Slice 2012 - 26 of 31 Slam Dunk, High Five, Three Pointer

Slam Dunk, High Five, Three Pointer is all how I felt after just an hour into my first day after spring break with my Mon/Wed students who had just been out of school for 13 days.  Are you asking, was she playing basketball with them?  No, I wasn't but I might shout out here The Ohio State Buckeyes, my Alma mater is in the final four.  Just in case you didn't know that tidbit about basketball or my college history.

Today started the fourth quarter and that means I have to complete progress reports for the third quarter.  Last night as I was thinking about starting this daunting task times 44.  I thought I really need to know accurate one on one information about my lowest readers.  In particular, my students who last and first reading assessment wasn't at my benchmark for this point in the year.  As I looked information over this morning that meant I needed to reasses 10 students.  I'm happy to report, all 10 could independently use reading strategies to meet the benchmark.  I can say all 22 students in one class are meeting my expectations or more in reading.

Earlier this year my friend Laura Komos wrote about conferring and seeing big results in her first grade room. She made changes this year with her instructional thinking and is seeing a difference.  I too have made some instructional changes and feel today's observations confirmed something is working for the better.  I've added conferring to my classroom.  I also held off assessing their reading until January.  I wanted to get down many beginning literacy skills and routines first in hopes of implementing guided reading when we could work with more independence and intentions.  I also work with slightly larger groups than I prefer 4-6 so I can meet with them daily.  Don't panic, daily doesn't always work.  I'm also rethinking and trying some new things with the format of a guided reading lesson.  Today it's all successful.  As I said yesterday, I'm taking each day one day at a time as I move from vacation to reality.  Tomorrow is a new group and I hope with wonder I will see the same results.  Thank you my kinder students for working and growing as readers!