TLC for your TLC

Today I gave a workshop to a group of reading teachers at our school. The focus was the Teacher Led Center. While teaching, some of the original teachers mentioned how far we have come with our differentiated instruction. Four years ago, when all of the changes began at our school, there was no D.I. Then we transitioned to what I call, "pretend D.I," where teachers brought small groups to a kidney table and called on them to read aloud, one at a time. Next, we moved on to shared reading. Students choral read and the teachers shot questions around the circle. Well, we've come a long way, baby! Teachers know how to read their data, group their students, identify resources, and use guided reading strategies in their TLCs. It's pretty exciting. There is always room for improvement though. As a coach, I have the great opportunity to help this process along.

One thing I've noticed is teachers didn't understand how to "read like a detective," a common, Common Core term. Teachers were finding great resources to work with, but didn't understand that they had to plan for their TLC as strategically as they do for whole group instruction. I walked them through how to use their data to identify disconnects in fluency, phonics, and/or comprehension. Then, we discussed how to read through text. We used a form I received and modified of a Close Analytic Read.

If you look at the bottom of the form, you will see that I modified it to include what skill will be taught to address reading deficiencies and what scaffolding will be used so that every child will experience success. And finally, what I think is the most important part, I included a the last section to help teachers know exactly when the students have demonstrated mastery so that they will be able to move on to the next skill or instructional level.