Welcome to EDL 522. As part of the requirements for this course you will be required to post comments to this blog after every class session. These comments should be a reflection of the readings, lectures, guest speakers, activities, or discussions that occurred during the day. I hope you enjoy the class and I will do my best to share with you the theoretical and practical lessons that you will need to be a successful school administrator.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Blog for 26 October 2008
I wanted to see about other school's SSR programs. My school has a relatively successful SSR program; it has become a staple in the school. Everything in the school shuts down from 1:50-2:15 daily for SSR. Students are not allowed to use the restrooms, get a drink, go to the nurse, go to the library, etc. during that time barring a major problem. Students have a pair/share once a week with a partner where they answer questions regarding their reading material and discuss with their peers. SSR is viewed almost as a reward now by students and it is neat to see how a culture of reading for enjoyment has been created. Any other examples either positive or negative?
Jay,
ReplyDeleteI like the timing of your SSR being later in the day. We have a 15 minute block of time everyday that teachers who have a class that meets over the lunch hour are supposed to take. This year, I have had great success with this--although the time limit of 15 minutes is way too short. Since we are supposed to include SSR as part of our class in the grade, I have included having students keep a daily reading journal on what they've been reading. They jot down a few things they've learned, a reaction to the reading, or vocabulary they found challenging. This has worked so well that students have stopped me when I went to start class and they weren't finished writing. Unfortunately, as Miriam mentioned in class today, SSR at our school is what the teacher makes of it. Some do nothing and aren't called on it. I purposely set everything aside and read as the kids our--and I think just the fact that I am modeling reading and expect that they do the same has made a big difference. I wish our administrators monitored this more for consistency...