Summer School, Week One Down

Okay, I can honestly say that summer school has been a HUGE learning process for me.  I went in apprehensive and nervous, and am leaving thankful that I teach elementary school age kids.

I am currently working with 5th grade students who all struggle with reading.  Many of them struggle as a result of poor behavior choices, not necessarily because they are poor readers.  It has been interesting to learn some new ways to keep the students engaged and active, especially considering that they are at school in the summer.  Many of them have reminded me multiple times that they DO NOT want to be there.

I am not typically supportive of "fun" as a learning strategy.  I believe that structure is crucial, and fun can happen as a result of structured learning time.  I want my students to be successful, but the challenge is THINKING.

In a society where many things are given to us immediately, with the push of a button, we are losing our ability to think.

I am challenging these kiddos.  I am pushing them, and many of them are NOT happy with me - but they are learning!  Today, one of my strugglers recieved his first grade of 100 in what he called a "LONG time."  Those little victories push me to keep pushing them to be the best they can be.

We are using practice passages, as well as reading a novel aloud.

Each day, we complete a different activity with that day's passage.

Monday, we worked in groups of four to read/answer the questions with a passage.  Students were required to discuss their answers and challenge each other, and I monitored their discussions.

Today, we worked independently, then broke into partners to compare answers and discuss.

Tomorrow, we will have "Reading Court."  Each student will be assigned a question, and will present to the class evidence/proof for their answer.  The class will decide if the student is correct/incorrect.

Thursday, we will play word building/vocabulary games, catch up on our read aloud, and work with some main idea/detail tables.

Friday, we will take a practice test based on the week's skills.

I am hearing such wonderful discussions and academic language, and I hope for many more "lightbulb moments" as our final week together continues. 

With a Bouquet of Freshly Sharpened Pencils,
Mrs. C