First, let me clarify that my Level 1 classes are actually in their second year of instruction.    They have spent  one wonderful year with my colleague Nancy in 8^th grade.     When they come to my room they are Year Two students in what we call High School Level  1.    These are heterogeneously grouped classes and this year I am team-teaching one wonderful class. (Another wonderful  colleague teaches the other Level 1 classes this year)   The class that  I am team-teaching has 22 students.  Eight of them are receiving some sort of resource room help or have IEPs.   Two have had no Spanish but are excellent French students (non TPRS),  one has had no Spanish but is a former German student in another district.  One was studying Spanish in another district (also non TPRS) .     Three of them could probably jump up to a Spanish 2 class and still excel.    The other nine fall somewhere in between.    The class consists of two seniors, one junior, two sophomores and seventeen freshmen.      A very diverse group.   :o)

Each time we do a reading activity it is a real challenge.    They are all over the board in ability and interest.       Embedded Readings have been a big help, but it is wonderful to have two teachers in the room so that we can work in smaller groups from time to time.   

This group of students is new to me, and we are only eight weeks into the school year.    We have worked hard to get a community atmosphere in here and clarify our expectations, systems and interactions.   

Now it’s time to add a little FVR to our mix.    Generally in Level 1 I start FVR  at a time when the students are already in a quiet place…..during a quiz.   :o)

Thursdays are quiz days and by now they are used to that routine.    We have also been working to get them familiar with how we give and use quizzes (to plan for the following week-in the grade book only if 80% of the class gets an 80% or above),the “Háblame” section at the end (we pose a question about their world and accept answers in English, Spanglish or Spanish  ),  how we collect quizzes (always face down) etc.

Starting this week,  students will  start quiz day by heading to  the table in the back where  we’ll have the  FVR books and magazines out (children’s books, comics, magazines, newspapers, Embedded Readings that have been typed up, instructional manuals, etc  in dishpans from the Dollar Store).   Each student will pick 2-3 items to bring back to their desk for after the quiz.    As soon as s/he finishes the quiz and turns it face down on the desk,s/he can open up any one of the reading materials and enjoy.  

When everyone has finished, and the last person done with the quiz has had 3 minutes or so to read,  we collect the quizzes and give them a few minutes to share with classmates the books that they were reading.

I really don’t care which reading materials they choose and often the most popular ones are children’s pop-up books. :o)    I can walk around,  help out with quizzes,  see how students are doing, answer a question about vocab in a book  and  “sub in” a book I think a student would like.   

Once we have done that  for several weeks,  I’ll give them a few Mondays with”The Book Circle.”    We sit in a circle with the desks and I ‘randomly” hand out 2-3 reading materials to each student.   I’ll start a song and that is the signal for silence and reading.   At the end of the song, the students get about one minute to share/talk about the book.   Then they must pass one or two books to the right.   They can pass the one that they were reading, or, if they want to stay with it,pass the ones that they receive from the student to their left!   It allows students who need change to change, and those who want to continue to continue.    Then I start up another song and off we go.    I’ll start with 3 short 2-3 minute songs and build to 4- or 5 longer songs.     Once they are familiar with the format we’ll do it once a month or so.    

I’ll let you know how this year’s group responds!!

With love,

Laurie