90-minute reading block

In RED 4519, I learned that the 90-minute-reading block is a safeguarded time where the teacher must give a full, uninterrupted, 90-minute reading instruction. Last semester I volunteered in a Kindergarten classroom and I realized how this 90-minute instruction came to life in Mrs. Marques’ classroom. First, she would start with an activity to get the students engaged, then she would read a story to her students, and then she had various centers that the students would rotate in. One of the centers she used was a one-on-one table where she worked with a few students at a time. During this time, Mrs. Marques scaffolds her students and assists students with difficulties in their reading growth. (REC 5.3) Another thing Mrs. Marques assisted her students with was difficulties in any area of the reading components. (REC 4.5) Some students really struggled with vocabulary, while others struggled with phonics, phonemic awareness and comprehension skills. I found the opportunity of working with Mrs. Marques very interesting because I had not been in a classroom during a 90-minute reading block. One ah-ha I learned about the reading block is that it cannot be interrupted. If there is an assembly during the 90-minute reading block, students will not be able to go because the 90-minute block is very essential and the most important 90-minutes throughout the school day. 

Fist to Five!

In RED 4519, I learned a new scale technique that is used in Professional Learning Communities (PLC) and can even be used by students in a classroom. This kind of scale is called the “Fist to Five” scale and this is where students hold up their hands and show the teacher how well they are comprehending the material using a 0 to 5 scale with their fingers. Depending on how well they can comprehend, students will show a number from 0 to 5, 0 being the least and 5 being the greatest. This gives the teacher an understanding of where her students are. Students can also use this Fist to Five scale when they are going over the standards for the week and they can show how well they understood the concept. I think this strategy would work well with ESOL students, because although they may not be able to fully grasp new concepts, they can use their fingers to show how much they know. Teachers can also use this to recognize indicators of learning disabilities and see how well they can comprehend and if they are not, the teacher should spend extra time with the child. (ESOL Strategy 25) Sometimes, they know more than we think!