We just found out that our county is going to be implementing a new reading program Fontas and Pinnell reading program. I am a little ticked because this means all the materials I have from the last two yrs from our reading series are really going to be useless. Anyway what is your opinion on this reading series? Thanks
Just curious, what was your previous reading series? I'm sure you could find some element from the previous series that you could use. We are getting the new MacMillan Treasures next year, but we are going to keep the readers from the Harcourt Trophies to use for supplements to our classroom library and our take home packs. It's just a thought.
Fountas and Pinnell? I assume it's a guided reading program... did your school use a guided reading program before? If so, then you can definitely use many of the materials again. However, if you used a phonics based reading program like Open Court, you can still use the phonics stuff to supplement... like for word work in centers. As for Fountas and Pinnell-- I read their book on Guided Reading cover to cover last summer. Personally, I think guided reading is awesome... but, we don't use it.
Open Court Reading is a phonics based reading program. We use decodable books, big books, and anthologies. It's more of a traditional reading program.
I don't really Fountas and Pinell to be a program, but more of an approach. I use it in my classroom and LOVE it. Fountas and Pinnell is an appraoch to balanced literacy that incorporates a workshop model to teach reading and writing. During my day i have blocks of Reader's Workshop, Writer's Workshop, and word study. Guided reading is included as well. I love Fountas and Pinnel because students are reading books that are specifically at their level. This may be similar to other programs but I dont have experience with any other formal program for teaching literacy. I realize it can be annoying to change what youre used to, but I think once you start it, you will like it. It's not really scripted, and involves more teacher work, but i think it's well worth it in the end.
I agree that reader's workshop and guided reading are great! We have been doing it for about 3 years now at our school and I have definitely seen the benefits of it with the kiddos. They are really doing authentic reading and are getting much more differentiated instruction. I also agree that it is much more work for the teacher because, to my knowledge, there is no teacher guide. it is supposed to be based on the needs of the kids and you are constantly assessing in order to know what they need both in mini lessons and also in guided reading... Anyway-- if this is what you are going to be doing at your school, I think you will find that you like it a lot!
We use Open Court 2000, the oldest version. There is no IWT, though I have seen a lot about it on opencourtresources.com. I see you've been teaching for 9 years- what year is your version then??? I would assume that you must be using the oldest version as well... so I'm a bit puzzled. There is a teacher in my grade level that has been teaching 1st grade (within district) for 25 years, and she's never mentioned anything about IWT. (Also-- I've never been "officially" trained in OC... I was hired a week and a half before the school year started (last year), so I was just thrown in. I was supposed to be trained in November, but our session got canceled due to a snowstorm, and has not been rescheduled.)
