The first year I taught (2007) my district adopted a new Reading series (Harcourt Trophies). I've heard that with the Common Core, there's a trend toward doing away with basals. We have been told by the Reading liaisons that they are fighting to keep the basals for the primary grades, but they couldn't promise anything. I don't expect to be told not to use the basal THIS year, but we adopt a new series every 7 years so it runs out this year. I've heard pretty much all the pros and cons of using/not using a basal. I'm just wondering how many of you are still using one and if you've heard anything similar? BTW, we've only had ONE science textbook since I started teaching 2nd grade in 2008, and they took up all our SS books at the end of the year this past year- don't think we're getting new ones.
I've moved away from using the Houghton-Mifflin anthology and have relied heavily on the science and social studies adoptions. I do, however, use HM for the spelling and phonics components. I pretty much pick and choose what I want to teach from HM.
I don't use one. We use guided reading groups so my students are in leveled groups and rotate time with me reading from leveled texts. When they're not with me, they are in centers.
I don't use a basal except as a doorstop when the weather is nice. My opinion is that I don't think basals should be used in grades 4-8. In primary grades, I can see using it for part of a reading program, but not the entire program.
We don't use it. We do TC Readers/Writers Workshop model. Even as a kid, I remember hating the basal. IMHO, there are better texts that you can use, if you want to do whole-class reading instruction from time to time (especially since Common Core is so non-fiction heavy). I'd rather use the actual picture book Too Many Tamales instead of the abbreviated, watered down basal version.
I use them for the first month of school to teach basic reading skills and concepts about print. This gives every student a book in their book box that they can read. Once I have everyone assessed and levelled I start guided reading and we move away from the basals. I do pull them out periodically through the year if there is a specific story that relates to our science or SS.
I feel that Trophies is a great program because all of the stories are excerpts from novels and they are very interesting, with good vocabulary, etc. .
My district has used Harcourt Storytown since 2007, but I don't really use it. Some teachers in the district follow it every day, but I prefer a workshop approach.
We have to use the basal within our reading curriculum, but they have let up on it quite a bit since a few years ago. It used to be only the basal could be used with our students and we couldn't use anything else. However, we've been given a little bit more freedom in the past year or two. I use the basal Monday-Wednesday and Thursday-Friday is used for Daily 5. I would be all for them getting rid of the basal altogether, but I'm not sure if that'll ever happen.
We used to be told that we had to have fidelity to the adopted reading program. Thankfully, though, that notion has fallen by the wayside.
When I started teaching we HAD to use Harcourt Trophies and follow it religiously. I can remember at the beginning of the 2011 school year they even told us to "go in order" and "include each story." THEN, at the beginning of 2012 (this past year), they start talking about how we should be moving more toward the way "we used to teach: using units." So do you not typically have WHOLE GROUP reading- only small group? Because that's the only way I can see being able to have a text for every student. And even then, I don't feel like I have enough small sets of QUALITY text!! I teach second grade, so that will obviously be different than upper grades. I could have easily taught fifth grade without a basal, but some of these kids are not reading proficiently and need systematic phonics instruction. Guess I'm off to google the workshop model...
I've always had a basal but I've never followed it precisely. I've always jumped around and chose the stories/activities that I wanted to teach.
Interesting. In both of my student teaching schools and at my current school, we were/are always expected (ok, mandated) to use the basal. The school/district will dictate how religiously it must be followed. At my school, we are all on the same pacing and do the lessons and units in order. I am planning to do full Daily 5 this year (and possibly CAFE...need to research!) but I will still have to incorporate the basal's stories, phonics, spelling, grammar, and comprehension skills. I'm surprised to hear there are so many places where basals are not used at all. That hasn't been my experience. The workshop approach is almost unheard of around here, except in higher income schools and districts.