Do Teacher Prep programs really prepare you to teach?

Or, What I wish my ed program had taught me...

I loved so many things about college, but some of the things I loved most (besides weekend extracurriculars...) were my elementary ed classes.  I attended a tiny liberal arts school with a reputation for high standards in central Illinois, and my el ed program had a total of 12 people in it.  We got super close during out methods classes junior year, got each other through student teaching senior year, and graduated ready and excited to teach and inspire the youth of America.  But were we really ready?

My and my El Ed BFF from college--we both graduated with teaching jobs.
Look how unsuspecting and naive we are here...

I love teaching, but the truth is that I almost didn't survive my first year.  I had an amazingly successful student teaching experience, taking control of the classroom early on in the semester and learning to plan and implement engaging, hands-on lessons.  I totally killed it in student teaching.  When I graduated with a contract to teach 5th grade in the suburbs back home, I was confident--I totally knew I was ready for this.  Then...I actually started teaching.  By the second day, I realized that not only was I not ready, but I had NO idea what I was doing or how to manage a class of unruly fifth graders.

I was so excited to set up this first classroom!

Before I knew what was happening to me, I was knee deep in the trenches of classroom reality, including dealing with extreme behavior disorders, learning disabilities, students performing grossly below grade level, and students living in poverty.  Oh, and did I mention that my undergrad experience failed to prepare me to to teach basic things like guided reading or writing workshop not to mention interventions for needy students?  I could go on and on with a list of the things I didn't know how to do, but it would be an entire post on its own.

From my blog my first year...

So there I was, having aced college and finished student teaching with glowing recommendations from my cooperating teacher and university supervisor, and I was completely failing.  I felt so defeated--not only did I not know how to teach the content in the way my district expected me to, but I just plain could NOT manage my class.  I began to think that maybe I wasn't so good at this after all.

My blog looked very different back then :)

Thankfully, I did survive that first year, learned A TON about content, management, and teaching in general, and came out the other side ready to take on a second year.  It's been three years since I finished that wretched first year, but my mind traveled back to it when I got a call from a reporter at the Washington Post Monday asking to interview me for an article about teacher preparation programs and whether or not they do a good job preparing teachers for the field.  You can read the article including my comments here.  The most frightening part of the article in my opinion is the study shared by the National Council on Teacher Quality that ranked teacher education programs in the United States--no only did no college in the US receive the top 4-star rating, the majority of programs received a rating of "mediocre" or below.  Over 100 schools even received NO STARS.  (Check out the study for yourself here.)

While this study should probably be taken with a grain of salt because students and professors were not interviewed as part of it, my own experiences would definitely support the claim that teacher preparation programs do not truly prepare you for the realities of the job.  I came out of my prestigious university knowing how to teach the content areas, but there were so many holes--so many things I didn't know.  I look back on my first year and feel bad for those students--while I CERTAINLY did the best I could, I didn't do as good of a job with them as I would have if I'd met them last year.

The interview got me thinking a lot about the things I wish I'd learned in college.  Here's my short list:

• How to teach literacy using a reading series as a starting point--My liberal arts school was all about literature circles, novel studies, text sets, and interdisciplinary units.  Those are all beautiful and wonderful things, but they are not the reality in many districts that require use of a reading series.  I wish I'd learned how to navigate a series and supplement it with other high quality texts.
• How to teach guided math--Many districts have been moving towards guided math in recent years, including mine.  I didn't graduate too terrible long ago, so I don't think it's unreasonable to say it would have been awesome to learn a little about guided math structures in undergrad.  This has been a tricky one to learn on the fly!
• Different ways of structuring guided reading time--This was one of my biggest challenges early on my first year.  Like I said, we didn't learn much about guided reading itself in college, but we DEFINITELY didn't learn what to do with the rest of the class when you are doing groups.  I wish I'd learned about Debbie Diller, Daily 5, and Reading Workshop in college so I'd have been able to choose one that worked great for me and hit the ground running my first year.  It took until Thanksgiving for me to have a real Daily 5 structure in place!
• Formal and Informal Assessment--I could have used a whole class on this.  Enough said.
• MANAGEMENT!!!--I cannot say enough how important it is for new teachers to learn different philosophies and strategies for management.  Many universities don't teach too much about management at all, so all new teachers have to go off of is instinct and whatever systems their cooperating teacher used during student teaching.  I wish I'd have had a whole class in management where we could explore many different systems and philosophies.

So much of teaching just needs to be learned on the job through experience, but I really feel like university programs could do a far better job of preparing young teachers.  I'm sure nothing could really have prepared me for the zoo I walked into my first year, but I wonder if I'd have had a few less tears if I'd learned a few of these things in undergrad!!

What do you wish you'd learned in college before you started teaching?

What I'm Reading Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!  This week I have a mystery/romance and a young adult fantasy book to share with you.  My goal has been to read two books every week this summer, and so far I've been successful!

Crow's Row by Julie Hockley
Goodreads Summary: For college student Emily Sheppard, the thought of spending a summer alone in New York is much more preferable than spending it in France with her parents. Just completing her freshman year at Callister University, Emily faces a quiet summer in the city slums, supporting herself by working at the campus library. During one of her jogs through the nearby cemetery while visiting her brother Bill's grave, Emily witnesses a brutal killing-and then she blacks out. When Emily regains consciousness, she realizes she's been kidnapped by a young crime boss and his gang. She is hurled into a secret underworld, wondering why she is still alive and for how long.

Held captive in rural Vermont, she tries to make sense of her situation and what it means. While uncovering secrets about her brother and his untimely death, Emily falls in love with her very rich and very dangerous captor, twenty-six year- old Cameron. She understands it's a forbidden love and one that won't allow her to return to her previous life. But love may not be enough to save Emily when no one even knows she is missing.

My Thoughts:  My book club (aka two friends I like to read and drink wine with) picked this book to read this week.  While my library didn't have a copy, I was thrilled to be able to get it for just $3 on Kindle!  Woo!  At first, I was totally hooked and sucked into this story.  It was exciting and intriguing.  However...I quickly became more and more APPALLED the more I read!  I truly feel like there is something wrong with this character.  I'm sorry, but it is not normal to be kidnapped, not have any desire to escape, and fall in love with your kidnapper.  The killer is that this is NOT a Stockholm Syndrome story--the character really just falls in love with her kidnapper, a 26 year old mob boss and gang leader.  Another thing, I couldn't shake the thought that this book bears a striking resemblance to Twilight.  No, there are no vampires, but the whole innocent girl falling in love with a dangerous guy with unlimited money and a strange "family" who wants to protect her...it was all very EdwardBellaWeird.  Anyways, I flew through the book, but it was definitely not a favorite.
2.5/5 stars

Cinder by Melissa Meyer

Goodreads Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

My thoughts:  It took me a few chapters to get hooked on Cinder--in fact, I kept falling asleep every time I sat down to read for awhile!  But about 50 pages in, I got into the story, and it really picked up for me at the end.  Initially, the whole idea of a "cyborg" Cinderella story didn't appeal to me, but I love a good "fractured fairy tale," and once I got used to the whole world in this book, it did not disappoint.  I liked Cinder's character as well as the Prince, and I thought the retelling of Cinderella was super creative and unique.  It left me hungry to find out what happens next, though, because the ending of this book is nowhere near the expected "happily ever after"!  I read that Meyer will be retelling a different fairy tale in each book in this trilogy (at least I think it's part of a trilogy), which I'm really excited about.  Looking forward to reading Scarlet, book 2!

3.5/5 stars

What are you reading this week?

As always, cover art and italicized summaries are courtesy of goodreads.com!  

Training Tuesday: 1 Week Down!

1 week of marathon training = complete!  Woo woo!  Just...17 to go?  Yikes.  That's still a long way to go, but hey at least I am 7 days closer!  This week was pretty easy compared to what I've been doing lately for triathlon training and half marathon training before that.  I logged a total of 3 short runs, 1 long slow distance (just 6 miles for starters!), and 2 hot hot hot yoga classes.  By the way, does anyone else get so sweaty at hot yoga that they need to stop to towel off many times during class?  Just me?...

One new thing this week was that I had my first long run with a training group.  I'm training for the marathon with Chicago Area Runner's Association, thanks to the free membership I got through Team Up! for Autism Speaks.  I have to say, I was a little nervous about a training group!  I've been a pretty exclusively solo runner throguh training for 5 half marathons, but I knew that I'd need a little extra support to get through this summer and fall of training.  The only downside is that my training group starts at 6:45am a half hour's drive away...UGH.  That means this lazy teacher has to get up early early early at least one day a week this summer.  #firstworldproblems  I even laid out my breakfast food the night before so I could sleep until the last possible second:

I really liked the training run--I had been planning on running with a 12min/mi run/walk group, but after starting with the group I quickly realized they were running more like a 13min/mi...so another runner and I decided to run together at our own pace.  We had a great time chatting during the run, and the miles went by really quickly.  I may try the 11:30 run/walk group or the 12min run group next week--it's nice to know that there are options and that running by myself or just with a buddy is an option too!  Besides the comradery, the highlight of the training group is the fact that they have coolers of water and gatorade out on the trail.  HOLD THE PHONES.  You mean I don't have to ration my precious gatorade on long runs this summer, taking 1 tiny sip per mile???  WIN!  (Only a runner would be this excited about gatorade...tell me I'm not alone here, guys!)

Anyways, looking forward to completing week 2 this week!  I'm popping CalMagZinc and foam rolling like a crazy person in the hopes of making this an INJURY-FREE summer!

What are you training for this summer?

A Day in the Life of our Daily 3

This post is a follow up to last week's post about how I create, run, and take data on Guided Reading groups.  

Some of my most popular posts are about my Daily 3 structure: Daily 3 Bootcamp, Introducing the Daily 5, and Word Work.  I wrote all three of those posts during my second year teaching, though, and my Daily 3 has continued to evolve since then.  I wanted to take you through a breakdown of how I allocate my 60 minutes a day of guided reading time.  This year, my guided reading block was first thing in the morning.  Every morning after the kids unpacked, they grabbed their book boxes and joined the class at the carpet with them for our opening traditions.

This bulletin board is from a few years ago, but I make essentially the same one every year!

8:45-8:50 Opening Traditions & 1st round Status of the Class
In my earlier posts about Daily 3, I shared pictures of a packet I gave kids of graphic organizers and response questions for the week.  The first page was a blank schedule for them to fill in their Daily 3 choices for each rotation for the whole week.  It worked for me at the time, but I scrapped it last year because it just wasn't working anymore.  Also, the packets were becoming a pain to make and weren't really working with my instruction anymore.  Instead, I started taking a Status of the Class before each rotation.

Here's a sample template for my Status of the Class form.  The one I used this year had 3 columns for each day because I did 3 rotations.  I type the kids' names in at the beginning of the year and make a bunch of copies so I can pull out a new one each Monday.

Status of the Class is straight from the Daily 5 book.  What I do is read every student's name, and they tell me their choice for that rotation: Read to Self, Work on Writing, Word Work, or Guided Reading.  When I first read the Daily 5 book, I didn't really see the need for it, but since then I've decided that the minute it takes is definitely worth it.  Here's why:

1. It helps the kids set a purpose for their rotation.  Nobody is, 5 minuets in, still deciding what to do.  Everyone has a task in mind, a purpose, and is able to start working productively right away.
2. Keeping track of their choices helps me keep them on track.  Because I record the choices during the week on my clipboard, I am able to notice if students haven't been choosing Read to Self enough, or if it's Thursday and they still haven't chosen Word Work. (1 activity of WW must be completed by Friday.)

Once I have called their name and they have given me their choice, they go immediately to find a spot for the rotation.  If they need Word Work materials, they head right to the Word Work station to get what they need before getting settled elsewhere.

Word Work activities are stored in a hanging file bin on a trap table in the corner of the room.  

8:50-9:10 Rotation 1

I meet with my first group of the day.  Check out this post for a detailed description of how I use each minute of my guided groups. Students working independently are seated all around the room: at their desks, sitting on the floor, laying on backs, laying on tummies, laying on upside-down chairs, sitting on desks, sitting under desks, you name it.  The kids have their book boxes with them ALWAYS--they contain their Writing Workshop journal, their Word Work folder with any "in progress" and "completed" activities (to be turned in Friday), and of course a bunch of books.

9:10-9:11 Transition & Status of the Class 2

I ring my service bell.  Students in my guided reading group return pens and put their books in their cubby. (I have a cubby for each guided group at the end of my students' coat rack cubbies.)  All students pick up their book boxes and return to the carpet area for Status of the Class.  Same routine as before!

Gathering Place!

9:11-9:30 Rotation 2

I meet with my second group of the day.  Independent students are encouraged to choose a NEW spot, but this one is tricky to enforce because I am hurrying (always, always hurrying...) to start my second guided group.  Same routine as before!

9:30-9:31 Transition & Status of the Class 3

I ring my service bell again and we meet back at the carpet.  I take the last Status of the Class, making sure every student chooses a DIFFERENT activity than the first two rotations.

9:31-9:45/9:50 Rotation 3

I meet with my third group of the day, usually one of my "beyond" level groups because the time block is shorter.  Independent students are encouraged to choose a NEW spot.  Same routine as before!

Curled up in the library = 1 of many possible reading spots!

9:45 Transition to next subject

I ring my service bell, get students' attention, and give directions for the next activity of the day.  Students return book boxes to under their desks and return pillows to designated locations.

And that's a wrap!

 You can now download a pack of my Guided Reading templates for FREE on Teachers Pay Teachers!  All I ask is that you pay it forward and share the awesome resources you create with the teachers in your life!

Favorites on Friday

Some of my favorite happy-making things this week...

Outdoor Summer Concerts--High School Bestie and I got to see Glen Hansard this week

Maxi Dresses & Skirts--Seriously, is there anything more comfortable than maxi skirts in summer?

Farmer's Market--These were the best sugar snap peas I have EVER tasted.  EVER.

Iced Coffee & Lots of Reading--What more is there to say?

Pedicures in Bright Colors :)

This fun finish line picture from last weekend's tri...

...and this one that just says, "I have nothing left in this tank and am SO glad to be done!!"

What are you loving this week?

Any fun plans for the weekend?  I have my first marathon training group run tomorrow morning bright and early at 6:30am...half an hour's drive away!  Holy early!  This will take some getting used to this summer...I guess no one said marathon training would be easy!  Hopefully getting up early will be the hardest part... ;)

What I'm Reading Wednesday

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Goodreads Summary: Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.  Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through.

A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life...as only a dog could tell it.

My thoughts:  Honestly, the biggest reason I picked up this book was because it was a popular download on the library ebooks page and I saw "racing" in the title.  Naturally I thought it would have something to do with running!  If I'd known it was a book about a race car driver narrated by his dog, I'm not sure I would have read it.  I am SO GLAD that I did though!  This book was, in a word, beautiful.  I adored it.  I am not a dog person (helloooo allergies!), but the dog in this book plays such a unique role.  He is the narrator, but really he is an observer of the life and struggles of a man and his family.  Enzo the dog provides an insightful, at times philosophical perspective on real life, including its connections to racing.  I recommend this book 100% even if you don't like dogs or race cars--it is so moving, and the characters are deep and real.  LOVED. THIS. BOOK.
5/5 stars

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Goodreads Summay: The Challenge: Piper has one month to get the rock band Dumb a paying gig.
The Deal: If she does it, Piper will become the band's manager and get her share of the profits.
The Catch: How can Piper possibly manage one egomaniacal pretty boy, one talentless piece of eye candy, one crush, one silent rocker, and one angry girl? And how can she do it when she's deaf?

Piper can't hear Dumb's music, but with growing self-confidence, a budding romance, and a new understanding of the decision her family made to buy a cochlear implant for her deaf baby sister, she discovers her own inner rock star and what it truly means to be a flavor of Dumb.

My thoughts:  This book was a complete 180 from the one above, but I really enjoyed reading it.  Whereas Racing in the Rain ripped my heart out of my chest time and time again, Five Flavors of Dumb was a completely fun and light read.  I've always been intrigued by Deaf Culture and sign language, more so since moving to a school with a deaf ed program, so a book about a deaf protagonist's experiences managing a rock band totally sparked my interest.  A really fun story about a group of misfits coming together, a teenager's journey of self-discovery, and a family's efforts to grow and adjust as each of them experiences changes.  Perfect pool-side read!
4/5 stars

What are you reading this week?

*As always, all photos and italicized summaries are courtesy of my favorite site, goodreads.com :)

Training Tuesday: What's on my ipod

I wrote a post last year about my favorite running songs--consider this a part two!  I know a lot of people love listening to dance music and hip hop when they're running, and I like that a little bit too, but lately I've also been loving listening to some of my old high school jams while I'm out running.  Current favorites include:

"M + Ms" by Blink-182
Blink-182 is a total guilty pleasure for me--loved them in my angsty high school years.  This song is just so fun and upbeat; I just love the goofy lyrics: You and I should get away for awhile, I just want to be alone with your smile, Buy some candy and cigarettes and we'll get in my car, We'll blast the stereo and we'll drive to Madagascar.  Not that I'm buying cigarettes, obv. :)  It puts a smile on my face every time it comes up on my shuffle!

"Shake It Out" by Florence + The Machine
This has been a finish line "push it" song for me in a couple of recent races--there is just something about that chorus that always gets me moving!  I swear I will never get tired of this one.

"Punk Rock Princess" by Something Corporate
I added this "classic" to my ipod a couple of months back when I needed a boost during the monotony of training for the Disney Princess Half in the dead of a Chicago winter.  It totally gave me a little extra ummph, not to mention a flashback to high school!

"Cruise" (Remix) by Florida Georgia Line featuring Nelly
I'm not going to lie--when I downloaded this song, I didn't realize how country it was.  I am NOT a country girl, but I still love this.  I added it to my ipod right before the Chicago Spring Half, and was super pumped when it came up on shuffle.  Baby you a song, you make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise.  At the risk of getting cheesy, this song made me wanna "cruise"! ;)

"Somebody Told Me" by The Killers
I've had "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers as a go-to race song on my ipod for years, but I recently added this oldie.  It was way overplayed back in the day, but when I listened to it again recently, I remembered how just plain awesome it is.

"Rumour Has It" by Adele
And of course, you can never go wrong with Adele...Seriously, this girl can always get me moving, but Rumour Has It is for SURE my favorite. :)

For long runs, I've actually been loving listening to NPR podcasts--I know, I'm a major geek.  This American Life is hands down my favorite--each hour long episode is centered around a theme and features a few different "acts" or stories from different people based on that theme.  Some are laugh out loud funny and some are more serious, but listening to this podcast really helps pass the time on long runs.

I've been listening to This American Life for years, but I've also recently gotten into Snap Judgment.  It's similar to This American Life in that it has one topic and several stories for each episode, but Snap calls itself "story telling with a beat"--it's just got a little different feel to it that I love.  Podcasts have been my go-to for long bikes and runs for the last few months!

What are your favorite running jams these days?  

Do you ever listen to podcasts?

Race Recap: Esprit de She Sprint Triathlon

This morning I finished my third triathlon, the Esprit de She sprint tri in Naperville, IL.  The race was, in a word, awesome.  I am SO glad I took the scary plunge into triathlons last year, because they are a BLAST. If you have ever done a triathlon, you know that there is a lot of gear involved.  This is what my dining room table looked like the week leading up to the race:

 And that was only the beginning!  I feel like there are so many random little things to bring for before, during, and after the race, but I finished getting everything organized last night (and miraculously didn't forget anything!).  Race morning came with an early wakeup call at 4:10am.  Yuck.  I seriously felt like I was the ONLY car on the expressway as I made the 45 minute drive to Naperville.  I made it to the race site early enough to get a great parking spot and a prime spot in transition:

I was super pumped to get a spot on the end--these are the first to go because it makes it way easier to spot your bike and you have a little more room to spread out when you're in transition.  WIN.

What I was most worried about leading up to the race was the water temperature on the swim.  I have a hard time catching my breath when swimming in really cold water, and I already get super anxious swimming in groups!  The water ended up warming up to a brisk 70 degrees, which was better than the 68 it was leading up to the race.  Not exactly bath water...

The swim ended up going really well, aside from a rocky start.  I made it out to the first buoy without hyperventilating although I definitely wasn't in a rhythm.  I reeeally wanted to take a minute and catch my breath hanging onto a buoy or something, but I knew that if I did it would be even harder to get moving again.  I just kept swimming and telling myself to breeeathe, and before I knew it I was almost done.

1/2 mi Swim Time: 15:52

I ran into transition, found my bike with no problem, and got starting preparing for the bike leg.  Towel off, socks on, shoes on, helmet and sunglasses, Off!

T1: 2:56 (2 minutes faster than last year!)

When I was almost out of the transition area, I realized I'd forgotten my Gu Chomps, the only fuel I'd planned on taking in during the race besides sports drink.  Whoops!  I decided not to waste precious seconds going back for them, and figured I'd make sure to drink a ton of sports drink on the bike to hopefully make up for the lack of calories.  Oh well!

The bike leg went GREAT!  I was a little worried this leg a few weeks back because I'd been so undertrained on my bike, but after really focusing getting in some cycling miles the last two weeks, I was totally prepared.  I passed a lot of people, drank a lot, and just really enjoyed these miles.  The sun was out full-force, and it felt so good to dry off after that chilly swim.

14.2 mi Bike Time: 50:24

After the bike, I raced back into transition (on jello-like legs...), grabbed those Chomps, my hat, and my IT band straps, and got moving.  T-2: 1:57

The run was quiet.  It started in a pretty park on a winding path, but moved quickly out into residential streets.  In other words, the scenery was kind of boring.  I was feeling pretty good though--my legs quickly regained their non-jello normalness, thank goodness--although I had no idea how fast I was going.  I kind of was just ready for the race to be over by that point!

The last half mile or so was a killer.  I knew I was running fast, and I was dying for a walk break towards the end, but I kept repeating "PUSH!" in my head.  (I truly could only form monosyllabic mantras by this point!  #exhausted!)  It worked!

Final Race Time: 1:40:44. 45/100 in age group--I'll take it!

I then proceeded to collapse on the grass and refuse to move.  Oh except to get stretched out by the PTs and get the best chair massage of my life.  Esprit de She knows how to put on a post-race!  They even had people doing mini-manicures!  After getting back to my car, I had one thing on my mind:

Yum.  

Overall thoughts:  This race was awesome.  I went into it hoping to improve on my time from SheRox (on the same course) last year, and I did by almost 5 minutes.  Success!  I sped up my swim, run, and transitions, but most importantly, I enjoyed the race.  If you are thinking about doing a triathlon, I would totally recommend Esprit de She--it was well organized and just a fantastic celebration of women in sports.  Oh and did I mention that the race top is HANDS DOWN the best top I've ever gotten from a race?  Check out this cool cycling tank!

And now, with that race behind me, I am ready to focus my efforts back on running.  Marathon training starts TOMORROW!!!  (Although I think I might take a rest day for Day 1...I think I've earned it!)

Four on Friday

1. This first week of summer has been a whole lotta lazy.  Well a whole lotta lazy combined with some triathlon training--race day is 2 days away!  I have been relishing in the slow-start mornings I've been able to enjoy most days this week.  Case in point this morning:

Blog & Oatmeal :)

Wednesday morning a friend called around 9:30am and asked what I was up to.  I told her I was laying in bed reading, and that my one complaint at the moment was that my book was so long that it was too heavy to hold up for hours and my arms were getting tired.  #firstworldproblems

2. So I'm really starting to freak about Sunday's tri--Tuesday I talked about how ill-prepared I am for the bike leg, but I've put my feet to pedals like crazy this week and am feeling better about that.  I actually took a wrong turn at the forest preserve Wednesday and my ride suddenly became 23 freaking miles.  Yikes.

 Anyways, I am no longer worried about the bike leg, but after I found out the other day that the current water temps are 68 degrees, I have a whole new set of worries.  Did I mention I had not been planning on wearing a wetsuit for this race?  The swim is in a small lake/pool/quarry, and last year the water was like bath water.  That may be an exaggeration, but it was warm.  No one wore wetsuits.  

I know I could still find/borrow/rent/buy a wetsuit if I really tried, but I'm already an anxious swimmer, and I think swimming in one for the first time on race day would be a big mistake.  I will just be cold and hopefully swim fast, I guess!  I may include a light jacket in my transition area just in case I need to throw that on to warm up on the bike...yikes.

3. Have you ever tried Yankz or other stretchy laces?  I used them in one of my tris last summer and loved them for quick transitions.  The shoes they were were getting pretty high in mileage and ready to retire, so I decided to swap them out and put them in another pair of shoes for Sunday's race.  Easier said than done.  I probably should have just thrown them away and started from scratch with a new pair, because after lacing your shoes you are supposed to cut off the excess ends.  Ever tried to lace shoes with frayed elastic?  I don't recommend it.  My shoes currently look like this:

And yes, I ran with them like that yesterday.  Hopefully I get around to lacing the other one before Sunday...

4. Did you know McDonald's ice cream cones are just 49 cents right now??  Be still my heart.  McDonald's cones are one of my favorite treats.  If I'm driving home late at night or going on a long drive and pass a McDonald's, you can bet I'm driving through for a cone.  I couldn't resist stopping for one on my way home from lunch with a friend this afternoon.  I decided I better not take a picture because eating a cone and driving is probably already enough distractions...

Yum.

Happy Friday!  What do you have planned this weekend?  I have packet pickup + expo for my tri tomorrow (aka buying random tri clothes I don't need), then pasta, watching the blackhawks, and praying for good weather for Sunday!

Guided Reading Groups 101

If there is one subject I was completely unprepared to teach out of college, it was Guided Reading.  In fact, my student teaching cooperating teacher didn't even include guided reading groups as part of her literacy instruction--she was totally amazing, but guided just wasn't standard at her school!  Since starting teaching, guided reading is one of the areas that I have worked hard every year to develop and continue tweaking to fit the needs of my students.  It is always evolving in my classroom and is in no way perfect, but I feel it is one of my stronger subject areas as a teacher.  I've published several posts about my Daily 3 (modified Daily 5) structure and activities, but those have mostly focused on what the rest of the class is doing when I'm meeting with guided groups.  Last school year, I shared a post about some changes to my guided reading.  In the past two years, I have worked a lot of bugs out of my groups, and I'd like to share some details about how I create my groups, what I use for resources, how I plan for groups, and how I take data on my readers.

Guided Reading Space + Materials
Here is my guided reading space:

It's not super cute, but it works!  I use two trap tables pushed together instead of a bean table because they take up WAY less room, and I also think it's easier to lean across the table and listen to kiddos read.   The kids sit on little stools I got from Ikea--WAY easier to squeeze them in there on stools instead of chairs!  For a minute two summers ago during the big Crate Seat Craze I considered making those, then decided they were too much work and went shopping.  These babies were super cheap anyways.  The tables are arranged in front of a white board so I can write the group's "Focus Question" and stopping point on the board--saves a lot of, "What page am I supposed to stop on?" annoyances during the group!  I also have a whole bunch of pens, highlighters, markers, post-its, and index cards available in the little bins on the table, my little bell, and of course the books.  I also have these little "I'm Finished!" cards taped on the table:

Here's my guided reading binder:

I got the cover on TPT last year as a free download from "A Modern Teacher."  Pretty!  My guided binder holds a few things: a break down of who is in which group currently, resources about guided reading levels and questioning, lesson plans, and data sheets for each kid.

Creating Guided Reading Groups

Sorry about the blurrines, but I am super paranoid about sharing anything with kids' names, even first names.
I create my groups in fall using Fountas & Pinnell testing and occasionally MAP test data, but mainly F&P.  This year I ended up with way more groups than I would usually prefer, but it's just what had to happen.  I try to have a range of just 2 levels per group, maybe 3 if I have to.  During the year, I update their F&P level based on informal data taken during guided (more on that in a minute).  I DO NOT F&P test the kids all year long.  Who has that kind of time???  I move their level if I note in my data that they have been super successful at a particular level and are ready to be pushed up.  I am pretty fierce about monitoring their levels and pushing kids up all year--in the past I have let kids get "stuck" in approaching text just because I didn't know any better.  Now I really try to push them into harder texts and scaffold; usually the kids will step it up after a week or so.

Guided Reading Structure
I plan to do a second post that gives a detailed description of how I run Daily 3 down to the minute, but I'll give the basics now.  This school year I had a full hour in my schedule for guided reading time and was able to meet with 3 groups a day.  I also had an ELL teacher for guided support for 2 of those rotations, so collectively we were able to see 5 groups per day.  I try to see the needier groups first for about 20 minutes each and save the last 15 minutes or so for one of my groups of higher readers who need a little less time for building background and support.

Here is an example of my plans:

I simplified them quite a bit from the version in this post from last school year, and this template worked great for me.  Here's the breakdown of how I try to allocate those minutes for guided:

• 2-3 min: Build Background, introduce skill, review objectives and sentence frame
• 1-2 min: Set purpose for reading with a "focus question" and assign chapters to read (write this question on the white board)
• 10-12 min: Students read assigned chapters.  I conference with 2 students to listen to their reading and take data on fluency/accuracy as well as comprehension.  After reading, students respond to focus questions and complete "I'm Finished" activities--see above picture.
• 3-5 min: Discuss responses as a group or with turn & talk partners.  Make predictions for tomorrow, fill out graphic organizer if using one for this week's skill.

I typically read two books per week with the groups I see every day and one book per week with the kids I see 2-3 times a week.  I use our series's (Treasures) Leveled Readers, books from our school book room, and Reading A-Z printable leveled books.  

Data

The back chunk of my guided reading binder is divided up by each guided group.  I always let them choose their own group names and change them midyear if they want. In each section, each student has a data sheet with spots on front and back for 4 total conferences.  Once their sheet is filled, I file it and start a new one.

As I said earlier, during each rotation I try to conference with two students.  I will take an informal running record to gather fluency data while they are reading and also take data on their accuracy with answering comprehension questions.  I will give them an overall comprehension "rating" and write down any other relevant notes about things I am seeing.  When I'm writing down comprehension info, I try to at least indicate what type of questions I'm asking, whether it's a skill like inferential, main idea, cause and effect, or a level of Blooms like synthesize, evaluate, or simply a right there or summarize question.  If I have time or if it were an especially tricky question that the student struggled with, I will write down the whole question, but I don't usually have time for that.

As I said earlier, I use this data when I'm updating students' instructional reading levels and moving them between groups.  I am a big proponent of sharing data with the students.  If I notice a pattern in fluency errors, I will share it with the student.  Before listening to a student read, I may show them on their sheet what we were working on last time.  Every one of my students knows their instructional level and knows where they need to be to be at grade level.  They get so excited when they see that they have moved up a level!

 You can now download a pack of my Guided Reading templates for FREE on Teachers Pay Teachers!  All I ask is that you pay it forward and share the awesome resources you create with the teachers in your life!

Tell me about your guided reading structure!