AVReading Newsletter September-- Setting the Tone

  

Hello Everyone!  For those of you who do not know me, my name is Scott Voss.  I am the Reading Coordinator for Apple Valley High School.  I am here to help you in a number of ways related to literacy and reading, and I’d like to devote a little bit of space in this month’s newsletter to letting you know ways I can help.

My duties include teaching whole class, small group, and (in some cases) individual instruction in reading.  My area of focus in the last two years has been on decoding, fluency and vocabulary, but I also work with students who struggle with comprehension. 

Beyond that I frequently help teachers:

-Collect / Interpret reading scores for your classes. 

-Find / Develop reading materials at appropriate reading levels for your students.

- Demonstrate reading strategies to your classes.

- Model reading strategies for you to see in my class. 

-Assess students

-Help teacher design units / lessons / assessments

 

And then, of course, I have this monthly newsletter where I will highlight various strategies that can be used in content area classes. 

                  For our back-to-school issue, I would like to focus our attention on strategies that “set the tone.” 

                  It goes without saying that the opening days and weeks of our classes are instrumental to establishing the right environment.  When it comes to students who struggle or with students who are resistant, setting the tone is especially important.  For those students, the “why” is so much more important than the “what” or “how”.  I think our go-to sometimes is to jump into the “what” or “how”—the logistics of the class, or even the content of what we are teaching, and miss that critical step of establishing connection.  When we choose to spend our opening moments talking about bathroom passes and phone caddies and tardy policies (all critically important things), we send the implicit message that those are the things that matter the most in our classes.  Learning is ultimately about developing relationships, and when I decide to begin at the start of the bell without taking the time to manage that relationship, things become really difficult.  Think of the old adage that before we talk business, we must drink three cups of tea.  One way or the others, students (again, especially for those who often feel alienated within the classroom) want to know that you care, and that the tasks you will be asking them to do are important.  They really want to know the “why” of it all. 

                  So when we talk about setting the tone (for the year, for the trimester, and even for each class), we talk about finding pathways to making those connections, to establishing trust. 

                  Of course, the low hanging fruit is just getting that name (and saying it correctly) as soon as possible.  Beyond that, it is setting aside time to have students share a little about themselves.  This can be quickly and easily done with quick writing prompts—“write about the story of your name and what you think of it.” Or in conversations that happen at the start and end of the day—“Hey, I like that t-shirt.  Have you been to that concert?”  It’s making notes as you read their first assignments about interesting aspects of their personality, “Hey, I remember reading that you have been to. . .”  Some of it could be structured conversation starters—“turn to the person sitting next to you and tell them about that time when. . .”  And some of it is just carrying a playful, joyful spirit with you into the classroom—“who is the worst driver you know?” 

                  As we begin our new year, and as we again commit ourselves to developing scholars, promoting learning, and improving test scores, we want to do all we can to create an environment where students are willing to invest in those things we hold dear.  

 

Read the full newsletter here.