Re: Help with off task behavior

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On 11/22/09, 1st wrote:
> Hello! I'm looking for some wonderful ideas to help with
> off task behavior...........this is especially during
> Reading Groups and Reading Centers.
>
> Reading Groups -- They have a sentence to fix on the board
> then they go get books to read while I teach a group. I
> will be teaching AR next week and that might help but here
> is what I see:
>
> Students sitting too close and talk (we've modeled over
> and over again where to sit and how close to be)
> Students not really reading -- either pretending to or are
> just sitting. I'm trying to conduct groups and it's
> driving me crazy. As a whole they are very low and they
> are the ones who need to be practicing the most yet they
> are the most off task. In a way -- I'm sure that's the
> problem. What can I do to help build their fluency and
> decoding so that sitting and reading independently is more
> of a joy then something to be avoided?
>
> Reading Centers -- I allow them to talk to help each other
> on their phonics page and with spelling in their journal.
> Sometimes I wish I could do away with phonics pages
> because many of my students can't read the sentences
> independently anyway. The problem is -- they get off task
> easily. Would I be a horrible teacher if I just did the
> phonics page with them each day on the overhead and gave
> them a chance to read the sentence independently then do
> it with them? Some kids never get to their journal
> because they are struggling with the worksheet. Also,
> during this time I'm listening to my students read so I'm
> not available to help.
>
> We struggle with voice level and on task talking.....what
> do I do to help them? Right now I feel like I'm nagging
> and often I tell them it's a no talking time for a few
> minutes then we try it again. It helps but I still feel
> like I'm nagging all the time which makes it a negative
> feeling for me -- and I'm sure my students!
>
> Help please!
>
>

It seems as if the work you are expecting them to do is above
the ability level of the student. In this case, the students
will avoid the task. You example of the phonics worksheet
they are not doing because they cannot read it is a perfect
example of setting them up for failure and being off task.
Most of the skills you want them to develop can't be
developed independently when they are that low.  

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