Worksheets and Morning Work

I was part of a meeting today where we were planning for next year. The topic of conversation revolved around which worksheets we would have sent to print shop for grammar, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension strategies and "morning work". I felt myself having an anxiety attack at the thought that all of our time was spent deciding which worksheets to include when we could have been planning effective, meaningful lessons. Lessons that allow students to read books of choice rather than prescribed stories with prescribed vocabulary and spelling. It goes against every belief I have.

I know how hard it is to break free from the ease of grading the worksheets. It is so much easier to enter grade in a grade book with the worksheets but who is it really helping? My job is to foster life long learning and prepare my students for the future. If their future will be filled with fill in the blanks, close sentences, multiple choice and meaningless text then I need to rethink my teaching. Yes, there are the occasional fill in the blanks when you go to the doctors office or the DMV and need to fill out their forms but what percentage of our lives is spent completing these tasks in comparison to making decisions and carrying on intelligent and well educated conversations.

My "morning work" includes conversation with my students. We have a meeting where we sit in a circle and have a conversation. I take attendance, I answer any questions they may have had from previous teaching, we talk about books or what is on the students' minds and then I explain our schedule for the day. They learn to use eye contact, ask questions, tell about their night in a clear and concise manner all while practicing using their newly acquired vocabulary, creating background knowledge and learning how there is a give and take in conversations and that grammar is an important part of creating understanding for their audience. It creates a classroom climate where students learn about diversity and acceptance.

Another benefit is that I am able to gauge how my day will play out as I observe how students are participating. I had the opportunity to loop with my class last year and the selective mute that I had in 3 grade was speaking volumes by the end of this year and I honestly believe creating this non threatening environment helped. You can't get that with a worksheet. I can better help my students when I know how they're thinking and having the dialogue with them each morning gives me that insight.

Although these meetings require a bit more preparation on part before and after school to complete the paperwork other teachers are completing during "morning work" the skills the students are experiencing are worth the effort. So, while it may be more difficult to have a paper trail, I feel that what I will continue to do in my classroom is much more valuable than any worksheet.

Stop Squat Go

Tried something new with my class to check out each others' books. All the students sat in a circle with all of the books they are reading in a pile in front of them. All students then stood behind their pile. I said,"Go." All the kids moved to their right. Then I said, "Stop." All students stopped at the next pile of books (not their own). Last I announced, "Squat." All of the students then sat at the pile and perused their classmates'  the pile of books. After about 3 minutes we moved again as I said, "Stop…..Squat…. Go." Once all students had a chance to look at others' books we discussed what books looked interesting. As the students did this activity they made a running list of books they want to read. It took about 30 minutes but was well worth a long list of book ideas.

Reading Incentives: Not What They Seem

This post comes from both sides of the classroom. On one side I am mom and on the other, I am the teacher. Both side support reading as it's own incentives but from two perspectives.

A few weeks back my son (who attends the same school in which I teach) came home with a note in his backpack. The note, written to all parents in his class, addressed a "reading incentive that would guarantee to make reading fun." As a parent I was intrigued. As I read on this "incentive" was nothing more than read a book, take a test and earn points. The "harder" the book the more points you earn. Although it is very similar to AR it is a different program. Different packaging, same idea. They must also log on at home and take tests as they finish books. As a mom I asked my son what he thought about doing it since they had already started. His response was surprising. He seemed excited to earn all these points and get prizes like lunch with his teacher. I held my breath and decided to let it ride out. I did not tell him I expected a particular number of points, nor did I tell him he had to log in at home and take the tests. Within a week he came home and was excited to read his own books. Books he picked out at the bookstore. I asked why he was more excited than usual and he said it was because he can't read books he likes at school because he has to read and take a test. He said,"Reading isn't fun anymore at school. I have to read 5 Arthur books to get in the reading club. I don't like them because they are boring. I would rather read my books." I have to say I was waiting for that. It took him a while to read the Arthur books. Not because they were too hard (actually they were quite easy for him) but because he had no interest in them. He joined the club kicking and dragging his feet. Last week his teacher beamed telling me that my son would be having lunch with her because he's been taking his tests and is one of 12 who joined the reading club. As a mom my heart breaks a little knowing that he goes to school each day and has to read within boundaries.

When my son came home with that letter, as a teacher, my heart began palpitating and I was angered. Last year was the first year in this new state and district and I struggled listening to my 3rd graders and their parents complain about AR. My number one request for parents at conference night was to help their kids find books to read. They quickly learned my philosophy, that reading is it's own reward. It is so powerful and magical that while reading you can be whoever you want and travel to every imaginionable place. I told them they did not have to do AR. I did give them the option but told them that I would not be giving pizza parties for getting a particular amount of points. In fact I wouldn't require them record and keep track if their points. Our first trip to the school library saddened me. All the kids migrated to the AR sticker chart to determine what books they were "allowed" to check out. It was so sad. Since then I have taught them how to pick just right books. Books that interest them and they can read well and comprehend. I looped with my class and they continue to flourish with reading books of their choosing. We have great class discussions and I am constantly hearing them barter for books that fellow students are reading and have talked about. It is so nice to have students who would rather read a book because they have heard great things about it rather than because it gets them the most points. Now I am not living in a utopia. I understand that some students need the points "motivation" but is it really motivating if it is not creating life long readers?

Summer Reading Update and more

I have to say the summer reading plan worked for some but in ways I didn't expect. I had very few replies in my website and stopped asking question so I thought it wasn't working. I was wrong. It was apparent that my students continued reading over the summer when I saw them on information day and they couldn't wait to tell me about what they had been reading and give me suggestions for the upcoming interactive read alouds. This leads me to my next post on the validity and effectiveness of incentives for reading. Stay tuned.