“This is Station 1. We read poems, mostly funny poems.  Then we vote for the poem that we like best. We can record it for Seesaw. But the important part is that we have to read it without laughing but with expression so our audience can tell we like it.”

Today’s Winning Poem – By Jack Prelutsky

“And this is Station 2. Here we practice reading information.  Today we are reading about sharks.  When we finish, we tell our partner two things we learned about sharks and if we have any questions that we would still like answered about sharks.”

“And this is Station 3 and here we practice tongue twisters.  We try to read them as fast as we can but we have to make sure that we say each word exactly the way it is written.  Sometimes it’s hard. We try to beat our personal highest number of reading any one in  a row”

“And this is Station 4 where you can read anything you want. We use this station last because it’s the most fun and if you are not causing trouble, you can stay here as long as you want because it’s important to build your stamina.”

What did you see and hear on this mini-tour of 4 Reading Stations? 

What did you learn about reading through the words of the student explanations? 

What were they working on? 

Can you see and hear these kiddos?

Where was I?

In a bookstore

Eavesdropping on two boys who were book shopping for real,

But also “playing school” . . .

There were so many questions I wanted to ask,

but I listened and watched as I sat reading my own book, hoping I was holding it right side up as I was also scribbling down notes as fast as I could write. The joy and the seriousness juxtaposed in their words as they read.

What routines would students take from your classroom to play school?

What would they tell an observer about your beliefs and practices?