Join the Reading Recovery Mailring listed in the English Center at the
Teacher Mailring Center
http://www.teachers.net/mailrings/
didi - Hi every one. Are you on for the reading recovery meeting?
Rudy - Are you Reading Recovery Janet?
didi - Where are you Rudy?
Rudy - Whoops, i mean didi?
Rudy - OH. I'm a reading specialist 1-4
didi - Yes I am in CAirns
Rudy - Where??
didi - Australia
Carol - Australia, well, welcome Bloke
Carol - or is that mate?
Rudy - Oh! I had Pinnell as an instructor in 84. She is Marie Clay person.
didi - We are trying to get a meeting set up so people on this side of the world can participate
didi - Bloke is for guys mate is more general
Rudy - Do you do Reading recovery?
Rudy - I try to read about and adapt the techniques to what I do.
didi - Yes I do and love it but have to back on class next year we are only allowed to do it for 4 years
Rudy - Are you Reading Recovery?
didi - Yes I am Reading recovery
Rudy - Why only 4 years?
didi - Thats our education department rules.
Rudy - Oh. Did you teach 1st?
didi - we only do RR half time I do learning support the other half
Rudy - Lately, i've been studying comprehension.
Rudy - Read mosaics of Thought by Keene. Wonderful!!
didi - Yes I had been teaching about 20 yrs before I went into RR
didi - That sounds interesting it it radically diffrent
Rudy - I taught 5th grade for ten years and now 1-4 reading for 5 years.
didi - What does your job entail?
Rudy - I work with 1-4. The scholl does 4 Blocks which is a balanced literacy program. I teach in a whole classroom with the teacher or in a small pull-out group.
Rudy - what about you?
didi - I have 4 kids on RR half an hour a day and then I do work with small groups of children in Yrs 2&3
didi - This years are a real challenge coming with extremely poor reading skills
Rudy - I am working with far to many kids!! I have an aid. Trying to readjust the schedule to teach fewer children in a deeper way.
Rudy - The program was set when I arrived.
didi - I find it hard to give quality support when thre's more than 2 children especially where the have major troubles
didi - You do that all day?
didi - thats the beauty of RR it's one child at a time daily
Rudy - Get Keene's book. It is an easy read. she helps you understand how comprehension occurs "in the head."
Rudy - Yes, and it is often overwhelming!!
Rudy - I have had lots of success with my program too, however.
Rudy - I've been in places to help the classroom teacher grow. as a result more students have been helped.
didi - So what age are the kids you work with?
Rudy - 6-9 years.
Rudy - Have you met Marie clay?
didi - It's great when teachers are open and ready to try new things and appreciate the support
Rudy - some teachers are open. Others are not.
didi - No Ihaven't met Marie Clay.We are a bit on the edge being so far from all main capitals. However we have a conference coming up in Sept in townsville so we might get to meet some of the big names. its only 4 hours away
didi - How many people would you have involved at your school in the role you have?
Rudy - The school just hired a teacher that has assumed 1 of the 3 4th grades from me. That helps!
Rudy - I still have 4 1sts, 3 2nds, and 3 3rds. Lots of teachers and children to work with!!!
didi - We have aprox 750 kids from Yr1 to yr 7 in our scool and 1.3 people for learning suppot
Rudy - Most of the teachers in my building had been basals and worksheets. Some children were not reading because of outdated instruction methods.
didi - Your 1sts are in their 2nd year at school?
Rudy - Elementary is K-5. 3 grades of each.
Rudy - Yes. 1st have a year of kindergarden, then 1st.
Rudy - Do your 1st start at age 5?
didi - Yr 1 is our 1st year of compulsoy schooling with yr seven the last primary classbefor they commence high school
didi - Yes the Yr 1 kids stat the yr they turn 6
didi - How much time do you have with each class/week
didi - What are some of the changes you are encouraging in the classes?
Rudy - 1st is 4 sessions per week for 30 min. each. Two 1st teachers have me in their rooms for 1 hour a week also. The other grades have me for two 60 min. sessions per week. I go in the classroom or do pull-outs.
Rudy - Trying to get more time with 1st and 2nd. Hard to change a system that was in place before i got there.
didi - I work in the classroom with 2 yr 2 classes for writing sopport with 90 mins for each of two groups of low achievers
Rudy - We got a grant to buy lots of leveled texys so we now have a school book room to share the leveled books. I have also been telling teachers, principals, and everyone that writing in response to reading must be done.
didi - Yes we work on the idea that getting in early will hopefully decrease trouble further down the track
Rudy - I agree. Do you do this every day?
didi - We don't have a set text but over the past couple of years we have seen Yr 2 working with guided reading
didi - I go to yr 2 every day for 30mins
Rudy - Do you use trade books or basals?
Rudy - Do the teachers accept your Reading Recovery ideas?
didi - Reading Recovery takes on the lowest children so I have the lowest 4 for 30min every day the problem is I'm the om
Rudy - Have you seen good success for your Reading Recovery students?
didi - only RR teacher with 96 children in Yr 2 we need at least 1 more RR teacher to get anywhere which leaves a heavy burden on the learning support role
didi - Yes it is good but there always seem to at least 1 child with difficulties beyond that which RR can help so get referred on
Rudy - Yes, we have those children, too. As the teachers are adding more and more best practice instruction I am hoping to eventually only work with those struggling the most.
didi - We had 4 RR teachers 3 years ago so every child in that year who had any reading problem got time, now only the really struggling get RR. That group are in yr6 now and even though we've had alot of new enrollment over the intervening yrs the say there is a noticable difference in the class level
Rudy - didi, It is close to midnight so I must log off. hope to talk with you another time. Best wishes to you and your students. Happy reading. I am getting really tired!
didi - great to chat with you have a good day tomorrow
Rudy - Bye
didi - bye
