During my fully-independent reading unit, which lasts about 4 weeks, my students do A LOT more than "just" read, and I do A LOT more than just watch them read.
So, what do we do Monday-Friday during this unit? Let me show you how I use my four 45-minute class periods and my one 90-minute block period with my middle school students.
Mondays (45 minutes): Students have 15 minutes to read and then we do a Walk & Talk, which consists of partnering up with another student and taking a walk together. If the weather is nice, we head outside. If it is is not so great, we walk around the school. (I try and partner up with a student, too.) They are responsible for discussing these topics:
Who is the protagonist? What are 3-4 words to describe them?
What is their problem?
Make a prediction about what will happen next.
Show your partner the cover of the book. Does it match the story so far?
Depending on how much accountability you need your students to show, you can give them this list of questions, a clipboard, and have them record their partner's answers as they walk. I have my students record a video on Flip.com where they have to summarize what their partner said. This ensures they listen closely when their partner is talking. They record one video as a pair, which is so cute to see :)
Tuesdays: No class
Wednesdays (90 minutes): Students read for 15 minutes. I deliver a mini lesson on a skill they are ready to learn. I primarily rely on Less is More by Kimberley Hill Campbell to guide my lessons. The idea is you use short stories, novel excerpts, articles, etc to teach a specific skill. Her book breaks down a variety of topics and offers suggested texts. Highly recommend!
Thursdays (45 minutes): Students read for 10 minutes and then complete a creative check-in activity. This consists of 20+ options students can choose from to show some critical creative thinking. For example:
If one character left a voicemail for another character, what would they say? Use Flip.com to record your message.
Use Canva to illustrate an important scene or significant setting from your reading this week.
Create character trading cards for two characters. Include their strengths, weaknesses, and a quote.
These projects are due at the end of the 45-minute class period. (If you want to see all of the creative options, click here.) I make comments on their projects and note what they can improve upon for next week's creative check-in. Generally, I push them to use more textual evidence and reasoning to back up their choices. (Bonus: This is such great practice for the analytical essays they will be asked to write throughout their academic career.)
Fridays (45 minutes): Students write an analytical paragraph based on the mini-lesson they received on Wednesday. For example, if the mini-lesson was on making inferences, they must find. a passage in their independent reading novel that allows them to make an inference. They use my "Spill the TEA" strategy to write a structured literary analysis paragraph, complete with textual evidence. (TEA stands for Topic, Evidence, Analysis). This is due at the end of the 45-minute period. (However, especially as students are just learning this type of writing, they will probably need time over the weekend to finish.)
When I assess this work, I note not only how well they understand the mini-lesson topic but also what grammatical skills the students may need. This helps me plan my lessons for the following week.
So, what questions do you have about this schedule? Any gaps you noticed or ways to be more efficient? Leave a comment below or send me an email so we can work to creative truly incredible reading programs for our secondary students!
Want creative teaching ideas delivered straight to your inbox each week?
Commenti