If you are lucky enough to teach a primary grade, these tips and ideas will help create a joyful learning experience for your learners, and save you time and energy in the building process.
Since the introduction of the Common Core State Standards, I've noticed an odd trend of teaching the primary grades as if they are junior 3rd grade learners. The trouble with this approach of giving young readers text that some can decode and others cannot, is that you don't get an accurate picture of what they know and can do as a reader. There is a better way to organize learning opportunities to ensure learners are strong readers and thinkers when they enter the upper grades.
The major work of the primary grades come in 2 specific areas.
- Teach children how to decode and encode (write with inventive spelling and then apply accurate spelling as they learn new phonograms). Actually teach them to read with phonics! It's a beautiful thing to see the joy on a child's face. Then they can read on their own or with just a little help.
- Read to them...a lot!
Let's dig a little deeper into these ideas and how to operationalize them.
Read Aloud - Read to your class every day, multiple times per day. Reading tests are actually a test of background knowledge. A fantastic way to grow readers is to teach them about the world and literature by reading to them. When I taught first grade I always began my day with a read aloud, we settled in after lunch with a read aloud, and we ended our day with a read aloud. Always. Sometimes I would sneak in more time, but those were non-negotiable parts of my day and they were fun and engaging for us all.
I used each read aloud to serve multiple purposes.
- We did author studies where I would read a series of books by a particular author. This is great for noticing the craft and techniques of different authors. Series books are great too.
- Sometimes we read for the sheer enjoyment of the experience. I didn't stop 40 times to ask a million questions. I just read. (Secretly, I might be planning to pull a book out later during a reading or writing lesson to use as a mentor text, but I never ruin a good first read with questions or teaching. Seriously, would you enjoy a movie or show if someone paused it every 30 seconds to ask you what you think or remember? Exactly. So don't do it in your read aloud!).
- I created sets of text on a topic, especially science and history, to build background knowledge before starting a science or social studies unit.
- We read for sheer pleasure and to expose readers to books that they might want to read. I read short books, chapter books, funny books, books that told stories of heros and people demonstrating character, books that exposed learners to culture and history. We read anything and everything that looked interesting.
Phonemic Awareness - The ability to become a good decoder and fluent reader is largely dependent upon a child's ability to hear and manipulate sounds. I love Heggerty's Phonemic Awareness curriculum because it is 10 minutes per day, you can do it with the whole class, it includes a variety of exercises, and all you have to do is open the manual and get started. Seriously! You can use others, but this is my favorite and the easiest to use. I recommend using the paper copy because it is a small investment that will last for years. They have a curriculum for 3 year old PreK, 4 year old PreK, kindergarten, first grade, and a manual for filling gaps for older readers. I am also a fan of Equipped for Reading Success, a program that is great for one on one instruction and intervention.
Phonics & Word Work - Teach spelling patterns explicitly, and give children multiple opportunities to practice reading and writing those patterns and words every day. Your school may have a scope and sequence, if not, you can find great resources online to get you started. If you have many beginning readers, realize that this will be a little different for everyone. It's helpful to assess what readers know, and give them 2-5 phonograms and/or words to practice. As they master new phonograms and words, add new items to the list. It takes a bit of prep and assessment early in the year, but once you are up and running, it becomes a big, beautiful snowball of learning and they will challenge you to give them more as they master new elements.
I recommend looking through books at different levels and noticing what readers need to climb to that next level. Fountas and Pinnell have some good resources that help unpack individual reading levels. The Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA) is also a great tool.
If you can pair word work, decoding practice and decodable text, this is the ultimate practice! For early readers, I especially love Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS).
Sound writing & Handwriting - This really pairs with phonics and word work, but I like to call it out because it is a critical piece. Learners should practice writing sounds, phonograms, words, and learning correct handwriting, because it will help solidify the neural pathways for these elements of reading. Montessori has some brilliant strategies for pre-writing and handwriting. You can use a traditional handwriting book. Just be sure to teach children how to print letters and say the sound as they are writing them.
Reading Workshop - mini lesson + guided practice + independent practice + partner reading
Kathy Collins book, Growing Readers - Units of Study in the Primary Classroom, is my first pick in bringing reading to life in the primary classroom. My first year teaching, I followed her work nearly step by step. The book offers mini lessons, ideas, organization, structures and much more. It's nearly everything you need to get readers going, and the structure is the same for writing workshop.
Every child needs a box of "just right books." For young readers, I suggest 10-12 books. For more experienced readers, especially those reading chapter books, the number will be fewer.
Start each Reading Workshop by gathering readers together for a mini lesson. This should be 10 minutes or less. The purpose is to model a skill or strategy that you want readers to apply when they are off reading thier own books. Start by explain the skill or strategy, model it quickly, organize a quick guided practice (this could be as simple as partners turning to talk about what they learned and sharing how they will do it on their own), and then send them off to read independently.
In first grade, readers are capable of reading independently for 30 minutes or more. It may not happen on the first day, but it is real and everyone can do it. Some children will announce, "I'm done!" My response is always, "When you're done, you've just begun!" Novice readers should read their stack of books and then reread to work on fluency and automaticity. When you notice readers are getting a little unfocused, that's the moment that I signal for partners to move together, hip to hip, and decide how they will read.
Partner reading can look like each child takingkin a turn reading a book to their partner, or they can take turns reading a page or two in the same book. I always have partners and reading spots decided ahead of time, so the transition is crisp, quiet and they are right back to reading. I select reading partners by pairing partners that are a few reading levels away from one another and by thinking about who will make great partners for one another.
Writing Workshop - mini lesson + guided practice + independent practice + partner support
Reading and writing are reciprocal processes, so I structure writing workshop the same way as reading workshop. Begin with a mini lesson and teach one skill or strategy. It's always great to have a mentor text or your own writing piece to use as a model, followed by guided practice, and then send writers off to write.
Writing is about getting ideas on paper. Some young writers are hesitant to get started because they are afraid to spell words incorrectly. There is a time and a place for editing and spelling certain words correctly, but it shouldn't impede the process of getting thoughts and ideas on paper. Encourage writers to sketch, label, draft and "say more." You can also vary your topics, sometimes writing stories, and other times writing lists, generating ideas, recording information that they learned, or creating a text modeled after the things they love to read. Just be sure to make time each day for some writing.
I hope these ideas help you get started, or feel validated in the work that you are already doing. Feel free to reach out with questions, comments or ideas to share.
~Kristy