Marcia L. Kosanovich, Ph.D.The Florida Center for Reading Research

Florida State University www.fcrr.org

National Reading First ConferenceJuly 18-20, 2007

St. Louis, MO

Differentiating Instruction by Implementing and Managing

Student Center Activities

“We can, whenever and wherever we choose, successfully teach all children to read. We already have reams of research, hundreds of successful programs, and thousands of effective schools to show us the way. Whether or not we do it must finally depend on how we feel about the fact that we haven’t so far” (McEwan, 1998).

Reading FirstFour Pillars of an Effective

Reading Program:

• Valid and Reliable Assessments• Instructional Programs and Aligned

Materials• High Quality Professional Development• Dynamic Instructional Leadership

Objectives for Today

• To learn about Student Center Activities and Professional Development created at FCRR.

• To learn how to use this resource to differentiate instruction to increase student learning.

What I Know AboutDifferentiated InstructionK

What I Know

WWhat I Want to

Know

LWhat I Learned

K-W-L Chart

What I Want to Know About Differentiated InstructionK

What I Know

WWhat I Want to

Know

LWhat I Learned

Characteristics of the Reading Block

• High Quality Instruction

• Minimum of 90 minutes of uninterrupted instruction– Whole Group Instruction– Small Group Instruction and Practice

• Teacher-Led Instruction– Flexible– Differentiated– Homogeneous

• Independent Student Centers– Differentiated

Reading First Site Visits(conducted by FCRR)

• Classroom Observations

• Student Data

• Interviews

– Teachers

– Reading Coaches

– Principals

Determination:

To assist teachers in differentiating instruction

K-1 Project MaterialsA Professional Development DVD and 3 Books:

1. Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Student Center Activities

2. Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension Student Center Activities

3. Teacher Resource Guide (accompanied by the professional development DVD)

2-3 Project MaterialsA Professional Development DVD and 3 Books:

1. Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Student Center Activities

2. Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension Student Center Activities

3. Teacher Resource Guide to accompany the professional development DVD

Who is this resource for and what are the expectations?

• Florida Reading First Coaches and Teachers

• Not mandatory

• A free resource available on FCRR’s website: www.fcrr.org

Role of the Coach• If the Student Center Activities are

going to be used, it is expected that the Reading Coach will provide professional development to the teachers.

• The Teacher Resource Guide and the DVD are designed to support this professional development.

Teacher Resource Guide• The Five Components of Reading

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Implementing and Managing Student Centers in the Classroom

• Interpretation of Activity Plans

• Implementation of Activity Plans

• Crosswalk

• Glossary

The Five Components of Reading Instruction

• For each of the 5 components of reading:– Definition– Goal– A brief description of how the Student Center

Activities support growth in each component of reading

• Sequenced by concept in a logical order of instruction

Phonics (K-1 example)• Letter Recognition

– Students practice matching, identifying, and ordering the letters in the alphabet.

• Letter-Sound Correspondence– Students practice identifying and ordering letter sounds (initial,

final, and medial).• Onset and Rime

– Students first practice identifying the initial consonant or consonants (onset) and the vowel and any consonants that follow it (rime); then practice blending, sorting, and segmenting the onset and rime.

• Word Study– Students practice sorting, blending, segmenting, and manipulating

the sounds of letters in words and practice identifying high-frequency words.

• Syllable Patterns– Students practice blending and segmenting syllables in words.

• Morpheme Structures– Students practice blending compound words, roots and affixes, and

roots and inflections to make words.

Comprehension (2-3 example)

• Narrative Text Structure– Students practice identifying story elements

(characters, setting, sequence of events, problems, solution, plot, and theme).

• Expository Text Structure– Students practice identifying details, main idea,

and important information in expository text.• Text Analysis

– Students practice identifying and organizing text.• Monitoring for Understanding

– Students practice using strategies to comprehend text.

VIDEO for questions 1 and 25:10-10:14

FAQ’s Concerning Reading Centers(K-3)

1. What is differentiated instruction?

2. What is a Reading Center?

3. What are examples of Reading Centers and Activities?

4. How are these Reading Centers different from the Centers of the past?

FAQs

FAQ’s Concerning Reading Centers

• K-1 Project– Why are these

Reading Centers and not Literacy Centers?

– Can other more traditional Centers be used?

• 2-3 Project– Why should Student

Center Activities be implemented in second and third grades?

Implementing and Managing Student Centers in the Classroom

I. Form Flexible Groups Based on Assessment

II. Identify Appropriate Center Activities Based on Assessment

III. Design Center Management SystemIV. Implement a Behavior Management

SystemV. Give Explicit Center DirectionsVI. Organize the ClassroomVII.Manage TransitionsVIII.Establish Accountability

I. Form Flexible Groups Based on Assessment

• Teacher-Led Groups– Group size (from 3-8 students)– Keep high-risk group sizes small (3-5

students)– Work with each small group differently based

on instructional need as determined by results of the various reading assessments.

I. Form Flexible Groups Based on Assessment

• Monitor progress of those most at-risk students more frequently to make instructional changes to accelerate learning:

– Size of the small group– Group members– Level of explicitness– Amount of scaffolding– Length of time for targeted instruction

II. Identify Appropriate Center Activities

• Choose Activities that target each group’s instructional need.

• Plan with the learning objective in mind, not the product.

III. Design Center Management System

• Establish time efficient routines and protect instructional time– Group Formation– Activities– Center location/areas– Systematic movement of student groups– Scheduling of center time

III. Design Center Management System

• Center management boards are graphic organizers that answer Where? When? and What?– Large– Matching words/icons– Student should know how to read it

independently

Management

System

IV. Implement Behavior Management System

• Students need to know– What to do when something does not work– What to do when they do not understand

the Activity at a Center– What to do when they complete an Activity

at a Center– How to clean up– How to decide who goes first

IV. Implement Behavior Management System

• Questions to ask yourself– Did I introduce too many Centers at once?– Did I do an effective job explicitly teaching the

activity?– Have the students mastered the skill and need to

move on?– Is the activity interesting to the student?– Do students 3 and 6 work well together?– Is this Activity to difficult for students to do

independently?Behavior

Management

V. Give Explicit Directions

• Teacher Models and Explains Activity

• Teacher Provides Guided Practice

• Teacher Provides Supported Application

• Independent Practice

Explicit Directions

VI. Organize the Classroom

• Allows students to– Easily locate materials– Focus on academics– Use Center time productively

Organize Classroom

VII. Manage Transitions

• Protects and maximizes valuable instructional time– Routines– Expectations– Use the time instructionally

VIII. Establish Accountability

• Prevents students from making the same errors

• Provides opportunity for teachers to instill the importance of quality work

• Conveys the importance of each academic task

Accountability

Implementing and Managing Student Centers in the Classroom:

System Two

I. Form Flexible Groups Based on Assessment

II. Identify Appropriate Center Activities Based on Assessment

III. Design Center Management SystemIV. Implement a Behavior Management SystemV. Give Explicit Center DirectionsVI. Organize the ClassroomVII. Manage TransitionsVIII.Establish Accountability

Interpretation of Activity Plans

• Activity Plans– Used by the teacher to plan and teach an activity– Sequenced by concept in a logical order within each

component

• Activity Masters– Used by the students– May need to be copied– Can be laminated and stored for future use

• Student Sheets– Used by students (consumable)– Need to be copied for each student

Interpretation of Activity Plans

Implementation of Activity Plans

• Preparing and Organizing Materials• Setting Up Centers• Computer-Based Centers• Selecting Quality Computer Software

and Technology-Based Curricula Materials

• Materials Needed for all Student Center Activities

Crosswalks

Crosswalks are sorted by

1. Activity Number and Subcomponent

2. DIBELS measures

3. Kindergarten or First Grade GLE

4. Second or Third Grade GLE

Glossary

Book One

Book Two

What I Learned About Differentiated InstructionK

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Acknowledgements

Just Read, Florida! at the Florida Department of Education

K-3 Project Development Team at FCRRMarcia Kosanovich, Ph.D.

Teresa Logan, M.S.Connie Weinstein, M.Ed.

Kelly Magill, M.S.Sarah Stafford, Ed.S.Jeannie Keaton, Ed.S.

Curriculum Review Team at FCRRGeorgia Jordan, M.S.Michelle Wahl, M.S.

Mary Van Sciver, M.S.Lila Rissman, M.S.

Elissa Arndt, M.S., CCC-SLP

Thank You!Thank You!

www.fcrr.orgwww.fcrr.org