Implementing Inclusive Classrooms
Put it to Practice
For this PITP we implemented a strategy or lesson that would make our classroom more inclusive of all students.
Background:
Imagine a room full of energetic, talkative ten-year-olds of varying reading levels from first grade level up to eighth grade, now imagine them having animated and engaging conversations about literature guided by the students. That is my vision. Have I made it a reality? That’s yet to be determined, but I have taken steps towards the dream.
My fifth grade class at Explorer Elementary is, what I would consider, a relatively “normal” class - I have English language learners, advanced readers, struggling readers, various family backgrounds, etc. The traditional book clubs, or literature circles, or whatever teachers choose to call them, have been where small groups of students read a section of a book, complete a job, and then share that job at a meeting. I think there are great things that come out of that model. For example, finding new vocabulary in a text, analyzing characters, and making connections to the text, but it never felt authentic to me. When adults read a book together, they simply have a conversation about the book, they don’t say, “Hey, look at this picture I drew of the part on page ten!”
What I Did
The precursor to book clubs was our read aloud book, Wonder, that we read over the first few months of school. In conjunction with read aloud, students were in pairs or triads for “turn and talk” where they would discuss the book. We learned about what made a good talking point, how to use scholarly language, elaborate, disagree, and connect to others’ ideas. I also modeled how to analyze a character, look for new words, summarize, make connections, predict, and look for ethical dilemmas.
In planning book clubs, I had been reading others’ models of book clubs. An example is the one described by Lucy Calkins in The Art of Teaching Reading. In that model, the groups are long lasting (they read more than one book together), the students choose the books themselves, they are grouped loosely on ability (a student may read with a group that chooses a slightly easier book, but not a group that chooses a book that is confusing for them), and students continue the talk for at least a week after finishing the book, but the driving force in the book clubs described is that they are student led and offer many chances for student voice and choice.
In addition, I was considering the inclusion strategies that were coming up in my Inclusive Classrooms course I was taking through the GSE. For example, I thought about the types of learners in my classroom - some analytical, some practical, some creative. I wanted book clubs to reach all these students and push them to take on challenges outside their comfort zone. I thought about how I could address these in book clubs jobs. Illustrating a portion of the book would appeal to a creative student, while looking for connections between the reading and things outside the reading may appeal to an analytical student.
I began by dividing the students into groups of four based on reading levels that had been determined by Fountas and Pinnell assessments given earlier in the year and observations of the students’ reading choices and habits. I also thought about who would work successfully together without distracting each other too much from the task at hand, but still enjoying each others’ company. From there, I chose five different mystery books at various levels and assigned one to each group. The reading was broken into four sections and each student was given the job of discussion director for one of the four meetings they would have. The discussion director’s job is to provide a summary of what was read and to keep the conversation on topic and productive. The other jobs were artful artist who illustrates a piece of the reading, word wizard who looks at vocabulary, ethical dilemma definer who analyzes an ethical choice, character sketch who elaborates on a trait of character, and power professional who describes situations where influence and power play a role in shaping the story. The piece that I added beyond the jobs is a response to literature. I described the response to literature to the students as a written turn and talk. They each came up with three talking points and elaborated on them in their reading journals. These responses to literature formed the backbone of the discussions they had at their book club meetings.
Once the logistics were sorted, students began reading. There was a buzz around the room as students began to delve into the novels making predictions about who the murderer is in The Westing Game or why Bobby (or Bobert as the students came to affectionately refer to the main character) was invisible in Things Not Seen. There was no question that they were excited about the new assignment. Before our first meeting, I posed three questions to the class: What are the goals of book club? What should book club meetings look like? and What should book club meetings sound like? We responded using chalk talk and came up with some agreements for the group: the volume shouldn’t be louder than quiet talking, the group should sit in a circle facing each other, and everyone should have a turn to speak, but not in a certain order.
At the first meetings, I filmed the groups and we watched the film together. The students loved seeing themselves on the big screen. They were able to identify things that were working well for the group and areas to improve. The good was that people were staying on topic, they were referring back to the text, and different voices were being heard. Areas that they noted for improvement were in their listening skills. They noticed that while some group members were talking others were looking at other things around the room or “zoning out.”
What I Learned
I sometimes feel that students say what they think the teacher wants to hear, rather than what they really think. I’m trying to get away from that and I feel like giving them voice in the classroom and making changes based on their feedback is encouraging them to speak out. Following the first round of book clubs, modifications were made to the requirements based on students’ input. In the next book, they will use post-its to take notes, they will only need to develop two talking points for the group, and they have the freedom to choose the novel within the historical fiction genre.
Through my own observations, I decided the areas that I wanted to work on were reading skills students use while reading. Fifth grade is a big transition for readers. They are moving from the days of word calling to taking in larger pieces and analyzing what they’ve read. To teach these skills in the next round of book clubs I will be reading with the groups at least once a week. I will model one specific strategy each time I read with them, such as summarizing or making inferences. I will ask that the children then practice the skill independently as they continue reading.
The steps I’ve taken feel good. My students are excited about reading, being more thoughtful about what they read, and expressing opinions more regularly. I plan to continue working with the students to reflect on our book clubs and improve them. Some future questions I’d like to bring to the group are: Will the groups stay the same and only the book change? Who chooses the books? How often should we meet? Should the teacher or the group assign the work? The success I’ve felt by involving students in the decision making and planning has encouraged me to include them more frequently in all areas of study, and I know that we will all be happier as a result.
Background:
Imagine a room full of energetic, talkative ten-year-olds of varying reading levels from first grade level up to eighth grade, now imagine them having animated and engaging conversations about literature guided by the students. That is my vision. Have I made it a reality? That’s yet to be determined, but I have taken steps towards the dream.
My fifth grade class at Explorer Elementary is, what I would consider, a relatively “normal” class - I have English language learners, advanced readers, struggling readers, various family backgrounds, etc. The traditional book clubs, or literature circles, or whatever teachers choose to call them, have been where small groups of students read a section of a book, complete a job, and then share that job at a meeting. I think there are great things that come out of that model. For example, finding new vocabulary in a text, analyzing characters, and making connections to the text, but it never felt authentic to me. When adults read a book together, they simply have a conversation about the book, they don’t say, “Hey, look at this picture I drew of the part on page ten!”
What I Did
The precursor to book clubs was our read aloud book, Wonder, that we read over the first few months of school. In conjunction with read aloud, students were in pairs or triads for “turn and talk” where they would discuss the book. We learned about what made a good talking point, how to use scholarly language, elaborate, disagree, and connect to others’ ideas. I also modeled how to analyze a character, look for new words, summarize, make connections, predict, and look for ethical dilemmas.
In planning book clubs, I had been reading others’ models of book clubs. An example is the one described by Lucy Calkins in The Art of Teaching Reading. In that model, the groups are long lasting (they read more than one book together), the students choose the books themselves, they are grouped loosely on ability (a student may read with a group that chooses a slightly easier book, but not a group that chooses a book that is confusing for them), and students continue the talk for at least a week after finishing the book, but the driving force in the book clubs described is that they are student led and offer many chances for student voice and choice.
In addition, I was considering the inclusion strategies that were coming up in my Inclusive Classrooms course I was taking through the GSE. For example, I thought about the types of learners in my classroom - some analytical, some practical, some creative. I wanted book clubs to reach all these students and push them to take on challenges outside their comfort zone. I thought about how I could address these in book clubs jobs. Illustrating a portion of the book would appeal to a creative student, while looking for connections between the reading and things outside the reading may appeal to an analytical student.
I began by dividing the students into groups of four based on reading levels that had been determined by Fountas and Pinnell assessments given earlier in the year and observations of the students’ reading choices and habits. I also thought about who would work successfully together without distracting each other too much from the task at hand, but still enjoying each others’ company. From there, I chose five different mystery books at various levels and assigned one to each group. The reading was broken into four sections and each student was given the job of discussion director for one of the four meetings they would have. The discussion director’s job is to provide a summary of what was read and to keep the conversation on topic and productive. The other jobs were artful artist who illustrates a piece of the reading, word wizard who looks at vocabulary, ethical dilemma definer who analyzes an ethical choice, character sketch who elaborates on a trait of character, and power professional who describes situations where influence and power play a role in shaping the story. The piece that I added beyond the jobs is a response to literature. I described the response to literature to the students as a written turn and talk. They each came up with three talking points and elaborated on them in their reading journals. These responses to literature formed the backbone of the discussions they had at their book club meetings.
Once the logistics were sorted, students began reading. There was a buzz around the room as students began to delve into the novels making predictions about who the murderer is in The Westing Game or why Bobby (or Bobert as the students came to affectionately refer to the main character) was invisible in Things Not Seen. There was no question that they were excited about the new assignment. Before our first meeting, I posed three questions to the class: What are the goals of book club? What should book club meetings look like? and What should book club meetings sound like? We responded using chalk talk and came up with some agreements for the group: the volume shouldn’t be louder than quiet talking, the group should sit in a circle facing each other, and everyone should have a turn to speak, but not in a certain order.
At the first meetings, I filmed the groups and we watched the film together. The students loved seeing themselves on the big screen. They were able to identify things that were working well for the group and areas to improve. The good was that people were staying on topic, they were referring back to the text, and different voices were being heard. Areas that they noted for improvement were in their listening skills. They noticed that while some group members were talking others were looking at other things around the room or “zoning out.”
What I Learned
I sometimes feel that students say what they think the teacher wants to hear, rather than what they really think. I’m trying to get away from that and I feel like giving them voice in the classroom and making changes based on their feedback is encouraging them to speak out. Following the first round of book clubs, modifications were made to the requirements based on students’ input. In the next book, they will use post-its to take notes, they will only need to develop two talking points for the group, and they have the freedom to choose the novel within the historical fiction genre.
Through my own observations, I decided the areas that I wanted to work on were reading skills students use while reading. Fifth grade is a big transition for readers. They are moving from the days of word calling to taking in larger pieces and analyzing what they’ve read. To teach these skills in the next round of book clubs I will be reading with the groups at least once a week. I will model one specific strategy each time I read with them, such as summarizing or making inferences. I will ask that the children then practice the skill independently as they continue reading.
The steps I’ve taken feel good. My students are excited about reading, being more thoughtful about what they read, and expressing opinions more regularly. I plan to continue working with the students to reflect on our book clubs and improve them. Some future questions I’d like to bring to the group are: Will the groups stay the same and only the book change? Who chooses the books? How often should we meet? Should the teacher or the group assign the work? The success I’ve felt by involving students in the decision making and planning has encouraged me to include them more frequently in all areas of study, and I know that we will all be happier as a result.