A Look at the Year Ahead: Preparing to Help Students Become Readers

As soon as the calendar page turns to August, I begin to think about the year ahead. I think about what my hopes are for the 29 second-graders who will walk through the door in the next few weeks. I reflect on what went well the previous year, and what changes I am planning to make so that this group of second-graders will have a year to remember.

I open the classroom door and begin to think about the environment I want to create. Yes, I want shelves filled with books, children’s work on the walls, and manipulatives to help them grasp those elusive math concepts. I want a space that is inviting but, just as importantly, I want a space that is functional.

My thoughts turn immediately to reading and the work these students will be doing together this year. As a Making Meaning teacher, I have come to understand that when children have the opportunity to negotiate the meaning of text, they come to understand it more deeply. When I think of classroom design, I know the following criteria must be met for us to be able to do this work effectively:

• We need a place to gather. Because we will start each week with a read-aloud, we need a space where each reader has access to the text and where partners can easily turn to each other to discuss their ideas. It also needs to be a space where the charts we create together can be posted and remain up for as long as needed.
• The room’s layout needs to allow readers to move from place to place. Because days are filled with curriculum, we cannot afford lengthy transitions. It is my job to make sure I have created the space for ease of movement.
• We need table groups of varying sizes so that there are several pathways from desks to rug and back. Some table groups will have six students seated there, some will have four. A horseshoe configuration around a front table is created for students who work best with only a partner. Large groups or small, everyone has someone to work with.
• Once I am satisfied with grouping and have visualized a space that allows for flow, my thoughts turn to procedures. I take time to review the early lessons in Unit 1 that provide the language and the structure for partner work…a foundation I will rely on constantly throughout the year.
• Finally, I leave a packet of self-stick notes at each table group. I have learned that readers often have difficulty remembering who their partner will be for each unit. I take time to model how to record who their reading partner will be. The self-stick notes are then attached to nametags on desks so they can be easily referred to. Students quickly learn that it is their responsibility to know with whom they will be working for these next four weeks. (But I make a master list “just in case.”)

What steps do you like to take to help the school year go smoothly?

Sign up to receive more tips like these.

Stacey Abeyta is a primary teacher and has used DSC's programs and pedagogy for seven years. She also works as a staff developer and has taught teachers all over the United States.