Respectful implementation is key to student buy-in and motivation. While each group of students will have different preferences and needs, there are a few adjustments that may gain more buy-in with older students. If you are working with students in the early levels of SIPPS Plus, you will refer to the wall cards often in the corrections routines, so having them posted may be helpful. However, if you feel your students are put off by the wall cards, you could post the cards that come up in the day’s lesson on the board, or write them on chart paper. You could also create a folder for each student that includes the 8 ½ x 11-in. copy of the sound-spelling cards, and students could take those out at the beginning of each lesson. If you feel your students may be put off by the hand-held cards in the sound-spelling and high frequency sight words routines, you could use the digital card decks instead. Often, once students experience success with the program, their initial reservations are alleviated. The reading in Dreams on Wheels and in the Hi-Lo Libraries is of high interest for older students, and when they see the connections between the reading and what they are learning through the wall cards and hand-held cards, most students understand why those tools are important.
To learn more about the critical elements for secondary students’ growth and success, read this blog.