Jill McDougald Blog Post #3 Teach with a Sense of Urgency-Ch. 4 Routman

In Chapter 4, Routman explained that we need to "teach with a sense of urgency."  She explains that we need to make every second count.  I know that I try to teach every second around children being pulled out for RTI, speech, resource and ESOL.  It is very important that I know and understand the academic needs of all my students to maximize my instruction time.

In reading this chapter last night, I tried a new method in class today.  Routman talks about interactive reading, so I decided to try it as we were reading our shared reading story.  The class read the story with me.  Next, I asked a comprehension questions about the story.  The students were asked to turn and talk with their group about the question and come up with the answer as a group. Most of the time the same students raise their hand to answer the questions.  I felt this let my slower learners talk in a less threatening environment.  I observed all students talking and interacting with their group.  I know I will use this strategy more often because it engaged all my students!