This example is from Karen, the first-grade teacher “A,” in my study of Outstanding Effective Classrooms. I spent many hours over several weeks observing her class in action. She had a stellar reputation in her district and was the most impressive teacher I have ever had the pleasure of observing.
I had selected her classroom as part of my study, for she met the following criteria: Parents asked to have their children in her classroom because she had gained the reputation of producing students who loved to read and write — not only at school, but at home. Plus, her class scored at least as high or higher on the state’s achievement tests, as schools with students from similar socioeconomic backgrounds.
Karen’s Approach
She had devised the sequential approach below for her children, who were all native English speakers. They entered the primary grades at a more advanced skill level than those in my own K-2 classroom. For usually, half of my students were the children of migrant farm workers. So, usually, their parents were illiterate, thus my children knew nothing of print.
In Karen’s classroom, the child had a word ring only at Steps 1 -3, where only the word was written, no sentence. An adult wrote sentences and duplicates of their word directly onto the child’s writing book for them to illustrate. So, there was no duplicate to be glued by the child. The child practiced writing by first tracing and later copying below what the adult had written.
Karen and I both had very active, individualized programs. And we each devised a method that works in their situation. To accomplish hers, Karen and her aide or volunteer were constantly in motion. She would stop to survey the room, move to a child who was ready for her to write in their book, stay a few moments, then survey the room again. When a child had completely finished their drawing and writing, they brought their book to Karen, and she drew a happy face on their page.
Karen’s classroom hummed with purposeful activity, the children appeared to thoroughly enjoy their writing, were very involved with their work, and progressed very well. During her long “work period,” which lasted about half of the morning, she was also able to work with one small group a day, on simple project. She also had a “must do” chart, where children signed off on both a writing and math task. Then, of course, she had many choice activities they could do, once finished with heir work.
I had one regular aide. And I arranged for the bilingual children’s aide to work with them during my writing period — instead of taking them out of my classroom to work elsewhere. (Instead of including mine in the “pull out” program they used with the children in other classrooms.) I brought a few children to my table each morning and worked with them longer than Karen usually did. For many of mine needed more guidance. So, to manage that with my 28 – 30 children, I had the two aides, and sometimes volunteer helpers. When occasionally I had no help at all — I’d ask my 2nd graders for volunteers willing to “write Words.” This seldom happened, they loved doing it, and most could spell well enough. If in doubt, they came to me to check the spelling before they wrote the child’s word.)
Comparison To The Steps
Karen’s more simple approach than mine worked very well for these children, as they came in already knowing something about print.
The only drawback was that there were no sentences on the child’s word ring to use as a source for spelling later, as the books of a few pages were taken home as soon as they were filled. But each of her children had their own dictionary, where the adults wrote words for them. Then too, both of our classrooms were full of class dictated charts and other word lists for children to use. And the children knew to look there, first.
The main benefit of her approach was that writing directly into the child’s book streamlined the process. But outcomes were basically the same. And benefits, too. For my own research in Karen’s classroom, I conducted interviews of the children — and the most striking benefit was that all children thought they were “about as good or maybe a little better at their work” than the rest of the children. In that the busy atmosphere, where children were not segregated into “reading groups” and not receiving scores on tests, no one felt they were behind — not doing as well. Their progress was what was important, and unless you knew the sequence they were going through — it was difficult to compare a child’s progress.
Also, I noticed that as in my classroom, doing your work became the “in thing” to do. So, while they were free to be up walking around and talking, they worked with a sense of purpose, with everyone getting the word done before recess.
Karen’s Sequence
Following is Karen’s writing sequence each child went through at their own pace:
