These are usually open and available for immediate use.
Of course, all the books have been returned and boxed up for the summer, where they'll wait for some special kids next fall. These are stored in the intervention room I showed in my last post. When you take off the lid, you see it's full of hanging plastic files, which are numbered. The curriculum is such that you begin at the level the student is currently reading independently. Each file folder has four copies of a book. The back of the book shows the guided reading label and the number of the lesson. We recorded many items on the lesson planning pages we used (each teacher has her own set in a binder labeled with her intervention students' names). Included would be the lesson number, the date, and then the lesson plan portion.
Lessons are planned in sets of two, twice a week (four days total). So on the first day, the students are given a book two or three levels below their current level. Hopefully, students have learned from their classroom teacher how to take a picture walk. If not, this is the time to model it. I have found so many students just looking at the pictures without thinking about the story, that this year I began to call it "walk and talk." I model this a lot in my classroom. Anyway, after walking through the book, the student reads it. If I have two students together, we have a group conversation as we walk through the book, and then they wear headphones while reading. I listen to each student, noting their strengths and struggles. Hopefully, this being a lower level, they'll do a great job. That gives me an opportunity for praise!
Next in the lesson will be some word work. We might do this on chart paper, individual white boards, or with magnetic letters. We also have orange sand on plastic trays, which they love to write on! The teacher manual gives several suggestions for the word work. We might be working on adding endings, word families, sight words, etc. This usually sets us up for the second book, which will be a new book at their just right reading level. The teacher provides the book introduction as we walk through the story together. Then the children put their headphones on and read this book. This is when I take most of my notes. I can tell who is confusing "was" and "saw," who is ignoring punctuation, and who rereads after figuring out a tricky word.
This ends the lesson on the first day. Students are given the first easy book from the lesson to read at home. They all have special small book bags that snap shut. A reading log is kept there too, so that parents can record when the children read. Students who read and record on the log get a sticker the following day.
When the second day's lesson begins, students show their reading logs and get stickers to put on their empty 100 grid. We had several first graders in intervention last year who reached 100! After the exciting sticker portion, the kids reread the second book from yesterday, the one at their just right level. This is a second read, and they've not taken it home for parent help. During this read, I take a running record on one of the students. The other student is reading the book again too, but I'm focusing on just one student right now.
After both students have finished reading, we move on to do some writing. Each student has a magazine box for his/her books, along with a bound writing journal. The LLI curriculum provides some written sentences for you to read to the children. They use their best writing skills, especially yesterday's word work, to write the sentences about the story. We work on capital letters, forming letters correctly, punctuation too... not just spelling. Finally, the kids put the just right level book into the bags to take home. The easy read book goes into their box.
Let me sum up...
Day One: Picture walk & talk on an easy book. Read the book. Do word work. Teacher introduces a just right book. Read the book. Take home the easy book.
Day Two: Stickers! Reread the just right book, taking a running record on one student. Journal writing. Take home the just right book.
Of course, you alternate which student you take a running record on, which allows you to get one per student each week. I like that it's just four days each week, because it seems like there's always something getting in the way of intervention, like field trips, assemblies, etc. I think most teachers at my school teach intervention Mondays through Thursdays, skipping Friday. I preferred to skip Mondays. Kids are so tired after busy weekends, and so am I!
Some other interesting notes: The files are in numeric order, INCLUDING the easy read books. You do not have to find your own books for instruction! Also, if you are less than stellar at taking running records on blank pages (as I am) there are preprinted pages that you can copy and use.
Here is a link to learn more: Leveled Literacy Intervention
Good luck with your own reading intervention next year!
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I'd love to hear from you! Catherine