March 10, 2017

The Reading Strategies Book - Getting Started


Welcome to our book study on The Reading Strategies Book by the amazing Jennifer Serravallo!

First off, I am SO excited for this book study! This is an atypical book study, because this book is set up as more of an exploring strategies type of text rather than a read it from to back kind of text. Below is a list of the different sections with the accompanying host. We still have a few spots available if you would like to host, because we threw this book study together rather quickly. Please please please shoot me an email if you sign up so we can chat :)


Getting Started
This section is an introductory to the book and is a must read because it is clear full of great info. I have lost count of the times I have read different parts of this section. Jennifer Serravallo is so wonderful to share her knowledge. Here is a break down of the section...

Choosing a Goal to Begin With
-Give a formative assessment to determine where to start.
-Identify where students need help.
-Students will more than likely need help with more than one goal.
-The chapters in the book are in a hierarchy, so go in the order of the student's needs.
-Refer to the image on page 3. I go back to this picture a lot when thinking about students' needs.
-The strategies have an attached Reading Level/Genre/Skill. Be aware of each before you teach that strategy.

**Question - What kind of formative assessments do you all give in order to match students with goals/skills?

Making Goals Visible
-Have "goal-setting conference" with your students.
-Make the goals visible for each student so you (the teacher) aren't running around like crazy.

**Question - I would LOVE to see more goal-setting sheets. Anyone out there want to give us a glimpse of your sheet?

Prompting Readers
-Phrase your promp in as few words as possible.
-Use your language wisely.
-You can work with students in a group who are all working on the same goal.
-Be aware of the support the student needs. Might be a lot, might be a little.

How this All Fits in Your Classroom
-Assign every reader a goal.
-Group students if needed.
-Create a schedule for yourself based on the time you have.

**Question - What does your schedule look like when fitting all this together?


I did not even come close to discussing the whole chapter, because I didn't want to overwhelm this post. If I didn't discuss your favorite part (like the visuals) of this section, then I would love to discuss it in the comments!

Can't wait to hear from you and come back on Sunday, March 12 because the amazing Kit will be discussing Goal #1!

Link-up below so we can hear your thoughts, or leave a comment.


52 comments:

  1. Assessment: plain old running records! They reveal so much about strategies the kid uses or doesn't, fluency, comprehension, etc. I like to ask them how they figure things out. They will tell the truth. If, for example, I ask about figuring out new words and the child only ever says "I sounded it out." then I know he needs some more strategies.

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    1. My thoughts exactly! At first I was confused about what "assessment" to use and then I realized I already had the info I needed with my running records. Thank you for the comment!

      Tina
      Crofts' Classroom

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  2. I purchased this book back in the summer, I have been so overwhelmed to start using it. I can tell it is full of great information; I am grateful for this book study so I can see how everyone uses the strategies!!

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    1. Thank you for joining in! We are happy to have you here.

      Tina
      Crofts' Classroom

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    2. This is me also. I'm glad I stumble upon this group! ��

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    3. I have had this book for a while, too and am trying to figure out the best way to use it. Tina's introductory post does a good job of highlighting important features.

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  3. I use a running record to determine my student's needs. This helps drive my guided reading instruction. I can determine if the my small group needs a teaching point or if an individual student needs it.

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  4. I use running records as well. However, when I look then over, I really do get overwhelmed by where to start with the goal. I have so many authors running through my head about goal setting I become very overwhelmed and insecure about what I decide to do.

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    1. Just pick one! You can't go wrong, I think. If there are 3 possible goals, I'm not sure it matters which of the 3 you choose first.

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    2. Stephanie,
      You are so right, choosing a goal can be overwhelming. Many of the teachers I work with freeze at this point because there are often MANY goals to choose from for some of our lovies. What often works best is to pinpoint what the reader is doing well, and build upon that success. If there are such gaps that this would not work...look at the two goals that would get your biggest bang for your buck, and shoot for that one.

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    3. I totally agree! I refer to the image on page 3 a ton! If a student has multiple goals (like Character and Themes/Ides) then I start with Character, because it seems a bit easier than Themes/Ideas. The page 3 image is definitely a reference tool for me. I go in the order of the image.

      Tina
      Crofts' Classroom

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  5. Looking forward to this! I also would like to know if anyone uses a "formal assessment" to assess students in the beginning. If so, would you be willing to share those? Looking for suggestions.
    EXCITED!

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  6. I just saw this after Jen Jones shared it. I would love to join you. I just ordered the book, it will arrive on Monday, so I'll be a bit behind you at first.

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    1. Not too far behind! You'll be able to get caught up fast. Can't wait to hear from you.

      Tina
      Crofts' Classroom

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  7. I bought the book and sticky noted it all up and then shelved it :-/ I am pulling off the shelf and starting again. Thanks for creating this boom study.

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  8. Following. I have used this book off and on through out the past two years. Excited to hear how everyone else uses it. Formal assessments that we use is the MClass Reading Assessment tool. Does anyone else use MClass? Good tool but difficult to pinpoint comprehension strategy that the child needs.

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  9. I'm still wrapping my mind around the implications and the language we use with students when we talk about goals, skills, and strategies. And how long students might be working on a goal/skill.

    I had started using this book after doing a running record and pulling strategies to support behaviors, identified in that running record, that would best support comprehension in that next level of text complexity. So I'm trying to merge this new understanding of goals, skills, and strategies of Jen's to F&P's "Network of Processing System for Reading," as that's how I had been identifying goals up til now.

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  10. We should have a couple Twitter Chats through our book study.

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  11. Following! Will this assure I see the posts in each section of the book? (Might be a silly question, but I've never done this before.)

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    1. Just check back every two days and you can follow along. Thanks for joining us!

      Tina
      Crofts' Classroom

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  12. The best assessments are running records.

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  13. I bought this book at a conference and knew it was a great resource, but I have not had the chance to really dive in and utilize this book to it's full potential. I am excited to participate!

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  14. I agree with the other comments--good old running records and anecdotal notes speak volumes. I also did a book study this fall with one of Serravallo's previous books, Conferring with Readers, and it really made everything from the RS book click. She explains how to confer, how to observe and gather information, and how to form strategy groups. I highly recommend it!

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    1. I will need to get Jennifer's other book now. Thanks for the heads up!

      Tina
      Crofts' Classroom

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  15. I have copies of my goal sheets that I am happy to share! I CANNOT live without them! They are such a useful tool, both for me and the kids when setting goals and remembering what is important to work on. It's so individual as well- which helps kids work on their own needs. Love them!

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    1. I would love to see your goal sheets. I, like everyone else, have a difficult time narrowing down the goals. I am an early intervention teacher with 2nd grade and these children need so much, that it is difficult to find out where to start and not overwhelm them with too much information.

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    2. I would love to see them as well! Would you mind sharing them with me through Google Drive and I can post an image on here? That way I can link them to this post. OR you could share the link in this comment thread. However you would like to do it would be great! Let me know if I can help out in anyway croftsclassroom@gmail.com

      Tina
      Crofts' Classroom

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    3. I know that when we are talking about how to determine goals for students in this discussion we are referring to how the teacher determines what goals to work on and then which strategies to teach. To enhance the goals I have for my students, I ask them to write out their own weekly goals in math, reading and writing. We've been doing this for a while and it has evolved as I see places where I can improve this process so that it's authentic and useful for kids. I use their goals for conferring during the week. For example, when I'm conferring, I say to the kids: what are you working on in reading? If they're able to tell me fairly quickly and confidently, I go with that and probe by asking questions and deciding what to teach, etc. If not, I refer to the goal they set for themselves. This could be a conference early in the week. It makes for great conversations. This week, I will ask the kids to write down a "so what" with their goal. For example, a child' goal might be stated this way: "I will work on writing my thoughts on sticky notes so that...". If they don't understand why they are setting goals, then this just becomes another school activity they must comply with. I just thought I'd add this idea to the mix of the goal setting conversation here.

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  16. Thank you for this book study. Learning in a collaborative group is always rewarding.

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  17. It would be wonderful if you could share your goals sheet!

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  18. I am so grateful that I found this discussion! As a curriculum specialist for my district I am very excited to help teachers utilize this resource. Thank you for the Conferring book tip - I'm definitely looking for that next.

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  19. I would also love to see your goal sheets! Thanks so much!

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