Gradually Learning to Let Go, Part 4

"Top o' the mornin' (or afternoon or evening) to ya!" Thank you for accompanying me on my blog journey as I chronicle my pursuit to master the gradual release framework. 

Before I continue with Part 4, here's a reminder of how I concluded February's blog:

Our administrators are going to observe my third-grade teammates and me trying out our new-found knowledge of gradual release. My lesson is going to focus on how to determine a character's point of view. You'll have to wait until next month's blog to see how my lesson went. See you then!

Can you believe it's already "next month"? I'm fairly confident that you have been eagerly awaiting this post to find out how my lesson went, so I won't keep you in suspense. Below you will find two lists. The first shows what went well overall on my and my students' part. The second column addresses instructional, managerial, or organizational needs that I need to focus on and what my next steps are. (The wise saying below is the lense from which I have approached this new learning.)

As I methodically proceeded through my lesson, I was careful to make mental notes. Which students were struggling and why? Were they struggling because my directions were unclear? Were my students merely communicating or were they truly collaborating, with each student being held accountable for their share of the workload? Was my pacing too fast or too slow? Did my lesson unfold naturally and logically so that all students could build meaning? As a self-proclaimed imperfect perfectionist, I am my own worst critic. All things considered though, I can confidently say that I am steadily increasing my knowledge and becoming more skilled at implementing the gradual release framework in my classroom.

     

      GLOWS                                                                                       

• Students found the text, Clever Jack Takes the Cake, engaging. (Since it's not often they are exposed to fairy tales in third grade, this was a novel experience.)                                              
• Students were eager to support one another.                                    

• I ensured that all students were accountable for their work by collecting students' handouts.                                                                                                                

      GROWS

• Predictably, struggling readers had a difficult time locating textual evidence. Next time, I will preview the text with them.

• I need to work on students staying on topic when they are engaging in a Kagan structure. Next time I will review those expectations beforehand. Sometimes we need to review the basics (e.g. expectations), especially as we near spring break.

My ultimate goal is to internalize the steps mapped out in Better Learning Through Stuctured Teaching

so that I can focus the majority of my cognitive capacity on my instructional delivery and on ensuring students' learning. 

Happy Easter Everyone!

Lola E. Jollie