Changes to Text Selection

After our third RPI day about text selection I have become more aware about the types of texts I am exposing my students to. The text coverage sheet in our teacher workbooks is going to be helpful for me to keep track of the different genres I am using and provides a visual for me of what I am not currently exposing my students to. Poetry is definitely something I tend to avoid and I have also identified that I havn't been incorporating many non-fiction texts. I have started the term with a collaborative ANZAC Day scavenger hunt using a non-fiction text so the coverage sheet is defintely making me think more about my text choices.

In terms of picking up the pace of learning I think it is too early to comment on shifts in learning yet. However I have noticed an increase in engagement with the non-fiction texts I have been providing for my focus reading group. We are currently reading 'The Witches' by Roald Dahl which my students are aware is a fiction text but by incorporating non-fiction texts about the history of witches my students have been surprised about the reality of witches in the past and how people were treated. Incorporating other texts has been beneficial but I am aware that this will make finishing our novel take even longer (we started this novel in term one). As it is we don't seem to get through much of our novel and I am just conscisous of it dragging on. I guess so long as my students are still enjoying it then that is the main thing.

I have also started the term by consciously incorporating picture books into my 'reading to' time. I have decided to continue with my reading challenge this term where I have a sticker chart and aim to read to my students 3 times throughout the day. Last term we had a class novel which my class really enjoyed and we got through it quite quickly with me focussing on my challenge. We have not started a novel yet this term so we are just currently enjoying short picture books.

RPI: Day 3 - Text Selection

There were lots of good reminders today, new things to try and resources that I will look into more over the holidays. It was really good timing for me in terms of the focus being on 'text selection' as I just had a discussion with my mentor in our last meeting about this. I brought up the fact that I have identified inferencing as a gap and formed our WALT around that but the novel (The Witches by Roald Dahl) we are committed to reading (still only about half way through) doesn't always make it that easy to focus on this. After todays session I now see how I can incorporate other 'witch' related texts alongside our novel that may be more suitable to our particular WALT. 

Completing the text coverage activity was an eye opener as well and gave me lots to think about in terms of what I am and am not exposing my students to. Using the text coverage sheet will definitely keep me more accountable and ensure I am providing a more balanced reading programmes in terms of different genres.

We also discussed the three different tiers in relation to vocabulary. Although we do discuss new vocabulary throughout our guided reading sessions it isn't always planned ahead of time, more just as we come across it. One thing I am going to change is to include a 'word study' in my students contracts. I found a google drawing template in the graphic organiser folder that was shared with us which I might start to incorporate each week. 

                   

I have found an old shelf at school that I am going to turn into a book display. We no longer have a school library but we have made an order with the National Library so I will use this shelf to display and promote our new set of books. I might leave one shelf empty and have a rotation where each reading group is in charge or picking a book of the week and making a display for it.