My students work on self-selected literacy tasks every day. While they are engaged in their literacy work, I am free to pull flexible small groups or to meet with students one-on-one for targeted instruction. The six literacy choices, inspired by the book The Daily Five by Bouchey and Moser, are:
- independent reading
- buddy reading
- writing
- word study
- listening
- technology
Children can choose any of these literacy choices, since they all help them grow as readers and writers. Much like math workjobs, literacy choices provide structured choice and help students build independence while doing meaningful self-selected work. In order to set the children up for success, much time is put into modeling and practicing appropriate choices: how to choose work, why it's important, how to stay focused, how to choose a spot to work, how to choose a book/topic/material, etc.
Literacy choices are different from math workjobs in a few key ways. They are never "finished"; children are expected to focus on their work for the entire 20 minute session. The structures remain the same throughout the year; matching cards might be added to the word study choices, and new activities might be available on the Smartboard, but for the most part children are doing the same work all year. What changes is not the actual work, but how deeply they think about what they are reading or writing.
Independent reading: children read just-right books on their own. The focus here is on "independent" rather than "silent" reading. Beginning readers need to vocalise, so independent readers can use a "whisper phone" made by two PVC elbows attached together. This allows them to quietly read aloud without disturbing their neighbours. During independent reading time, children might also jot down their thinking on sticky notes, write in their reading response notebooks or fill out a graphic organizer. Children keep a selection of 5-10 just-right books in their individual literacy baskets. Literacy baskets also hold their reading notebooks, writing notebooks, word study journals and a folder for ongoing literacy work. I purchased caddies in the bathroom section of Dollarama. After sliding the suction cups out, the bins were the perfect shape and size for literacy bins. They're pretty sturdy; last year, only two broke due to chronic overstuffing.
Buddy reading: children read a variety of books with a partner. Partner reading builds fluency and provides support for comprehension. It's really important to spend a lot of time throughout the year teaching students how to talk to each other about their books. Students sit elbow to elbow, knee to knee so that both partners can read the book. Then they decide how to read: chorally or taking turns. After reading each 2-page spread, they take a few minutes to share their thinking. They might also jot down their ideas on sticky notes. A few times during the year, partners might turn into book clubs, with a small group of students reading from a bin of books on a topic of interest to them, like rainforests or dinosaurs.
Writing: This choice is in addition to our regular writing workshop. Children might choose to continue working in their writing folder, or they might choose to do another self-selected piece of writing: a card, a list, a story, a letter.
Word study: children usually spend this time practicing high frequency words or spelling patterns using a variety of hands-on activities. They might also work with matching cards. For more details and printable materials, click here.
Listening: up to four children at a time listen to a story at the listening centre. Sometimes there are enough books for everyone to have their own copy, while other times partners share a copy of the book. Children are expected to listen to the story twice: once for enjoyment, once to read along. They are then invited to jot down their thoughts on sticky notes that they add to a class chart. If they still have time, they can listen to another story.
Technology: because these are always popular choices, children visit the Smartboard or the computer with a partner on a rotation. The Smartboard generally has a word study activity or an interactive writing activity to complete. On the computer, children generally work on reading software, watch/listen to a French video, or read along with an electronic story.
While students are working independently, I'm holding conferences, meeting with strategy groups or facilitating guided reading groups. I try to touch base with each of my readers individually and in a small group setting at least once a week.
Here are some of the professional resources that I refer to when planning literacy choices and small-group instruction:
- The Daily Five by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser
- Literacy Work Stations by Debbie Diller
- The Next Step in Guided Reading by Jan Richardson
