Enhancing Literacy Instruction with Guided Reading Plus

1. 2014/2015Professional Development Unit By: Lisa Ogawa CMS Community School Network Based Guided Reading Plus

2. What new instructional strategies did I implement in my practice during the course of the Network Guided Reading Plus PDU? • Although I have been teaching for over twenty years and thought I knew about teaching literacy, the guided reading plus approach changed my practice by fine-tuning not only my lesson planning but my instructional delivery. My lessons reflect current data on student growth so the lesson objective is focused on the student’s next learning step. The pace and tone of the reading and writing lessons is crisp and engaging.

3. How did I apply the Guided Reading Plus strategies in my classroom? (give 3 examples) • When I first applied the guided reading plus strategies in my classroom I was teaching the Pre-A group of students. In that group I used many tactile and manipulative strategies to motivate the students as they learned letter names and sounds. Students in the Pre-A group worked with me on phonemic awareness strategies such as rhyming, syllabication, and picture sorts. We read a simple book together daily, focusing on concepts of print and book handling and finished each lesson with interactive writing and cut-up sentences.

4. What changes have I made in my guided reading instruction based on the Guided Reading Plus professional development? • As a life-long lover of reading and writing, I am always interested in ways I can improve my literacy instruction. The Guided Reading Plus lesson planning template seemed rigid at first, but over time I began owning the way the lessons unfolded in my reading groups using the template. The lesson planning template has channeled my own and my student’s energy into a more effective and time-efficient lesson model. Adopting the GRP lesson planning template as my own has been the biggest change in my guided reading instruction based on the Guided Reading Plus professional development.

5. Why is Guided Reading Plus important to my students’ learning and to my growth as a professional? • Using our own instructional time and our student’s learning time wisely has been important to my students’ learning and to my growth as a professional. Lessons planned in a strategic and time-efficient way that meet the student’s next learning step is the best use of all of our time during literacy block and helps me feel effective as a professional.

6. GRP Data AnalysisReflecting on the data you have collected, how did this experience impact instruction, progress monitoring, student performance, and your own practice? • I am the English as a Second Language Resource teacher here at CMS. As a dual-language school, however, the students I serve are mostly Asian children. The three Asian children at CMS in kindergarten this year are Kim Nguyen, Hannah Le and Henry Le. The kindergarten teachers, under the direction of lead teachers Yuri Ojeda and Julie Adams-Blow, have shared responsibility for literacy instruction using fluid, flexible groupings. As a result of these fluid groups, I have maintained literacy instruction over this year mostly with Hannah and Henry le. • The kindergarten team analyzed the data often using the shared data tracker, noting gaps in student mastery of various tasks and providing clear next steps for instruction. Hannah Le is a bright second-language learner whose literacy skills have blossomed over this year. Her twin brother Henry Le has struggled with basic literacy skills and is flagged for observation of growth in first-grade.

7. How will I apply my new learning in the future to further my practice? What are my next steps? • My next steps as a professional are to maintain the “muscle memory” I am developing in teaching the routines of Guided Reading Plus. My next steps are to become more natural in teaching these lessons—to own the process. I also want to become fluent in teaching prompts , applied at the appropriate moments to maximize student learning..

8. Reading Day Lesson • Include a copy of a lesson

9. Writing Day Lesson • Include a copy of a writing day lesson

10. Reading Day Reflection • Strengths: 1. well-planned 2. materials on hand 3. good book orientation • Areas for Growth: 1. become more natural at prompting students. 2. pacing during phonemic awareness/phonics—too much to do in too little time • Students were engaged and enjoyed the text.

11. Writing Day Reflection • Strengths: 1. Good pre-writing discussion 2. Used this time to take a running record • Areas for growth: 1. Use the practice page 2. Need to use labels so the published page is correct. • “When we write, we read; when we read, we compose meaning. Teaching reading and writing as reciprocal processes is a powerful tool for supporting struggling learners..” Nancy L. Anderson; Connie Briggs

12. Overall Case Study Summary • As the instructional year progressed my role at CMS has evolved in many different ways. I began the year as a push-in resource for the Asian and Middle-Eastern kindergarten students.. Because of instructional delivery model changes made at the building level mid-year, I became a pull-out English-Only teacher providing kindergarten literacy instruction to a dozen ESL and English-speaking students from January through mid-March. I am now a push-in support in Liliana Sanchez’ kindergarten classroom. Because of these many changes I did not have a consistent guided reading group. I learned, however, that the literacy instruction principles learned in our professional development group are adaptable and applicable across many delivery models and with many different student populations.

13. Running Record for case study student • Victor Pineda • Victor is a capable reader . He quickly learned letter names and sounds and was able to read and write simple text early in our time together. He uses meaning to read and write. • Throughout our time together Victor has lacked self-confidence and stamina. He needs to practice reading and writing daily to build his self-confidence and stamina. He is able to correct reading errors by reading through words, a skill he needs to adopt independently.

14. Running Record Reflection Student 1 • Victor’s score of 100%, independent, on this running record is a reflection of his ability as a reader. • Victor, however, would have scored a 93%, or instructional, level without teacher support. Victor needs to become a more accurate reader to maintain this proficiency as texts become less dependent on illustrations to support comprehension.

15. Running Record #2 • With teacher support Victor was able to self-correct very well. Without teacher support, however, Victor is more likely to avoid correcting his errors and rely too heavily on the illustrations to develop meaning. • Victor needs to read through words so the more difficult texts he will encounter in higher levels will be comprehensible. Building his stamina and self-confidence is crucial for Victor’s success in reading more difficult texts.

16. Running Record #3 • Victor is becoming more proficient at using different strategies to self-correct, including slow-checking words that don’t sound right. • Victor needs to apply the above strategies independently. Becoming less-dependent on teacher support will allow him more success as a first-grade reader.

17. Change over Time • Victor was an insecure reader when I first started working with him in my guided reading plus reading group. Victor uses meaning as his main source of information for reading and writing, which is wonderful, but as illustrations become less common in higher-level texts he will need to be a fluent reader of complete words. Victor tends to start reading words with their initial sounds and guess the word using illustrations rather than reading through the words. Stamina and self-confidence and many opportunities for practice will prepare Victor for the more difficult texts to come in first grade.

18. Exit Ticket • Please visit my guided reading plus groups at the beginning of the year for a quick refresher. • Beginning with assessments to place the students in appropriate leveled groups, I will plan using the materials I have collected and keep MUCH better records of my changing groups and students. 