GRAIR STRAND Sample - Grade 2, Domain: The U.S. Civil War
The GRAIR Strand is a 30 minute block during the day meant to be to provide "Just in Time" support to students and to motivate and support them toward reading independently. CKLA materials, such as those from Pausing Points, the Supplemental or Assessment & Remediation Guides may be used, in centers, during small group skills instruction or for independent work. Other materials which teachers already may have in their classrooms, such as leveled readers or trade books, may be used to support students in choosing books appropriate for their reading ability and for activities such as Guided Reading.
Below is one example of a rotation schedule for GRAIR time, with examples of how to use materials from CKLA and technology tools to enhance student's learning experiences and practice in centers.
Below is one example of a rotation schedule for GRAIR time, with examples of how to use materials from CKLA and technology tools to enhance student's learning experiences and practice in centers.
Accountable Independent Reading Centers:
Guided Reading/Skills Group Lessons (Teacher Table):
A Guided Reading lesson or Skill Group lesson would be pulled to the teacher's table. Students are arranged in the centers heterogeneously, so that when the teacher calls a group to the table, there are plenty of students of varying levels to provide support to one another in the center areas ("ask a friend") and allow the teacher to pull groups of students flexibly depending on need. All teacher-lead work is based on data taken from student performance on running records, formative assessment in the curriculum or observation.
A typical guided reading lesson would consist of students of like need or ability working in leveled readers. It is highly important to match the students to the reader in terms of both level, as well as finding an leveled book which works well with observed student skill/strategy need. Typical lessons consist of the following Guided Reading Routine:
A Guided Reading lesson or Skill Group lesson would be pulled to the teacher's table. Students are arranged in the centers heterogeneously, so that when the teacher calls a group to the table, there are plenty of students of varying levels to provide support to one another in the center areas ("ask a friend") and allow the teacher to pull groups of students flexibly depending on need. All teacher-lead work is based on data taken from student performance on running records, formative assessment in the curriculum or observation.
A typical guided reading lesson would consist of students of like need or ability working in leveled readers. It is highly important to match the students to the reader in terms of both level, as well as finding an leveled book which works well with observed student skill/strategy need. Typical lessons consist of the following Guided Reading Routine:
Literacy Centers:
The center examples listed below are meant to demonstrate the use of technology to motivate students to complete the assigned task. Also, the examples below do not include differentiated activities and are provided as an example only. Best practice would be to be sure to have differentiated activities in each center. However, since the organization of students in these centers is flexible and heterogeneous, support is build into the grouping within the center organization.
Listening Center
In this center, students would watch this video of the Listening & Learning Lesson recorded and be instructed to write questions about the story that they would ask another student & write their own answers to the questions. They will earn points - one for each question they write that is of the literal level and two for each question that they write that is of the inferential level. They can earn up to 10 points. This center was created very easily with "Movenote" by simply uploading the Flip Book from the CKLA Grade 2 "The U.S. Civil War" to Movenote and then clicking record! the file can then be linked to, saved to your desktop or embedded in any website.
The center examples listed below are meant to demonstrate the use of technology to motivate students to complete the assigned task. Also, the examples below do not include differentiated activities and are provided as an example only. Best practice would be to be sure to have differentiated activities in each center. However, since the organization of students in these centers is flexible and heterogeneous, support is build into the grouping within the center organization.
Listening Center
In this center, students would watch this video of the Listening & Learning Lesson recorded and be instructed to write questions about the story that they would ask another student & write their own answers to the questions. They will earn points - one for each question they write that is of the literal level and two for each question that they write that is of the inferential level. They can earn up to 10 points. This center was created very easily with "Movenote" by simply uploading the Flip Book from the CKLA Grade 2 "The U.S. Civil War" to Movenote and then clicking record! the file can then be linked to, saved to your desktop or embedded in any website.
Art & Music Center
In this center, students will read the lyrics of the music, "The Drinking Gourd" which was taken directly from the CKLA Grade 2 Listening & Learning Domain "The United States Civil War", and draw what they see in their mind for each stanza of the music. Then, after they have completed a picture for each stanza, they will watch the video posted below and compare their drawing with what is depicted here. How was this artist's view point similar or different? Then, they will write a paragraph about what they are reflecting on.
the_drinking_gourd_music.pdf | |
File Size: | 246 kb |
File Type: |
Word Work Center (Click here to see example of game)
In this center, students will play "Frisky Beavers" from the Grade 2 Assessment & Remediation Guide. In this game, students will listen for a sound/spelling combination (long vowel pairs) in words landed on the game board and spell the word correctly on a note-catching sheet. The goal is to be able to recognize the sound spelling patterns and their placement in words. This lesson would have been placed in the center following an activity done with word work in the guided reading/teacher-lead station.
Independent Reading Center (click here to see example of AR Book List)
Students will know their reading range scores and use the computer to choose books that are appropriate for their reading level and within their area of interest using the website www.arbookfind.com. Once they have choosen several books that they are interested in and have placed the books in their "bookbag", they will print out their book list (with cover) and put it in the Library bin by the door. These will be given to the librarian who will pull the books prior to our next visit to the library. When that is complete, the child will use the rest of this time to read and record on their log, books that have been borrowed from the library that are within their reading level and previously chosen.
Fluency Center (click here for Fluency Packet)
The Fluency Packet used in this center is from the CKLA Fluency Packet for Grade 2. Students will choose three passages. They will take turns reading the passages to themselves, to a friend, and then recording the passage using the Livescribe Pen. They will record the length of their reading on their fluency charts and listen back to their recording. They will write a short reflection on what they could have improved on in their oral reading. If time allows, students will attempt to read the passage again and record, following the same process.
In this center, students will play "Frisky Beavers" from the Grade 2 Assessment & Remediation Guide. In this game, students will listen for a sound/spelling combination (long vowel pairs) in words landed on the game board and spell the word correctly on a note-catching sheet. The goal is to be able to recognize the sound spelling patterns and their placement in words. This lesson would have been placed in the center following an activity done with word work in the guided reading/teacher-lead station.
Independent Reading Center (click here to see example of AR Book List)
Students will know their reading range scores and use the computer to choose books that are appropriate for their reading level and within their area of interest using the website www.arbookfind.com. Once they have choosen several books that they are interested in and have placed the books in their "bookbag", they will print out their book list (with cover) and put it in the Library bin by the door. These will be given to the librarian who will pull the books prior to our next visit to the library. When that is complete, the child will use the rest of this time to read and record on their log, books that have been borrowed from the library that are within their reading level and previously chosen.
Fluency Center (click here for Fluency Packet)
The Fluency Packet used in this center is from the CKLA Fluency Packet for Grade 2. Students will choose three passages. They will take turns reading the passages to themselves, to a friend, and then recording the passage using the Livescribe Pen. They will record the length of their reading on their fluency charts and listen back to their recording. They will write a short reflection on what they could have improved on in their oral reading. If time allows, students will attempt to read the passage again and record, following the same process.