My Blog | Sunday Cummins

Are you teaching young readers remotely? If you use Jan Richardson’s Next Step Forward in Guided Reading (2016) lesson plan templates for teaching these stages, here’s a modified plan for emergent stage (DRA levels 1-3 or F&P A-C) and early stage (DRA levels 4-16 or F&P D-I) (or see attached at bottom of blog). The modification details are highlighted in yellow. These plans were created during lessons with students and an amazing team of educators using a virtual meeting platform called Webex. (The adaptations noted in the plan should work for most platforms). If you need a modified plan for PreA stage readers, see my blog entry from last week.

Big takeaways –

Start every lesson with a materials check in. Hold up each item the students will need and ask them to find and hold up theirs. Then there’s no scrambling for materials. If a student is missing a material, then you have an early heads up and can make modifications.

Students need access to their own copy of the text so they can do their own reading. Paste a link to the book in the chat feature for students to click on in order to access the book. (See more notes about how in attached plan.) Some days there will be a student who cannot access the book. That’s okay! Confer with that student, sharing your screen OR we started asking every student to bring a self-selected book–which we checked for during the “materials check in.” They “read” (or looked if they couldn’t read) the book as an alternative.

Use breakout rooms or lobby features to make sure each student can read with you privately. They are less likely to take the risks they need to grow as readers if others are listening or can hear them. Round robin reading or muting everyone while one student reads is not appropriate (in my opinion ;). (See suggestions in the attached plan.)

Make “practicing” new routines an objective you give plenty of time and CELEBRATE. (See more details in the attached plan.)
- Practice locating the book.
- Practice toggling between the meeting platform and the book.
- Practice going to breakout rooms or the lobby.

Set your timer for 15-20 minutes and move through the lesson at whatever pace works. When the timer goes off, stop and then pick up wherever you left off the next time you meet. Regardless – always start with a materials check in!