This series of lessons taught over the first 4-6 weeks of the year sets the foundation for independent work, building students’ independent work habits and stamina for reading, writing, and doing word work. The dual goals of these lessons are to establish structures so that 1) students have the opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning and behavior, and 2) you are able to give full attention to the students in Small-Group Reading instruction.
By the time students are ready to begin small-group instruction, they know exactly what their choices are and how to work on their own so that teachers are able to instruct small groups with minimal interruption. We recommend 6-8 weeks to set the foundation in kindergarten and 4-6 weeks in grades 1 and 2. For more information see “Teaching the Independent Work Lessons” in the Teaching the Program section of the Implementation Handbook.
- A print copy of the Handbook is included with your Being a Reader materials. It is packaged with the unit teacher manuals.
- A digital copy of the Handbook can be found on the Learning Portal.