Reading Block

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Reading Block
By Leah

Martha- I too read this great book over the summer. I especially liked the 20 days of mini-lessons included. I am structuring my block like this- 1. Read Aloud a book that has a specific feature like similes, metaphors,
personification, interesting adjectives, visualization etc. We talk about it for a few minutes and then I give the students post-its to place in their book where they find the same features, or where they have a question while they are doing SSR. I found that 40 minutes is too long for my little squirrels to occupy themselves so I have them read for 25 minutes and respond for 10-15 in

their journal or on a separate peice of paper. I then let them buzz for five minutes or sometimes we do a group share. During SSR I pull guided reading groups or lit circles. I also have several high students on independant contracts and I try to meet with each of them at least once a week. It is overwhelming at first but it works. Sometimes the read-to flows into my Writer's Workshop as I point out what the book reminds me of and write a note to myself on my topics I can Write About chart. Students are starting to talk about author's purpose, style and rich language. Hang in there. Leah