of adults/children learning to read, and emphasized that we learn at different times, and together realized that’s okay. The students were very open and encouraging about everyone starting at different levels as long as they are learning and growing; they established an understanding and acceptance among each other and realized that all of us (in our class) are at different levels (not just in reading). We had a great conversation around this and there was a sense of support for each other. I could sense that anxiety among our lower readers, including our case study child, was somewhat alleviated. The term ‘learning journeys’ became an important and well-used part of our vocabulary in our class; the students often using the term on their own initiative.
We found that these activities about “Learning Journeys” resonated with the children, and the ideas wove their way into daily interactions in the classroom.
The relationships I built as a support teacher with the classroom teachers was noticeable, for example, we went on to become the Key People on staff to promote the goals of our Enhancement Agreement and we became part of our school’s Professional Growth Council. I developed relationships with the students in the two classrooms that made a difference in the hallways, the office and the playground.
This unique opportunity I was afforded made me realize just how important collaboration and co-teaching can be to a positive learning community.
Colleague Letter #4:
I’ve been inquiring into the following question:
If the classroom teacher and learning assistance teacher increase collaboration and co-teaching, how will those efforts impact the development of reading skills for one struggling reader?
Here’s something I’ve tried that other teachers might find interesting/helpful.
When I reflected on the needs of my focus student, I recognized that she was not only a struggling reader, but also had significant difficulty regulating her emotions and attending to instruction. It seemed important to set aside time each morning to help this child settle into her day and to work with her in a small-group setting. I considered it critical to provide her with more intensive, individualized instruction.
During our CR4YR meetings, I was able to discuss considerations for this approach with my school’s learning assistance teacher and with project facilitators. Given the complex needs in my classroom, I wasn’t sure how I would be able to adjust my schedule to make such an approach functional for all my students. The learning assistance teacher and I decided to present our staff committee with a request to adjust learning assistance support times. Ideally, our collaborative efforts would allow the learning assistance teacher to spend additional time working with other “at-risk” students in my classroom. Her support, in turn, would allow me to increase specialized instruction for my focus student and for other struggling readers. Our staff committee considered the request and agreed that it made sense to allot more learning assistance time during second term to support this inquiry.
As a result, I was able to use the Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention program to work with my focus student in a guided reading group. The LLI lessons were tailored to meet the specific needs of the readers in my group, and I found that the lessons were highly engaging for my focus student. Even if she had struggled to settle into the morning routine, she was always eager to participate in our LLI lessons. Indeed, her mood would often shift considerably when she realized that it was her “time to work with the teacher in that little group.” I noticed that she was transferring the language and strategies used in LLI lessons to her reading and writing during other parts of the day. I also felt that the small-group format allowed this child to feel “heard” and “seen” to a much greater extent than she had before. She started to develop a more meaningful connection with her own learning, and ultimately began to refer to herself as someone who was “getting to be a pretty good reader.”
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Colleague Letter #1:
I’ve been inquiring into the following question:
If we intentionally provide on-going and frequent descriptive feedback in which ways will this increase each child’s belief in themselves as a learner?
Here’s something I’ve tried that other teachers might find interesting/helpful.
One of the main strategies that I have now embraced into my practice is inviting more time for children taking control of their learning. I have always given my students feedback, both constructive and positive, but now through this project I have taken the time to allow more peer-to-peer feedback. This has been the most successful strategy that I have engrained into my reading program. The children love hearing and giving feedback to their peers. It is meaningful to them, and it has erased the need to compete, thus erasing anxiety around their learning journey. They can now recognize that everyone is growing and improving in their journey as a reader.
Each lesson, I have children cognitively be aware of their reading goal that they are going to work on for that day. This may be reading with expression, fluency, pausing at periods, anything that they feel a good reader looks like and sounds like. Again the power is in their hands to choose. Once they have had a one-to-two minute think/brainstorm, I turn on the music, and they have a “Popcorn Party”. This is a time for them to mill around the room and share their reading goal and what they feel they are doing well as a reader to their peers. We do this 3/4X.
Then they do the “triple L” (link, listen, learn). They find a partner, this can be anyone, does not have to be their friend or a person that has the same ability, and they link (partner) up. They then find a place to quietly read to each other (each peer has their own “just right” book). One partner listens, while the other partner shares their goal that they are going to work on and then reads. The job of the listener is to hear what the reader does well and how they are doing for their goal they are working on. After the book is finished the listener shares 2 stars and a wish with the reader. (I.e.: “I think that you are a great reader and read with expression. One thing you can work on is reading a little more slowly”.) Then they switch roles.
This strategy has been very empowering and motivating for the children. It is amazing hearing all of the constructive feedback that is given to each of them. It is far more amazing to see the children taking the time to digest the feedback given, and improve their reading based on this feedback. Watching the children take control and responsibility for their learning, for me, is true success as a teacher. It truly opens the door to meaningful, powerful, engaged learning.
Colleague Letter #2:
We’ve been inquiring into the following question:
What happens if I focus on meaning first every time I read with a student? How do literature circles impact the meaning students make from text by affecting their engagement with text?
Here’s something I’ve tried that other teachers might find interesting/helpful.
Working with Changing Results for Young Readers has provided an invaluable opportunity to connect with colleagues, discuss ideas and share strategies that have directly impacted my teaching in the classroom. Throughout the year I chose to focus on making meaning from text and using meaning to correct miscues as the primary strategy. I was focused on one reader in particular and noticed that this strategy had a significant impact on her reading fluency and comprehension. Better yet, she now feels proud of her reading and is happy to read books.
To continue along this line I wanted to investigate how literature circles can be used to deepen the understanding students make from text through connecting, questioning and inferring. I was also interested in whether or not student engagement would be affected. We found that the students were highly motivated to read books that they had chosen and were demonstrating good comprehension through the thoughtful connections they were making and questions they were asking. The following is an outline of the way literature circles were introduced in the classroom.
Literature circles – At the primary level an important aspect of literature circles is taking time to set up the process so that the students will be able to do it independently. Students need to understand what it will look like. This begins with whole class modeling.
Lesson one – A story is read to the class. During the second reading the expectation is that all students will respond to the story and share a connection. Each student is given a post-it note and as the story is read each child places the post-it with their name on it on the page where they make a connection. After reading the teacher goes through the story and asks each student to share the connection from each page. This can be repeated with several stories. A discussion of deep versus surface connections can also help students to understand the purpose of reading and why making connections helps them to better understand the material they are reading. Students are also given the language to use: i.e. Text to text connections, text to self and text to world.
Lesson two – The teacher again reads a story to the whole class. After students have had the opportunity to share as a whole class the next step is to divide the class into two groups and have them share connections. This means that a group leader is assigned to each group to lead the discussion. The role of the leader is discussed (i.e. asking each student to share a connection; asking if there are any connections to the shared connection; ensuring students are listening) and the role of the group members is discussed (being respectful listeners; waiting for your turn; focusing on the speaker). The teacher can move between the two groups to monitor the discussions.
Lesson three – The teacher reads another story to the whole class. This time the students divide into four groups to respond to the story. Again a group leader is appointed to each group who guides the sharing. A different student is chosen each time to be the leader.
Lesson four – Students need a variety of ways to respond to text. When they enter into literature circles we want the discussions to be rich and for every child to have a way to enter the text. Providing a variety of ways to respond gives the students a greater opportunity to respond. Students can be asked to share questions that they have generated before, during and after reading. Each student is given several post-it notes and is asked to write questions on the post-its that they have before reading (from seeing the cover only and the title). They repeat this process for questions that emerge during reading and after reading. After the story the questions are then shared out and recorded as a whole class. The questions are then discussed and students decide if the questions can be answered from the text (T); if the answer needs to be researched (R); or if the answer needs to be inferred (I). This process would be repeated with students sharing their questions first as a whole class and then in four small groups. These repetitions are all leading towards the students working in small groups independently and responding to the novels they are reading.
Another method of responding to the text is to rate the book they have read. This can be on a 1 to 5 scale (1 meaning I would not recommend this book – 5 meaning I would highly recommend this book). The students must explain why they give the book the rating they have decided. [e.g. I give this book a 4 out of 5 because I could really understand how the main character was feeling because the same kind of thing happened to me.]
In order to have a written response to the text students are given a small half notebook. The students will not write every time they read but may be asked to respond once per week. After hearing or reading a story the students are asked to write a letter to the classroom teacher. This letter follows the format:
Dear Ms. _____ ,
Today I read the book _____________. I made a (specify type of connection i.e. text to text, text to self, text to world) connection _____________. I rate this book a _____ out of 5 because _______________________.
From,
_____________.
The teacher then writes a letter back to the student and poses a question in the letter. The student then answers the question in the follow up letter and adds new information about the new book they have read. This format repeats with each new book that the student reads.
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Bring Your Own Technology Classroom
Sean Robinson
Sean describes the strategies, challenges and successes of running a Bring Your Own Technology classroom.
Boat Designs
Bob Ennenberg
As part of his Science class, Bob teaches his students about boat design. He takes his class from foundational discussions and experiments about what floats to creating working designs that students can actually ride across a pool.
Smart Fashion Merchandising
Denise Nembhard
Denise teaches Fashion Merchandising within her Textiles course at Charles Best. She wants her students to think about the repercussions of how and why clothes are made.
Pay Rent on Your Desk
Nichole Van Sickle
Paying rent on your desk? Becoming an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, or a homeless person? Balancing your budget and managing your credit cards? This sounds more like real life than a middle school class, but these are just some of the things that students learn in Nichole Van Sickle’s grade 6/7 class. Nichole explains how she teaches economics using this intriguing simulation of an economic ecosystem.
Liquid Networks
Elspeth Anjos
What happens when you combine the format of Speed Dating with the context of educational professional development? Liquid Networks!
Elspeth has developed a unique format for collaboration, professional development, and deep learning conversations. The Liquid Network is a structure to support starting, protecting, and spreading innovation.
Giving our youngest learners a Strong Start
Susan Donald
Susan is one of the Early Childhood Educators at two of the 13 Strong Start centres in SD43. I had the opportunity to spend some time at the centre at Nestor Elementary. Susan is also the Strong Start Facilitator at Coquitlam River Elementary.
Layers of Learning in the “Living Classroom”
Nora Boekhout
Nora has found a way to incorporate her love of nature with on-going learning experiences for her students. She takes something as basic as monitor jobs and turns them into meaningful, authentic learning by layering in rich complexity.
PWIM
Wendy Young and Lisa Salloum
Wendy and Lisa at Bramblewood Elementary explain how they use the Picture Word Induction Model (PWIM) to improve students’ literacy. They use large photographs and engage students in inclusive literacy instruction.
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