•    Paving the Way with ELA: 
     
     Guided Instruction and Reading Stations
    Rationale
     
    This year in ELA, small group guided instruction as well as independent centers will play a huge role in student learning. Everyday the students rotate between various stations, working skills that are directly connected to our units of study and novels. These stations may include but are not limited to:  " Read to Self", "Read to Someone", " Listen to Reading", " Work on Writing",and " Word Work". Each of these experiences allows students to complete meaningful literacy work independently. Unlike teacher-driven direct instruction, these stations allows for freedom of options, establishes independent routines, increases stamina, and enables all learners to have a sense of trust, community, and importance. 
     
     
     
    Daily ELA Stations 
     
     
     
    Read to Self:  In this station,students read a self selected text at his or her reading level independently. Within the classroom, students have the freedom to read in  various safe reading areas. It is during this time I am able to conference one on one with students with the opportunity to listen to each student read and engage in a book discussion while noting comprehension, fluency, and accuracy. When students finish reading a book, it is expected that he or she will complete an Accelerated Reader assessment on the book.
     
    Read to Someone: In this station, students are reading with a partner or in a small group using our reciprocal teaching strategies of predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarizing. Depending on the mini lesson, students may be reading a short story, a poem, or an informational text together. Reading together allows students to practice reading strategies, become more fluent readers, and share the fun of reading!
     
     
     
    Listening to Reading: In this station, students are listening to a variety of stories being read by students or through computer based programs. As students are listening to the story, they have the opportunity to follow along with the story on the screen. Students rotate though this station on a weekly basis. Each morning there is a group of students who use the computers complete this station. The goal of this station is to increase stamina, improve vocabulary, and to let students enjoy listening to a story being read aloud. 
     
     
    Work on Writing: In this station, students work independently to practice and improve strategies that good writers use. This center consists of 26 writing task cards. These task cards consist of writing various personal narratives and informative samples such as opinions and step by step directions. Students have the opportunity to choose their own task card with the understanding that a new task card is picked each time they visit the station.
     
     
    Word Work: In this station, students have the opportunity to practice word attack and vocabulary skills. Within this station, students have a variety of activities to choose from. Students may choose from activities such as defining and searching for unfamiliar words with their independent reading book, sorting parts of speech within a text, playing vocabulary games, and creating skits to reinforce vocabulary definitions.