RPI 5 - Planning a Reading Programme

Creating a Reading/Literacy Programme

Connecting with Manaiakalani

Using class sites to empower students and whanau has been great and this really stood out during the pandemic and even when I am not in class as I am on a course (such as today). Students know what to do and where to find work as it has become routine.

Of course one of the great features of having all the learning in one place you can create options for students, one way is having 'Catch-Up' (Ketchup), 'Must-do' (Mustard), and May-do (Mayonaise) for them. I also love the sauce names for them.

Planning for Ambitious Outcomes

Class Sites feed into the Planning through the design for Ambitious Outcomes.

We also need to know what is happening before students get to us and where they need to get to or be for success in their following years of learning. So learning should be tracked in class and curriculum areas, school-wide.

As teachers, this helps us connect to previous learning and across the curriculum.

When planning for groups we can't afford groups to become stale, they need to be changed up and given opportunities to work in mixed-ability groups.

By tracking we can ensure a range of text being used fiction, nonfiction, long, short, poetry and video. 

Timetabling

When timetabling it is easy to forget special events and just plan for a week, but it is better to consider them and make adjustments. E.g. Plan a whole class activity if a reliever is in, or plan/build into a group session what will happen tomorrow.

Factoring in what the Teacher Aid is doing and with whom (if you are lucky). Even building in Tuhi Mai Tuhi Atu into the reading and writing part of the day as commenting on blogs is just that reading and writing for a purpose and audience.

Timetables can become more student-directed with a robust tracking/monitoring system. I like these ones with the various colours, making it easy for students to find what they need.

Reading Apps

Ensuring bang for your buck is important, as Reading Apps are not all made equally. 

I have used Read Theory and Literacy Planet Before and dived into structuring what students read and having questions and answer sessions tagged in, I just needed time to explore Epic which this school/class uses, so this was a great opportunity to do this.

I also like how Read Words has other aspects to the reading programme too

Tukana Teina (Buddy Reading) is not to be fogtten. The Must-do can also be follow-up activities that plug a gap you have noticed, through group work or testing.

Read Like Writer and Write Like Readers

As I love to write, I love this approach, which is well-researched. Throughout Manaiakalani students are strong in writing so we need to harness this to help accelerate reading. 

Using a writing frame is a great way to train students and yourself to write, as the pressure is on finding a few words, everyone can do. The idea we can create these by emulating text we read to students is helpful. And to be able to add creative license is also wonderful for the more able students. In other words, it doesn't have to fit the frame exactly.

Example

Ruapehu, early afternoon, no sound/ helicopter blades, snow, ravine, best friend, chomping at the bit, Will we make it?

The mountain was silent from up here even though it was early afternoon.  The only sound was the faint whirring of the helicopter blades in the distance. The ravine loomed before us Soft snow hung in the air as my closest friend chomped at the bit. Will we make it?

Text can be woven from other sources, all good writers use ideas, ideas from nature, what they hear people say and how they say it. Writers are MAGPIES, gathering words and phrases to file away for later. Writers love to people-watch.

Artists and Musicians replicate before they imitate...

Text that students read, can be used for more than recreating the beginning, you can even use ideas from novels. I often screenshot what I am reading (for pleasure) and share it with the class. And I love it when it is not a focus and they still identify features you have taught. Those are definitely "THEY GOT IT' moments!

Great Beginnings and Endings

One of my favourite ways to encourage students when writing a narrative is to start with an ACTION word, let's grab the reader from the first word, or use onomatopoeia.

Don't stop, at teaching students how to start writing, what about the ending? The Style Categories are working examples to help students identify what they are doing and the purpose.

Skill Builder - Inferring

A Picture says a thousand words

Key into Inference is a wonderful way to build students up starting with the sentence to infer from then a paragraph building to a passage.

Where to Next?

• Using more multimedia (videos) to support learning, prior knowledge (as an introduction or reminder)
• Keeping Reading Apps up to date with relevant learning materials selected along with independent choice
• Sharing Read like Writers and Write like Readers
• Build on Inference, teach the vocab behind the types too.