Resourceful Research
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on a scale of zero to three for fluency (a zero would be word by word reading with no expression, while a three would be reading in large phrases guided by the author’s meaning with much expression) and comprehension score on a scale of zero to three (a zero would be no response or an unrelated response, whereas a three would be demonstrating an understanding of all of the important ideas and answering questions that go beyond the text). The group members’ scores are averaged and placed in a bar graph format. This graph, along with the level the group is working towards, is displayed in the front of the room. Students love seeing their graph move closer and closer to the three as they read more books on their instructional level. A sense of community is created as students strive to achieve the same goal; they celebrate each other’s individual accomplishments (as these accomplishments also help the group) and work to keep each other on task (as an unfocused student can negatively impact the group’s scores). Furthermore, the practice leads to some great conversations as we discuss what specific behaviors they demonstrated in their reading that led to an improvement in their graph. To further understand these behaviors, students also form individual goals.
When groups first begin, students are given a list of behaviors they should be able to exhibit as an independent reader on their current instructional level. These behaviors focus on specific aspects of fluency (e.g., reading with expression, reading at an appropriate pace, etc.) and comprehension (e.g., making inferences, rereading when something doesn’t make sense, etc.), and others suggested by Routman (2003), such as making connections, visualizing, understanding characters’ actions and behaviors, and increasing vocabulary. Students choose the behavior they believe that they need the most improvement on. Their selection is posted on the front of their reading folders to serve as a reminder. Once students have already read a book once for meaning, they reread the book during another lesson with the purpose of monitoring their reading practices in relation to their specific goal. They then fill out a table titled “What I’m doing to meet my Reading Goal.” Sample student responses include, “I first read, ‘The fox was a bird,’ and it didn’t make sense. So, I went back and read it again, and I noticed it said, ‘The fox saw a bird.’ This made sense,” and “On page 9, there was an exclamation point, so I read with more excitement.” This activity forces students to explicitly think about what it takes to become a good reader. It is hoped that they can then internalize these skills and apply them to any future readings they complete.
Conclusion
Since I have begun utilizing individual and group goals, I have noticed more engagement from my students. Students are proud of their successes and, therefore, want to maintain them. This motivation leads to hard work, which, in turn, leads to improvement. Although this growth can seem insufficient at times (after all, a fourth-grader reading 75 sight words instead of 50 still has a long way to go), it is still an important step to lasting reading achievement. As Routman (2003) found, “the learners are proud of their ability, aware of their progress, and involved in setting new goals for themselves” (p. 47), and that has been exciting for me to watch
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References
Fountas, I. C. & Pinnell, G. S. (2013). Leveled literacy intervention [Kit]. Portsmouth, NH:
Routman, R. (2003). Reading essentials: The specifics you need to teach reading well.
Bonnie Crossman is an interventionist in the Wright City School District in Wright City, Missouri. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Education in Literacy through Missouri State University
Faithful Elephants: Practicing Critical Literacy With Multicultural Children’s Literature
Jongsun Wee and Detra Price-Dennis
Routman (2003) shares, “Their reward for their successful learning is intrinsic, personal pride and pleasure in their accomplishments. In a noncompetitive manner, they enjoy demonstrating small improvements and achievements” (p. 47)