5th grade TAKS

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Home : 2004 : December : 29

5th grade TAKS
By RM

Nancy,

I work on teaching the TEKS to the student expectation level. If the TEK says to describe then we do describing activities. I teach using a variety of formats including shared reading, guided reading and independent
reading.
In shared reading I use a varitety of texts (it may be the social stuides book, science book, or trade book) I do a whole class lesson and model the thinking for that skill.
Guided reading I use to target specific skills with specific kids. I spiral back the lessons from the shared reading.
My high kids are in a Literature circle and only meet with me once a week.

They lead their own discussions and take charge of their own learning.

At my school we use Accelerated Reading and I use that time to independently practice those skills from guided reading and shared reading. They have activites that they must use their AR books to complete. I also require my students to read more non-fiction texts. This has made a big difference in their scores.

I am also very fortunate to have support for what I do in my classroom. My district has done away with Reading Recovery. Those teachers now help remediate low students in 4th and 5th grade. My low kids will have reading twice everyday. Once with me and once with the support teacher. My master teacher and my principal also help with afterschool tutoring.

By the way, I do teach at a Title I campus. The population is very transient. Many students move in who are reading on a 1st or 2nd grade level. The students who have been at my school for a few years are the ones in my high reading group! Every year I have 90%-100% passing TAKS. I am a little concerned this year though, because the test is 2 months earlier, but I'm sure they will do fine.