Reading Mats in 1st Grade

Coaching in a first grade classroom? Sign me up! First grade will always have a special place in my heart since that's where I started my teaching career. I love the excitement and curiosity of first graders as well as teaching them how to read. So, when a former intermediate teacher, now a first time first grade teacher, asked me to coach in her room, I was ecstatic!

We've been working or reading workshop including structures to build engagement and stamina of our little friends. We introduced reading mats (as seen in the Calkins Reading Unit - 1st grade, Unit 1) as a way to build fluency and stamina. The students love it! I'm amazed at how effectively they 1) make a plan to read the books in their book box, 2) read each book moving it from the "go" side to the "stop" side, and 3) read the books one more time moving them back to the other side. It really works! Even the level A-D readers are reading the whole time and are feeling more confident.

Now, if we can just get the students to keep only "just right" books in their book boxes...



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