V. Thompson Blog#3-Not This: Is There Enough Time?

                 Effective scheduling has always been an ongoing challenge for teachers.  Making sure that each subject gets the mandatory minutes of instruction each week can be difficult.  But making time for Independent Reading and focused instruction is a must!
                 It is so easy as educators to get bogged down in the details and miss the big picture!  Students must become proficient readers in order to experience success in school and in life.  In order for this to happen, students must spend a good chunk of each day READING. I agree that in order for their independent reading time to be successful they must be given the tools to use.  One way I can do this is by "cutting out the fluff" and trying to make the most of each minute by modeling for students the ways that I derive meaning from text.  Another key factor in the battle against time toward the goal of reading proficiency is through the integration of content areas.  For example, right now we are covering non-fiction text features in Reading and Native Americans in Social Studies. So we have the students reading non-fiction text about each of the different regional groups such as the Eastern Woodlands.  As we read each article together we are discussing the different text features present such as headings, bold print words, captions,etc. Thus, we are conserving time by "killing two birds with one stone" and allowing for more Independent Reading and conferencing time in each day.
The more opportunities and time we can give children to read the better!