2014-15 Guided Reading Plus Professional Development Unit

1. 2014-15Guided Reading PlusProfessional Development Unit By: Leonardo Rodriguez-Herrera Richard T. Castro Elementary

2. What new instructional strategies did I implement in my classroom/practice during the course of the Network Guided Reading Plus PDU? • Modeling strategy • Tricky word strategy • Work with frequency words: chunking, endings, beginnings of words. • Retelling, finding evidence, finding main idea and details, predicting. • Dictated writing.

3. How did I apply the Guided Reading Plus strategies in my classroom? (examples) I applied the strategies during my guided reading plus groups in both sessions. During the reading and the writing days. I use the word study strategies to introduce the tricky vocabulary from the text and comprehension questions when the students finished reading. I implemented the dictated writing to help students improve their wirting skills by using a familiar text and words that were tricky for them.

4. What three strategies did I implement from the study section of the PDU? What strategy worked best? Why? • Prompting. • Stop, think paraphrase. • Gradual release of responsibility. • I think the strategy that worked best for me was the primpting because it helped students think on those parts of the text that sounded tricky to them. Students are able to go over the text and correct their mistakes in a non-stressing environment, where they learn from their mistakes and become more confident readers.

5. What changes have I made in my guided reading instruction based on my Guided Reading Plus professional development? • I consider I have learned valuable strategies that have made my teaching more meaningful and practical to my students. • I still want to learn more about GRP and through practice during the next years, I will be able to provide more and stronger support to my students. • Completing the GRP PDU has helped me reflect on my literacy teaching practice to organize my planning to meet the specific needs of my students st the same time I offered them challenging and engaging lessons with texts of their interest.

6. Explain why Guided Reading Plus is important to my students learning and to my growth as a professional? • Guided Reading Plus offers learners the possibility of engaging in reading in a feasible manner that helps them acquire and master reading fluency and comprehension strategies. • As a professional, the GRP PDU has helped me reflect on my literacy teaching practice and implement the strategies I learned throughout the sessions to help my students succeed as readers and motivate them to continue with their literacy process.

7. GRP Data AnalysisReflecting on the data you have collected, how did this experience impact instruction, progress monitoring, student performance, and your own practice? • Being part of the PDU and implementing GRP with fidelity with my reading groups has helped my students become confident readers and establish connections with the texts as they implement the strategies I teach them when I work with them. • The GRP sessions have made a positive impact in my instruction because I have been able to identify areas where I require assistance. Then, I work on improving myself and master the implementation of the structure and strategies from the GRP model to guide my students in their literacy process.

8. How will I apply my new learning in the future to further my practice? What are my next steps? • I will continue using the strategies from the GRP model to help my students bridge the gap between reading fluency and comprehension. • I will continue collaborating with my grade level team to plan, deliver, assess and reflect on the implementation of the model. • I will seek more learning opportunities about the model for my own professional growth.

9. Reading Day Lesson

10. Reading Day Reflection • Identify 3 strengths of your reading day lesson • Students felt confident with the text they read. (fluency & comprehension_ • The vocabulary and language structures from the text matched the students reading level. • Students were able to establish a strong connection with the text because the mini lessons for the week were centered in fostering comprehension skills using informational texts on the same topic. • Identify 2 areas of growth • Utilization of time when students are in their GR group. • Providing students more exposure to the strategies during GR groups to reinforce the skills taught during the mini lesson. • Describe how following this lesson planner will support student’ growth in reading • The planner helps me organizing my lesson to meet the specific needs of my students. • I can choose the strategies I want to implement and what to look for from each student.

11. Writing day lesson

12. Writing Day Reflection • Identify 3 strengths of your reading day lesson • Students were able to answer comprehension questions on the text without difficulty. • The student I took the RR from read with expression and was mindful of the pauses for punctuation. (An issue he had from the beginning of the year). • Students engaged in dictated writing and being familiar with the text helped them avoiding spelling mistakes. • Identify 2 areas of growth • Implementation of the other strategies for the writing day. • . • Describe how following this lesson planner will support student’ growth in reading • The planner helps me organizing my lesson to meet the specific needs of my students. • I can choose the strategies I want to implement and what to look for from each student and follow-up their infividual progress.

13. Running Record for Student 1

14. Running Record Reflection Student 1 • Include a fully scored and coded running record • Discuss the strengths of the students • Determine a student’s instructional focus based on the Change Over Time chart

15. Running Record for Student 1

16. Running Record Reflection Student 1 • Discuss the strengths of the student • The student possess a good deal of vocabulary and he has had exposure to the English language structures. • He reads fluently and with expression. • Determine a student’s instructional focus based on the Change Over Time chart • Routine integration of meaning, structure and visual. searching

17. Running Record for Student 2

18. Running Record Reflection Student 2 • Discuss the strengths of the student • She has made positive gains since the beginning of the year despite the fact that she is still significantly below grade level. • Determine a student’s instructional focus based on the Change Over Time chart • Read for meaning.

19. Running Record for Student 3

20. Running Record Reflection Student 3 • Discuss the strengths of the student • Aziel is reading with expression and uses pauses when identifies punctuation marks. • He is able to get the main idea of the text and retell it in his own words. • Determine a student’s instructional focus based on the Change Over Time chart • Expand reading vocabulary and learn new words from context.

21. Running Record for Student 4

22. Running Record Reflection Student 4 • Discuss the strengths of the student • Axel has become more fluent over time. • Axel read with expression and punctuation. • Determine a student’s instructional focus based on the Change Over Time chart • Expand reading vocabulary and learn new words from context.

23. Exit Ticket • How can we support your professional growth in future PDUs? • Providing more opportunities for sharing with other teachers and learn form each other. • 2 things that you took away from the PDU this year • A better understanding of my students’ needs as readers and writers. • A great deal of strategies to support them along the process.