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Professional Reading 

I have done quite a bit of professional reading over the past several months. I think it is important for all of us to read professionally and to find texts that help us in our areas of weakness and support us in our attempts to implement best practice.

I am currently reading three different professional texts – two as a book study with one of my schools and one in an area I am often asked about.  Because I work only as a consultant now, it is important for me to see how the newest trends and requirements of teachers can blend with the literacy instruction on which I train.

That is the exact reason (or one of the reasons) I chose to read Dick Allington’s latest book called What Really Matters in Response to Intervention:  Research-Based Designs. [See what else I'm reading?] Needless to say everyone is talking about and dealing with RtI – and I need to know how I can help with that or offer suggestions that align with what I know is best practice.

Plus, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit one on one with Dick Allington last February at the International Reading Association Conference in Phoenix.  I had the chance to ask some of my specific questions about RtI and pick his brain. After doing so, I decided it was of utmost importance for me to read this book.

I think there are three key points from this text I would like to review.  I will find it hard to narrow it down to three, but I think the reason this book was meaningful to me is that it was really about good instruction – not just quality intervention. That has always been the part missing for me. 

Response to Intervention BEGINS with quality instruction for everyone and I have worked with schools who have spent so much time and money developing their tiers for RTI that good, quality everyday instruction is no longer monitored or even a focus.  Well planned intervention without quality instruction will still not make a difference for kids.

So back to my three points. . .  The first is the notion of text selection.  All  students, but especially struggling students, must spend the majority of their day reading texts they can read with EASE.  We are talking 98 – 100% accuracy.  “High levels of reading accuracy produce the best reading growth.”  Maybe this seems like a no brainer, but how often are our most struggling readers given time in texts that are EASY for them? 

As Allington points out, even if those struggling students receive a 30 minute intervention time where they mainly read texts that are easy for them, they often spend the rest of the day in texts out of their reach.  We have to find ways to incorporate easier to read texts throughout the day- not just during intervention time.  Reading those texts will not be harmful to anyone, and will certainly produce more gains for our strugglers.

Until next time....

Amanda
Amanda Arens
Literacy Consultant

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As I try to encourage them to take baby steps and implement in a manner that is "doable". They are eager to jump in with both feet and take it head-on. In addition, it is always exciting to hear teachers say they feel like it won’t all be new – they are already doing some of the things we have talked about.

It makes me think about Jim Cunningham and how he said Four Blocks would never be mainstream – because it makes too much sense!  Isn’t that the truth?

When I train new schools I often tell the story of the original Four Blocks Classroom – in Margaret Defee’s room as she worked with Pat and Dottie. I explain that at that time it was called Multi-Method, Multi-Level Instruction. And while we are all thankful it is now shortened to Four Blocks, it is so important to go back to those terms. We have to remember that all four methods (Guided Reading – or comprehension-, Self-Selected Reading, Working with Words, and Writing) are part of a framework that needs all four components. The framework is interconnected and is not complete if only three of the blocks are present. We also have to remember that being multi-level (or differentiating) is necessary but doesn’t have to be complicated. There are many things built into this framework that provide differentiated instruction automatically.

There is definitely resurgence in Four Blocks – both Dottie Hall and I have been talking about the renewed interest and it is an exciting time to be working with schools. This resurgence is why I am determined to get the Blog going again – and even better – try to keep up with new posts. Let us know what is happening in your Four Blocks Classroom!

Until next time....

Amanda
Amanda Arens
Literacy Consultant

In the Writing Block, we work to spend the majority of our time allowing students to work on pieces of their choosing. They choose both the topic and the form. Everyone becomes a better writer when choice is a part of the process. We all write better when we write about things that have meaning for us. However, it is also necessary to pay attention to the requirements of state standards. Most standards, or more specifically Grade Level Expectations, designate certain forms of writing for certain grade levels. When looking at the requirements, grade levels can determine what forms of writing their students will need to learn.

Many standards or curriculums may be general in the description stating, for example, that at the third grade level, students must do expository writing. It may even suggest that the expository writing have a topic with at least three details. This gives a very general notion of what type of writing is to be taught. When the suggestion is that general, the grade level then has a conversation deciding what type of expository writing will be done. What will the finished product look like? Will it be an article like the students read in Weekly Reader? Will it be a class ABC book with each student contributing a paragraph about one letter? Will it connect to content area studies? Will it follow the format established in the fabulous book by Margaret Wise Brown, The Important Book? Will it be a typical school "report"?

With many of the districts I work with, time over the past two years was spent developing a Writing Map. The Writing Map provides a document that guides the instruction for the year’s focused pieces. It lists the focused pieces to be taught, the length of time used to teach each one, the time of year it will be taught, and any focus the instruction will have. In addition, teachers then take the lists of Grade Level Expectations or district curriculums to align individual objectives with each focused piece. Certain objectives will align with all focused pieces; other objectives seem to have a home.

For example, in Missouri, fifth grade is to write a personal narrative. That is a pretty specific type of writing. So when looking through the list of grade level expectations, one district decided that "uses singular possessives" would fit this genre. The teachers could imagine students writing a personal story where they referred to things that were owned by someone. This seemed a logical place to include that instruction. Other obvious connections were the expectation that stated a student would write a narrative that chronicles a sequence of events and a narrative that develops a single focused idea.

In Four Blocks and Big Blocks, we recommend that no more than one focused piece of writing is done per grading period. Third grade is typically where that expectation begins. Most states ask primary students to do one type of narrative and one type of expository at the most. So in first and second grade classrooms, students will not spend a great deal of time doing specified types of writing.

Not only is it important to develop this writing map to guide the instruction, it is also important that teachers have a very detailed conversation about the finished product. Expository writing is just not specific enough. Neither will "reports" generate much motivation from students for long. Because students will be reading a wide range of forms in Guided Reading and hearing a wide variety of forms in Self-Selected Reading, allow students to use the literature they are reading to act as a model for the writing they will be composing. Students can try to create pieces that contain the same text features that the non-fiction they read has. Why not try to allow students to try bold print, captions, headings, or diagrams?

The conversation about the product will be key when deciding what your Writing Map should reflect. Take advantage of the general language in the state standards or grade level expectations. Decide as a grade level team what your students can do. There are some fabulous professional resources that share ideas on how to use children’s literature to craft texts. Look for Katie Wood Ray’s texts: Study Driven and Wondrous Words. Both texts provide concrete examples of how to use literature as a starting point for the writing students create.

Think outside the box. Rejuvenate yourself and your students by finding a new way to do expository writing that closely resembles the type of non-fiction reading your kids like to do. Develop products that go beyond the scope of what writing has historically looked like in our elementary classrooms. Students will be more willing to try and more motivated to make the product one worth sharing.

During this school year, I have been working closely with one of my districts to plan carefully and conscientiously during the Working with Words block.  Our goal has been to stick strictly to the Month by Month  (Hall and Cunningham) books at each grade level and plan according to all of the suggestions given in those easy to follow resources.

I often tell teachers that if I could give everyone one assignment for each summer, I would ask that each teacher re-read the first month of the Month by Month book for her grade level.  Especially in first and second grade, that first month of the year requires different kinds of word work to get students back in the school groove.

Even though I see even veteran Four Blocks teachers using the Month by Month books as a planning resource, I am not sure everyone reads ALL that the Month by Month books have to offer.  For example, in Month by Month Phonics for Third Grade, the extensions suggested in the month of October show how valuable words like pretty, prettier, and prettiest are.  The suggestion is to show kids that now that they are writing pretty, prettier, and prettiest, it will help them spell happier or smelliest.

These are perfect on the back activities but they are only helpful when used and TAUGHT to the students.  Students do not automatically make the transfer to other words with –y when adding er and est endings to those words.  Your demonstration of that skill is necessary for the payoff.

            On the same page in Month by Month Phonics for Third Grade, the book suggests putting the kids into teams of three or four, and suggest one of the spelling change patterns such as “y to i and add es”.  Students then work in those teams to brainstorm as many words that follow that pattern that they can think of.  This is perfect practice for getting the transfer from words like countries.

This week I was also modeling Working with Words in a first grade classroom and it was the first week of actual word wall words.  It was a great reminder as to why we do NOT do On the Back activities in first grade until November.  It takes a full 15 minutes to get first graders to write the five new words in their “best handwriting” with correct letter formation on the handwriting paper.

Don’t try to make time for On the Back activities in first grade yet – just concentrate on getting those words chanted, written correctly, and checked.  The Month by Month book introduces On the Back activities to first graders in November.  There is a reason for it – trust the book!

If you haven’t read your grade level Month by Month book lately, now is the time!  Just read it one month at a time.  It typically isn’t more than 20 pages of text and you will be a better Words Block teacher because of it!

Welcome to The Four Blocks.net Four Blocks Blog.  Bookmark blog.fourblocks.net now to make it easy to return.  Watch for postings by Amanda Arens and other Four Blocks authors and presenters.  We hope you will use this as a forum to share your experiences and insight into The Four Blocks Literacy Framework.  You can also use it a a learning tool by searching for previous blog topics.  Feel free to ask a question or just leave a comment.

If you are new to the Four Blocks Framework, this is a great place to learn.  If you don't have any experience yet, let us know.   We hope this blog is a great tool for learning about the Framework and becomes a resource for all teachers who want to make sure they are "on track" when teaching Four Blocks.

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Thanks again for posting and we hope you find this useful and informative!

Sincerely,

Jeff Arens
Four Blocks.net