Building Our 90 Minute Reading Block Westside Elementary

Building Our 90 Minute Reading Block Westside Elementary Maria Randle, Reading Coach mrandle@509 j. net

First Year Schedule Each class stayed self-contained n Each class had 60 minutes of whole group instruction n Flood in model with 2 Instructional Assistants per class to provide 30 minutes of small group instruction. n Double dose in the afternoon for intensive kids n

Second Year Schedule n Walk to Read model – – – All students in core 1 st-2 nd had three classrooms each Students were grouped according to DIBELS instructional placement for the 90 minute block (i. e. class for intensive needs, class for strategic needs, and class for benchmark needs) – 3 rd grade was divided into 2 groups; intensive and low strategic needs and high strategic and benchmark needs

Second Year Continued – 60 minute whole group and 30 minute flood in for small group instruction. n n Whole group instruction included Opening Routines (K 1), Teacher Read Aloud, High Frequency and Phonics/Structural Analysis activities, Comprehension Strategies Small group instruction included phonics, word work, and fluency practice. Extra Support and ELL handbook used to preteach or reteach skills. – Instructional Assistants were placed according to class size to keep groups at 5 -6 students identified with intensive or strategic needs. – 30 minute double dose in afternoon for intensive kids

Second Year K Schedule n Kindergarten self contained for 90 minute block using core program at varying levels – Whole group instruction 20 minutes – Opening routines – 55 minute small group time with teacher and two instructional assistants – Phonics, Word Work activities and fluency practice. – 15 minute whole group instruction time – Teacher Read Aloud, Big Book activities.

Second Year K Schedule – Kindergarten “walk to read” in afternoon – Students identified with intensive needs were in intervention program – Strategic and Benchmark students n Fluency Practice n Rode to the Code

Second Year Transitions n In January, we started supplanting the core for our intensive 3 rd graders. – We used the intervention for 30 minutes in the 90 minutes small group instruction and again in the afternoon. – These students got two lessons of intervention a day. This was to “accelerate” their learning. – We saw significant gains for 3 of the 5 students. – By March, we started this at 1 st and 2 nd as well.

2005 -06 Schedule n Whole Group Instruction – Classroom Teacher – 45 minutes – Core Program Literature (Teacher Read Aloud and Anthology Selections) – Focus on Comprehension and Vocabulary Work – K-1 Daily Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, High Frequency Skills n Small Group Instruction – 45 minutes – Classroom teacher, specialist, instructional assistant – Core program, supplemental program or intervention program depending on grade and instructional recommendation (i. e. intensive, strategic, benchmark) – Focus will be determined by need (i. e. PA, Phonics, Fluency)

Kindergarten Block n 45 minute Whole Group Instruction – Opening Routines – Teacher Read Aloud/Big Book for Comprehension and Vocabulary – Phonemic Awareness – High Frequency Words – Oral Language – Fluency Practice n 45 minute Small Group Instruction – Additional Practice on Letter Recognition, Phonemic Blending and Segmenting, Letter/ Sound Review, Reading High Frequency Words, Reading for fluency n 30 minute afternoon double -dose – Intervention for intensive needs – Supplemental for strategic and benchmark

First - Third Grade Block n 45 minute Whole Group Instruction – Opening Routines – Teacher Read Aloud/Anthology focus on Comprehension and Vocabulary n 45 minute Small Group Instruction – Benchmark receive core n n n PA Review Phonics High Frequency Words Oral Language Fluency Practice – Strategic receive core and/or supplemental – Intensive kids in intervention program § 30 minute Double dose in afternoon - Benchmark and Strategic students practice fluency - Intensive kids in intervention