By Jenny McFerin, Literacy Collaborative Trainer
I have
been in several schools recently where teachers are wondering how to best
prepare their students for the next grade level. Second grade, specifically, seems to be the
greatest area of concern since these children will be moving onto an
intermediate grade.
Second grade is an exciting year
for readers and writers. They are
reading more complex texts than they did in first grade. They have a better understanding of how
different genre work, so they are able to write more complex texts than they
did in first grade. Often, there is a
misconception that instruction in the second grade classroom should look and
sound like an intermediate classroom. On
the other hand, the misconception can also be that second grade classrooms
should operate like a first grade classroom.
Second graders need a classroom environment that supports the growth
they are experiencing as readers and writers.
Too much independence can lead to disengagement and problems with
behavior. Too little independence can
lead to disengagement and problems with behavior.
Some
second grade classrooms have the look and feel of a first grade classroom. Students are rotating through several centers
and moving throughout the Reading Workshop.
Other second grade classrooms have the look and feel of a third grade
classroom. Students are moving less and
attempting to read for longer period of time.
The most supportive instructional environment for second grade readers
and writers is one that transforms over the course of the school-year (Pinnell
and Scharer, 2001). As teachers, we need
to embrace second graders at the start of the year with more choices and
movement during Reading Workshop. This
is what they need. As they grow into
reading and writing more complex texts, the Reading Workshop changes to meet
those needs.
By the end of second grade, the
Reading Workshop begins with all students reading independently. The amount of time reading silently should
gradually increase as the readers are able to read independently for longer
periods of time. A reasonable goal for
students is to have 15 minutes of silent, independent reading when reading
workshop begins. Students should then
engage in developmentally appropriate word study. Last, the students move into more open
literacy work where, over the course of the week, they have opportunities for writing
(Pinnell and Scharer, 2001).
Celebrate
and embrace the changes second grade readers and writers are making! Adjusting the instructional context in the
classroom will support these readers as they read longer texts over multiple
days.
Pinnell, G.S., and Scharer, P.L. 2001. Extending Our Reach: Comprehension in Reading,
Grades K-2.
Columbus, OH: The Literacy
Collaborative at The Ohio State University.
