Qualities of Effective Close Reading

On Wednesday we had our first PD of the year on Close Reading. We started to implement this into our classrooms early this past spring and we modified it to 30 minutes three days a week. This year we are jumping right in first thing in the morning everyday for 30 minutes. Students will arrive in the classroom drop their bags at their tables and get right down to decomposing unfamiliar complex texts. I'm not sure how I feel about it right now but I'll let you know in a few weeks. Anyway, here's what I learned at our PD. I hope it helps you out.

Qualities of Effective Close Reading

1. Selection of a brief, high-quality, complex text.  Limiting the length of the passage allows students the opportunity to apply new skills and strategies through multiple readings of the text.
2. Individual reading to the text.  Students unable to read the text independently might engage in a partner read or a group read in lieu of an independent attempt.
3. Group reading aloud.  A group read aloud might be teacher-or student-led.  This practice supports the engagement of all students, especially those who struggle with reading the text independently, and reinforces the primacy of the text throughout Close Reading lessons.
4. Text-based questions and discussion that focus on discrete elements of the text.  Questions and discussion may focus on the author’s word choices and repetition, specific sentences, literacy devices, academic vocabulary, or particular passages containing information that is key to the curricular objective. 
5. Discussion among students.  These discussions, either in small groups or across the whole class, will ensure that the text-as opposed to personal reflections-remains the focus as the reader explores the author’s choices.
6. Writing about the text.  Students may be asked to reflect on the knowledge gained through Close Reading in short or long written passages.

Writing Bulletin Board

Yesterday I went in to set up my classroom so I can have my two full days next week to plan and not have to worry about cosmetic things. Of course when I show up my classroom looks as if it went through a tornado over the summer. Everything was out of place and I made the mistake of not taking a photo before I put everything away. So with that I decided to move things around because change is good. I'm on an owl kick if you haven't noticed. Since I've gotten photoshop I started playing and I've created owls, hence my classroom theme for the year.

I just finished up my reading bulletin board and you can check that out on my previous post. So, today I spent the day creating my writing bulletin board where I hang up the 5 major elements in writing. This is what I teach my first graders throughout the year. There are 5 areas we focus on: focus, detail, structure, voice and conventions. After the first month of school and assessing where my students are they are assigned reading and writing goals. We conference together and talk about their strengths and weaknesses in writing and how we can get better. Students write out their goals and stick a small post it with their name on the goal they are working on. I actually thought this would be too much for my kids last year but most of them really understood what we were expecting out of them. It was nice to see a piece of writing they did and how proud they were when they met or came close to that goal. You can find my writing goals on my TpT store. Here's a sample of my writing goals. I printed them on card stock and laminated them. They look amazing. Next up are my owl labels for my classroom door. Stay tuned!