I arrived to my classroom at 7:30 as I normally do. Mrs. Wells had just gotten to the room herself as I knocked on the door. We chatted about how our day had started off and then moved the conversation into what was going to be done today. She asked if I had ever lead a guided reading group/ how to lead a guided reading group. And I had not. So she asked if I would like to observe her as she lead her reading groups. They just started doing their "Daily 5" routine, it was still new to them. They got lost and did not know which section they were suppose to be at. As "Daily 5" began I sat by the computer near the reading table. I watched the frenzy begin as the students moved to their stations. As the first group came to the reading group with their book baggies in hand the sat down and began "whisper" reading to themselves as she had one student read out loud to her. She listened to them intensely and if the had trouble would help them sound out the words and if they still had trouble with it she wrote it on an index card for them to practice. She did this for all the groups. After "Daily 5" was over moved into writing where students had to create a "paragraph" using a variety of sentences which meant uses periods, question marks, and exclamation points. The students picked a topic they wanted to talk about earlier in the week. As I walked around the classroom I asked what topic they picked and what they wrote. It is very difficult to read their hand writing so they read me their stories. So of the students did not have any trouble with this and others had a really tough time and when I tried to help I became more confused than I have ever been that day. After writing the day flew by. But during math Mrs.Wells wanted me to help a student "DK" (pseudonym). As I was helping him he seemed to understand the concepts and directions that were being asked, Then the day was done.
This week has been really informative. As I observed the reading groups I noticed it could get a little loud with the other students in the class working around the classroom, the whisper reading at the table, and the student reading out loud to the teacher. I believe that it could be beneficial if the group reads together as a whole group so that students can get comfortable reading in groups and that students that have trouble with a word hears that word from multiple classmates. Also with the index cards she made for them she can have them play a flashcard game with members of their reading group. That activity is fun and educational for the students to participate in.
This week has been really informative. As I observed the reading groups I noticed it could get a little loud with the other students in the class working around the classroom, the whisper reading at the table, and the student reading out loud to the teacher. I believe that it could be beneficial if the group reads together as a whole group so that students can get comfortable reading in groups and that students that have trouble with a word hears that word from multiple classmates. Also with the index cards she made for them she can have them play a flashcard game with members of their reading group. That activity is fun and educational for the students to participate in.