Evolution of Choice Reading, Talk on the Oval, Morning Discovery
Providing time for children to read books of their choice has always been a part of effective instruction. However, when a teacher’s mind set shifts from ‘free reading’ to an intentional focus on drawing out what children are wondering, and bridging the unknown to the known —making learning visible for all, and purposefully building background knowledge and vocabulary—that’s when big shifts occur on a cognitive and emotional level for children. This is what I experienced when I implemented Choice Reading in a high needs school.
Every second of the day counts, particularly in populations where children are entering school for the first time or have limited language and schema, compared to their middle-class counterparts. Choice Reading is a structure in the day (separate from Reading Workshop) that centers on empowering children to self-select books of high-interest to them on their developmental level.
All children experience success during this time, particularly ones least experienced with school and second language learners. This additional reading opportunity allows children to engage in rich content (with teacher facilitation) that would not be ordinarily available to them.
By following a child’s lead, teachers naturally create a reading context where both children/themselves are engaged and enthused, learning alongside one another. Children begin to see themselves as experts on certain topics as knowledge and language evolves, taking ownership of their learning. The emotional aspects of our little ones are nurtured in this cognitive context, as well as re-purposing why we teach—-to produce thinkers and instill a love of learning!
The art of the teacher is to see the big picture while conferring, the common threads that connect all this rich learning together, and through inquiry make it visible to children. Choice Reading offers opportunities to integrate required content (e.g. science, social studies, reading, writing, math) in authentic ways, improving teacher effectiveness. Much of this rich content and language spills out into children’s writing later in the year.
When I first implemented Choice Reading, at the end of this time, we would put our books away and come to the oval for a quick morning gathering. The talk centered on news for the day or social issues that needed to be addressed.
One morning I found myself so inspired by what I discovered alongside a child during Choice Reading that I couldn’t help myself but bring this new learning to ‘The Oval’ for all to hear. My enthusiasm was contagious —I had the children in the palms of my hands!
It quickly became apparent that I could have a great conversation with one child, or small group, but the rest of the class would miss out on this new learning. Oh my gosh…What if we actually talked about what we read, and this content was at the forefront of our gathering? This was a simple, and yet profound reflection. Sometimes the obvious has a way of blinding us!
Talk on the Oval emerged gradually as an additional structure to support the learning happening during Choice Reading. I found myself increasing the amount of time spent with inquiries, noticing how it strengthened speaking and listening skills, vocabulary/concept development, as well as nurturing the emotional aspects of children.
With the increased time, it was necessary to develop tools to maintain children’s enthusiasm, engagement, and ensure understanding. It began with walking around the oval and simply showing them a close-up photo in the text, related to the discussion, and paraphrasing the new content at regular intervals. This repetition reinforced content as I encouraged the children to echo specific vocabulary.
Movement (acting out a word) and dramatization (several children acting out a concept in the center of the oval) became an instant hit. Children love to move, and whenever we connect learning kinesthetically new neural pathways are created.
Additional tools such as drawing (quick), song, short (ten second) video clips, and extra visuals were added as time progressed. See Let’s Find Out!: Building Content Knowledge with Young Children for a more in-depth explanation of the tools. The classroom community tightened and strengthened as we continued to build a shared body of knowledge.
Choice Reading and Talk on the Oval were an evolution, and so was the Morning Discovery. Our ‘Morning Message’ soon became a powerful opportunity to connect all this rich talk to print. As soon as I intentionally shifted the content of the message from classroom news to capturing new content and language based on our discussions, children’s academic vocabulary and background knowledge soared. I realized writing was a tool, as well! And, adding a simple drawing, accompanied by labels, brought the content alive and strengthened understanding.
Lastly, it wasn’t until I realized this rich material needed to be permanent, as opposed to being erased daily. By recording this new learning on a chart tablet (24 X 18), opportunities to re-read were endless.
