Making the Most of your ELA Lessons

Making the Most of Your ELA Lessons!

Tools to help improve instruction, increase engagement, and get the most of your ELA class time!

Today, we will:

Discuss tools you can use to make the most of your instructional time.

Explore

Explore ways to utilize MAP scores to pull small groups.

Analyze the integration of reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar into everyday lessons.

Sample Schedule for an 85 minute class period

• Beginning of class start activities (10 minutes)

• Daily Grammar Practice (5 minutes)

• In-text vocabulary (5-8 minutes)

• Reading- novel studies, textbook stories, Time for Kids, etc. (50 minutes)

• Writing- 10 minute mini lesson, the remainder is embedded within 50 minute reading minutes)

• Small group resources (based on the focus for the lesson)- (embedded within the 50 reading minutes)

• Early finishers activities- (embedded within the 50 reading minutes)

Tools and Resources

Beginning of Every Class

Daily Grammar Practice

• They attempt the daily task.

• We go over it as a class, while I mark it correctly on the board.

• Each student has a “notes” page for each day as a reference, and a “marking guide” so they know what to abbreviate.

Writing Prompt

These are fun ways to start the day. They are usually silly, thought provoking, and fun. The kids really enjoy them.

Sharing is the tricky part!

Vocabulary- Day 1

• Words are chosen from the text we read (either textbook chosen or chosen by myself for a novel study)

• On the first day, the students list the words, definitions, and parts of speech.

Vocabulary- Day 2- ??

• Each day we do 1-2 word maps for each word. • Once all words have been mapped, students can expect a vocabulary quiz on the entire list of words.

Then the process starts over.

Reading/Writing Mini-Lesson

• Discuss previous day’s reading and go over the comprehension questions.

• Share the skill we will be focusing on for that day.

• Go over the skill and directions for writing (could be any step of the writing process)

• Then give directions for the Must Do, Catch Up, May Do, and Pick One

Small Group Organization

Deciding Small Groups

MAP Growth Reports

Learning Continuum

Print for easy hands-on access

Choosing Small Groups and Skills

• Decide what skill you want to focus on- I usually base mine on the story/novel we are reading.

• I then find the RIT bands my students fall. This will be one group and the skills they are ready to work on. I could not fit the other two groups here. I try not to have more than 6 in a group, so I may move someone up from this group.

• I choose one skill for each small group lesson.

Sometimes time gets the better of me because my small groups are rocking it, but I try to gather the class back together at the end of the lesson.

Debriefing Small Groups/Independe nt Work

We discuss where we are in the writing process (some people share)

I remind them of their homework (folks who didn’t finish the reading are expected to finish that for homework so we can go over it the next day.)

In a perfect world, I get an exit ticket from each student. This is something I am working on!

Other Resources not included to aid instruction or classroom flow

• Time for Kids

• Journeys textbooks and resources

• The novels we read

• Magical Mystery Cards (for time saving and equity)

• A big visual timer (not pictured)

Rinse, recycle, and repeat for the next class or the next day!

To get started, you must prepare..

Questions to ask yourself:

It looks like a lot, but if you prepare in advance it gets easier, I promise!

How much time are you given for ELA instruction?

What do you want your focus to be?

Start with the big picture, then move smaller.

I recommend starting with the procedures for independent work. Then start pulling groups once students understand that.

Where are your students and where do you want them to be?

How can you get them there?

What resources do you have?

What about the students who finish everything early?

The students who never seem to finish anything?

Next,

• My initial planning was a hot mess on a piece of computer paper.

• It’s okay to start as a hot mess, you will work out the kinks as you integrate them.

• Speaking of hot messes…..

Finally, • Just dive in!

Your students will thank you for it in the long run

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under