Reflections on literacy lesson 4 - "Five Finger" Retell for 3rd grade

What students learned and which students struggled with the lesson?

On my 1, 2, 3, or 3+ rubric (2 or above being considered successful), seven students scored a 1, nine students scored a 2, seven students scored a 3, and no students scored a 3+. On student had no writing and two students were out of the classroom during the writing portion of this Reader’s Workshop. As there were ten 1s (when I scored their Reader’s Notebooks) on the day we discussed setting and fifteen 1s on the day we discussed retelling main events with time order words, the lower number of 1s and increased number of 3s shows me that students learned from my clarifications of these aspects and now understand how to better identify, include integrate these concepts into a retell.

However, some students did struggle with the lesson, as seven received a 1 (which, on my rubric, does not qualify as being successful in the assignment). Four of these students are in our advanced reading group and three are at grade level; none were below grade level.

What are alternate reads of your students’ performance or products?

I’m not entirely sure. Though I do have three students who really struggle with writing, one received a 2, one did not write anything, and one was not present. Therefore, while generally these students are not able to perform tasks as well as their classmates due to their trouble reading and writing, I’m not really able to draw conclusions on that based on so little information (since only two were present to participate and the results were split). It is probable, however, that the one student’s lack of writing is due to her difficulty in expressing herself in the written form. If I had asked her orally, she might be able to demonstrate a better understanding of the concept.

Additionally, three of the students who received 1’s are in our advanced level reading group (and are proficient writers) and generally do not struggle with this kind of assignment. However, many of them are very focused on doing things exactly right, so they can, at times, take longer than others to complete assignments. Three of these four did not finish their retelling in the time allocated, so they were, consequently, lacking elements that they needed for a better score. I have allowed these students time to finish and I feel that those revised scores will more accurately reflect their understanding.

What did you learn about your students’ literacy practices that extend beyond your objectives?

I was able to see more about my students’ writing styles than I anticipated. For instance, some students had really strong voice in their retelling, while others did not. Some students made their retelling more like a list (i.e. Characters: Names; Setting: Place; etc.) or wrote in fragments, while the majority wrote them in complete sentences.

Additionally, I was able to learn about my students’ reading comprehension; mainly, their understanding of characters, setting, and what are the main events. As students were asked to write only about their book club book for this journal entry, I was able to read the three books before grading, so I had a good understanding of the text. This helped me to see which students were, for instance, naming minor characters or not using the correct name or title, or if they were telling supporting details rather than main events.

When and how will you re-teach the material to students who need additional support?

I have made a note of the students who did not score well on their Reader’s Notebook entry for the day. Of these students, it is easy to see from reading their entry whether their score is a result of their not doing the activity correctly, or simply not being able to complete it due to the time constraint. For the students who just did not have enough time to complete their retelling, I have already provided more time for them to do so. This will allow me to assess their actual retelling ability.

For those students who scored poorly (or those who didn’t finish, but upon finishing, still did not earn a higher score), I anticipate working with them as a small group this upcoming week. There are about eight students that I would like to practice this skill. I would likely have them practice doing a “five finger” retell orally with a partner, while their partner raised the corresponding fingers (we have a diagram that shows the pinkie as characters, ring finger as setting, etc.). This would help students to remember what needs to be included in a retelling. I would then have them go back to their seats and do another written retell in their Reader’s Notebook of the book they read during independent reading time that day. Two of these eight students struggle with writing, so I would also (or instead, depending on time constraints) have these students do their retelling orally, if possible.

If you were to teach this same lesson again, what would you do differently and how do you think the changes would improve students’ learning?

I do not feel that I would change too much to this lesson if I were to teach it again. However, I do have a few things that I would consider more thoroughly beforehand.

During my mini-lesson, I had students turn and talk with a partner so that everyone could practice doing a “five finger” retell. Almost every student was able to turn to their neighbor and do this, but there was a group of boys a few rows back that were not making the activity as easy as I’d hoped. One boy joined a group of two, which resulted in a group of three and one boy off by himself with no one to talk to. The group of three was not on task and I was not able to see their participation in the lesson (through their sticking up fingers and turn taking). The boy who was left alone then needed to move to another place to get a partner. As students have assigned seats on the carpet, I would consider assigning them their “turn and talk” partner, so that they could jump straight into the activity, and not spend time worrying about who their partner is and having to relocate. This would allow more time for the active engagement portion of my lesson, increasing student involvement and interest and helping me see them demonstrating their understanding.

Additionally, there were students who asked me how to retell the character and setting of a nonfiction book. I had not entirely planned out an answer for this, although I was aware that a small group of students was reading a nonfiction text. Consequently, I explained to the students to see the “characters” more loosely as the “subject” of the book, and the setting as where these “characters” were (for example, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California). However, if I were to re-teach this lesson, I would ask students what they think we should do when retelling nonfiction books. I would plan out a clear and articulate way to explain this, but I would also want to know students’ understanding as well, because I feel it might provide insight into their understanding of these story elements.