17-18 WHES Thoughtful Reflections by Leah Bessette https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p Please add comments, suggestions and feedback throughout the school year regarding our new Elementary content schedule, new reading intervention model in grades 2-4 and anything else you might want to add! This feedback will help to formulate adjustments and answer questions as we progress through the year. en-us 2017-08-27 23:00:09 UTC 2025-10-05 20:25:41 UTC hello@padlet.com I loved the idea of the staff painting rocks. I may add to this by having my students do a writing assignment and then each painting a rock to go along with it. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/183261866 2017-08-28 23:06:21 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/183261866 https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/183265133 2017-08-28 23:35:23 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/183265133 Love the rock idea!! I think students will be surprised!! https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/183265240 2017-08-28 23:36:14 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/183265240 20 minute reading groups does not leave enough time to have a sufficient reading lesson. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/189412532 2017-09-20 16:21:20 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/189412532 With this method of grouping reading groups, students who have difficulty being in the same reading group because of behavior are not being separated. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/189413229 Student groups can and should be adjusted if needed based on need including behavior. ]]> 2017-09-20 16:22:45 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/189413229 Groups of 8 or 9 reading students, especially lower level, with only 20 minutes, is very difficult to accomplish a productive reading group. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/189414061 2017-09-20 16:24:17 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/189414061 There is not enough time, with the schedule, to have students practice what is being taught. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/189482064 Are you referring to a specific content area?]]> 2017-09-20 18:22:15 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/189482064 Students are not practicing skills that are taught throughout the day. Guided Practice is important. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/190474132 Could you explain this a bit more?]]> 2017-09-23 21:08:32 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/190474132 Groups are too large!!! Reading should also be taught in the morning. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/190474315 2017-09-23 21:09:56 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/190474315 There is a concern that students with reading goals in IEPs are not being serviced by case managers. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/190613566 Are these students being serviced by a special educator?]]> 2017-09-24 20:03:44 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/190613566 There is still a need for discussion and coordination of who will be doing needed testing and when. How is this shared with all the adults involved? How is this coordinated with IEP schedules to ensure the information is timely. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/190613727
Is this in reference to Running Record assessments?  
Could you also elaborate on your last question? It is unclear as to what you mean re: IEP schedules.]]> 2017-09-24 20:04:59 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/190613727 Whole Child https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/190630744 Today I tried  planning a social studies lesson based on the Bill of Rights.  I really struggled because I do not feel as though I know all of my students as readers.  When half of my class leaves for reading, I am not able to hear them read and transfer their needs to other areas during my day.  

I am struggling with feeling like I do not know the whole child in front of me.  

- Tessa ]]> 2017-09-24 22:21:28 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/190630744 Our reading block ends at 2:20. We have had many interruptions during that time, including the last 5 minutes, or so when we are wrapping things up. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/191415724
]]> 2017-09-26 18:39:39 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/191415724 We are not able to have a flexible reading schedule when we have assemblies during our reading time. (ex. Math Wizard is suppose to https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/191418070 2017-09-26 18:44:06 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/191418070 I am still losing teaching time due to transitioning 2nd graders. When they arrive I have to get 2 groups squared away while a 3rd group waits for the 2nd teacher. Although the children are getting better at it, there are still 23 students to settle working in the room. (If I had my own class, seatwork could be related to other things we have done during the day which they already could have directions for. It also gives practice for things we are working on.) I'm also losing time transitioning at the end. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/191427752 We lose that extra practice time or the extra work time with our own struggling readers if they are not in our rooms for the reading period. I don't feel like I know them as well as readers .(Agreeing with Tessa.)

 With 23  children working in the room either independently or with a group, it gets very noisy at times and it is hard for children or adults to concentrate. We can't work on fluency like a reader's theater because the volume gets too high very quickly.  

20 minutes (or less once other groups are set) is not enough time to do a proper reading group. 

The day is segmented so much that it is very difficult to integrate subjects. I would usually integrate science, ss, ELA/reading or writing at times as appropriate for the unit, vocabulary or skill,, but because those subjects are all chopped up during the day, I don't have time to finish lessons or integrate. We can't do anything in depth in 30 minutes isolated from any of the other blocks.

For 2nd grade, SS is at the end of the day after fundations. We have about an hour to do both. That is also when we have to pass out and go over homework and prep to go home. This is not enough time to do both fundations and SS/science well. (we need to integrate or there isn't enough time. By trying to give us more time, you have taken away our time to do our jobs well.  
Units are set up for much longer periods. We can't do an hour lesson in 25 minutes.
-Lisa S.]]> 2017-09-26 19:03:23 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/191427752 Continued--We still don't know who/how/what will grade students in the reading groups. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/191433524 We still don't know who we are supposed to test, or when we are supposed to test. I will not be able to give 24 Running records in one sub day.  

Materials are unintentionally being overlapped because we have not planning time. I used a book for reading that another class was using for independent reading. 

If the intention was for me to learn from Crystal as she taught in my room, it is impossible to do as I teach and manage the other children. 

The higher group that I have may be getting more independent reading work on their level than with our previous model.
 
-Lisa S. 

]]> 2017-09-26 19:16:47 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/191433524 I feel like with this model, the amount of students and the time, makes me feel like I am providing reading instruction based on quantity and not quality. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/192938715 2017-10-02 11:59:02 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/192938715 Not enough time! Groups are way too large!!! Especially for lower level students! https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/192939274 2017-10-02 12:00:26 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/192939274 Groups are far too large! Research shows that guided reading groups should be no more than 6 students. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/192976448 2017-10-02 13:20:57 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/192976448 It is overwhelming trying to run 3 reading groups with 3 teachers in the room. It is very noisy, no matter how hard we try. I am having difficulty hearing my reading group. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/193046857 2017-10-02 15:15:41 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/193046857 It is difficult trying to teach the students to read with expression, and do my silly voices when I have to whisper as to not disturb the other 2 groups that are working in the room. It takes the excitement out of the reading lesson. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/193047797 2017-10-02 15:17:12 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/193047797 Next year https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/197140702 If we do this again next year, 2nd grade could use at minimum a month, but ideally the quarter to get to know our own children and complete assessments and train the young students how to work independently and change groups in our own classes before switching children. It was very difficult to expect children who have not been prepared to work independently in a room when they just have to do it because we are already rotating every few minutes. I also believe if we had a chance to get to know our children, the groups would be better balanced and productive and better meet student needs when we  switched. 
Lisa S. ]]> 2017-10-15 18:02:13 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/197140702 When students are pulled out for reading, there is no communication about what is being taught and what is the alignment with classroom instruction. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/197183995 2017-10-16 00:39:53 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/197183995 There aren't enough resources for teachers with large groups of students. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/199404599 2017-10-22 22:57:46 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/199404599 Master Schedule tnunes2 https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/199533402 Math lab classroom documents/lessons are written for  60 minutes.  The grade 3 master schedule only allows for a 50 minute math block. 

Tessa]]> 2017-10-23 12:35:14 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/199533402 Not Reading Related https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/201562092 I love the idea of visiting the principal for positive reasons and sharing it will our school community]]> 2017-10-30 00:54:19 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/201562092 We need time to consult with reading teachers before the protocol sessions. https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/203718439 2017-11-06 02:23:09 UTC https://padlet.com/lbessette/69tqy191nu8p/wish/203718439